CN113713130B

CN113713130B - Mobile device with disinfection light source

Info

Publication number: CN113713130B
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: 2023-04-25
Anticipated expiration: 2040-05-25
Also published as: CN113713130A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile device for disinfecting objects. The mobile device includes: one or more light sources for generating sterilizing 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 the one or more processors, cause the performing steps to include: determining a required dose of sterilizing 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 disinfection light source

Technical Field

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

Technical Field

Ultraviolet (UV) light sources, such as UV Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), have been used in a variety of applications, such as industrial and cosmetic curing, sterilization of harmful bacteria, indoor gardening, and treatment of human skin conditions, among others. Ultraviolet germicidal radiation (UVGI) is a disinfection technique that kills or inactivates microorganisms using UV-C light in the wavelength range of 200 to 280 nm. More specifically, UVGI destroys nucleic acids and destroys DNA of microorganisms, making 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 batteries that provide sufficient power to the LEDs so that the mobile device may be used as a source of UVGI light. However, when using such mobile devices as a light source for UVGI care must be taken. For example, exposure to UV-C light does not cause a natural avoidance response by the human eye, such as squinting the eye with strong light, and may pose a threat to the human eye. In another example, overexposure of human skin to UV-C light may result in 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. In general, the extent 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, for killing most fines90% of the doses in bacteria and viruses range from 2,000 to 8,000. Mu.W.s/cm ² . Thus, it is desirable for the mobile device 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.

Thus, there is a need for a mobile device that is capable of providing UVGI for sterilization applications without causing injury to humans and having 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 sterilizing 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 the one or more processors, cause the performing steps to include: determining a required dose of sterilizing 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 includes: determining a required dose of sterilizing light generated by one or more light sources of a mobile device for sterilizing an object; determining an exposure time of the sterilizing light corresponding to the required dose of the sterilizing light; irradiating a sterilizing light onto a surface of an object; and displaying a sterilization chart 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 the performing steps to include: determining a required dose of sterilizing light generated by one or more light sources of a mobile device for sterilizing an object; determining an exposure time of the sterilizing light corresponding to the required dose of the sterilizing light; irradiating a sterilizing light onto a surface of an object; and displaying a sterilization chart on a display of the mobile device to report a result of the sterilization process performed by the irradiation of the sterilization light.

Drawings

With reference to embodiments of the present invention, examples thereof may be illustrated by way of the accompanying drawings. These drawings are intended to be illustrative and 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 illustrates a front view of a mobile device for a sterilization application according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 1B illustrates a front view of a mobile device for a sterilization application according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 2 illustrates a rear view of a mobile device for a sterilization application according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 3 illustrates a top view of a mobile device for a sterilization application according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4A to 4C illustrate how a mobile device may be used to disinfect an elongated object according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 5 illustrates a front view of a mobile device for a sterilization application according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart 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, according to 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. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these details. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments of the invention described below may be implemented in a variety of ways and using a variety of means. Those skilled in the art will also recognize additional modifications, applications, and embodiments within the scope of the invention, where the invention may be of practical utility. Thus, the embodiments described below set forth specific embodiments of the invention and are intended to avoid obscuring the invention.

Reference throughout this 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 present invention. The appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment," "in an embodiment," and the like in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

Fig. 1A illustrates a front view of a mobile device 100 for a sterilization application according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 illustrates a rear view of a mobile device 100 for a sterilization application according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For purposes of illustration, the mobile device 100 will be described as a mobile telephone. However, it should be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that other suitable types of mobile devices may be used in place of mobile phones. Hereinafter, the term germ is collectively referred to as bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms that can cause infections and diseases.

As depicted, mobile device 100 may include: a display screen (or simply display) 102 for displaying a Graphical User Interface (GUI); a push button 110 for controlling the mobile device 100; and a speaker 104 for outputting an audio signal; a camera 124 for capturing an image; 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 the surface of the object to be sterilized. For purposes of illustration, the light source 120 is described as an LED and the disinfecting light is described as UV-C light, even though other suitable types of light sources and other wavelength ranges may be used to kill pathogens. In an embodiment, as discussed below, the light source 120 may include one LED for generating sterilizing light and/or another LED for generating photo-induced fluorescence (for short photo-fluorescence). In an embodiment, the light source 120 may also include an LED that generates visible light that is operated by another application installed in the mobile phone 100.

