NO20220492A1 - Automated system and safety method for disinfecting a space in a building or transportation units - Google Patents

Description

AUTOMATED SYSTEM AND SAFETY METHOD FOR DISINFECTING A SPACE IN A BUILDING OR TRANSPORTATION UNITS

Abstract

The invention relates to a system and method for disinfecting a room in a building containing a volume of air/gas, wherein the system comprises an ozone gas supply, an ozone warning signal unit, and an ozone sensor, all being regulated by a logical control unit, and wherein the disinfection method comprises using the system to inject ozone into the volume of air/gas of the room to be disinfected up to an intended disinfection level, Cdes and then allow the ozone to decompose by itself to a safe level, Csafe, and where the ozone warning signal unit provides a warning of ozone hazard as long as the measured ozone concentration in the air/gas is above Csafe.

Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of health and environmental protection, in particular to a control method, security measures and system of an Ozone generator system.

Background technique

[0002] Ozone is called "the cleanest oxidant and disinfectant." Therefore, it can be used in the medical industry, public transportation, catering, environmental protection and other fields. Ozone is the most powerful oxidant for disinfecting water or sanitizing surfaces. Ozone can kill pathogens in seconds vs. several minutes for other oxidants. Ozone is one of the strongest oxidants available for oxidizing organics. Ozone decomposes into oxygen and by itself, does not affect pH.

[0003] When ozone is used to treat air pollution, it can decompose organic compound gases. For example, it can reduce the toxicity of indoor PM2.5, can sterilize and remove unwanted smells, etc., especially for the oxidation and decomposition of formaldehyde and VOC organic matter. Ozone gas above a certain PPM over time has been proven by scientist and medical institutions all over the world to efficiently kill viruses like SARS CoV-1/CoV-2. There are broad market prospects in the development direction of environmental protection, energy saving and emission reduction.

[0004] Ozone is an unstable molecule which quickly changes back to oxygen. The half-life (time for half of the ozone in air to decompose) is 20-60 minutes depending on the temperature and humidity of the ambient air, existing ventilation system, as well as how airtight the building is. These factors also affect the efficiency of an Ozone generator.

[0005] However, to have the desired effect on the environment, the PPM concentration of Ozone needs to be high, and the values must be maintained over a certain time. And with this, the risk is high, and accidents may happen to people or animals. Therefore, how to safely use Ozone gas to disinfect and keep environment safe is a technical problem that needs to be solved immediately.

Objective of the invention

[0006] The main objective of the present invention is to provide a method and a system for disinfecting a room in a building that at least partially overcomes the above-described problems.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025] Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description where the invention is described in reference to the appended drawings, in which:

[0026] Fig.1 is a schematic diagram showing how the start-up safety system operates in one example embodiment of the invention.

[0027] Fig.2 is a flow diagram showing how the inventive system communicate for safety after it has started or when first person enters the room after completed task in one example embodiment of the invention.

[0028] Fig.3 is a flow diagram one for operating the system according to one example embodiment of the method according to the second aspect of the invention.

[0029] Fig.4 is a flow diagram of the storage and communication structure in one example embodiment of the invention.

[0030] Fig.5 is a schematic drawing of an example embodiment according to the first aspect of the invention.

Detailed Description

[0031] The invention will be further explained by way of example e,bodiments.

First example embodiment

[0032] Fig.1 shows how the start-up safety system operates in one example embodiment of the invention. In this example embodiment, the system receives a start-up signal 101 using the controller 301 from a user interface 307 or Operator Interfaces 312. Before the Ozone generation system 311 starts the controller 301 to send a sound file(s) to the loudspeaker 305 and or a signal to the siren(s) 308 to warn nearby people of the process initiation.

[0033] Time parameters 103 will define the allowed “no movement” time provided by the sensors 303 to start, with the purpose of ensuring that there are no humans present before the process starts. Using the Loudspeaker(s) 305, and or Light(s) 306 and or Siren(s) 308, and or external infographic light(s) 309 the system will notify the people in the room to leave the premises 104.

[0034] When the defined time for “no movement” is reached, the system will classify the event 106 and log sensor data 107. Then the system will start a countdown 108 on the loudspeaker 305 and or use signals with the Light(s) 306 and or Siren(s) 308, and or external infographic light(s) 309. When the countdown is finished and the event is still classified 106, the Ozone production will initiate 109.

