Method and system for textiles disinfection in household appliance
The present invention relates to a UVC technology-based system for disinfecting textiles comprising an ultraviolet light source comprising a power supply; a housing to contain the light source and to protect it from any impact; a control board responsible for controlling the switching on or off of the ultraviolet light source; a driving means that activates the movement of the drum and an electrical resistance that allows the generation of heat to start the drying cycle inside the household appliance. The system allows disinfecting textiles by up to 99.9%, saving energy and, at the same time, reducing the process time and damage to the textiles.
1 . A method for disinfecting textiles to eliminate up to 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in a household appliance with a drum and an ultraviolet light source located on the upper bearing of a dryer drum, comprising:
stopping the movement of the drum and turning on the ultraviolet light source for a certain time to irradiate the textiles and internal components of said household appliance prior to the end of a drying cycle; and
repeating stopping the movement of the drum and turning the ultraviolet light source for a certain period of time;
wherein controlling a movement of the drum and switching on the light source is carried out by means of an electronic card a control board in communication with said elements the drum and the light source.
2 . The method for disinfecting textiles to eliminate up to 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in a household appliance with a drum of claim 1 , wherein the wavelength of the ultraviolet light radiated by the ultraviolet light source is in the range of about 240 nm to about 290 nm.
3 . The method for disinfecting textiles to eliminate up to 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in a household appliance with a drum of claim 1 , wherein the ultraviolet light source is turned on while the drum is in motion.
4 . The method for disinfecting textiles to eliminate up to 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in a household appliance with a drum of claim 1 , wherein the time the drum stops is about 1 minute and wherein the time during which the ultraviolet light source is turned on is about 13 seconds.
5 . The method for disinfecting textiles to eliminate up to 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in a household appliance with a drum of claim 1 , wherein high levels of disinfection for the textiles and the internal components heat by means of a heat source the household appliance are achieved avoiding potential cross-contamination between different drying cycles.
6 . A system for disinfecting textiles to eliminate up to 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in a household appliance with a drum that allows to efficiently reduce the amount of microorganisms in the textiles and the time of the drying cycle resulting in energy savings and less damage to the textiles, comprising:
an ultraviolet light source located on the upper bearing of a dryer drum to avoid the use of a reflector, that radiates ultraviolet light onto the textiles inside the drum and to the internal components of the household appliance;
a power supply to activate the ultraviolet light source;
a housing for housing the ultraviolet light source, wherein the housing is inside the drum of the household appliance and comprises a grid to protect the ultraviolet light source from any impact;
a driving means that activates the movement of the drum; and
a control board in communication with the power supply of the ultraviolet light source and the driving means to control their activation/deactivation,
wherein the control board stops the movement of the drum and turns the ultraviolet light source for a certain time to irradiate the textiles and internal components of said household appliance prior to the end of a drying cycle, wherein the control board repeats the stop of the movement of the drum and turns the ultraviolet light source for a certain time.
7 . The system for disinfecting textiles to eliminate up to 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in a household appliance with a drum of claim 6 that allows up to 99.9% disinfection of both textiles and to internal components of the household appliance.
8 . The system for disinfecting textiles to eliminate up to 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in a household appliance with a drum of claim 6 , further comprising a heat source to generate heat inside the household appliance, wherein said heat source is also controlled by the control board.
9 . The system for disinfecting textiles to eliminate up to 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in a household appliance with a drum of claim 8 , wherein the heat source comprises an electrical resistance or a combustion system.
10 . The system for disinfecting textiles to eliminate up to 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in a household appliance with a drum of claim 6 , wherein the ultraviolet light source is selected from the group comprising at least one lamp, at least one array of LEDs or combinations thereof and wherein the ultraviolet light radiated by said ultraviolet light source has a wavelength ranging from about 250 nm to about 290 nm.
11 . The system for disinfecting textiles to eliminate up to 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in a household appliance with a drum of claim 10 , wherein the lamp is selected from a halogen lamp or a bulb lamp.
12 . The system for disinfecting textiles to eliminate up to 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in a household appliance with a drum of claim 6 , wherein the power supply comprises an electronic means.
13 . The system for disinfecting textiles to eliminate up to 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in a household appliance with a drum of claim 12 , wherein the power supply is an electrical ballast.
14 . The system for disinfecting textiles to eliminate up to 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in a household appliance with a drum of claim 6 , wherein the household appliance is a dryer.