WO2023062405A1

WO2023062405A1 - A method for enhancing uv light in a uv mask by the implementation of uv reflecting flow chamber

Info

Publication number: WO2023062405A1
Application number: PCT/IB2021/059310
Authority: WO
Inventors: Akbar Rahmani Nejad
Original assignee: Akbar Rahmani Nejad
Priority date: 2021-10-12
Filing date: 2021-10-12
Publication date: 2023-04-20

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for enhancing ultraviolet light in an anti-pathogen UV respiratory mask. The UV enhancing method involves at least one ultraviolet light-emitting diode and a flow chamber coated with ultraviolet reflecting materials or fabricated from ultraviolet reflecting materials such as ePTFE (expanded polytetrafluorethylene), Aluminum, in a UV respiratory mask. At least one ultraviolet LED or any miniature-size UV light source, is located inside the UV reflecting chamber such that ultraviolet light is reflected back from the reflecting walls of the flow chamber and bounces back and forth as much as possible. When the ultraviolet light is bouncing back and forth in the reflecting chamber, its intensity increases several times. ePTFE has an ultraviolet reflection coefficient of about 95% and can enhance ultraviolet light 20 times. Aluminum has an ultraviolet reflection coefficient of about 80%, hence can enhance ultraviolet light inside the flow chamber 5 times. Particulate filters such as HEPA filters can be added to the respiratory mask to filter out air suspended particulates as well.

Description

A method for enhancing UV light in a UV mask by the implementation of UV reflecting flow chamber

The field of the invention relates to face masks that use radiation of ultraviolet light-emitting diodes to kill all kinds of pathogens such as microbes, fungus, viruses, especially COVID-19. More specifically relates to the face mask in which the air passing through it, is subject to UV band C irradiation to kill pathogens.

Face masks or respirators which implement ultraviolet LED for disinfection and deactivation of pathogens:

U.S. Des. Pat. No. 250,047 issued Oct. 24, 1978 to Lewis et al. discloses a mask with an air tube attached. Devices used to sterilize rooms can use ultra-violet radiation for killing germs, viruses, and other pathogens located in the room.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,812 issued Nov. 22, 1988 to Humphreys discloses a device using ultra-violet lamps to sterilize surfaces in a room.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,662 issued Aug. 28, 1990 to Townsend, Jr. discloses a surgical mask in which circulating air is provided within the mask to reduce humidity. The circulating air is provided by an electric fan powered by a battery pack, all of which is portable.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,768 issued Feb. 21, 1989 to Keutenedjian discloses a device for killing germs, viruses, and other pathogens in the air of a room through the use of ultra-violet and infra-red radiation.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,395 issued Feb. 14, 1992 to Mark R. Ricci discloses ultraviolet germicidal mask system.

PCT Pat. No. 2021/194649 A1, antimicrobial disinfection chamber respiratory face mask/shield to Keene et al.

PCT Pat. No. CN111084446 to LIU XIAOYAN et al discloses fiber conduction ultraviolet sterilization mask.

PCT Pat. No. CN212590482 to SHI XIANGDONG, et al discloses ultraviolet disinfection mask.

PCT Pat No. RU0002746515 to Gafurov Ilshat Rafkatovic et al discloses face mask with ultraviolet decontamination patent.

PCT Pat No. CN111938231 to A-one technology LTD discloses Ultraviolet disinfection mask.

PCT Pat No. PCT/IB2020/053346 to Akbar Rahmani Nejad discloses virus and microorganism deactivation filter for respirators.

The disclosed invention enhances considerably the ultraviolet intensity of the UV mask just with coating or fabrication of flow chamber by ultraviolet reflective materials such as ePTFE to enhance UV intensity to about 20 times.

Due to the rather low intensity of Ultraviolet LEDs, disinfection by ultraviolet light-emitting diodes needs a method to enhance the intensity of LEDs, etc.

Increasing the number of UV LEDs needs more powerful and bigger batteries.

More batteries problem increases the size of the mask and increases the weight that makes it more difficult to be used by users.

More batteries problem increases charging time and decreases operational life of the batteries.

More batteries problem makes electronic charging compartment have bigger size, lower operational life.

Implementation of more batteries and electronic power supply circuit makes the shape of the mask less ergonomic.

All Items [17 - 22] make the mask more expensive.

All above items [17- 22] leads to a more complicated and vulnerable device.

