How Smart Air Conditioners Target and Disinfect High-Touch Surfaces
A system that uses infrared sensors to track where people touch furniture and then directs disinfecting air flows specifically to those high-contact spots.
Patent Number
US 12343456
Status
Active
Filing Date
September 24, 2021
Grant Date
July 1, 2025
Expiration
~September 2041 (estimated)
Claims
15
Assignee
Mitsubishi Electric Corp
Inventors
Koji Ota, Akinori Shimizu, Seiro Yuge, Akane Nomura, Yasuhiro Nakamura
Citations
0 forward · 23 backward
What it covers
This device tracks the movement of people in a room using infrared sensors to identify exactly which surfaces they touch. It classifies people into temperature zones, prioritizing disinfection for those in higher temperature zones, which might indicate higher activity or biological signatures. A transmission module, equipped with a motorized grille, then directs a stream of air containing a disinfecting substance directly onto these specific contact points. This ensures that the disinfection process is concentrated on high-traffic areas rather than wasting resources on the entire room.
What it doesn't cover
- —Does not cover general room air purification that does not track specific contact points.
- —Does not cover disinfection methods that rely on UV light rather than a transmitted substance.
- —Does not cover systems that lack the ability to classify moving bodies by temperature zones.
- —Does not cover manual disinfection processes performed by human operators.
The clever bit
The system doesn't just clean the air; it uses infrared heat signatures to predict where a person has touched furniture and then uses a steerable air grille to 'trace' those specific paths with disinfectant.
Why it matters
As indoor air quality and surface hygiene have become major priorities in public and commercial spaces, this technology offers an automated, targeted approach to sanitation. By focusing on high-touch surfaces, it aims to reduce the spread of pathogens more efficiently than traditional, broad-spectrum air cleaning systems.
Real-world examples
- 1.Smart office HVAC systems
- 2.Automated sanitation for public waiting areas
- 3.Hospital room surface decontamination systems
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US 12343456 · 2026