CN113713130A

CN113713130A - Mobile device with disinfecting light source

Info

Publication number: CN113713130A
Application number: CN202010447174.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张剑平; 周瓴; 高英
Original assignee: Bolb Inc
Current assignee: Bolb Inc
Priority date: 2020-05-25
Filing date: 2020-05-25
Publication date: 2021-11-30
Anticipated expiration: 2040-05-25
Also published as: CN113713130B

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile device for disinfecting an object. The mobile device includes: one or more light sources for generating a disinfecting light; a display; one or more processors coupled to the one or more light sources and the display; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of steps comprising: determining a required dose of disinfecting light; determining an exposure time of the sterilizing light corresponding to the required dose of the sterilizing light; irradiating the surface with sterilizing light; and displaying a sterilization chart on the display to report a result of the sterilization process performed by the irradiation of the sterilization light.

Description

Mobile device with disinfecting light source

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a disinfection apparatus, and more particularly, to a mobile apparatus having a disinfection light source.

Technical Field

Ultraviolet (UV) light sources, such as UV Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), have been used in various applications, such as industrial and cosmetic curing, sterilization of harmful bacteria, indoor gardening, and treatment of human skin conditions. Ultraviolet germicidal radiation (UVGI) is a disinfection technique that uses UV-C light in the wavelength range of 200 to 280nm to kill or inactivate microorganisms. More specifically, UVGI destroys nucleic acids and destroys DNA of microorganisms, rendering them unable to perform important cellular functions. UVGI may be used in a variety of applications, such as water, food, and infected surfaces that may come into contact with humans.

With the advent of mobile device technology and LEDs, current mobile devices may have LEDs that generate UV-C light and a battery that provides sufficient power to the LEDs so that the mobile device may be used as a light source for the UVGI. However, care must be taken when using such mobile devices as a light source for the UVGI. For example, exposure to UV-C light does not cause natural avoidance responses of the human eye, such as squinting with intense light, and may pose a threat to the human eye. In another example, overexposure of human skin to UV-C light may cause skin burns.

In addition to potential threats to the human body, mobile devices also need to have power control mechanisms to optimize the use of battery power. Generally, the degree of inactivation of the UVGI is directly related to the UV dose incident on the surface of the object to be disinfected, wherein the dose is the product of UV irradiance and exposure time. Typically, the dose for killing 90% of most bacteria and viruses ranges from 2,000 to 8,000 μ W-s/cm². Therefore, mobile devices need to have a mechanism that ensures delivery of the required UV dose and turns off the LEDs after the disinfection process is completed in order to minimize battery power consumption.

Therefore, there is a need for a mobile device that can provide UVGI for germicidal applications without harm to humans and with a mechanism to minimize battery power consumption.

Disclosure of Invention

In one aspect of the invention, a mobile device for disinfecting an object comprises: one or more light sources for generating a disinfecting light; a display; one or more processors coupled to the one or more light sources and the display; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of steps comprising: determining a required dose of disinfecting light; determining an exposure time of the sterilizing light corresponding to the required dose of the sterilizing light; irradiating the surface with sterilizing light; and displaying a sterilization chart on the display to report a result of the sterilization process performed by the irradiation of the sterilization light.

In another aspect of the invention, a method for disinfecting an object comprises: determining a required dose of disinfecting light generated by one or more light sources of a mobile device for disinfecting an object; determining an exposure time of the sterilizing light corresponding to the required dose of the sterilizing light; irradiating the sterilizing light on the surface of the object; and displaying a sterilization map on a display of the mobile device to report a result of the sterilization process performed by the irradiation of the sterilization light.

In another aspect of the invention, one or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprise one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of steps comprising: determining a required dose of disinfecting light generated by one or more light sources of a mobile device for disinfecting an object; determining an exposure time of the sterilizing light corresponding to the required dose of the sterilizing light; irradiating the sterilizing light on the surface of the object; and displaying a sterilization map on a display of the mobile device to report a result of the sterilization process performed by the irradiation of the sterilization light.

Drawings

Reference is made to embodiments of the invention, examples of which may be illustrated by the accompanying drawings. These drawings are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. While the invention is generally described in the context of these embodiments, it should be understood that the scope of the invention is not limited to these particular embodiments.

