Hand disinfection device having a plasma and aerosol generator

• US 10,124,080 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2014
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: INP Greifswald E.V., Leibniz-Institut für Plasmaforschung und Technologie e.V.
• Original Assignee: Leibniz-Institut für Plasmaforschung und Technologie e.V.
• Inventors: Weltmann, Klaus-Dieter, Stieber, Manfred, Von Woedtke, Thomas, Kroemker, Wilfried
• Primary Examiner(s): Spamer, Donald R
• Application Number:
  US14/916,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20160220714A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,530 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/0011 using physical methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/14 Plasma, i.e. ionised gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/22 Phase substances, e.g. smokes, aerosols or sprayed or atomised substances
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/21 Pharmaceuticals, e.g. medicaments, artificial body parts

Abstract

The invention relates to a disinfection device (1) for plasma disinfection of surfaces comprising a plasma generator (2) for generating a disinfecting plasma gas stream (PA), and comprising an at least partially closed disinfection area (5) that is in communicating connection with the plasma generator (2), which is configured for receiving the surface (6) to be disinfected. The disinfection device (1) has an aerosol generator (9) for generating an aqueous aerosol stream (A) containing particles. The aerosol generator (9) is in communicating connection with the plasma generator (2) in order to guide the plasma gas stream (PA) mixed with the aerosol stream (A) in the disinfection area (5) onto the surface (6) to be disinfected.

Claims

1. A disinfection device for plasma disinfection of a surface, comprising:

a plasma generator for generating a disinfecting plasma gas stream, said plasma generator comprising a plasma gas stream outlet;

an at least partly closed disinfection region which is communicatively connected to the plasma generator and which is embodied to receive the surface to be disinfected;

an aerosol generator for generating an aerosol stream containing aqueous particles, wherein the aerosol generator is coupled to the plasma gas stream outlet of the plasma generator in order to mix the plasma gas stream generated by the plasma generator with the aerosol stream of the aerosol generator and to subsequently guide the plasma gas stream mixed with the aerosol stream into the disinfection region and onto the surface to be disinfected.

2. The disinfection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the aerosol generator has an atomizer unit for atomizing a fluid.

3. The disinfection device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the atomizer unit has an ultrasonic atomizer.

4. The disinfection device as claimed in claim 2 wherein the fluid is an emulsion-containing liquid.

5. The disinfection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the aerosol generator has at least one humidifying surface, which is connected with fluid for moistening the humidifying surface and which is arranged actuatable by an air stream in such a way that the air stream sweeping past the at least one humidifying surface is moistened and mixed with the plasma gas stream as aerosol stream.

6. The disinfection device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the at least one humidifying surface is embodied as a plate having capillaries, which plate stands in a fluid bath and the plate portion thereof protruding out of the fluid bath can be actuated by the air stream.

7. The disinfection device as claimed claim 1, wherein the disinfection device has a fan, which is communicatively connected to the disinfection region in order to guide an air stream into the disinfection region.

8. The disinfection device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the fan is connected to a heating apparatus for heating the air stream caused by the fan.

9. The disinfection device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the fan is communicatively connected to the plasma generator for guiding an air stream caused by the fan through the plasma generator.

10. The disinfection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the disinfection region is embodied to receive at least one hand to be disinfected of a person and to disinfect the surface of the hand at least received in the disinfection region.

11. The disinfection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the disinfection region has an opening for receiving the surface to be disinfected, which opening can be closed-off from the surroundings by an air curtain, which is formed by at least one air stream emerging from an air nozzle.

12. The disinfection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the disinfection region is communicatively connected to an arrangement for suctioning away air, wherein the arrangement for suctioning away air is configured to lead away the plasma gas stream mixed with the aerosol stream which is introduced into the disinfection region and wherein the arrangement for suctioning away air has an ozone catalyzer for neutralizing ozone situated in the suctioned-away air stream.

13. A method for plasma disinfection of a surface, comprising:

generating a disinfecting plasma gas stream;

mixing an aerosol stream containing aqueous particles with the plasma gas stream to produce a plasma gas stream containing aqueous aerosol particles; and

guiding the plasma gas stream containing aqueous aerosol particles into an at least partly closed disinfection region and onto the surface to be disinfected, wherein the surface to be disinfected is received in the disinfection region.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

ultrasonic atomization of a liquid to produce the aqueous aerosol stream; and

introducing the aqueous aerosol stream atomized by ultrasound into the plasma gas stream after the generation of the plasma gas stream for the purposes of mixing the aerosol stream with the plasma gas stream.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising molecular moistening of an air stream to form the aerosol stream.

16. The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising pre-drying of an air stream introduced into a plasma generator which generates the plasma gas stream.