Antimicrobial UV-C Treatment For Automotive HVAC Systems

Abstract

Methods and systems for reducing microbial contamination and growth in an HVAC system by irradiating one or more air contacting surfaces of the HVAC system with antimicrobial UV-C light.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:
 an evaporator housing comprising an evaporator core having one or more coil fins to cool and dehumidify moisture-containing air caused to flow through the HVAC system;   an air-communicating conduit operatively connected to, and downstream of, the evaporator core; and   an ultra-violet-C (UV-C) light source positioned on an interior surface of the evaporator housing,   wherein the coil fins and the air-communicating conduit are indirectly illuminated by the UV-C light source, and   wherein the UV-C light source is arranged to indirectly deliver UV-C light to the one or more surfaces of the coil fins by way of a light-affecting medium selected from a group consisting of water, a prism, a light-transporting fiber, and a tube.   
     
     
         2 . The HVAC system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the evaporator core comprises an upstream surface and a downstream surface; and   the UV-C light source includes multiple light emitting diodes (LEDs) configured to generate UV-C light and to illuminate both the upstream surface and the downstream surface of the evaporator core.   
     
     
         3 . The HVAC system of  claim 1  wherein the UV-C light source is further configured to illuminate at least a portion of the air-communicating conduit. 
     
     
         4 . The HVAC system of  claim 1  wherein the UV-C light source emits UV-C light in a wavelength range of 250 to 280 nanometers (nm). 
     
     
         5 . The HVAC system of  claim 1  wherein the UV-C light source includes one of an ultraviolet light emitting diode (LED) and a high-power ultraviolet (HPUV) LED. 
     
     
         6 . The HVAC system of  claim 1  wherein the UV-C light source is contained in one of a star base chip, chip on board, flip chip, multi-chip, strip set, printed circuit board, photonic lattice chip, and transistor case package. 
     
     
         7 . The HVAC system of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a sump assembly in fluid communication with the evaporator core and configured to receive water output of the evaporator core; and 
 an exterior drain assembly operatively connected to the sump assembly. 
 
     
     
         8 . The HVAC system of  claim 7  wherein the UV-C light source is further configured to illuminate at least a portion of the sump assembly. 
     
     
         9 . The HVAC system of  claim 1  wherein the UV-C light source is mounted on a heat sink configured to dissipate heat into a medium in contact with the heat sink. 
     
     
         10 . The HVAC system of  claim 1  wherein the UV-C light source includes a plurality of UV-C light sources arranged in one of an array, a lattice, and a random pattern. 
     
     
         11 . The HVAC system of  claim 1  further comprising a control device configured to control the UV-C light source to output the UV-C light at multiple different wavelengths. 
     
     
         12 . The HVAC system of  claim 1  further comprising an ionic air purifier. 
     
     
         13 . The HVAC system of  claim 1  wherein the UV-C light source is located within the coil fins. 
     
     
         14 . The HVAC system of  claim 1  wherein the UV-C light source is mounted perpendicular to the one or more surfaces of the coil fins. 
     
     
         15 . The HVAC system of  claim 1  wherein the UV-C light source is mounted parallel to the one or more surfaces of the coil fins. 
     
     
         16 . The HVAC system of  claim 1  further comprising a control device configured to control the UV-C light source to output the UV-C light at multiple different wattages. 
     
     
         17 . The HVAC system of  claim 1  further comprising a polymer UV stabilizer applied to the coil fins. 
     
     
         18 . The HVAC system of  claim 1  further comprising a hindered amine light stabilizer applied to the coil fins. 
     
     
         19 . The HVAC system of  claim 1  further comprising a control device configured to turn the UV-C light source in response to receipt of user input indicative of a request to turn on an air conditioning compressor. 
     
     
         20 . A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:
 an air-communicating conduit operatively connected to and downstream of an evaporator housing that houses an evaporator core;   a sump assembly in fluid communication with the evaporator core and configured to receive water output of the evaporator core;   an ultra-violet-C (UV-C) light source configured to output UV-C light;   a light-affecting medium selected from a group consisting of water, a prism, a light-transporting fiber, and a tube, the light-affecting medium delivering the UV-C light output by the UV-C light source to the evaporator core, the air-communicating conduit, and the sump assembly; and   a control device configured to control the UV-C light source to output UV-C light at one or both of:   multiple different wavelengths; and   multiple different wattages.