Disinfection device and method

Abstract

An ultraviolet area sterilizer or disinfector is incorporated into a building structure where concern exists regarding the presence of pathogenic bacteria on environmental surfaces. Ultraviolet C (UV-C) generators generate UV-C that is directed to architectural partitions of an enclosed area. The architectural partitions reflect UV-C to kill pathogens in the enclosed area. The device transmits a calculated dose of UV-C from a fixture mounted to an architectural partition in the enclosed area. Once an effective cumulative dose of UV-C has been reflected to radiation sensors, as measured by the sensors, the device shuts down. The device allocates power to specific UV-C emitters so as to direct UV-C radiation more uniformly throughout the area, as measured by the sensors.

1 . A device for disinfecting an enclosed area by use of ultraviolet radiation, comprising:
 a plurality of ultraviolet-C radiation emitters; and   a plurality of radiation sensors that are each positioned to receive reflected ultraviolet-C radiation;   a controller, wherein each of the plurality of radiation sensors is connected to the controller and each of the plurality of radiation sensors communicates a dosage of ultraviolet-C radiation received to the controller, and wherein the controller reduces an ultraviolet-C radiation emission level of a first ultraviolet-C radiation emitter of the plurality of ultraviolet-C radiation emitters and increases an ultraviolet-C radiation emission level of a second ultraviolet-C radiation emitter of the plurality of ultraviolet-C radiation emitters in response to the dosage of ultraviolet-C radiation received from the plurality of radiation sensors.   
     
     
         2 . A device for disinfecting an enclosed area by use of ultraviolet radiation as described in  claim 1 , wherein the controller controls the ultraviolet-C radiation emission level of the first ultraviolet-C radiation and the ultraviolet-C radiation emission level of the second ultraviolet-C radiation so that a predetermined cumulative dosage received by a radiation sensor that receives ultraviolet-C radiation from the first emitter and a predetermined cumulative dosage received by a radiation sensor that receives ultraviolet-C radiation from the second emitter are achieved at substantially the same time. 
     
     
         3 . A device for disinfecting an enclosed area by use of ultraviolet radiation as described in  claim 1 , wherein the controller controls the ultraviolet-C radiation emission level of the first ultraviolet-C radiation and the ultraviolet-C radiation emission level of the second ultraviolet-C radiation so that a predetermined cumulative dosage received by a radiation sensor that receives ultraviolet-C radiation from the first emitter and a predetermined cumulative dosage received by a radiation sensor that receives ultraviolet-C radiation from the second emitter are achieved at substantially the same time, and upon the radiation sensor that receives ultraviolet-C radiation from the first emitter receiving the predetermined cumulative dosage and the radiation sensor that receives ultraviolet-C radiation from the second emitter receiving the predetermined cumulative dosage, the controller causes ultraviolet-C radiation emission from the first emitter and ultraviolet-C radiation emission from the second emitter to terminate. 
     
     
         4 . A device for disinfecting an enclosed area by use of ultraviolet radiation as described in  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of radiation sensors is arranged to measure ultraviolet-C radiation reflected from substantially all of an enclosed area. 
     
     
         5 . A device for disinfecting an enclosed area by use of ultraviolet radiation as described in  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of ultraviolet-C radiation emitters are light emitting diodes. 
     
     
         6 . A device for disinfecting an enclosed area by use of ultraviolet radiation as described in  claim 1 , further comprising a variable output ballast that is connected to the controller, and the variable output ballast is connected to the ultraviolet-C radiation emitters, wherein the controller signals the variable output ballast to increase power to the first ultraviolet radiation emitter and to decrease power to the second ultraviolet radiation emitter. 
     
     
         7 . A device for disinfecting an enclosed area by use of ultraviolet radiation as described in  claim 1 , wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is associated with an emitter of the plurality of emitters, and the controller determines an average level of reflected radiation received by the plurality of sensors, and increases power to each emitter of the plurality of sensors that is associated with a sensor that is receiving less than the average level of reflected radiation and decreases power to each emitter of the plurality of sensors that is associated with a sensor that is receiving more than the average level of reflected radiation. 
     
     
         8 . A device for disinfecting an enclosed area by use of ultraviolet radiation as described in  claim 1 , wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is associated with an emitter of the plurality of emitters, and the controller determines an average level of reflected radiation received by the plurality of sensors, and increases power at each emitter of the plurality of sensors that is associated with a sensor that is receiving less than the average level of reflected radiation to achieve the average level of reflected radiation and decreases power to each emitter of the plurality of sensors that is associated with a sensor that is receiving more than the average level of reflected radiation to achieve the average level of reflected radiation. 
     
     
         9 . A device for disinfecting an enclosed area by use of ultraviolet radiation as described in  claim 1 , further comprising a variable output ballast that is connected to the controller, and the variable output ballast is connected to the ultraviolet-C radiation emitters, wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is associated with an emitter of the plurality of emitters, and the controller determines an average level of reflected radiation received by the plurality of sensors, and the controller signals the variable output ballast to increase power to each emitter of the plurality of sensors that is associated with a sensor that is receiving less than the average level of reflected radiation and the controller signals the variable output ballast to decrease power to each emitter of the plurality of sensors that is associated with a sensor that is receiving more than the average level of reflected radiation. 
     
