Room sterilization method and system

• US 9,345,798 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2013
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Steriliz LLC
• Original Assignee: Steriliz LLC
• Inventors: Trapani, Samuel Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Conley, Sean E
• Assistant Examiner(s): SPAMER, DONALD R
• Application Number:
  US13/964,874
• Publication Number:
  US 20140044590A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,016 Days
• Field of Search: 422/3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/10 Ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/202 Ozone
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/208 Hydrogen peroxide
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/24 Apparatus using programmed or automatic operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/11 Apparatus for generating biocidal substances, e.g. vaporisers, UV lamps
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/14 Means for controlling sterilisation processes, data processing, presentation and storage means, e.g. sensors, controllers, programs
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/16 Mobile applications, e.g. portable devices, trailers, devices mounted on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/25 Rooms in buildings, passenger compartments
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/015 using gaseous or vaporous substances, e.g. ozone A61L9/20 takes precedence ; evaporation in general B01B1/005
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/20 Ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0247 using a charging unit
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/429 applied to measurement of ultraviolet light using counting tubes G01T
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2001/0257 portable

Abstract

A sterilization system consisting of a mobile emitter, a sensing subsystem and a data logging subsystem is described. The emitter has one or more UV emitting lamps or devices. The sensing system comprises at least one remote UV sensor and at least one door sensor. The door sensor comprises a safety shut off door detector and may contain an emergency stop detector and arming detector to protect people from being exposed to UV energy. The system has a remote control for starting, stopping and setting system parameters which include but are not limited to: treatment time, dosage, room size, room number, unit number, floor, facility name, operator name, operator identification number, password, default dosage values, dosage, and patient identification number. The number of treatments per unit of time can be maximized because of the use of incident light measurement.

Claims

1. An apparatus for disinfecting an enclosure, and reporting said disinfecting across an area wide network, said apparatus comprising:

an apparatus base for conveying said apparatus;

a UV emitter for selectably emitting UV radiation for disinfecting an enclosure having an enclosure door;

a computer operable to control emission of UV radiation by said UV emitter;

a plurality of UV sensors for measuring and reporting to said computer a dosage of UV radiation received, each of said plurality of UV sensors operable to measure UV light at a defined surface by placement of each of said plurality of UV sensors proximate to the defined surface; and

further wherein at least one of said plurality of UV sensors is positioned remote from said UV emitter;

a door safety sensor, said door safety sensor operable to detect and report whether the enclosure door is open or closed for maintaining integrity of the enclosure during emission of radiation by said UV emitter; and

a human-machine interface (HMI) in communication with said computer operable to start and stop a disinfection procedure, and further operable to pause and resume said disinfection procedure; and

wherein said computer is operable to pause UV emission at a first UV emitter position, and resume UV emission at a second UV emitter position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, said door safety sensor further comprising an arming mechanism, said arming mechanism operable to prevent activation of said UV emitter unless said door is closed and said arming mechanism is active.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said door safety sensor and said plurality of UV sensors communicate with said computer using local area wireless communications.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said local area wireless communications comprises said computer polling said door safety sensor and said plurality of UV sensors.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said local area wireless communications comprises time defined transmissions from said plurality of UV sensors and door safety sensor to said computer, said plurality of UV sensors and door safety sensor being addressable.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 configured for local area wireless communications comprising a wireless access point, said wireless access point being integrated into said apparatus.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said computer communicates with said door safety sensor more frequently than with said plurality of UV sensors.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said plurality of UV sensors comprise battery-powered UV sensors.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said UV emitter further comprises at least one charging connector for said battery-powered UV sensors.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said plurality of UV sensors comprise cosine-corrected UV sensors.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said human-machine interface communicates with said computer using local area wireless communications.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said human-machine interface communicates with said computer using wide-area wireless communications.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one drone emitter unit, said at least one drone emitter unit providing additional UV light.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a wireless network adapter to provide internet access.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one device chosen from the group consisting of:

a humidity generating device, an ozone generating device, and a vaporized hydrogen peroxide generating device.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said UV emitter comprises a plurality of substantially uncovered UV lamps.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said computer comprises:

a database stored on a non-transient computer readable medium, said database comprising;

a value representing a door condition;

a value representing a dosage of UV radiation received by selected ones of said plurality of UV sensor;

a network interface for communicating wirelessly with selected ones of said UV sensors, said door safety sensor, said HMI, and the area wire network;

a processor for executing computer executable code;

computer executable code stored on said database for use by said processor, said computer executable code comprising;

a condition determination protocol for performing the steps of;

determining a status of UV emission, from a set of potential status, said potential status of UV emission selected from said group comprising of;

said UV emitter emitting UV radiation; and

said UV emitter not emitting UV radiation a UV received protocol for performing the steps of;

updating said value representing a dosage of UV radiation received by each of said plurality of UV sensor from transmissions received by said network interface from selected ones of said plurality of UV sensors;

said updating said value representing a dosage of UV radiation received by selected ones of said plurality of UV sensor from transmissions received by said network interface from selected ones of said plurality of UV sensors operable across a first UV emitter position and a second UV emitter position;

a trigger event determination protocol, said trigger event determination protocol, when executed, ceasing the emission of radiation by said UV emitter, execution of said trigger event determination protocol selected from the group consisting of;

said value representing a door open/closed condition correlating to a door open condition;

a value representing a dosage of UV radiation received by each of said plurality of UV sensor exceeding a predetermined threshold; and

a command received from said HMI,

a UV emission resume protocol, said UV emission resume protocol for recommencing emission of UV radiation by said UV emitter and continuing said updating of said value representing a dosage of UV radiation received by each of said plurality of UV sensor.