FIG. 1A shows a front view of a mobile device for germicidal applications in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1B illustrates a front view of a mobile device for germicidal applications in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a rear view of a mobile device for use in a germicidal application in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 shows a top view of a mobile device for germicidal applications in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

4A-4C illustrate how a mobile device is used to disinfect an elongated object according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a front view of a mobile device for use in a germicidal application in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 6 shows a flow diagram of an exemplary process for disinfecting an object according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of an exemplary process for performing the steps in FIG. 6, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 8 shows a simplified block diagram of a UV light system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, specific details are set forth in order to provide an understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments of the present invention described below may be performed in a variety of ways and using a variety of means. Those skilled in the art will also recognize that additional modifications, applications, and embodiments are within the scope of the invention, and that the invention may have utility in such additional fields. Thus, the embodiments described below set forth specific embodiments of the present invention and are intended to avoid obscuring the present invention.

Reference in the specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, characteristic, or function described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment," "in an embodiment," and the like in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

Fig. 1A illustrates a front view of a mobile device 100 for germicidal applications in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 illustrates a rear view of the mobile device 100 for a germicidal application in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. For purposes of illustration, the mobile device 100 is described as a mobile telephone. However, it should be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other suitable types of mobile devices may be used in place of the mobile phone. Hereinafter, the term pathogen collectively refers to bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms that can cause infections and diseases.

As depicted, the mobile device 100 may include: a display screen (or simply display) 102 for displaying a Graphical User Interface (GUI); a touch button (push button)110 for controlling the mobile device 100; and a speaker 104 for outputting an audio signal; a camera 124 for capturing images; a light source 120 for generating sterilizing light 121; and a distance meter 122 for measuring a distance D from the light source 120 to a surface of the object to be disinfected. For purposes of illustration, the light source 120 is described as an LED and the sanitizing light is described as UV-C light, even though other suitable types of light sources and other wavelength ranges may be used to kill germs. In an embodiment, as discussed below, the light source 120 may include one LED for generating the sanitizing light and/or another LED for generating the photoluminescence (shortly, photoluminescence). In an embodiment, the light source 120 may also include an LED generating visible light, which is operated by another application installed in the mobile phone 100.

In an embodiment, the GUI may be generated by an application installed and running on the mobile device 100. In an embodiment, the GUI may include: a start button 106; a stop button 108; a scan button 109; an image display area 103 for displaying an image captured by the camera 124; a status indicator 112 for indicating the status of the disinfection process; and a sterilization zone indicator 105 for indicating the zone to be sterilized. As indicated, the disinfection area indicator 105 may be displayed on top of an image captured by the camera 124 (such as a nail clipper) indicating the area to be disinfected.

In an embodiment, a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) and a time-of-flight sensor may be used as the range finder 122, although other suitable types of range finders may be used to measure the distance D. In an embodiment, the divergence angle of the light 121 from the light source 120 may be known in advance. Thus, using the measured distance D, the sterilization zone indicator 105 may be determined and displayed on the screen 102. In embodiments, even though a circular shape is shown in fig. 1A for illustration purposes, the sterilization zone indicator 105 may have various shapes.

In an embodiment, the total radiant flux (or simply radiant flux) of the light 121 may be known in advance. Thus, based on the size of the disinfection area indicator 105, the irradiance of the disinfection light on the surface (which is the radiant flux divided by the surface area defined by the disinfection area indicator 105) may be calculated. In an embodiment, for a given dose that kills germs, the required exposure time may be determined, as the dose is the product of UV irradiance and exposure time.

In an embodiment, the light source 120 may also transmit light that causes photoluminescence (hereinafter abbreviated as photoluminescence). The light that causes photofluorescence is typically UV light, such as UV-a light (the wavelength range of UV-a light is 315nm-410nm), which can be used to scan (inspect) surfaces to determine contamination (UV light exposure on contaminants typically produces photofluorescence). In an embodiment, the user may touch the scan button 109 to irradiate the fluorescence light on the surface of the object and check whether the surface is contaminated by foreign substances and/or germs. In an embodiment, when the fluorescing light falls on the surface of the object, depending on the nature of the foreign object and/or pathogen, the foreign object and/or pathogen may reflect or emit visible light (photo-fluorescence), which may be used to reveal contamination of the surface.

After detecting the contamination, the user may use the mobile phone 100 to disinfect the object. In an embodiment, when the user points the camera 124 at an object to be disinfected, the mobile device 100 may capture an image of the object and identify the object. For example, the mobile device 100 may have an Artificial Intelligence (AI) program that may recognize the shape of an object as being part of a human body (such as a human eye), or recognize the texture of the surface of an object as being human skin. In an embodiment, the mobile device 100 determines potential damage on the object and, if the mobile device determines that the object should not be disinfected by the light 121, the mobile device 100 may give a warning signal through the speaker 104 and disable the start button 106. In an embodiment, the warning system may prevent any potential damage to a human body or any other object.