In an embodiment, the GUI may be generated by an application installed in and running on 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 a zone to be sterilized. As indicated, the sterilization zone indicator 105 may be displayed on top of an image (such as nail clipper) captured by the camera 124, thereby indicating the zone to be sterilized.

In embodiments, a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) and a time of flight sensor may be used as rangefinder 122, although other suitable types of rangefinders may be used to measure 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 an embodiment, even though a circle 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 sterilization zone indicator 105, irradiance of the sterilization light on the surface (which is the radiant flux divided by the surface area defined by the sterilization zone indicator 105) can be calculated. In an embodiment, for a given dose of killing bacteria, the required exposure time may be determined, as the dose is the product of the UV irradiance and the exposure time.

In an embodiment, the light source 120 may also transmit light that causes fluorescence of light (hereinafter referred to as fluorogenic light). The light that causes the photo-fluorescence is typically UV light, such as UV-A light (wavelength range of UV-A light is 315nm-410 nm), which can be used to scan (inspect) the surface to determine if it is contaminated (UV light irradiation on contaminants typically produces photo-fluorescence). In an embodiment, the user may touch the scan button 109 to irradiate fluorescent light onto the surface of the object and check whether the surface is contaminated with foreign substances and/or germs. In an embodiment, when the fluorogenic light falls on the surface of the object, the foreign matter and/or pathogen may reflect or emit visible light (photo-fluorescence) depending on the nature of the foreign matter and/or pathogen, which may be used to reveal contamination of the surface.

After detecting contamination, the user may use the mobile phone 100 to disinfect the object. In an embodiment, when the user directs the camera 124 at an object to be sterilized, 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 can identify whether the shape of an object is part of a human body (such as the human eye), or whether the texture of the object surface is 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 light 121, the mobile device 100 may give a warning signal through the speaker 104 and disable the start button 106. In embodiments, the warning system may prevent any potential damage to the human body or any other object.

In an embodiment, when the user positions an object within the sterilization zone 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 sterilization light 121 to the object. In an embodiment, the length of the shadow bar 113 in the status indicator 112 may increase as the exposure time increases, thereby indicating disinfection schedule. Fig. 1B illustrates a front view of a mobile device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As depicted, the status indicator 112 may indicate that the sterilization process has been completed, i.e., that the desired 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 disinfection 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 disinfection process by displaying the disinfection chart 107, as shown in fig. 1B.

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

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

In an embodiment, a user may set a desired dose of sterilizing light. For example, the user may enter the desired dose of information, such as 40mJ/cm, in a text field (not shown in FIG. 1A) in the GUI ² . The mobile device 100 may then calculate a corresponding exposure time based on the calculated irradiance of the sterilizing light and deliver the desired dose by illuminating the sterilizing light during the exposure time.

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

Fig. 4A-4C illustrate how a mobile device may be used to disinfect an elongated object according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, for purposes of illustration, the mobile device 100 is used to disinfect a computer keyboard. 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 a keyboard.

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

In an embodiment, the user may disinfect different portions of the keypad 160 by moving the mobile phone 100 before the status indicator 112 indicates that the disinfection process has been completed. In an embodiment, each time motion is detected, the mobile phone 100 may detect motion and reset the status indicator 112. For example, as shown in fig. 4B, when the user moves the mobile phone 100 toward the central portion of the keyboard 160, the mobile phone 100 may recognize that the user is desirous of disinfecting a different portion of the keyboard, reset the status indicator 112, and begin disinfecting the central portion.