It is proved that there are specific materials that are able to reflect Ultraviolet (UV) light, especially UV band C light. UV disinfection relies on radiation emitted in the wavelength range of 200 nm – 280 nm (UVC) to inactivate pathogens.

It is commonly investigated and approved in various scientific references that aluminum UV-C reflection coefficient is about 73%-80%, Stainless still reflection coefficient is about 20%-30%, and e-PTFE (expanded Poly tetra fluor ethylene) is about 95%. (Using UV reflective materials to maximize disinfection,https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/jres/4/jresv4n2p189_A2b.pdf)

By coating the flow chamber of one of the above-mentioned materials the intensity or UV is increased several times because the speed of UV light is about 300,000 km/s, hence the light beam theoretically can bounce forward back and forth in the optical chamber millions of times to hit and kill viruses, because inhalation and exhalation take several milliseconds and each light beam during this time can hit pathogens millions of times.

for calculation of the total intensity, the formulation of the sum of geometric series when the relative coefficient that is reflection coefficient is less than one is used (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geometric_series).

The mathematical formulation for maximum intensity is:

The reflection coefficient between each term of geometric series is the reflection coefficient of the reflective material then, for ePTFE, the reflection coefficient, and is about r =95%, and according to [0028] the total intensity of light is increased to S_ePTFE = 20 times, and consequently if reflection coefficient of aluminum is assumed r_{A =}80%, S_Al= 10 times of the intensity of ultraviolet LED that is used.

The inventive step of the disclosed invention is coating of flow chamber by materials such as ePTFE to increase the ultraviolet intensity to several times.

Lower power consumption, smaller batteries, longer periods between two successive charging, smaller mask, lower weight mask, more ergonomic, smaller electronic charging unit and finally lower production price due to the mentioned items in [0016-0023].

illustrates a perspective example of the implementation of this method that is the perspective of the manufactured prototype.

illustrates the method of reflecting chamber according to the front perspective view of the prototype manufactured by inventors of which all parts are rigid in this case of implementation.

The following description with the accompanying drawing is provided to bring more clarity to the specific feature of the invented method.

The upper component of mask 1 keeps the mask on the mouth of the user, the right side of the frame 2.1 and left side 2.2 of the mask frame constitutes the two sides of the mask frame. The lateral ultraviolet LED 3.1 and frontal LED 3.2 are the two UV light sources. The air flows out through four outside openings, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4 to outside opening during respiration, the above openings are under the reflective chamber 10, the airflow enters the chamber through upper opening 9. The

openings

9, 10 both are covered by HEPA (high-efficiency particulate absorber) filters that are not a part of the disclosed inventive method but are added in the designed prototype. The rear cut of the prototype perspective view 5 is showed by hashed surface. The internal hollow frame on both sides 6.1, 6.2 each locate the electronic charging circuit and battery pack, a USB battery charger socket can be inserted near the battery holder. The upper ultraviolet reflective surface 7 and lower ultraviolet reflective surface 8 constitute the two main reflecting surfaces of the flow chamber, airflow passes through mouth conduit to mouth opening and then through the reflective chamber along with pathogens in the air exposed to bouncing ultraviolet light and deactivated by enhanced bouncing forward and back due to ultraviolet light.

Examples

Antiviral masks, anti-germicidal masks, anti-fungus masks and disinfection facilities.

This method is applicable in preventive medicine. The public health industry is another industrial application. Disinfection industry.

Claims

. A method for increasing the anti-pathogen killing effect of the ultraviolet mask by enhancing ultraviolet intensity in a reflective flow chamber, comprising:
Forming a reflective flow chamber by coating the internal surface of the flow chamber with an ultraviolet reflecting material;
Connecting mouth side opening and outside opening such that respiratory airflow passes through reflecting flow chamber;
Attaching at least one ultraviolet light-emitting inside the reflecting flow chamber;
Exposing internal surface of the mask reflecting chamber to ultraviolet LED light such that ultraviolet ray beam reflects several times in the reflecting chamber and enhanced to several times of the LED intensity due to several reflection of the LED(s)light;
Attaching the flow chamber to a face mask frame, such that respiratory air passes through the reflecting chamber.
. The modeling of claim 1, further forming a reflective chamber by the implementation of reflective materials instead of coating the internal surface of flow chamber with an ultraviolet reflecting material.