Method and system for preventing fouling of surfaces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10766580-B2
Application number	US-201816220534-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2018
Priority date	May 22, 2013
Publication date	Sep 8, 2020
Grant date	Sep 8, 2020

Abstract

A method of anti-fouling of a surface while said surface is at least partially submersed in an liquid environment, comprising: providing an anti-fouling light; distributing at least part of the light through an optical medium comprising a silicone material and/or UV grade fused silica; emitting the anti-fouling light from the optical medium and from the surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of anti-fouling of a protected surface comprising, while the protected surface is at least partially submersed in a liquid environment:
providing a two-dimensional grid of conductors,
wherein the grid of conductors comprises a plurality of nodes;

providing a plurality of anti-fouling lights,
wherein each anti-fouling light emits ultra-violet (UV) radiation,
wherein each of the plurality of anti-fouling lights is coupled to a node of the grid of conductors,
wherein the grid of conductors with the plurality of anti-fouling lights form a chicken-wire structure, each node being an intersection in the chicken-wire structure;

embedding the grid of conductors with the plurality of anti-fouling lights in an optical medium;
situating the optical medium in close proximity to the protected surface, the optical medium having an emission surface;
distributing at least part of the UV radiation through the optical medium in a direction parallel to the protected surface; and
emitting the UV radiation from the emission surface of the optical medium in a direction away from the protected surface.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the emission surface is a planar surface that masks or obscures a thickness of the grid of conductors with the plurality of anti-fouling lights embedded in the optical medium.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the emission surface is a planar surface that masks or obscures constructional uneveness of the protected surface.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the liquid environment is an aqueous or oily environment.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the grid of conductors with the plurality of anti-fouling lights are situated in close proximity to the protected surface.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein a wavelength conversion material is comprised in the optical medium and at least part of the UV radiation is generated by photo-exciting the wavelength conversion material to emit anti-fouling light at another wavelength.

7. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the optical medium comprises a silicon material and/or UV grade silica material, and
wherein the optical medium is one of a light guide, a light spreader or a combination of a light guide and a light spreader.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the silicone material is a silicone material comprising methyl-silicones.

9. The method of claim 7 , comprising providing at least a part of the optical medium with a spatially varying density of UV translucent particles, the UV translucent particles at least partly embedded in a silicone material, and comprising emitting the UV radiation from an emission surface of the optical medium.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the particles are UV grade silica particles.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the particles are flakes.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein in the said part of the optical medium the density of the UV grade silica particles in the silicone material increases from within the optical medium towards the emission surface of the optical medium.

13. The method of claim 1 , comprising distributing at least part of the UV radiation through spaces, in the optical medium which are filled with gas and/or clear liquid.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the clear liquid is water.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the spaces are channels.

16. A lighting module for anti-fouling of a protected surface comprising:
a two-dimensional grid of conductors,
wherein grid of conductors comprises a plurality of nodes;

a plurality of light sources that emit anti-fouling light,
wherein the grid of light sources is coupled to the plurality of nodes of the grid of conductors
wherein the grid of conductors with the plurality of light sources form a chicken-wire structure,
wherein each node forms an intersection in the chicken-wire structure;

an optical medium that distributes at least part of the anti-fouling light through the optical medium in a direction parallel to the protected surface,
the optical medium comprising an emission surface that emits the distributed anti-fouling light in a direction away from the protected surface,
wherein the grid of conductors with the plurality of light sources is embedded in the optical medium.

17. The lighting module of claim 16 , wherein the emission surface is a planar surface that masks or obscures a thickness of the grid of conductors with the plurality of light sources embedded in the lighting module.

18. The lighting module of claim 16 , wherein the emission surface is a planar surface that masks or obscures constructional uneveness of the protected surface.

19. The lighting module of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of light source comprises at least one UV LED.

20. The lighting module of claim 16 , wherein the optical medium provides a liquid-tight encapsulation.

21. The lighting module of claim 16 , wherein the optical medium comprises a silicone material and/or UV grade silica material, and
wherein the optical medium is one of a light guide, a light spreader or a combination of a light guide and a light spreader.

22. The lighting module of claim 21 , wherein the silicone material is a silicone material comprising methyl-silicones.

23. The lighting module of claim 21 , wherein at lest a part of the optical medium comprises a spatially varying density of UV translucent particles at least partly embedded in a silicone material and wherein the density of the UV grade silica particles in the silicone material increases from within the optical medium towards the emission surface of the optical medium in at least part of the optical medium.

24. The lighting module of claim 23 wherein the particles are UV grade silica particles.

25. The lighting module of claim 23 , wherein the particles are flakes.

26. The lighting module of claim 16 , wherein the optical medium comprises spaces, filled with gas and/or clear water for guiding at least part of the anti-fouling light therethrough.

27. The lighting module of claim 26 , wherein the spaces are channels.

28. The lighting module of claim 16 ,
wherein the plurality of light sources comprises at least one of a Light Emitting Diode or an Organic Light Emitting Diode (LED or OLED),
wherein the plurality of light source is configured for emitting anti-fouling light in the wavelength range of UV light from 240 nm to 280 nm.

29. The lighting module of claim 16 ,
wherein the plurality of light sources comprises at least one of a Light Emitting Diode or an Organic Light Emitting Diode (LED or OLED), and
wherein a wavelength conversion material is comprised in the optical medium and generates at least part of the anti-fouling light by photo-exciting wavelength conversion material with light having a first wavelength causing the wavelength conversion material to emit the anti-fouling light at another wavelength.

30. The lighting module of claim 16 , wherein the lighting module is shaped as a tile or an elongated strip.

31. A system for anti-fouling of a protected surface, comprising a plurality of lighting modules of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of lighting modules are arranged on the protected surface so as to provide anti-fouling light over the entire area of the protected surface.

32. A ship comprising at least one lighting modul

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Salters Bart Andre
• Hietbrink Roelant Boudewijn
• Rutten Ivo Wilhelmus Johannes Marie
• Van Houten Hendrik

Classifications

• G02B19/0061

  the light source comprising a LED · CPC title

• B63B59/04 Primary

  Preventing hull fouling (anti-fouling paints C09D5/16) · CPC title

• B08B7/0057

  by ultraviolet radiation · CPC title

• B01J19/123

  Ultraviolet light · CPC title

• B08B17/02 Primary

  Preventing deposition of fouling or of dust · CPC title