In an embodiment, the user may repeat the steps of moving and disinfecting different portions of the keyboard 160 until the entire portion of the keyboard 160 is disinfected. In an embodiment, when the user stops the mobile phone 100 and the exposure time required to disinfect the last portion of the keypad ends, the mobile phone 100 may stop disinfecting the object. As depicted in fig. 4C, the status indicator 112 may indicate that the disinfection process for the last portion of the keyboard 160 has been completed. In alternative embodiments, 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 a sterilization application according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As depicted, after terminating the disinfection process of the keypad 160, the mobile phone 100 may report the results of the disinfection process by displaying the disinfection chart 155. In an embodiment, the disinfection map 155 may include a panoramic image of the keyboard and an image of a disinfection area superimposed on the image of the keyboard, wherein the disinfection area represents the area swept by the disinfection light during the disinfection process. In an embodiment, the sterilization areas in the sterilization chart 155 may be filled with different colors to indicate the degree of exposure (i.e., the dose of sterilization light). In an embodiment, during the disinfection process, the user may have moved the mobile phone 100 before a portion of the keypad has not been disinfected, i.e., the user has moved the mobile phone too early, such that the area 142 does not receive a threshold dose of disinfection light before moving the mobile phone to a different area. In an embodiment, the image of the disinfection area in disinfection map 155 may be filled with a different color to distinguish areas (such as 142) that do not receive a dose of the required light to kill pathogens from areas (such as 140) that have received the required dose.

In an embodiment, the user may only sterilize the area 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 sterilizing light incident on the sterilization zone during the previous and current sterilization processes, and the status indicator 112 may show the accumulated dose of sterilizing light. In an embodiment, this feature allows the user to complete the disinfection process without having to restart the process again on the entire keyboard 160, which may reduce battery power consumption.

Fig. 6 illustrates a flowchart 600 of an exemplary process for disinfecting an object according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The process begins at step 602. In step 602, the mobile device 100 may identify a surface of an object and determine whether the surface may be sterilized by sterilizing light (such as UV-C), i.e., obtain potential damage to the surface by the sterilizing 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 a human eye) or recognize the texture of the surface of an object as human skin. In an embodiment, if the mobile phone 100 determines that the object cannot be disinfected, a warning signal may be provided to the user through the speaker 104 and the start button 106 may be disabled.

In step 604, the user may scan the surface of the object to determine contamination. In an embodiment, sup>A user may radiate fluorogenic light, such as UV-Sup>A light, from the light source 120 onto the surface of the object to inspect the surface for contamination. In an embodiment, the light source 120 may be an LED that generates both sanitizing light and fluorogenic light. In an embodiment, the light source 120 may include one LED for generating disinfecting light and another LED for generating fluorogenic 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 required dose of sterilizing light. In an embodiment, the user may input information of the desired dose into the mobile device 100, preferably through a GUI on the display 102. In an embodiment, the mobile device 100 may retrieve information of the threshold dose for killing the pathogen from a data store in the mobile device 100. The mobile device 100 may then use the desired dose or the threshold dose as a 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, rangefinder 122 may measure distance D between light source 120 and the surface to be disinfected. The mobile phone 100 may then calculate the light intensity (irradiance) of the sterilizing light on the surface based on the given total sterilizing light radiation flux from the light source 120 and the size of the sterilizing area indicator 105. Furthermore, since the required dose is the product of irradiance and exposure time, the exposure time of 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 shining disinfecting light on the surface of the object. Then, in an embodiment, the user may terminate the disinfection process by touching the stop button 108, or the mobile phone 100 may automatically terminate the disinfection process at the end of the exposure time (i.e., the surface receives the desired dose of disinfection light).

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

disinfection chart

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

disinfection chart

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, the user may want to disinfect a threshold dose of area 140 that does not receive 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 disinfection process, as discussed in connection with step 612. For example, instead of disinfecting the entire keyboard 160, the user may again disinfect the unfinished area 142 that does not receive a threshold dose of disinfecting light. In this case, the user may only repeat sterilizing the area 142, and the mobile device 100 may accumulate the amount of sterilizing light received by the area 142 during the previous and current sterilization processes. Fig. 7 shows a flowchart 700 of an exemplary process for performing step 610 in fig. 6, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As depicted, in step 702, the mobile device 100 may measure an amount of disinfection light that impinges 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 disinfection chart 155 (such as area 142) is repeatedly disinfected. By way of example, a user may only sterilize the area 140 during a subsequent sterilization process. If the answer to step 704 is affirmative, the mobile device 100 may add the amount of disinfection light incident on a portion of the area during the repeated disinfection process, i.e. may accumulate the amount of light incident on that portion of the area. Then, in step 708, a disinfection chart 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 the user to selectively disinfect the unfinished area 142, rather than the entire area in the disinfection chart 155.

