Thermal disinfecting tool

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12239749-B2
Application number	US-202117501100-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 14, 2021
Priority date	Oct 19, 2020
Publication date	Mar 4, 2025
Grant date	Mar 4, 2025

Abstract

A thermal disinfecting tool for disinfecting surfaces bounding or located within a fixed volume of air is disclosed and includes a housing and a heater. The housing defines one or more inlets and one or more outlets. Air is drawn from the fixed volume of air through the one or more inlets and exits the housing through the one or more outlets. The heater is disposed within the housing downstream of the one or more inlets and upstream of the one or more outlets. The thermal disinfecting tool also includes one or more processors in electronic communication with the heater and a memory coupled to the one or more processors, where the memory stores a time to inactivation plot for a specific pathogen that indicates a deactivation time for the specific pathogen over a range of temperatures.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermal disinfecting tool for disinfecting surfaces bounding or located inside a fixed volume of air, the thermal disinfecting tool comprising:
a housing defining one or more inlets and one or more outlets, wherein air enters the housing through the one or more inlets and exits the housing through the one or more outlets;
a heater configured to generate heat, wherein the heater is disposed within the housing downstream of the one or more inlets and upstream of the one or more outlets;
one or more processors in electronic communication with the heater; and

a memory coupled to the one or more processors, the memory storing a time to inactivation plot for a specific pathogen that indicates a deactivation time for the specific pathogen over a range of temperatures, and wherein the memory stores data into one or more databases and program code that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the thermal disinfecting tool to:
receive a signal indicating a current inlet temperature of air entering the one or more inlets of the housing;
compare the current inlet temperature of the air with a target temperature located on the time to inactivation plot stored in the memory;
in response to determining the current inlet temperature is less than the target temperature, calculate a disinfection rate for the surfaces bounding or located within the fixed volume of air based on the time to inactivation plot for each current inlet temperature up to the target temperature, wherein the disinfection rate indicates a period of time required to deactivate the specific pathogen disposed on the surfaces bounding or located within the fixed volume of air at the current inlet temperature until the target temperature is reached; and
instruct the heater to generate heat for the period of time required to deactivate the specific pathogen.

2. The thermal disinfecting tool of claim 1 , further comprising one or more outlet sensors configured to monitor a current outlet temperature of the air exiting the one or more outlets of the housing.

3. The thermal disinfecting tool of claim 2 , wherein the one or more processors execute instruction to:
monitor the one or more outlet sensors for the current outlet temperature;
compare the current outlet temperature of the air with a maximum temperature; and
in response to determining the current outlet temperature is less than the maximum temperature, continue to instruct the heater to generate heat.

4. The thermal disinfecting tool of claim 3 , wherein the one or more processors execute instruction to:
in response to determining the current outlet temperature is equal to or greater than the maximum temperature, instruct the heater to either reduce or cease generating heat.

5. The thermal disinfecting tool of claim 3 , wherein the maximum temperature is a maximum operating temperature of aircraft avionics.

6. The thermal disinfecting tool of claim 1 , further comprising one or more inlet sensors in electronic communication with the one or more processors, wherein the one or more inlet sensors are configured to monitor the current inlet temperature of the air entering the one or more inlets of the housing.

7. The thermal disinfecting tool of claim 1 , wherein the specific pathogen is deactivated within a threshold period of time at the target temperature.

8. The thermal disinfecting tool of claim 7 , wherein the period of time required to deactivate the specific pathogen disposed on the surfaces bounding or located within the fixed volume of air is less than the threshold period of time.

9. The thermal disinfecting tool of claim 1 , further comprising a humidifier configured to increase the humidity of the air exiting the thermal disinfecting tool, wherein the humidifier includes an airflow valve, a sump, and a mixer.

10. The thermal disinfecting tool of claim 9 , wherein the airflow valve is configured to divert a portion of the air exiting the heater to the sump.

11. The thermal disinfecting tool of claim 10 , wherein the airflow valve is in electronic communication with the one or more processors, and wherein the one or more processors execute instruction to:
actively adjust a position of the airflow valve to either increase or decrease a relative humidity of the air exiting the one or more inlets of the thermal disinfecting tool based on a specific environment of the fixed volume of air and the specific pathogen.

12. The thermal disinfecting tool of claim 1 , further comprising a fan in electronic communication with the one or more processors, wherein the fan is located within the housing upstream of the heater.

13. The thermal disinfecting tool of claim 12 , wherein the housing includes a secondary duct defining a secondary inlet and a secondary outlet, wherein cooling air enters the secondary inlet, passes through the one or more processors, and exits the secondary duct through the secondary outlet and into an airstream generated by the fan.

14. The thermal disinfecting tool of claim 1 , further comprising a notification device in electronic communication with the one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors execute instructions to:
determine the period of time required to deactivate the specific pathogen disposed on surfaces bounding or located within the fixed volume of air at the current inlet temperature has passed; and
in response to determining the period of time required to deactivate the specific pathogen disposed on the surfaces bounding or located within the fixed volume of air has passed, instruct the notification device to generate one or more notifications indicating the thermal disinfecting tool has finished disinfecting the surfaces bounding or located within the fixed volume of air.

15. The thermal disinfecting tool of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors execute instructions to:
determine the period of time required to deactivate the specific pathogen disposed on the surfaces bounding or located within the fixed volume of air at the current inlet temperature has passed; and
in response to determining the period of time required to deactivate the specific pathogen disposed on the surfaces bounding or located within the fixed volume of air has passed, generate one or more messages that are sent over a wireless network to a personal electronic device.

16. A method for disinfecting surfaces bounding or located within a fixed volume of air by a thermal disinfecting tool, the method comprising:
activating, by a control module, a heater, wherein a housing defines one or more inlets and one or more outlets where air enters the housing through the one or more inlets and exits the housing through one or more outlets, and wherein the heater is disposed within the housing downstream of the one or more inlets and upstream of the one or more outlets of the thermal disinfecting tool;
receiving, by a control module, a signal indicating a current inlet temperature of air entering the one or more inlets of the housing;
comparing, by the control module, the current inlet temperature of the air with a target temperature located on a time to inactivation plot stored in a memory of the control module, wherein the time to inactivation plot is for a specific pathogen and indicates a deactivation time for the specific pathogen over a range of temperatures;
in response to determining the current inlet temperature is less than the target temperature, calculating a disinfection rate for the surfaces bounding or located within the fixed volume of air based on the time to inactivation plot for each current inlet temperature

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Brown Myles E
• Hart Colin
• Laib Trevor M

Classifications

• A61L2103/75

  Room floors or walls · CPC title

• B64F5/30

  Cleaning aircraft · CPC title

• A61L2/24

  Apparatus using programmed or automatic operation · CPC title

• B64D2013/0603

  Environmental Control Systems · CPC title

• B64D13/08

  the air being heated or cooled · CPC title