Claims:1. A disinfecting device for disinfecting surfaces of door fixtures, comprising:
a control module, said control module comprising:
an at least a controller (2) that facilitates the configuring, monitoring, and controlling of the disinfecting device;
an at least a motion sensor (3) that facilitates the detecting of the movement of a human within its range;
an at least a real-time clock (9) that facilitates the tracking of date and time in real-time;
an at least a proximity sensor (10) that facilitates the detecting of a human hand on a door handle of a door, in which the disinfecting device is installed;
a plurality of indicators (11) that facilitates the indicating of: low power of an at least one power source (1); the readiness of the disinfecting device to pair with an at least an external device; and ON or OFF status of a UV source module;
a reset switch (12) that facilitates the resetting of the disinfecting device;
an at least a door status detection sensor and an at least a door handle position detection sensor (13) that facilitates the detecting of: OPEN/CLOSE status of the door, in which the disinfecting device is installed; and zero position of the door handle of the door, in which the disinfecting device is installed, respectively;
an at least a communication unit that facilitates the communicating of the disinfecting device with the at least one external device, and
the at least a power source (1) that powers the disinfecting device,
with: said at least one controller (2), said at least one motion sensor (3), said at least one real-time clock (9), said at least one proximity sensor (10), said plurality of indicators (11), said reset switch (12), said at least one door status detection sensor and said at least one door handle position detection sensor (13), said at least one communication unit, and said at least one power source (1) being enclosed either within a concealed enclosure (4) or within a surface enclosure (5), depending on the type of installation of the disinfecting device;
the UV source module that is disposed on the door handle of the door, in which the disinfecting device is installed, said UV source module comprising:
a plurality of UV-C lights that is divided into an upper segment (7) and a lower segment (8), said upper segment (7) and said lower segment (8) being enclosed within an enclosure (6), with: the plurality of UV-C lights receiving power from the at least one power source (1) through an at least a UV-C light driver (14); and the UV source module being configured to make the UV-C lights fall on the entire surface of the door fixture, if the UV-C lights are switched ON; and
an application on a computing device that facilitates the configuring, monitoring, and controlling of the disinfecting device remotely.
2. The disinfecting device for disinfecting surfaces of door fixtures as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one external device includes: the application on a computing device; the Cloud; or a remote server.
3. The disinfecting device for disinfecting surfaces of door fixtures as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one controller (2) is a microcontroller, a System on Chip, or a Single-Board-Computer.
4. The disinfecting device for disinfecting surfaces of door fixtures as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one motion sensor (3) is PIR sensor.
5. The disinfecting device for disinfecting surfaces of door fixtures as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one door status detection sensor and the at least one door handle position detection sensor in the at least one door status detection sensor and the at least one door handle position detection sensor (13) is an accelerometer sensor or a magnetometer sensor.
6. The disinfecting device for disinfecting surfaces of door fixtures as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one power source (1) is an at least a rechargeable battery.
7. The disinfecting device for disinfecting surfaces of door fixtures as claimed in claim 1, wherein the disinfecting device is equipped with wireless battery charging feature.
8. The disinfecting device for disinfecting surfaces of door fixtures as claimed in claim 1, wherein the UV source module comprises six UV-C lights that are divided equally between the upper segment (7) and the lower segment (8), with a 60 degree angle between each UV-C light.
9. The disinfecting device for disinfecting surfaces of door fixtures as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of UV-C lights are UV-C light emitting diodes. , Description:TITLE OF THE INVENTION: A DISINFECTING DEVICE FOR DOOR FIXTURES
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present disclosure is related to a disinfecting device for door fixtures, such as door handles and other items touched by humans. Particularly, the present disclosure is related to an automatic, retrofittable, portable, chemical-free, and wetness-free disinfecting device for disinfecting surfaces of door fixtures. More particularly, the present disclosure is related to a UV-C light-based disinfecting device for door fixtures.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is a well-known fact that infectious diseases and pathogens are communicated through touch or contact. Commonly touched fixtures in public areas and facilities, such as door handles, and other surfaces, may cause the spread of infectious diseases and pathogens. Therefore, most people generally find it desirable to avoid or minimize contact with such surfaces, whenever possible.
Paper towels may be used to cover and touch handles of a door or other fixtures; however, this is generally wasteful and is an additional expense for a facility.
Though various methods are commonly followed, all of them have limited success or significant drawbacks in disinfecting and maintaining the cleanliness of various surfaces, including door handles. One method is the frequent cleaning of such surfaces; however, this increases labour costs and, generally, people are not confident that the surfaces in public settings have been properly cleaned at enough frequency.