In an embodiment, as discussed above, steps 702-708 may be performed when the user repeatedly disinfects the nail clipper, as the disinfection process is prematurely terminated in a previous disinfection process.

In one or more embodiments, aspects of the present patent document may be directed to, may include, or be implemented on one or more mobile devices (or computing systems). The mobile device system/computing system may include any tool or collection of tools operable to compute, calculate, 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 notebook computer), 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) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. It will be appreciated that the functionality illustrated for system 800 may operate to support various embodiments of a computing system, although it should be understood that a 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 computers. 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 calculations. The system 800 may also include a 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. The input controller 803 represents an interface with various input device(s) 804, such as a keyboard, mouse, touch screen, and/or stylus. Computing system 800 may also include a storage controller 807 for interfacing with one or more storage devices 808, each including storage media (such as magnetic tape or disk) or optical media that can be used to record programs of instructions for operating systems, 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 data or data to be processed 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 enable the system 800 to connect to remote devices through any of a variety of networks, including the internet, cloud resources (e.g., a cloud of ethernet, a fibre channel over ethernet (FCoE)/Data Center Bridge (DCB) cloud, etc.), a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Storage Area Network (SAN), or through any suitable electromagnetic carrier signals (including infrared signals).

In the system shown, all of the 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, the input data and/or the output data may be remotely transmitted from one physical location to another. Additionally, programs embodying aspects of the present disclosure may be accessed from a remote location (e.g., server) over a network. Such data and/or programs may be transmitted 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-ROM and holographic devices; a magneto-optical medium; and hardware devices that are specially configured to store or to store and perform 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 sterilizing light;

a display;

one or more processors coupled to the one or more light sources and the display; the method comprises the steps of,

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

determining a required dose of sterilizing light for sterilizing the object;

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

irradiating a sterilizing light onto a surface of an object; the method comprises the steps of,

displaying a sterilization chart on a display to report a result of a sterilization process performed by irradiation of the sterilization light;

wherein the step of displaying a disinfection map comprises displaying an image of the object and an image of a disinfection area swept by the disinfection light during the disinfection process; the image of the object and the image of the sterilization zone can be superimposed.

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 the performing step to comprise:

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 the performing step to comprise:

and irradiating the surface of the object with fluorescence light generated by the one or more light sources to inspect the surface for contamination.

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

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

determining irradiance of the sterilizing light on the surface from the measured distance; the method comprises the steps of,

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

5. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein displaying an image of the disinfection area comprises: the sterilization zone is filled with one or more colors to indicate the dosage level of sterilization light incident on the sterilization zone during sterilization.

6. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein displaying an image of the disinfection area comprises: in response to repeated irradiation of the sterilizing light on the sterilizing area, the doses of the sterilizing light incident on the sterilizing area in the repeated irradiation are added.

7. A method for disinfecting an object, comprising:

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

displaying a sterilization chart on a display of the mobile device to report a result of a sterilization process performed by irradiation of the sterilization light;

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

the method comprises the steps of irradiating fluorogenic light generated by the one or more light sources onto a surface of an object, and performing optical fluorescence through the surface to inspect the surface for contamination.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the exposure time comprises:

determining irradiance of the sterilizing light on the surface based on the measured distance; the method comprises the steps of,

11. The method of claim 7, wherein displaying an image of the sterilization zone comprises: the sterilization zone is filled with one or more colors to indicate the dosage level of sterilization light incident on the sterilization zone during sterilization.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein displaying an image of the sterilization zone comprises: in response to repeated irradiation of the sterilizing light on the sterilizing area, the doses of the sterilizing light incident on the sterilizing area in the repeated irradiation are added.

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

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, further comprising one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the performing step to comprise:

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, further comprising one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the performing step to comprise:

the fluorogenic light generated by the one or more light sources is directed onto the surface of the object, and the surface is inspected for contamination by surface light fluorescence.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein determining the exposure time comprises:

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein displaying the image of the disinfection area comprises: the sterilization zone is filled with one or more colors to indicate the dosage level of sterilization light incident on the sterilization zone during sterilization.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein displaying the image of the disinfection area comprises: in response to repeated irradiation of the sterilizing light on the sterilizing area, the doses of the sterilizing light incident on the sterilizing area in the repeated irradiation are added.