METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DISINFECTING CLEAN ROOMS

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of disinfecting clean rooms for administration of a disinfectant, which is sprayed onto the surfaces to be disinfected by means of an unmanned aerial vehicle from the air; the disinfectant being stored on board the aerial vehicle in at least one tank. The invention further relates to a device for performing this method, comprising an accordingly adapted unmanned aerial vehicle.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. Method for disinfection of clean rooms by administration of a disinfectant, the disinfectant being sprayed onto the surfaces to be disinfected from the air by means of an unmanned aerial vehicle, the disinfectant being stored in at least one tank on board the aerial vehicle, the aerial vehicle comprising at least one spraying device adapted to spray the disinfectant onto the surface to be treated and at least one device for detecting proper application of the disinfectant, which uses an imaging method selected from the group consisting of photography, thermography, UV photography and reflection measurement, wherein: in photographic detection, a humid surface is detected as a shining surface; in thermography, cooling of the sprayed surface is thermographically detected; in UV photography, application of a UV-active disinfectant is directly detected by UV photography, and in reflection measurement, a wet surface is detected by means of increased reflection.

17. Method according to claim 16, wherein at least one tank is a pressure tank containing propellant gas or is connected to a separate pressure source.

18. Method according to claim 16, wherein at least one spraying device is selected from the group consisting of spraying nozzle, valve, single-substance pressure nozzle such as circular-blade nozzle, turbulence nozzle or jet-forming nozzle, dual-substance nozzle with exterior mixing, dual-substance nozzle with interior mixing and rotary sprayer.

19. Device for performing the method according to claim 16, comprising at least one unmanned aerial vehicle by means of which the disinfectant can be sprayed from the air onto the surfaces to be disinfected, wherein the aerial vehicle contains at least one tank for storing the disinfectant and at least one spraying device adapted to spray the disinfectant onto the surface to be treated, the unmanned aerial vehicle comprising at least one device for detecting proper application of the disinfectant, which device uses an imaging method selected from the group consisting of photography, thermography, UV photography and reflection measurement, and the unmanned aerial vehicle containing one or more screening devices which screen the at least one spraying device against the air stream generated by the rotors.

20. Device according to claim 19, wherein the device contains at least one unit for controlling one or more of the following spraying parameters: spraying duration, spraying amount, spraying intensity, spraying angle, spraying surface.

21. Device according to claim 19, wherein the aerial vehicle has at least one spraying device selected from the group consisting of spraying nozzle, valve, single-substance pressure nozzle such as circular-blade nozzle, turbulence nozzle or jet-forming nozzle, dual-substance nozzle with exterior mixing, dual-substance nozzle with interior mixing and rotary sprayer.

22. Device according to claim 19, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle consists of a material which is suitable for clean rooms according to DIN ISO 14644-14 in terms of the type of material and its surface structure.

23. Device according to claim 19, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle for achieving sufficient cleanability according to DIN ISO 14644-14 has one or more of the following construction characteristics: a) evenness, absence of cracks and impermeability of the surfaces according to VDI 2083, sheet 9.1, b) cleanability of the surfaces as specified in VDI 2083 sheet 4.1, c) discharge capacity as specified outgassing behavior according to specification or testing on a test specimen in VDI 2083 sheet 4.1.

24. Device according to claim 19, wherein the device contains means for detecting the presence of people in the clean rooms to be cleaned.

25. Device according to claim 19, wherein the device has a base station for receiving the unmanned aerial vehicle, the base station preferably containing one or more of the following devices: a) Electrical charging device, b) Device for filling a disinfectant tank, c) Device for replacing a disinfectant tank, d) Device for filling a propellant gas tank, e) Device for replacing a propellant gas tank, f) Data transfer device, g) Device for cleaning the aerial vehicle, h) Device for emergency switch-off.

Description

[0114] In the Figures:

[0115] FIG. 1 is the schematic presentation of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0116] Various embodiments of the invention are described in the following by means of the Figures.

[0117] FIG. 1 is a schematic presentation of an unmanned aerial vehicle 10 according to the invention. The aerial vehicle has an enclosure made of a material suitable for clean rooms, with a surface 5 suitable for clean rooms, and is embodied as a duocopter with two rotors 4 suitable for clean rooms. It furthermore has a spraying nozzle 1, a laterally attached tank for the disinfectant 2, sensors for indoor navigation 3, a digital camera as imaging unit 6 and a device for data transfer. Cooling takes place via a heat exchanger 9 attached to the surface. In addition, the aerial vehicle has connecting means 8 for the base station at the bottom, which means are used for electrical charging and filling.

[0118] The embodiments shown here are only examples of the present invention and are therefore not to be understood as limiting. Alternative embodiments considered by the person skilled in the art are equally comprised by the scope of protection of the present invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0119] 10 unmanned aerial vehicle [0120] 1 spraying nozzle [0121] 2 tank for disinfectant [0122] 3 sensors for indoor navigation [0123] 4 rotors suitable for clean rooms according to DIN ISO 14644-15 [0124] 5 enclosure with surface suitable for clean rooms [0125] 6 digital camera as imaging unit [0126] 7 device for data transfer [0127] 8 connecting means for base station for charging and tank filling [0128] 9 heat exchanger for cooling the aerial vehicle