Alternatively, electronic chemical sanitizers are used at regular intervals with little to no interaction with the user. Upon activation of a sensor, liquid is sprayed on the desired surface. In addition to the increase of maintenance costs, the cost of replacing batteries, and the cost of chemicals or wet materials in these chemical sanitizers, most people find it undesirable to touch a moist or damp surface, even if the moisture or liquid is a sanitizing chemical.
There is, therefore, a need in the art for a disinfecting device for door fixtures, which overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks and shortcomings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An automatic, portable, chemical-free, and wetness-free disinfecting device that is installable on a door, for disinfecting surfaces of door fixtures, is disclosed. Said disinfecting device comprises a control module, a UV source module, and an application on a computing device.
The control module comprises: an at least a controller that facilitates the configuring, monitoring, and controlling of the disinfecting device; an at least a motion sensor that facilitates the detecting of the movement of a human within its range; an at least a real-time clock that facilitates the tracking of date and time in real-time; and an at least a proximity sensor that facilitates the detecting of a human hand on a door handle of a door, in which the disinfecting device is installed.
The control module also comprises: a plurality of indicators that facilitates the indicating of: low power of an at least a power source, the readiness of the disinfecting device to pair with an at least an external device, and ON or OFF status of a UV source module; a reset switch that facilitates the resetting of the disinfecting device to its default setting; an at least a door status detection sensor and an at least a door handle position detection sensor that facilitates the detecting of: OPEN/CLOSE status of the door, in which the disinfecting device is installed, and the zero position of the door handle of the door, in which the disinfecting device is installed, respectively; an at least a communication unit that facilitates the communicating of the disinfecting device with the at least one external device, and the at least one power source that powers the disinfecting device.
Said at least one controller, said at least one motion sensor, said at least one real-time clock, said at least one proximity sensor, said plurality of indicators, said reset switch, said at least one door status detection sensor and said at least one door handle position detection sensor, said at least one communication unit, and said at least one power source are enclosed either within a concealed enclosure or within a surface enclosure, depending on the type of installation of the disinfecting device in the door.
The at least one power source may be an at least a rechargeable battery, and the disinfecting device may be equipped with wireless battery charging feature.
The UV source module is disposed on the door handle of the door, in which the disinfecting device is installed. Said UV source module comprises a plurality of UV-C lights that is divided into an upper segment and a lower segment. Said upper segment and said lower segment are enclosed within an enclosure. The plurality of UV-C lights receives power from the at least one power source through an at least a UV-C light driver. The plurality of UV-C lights may be UV-C light emitting diodes.
The UV source module comprises six UV-C lights in an embodiment, and is configured to make the UV-C lights fall on the entire surface of the door fixture, if the UV-C lights are switched ON. The six UV-C lights are divided equally between the upper segment and the lower segment.
The application on a computing device facilitates the configuring, monitoring, and controlling of the disinfecting device remotely.
The method of working of the disinfecting device is also disclosed. The disclosed disinfecting device: is chemical-free; is wetness-free; retrofittable; cost-effective; supports both concealed mounting and surface mounting on a door; and disinfects door handles automatically every time after the use of the door handle. Further, after hours disinfection can be configured for pre-defined intervals, as defined by a user, for any period of time
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 illustrates an embodiment of a disinfecting device for door fixtures (front and rear views), in accordance with the present disclosure;
Figure 2 illustrates an embodiment of a disinfecting device for door fixtures, in accordance with the present disclosure;
Figure 3 illustrates the configuration of a UV source module, in a door lever handle, of an embodiment of a disinfecting device for door fixtures, in accordance with the present disclosure;
Figure 4 illustrates a block diagram of an embodiment of a disinfecting device for door fixtures, in accordance with the present disclosure;
Figure 5a and Figure 5b illustrate front and rear views of a door lever handle mounted with a surface-mounted disinfecting device, in accordance with the present disclosure;
Figure 6a and Figure 6b illustrate front and rear views of a door lever handle mounted with a concealed-mounted disinfecting device, in accordance with the present disclosure; and
Figure 7a and Figure 7b illustrate front and rear views of a door pull handle mounted with a surface-mounted disinfecting device, in accordance with the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Throughout this specification, the use of the words "comprise", “have”, “contain”, and “include”, and variations such as "comprises", "comprising", “having”, “contains”, “containing”, “includes”, and “including” may imply the inclusion of an element or elements not specifically recited. The disclosed embodiments may be embodied in various other forms as well.
Throughout this specification, the phrases “at least a”, “at least an”, and “at least one” are used interchangeably.
Throughout this specification, the use of the word “plurality” is to be construed as being inclusive of at least one.
