US 11,865,234 B2
Treatment apparatus for a vehicle to treat an object with ultraviolet light
Jay Z. Chen, Sylvania, OH (US); Anthony Ligi, Jr., Chelsea, MI (US); John Robert Van Wiemeersch, Novi, MI (US); Michael Hrecznyj, Livonia, MI (US); Clay Wesley Maranville, Ypsilanti, MI (US); Amy Ellen Langhorst, Ann Arbor, MI (US); and Rick H. Wykoff, Commerce Township, MI (US)
Assigned to Ford Global Technologies, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US)
Filed by Ford Global Technologies, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US)
Filed on Apr. 1, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/837,653.
Prior Publication US 2021/0308317 A1, Oct. 7, 2021
Int. Cl. A61L 9/20 (2006.01); A61L 2/10 (2006.01); B60H 3/06 (2006.01)
CPC A61L 9/20 (2013.01) [A61L 2/10 (2013.01); B60H 3/06 (2013.01); A61L 2202/14 (2013.01); A61L 2202/16 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A treatment apparatus for a vehicle comprising:
a housing with at least one wall and a floor forming a treatment chamber;
a source of ultraviolet light configured to emit ultraviolet light into the treatment chamber;
a controller in communication with the source of ultraviolet light; and
a bandpass filter disposed between the source of the ultraviolet light and treatment chamber that transmits less than 10 percent of ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 290 nm to 400 nm but transmits greater than 10 percent of ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 240 nm to 280 nm;
wherein, the controller determines (i) a total energy that the source of ultraviolet light is to emit into the treatment chamber, and (ii) an intensity of ultraviolet light as a function of the total energy and a predetermined period of time; and
wherein, the controller causes the source of ultraviolet light to emit ultraviolet light for the predetermined period of time and at the intensity and, upon conclusion of the predetermined period of time, deactivates the source of ultraviolet light.