Method and apparatus for rapid sterilization of a room

• US 9,808,546 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2017
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John Martin Taboada, John Taboada
• Original Assignee: John Martin Taboada, John Taboada
• Inventors: Taboada, John, Taboada, John Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIET TUAN
• Application Number:
  US15/489,705
• Publication Number:
  US 20170216467A1
• Time in Patent Office: 204 Days
• Field of Search: 25045511
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/121 provided with means for cleaning post-use
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/10 Ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/11 Apparatus for generating biocidal substances, e.g. vaporisers, UV lamps
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/122 Chambers for sterilisation
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/24 Medical instruments, e.g. endoscopes, catheters, sharps
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/25 Rooms in buildings, passenger compartments
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/26 Textiles, e.g. towels, beds, cloths
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/005 Optical devices external to the laser cavity, specially adapted for lasers, e.g. for homogenisation of the beam or for manipulating laser pulses, e.g. pulse shaping shaping laser beam for working metal or other materials B23K26/06; optical elements, systems or apparatus in general G02B
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/2256 KrF, i.e. krypton fluoride is comprised for lasing around 248 nm

Abstract

Methods and systems for sterilizing a room are disclosed, including using a laser positioned within a housing to generate a pulsed laser beam; and intercepting the pulsed laser beam with a scattering optical element to substantially isotropically scatter the radiation of the pulsed laser beam outside the housing to sterilize the room. The scattering optical element comprises a hollow fused silica bulb filled with solid fused silica spheres or a fiber optic bundle and in some embodiments the scattering optical element is rotated. The pulsed laser beam comprises a wavelength ranging between about 200 nm to about 320 nm and in some embodiments comprises nanosecond or picosecond light pulses. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for sterilizing a room comprising:

a housing;

a laser within the housing and configured to emit a pulsed laser beam; and

a scattering optical element configured to intercept and substantially isotropically scatter the radiation of the pulsed laser beam outside the housing to sterilize the room.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the laser comprises at least one of a KrF Excimer laser, a fourth harmonic q-switched Nd:

YAG solid state laser, a fourth harmonic mode locked Nd;

YAG solid state laser, a fourth harmonic q-switched Nd;

YLF solid state laser, a fourth harmonic mode locked Nd;

YLF solid state laser, a fourth harmonic q-switched Nd;

YVO₄ solid state laser, and a fourth harmonic mode locked Nd;

YVO₄ solid state laser.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the laser is q-switched and/or mode locked.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pulsed laser beam comprises a wavelength ranging between about 200 nm to about 320 nm.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pulsed laser beam comprises nanosecond or picosecond light pulses.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the scattering optical element comprises a hollow fused silica bulb filled with fused silica spheres.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the fused silica spheres are solid.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the fused silica spheres are hollow.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the scattering optical element comprises a fiber optic bundle.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the fiber optic bundle is configured to be rotated about a plane substantially orthogonal to the intercepted pulsed laser beam.

11. A method for sterilizing a room comprising:

using a laser positioned within a housing to generate a pulsed laser beam; and

intercepting the pulsed laser beam with a scattering optical element to substantially isotropically scatter the radiation of the pulsed laser beam outside the housing to sterilize the room.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the laser comprises at least one of a KrF Excimer laser, a fourth harmonic q-switched Nd:

YAG solid state laser, a fourth harmonic mode locked Nd;

YAG solid state laser, a fourth harmonic q-switched Nd;

YLF solid state laser, a fourth harmonic mode locked Nd;

YLF solid state laser, a fourth harmonic q-switched Nd;

YVO₄ solid state laser, and a fourth harmonic mode locked Nd;

YVO₄ solid state laser.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the laser is q-switched and/or mode locked.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the pulsed laser beam comprises a wavelength ranging between about 200 nm to about 320 nm.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the pulsed laser beam comprises nanosecond or picosecond light pulses.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the substantially isotropically scattering optical element comprises a hollow fused silica bulb filled with fused silica spheres.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the fused silica spheres are solid.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the fused silica spheres are hollow.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the scattering optical element comprises a fiber optic bundle.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising rotating the fiber optic bundle in a plane substantially orthogonal to the intercepted pulsed laser beam.