[0035] The system will run for a Specified Time parameter 110 and check Sensor input values 111, the values will further instruct the controller 301 to ether initiate additional Ozone production 115 and go back to Ozone production initiation 109. If the desired values are not met with in a certain frequency or time limit a stop trigger will initiate 113. This means that something is wrong and a limit trigger 114 will notify on the application 119. More specifically the User interface(s) 313 and or the Operators Interface(s) 315 and or the Network communication interface(s) 314. The event will be logged alongside the sensor values 120.

Second example embodiment

[0036] Fig.2 shows an example embodiment of how the inventive system may communicate for safety after it has started or when first person enters the room after completed task.

[0037] The system receives a sensor input 201 from the sensor(s) 302-303. The input will be classified 202 by the controller 301. When the event is classified 203, witch means that people are entering the space. The system will check Ozone sensor(s) 304 values to check if the values are safe

[0038] If the values are safe, information via the loudspeaker 305 and or use signals with the Light(s) 306 and or Siren(s) 308, and or external infographic light(s) 309 will communicate information regarding the situation 205. This event will be logged alongside sensors values 211.

[0039] If the values are NOT safe, if actuators 313 are present the door will not unlock 212. If not or additionally information via the loudspeaker 305 and or use signals with the Light(s) 306 and or Siren(s) 308, and or external infographic light(s) 309 are used to communicate to leave the premises and additional information regarding the situation 206. The system will communicate the remaining time until the values are safe 208 on the loudspeaker 305 and or the User interface(s) 313 and or the Operators Interface(s) 315 and or the Network communication interface(s) 314.

[0040] If the person does not respond as requested in the notification(s) 207, the system will aggregate and increase warnings 209 with additional strength or adjusted patterns via the loudspeaker 305 and or use signals with the Light(s) 306 and or Siren(s) 308, and or external infographic light(s) 309. As well as inform of when the values are safe 210. This event will be logged alongside sensors values 211.

Third example embodiment

[0041] Fig.3 shows the main components of a third example embodiment of the invention.

[0042] The controller 301 can be a Micro controller, Microcomputer, System on Chip (SoC) or IO Board. It can receive commands from on-board software or from a wide area network.

[0043] Motions sensor(s) 302 can be Passive Infrared Sensors (PIR) , Microwave, Thermal, Ultrasonic, Lidar or Camera and communicate the signal(s) to the controller 301. These can be mounted on or inside the unit or in a separate external unit.

[0044] To monitor the environment sensors like temperature, humidity and pressure sensors are mounted on or inside the unit or in a separate external unit 303. The sensor(s) can be Thermocouples, RTDs (resistance temperature detectors), Thermistors, and Semiconductor based integrated circuits (IC). These values are communicated to the controller 301.

[0045] The Ozone sensor(s) 304 are used to monitor the Ozone levels and communicate the values to the controller 301. They can be Electrochemical sensors or Heated metal oxide sensors.

[0046] A loudspeaker 305 is used to communicate information and warnings to surrounding people. The loudspeaker can be Full-range driver(s), Mid-range driver(s), Tweeter(s), Coaxial driver(s), horn loudspeaker(s) or Transmission line loudspeaker(s). These can be mounted on or inside the unit or in a separate external unit. The sounds are defined by the controller 301.

[0047] Lights 306 are used to communicate the status of the room(s) and can be Incandescent lamp(s), Compact fluorescent lamp(s), Halogen lamp(s), Metal halide Lamp(s), Light Emitting Diode(s), Fluorescent tubes(s), Neon lamp(s), High intensity discharge lamp(s) or led panels. These can be mounted on or inside the unit or in a separate external unit. The pattern, strength, colour, movement is defined by the controller 301.

[0048] User Interfaces 307 communicate to the controller 301 and the controller 301 communicate with the User Interface 307. Information regarding the environment and changes are some of the information that is exchanged between the 2 units. The Interface can be on a mobile or stationary device such as but not limited to a mobile phone, tablet, watch and computer 404 via a wide area network 402.

[0049] Siren(s) 308 are used to communicate warning sound(s) in a plethora of patterns and strengths based on the status of the room(s). These can be mounted on or inside the unit or in a separate external unit. The type of sound(s) strength time and pattern is defined by the controller 301.

[0050] External Infographic lights 309 are used to visually communicate warnings and information on the walls, ceiling , floor(s) and other surfaces. These can be mounted on or inside the unit or in a separate external unit. The type of info, pattern, strength and time is defined by the controller 301.

[0051] Cooling fans 310 are used to cool the Ozone generator system(s) 311 as well as the controller 301. They circulate the air and insure optimal Ozone production. These can be mounted on or inside the unit or in a separate external unit. The type strength, time and pattern is defined by the controller 301.