     
         10 . A device for disinfecting an enclosed area by use of ultraviolet radiation as described in  claim 1 , further comprising a variable output ballast that is connected to the controller, and the variable output ballast is connected to the ultraviolet-C radiation emitters, wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is associated with an emitter of the plurality of emitters, and the controller determines an average level of reflected radiation received by the plurality of sensors, and the controller signals the variable output ballast to increase power to each emitter of the plurality of sensors that is associated with a sensor that is lower than the average level of reflected radiation to achieve the average level of reflected radiation and the controller signals the variable output ballast to decrease power to each emitter of the plurality of sensors that is associated with a sensor that is higher than the average level of reflected radiation to achieve substantially the average level of reflected radiation measured at each sensor. 
     
     
         11 . A device for disinfecting an enclosed area by use of ultraviolet radiation as described in  claim 1 , further comprising a pulse width modulator that is connected to the controller, the pulse width modulator connected to the ultraviolet-C radiation emitters, wherein the controller signals the pulse width modulator to modulate power to the first ultraviolet radiation emitter to increase ultraviolet-C emission as a function of time and to modulate power to the second ultraviolet radiation emitter to decrease ultraviolet-C emission as a function of time. 
     
     
         12 . A device for disinfecting an enclosed area by use of ultraviolet radiation as described in  claim 1 , further comprising a pulse width modulator that is connected to the controller, the pulse width modulator connected to the ultraviolet-C radiation emitters, wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is associated with an emitter of the plurality of emitters, and the controller determines an average level of reflected radiation received by the plurality of sensors, and the controller signals the pulse width modulator to modulate and increase ultraviolet-C radiation emission as a function of time by each emitter of the plurality of sensors that is associated with a sensor that is receiving less than the average level of reflected radiation and the controller signals the pulse width modulator to modulate and decrease ultraviolet-C radiation emission as a function of time by each emitter of the plurality of sensors that is associated with a sensor that is receiving more than the average level of reflected radiation. 
     
     
         13 . A device for disinfecting an enclosed area by use of ultraviolet radiation as described in  claim 1 , further comprising a pulse width modulator that is connected to the controller, and wherein each of the ultraviolet-C radiation emitters is an array of light emitting diodes, the pulse width modulator connected to each of the ultraviolet-C radiation emitters, wherein the controller signals the pulse width modulator to modulate power to the first ultraviolet radiation emitter to increase ultraviolet-C emission as a function of time and to modulate power to the second ultraviolet radiation emitter to decrease ultraviolet-C emission as a function of time. 
     
     
         14 . A device for disinfecting an enclosed area by use of ultraviolet radiation as described in  claim 1 , further comprising a pulse width modulator that is connected to the controller, and wherein each of the ultraviolet-C radiation emitters is an array of light emitting diodes, and the pulse width modulator is connected to the ultraviolet-C radiation emitters, wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is associated with one of the arrays of light emitting diodes, and the controller determines an average level of reflected radiation received by the plurality of sensors, and the controller signals the pulse width modulator to modulate and increase ultraviolet-C radiation emission as a function of time by each emitter of the plurality of sensors that is associated with a sensor that is receiving less than the average level of reflected radiation and the controller signals the pulse width modulator to modulate and decrease ultraviolet-C radiation emission as a function of time by each emitter of the plurality of sensors that is associated with a sensor that is receiving more than the average level of reflected radiation. 
     
     
         15 . A device for disinfecting an enclosed area by use of ultraviolet radiation as described in  claim 1 , further comprising a variable output ballast that is connected to the controller, and the variable output ballast is connected to the ultraviolet-C radiation emitters, wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is associated with an emitter of the plurality of emitters, and the controller continuously determines an average level of reflected radiation received by the plurality of sensors during operation, and the controller continuously signals the variable output ballast during operation to increase power to each emitter of the plurality of sensors that is associated with a sensor that is receiving less than the average level of reflected radiation and the controller signals the variable output ballast to decrease power to each emitter of the plurality of sensors that is associated with a sensor that is receiving more than the average level of reflected radiation. 
     
     
         16 . A device for disinfecting an enclosed area by use of ultraviolet radiation as described in  claim 1 , further comprising a pulse width modulator that is connected to the controller, the pulse width modulator connected to the ultraviolet-C radiation emitters, wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is associated with an emitter of the plurality of emitters, and the controller continuously determines an average level of reflected radiation received by the plurality of sensors during operation, and the controller continuously signals the pulse width modulator during operation to modulate and increase ultraviolet-C radiation emission as a function of time by each emitter of the plurality of sensors that is associated with a sensor that is receiving less than the average level of reflected radiation and the controller signals the pulse width modulator to modulate and decrease ultraviolet-C radiation emission as a function of time by each emitter of the plurality of sensors that is associated with a sensor that is receiving more than the average level of reflected radiation. 
     
     
         17 . A device for disinfecting an enclosed area by use of ultraviolet radiation, as described in  claim 1 , wherein the ultraviolet-C radiation sensors cause the ultraviolet-C radiation emission of the ultraviolet-C radiation emitters to vary in proportion to the ultraviolet-C radiation received by the ultraviolet-C radiation sensors.