SK9863Y1 - Protective half-mask with UV-C air disinfection - Google Patents

Abstract

The protective half-mask with UV-C air disinfection consists of an outer cover (1) and a support structure (2), on which a UV-C module (11) with an integrated first chamber with openings in a labyrinth arrangement is inserted in the lower part. A case (12) containing an FPP2 filter (13) is inserted under the UV-C module (11). The UV-C module (11) contains UV-C diodes (10) for disinfecting inhaled air connected to an electrical circuit (15) located in an elastic strap to the battery box (14). The supporting structure (2) has two internal valves on the sides, which consist of the cover (4) of the internal valve, the base (5) of the internal valve and the rubber membrane (6) of the internal valve, for the flow of air from the intermediate space created between the UV-C module ( 11) and the internal valves to the second chamber located between the internal valves and the external valve located in front of the support structure (2) in the cover (3) of the second chamber. The external valve consists of the base (9) of the external valve, the cover (7) of the external valve and the rubber membrane (8) of the external valve.

Description

The field of technology

The protective half mask with UV-C air disinfection belongs to the field of personal protective equipment and medical devices. The technical solution from the design point of view falls into the engineering industry.

Current state of the art

From the current state of medical technical devices, it is known that after the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), swine flu (H1N1), bird flu (H5N1) and others, more intensive research and development of protective medical devices against pathogens that these diseases started they cause. The most famous protective breathable materials are known by the abbreviation FPP (filtering face-piece), which translates as "filtering mask". The company usually gets rid of the spread of pathogens, especially bacteria and viruses, by mechanical disinfection. But in the last two years (2020 to 2022) there has been a great development of personal protective equipment (PPE). Current disposable surgical gowns, respirators, various types of masks and shields physically prevent pathogens from entering the respiratory tract. With their construction, ergonomic design and, last but not least, their economic availability, they contribute to the reduction of respiratory diseases in society. At present, a large part of the PPE in use, mainly made of fabric, provides insufficient protection against bacteria and viruses. Even in fabric masks, after repeated use, bacteria accumulate, which cause very unpleasant skin diseases. It is known from practice that some protective masks offered on the market cannot filter out viruses smaller than 10 nm, or thus preventing the pathogen from entering the respiratory tract. A frequent reason for the ineffectiveness of such masks is also the incorrect position of the mask on the face, which causes the release of unfiltered air into the mask space. An important knowledge is that most of the mentioned types of PPE are for single use. The repeated use of such PPE is not recommended, as disinfection of such PPE is not technically possible or feasible. One of the frequently used elements of PPE are also face shields, which provide the greatest protection for the eyes, and also give the possibility to read facial expressions of the wearer. The shields themselves are not airtight and only partially protect against pathogens. More effective PPE, so-called powered respirators, also known as "PAPR" (Powered Air Purifying Respirators) are also available on the market. These respirators use a fan to blow air and also filter inserts for more effective protection against pathogens. The construction of the mask itself consists of an airtight helmet with filter accessories, which is associated with a number of operational, technical and economic limitations (caution when performing movements, fan noise, filter costs and others). In order to prevent the spread of infection, the trend of disinfecting premises using ultraviolet radiation (hereinafter referred to as UV) has become widespread. A whole range of UV emitters capable of emitting UV light of various wavelengths has been created, which are not harmful to humans and at the same time fulfill the function of disinfecting the environment.

There are a number of patents and utility models dealing with the issue of personal protective equipment (PPE) using UV-C radiation. Currently, in real use, still masks based on the physical prevention of pathogen penetration through filters predominate. The invention presented in the patent document US20210330851A1 relates to a mask with a long pipe path in the form of a labyrinth arrangement for sterilizing inhaled air using a UV-C radiation source. The source of UV-C radiation is located in the lower part of the mask, directly under the long labyrinth tube.

Patent document US20220016297A1 describes a folding half-mask with a UV-C air disinfection system. The disinfecting face mask is equipped with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal irradiation system for air disinfection using LED diodes emitting UV-C light. When unfolded, the half mask has the shape of a conical body with a front and back opening at each end. Air is drawn in through the front end. The rear end is adapted for contact with the user's face. Inside the conical body of the half mask there is a central tunnel in the shape of a spiral located centrally along the entire length. Behind the film with flexible circuits is a reflective layer that scatters UV light. The structure also includes a control module with a processor unit, an LED controller and a power source.