[0052] The Ozone generator system(s) 311 produce Ozone gas with the use of but not limited to Corona Discharge technology or a special band of Ultraviolet light. These can be mounted on or inside the unit or in a separate external unit. The type pattern, strength and time is defined by the controller 301.

[0053] Operator Interfaces 312 are used to monitor and control the units and subunits. They communicate with the controller(s) 301 to gather data and ensure optimal operation. I addition to the algorithms in the local controller 301, the Operator interface 312 holds the same algorithms and schedule to ensure the system does not start or stop from unwanted factors or external influence. The Operator interface can be on a mobile og stationary device like but not limited to Smartphone, Tablet, or computer.

[0054] Actuators 313 includes any locks, latches and other mechanisms that may be activated to allow the controller 301 to open or lock a door or otherwise gain access to the space or a particular zone. This extra safety measure will ensure to entrance when the values are not safe.

[0055] One or more network communication interfaces 314 may also be connected to the controller 301. This allows the controller 301 to communicate with remote devices or users over the Internet, over a cellular phone network, or by any combination of public and private networks using any combination of communication protocols known in the art.

Fourth example embodiment

[0056] Fig.4 shows the an example embodiment of the invention comprising a storage and communication structure .

[0057] FIG.4 shows a block diagram corresponding to the one shown in FIG.3, but where additional functionality has been added, and where a number of modules are explicitly shown as being remotely located from the controller 301 and in communication with it over a wide area network 402 which may be any combination of the Internet, telephone or cellular networks, satellite communication etc.

[0058] Reference is now made to FIG.3 which shows a first embodiment of the present invention in which a number of modules or components are provided in substantially the same location, for example in the same room. Apart from the Ozone generator(s) 311 and cooling fan(s) 310, which by necessity have to be located in the positions where they are required as determined by their functionality, the modules may even be part of the same device. However, as will be seen when other embodiments are described below, the embodiment illustrated in FIG.3 may also be thought of as a conceptual illustration of the most basic modules in various implementations of the invention, to which additional modules, components and capabilities may be added – including the remote location of some modules, which may, for example, be provided as cloud services.

[0059] The controller 310 has been described above with reference to FIG.3. In the embodiment in FIG.3 the controller 301 is connected to sensors 302-304, which also were described above. Also connected to the controller 301 is a local storage unit 401 which may be one or more hard drives or some other type of known persistent memory, possibly in combination with volatile memory circuits. The local memory storage unit 401 may store configuration files, computer program instructions, logs of sensor data and located events, text or recorded speech messages, as well as rules and algorithms for interpretation of sensor data, detection of and categorization of events, and algorithms for machine learning based on sensor data and user input.

[0060] One or more notification modules 405, which may include the network communication interfaces 314 as well as communication protocol implementations that enable communication with specific remote devices or services. This may include communication over wireless or wired local area network 402, the Internet, a cellular network and other networks, in order, for example, to send updates and messages to a user, a fire department, police, a security company. As will be described in further detail below, these modules as well as additional modules may also be implemented remotely, for example as cloud services.

[0061] The various remotely located modules may be distributed such that they are all implemented in individual systems, or two or more modules may be implemented in the same system. For convenience, reference numbers used in the drawing are the same as those used in FIG.3 for the modules that have corresponding modules shown in FIG.3. This is not intended to imply anything about whether the modules are implemented remotely or locally with respect to the controller 301. Any module may, in principle, be implemented remotely or locally and in the same or in a different system. The exception is, of course, modules that by necessity have to be located locally because they include sensors or user interfaces that are intended to register or interact with local phenomena such as persons or events.

[0062] Furthermore, the various units may be implemented as dedicated to an embodiment of the present invention, or they may be implemented, at least partly, as a commercially available cloud based service, as will be described in further detail below.

[0063] Again, the controller 301 is connected to a number of local sensors 302-304 and local storage unit 401. Communication units or interfaces are not shown in FIG.4, but they can be assumed present as part of the controller 301. Over the wide area network 402, or over local connections or a local area network for sensors and modules that are implemented locally, the controller 301 is in communication with the other modules of the system. The controller 301 receives data from the sensors 302-304 and will attempt to detect and identify persons and events, and interact with persons if required. In order to do this the controller 301 will utilize the resources provided by the other modules.

[0064] For example, one or more of the sensors for detecting the values may receive data outside the specified norm. This data will be uploaded to the main program running on the Database 406. As already mentioned, some embodiments will implement this service in a local module, while other embodiments will implement this service in a centralized server or as a commercially available cloud service.