In an embodiment, when the user positions an object within the disinfection area indicator 105, the mobile device 100 may calculate the required exposure time based on the measured distance D. Then, in response to the user clicking the start button 106, the mobile device 100 may start the sterilization process by irradiating the object with the sterilizing light 121. In an embodiment, the length of the shadow bar 113 in the status indicator 112 may increase as the exposure time increases, thereby indicating the disinfection progress. Fig. 1B illustrates a front view of the mobile device 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As depicted, the status indicator 112 may indicate that the sterilization process is complete, i.e., that the required exposure time has ended.

In an embodiment, the disinfection process may be terminated by the user or the mobile phone itself. In an embodiment, the user may touch the stop button 108 to terminate the sterilization process. In an embodiment, the mobile phone 100 may terminate the disinfection process when the required exposure time for the required dose of disinfection light has ended. In either case, in an embodiment, the mobile device 100 may report the results of the sterilization process by displaying the sterilization map 107, as shown in fig. 1B.

In an embodiment, the disinfection map 107 may show an image of the object and an image of a disinfection area swept by the disinfection light during the disinfection process. In an embodiment, the disinfection area may be filled with different colors to indicate the degree of exposure (i.e. the dose of disinfection light). In case the mobile phone 100 is stationary during the sterilization process, the sterilization map 107 may cover the same area as the sterilization area indicator 105, as shown in fig. 1B. In an embodiment, when the user may click the stop button 108 to abort the sterilization process before the sterilization process is complete, the image of the sterilization area in the sterilization map 107 may be filled with a first color (e.g., yellow) to indicate that the sterilization process is incomplete or terminated prematurely. In an embodiment, the color of the fill area may gradually change to indicate the progress of sterilization.

In an embodiment, the user may click the start button 106 again to resume the sterilization process. In this case, the mobile device 100 may accumulate the amount of disinfecting light incident on the disinfecting area during previous and current disinfecting processes, and the status indicator 112 may show the accumulated dose of disinfecting light. In an embodiment, this feature allows the user to complete the sterilization process without having to restart the process again, which may reduce battery power consumption.

In an embodiment, the user may set a desired dose of disinfecting light. For example, the user may enter information of a desired dose, such as 40mJ/cm, in a text field (not shown in FIG. 1A) in the GUI². The mobile device 100 may then calculate a corresponding exposure time based on the calculated irradiance of the disinfecting light and deliver the desired dose by irradiating the disinfecting light during the exposure time.

In an embodiment, the mobile device 100 may retrieve information of the threshold dose from the data store, calculate a threshold exposure time based on the calculated irradiance of the disinfecting light, and irradiate the disinfecting light during the threshold exposure time.

Fig. 4A-4C illustrate how a mobile device may be used to disinfect an elongated object according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the mobile device 100 is used to sanitize a computer keyboard for illustrative purposes. However, it should be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other types of elongated objects may be sterilized in the same manner as the keyboard.

In an embodiment, a user may scan the surface of the keyboard 160 using the fluorescing light from the light source 120 to determine contamination. Further, using the AI program, the mobile phone 100 can determine whether an object should not be sterilized by the sterilizing light 121. After discovering the contamination and determining that the object will not be damaged by the disinfecting light, the user may position the leftmost portion of the keypad 160 within the disinfection area indicator 105 and touch the start button 106 to start the disinfection process, as depicted in fig. 4A.

In an embodiment, the user may move the mobile phone 100 to sterilize different portions of the keypad 160 before the status indicator 112 indicates that the sterilization process has been completed. In an embodiment, each time motion is detected, the mobile phone 100 may detect the motion and reset the status indicator 112. For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the user moves the mobile phone 100 toward the center portion of the keypad 160, the mobile phone 100 may recognize that the user intends to disinfect a different portion of the keypad, reset the status indicator 112, and begin disinfecting the center portion.

In an embodiment, the user may repeat the steps of moving and sanitizing different portions of the keypad 160 until the entire portion of the keypad 160 is sanitized. In an embodiment, mobile phone 100 may stop disinfecting an object when the user stops mobile phone 100 and the exposure time required to disinfect the last portion of the keypad is over. As depicted in fig. 4C, the status indicator 112 may indicate that the sterilization process has been completed for the last portion of the keypad 160. In an alternative embodiment, the user may stop the sterilization process by touching stop button 108 at any time during the sterilization process.

