UV Disinfection Switching Control With Human-Safe Lockout
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing disinfection lighting systems using ultraviolet (UV) light pose risks to human safety due to potential exposure to harmful UV wavelengths, and there is a need for a system that can safely control human exposure to disinfection light while effectively disinfecting surfaces and air.
Innovation Solution
An antimicrobial system with distributed disinfection controls and an authenticated safe lockout protocol, which includes luminaires with integrated sensors and switching devices, ensures safe operation by verifying the absence of humans before emitting high-intensity disinfection light and using a security challenge device to authenticate authorized operators.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If UV light with wavelengths in the range of 180 nm to 380 nm is used for disinfection, then disinfection effectiveness is improved, but harmful effects on human occupants increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the wavelength parameter of UV light from harmful ranges (180-380 nm) to the safer far-UVC range (200-280 nm, particularly 222 nm), which maintains disinfection effectiveness while reducing harmful effects on human occupants. This parameter change allows the system to achieve reliable pathogen deactivation without causing sunburn, skin cancer, cataracts, or photokeratitis.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces sensors and control mechanisms as intermediaries between the UV light source and human occupants. These sensors detect the presence of humans and automatically control the UV light emission, ensuring that high-intensity disinfection light is only emitted when no humans are present, thus mediating between disinfection needs and human safety.
2Reliability
If high-intensity UV light is emitted for effective disinfection, then pathogen deactivation is improved, but risk of human exposure to harmful UV increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of human presence before emitting high-intensity UV light. Sensors scan the area and verify that no humans are present before activating the disinfection light, ensuring that effective pathogen deactivation occurs only under safe conditions. This preliminary action prevents harmful exposure while maintaining disinfection effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the environment during UV light emission and provides feedback control. If sensors detect human entry during disinfection operation, the system automatically shuts off the UV light, creating a closed-loop control system that maintains both disinfection effectiveness and human safety through real-time monitoring and adjustment.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If visible light wavelengths (400-450 nm) are used for disinfection, then human safety is improved, but disinfection effectiveness decreases and exposure duration must be much longer
Solution Approach 1:
The system optimizes the UV wavelength parameter to far-UVC (200-280 nm, particularly 222 nm), which falls in a window that is effective against pathogens but safer for human tissue. This parameter change achieves both goals: maintaining high disinfection effectiveness while improving human safety compared to visible light wavelengths.
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
The system effectively deactivates pathogens on surfaces and in air while ensuring human safety by preventing exposure to harmful UV light, thus providing a safe and efficient disinfection solution.
Implementation Method 1
disinfection light, e.g., ultraviolet (UV) light, to deactivate a pathogen
Implementation Method 2
apply a cumulative amount of UV light energy so as to deactivate or kill pathogens
Data Source
AI summary
Antimicrobial system including a luminaire configured to emit a disinfection light in an ultraviolet band for disinfecting a vicinity of a target pathogen. A switching device that includes a primary relay pack. The primary relay pack has a communication interface, a measurement circuit, a processor, and disinfection monitoring programming in a memory. Execution of the disinfection monitoring programming by the processor configures the primary relay pack to perform the following functions. Based on a second input from the operator, produce a visual inspection signal. Monitor, via the measurement circuit, a power parameter of the luminaire. Compare the monitored power parameter with an active disinfection threshold, a passive operation threshold, or a combination thereof. In response to the comparison, either determine that the disinfection light source is unexpectedly on, is degraded or disabled, or the luminaire is inoperable; or control power to the luminaire to emit the disinfection light.