The patent document CZ35157U1 describes a face mask, the basis of which is a body in a triangular shape to cover the mouth and nose, and it can be made of transparent plastic. It is characterized by the fact that it consists of a two-part body, with an inhalation hole between the upper and lower parts, and two exhalation holes with pore valves on the side of the mask. Both parts of the mask are connected by simple closable locks. The position of the mask on the face is ensured by four tapes fixing the mask on the top of the head. On the right side of the mask there is a closable opening for access to the battery, while the electronics are made up of UV-C LEDs that can emit radiation in the range of 200 to 275 nm. The UV-C LEDs are placed symmetrically on the circuit boards of the circular shape around the exhalation and inhalation valves and are connected by power cables to the accumulator, which is equipped with an activation/reactivation controller.

In the patent document CZ35020U1, a respirator for the protection of the upper respiratory tract is described. The essence of the technical solution is that the respirator uses UV radiation to disinfect inhaled air and at the same time uses its forced suction from the surrounding atmosphere into the area of the upper respiratory tract using a fan located inside the respirator.

Because of skin irritation or other negative health effects or diseases caused by continuous UV-C radiation, it is necessary that the UV-C light source be separated or isolated in a small space where it does not affect human tissues. In order for the disinfection of the inhaled air to be effective, the inhaled air must be delayed (slowed down) for a few seconds while passing through the UV-C light source. It is also very important that the UV-C mask has a built-in input filter in front of the chamber where the LEDs are located. The filter must fulfill two important functions, namely the protection of electronics from dust and also from the point of view of prevention, it is about protecting the user from droplets that could contain larger amounts of germs.

In some of the mentioned technical solutions and inventions, the inventors do not sufficiently separate the disinfection chamber from the chamber where the disinfected air is breathed. During human exhalation, a large amount of CO2 is produced, which must be quickly removed from the mask. It is undesirable for the used air to return to the disinfection area of the mask, and therefore it is necessary to work with a technical solution that eliminates this deficiency. From the current state of protective half-masks, it is known that the DC voltage source is in most cases located on the body (in the area of the cheekbone). In this case, the weight of the batteries reduces wearing comfort, and long-term use also contributes to compression of the tissue on the face, which can lead to unpleasant pressure ulcers. There are also well-known design solutions with an external DC voltage source using a USB cable.

The essence of the technical solution

The shortcomings of the current state of the art are eliminated by the presented technical solution of a protective half mask with UV-

-C air disinfection, which provides a more effective method of disinfecting inhaled air with UV-C light than standard disposable masks or respirators with FPP protection class. The essence of the technical solution consists in the disinfection of inhaled air using a UV-C light source in the space of the UV-C disinfection chamber of the protective half-mask.

The inner space of the protective half mask consists of two separate chambers, which are separated by an intermediate space for temporary storage of disinfected air. In the first chamber, which is part of the UV-C module, several UV-C diodes are integrated and connected to the battery box using low-voltage wiring. The diodes irradiate the air entering the lower part of the half-mask when inhaled from the outside through the FPP2 filter stored in the case into the UV-C module with a spectrum of wavelengths that are characteristic of UV-C radiation. The disinfected air is slowed down during the exit from the first, i.e. disinfection UV-C chamber, by means of openings with a labyrinth arrangement. The primary purpose of the openings with a labyrinth arrangement is to slow down the air flow in the disinfection UV-C chamber, and in this way to increase the efficiency of the disinfection of the intake air. The disinfected air, after overcoming the openings with a labyrinth arrangement, flows into the intermediate space, which is located between the first and second chambers. The flow of disinfected air from the UV-C module into the intermediate space and subsequently into the second chamber through two internal valves takes place simultaneously during one breath. The external valve works on the same principle as the two internal valves, only with a different direction of air flow. During inhalation, the rubber membrane of the external valve closes the vents and thus prevents the penetration of air from the surroundings into the space of the second chamber. During exhalation, the used air exits through the external valve into the environment. During exhalation, the pressure of the exhaled air presses on the two rubber membranes of the internal valves, which then close the vents of the internal valves, and in this way, a hermetic seal between the second chamber and the intermediate space is ensured. The rubber membrane of the external valve effectively captures dust, smog, allergens, bacteria and viruses before entering the half mask during inhalation. The housing, inner valves and also the outer valve are removable, which allows replacement of the FPP2 filter, inner valve rubber diaphragms and outer valve rubber diaphragm for the purpose of reusing the half mask, but the effective UVC light disinfection time is dependent on the total capacity of the battery, which is placed in the battery compartment box on the back of the head and connected to the outer cover of the half mask with the help of elastic straps. The protective UV-C half-mask is equipped with a simple low-voltage electrical circuit that passes from the UV-C module through an elastic strap directly to the battery box. The button to start or turn off the UV-C diodes is located directly in the battery box.