Fig. 5 illustrates a front view of a mobile device for germicidal applications in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As depicted, after terminating the sterilization process of keypad 160, mobile phone 100 may report the results of the sterilization process by displaying sterilization chart 155. In an embodiment, the sterilization map 155 may include a panoramic image of the keyboard and an image of a sterilization area superimposed on the image of the keyboard, where the sterilization area represents an area swept by the sterilization light during the sterilization process. In an embodiment, the disinfection areas in the disinfection map 155 may be filled with different colors to indicate the degree of exposure (i.e., the dose of disinfection light). In an embodiment, during the sterilization process, the user may have moved the mobile phone 100 before a portion of the keypad is not sterilized, i.e., the user has moved the mobile phone too early so that the region 142 does not receive the threshold dose of sterilizing light before moving the mobile phone to a different region. In an embodiment, the image of the disinfection zone in the disinfection map 155 may be filled with different colors to distinguish the zone (such as 142) that has not received the required dose of light to kill germs from the zone(s) (such as 140) that has received the required dose.

In an embodiment, the user may only sterilize region 142 during a subsequent sterilization process. In an embodiment, when the user positions the area 142 within the disinfection area indicator 155 and touches the start button 106, the mobile device 100 may begin to illuminate and measure the amount of disinfection light incident on the surface. In an embodiment, the mobile device 100 may accumulate the amount of sanitizing light incident on the sanitizing area during previous and current sanitizing processes, and the status indicator 112 may show the accumulated dose of sanitizing light. In an embodiment, this feature allows the user to complete the sterilization process without having to restart the process again on the entire keyboard 160, which may reduce battery power consumption.

Fig. 6 shows a flow diagram 600 of an exemplary process for disinfecting an object according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The process starts at step 602. In step 602, the mobile device 100 may identify a surface of an object and determine whether the surface may be disinfected by a disinfecting light (such as UV-C), i.e., obtain potential damage to the surface by the disinfecting light. In an embodiment, the AI program installed in the mobile phone 100 may recognize the shape of an object as a part of a human body (such as human eyes), or recognize the texture of the surface of an object as human skin. In an embodiment, if mobile phone 100 determines that an object cannot be disinfected, a warning signal may be provided to the user through speaker 104 and start button 106 may be disabled.

In step 604, the user may scan the surface of the object to determine contamination. In an embodiment, a user may illuminate a fluorescing light, such as a UV-a light, from the light source 120 onto the surface of the object to check for contamination on the surface. In an embodiment, the light source 120 may be one LED that simultaneously generates the sterilizing light and the fluorescing light. In an embodiment, the light source 120 may include one LED for generating the sterilizing light and another LED for generating the fluorescing light. It should be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the light source 120 may include any suitable number and type of LEDs. For example, the light source 120 may also include an LED that generates visible light. In an embodiment, step 604 may be skipped.

In step 605, the mobile device 100 may determine a desired dose of disinfecting light. In an embodiment, the user may enter information of the desired dosage into the mobile device 100, preferably through a GUI on the display 102. In an embodiment, the mobile device 100 may retrieve information of a threshold dose for killing pathogens from a data store in the mobile device 100. The mobile device 100 may then use the desired dose or threshold dose as the required dose to disinfect the object.

In step 606, the mobile phone 100 may determine an exposure time corresponding to the required dose. In an embodiment, the rangefinder 122 may measure the distance D between the light source 120 and the surface to be disinfected. Then, based on a given total sterilizing light radiant flux from the light source 120 and the size of the sterilization zone indicator 105, the mobile phone 100 can calculate the light intensity (irradiance) of the sterilizing light on the surface. Furthermore, since the required dose is the product of irradiance and exposure time, the exposure time for the required dose can be calculated.

In step 608, when the user touches the start button 106 (i.e., the user's command), the mobile device 100 may begin to shine disinfecting light on the surface of the object. Then, in embodiments, the user may terminate the disinfection process by touching the stop button 108, or the mobile phone 100 may automatically terminate the disinfection process when the exposure time is over (i.e., the surface receives the required dose of disinfection light).

