Systems and methods for feedback control of disinfection

Abstract

A disinfection system for controlling an indoor environment of a building. The disinfection system includes a disinfection device configured to detect pathogens in the indoor environment and performing disinfection procedures on the air and surfaces. The disinfection system further includes a controller configured to receive, from a treated space in the indoor environment, sensor data from the disinfection device or a sensor indicating an amount of a deactivated pathogen. The controller further configured to determine the amount of the deactivated pathogen corresponds to a deactivation ratio or deactivation percentage of active to deactivated pathogens in the treated space. The controller further configured to adjust the one or more disinfection procedures based on the deactivation ratio or the deactivation percentage of the amount of the deactivated pathogen and a pathogen type, wherein adjusting the one or more disinfection procedures comprises adjusting an operational parameter of the disinfection device.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A disinfection system for controlling an indoor environment of a building, comprising:
 a disinfection device configured to detect pathogens in the indoor environment and perform one or more disinfection procedures on the air and surfaces; and   a controller configured to:
 receive, from a treated space in the indoor environment, sensor data from the disinfection device or a sensor indicating an amount of an active pathogen 
 determine at least one of (1) an effectiveness of the one or more disinfection procedures based on comparing the amount of the deactivated pathogen to an amount of an active pathogen, or (2) an amount of the active pathogen corresponding to a deactivation ratio or deactivation percentage of active to deactivated pathogens in the treated space; and 
 adjust the one or more disinfection procedures based on the a measurement of the effectiveness, the deactivation ratio, or the deactivation percentage of the amount of the active pathogen, and a pathogen type, wherein adjusting the one or more disinfection procedures comprises adjusting an operational parameter of the disinfection device. 
   
     
     
         2 . The disinfection system of  claim 1 , wherein operational parameter comprises an intensity of the disinfection device, an airflow rate through the disinfection device, or a duration of the one or more disinfection procedures. 
     
     
         3 . The disinfection system of  claim 1 , wherein the disinfection device is installed in the treated space of the building, and wherein the sensor is installed in a non-treated space of the building, wherein the adjustment of the one or more disinfection procedures is further based on a differential pathogen load corresponding to a percentage decrease or increase in deactivated pathogen concentrations between the treated space and the non-treated space. 
     
     
         4 . The disinfection system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more disinfection procedures are adjusted in real-time based on the measurement of the effectiveness, and wherein the pathogen type of the active pathogen is the pathogen type of the deactivated pathogen, and wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the one or more disinfection procedures based on prioritizing the pathogen type of the active pathogen over another detected amount of a second pathogen type based on a risk or prevalence of the pathogen type compared to the second pathogen type. 
     
     
         5 . The disinfection system of  claim 1 , wherein the disinfection device comprises at least one of a UV-C lighting system configured to activate ultraviolet radiation lighting, a spray system configured to dispense disinfectant solution, or a filtration system configured to capture and deactivate the detected pathogens. 
     
     
         6 . The disinfection system of  claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to:
 adjust the intensity and duration of the one or more disinfection procedures based on the effectiveness of the one or more disinfection procedures, wherein modifying the intensity and duration comprises increasing or decreasing a power output of the UV-C lighting system, modifying a volume or frequency of the disinfectant solution dispensed by the spray system, or modifying an air flow rate through the filtration system, wherein the disinfectant solution is a disinfectant spray or an electrostatic disinfectant spray.   
     
     
         7 . The disinfection system of  claim 6 , wherein the controller further comprises a predictive maintenance system configured to forecast maintenance or replacement of one or more system components of the disinfection device based on at least one of a usage pattern, performance data, or historical maintenance records. 
     
     
         8 . The disinfection system of  claim 6 , wherein the adjusting the one or more disinfection procedures comprises utilizing an adaptive modulation model, and wherein the adaptive modulation model comprises adjusting one or more operational parameters of the disinfection device, and wherein adjusting one or more operation parameters comprises modifying at least one of UV-C irradiance levels of the UV-C lighting system, disinfectant spray dosing of the spray system, and filtration airflow of the filtration system, based on continuous feedback from the disinfection device or the sensor, wherein adjusting comprises optimizing disinfection efficacy and energy efficiency. 
     
     
         9 . The disinfection system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
 activate the disinfection device based on a detection of active pathogens in the indoor environment, wherein the activation of the disinfection device comprises determining additional disinfection procedures based on a prioritization of one active pathogen type compared to another pathogen type; and   responsive to an amount of active pathogens corresponding with the one active pathogen type declining below a predetermined threshold, deactivate the disinfection device or modulate the disinfection device's operation.   
     
     
         10 . The disinfection system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
 generate a report or dashboard indicating compliance of the one or more disinfection procedures with one or more industry standards;   determine a current operating mode of an HVAC system operating on the treated space of the building, the current operating mode corresponding to a current energy output of the HVAC system meeting one or more control standards;   generate a new operating mode in the treated space meeting the one or more control standards based on adjusting the one or more disinfection procedures and reducing the current energy output of the HVAC system; and   operate the HVAC system on the treated space operating the new operating mode to meet the one or more control standards, wherein updating the operating mode comprises reducing the current energy output and adjusting the one or more disinfection procedures.   
     