Throughout this specification, the use of the phrase “door fixture” and its variations are to be construed as being inclusive of any item that is attached to a door, such as handle and knob.
Throughout this specification, the use of the word “device” is to be construed as a set of technical components that are communicatively associated with each other, and function together as part of a mechanism to achieve a desired technical result.
Throughout the specification, the words “sanitization”, “disinfection”, “sterilization”, and their variations are used with the same meaning.
Throughout this specification, the phrase ‘application on a computing device’ and its variations are to be construed as being inclusive of: application installable on a computing device, website hosted on a computing device, web application installed on a computing device, website accessible from a computing device, and web application accessible from a computing device.
Throughout this specification, the phrase ‘computing device’ and its variations are to be construed as being inclusive of: the cloud, remote servers, desktop computers, laptop computers, mobile phones, smart phones, tablets, phablets, and smart watches.
An automatic, portable, chemical-free, and wetness-free disinfecting device for disinfecting surfaces of door fixtures (“disinfecting device” hereinafter), such as door handles and other items touched by humans, is disclosed. As illustrated in Figure 1, Figure 2, and Figure 4, an embodiment of the disinfecting device generally comprises a control module and a UV source module. Said control module and said UV source module are interoperably associated with each other.
In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the control module comprises: an at least a controller (2); an at least a motion sensor (3); an at least a real-time clock (9); an at least a proximity sensor (10); a plurality of indicators (11); a reset switch (12); an at least a door status detection sensor and an at least a door handle position detection sensor (13); an at least a communication unit; and an at least a power source (1).
Said at least one controller (2), said at least one motion sensor (3), said at least one real-time clock (9), said at least one proximity sensor (10), said plurality of indicators (11), said reset switch (12), said at least one door status detection sensor and said at least one door handle position detection sensor (13), said at least one communication unit, and said at least one power source (1) are enclosed either within a concealed enclosure (4) or within a surface enclosure (5), depending on the type of installation of the disinfecting device.
The at least one controller (2) facilitates the configuring, monitoring, and controlling of the disinfecting device.
The at least one motion sensor (3) facilitates the detecting of movement of a human within its range. A person skilled in the art will appreciate the fact that different types of motion sensors have different ranges.
The at least one real-time clock (9) facilitates the tracking of date and time in real-time, which can be used in the disinfecting device for various purposes.
The at least one proximity sensor (10) facilitates the detecting of a human hand on a door handle of a door, in which the disinfecting device is installed.
The reset switch (12) facilitates the resetting of the disinfecting device to its default setting.
The at least one door status detection sensor and the at least one door handle position detection sensor (13) facilitate(s): the detecting of: OPEN/CLOSE status of the door, in which the disinfecting device is installed; and zero position of the door handle of the door, in which the disinfecting device is installed, respectively.
The at least one power source (1) powers the disinfecting device, while the at least one communication unit facilitates the communicating of the disinfecting device with an at least an external device.
In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one external device includes, but is not limited to: an application on a computing device; the Cloud; and/or a remote server.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one controller (2) is a microcontroller.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one controller (2) is a System on Chip (SoC).
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one controller (2) is a Single-Board-Computer.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one motion sensor (3) is PIR sensor.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one door status detection sensor and the at least one door handle position detection sensor in the at least one door status detection sensor and the at least one door handle position detection sensor (13) is/are an accelerometer sensor and/or a magnetometer sensor.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one power source (1) is an at least a rechargeable battery.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one rechargeable battery is a Li-ion battery.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the disinfecting device is equipped with wireless battery charging feature.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of indicators (11) is LED indicators of different colours. Said plurality of indicators (11) facilitates the indicating of: low power of the at least one power source (1) (for example, 10% and draining); the readiness of the disinfecting device to pair with the at least one external device (orange indication); and ON (red indication) or OFF (green indication) status of the UV source module.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one communication unit may establish communication with the at least one external device through wired or wireless technologies, such as RJ45, wireless internet, mobile data, Bluetooth Low Energy, LoRa, ZigBee, or the like.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the UV source module comprises a plurality of UV-C lights, which is divided into two segments: an upper segment (7); and a lower segment (8). Said upper segment (7) and said lower segment (8) are enclosed within an enclosure (6).
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, said UV source module is disposed on the door handle of the door, in which the disinfecting device is installed. The plurality of UV-C lights receives power from the at least one power source (1) through an at least a UV-C light driver (14). The UV source module is configured to make the UV-C lights fall on the entire surface of the door fixture, if the UV-C lights are switched ON, thereby disinfecting the door fixture.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the UV source module comprises six UV-C lights that are divided equally between the upper segment (7) and the lower segment (8). As illustrated in Figure 3, the angle between each UV-C light is 60 degrees.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of UV-C lights is UV-C light emitting diodes (LED).
