Airborne Pathogen Removal via Segmented UV and Ionization Chambers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for killing or neutralizing airborne viruses and bacteria are often unsafe for humans and animals and fail to provide a high percentage of pathogen neutralization, despite safety features like timers and motion detectors.
Innovation Solution
A system incorporating a housing with bipolar ionizers, particle filters, and UV light radiation sources, including a ventilation system that draws in air, processes it through filters and ionizers, and expels treated air, while keeping UV radiation contained within the housing to prevent mammalian exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If high voltage bipolar ionizers are used to kill airborne pathogens, then pathogen neutralization effectiveness is improved, but safety for humans and animals deteriorates due to potential exposure to high voltage and harmful radiation
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the treatment process into separate functional chambers: a first chamber for bipolar ionization, a second chamber for UV irradiation, and a third chamber for filtration. This segmentation allows each component to operate at optimal intensity without direct exposure risks to users, as air is sequentially treated in isolated compartments before being released into the environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary airflow system that acts as a buffer between the high-voltage ionization/UV treatment zones and the human environment. The ventilation system draws air through sealed chambers, allowing harmful treatments to occur in controlled isolation while only the treated, safe air contacts users. This intermediary mechanism resolves the contradiction by decoupling the harmful treatment process from human exposure.
2Reliability
If UV light radiation sources are used to eliminate pathogens, then pathogen neutralization effectiveness is improved, but safety deteriorates due to potential mammalian exposure to UV radiation
Solution Approach 1:
The UV radiation source is isolated in a separate second chamber, physically segmented from the user environment. This chamber is designed to contain UV radiation while allowing treated air to pass through to the next chamber. The segmentation principle allows intensive UV treatment to occur without exposing mammals to harmful radiation levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The ventilation system and chamber structure serve as intermediaries that allow UV treatment to occur in isolation. Air acts as the medium that carries pathogens through the UV chamber for treatment, then transports the disinfected air to subsequent chambers before release. This intermediary mechanism enables effective UV pathogen elimination while preventing direct mammalian exposure to the radiation source.
3Reliability
If multiple treatment chambers and filters are used to achieve high pathogen removal, then pathogen neutralization effectiveness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it contains and seals the treatment chambers, provides structural support, directs airflow through the system, and protects internal components. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components, thereby managing complexity while maintaining high pathogen removal effectiveness through the multi-chamber 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 removes 99.9% of airborne pathogens, including viruses and bacteria, providing a durable and multifaceted solution for continuous disease protection in various settings, such as public spaces and vehicles, by using a combination of bipolar ionization, photo-catalytic filters, and UV light to neutralize pathogens.
Implementation Method 1
the bipolar ionizer is of high voltage and low amperage sufficient to rip apart airborne pathogens including viruses and bacteria
Implementation Method 2
the ultra violet light radiation source includes a source of at least one or more of UV-A, UV-B, or UV-C radiation
Implementation Method 3
the particle filter can further include a nano-coating that is photo-catalytic such as a nano-coating of titanium oxide. In some embodiments, the UV light source can interact with the nano-coating to further eliminate or kill pathogens
Data Source
AI summary
A system (10) for removing airborne pathogens can include a housing (1, 4, and 6) having at least one or more chambers, a bipolar ionizer (9A), at least one particle filter (8), and an ultra violet light radiation source (5A) residing in at least one or more chambers. Furthermore, the embodiments can include the use of a ventilation system which can include a fan (3) that draws in surrounding air at an intake (7A) and directs the surrounding air towards the at least one particle filter, the bipolar ionizer, and the ultra violet light radiation source before the ventilation system expels the surrounding air drawn through the intake through an exhaust vent (7B).