[0065] The interpretation of the validity and/or content of the response will be used to determine any change in state for the system as well as any other action that should be taken by the system, as described below.

[0066] A controller unit 301 is a centrally localized part of the system in many embodiments. The web service 403 may operate as a main communications channel and storage unit for both the controller 301 as well as for web or app based communication with the system by users.

[0067] The web service 403 may include a web API server, and a job scheduler for maintenance tasks. The web API server may be configured to respond to https requests from the controller 301 as well as from web browsers or apps 403. These requests may include functionality for reading and writing to storage units, sending commands by an operator, and sending events and notifications from the controller 301.

[0068] In addition to the web API the web service 403 may include some scheduled jobs running at different time intervals. Examples include cleaning up sensor data older than a certain time limit, for example 7 days.

[0069] The currently most widespread platforms for implementing app based user agents are Android (Android is a trademark owned by Google Inc.) and iOS (IOS is a trademark owned by Cisco Systems Inc. but licensed by Apple Inc.) mobile operating systems. The following discussion relates to exemplary embodiments using a Microsoft Azure notification service to send notifications to Android and iOS apps. This is not intended as a limiting example.

[0070] Notifications sent to Android and iOS have slightly different formatting. In both cases messages are sent on a JSON object. The notification service 405 will convert the message into the correct format based on data received from the app 404. For Android and iOS the message formats may be as follows

Android: {"data":{"message":"Notification message text"}}

iOS: {"aps":{"alert":"Notification message text"}}

[0071] Notification messages to Android and iOS use different protocols. Android uses Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM, earlier GCM) while iOS uses Apple Push Notification Service (APNS). Azure Notifications hub is able to handle both protocols, so the system only have to send messages in the correct format to the notification service 405. Azure Notifications Hub is accessed through a REST interface from the web service 403 using a prebuilt library called Microsoft.Azure.NotificationHubs. It exposes a NotificationHubClient which handles the communication mainly through two functions:

// Send a notification to an Android device. The tagExpression identifies a unique app

public Task<NotificationOutcome> SendGcmNativeNotificationAsync(string jsonPayload, string tagExpression);

// Send a notification to an iOS device. The tagExpression identifies a unique app

public Task<NotificationOutcome> SendAppleNativeNotificationAsync(string jsonPayload, string tagExpression);

[0071] REST is an acronym for Representational State Transfer. It is a term that is well known in the art and will not be explained here. The invention is not limited to embodiments using REST interfaces.

[0072] A database 406 may be provided for example in association with the web service 403. The database 406 may be used to hold any information that is not stored in the local storage unit 401, and may of course also store back up of information stored locally. Examples of information held by the database 406 include an event log, file storage (e.g. configuration files, multimedia files and other files such as data captured by the sensors 302-304), user data, preference settings etc. The database 406 may be implemented as an SQL database. The database may be provided on a cloud service platform, for example on Microsoft Azure which provides Azure Table Storage and Azure Blob Storage. In some embodiments logs, for example event logs and error logs, are stored in the former, while binary files such as text files are stored in the latter.

[0078] FIG.4 shows a smartphone 404 as representative for an app, a browser or any other user agent that a user may utilize in order to communicate with the system. For the purposes of this disclosure these terms will be used interchangeably in order to exemplify various types of devices and software that can be used in various embodiments. There is, however, no intention to imply that these alternatives represent different technical features or possibilities. In principle, any user agent (which is the most general term and representative of any software acting on behalf of a user and running on a computing device) may be implemented with any functionality that the hardware of the device and the software platform allows. For simplicity the client device and user agent combination will primarily be referred to as the app 404.

[0079] The app 404 may be configured to interact with the alarm system using web pages and http or https requests as well as notifications. The requests and responses may primarily go directly between the web service 403 and the app 405, while notifications may be provided by the notification service 405. Other communication protocols and interaction between other modules of the system are possible in alternative embodiments.

[0080] The app 404 may store certain user information such as user credentials and local preferences for how the app should be displayed on the device, but in most embodiments the majority of data that is retained by the system will be stored in the database 406. Some data may also be stored at the premises in the local storage unit 401 as already described.

[0081] If the app 404 sends a request to the controller 301 using RestClient, the web service 403 receives the request first and the app 404 gets a status message in return from the web service 403. The web service 403 will then push the request further on to controller 301. A typical request may be “Start ozone production” or “Set new schedule”.