The working of the disinfecting device shall now be explained.
Under normal circumstances, for every first pre-defined interval, the at least one controller (2) switches ON the UV-C lights in the UV source module, and keeps the UV-C lights ON for a second pre-defined interval.
When the UV-C lights are in ON state (i.e. disinfecting of the door fixture is in progress), if a person approaches the door, the at least one motion sensor (3) senses and transmits the information to the at least on controller (2). The at least one controller (2) instructs the plurality of indicators (11) to show the red indication to the person approaching the door. If the disinfecting process is completed, the green indication is shown to the person by the plurality of indicators (11).
If the person accesses the door handle without noticing the red indication, when the disinfecting of the door fixture is in progress, the at least one proximity sensor (10) senses the presence of the hand on the door handle, and transmits the information to the at least one controller (2). The at least one controller (2) switches OFF the UV-C lights.
The at least one controller (2) performs the disinfecting of the door fixture after completion of: every access of the door handle by a person; and/or every time the status of the door (OPEN/CLOSE) changes (i.e. opened and closed). The detecting of the OPEN/CLOSE status of the door is done by the at least one door status detection sensor. The disinfecting of the door fixture is performed only when the door handle is in zero position. The zero position of the door handle is sensed and transmitted to the at least one controller (2) by the at least one door handle position detection sensor.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the first pre-defined interval is one hour, and the second pre-defined interval is two minutes. The first pre-defined interval and the second pre-defined interval can be set by a user through the application on a computing device.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one controller (2) performs the disinfecting of the door fixture by keeping the UV-C lights ON for two minutes for every one hour round the clock.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the disinfecting device is configured, monitored, and controlled remotely through the application on a computing device. In case of installation of a plurality of disinfecting devices in the same premises, a disinfecting device can be identified with a unique identification key assigned to that disinfecting device, through the application on a computing device.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the application on a computing device helps monitor parameters, such as: door status; door handle status; login status; device calibration status; status of different sensors in the device; status of proximity detection; status of motion detection; status of power; charge level of the at least one power source, etc.
Further, the application on a computing device helps configure parameters, such as: working hours; type of use of the disinfecting device (i.e. clean after every use of the door, clean for every N hours/N minutes/ N seconds, etc.); whether the device is to be used round the clock or not, etc. The first pre-defined interval, the second pre-defined interval, working hours, etc., are tracked through the at least one real-time clock (9).
The real-time implementation of the disinfecting device is illustrated in Figure 5 through Figure 7. Figure 5a and Figure 5b illustrate the front and rear views of a door lever handle of a door mounted with the disinfecting device that has been surface-mounted.
Figure 6a and Figure 6b illustrate the front and rear views of a door lever handle of a door mounted with the disinfecting device that has been concealed-mounted.
Figure 7a and Figure 7b illustrate the front and rear views of a door pull handle of a door mounted with the disinfecting device that has been surface-mounted.
The above real-time implementations are just examples and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosed device. A person skilled in the art will appreciate the fact that further implementations are possible, in accordance with the present disclosure and drawings.
The disclosed device can be used across a wide variety of businesses and service providers, including, but not limited to: hospitals; nursing homes; educational institutions; research laboratories; IT and IT support companies; laundromats; financial services; gyms; movie halls; amusement parks; swimming pools; sports venues; hotels; restaurants; tourist attractions; and salons.
Further, the disclosed device can also be used in retail stores and malls.
The disclosed disinfecting device: is chemical-free; is wetness-free; retrofittable; cost-effective; supports both concealed mounting and surface mounting on a door; and disinfects door handles automatically every time after the use of the door handle. Further, after hours disinfection can be configured for pre-defined intervals, as defined by a user, for any period of time.
It will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the above description is for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered as limiting. Various modifications, additions, alterations and improvements without deviating from the spirit and the scope of the disclosure may be made by a person skilled in the art. Such modifications, additions, alterations and improvements should be construed as being within the scope of this disclosure.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
1 – At Least a Power Source
2 – At Least a Controller
3 – At Least a Motion Sensor
4 – Concealed Enclosure
5 – Surface Enclosure
6 – Enclosure for a UV Source Module
7 – Upper Segment
8 – Lower Segment
9 – At Least a Real-time Clock
10 – At Least a Proximity Sensor
11 – Plurality of Indicators
12 – Reset Switch
13 - At Least a Door Status Detection Sensor and At Least a Door Handle Position Detection Sensor
14 – At Least a UV-C Light Driver