Apparatus having a protective envelope, use thereof, and method for operating a room region

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12320546-B2
Application number	US-202017795296-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 7, 2020
Priority date	Jan 28, 2020
Publication date	Jun 3, 2025
Grant date	Jun 3, 2025

Abstract

The invention is an apparatus having a protective envelope which is designed and constructed to envelope at least one room region, such that the protective envelope is able to separate the at least one room region from an environment immediately surrounding the protective envelope, and use thereof. Methods for operating a production engineering unit under cleanroom conditions and for creating and operating a virus-free and cross-contamination free room region surrounded by a protective envelope for accommodating persons and/or objects subject to quarantine. The invention has a protective envelope with at least two layers separated by a spacer layer, that is flow-permeable.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a protective envelope enveloping and surrounding at least one room region which directly adjoins a floor area, the protective envelope separating the at least one room region from an environment surrounding the protective envelope;
at least two layers including a first layer and a second layer separated by a spacer layer that spaces the first and second layers apart, the spacer layer being traversed by flow in a longitudinal direction through the spacer layer;
at least one flow unit fluidically connected to the spacer layer;
the first layer is permeable to flow, is mounted closest to the at least one room region and has a permeability to flow in the range from 500 to 49,000 m 3 /m 2 /h, the first and second layers are formed from only at least one material for directly enclosing a clean room of ISO classes 1 to 9 according to DIN EN ISO 14644-1:2016-06;
that the protective envelope has an outlet area to which a sterilization unit is attached; and
the at least one flow unit has an internal pressure formed inside the spacer layer which is greater than an inner room pressure formed inside the at least one room region which is greater than an ambient pressure in the environment surrounding the protective envelope.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising:
a flow outlet from the at least one flow unit fluidically connected to the spacer layer and the protective envelope has an outlet fluidically connected to at least one flow inlet of the flow unit or a further flow unit.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2 , comprising:
a sterilization unit located inside at least one of the at least one flow unit and along a flow path between the flow outlet of the at least one flow unit and the spacer layer and along a flow path between the outlet and the flow inlet of the at least one flow unit or a further flow unit.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the sterilization unit includes a UVC light source for creating a virus-free and biocontamination free air flow.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second layer has a flow permeability in a range from 0 to 100 m 3 /m 2 /h.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising:
a third layer and a fourth layer which are separated by a further spacer layer, the third layer is connected to the second layer by a joint or the second layer and the third layer is a single part, the fourth layer is flow-permeable, and the further spacer layer is supported with a structure that spaces the third and fourth layers apart and is traversable by flow in the longitudinal direction of the third and fourth layers.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein at least one flow unit is fluidically connected to the further spacer layer.

8. An apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the first layer and the fourth layer comprise a material with identical material properties, the second layer and the third layer comprise a material with identical properties, and the spacer layer and the further spacer layer each have a supporting structure comprise a same material with identical material properties.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one flow unit provides overpressure and has a flow inlet connected to a gas reservoir, has an opening to an atmosphere surrounding the protective envelope for providing at least one of intake ambient air and a fluid connection to the at least one room region that is delimited by the protective envelope.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the flow unit is a filter ventilator for producing air according to DIN EN ISO 14644-1:2016-06 from ambient air, and the fluidic connection between the flow outlet and the at least one room region or the spacer layer is a hollow duct comprising a material according to DIN EN ISO 14644-14:2017-01.

11. An apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising:
at least one sensor attached to each of the first layer, the second layer and the spacer layer which the at least one sensor is selected to sense at least one of:
particulate contamination, molecular contamination or chemical contamination, temperature, pressure, humidity, flow, electrostatic sensor, and biocontaminants.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one sensor is connected to an evaluation, a control, or a regulator unit, which each generates at least one signal transmittable by at least one of a superordinate software and to at least one of the flow unit and to the evaluation, control and regulator unit.

13. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least the spacer layer has at least two areas with flow permeabilities in the longitudinal direction which differ from each other.

14. A use of the apparatus according claim 1 , comprising:
creating or maintaining the at least one room region to have control cleanliness either inside or outside of the room region separated by the protective envelope.

15. A use of the apparatus according claim 2 , comprising:
creating or maintaining the at least one room region to be control for cleanliness either inside or outside of the at least one room separated from the environment by the protective envelope.

16. A use of the apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising making a facility by creating a room region free from viruses and cross-contamination to accommodate at least one of persons and objects which are subject to quarantine.

Assignees

• Fraunhofer Ges Forschung

Inventors

• Gommel Udo
• BüRGER FRANK
• Falch Daniel
• Kopcok Miroslav
• Keller Markus
• Hoffmann Viola

Classifications

• A61L2/10

  Ultraviolet [UV] radiation · CPC title

• A23B2/53

  with ultraviolet light · CPC title

• F24F2011/0005

  to create underpressure in a room, keeping contamination inside · CPC title

• F24F13/068

  formed as perforated walls, ceilings or floors (F24F13/078 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F24F13/0281

  Multilayer duct · CPC title