[0082] The app 404 may send data or request data to/from the web service 403 using RestClient. In this case the web service 403 may return Acknowledge messages with status and data if data has been requested. Typical requests may be all data belonging to a specific event, or a list of users.

[0083] Conversely, when the controller 301 sends a message to the app 404, the controller 301 sends the message to the web service 403 using RestClient. The web service 403 then sends a notification to the app 404 using the notification service 405 containing the data the app 404 needs. A typical scenario may be when a user want to change the time schedule or user access.

[0084] The term web service as used above is a term of art which is intended to refer to any piece of software executed by a networked computer, e.g. a server, that makes itself available over the Internet. A web service will typically use a standardized XML messaging system, it will not be tied to any one operating system or programming language, it will be self-describing via a common XML grammar, and it should be discoverable via a simple find mechanism. Web services are usually built on top of open standards such as TCP/IP, HTTP, Java, HTML, and XML, and may use SOAP to transfer messages, WSDL to describe the availability of the service.

[0085] However, the present invention is not intended to be limited to these specific platforms and protocols, and the term is therefore intended to also cover other implementations where software modules are accessible remotely.

Claims (10)

AUTOMATED SYSTEM AND SAFETY METHOD FOR DISINFECTING A SPACE IN A BUILDING OR TRANSPORTATION UNITS Claims

1. A system for disinfecting a room in a building containing a volume of air/gas, characterised in that the system comprises:

- an ozone gas supply (311) adapted to inject ozone gas into volume of air/gas of the room to be disinfected (300), and wherein the operation of the ozone gas supply is regulated by a logical control unit (301),

- an ozone sensor (304) in communication with the logical control unit (301) and which measures an ozone concentration in the volume of air/gas of the room to be disinfected (300), and - an ozone warning signal unit (305) regulated by the logical control unit (301),

and wherein

the logical control unit (301) comprises logic commands which when executed performs a disinfection cycle which comprises the following actions in successive order:

- engaging the ozone warning signal unit (305) to provide an ozone warning signal, - activating the ozone gas supply (311) to inject ozone gas into the volume of air/gas of the room to be disinfected (300),

- applying sensor data from the ozone sensor (304) to monitor the ozone concentration in the volume of air/gas of the room to be disinfected (300),

- disengaging the ozone gas supply (311) when the measured ozone concentration, Cmeas, in the volume of air/gas of the room to be disinfected (300) is higher than a desired ozone concentration, Cdes, wherein Cdes is 15 ppm, and

- disengaging the ozone warning signal unit (305) when the measured ozone concentration, Cmeas, is less than a safe concentration level, Csafe, wherein Csafe is 0.1 ppm.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the desired ozone concentration, Cdes, is less than 15 ppm, preferably less than 7.5 ppm, more preferably less than 5 ppm, and most preferably less than 2.5 ppm.

3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein safe concentration level of ozone, Csafe, is less than 0.08 ppm, preferably less than 0.06 ppm, more preferably less than 0.04 ppm, more preferably less than 0.02 ppm, and most preferably less than 0.01 ppm.

4. The system according to any preceding claim, wherein the system further comprises a temperature sensor and/or a pressure and/or a humidity sensor(s) (303), wherein the sensor(s) (303) is connected to the logical controller unit (301).

5. The system according to any preceding claims, wherein the ozone gas supply (311) is an ozone generator able to create from 20 g ozone per hour in small spaces and transportation units and 50 g to 400 g ozone per hour in rooms and larger spaces.

6. The system according to any preceding claims, wherein the system further comprises a machine learning software (403) adapted to allowing the system to adjust itself based on the sensor data, and to warn user(s) (402-405) if the ozone concentration in the environment is above Csafe.

7. The system according to any preceding claims, wherein the system further comprises a fan (310).

8. The system according to any preceding claims, wherein the ozone warning signal unit (305) comprises one or more of a lamp, an infographic unit, a sound generator, and a siren.

9. The system according to any preceding claims, wherein the system further comprises a motion sensor (302) adapted to detecting movement in the room to be disinfected (300).

10. A method for disinfecting a room, characterised in that the method comprises applying an ozone disinfection system according to any one of claims 1 to 9 to inject ozone gas into a volume of air/gas being present in the room to be disinfected to an intended ozone concentration level Cdes, wherein Cdes is 15 ppm, and to issue an ozone warning signal while the ozone concentration in the volume of air/gas being present in the room to be disinfected is above a safe concentration level, Csafe, wherein Csafe is 0.1 ppm.