Overview of images on drawings

In picture no. 1 shows a parametric three-dimensional model of the human head with an example of the placement of the battery box on the back of the head and the electrical circuit located in the lower strap. The overall layout of the individual parts of the protective half-mask is shown in the side view of the half-mask in section in picture no. 2. The location of the inner and outer valve in the disassembled state is shown in figure no. 3. Picture no. 4 shows the exploded view and detail for the placement of the FPP2 filter housing in the UV-C module. In picture no. 5 shows the flow or air circulation through the individual chambers in the protective half-mask and the location of the UV-C diodes.

Implementation examples

The protective half-mask with UV-C air disinfection consists of an outer cover 1 and a supporting structure 2, into which the disinfection UV-C module 11 is inserted in the lower part in two linear lines. The UV-C module 11 secures the position of the detachable case 12, which is inserted into the cut-out for the case 12 in the lower part of the support structure 2 under the UV-C module 11.

The inner space of the half-mask consists of two separate chambers and an intermediate space located between these chambers. During inhalation, a vacuum is created in the half-mask, which sucks air through the FPP2 filter 13 located in the housing 12 into the first chamber located in the UV-C module 11 with openings with a labyrinth arrangement. The labyrinth arrangement of holes primarily slows down the flow of filtered air in the first chamber. Disinfection of the inhaled air is provided by a set of UV-C diodes 10, which are located in the space of the disinfection UV-C module 11. Behind the labyrinth openings there is an intermediate space into which the disinfected air enters through the created vacuum during inhalation. Also, simultaneously with inhalation, the passage of disinfected air from the intermediate space into the second chamber occurs through two internal valves located on the sides of the half mask, while each internal valve forms a removable cover 4 of the internal valve and a base 5 of the internal valve, between which there is a replaceable rubber membrane 6 of the internal valve ensuring a smooth flow of disinfected air in only one direction, thus preventing the passage of air from the second chamber to the intermediate space. From the second chamber, which is the space between the internal valves and the external valve, air gets out during exhalation through the removable external valve located in the cover 3 of the second chamber on the front part of the half mask. The external valve consists of a base 9 of the external valve, into which a replaceable rubber membrane 8 of the external valve is inserted, closed by a removable cover 7 of the external valve. The base 9 of the external valve is mechanically pressed into the cover 3 of the second chamber.

The UV-C diodes 10 are connected via a simple low-voltage electrical circuit 15 to a battery located in a battery box 14 on the back of the head. The electrical circuit 15 is guided inside one elastic strap. The battery box 14 is connected to the outer cover 1 by elastic straps. The button for starting or turning off the UV-C diodes 10 is located directly in the battery box 14.

Industrial applicability

The protective half mask with UV-C air disinfection can be used as a medical device, which is aimed at significantly improving the health of the upper respiratory tract by disinfecting the inhaled air with UV-C light, which represents for the individual and ultimately the collective better protection and prevention against respiratory diseases caused by bacteria and viruses. It can be used mainly in healthcare, public facilities and wherever there is a high concentration of people with respiratory diseases. It can also be used in anti-chemical units, in the army and in the fire department. The protective half mask can be used to actively protect the health of an individual as well as passively protect people, preventing the spread of viruses and bacteria.

List of relationship tags

- Outer cover

- Skeleton

- Cover of the second chamber

- Inner valve cover

- Internal valve base

- Rubber inner valve membrane

- Outer valve cover

- Rubber diaphragm of the external valve

- Base of external valve

- UV-C diodes

- UV-C module

- Case

- FPP2 filter

- Battery box

- Electrical circuit

Claims (2)

CLAIMS FOR PROTECTION 1. Protective half-mask with UV-C air disinfection, characterized by the fact that it consists of an outer cover (1) and a supporting structure (2), on which a UV-C module (11) with an integrated first a chamber with holes with a labyrinth arrangement, while under the UV-C module (11) a detachable case (12) is inserted in the cut-out in the support structure (2), in which the FPP2 filter (13) is located, while in the space of the UV-C module ( 11) there are UV-C diodes (10) for disinfecting inhaled air connected to an electrical circuit (15) located in an elastic strap to the battery box (14), in which there is a button for starting the UV-C diodes (10); on the supporting structure (2), two internal valves are placed on the sides, each consisting of a removable cover (4) of the internal valve and a base (5) of the internal valve, between which a rubber membrane (6) of the internal valve is placed for a continuous flow of disinfected air from the intermediate space created between the UV-C module (11) and the internal valves to the second chamber located between the internal valves and the external valve; on the supporting structure (2), the cover (3) of the second chamber and the external valve consisting of the base (9) of the external valve covered by the removable cover (7) of the external valve, between which the rubber membrane (8) of the external valve is inserted, are located on the front side the base (9) of the external valve is mechanically pressed into the cover (3) of the second chamber. 2. Protective half mask with UV-C air disinfection according to claim 1, characterized in that the rubber membrane (6) of the internal valve, the rubber membrane (8) of the external valve and the FPP2 filter (13) are replaceable.