     
         11 . The disinfection system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
 adjust a deployment of a plurality of disinfection devices based on historical prevalence data, community prevalence data, and a concentration of chemical substances in the air, to optimize the one or more disinfection procedures and minimize potential health risks corresponding with the chemical substances.   
     
     
         12 . The disinfection system of  claim 1 , the controller is further configured to:
 receive additional sensor data from the sensor indicating a different amount of the active pathogen and further adjust the one or more disinfection procedures based on the different amount of the active pathogen.   
     
     
         13 . The disinfection system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
 calculate a reduction in viability of the pathogens, wherein the reduction in viability is based on one or more predetermined values corresponding to the pathogen type and the one or more disinfection procedures.   
     
     
         14 . A method, comprising:
 receiving, by one or more processing circuits from a treated space in an indoor environment, sensor data from a disinfection device or a sensor indicating an amount of an active pathogen;   determining, by the one or more processing circuits, at least one of (1) an effectiveness of the one or more disinfection procedures based on comparing the amount of the deactivated pathogen to an amount of an active pathogen, or (2) an amount of the active pathogen corresponding to a deactivation ratio or deactivation percentage of active to deactivated pathogens in the treated space; and   adjusting, by the one or more processing circuits, one or more disinfection procedures based on the a measurement of the effectiveness, the deactivation ratio, or the deactivation percentage of the amount of the active pathogen, and a pathogen type, wherein adjusting the one or more disinfection procedures comprises adjusting an operational parameter of the disinfection device.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the operational parameter comprises an intensity of the disinfection device, an airflow rate through the disinfection device, or a duration of the one or more disinfection procedures, wherein the method further comprises:
 detecting, by the one or more processing circuits, pathogens in the indoor environment; and   performing, by the one or more processing circuits using the disinfection device, the one or more disinfection procedures on the air and surfaces.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the disinfection device is installed in the treated space of the building, and wherein the sensor is installed in an non-treated space of the building, wherein the adjustment of the one or more disinfection procedures is further based on a differential pathogen load corresponding to a percentage decrease or increase in deactivated pathogen concentrations between the treated space and the non-treated space. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the one or more disinfection procedures are adjusted in real-time based on the measurement of the effectiveness, and wherein the pathogen type of the active pathogen is the pathogen type of the deactivated pathogen, and wherein the one or more processing circuits adjust the one or more disinfection procedures based on prioritizing the pathogen type of the active pathogen over another detected amount of a second pathogen type based on a risk or prevalence of the pathogen type compared to the second pathogen type. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the disinfection device comprises at least one of a UV-C lighting system configured to activate ultraviolet radiation lighting, a spray system configured to dispense disinfectant solution, or a filtration system configured to capture and deactivate detected pathogens. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 determining, by the one or more processing circuits, a current operating mode of an HVAC system operating on the treated space of the building, the current operating mode corresponding to a current energy output of the HVAC system meeting one or more control standards;   generating, by the one or more processing circuits, a new operating mode in the treated space meeting the one or more control standards based on adjusting or initiating the one or more disinfection procedures and reducing the current energy output of the HVAC system; and   operating, by the one or more processing circuits, the HVAC system on the treated space in the new operating mode to meet the one or more control standards, wherein operating the HVAC system in the new operating mode comprises adjusting one or more operating parameters reducing the current energy output and adjusting or initiating the one or more disinfection procedures on the disinfection device.   
     
     
         20 . A disinfection system for controlling an indoor environment of a building, comprising:
 a disinfection device configured to detect pathogens in the indoor environment and perform one or more disinfection procedures on the air and surfaces; and   a controller configured to:
 determine a current operating mode of an HVAC system operating on a treated space of the building, the current operating mode corresponding to a current energy output of the HVAC system meeting one or more control standards; 
 generate a new operating mode in the treated space meeting the one or more control standards based on adjusting or initiating the one or more disinfection procedures and reducing the current energy output of the HVAC system; and 
 operate the HVAC system on the treated space in the new operating mode to meet the one or more control standards, wherein operating the HVAC system in the new operating mode comprises adjusting one or more operating parameters reducing the current energy output and adjusting or initiating the one or more disinfection procedures on the disinfection device. 
   
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the disinfection device comprises a UV-C lighting system configured to provide an equivalent or greater reduction in active pathogens compared to additional air-changes per hour (ACH) based on deactivating the detected pathogens, and wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the one or more operating parameters of the HVAC system to operate with a reduced amount of outdoor air intake by compensating with the UV-C lighting system to maintain indoor air quality meeting the one or more control standards. 
     
     
         22 . One or more non-transitory computer readable mediums storing instructions thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
 receiving, from a treated space in an indoor environment, sensor data from a disinfection device or a sensor indicating an amount of a deactivated pathogen;   determining the amount of the deactivated pathogen corresponds to a deactivation ratio or deactivation percentage of active to deactivated pathogens in the treated space; and   adjusting one or more disinfection procedures based on the deactivation ratio or the deactivation percentage of the amount of the deactivated pathogen and a pathogen type, wherein adjusting the one or more disinfection procedures comprises adjusting an operational parameter of the disinfection device.