In step 610, in response to the termination of the sterilization process, the mobile device 100 may display the

sterilization map

107 or 155 to report the results of the sterilization process. In an embodiment, the mobile phone 100 may be stationary during the sterilization process. In this case, the sterilization map 107 may cover the same area as the sterilization area indicator 105. In an embodiment, the mobile phone 100 may be moved during a sterilization process to sterilize an elongated object. In this case, the sterilization map 155 may include a panoramic image of the object and an image of a sterilization area, where the sterilization area represents an area swept by the sterilization light and is superimposed on the panoramic image of the object. In an embodiment, the image of the disinfection area in the

disinfection map

107 or 155 may be filled with different colors to indicate the degree of disinfection (or equivalently the dose of light incident on the surface).

In step 612, the user may decide whether to disinfect the object again. For example, a user may want to disinfect an area 140 that does not receive a threshold dose of disinfecting light. If the answer to step 612 is negative, the mobile phone 100 may stop the disinfection process. Otherwise, the process may proceed to step 606.

In an embodiment, the user may resume the sterilization process as discussed in connection with step 612. For example, the user may again sanitize the unfinished region 142 that did not receive the threshold dose of sanitizing light, rather than sanitizing the entire keyboard 160. In this case, the user may only repeat disinfecting the area 142, and the mobile device 100 may accumulate the amount of disinfecting light received by the area 142 during previous and current disinfection processes. Fig. 7 shows a flowchart 700 of an exemplary process for performing step 610 in fig. 6, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As depicted, in step 702, the mobile device 100 may measure an amount of disinfection light impinging on an area of the disinfection map 155 (such as the unfinished area 142). In step 704, it may be determined whether a portion of the area in the sterilization map 155 (such as the area 142) is repeatedly sterilized. By way of example, a user may only sterilize region 140 during a subsequent sterilization process. If the answer to step 704 is yes, the mobile device 100 may sum the amount of disinfection light incident on a portion of the area during the repeated disinfection process, i.e. the amount of light incident on the portion of the area may be accumulated. Then, in step 708, a sterilization map may be generated. If the answer to step 704 is negative, the process proceeds to step 708. In an embodiment, the accumulation process at step 708 may allow a user to selectively sanitize the incomplete area 142, rather than the entire area in the sanitization map 155.

In an embodiment, as discussed above, step 702-708 may be performed when the user repeats the sterilization of the nail clipper, as the sterilization process is terminated prematurely in the previous sterilization process.

In one or more embodiments, aspects of this patent document may be directed to, may include, or may be implemented on one or more mobile devices (or computing systems). The mobile device system/computing system may include any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute, determine, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate, route, switch, store, display, communicate, manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, or utilize any form of information, intelligence, or data. For example, a computing system may be or include a personal computer (e.g., a laptop), a tablet computer, a mobile phone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a smart watch, a camera, or any other suitable device, and may vary in size, shape, performance, functionality, and price. The computing system may include Random Access Memory (RAM), one or more processing resources such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic, ROM, and/or other types of memory. Additional components of the computing system may include one or more disk drives, one or more network ports for communicating with external devices as well as various input and output (I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a touch screen, and/or a video display. The computing system may also include one or more buses operable to transmit communications between the various hardware components.

Fig. 8 depicts a simplified block diagram of a mobile device (or computing system) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. It will be understood that the functionality illustrated for system 800 may operate to support various embodiments of a computing system, although it should be understood that the computing system may be configured differently and include different components, including having fewer or more components as depicted in fig. 8.

As shown in fig. 8, computing system 800 includes one or more Central Processing Units (CPUs) 801 that provide computing resources and control the computer. The CPU 801 may be implemented with a microprocessor or the like, and may also include one or more Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) 819 and/or floating point coprocessors for mathematical computations. The system 800 may also include system memory 802, which may be in the form of Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), or both.

Multiple controllers and peripherals may also be provided, as shown in FIG. 8. Input controller 803 represents an interface to various input device(s) 804 such as a keyboard, mouse, touch screen, and/or stylus. The computing system 800 may also include a storage controller 807 for interfacing with one or more storage devices 808, each comprising a storage medium (such as magnetic tape or disk) or an optical medium, which may be used to record a program of instructions for an operating system, utilities and applications, which may include embodiments of programs that implement aspects of the present disclosure. The storage device 808 may also be used to store processed or to-be-processed data in accordance with the present disclosure. The system 800 may also include a display controller 809 for providing an interface to a display device 811, which may be a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT), Thin Film Transistor (TFT) display, organic light emitting diode, electroluminescent panel, plasma panel, or other type of display. Computing system 800 may also include one or more peripheral controllers or interfaces 805 for one or more peripheral devices 806. Examples of peripheral devices may include one or more printers, scanners, input devices, output devices, sensors, and so forth. The communication controller 814 may interface with one or more communication devices 815, which enables the system 800 to connect to remote devices over any of a variety of networks, including the internet, cloud resources (e.g., ethernet cloud, fibre channel over ethernet (FCoE)/Data Center Bridge (DCB) cloud, etc.), Local Area Networks (LANs), Wide Area Networks (WANs), Storage Area Networks (SANs), or via any suitable electromagnetic carrier signal, including infrared signals.

