Patent ID: 11913675
Assignee: LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL SECURITY, LLC
Field: Thermal processes and apparatus (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC A  F  Y | IPC F

Claim 12:
13. A method for deactivating pathogen carried in airborne droplets, comprising:
drawing, by an air suction component of a sterilization device, surrounding air from an external environment into the sterilization device;
directing the drawn air to a set of electrodes that is coupled to an energy storage via a switch of the sterilization device, wherein the energy storage is configured to store electric charges, and wherein the set of electrodes is arranged in a specified geometry to have a fixed characteristic impedance that allows energy to be fed back into the energy storage, wherein the set of electrodes is divided into a first group of electrodes and a second group of electrodes;
operating the switch to establish a pulsed electric field on the set of electrodes, the operating comprising:
establishing, using the energy storage, an electric field that is higher than a threshold to the set of electrodes, and
returning the electric charges to the energy storage according to the fixed characteristic impedance of the set of electrodes; and

directing air that has passed through the set of electrodes to the external environment wherein the sterilization device further comprises a first segment that encloses the first group of electrodes and a second segment that encloses the second group of electrodes, wherein the first segment and the second segment form an opening to allow the air to pass therethrough.