Indication of ultraviolet (UV) light intensity using a lumiphore

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11287315-B2
Application number	US-202016848226-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2020
Priority date	Apr 14, 2020
Publication date	Mar 29, 2022
Grant date	Mar 29, 2022

Abstract

A ultraviolet (UV) intensity indicator might use a UV responsive lumiphore to provide a converted, visible light level proportional to received UV light intensity for comparison to a visible brightness reference. For a desired UV intensity, the converted light should normally appear at least as bright as the reference light. For undesired UV, e.g. in a harmful wavelength range, the converted light should appear dimmer than the reference for normal operation and/or appear as bright as or brighter than the reference during excessive emission of the potentially hazardous UV emission. Alternatively, saturable lumiphores may provide different color outputs responsive to UV intensities for comparison to a multi-colored reference. Other examples contemplate use of a lumiphore to convert UV light to provide a visible light input to a visible light meter, such that an illuminance or brightness measurement by the meter gives a proportional representation of intensity of the UV light.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An indicator, comprising:
a luminescent layer, configured for exposure of at least a portion of the luminescent layer to light from a luminaire configured to emit ultraviolet (UV) light having a dominant wavelength in a range from 180 nanometers (nm) to 380 nm,
wherein the luminescent layer comprises a passively activated lumiphore configured to convert received UV light in at least a portion of the 180 nm to 380 nm UV wavelength range to light having one or more dominant wavelengths in the visible light range; and
a brightness reference, mounted in visible proximity to the luminescent layer, configured to produce visible light of a predetermined intensity for comparison to intensity of visible converted light from the passively activated lumiphore during reception of the UV light by the passively activated lumiphore.

2. The indicator of claim 1 , wherein:
the passively activated lumiphore is configured to emit visible light of a predetermined color characteristic; and
the brightness reference is further configured to produce visible light of a color characteristic at least substantially similar to the predetermined color characteristic.

3. The indicator of claim 1 , wherein the brightness reference comprises another luminescent layer, configured to produce visible light of the predetermined intensity, the other luminescent layer comprising another passively activated lumiphore configured to convert at least some visible light received from the luminaire to visible light of a predetermined color characteristic at the predetermined intensity.

4. The indicator of claim 1 , wherein the passively activated lumiphore comprises a phosphorescent material configured to discharge over time after ceasing to receive UV light, so as to cease emission of the visible light of the predetermined color characteristic after a predetermined time delay indicative a period after which UV light emission should be restarted.

5. The indicator of claim 1 , wherein the brightness reference comprises:
an artificial light source configured to produce the visible light of the predetermined intensity in response to applied electrical power; and
a driver circuit configured to apply the electrical power to the light source.

6. The indicator of claim 5 further comprising a substrate, wherein:
the luminescent layer is supported by the substrate;
the brightness reference further comprises a user input for receipt of an intensity setting for the artificial light source; and
the driver circuit is further configured to set a level of the electrical power applied to the light source in response to the intensity setting received via the user input.

7. The indicator of claim 5 , wherein the artificial light source comprises:
a visible light source driven by the applied electrical power; and
another luminescent layer, configured to produce visible light of the predetermined intensity, the other luminescent layer comprising another passively activated lumiphore configured to convert visible light received from the visible light source to visible light of a predetermined color characteristic at the predetermined intensity.

8. The indicator of claim 5 , wherein the artificial light source comprises:
a UV light source driven by the applied electrical power and positioned to direct UV light to a section of the luminescent layer such that the passively activated lumiphore in the section of the luminescent layer converts UV light from the UV light source into the visible light of the predetermined intensity for the comparison.

9. The indicator of claim 1 , further comprising;
a first filter associated with the luminescent layer to limit UV light applied to a first section of the luminescent layer to a first part of the 180 nm to 380 nm UV wavelength range; and
a second filter associated the luminescent layer to limit UV light applied to a second section of the luminescent layer to a second part of the UV wavelength range outside the first part of the UV wavelength range.

10. The indicator of claim 9 , wherein the first part of the UV wavelength range includes a band of wavelengths around a dominant wavelength in a range from 207 nm to 225 nm.

11. The indicator of claim 9 , wherein:
the brightness reference is mounted in visible proximity to the first section of the luminescent layer; and
the indicator further comprises another brightness reference, mounted in visible proximity to the second section of the luminescent layer, configured to produce visible light of a predetermined intensity for comparison to intensity of visible converted light from the second section of the luminescent layer during reception of the UV light.

12. The indicator of claim 1 , wherein the luminescent layer comprises:
a first section having a first type passively activated lumiphore configured to convert received UV light in a first part of the UV wavelength range to light having one or more dominant wavelengths in the visible light range; and
a second section having a second type passively activated lumiphore configured to convert received UV light in a second part of the UV wavelength range outside the first part of the UV wavelength range to light having one or more dominant wavelengths in the visible light range.

13. The indicator of claim 12 , wherein the first part of the UV wavelength range includes a band of wavelengths around a dominant wavelength in a range from 207 nm to 225 nm.

14. The indicator of claim 12 , wherein:
the brightness reference is mounted in visible proximity to the first section of the luminescent layer; and
the indicator further comprises another brightness reference, mounted in visible proximity to the second section of the luminescent layer, configured to produce visible light of a predetermined intensity for comparison to intensity of visible converted light from the second section of the luminescent layer during reception of the UV light.

15. A system comprising the indicator of claim 1 and the luminaire.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the luminaire comprises:
a first source of visible light for general illumination; and
a second source of the UV light having the dominant wavelength in the range from 180 nm to 380 nm.

17. An indicator, comprising:
at least one luminescent layer, configured for exposure of at least a portion of the at least one luminescent layer to light from a luminaire configured to emit ultraviolet (UV) light having a dominant wavelength in a range from 180 nanometers (nm) to 380 nm,
the at least one luminescent layer comprising:
a first passively activated saturable lumiphore configured to saturate and convert received UV light up to a first intensity to first visible light that causes the luminescent layer to output visible light of a first color characteristic; and
a second passively activated lumiphore configured to convert received UV light exceeding the first intensity to second visible light of a second color characteristic, wherein:
the second intensity is higher than the first intensity,
the second visible light or a combination of the first visible light and the second visible light causes the luminescent layer to output visible light of a second color characteristic, and
the second color characteristic is visibly different from the first color characteristic; and

a multi-colored brightness reference, mounted in visible proximity to the at least one luminescent layer, wherein the multi-colored brightness reference comprises:
a first reference configured to emit light at least substantially of the first color chara

Assignees

• Abl Ip Holding Llc

Inventors

• Ramer David P
• Aggarwal Januk
• Lin Guan-Bo
• Malone Gregory
• White Sean P

Classifications

• G01J1/429 Primary

  applied to measurement of ultraviolet light (using counting tubes G01T) · CPC title

• G01J1/38

  using wholly visual means (G01J1/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61L2/10

  Ultraviolet [UV] radiation · CPC title

• A61L2202/11

  Apparatus for generating biocidal substances, e.g. vaporisers, UV lamps · CPC title

• G01J1/58

  using luminescence generated by light · CPC title