In the system shown, all major system components may be connected to a bus 816, which may represent more than one physical bus. However, the various system components may or may not be in physical proximity to each other. For example, input data and/or output data may be remotely transmitted from one physical location to another. In addition, programs implementing aspects of the present disclosure may be accessed from a remote location (e.g., a server) over a network. Such data and/or programs may be conveyed by any of a variety of machine-readable media, including but not limited to: magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape; optical media such as CD-ROMs and holographic devices; a magneto-optical medium; and hardware devices that are specially configured to store or to store and execute program code, such as Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), flash memory devices, and ROM and RAM devices.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific examples thereof have been shown in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but to the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A mobile device for disinfecting an object, comprising:

one or more light sources for generating a disinfecting light;

a display;

one or more processors coupled to the one or more light sources and the display; and the number of the first and second groups,

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause performance of steps comprising:

determining a required dose of disinfecting light for disinfecting an object;

determining an exposure time of the sterilizing light corresponding to the required dose of the sterilizing light;

irradiating the sterilizing light on the surface of the object; and the number of the first and second groups,

a sterilization chart is displayed on the display to report the result of the sterilization process performed by the irradiation of the sterilization light.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprises one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause performance of steps comprising:

the surface is identified to determine potential damage to the surface by the disinfecting light.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprises one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause performance of steps comprising:

the fluorogenic light generated by said one or more light sources is irradiated to the surface of the object to check the contamination of the surface.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein determining an exposure time comprises:

measuring a distance between the one or more light sources and a surface of the object;

determining irradiance of the disinfecting light on the surface from the measured distance; and the number of the first and second groups,

the exposure time is calculated from the irradiance and the required dose of disinfecting light.

5. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying a disinfection map comprises displaying an image of the object and an image of a disinfection area swept across by disinfection light during a disinfection process.

6. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein displaying the image of the disinfection area comprises: the disinfection area is filled with one or more colors to indicate the dose level of the disinfection light incident on the disinfection area during the disinfection process.

7. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein displaying the image of the disinfection area comprises: in response to the repeated irradiation of the sterilizing light on the sterilizing region, the doses of the sterilizing light incident on the sterilizing region in the repeated irradiation are added.

8. A method for disinfecting an object, comprising:

determining a required dose of disinfecting light generated by one or more light sources of a mobile device for disinfecting an object;

a sterilization map is displayed on a display of the mobile device to report the result of the sterilization process performed by the irradiation of the sterilization light.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

illuminating the fluorogenic light generated by said one or more light sources onto the surface of the object, by which the surface photoluminescence is used to check for contamination on said surface.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of determining an exposure time comprises:

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of displaying a sterilization map includes displaying an image of the object and an image of a sterilization area swept by the sterilization light during the sterilization process.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of displaying an image of the disinfection area comprises: the disinfection area is filled with one or more colors to indicate the dose level of the disinfection light incident on the disinfection area during the disinfection process.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of displaying an image of the disinfection area comprises: in response to the repeated irradiation of the sterilizing light on the sterilizing region, the doses of the sterilizing light incident on the sterilizing region in the repeated irradiation are added.

15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of steps comprising:

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, further comprising one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause performance of steps comprising:

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, further comprising one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause performance of steps comprising:

the surface of the object is illuminated with the fluorogenic light generated by said one or more light sources, and the contamination on the surface is inspected by surface photoluminescence.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein determining an exposure time comprises:

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein displaying the disinfection map comprises displaying an image of the object and an image of a disinfection area swept across by the disinfection light during the disinfection process.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19, wherein displaying the image of the disinfection area comprises: the disinfection area is filled with one or more colors to indicate the dose level of the disinfection light incident on the disinfection area during the disinfection process.

21. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19, wherein displaying the image of the disinfection area comprises: in response to the repeated irradiation of the sterilizing light on the sterilizing region, the doses of the sterilizing light incident on the sterilizing region in the repeated irradiation are added.