1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to air sterilization using ultraviolet light wave energy in a replaceable cartridge containing all electronic components as well as a High Efficiency Particulate Air Filter (HEPA) or Carbon filter, or a combination of the two.
2. Description of the Related Art
Indoor air quality has become a concern for residential and commercial buildings, airplanes, and cruise ships. Biological terrorism, SARS, sick buildings, cruise ship disease outbreaks, toxic molds, and epidemics of asthma and allergies have all made the issue of healthy air critical.
As indoor air quality grows to be a major concern, consumers are looking for a viable solution. The use of a HEPA filter is one solution, though these filters have limitations on their effectiveness. HEPA filtration only traps particles of 0.3 microns or greater and they are unable to kill viable pathogenic microorganisms. The use of a HEPA filter as the primary air decontamination device is not enough. Viruses, bacteria, mold spores, and allergens are small enough to bypass the filter and continue circulation through the indoor air.
Activated carbon filters are another common solution to improve indoor air quality. Carbon adsorbs odors while maintaining a low resistance to air flow. In addition, carbon filters are lightweight and durable and easy to install. However, carbon filtration is not effective in eliminating airborne particulates, viruses, bacteria, etc.
A current trend in air treatment devices is to use negatively charged ions to “cling” to the positively charged ions in the air in order to bring the particles to the floor for easy vacuuming. These products can be very misleading to the public claiming that the negatively charged ions are dispersed throughout the room when what is really being emitted is ozone. Ozone will freshen the air by eliminating odors, but is toxic and corrosive in large amounts. This type of product is normally accompanied by a disclaimer to see a physician before using the product.
Ultraviolet light is gaining popularity with many air treatment systems manufacturers because of its extremely high effectiveness in killing viable pathogenic microorganisms. Ultraviolet light is used in a number of portable air treatment systems and permanent ducting systems alike. However, the biggest problem with ultraviolet light is that it is extremely harmful to the eye when it is operating, which makes servicing the unit a difficult task. One may never know if the bulbs are working properly in their air treatment system because the owner is unable to look at the exposed bulbs to determine if they are still effective. As a result, many ultraviolet light systems are installed and never maintained. After a while, when the bulbs have lost their life, the system is ineffective. Therefore, an air treatment system utilizing the effective killing power of ultraviolet light that permits quick and simple maintenance is needed.