METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HAND DISINFECTION QUALITY CONTROL

• US 20130215245A1
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Published: 08/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Budapesti Muszaki Es Gazdasagtudomanyi Egyetem
• Original Assignee: Budapesti Muszaki Es Gazdasagtudomanyi Egyetem
• Inventors: Haidegger, Tamas, Nagy, Melinda, Lehotsky, Akos, Szilanyi, Laszlo
• Granted Patent: US 9,424,735 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/77
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/245 Reminder of hygiene compliance policies, e.g. of washing hands

Abstract

The invention is based on a method for hand disinfection quality control comprising the steps of providing a hand disinfection medium comprising a light reflecting particles responsive to light mostly outside the visible spectral range of light, applying the hand disinfection medium comprising the light reflecting particles in a prescribed manner for a prescribed time, illuminating the hands disinfected this way with a light source providing light in a spectral range for activating the reflecting particles. The method according to the invention further comprises the steps of providing digital images of the hands from both sides, and evaluating the images by a computer program in order to determine the cleanness of the hands. The invention also relates to an apparatus for implementing the method and assessing hand disinfection quality. The invention uses an apparatus that comprises a rigid case with side walls enclosing a light source for providing light of a predetermined spectral range mostly outside the visible range. The case is further provided with an opening on the front wall for introducing the hands to be exposed to the light of the light source. An imaging device is also attached to the case for taking images of the illuminated hands.

Claims

1. Method for hand disinfection quality control comprising the steps of

providing a hand disinfection medium comprising a light reflecting particles responsive to light mostly outside the visible spectral range of light,

applying the hand disinfection medium comprising the light reflecting particles in a prescribed manner for a prescribed time,

illuminating the hands disinfected this way with a light source providing light in a spectral range for activating the reflecting particles,

providing digital images of the hands from both sides,

determining the concentration of reflecting particles,

comparing the determined concentration value with a predetermined threshold value corresponding to an acceptable hand cleanness, and

determining whether the quality of disinfection is acceptable or not according to the results of the comparison,

characterized in that

for each person an individual threshold value is stored, and

the individual threshold value is compared with the value determined through measuring.

2. The method of claim 1, characterized in that the image is filtered in order to obtain different spectral images, wherein one of the filtered images is used for determining the regions of interest within the image for further analysis, and at least one of the other images is used for determining the concentration of reflecting particles.

4. The method of claim 2, characterized in that the obtained images, the determined values of concentration of the reflective particles and the quality control result, are stored on a storage means.

5. The method of claim 4, characterized in that for each person a first set of data, comprising hand images, concentration values before disinfection procedure and a second set of data comprising hand images, concentration values after disinfection procedure are stored on the storage means.

3. (canceled)

6. (canceled)

7. Apparatus for assessing hand disinfection quality comprising a

rigid case with side walls connected to each other, the case enclosing

a light source for providing light of a predetermined spectral range mostly outside the visible range,

the case further being provided with an opening on the front wall for introducing the hands to he exposed to the light of the light source, wherein

an imaging device is attached to the case for taking images of the illuminated hands, the imaging device being connected to a computer, characterized in that the computer is configured for storing individually predetermined threshold values to be compared with concentration values derived from the images for each person individually, and a computer program for controlling the measurement and determining whether the quality of disinfection is acceptable or not according to the results of the comparison.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, characterized in that at least two light sources are arranged inside the rigid case in order to provide homogeneous illumination.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, characterized in that the light sources are UV lamps.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, characterized in that the light sources are UV LEDs.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, characterized in that the light sources are IR lamps.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, characterized in that the light sources are IR LEDs.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, characterized in that the walls of the rigid case are not transparent to light.

14-18. -18. (canceled)