UV-C Sterilization Chamber with Token Verification for Mobile Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Personal mobile communication devices can become breeding grounds for bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens, posing a risk to users and potentially spreading diseases, especially in shared use scenarios like contactless shopping or law enforcement.
Innovation Solution
A smart device with a sterilization chamber that uses ultraviolet-C (UV-C) radiation to disinfect personal computing and communication devices, along with a method for generating a unique token upon successful sterilization to verify the process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual cleaning of mobile devices is performed, then users can remove some pathogens, but the cleaning effectiveness is insufficient and pathogens can survive for extended periods on device surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies UV-C radiation with specific wavelength parameters (200-280nm) to change the physical-chemical state of pathogens on device surfaces, achieving complete sterilization that manual cleaning cannot provide. The UV-C light induces photochemical reactions that destroy pathogen DNA/RNA, fundamentally changing the sterilization mechanism from mechanical removal to molecular destruction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical cleaning with an automated UV-C irradiation system. The sterilization device uses electromagnetic radiation instead of physical contact to eliminate pathogens, providing more reliable and complete sterilization without the limitations of manual cleaning methods.
2Reliability
If UV-C radiation is used for sterilization, then complete pathogen elimination is achieved, but the device complexity increases due to the need for control processors, sensors, and articulated mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The sterilization device integrates multiple functions into a single system: UV-C irradiation for sterilization, cameras and scanners for object identification, control processors for cycle management, and token generation for verification. This multi-functional integration achieves complete sterilization while managing complexity through unified design rather than separate independent systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The device performs self-identification and self-verification through integrated sensors and cameras that detect and identify the target object, then generate unique tokens that memorialize the sterilization cycle. The system autonomously manages the sterilization process without requiring external monitoring or verification equipment.
3Reliability
If the sterilization chamber is fully enclosed, then sterilization effectiveness is maximized, but the ease of operation decreases due to the need to retract trays and manipulate objects inside the chamber
Solution Approach 1:
The device performs preliminary object identification using externally mounted cameras and scanners before the object is placed in the sterilization chamber. The control processor records the object's identity and characteristics in advance, so that when the object is later retrieved, the system already has the information needed to generate the appropriate verification token, simplifying the user interaction sequence.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an object tray or receptacle as an intermediary mechanism that facilitates easy insertion and removal of objects while maintaining the enclosed sterilization chamber. The tray serves as a interface between the user and the sealed chamber, allowing simple placement and retrieval actions while the chamber remains fully enclosed during the sterilization process.
4Measurement precision
If multiple sensors and cameras are mounted on the device, then object identification accuracy is improved, but the device weight and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sensing functions (cameras, scanners, sensors) into a single integrated sterilization device platform. Rather than using separate independent devices for each function, the system merges object identification, sterilization, and verification capabilities into one unified device, achieving accurate object identification while managing weight through integrated design.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Effectively sterilizes personal mobile devices, reducing the risk of pathogen transmission and providing users with a documented record of the sterilization process, enhancing hygiene and liability protection.
Implementation Method 1
Within the sterilization chamber, illuminators sterilize the object by directing ultraviolet-C (UV-C) or other like disinfecting radiation at the external surfaces of the object
Data Source
AI summary
A smart device and method for certified sterilization of personal computing/communications devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, phablets) and other like personal effects provides an interior sterilization chamber fully or partially enclosed by a housing. The smart device includes an object tray or receptacle situated within the chamber for sterilization of any objects secured therein. Within the sterilization chamber, illuminators direct ultraviolet-C (UV-C) or other like disinfecting radiation at the external surfaces of the object according to a predetermined sterilization cycle or program. The selected sterilization cycle is executed by controlling the activation and/or articulation of the illuminators and/or the object tray or receptacle (either or both of which may be articulated to maximize the irradiated surface area of the object). When a sterilization cycle is complete, the control processors generate a unique token memorializing the successful completion of the cycle upon the sterilized object (e.g., a uniquely identified mobile device).