Patent Description:
<CIT> discloses an UV hard-surface disinfection system (<NUM>) comprising multiple UV light towers (<NUM>) that can be placed in several areas of a room and a cart (<NUM>) for loading and unloading said towers. The cart comprises a handle (<NUM>) and a control panel (<NUM>) including a display (<NUM>). The control panel (<NUM>) may be used to upload data to a hospital information system regarding the sanitization of a given room. The control panel (<NUM>) has communications ability with a "LMS" system, which is a scanner system to evaluate distance and occupancy for mapping rooms. The towers (<NUM>) each comprise a cap assembly (<NUM>) housing a safety sensor (<NUM>, <NUM>) like a motion detector that senses if a person has entered a room and disables the tower. The towers (<NUM>) each further comprise a communications module (<NUM>) configured to communicate with the cart (<NUM>).

<CIT> discloses a method for organizing the disinfection of one or more items contaminated with biological agent(s) comprising attaching a radio-frequency ID (RFID) tag to one or more items to be disinfected; exposing the tagged items to a disinfecting means for a period sufficient to disinfect the items; and obtaining a signal from the tagged item when disinfection is complete. Further D2 discloses a method for organizing the disinfection of a designated space like a hospital room. The disinfection means are ultra-violet light. The RFID tag communicates with the disinfection means. The RFID tag further communicates the initiation or completion of the cleaning or disinfection cycle to a computer or data warehouse. The signal from the tagged designated area is used to create a log of the cleaning or disinfecting history of each RFID tagged item (room) through the computer. The RFID tag is also attached to a patient and resets the status of the designated space for future disinfection. Cleaning personnel is alerted to clean a patient's room based on an entry in hospital medical records, that the respective patient left the hospital. Further, Real Time Location Systems (RTLS) are used to determine the physical proximity of active RFID tags. <CIT> discloses a sterilization system consisting of an emitter subsystem consisting of a mobile emitter (<NUM>) and a central computer (<NUM>), a sensing subsystem consisting of UV-sensors (<NUM>-<NUM>), a door sensor (<NUM>), a remote control (<NUM>) and a data logging subsystem. The computer (<NUM>) communicates with the door sensor (<NUM>), and if the door being monitored by the door sensor (<NUM>) is opened during a disinfection cycle the lamps are immediately turned off to prevent injury. Based on readings of the UV-sensors (<NUM>-<NUM>) an estimated time to completion is calculated by the computer (<NUM>). Pathogens being treated for are tracked and reported. A desired UV dosage based on the disinfection level desired and the pathogen(s) to be killed is selected by a user to configure the job. Information about specific infections or diseases are entered into a data management system of a hospital and forwarded to the sterilization system.

Disclosed implementations include systems, methods, devices, and logic that support intelligent disinfection of disinfection environments through use of ultra-violet (UV) lights.

In one example, a method may be performed, executed, or otherwise carried out by a building automation system (BAS). The method may include accessing patient room data indicative of a state of a patient room of a patient and controlling operation of a UV light to disinfect the patient room based on the patient room data.

In another example, a system may include a disinfection environment tracking engine and a UV light control engine. The disinfection environment tracking engine may be configured to access patient room data indicative of a state of a patient room of a patient; access medical data of the patient, the medical data of the patient specifying a medical condition of the patient; and access real-time location data of the patient. The UV light control engine may be configured to control operation of a UV light to disinfect the patient room based on the patient room data, the medical data of the patient, and the real-time location data of the patient.

In yet another example, a non-transitory machine-readable medium may store instructions executable by a processor. When executed, the instructions may cause the processor or a building automation system to access patient room data indicative of a state of a patient room of a patient, the patient room data including an occupancy schedule for the patient room that indicates an unoccupied time period during which the patient does not occupy the room; access medical data of the patient, the medical data of the patient specifying a medical condition of the patient; and control operation of an UV light to disinfect the patient room based on the patient room data and the medical condition of the data, including by calibrating the UV light to account for a length of the unoccupied time period and a severity of the medical condition of the patient.

Certain examples are described in the following detailed description and in reference to the drawings.

Healthcare associated infections pose a significant issue in modern medical practice. Estimates for annual medical costs arising from healthcare associated infections have surpassed $<NUM> billion (USD) and continue to increase. Mechanisms to address healthcare associated infections include surface cleaning, personal hygiene, and, more recently, UV disinfection through UV lighting. Use of UV lights for UV disinfection (in combination with other medical cleaning processes) can result in marked decreases in healthcare associated infections. However, manual operation of UV lights can be cumbersome and inefficient. UV disinfecting lights also pose safety issues, as inadvertent exposure to UV lighting by patients, medical personnel, or other persons may cause significant bodily harm.

The disclosure herein may provide systems, methods, devices, and logic for intelligent control of UV lights to disinfect patient rooms. As described in greater detail below, a building automation system may track disinfection environments and automate operation of UV lights to disinfect patient rooms. The building automation system may account for any number of various environmental and patient-based factors to intelligently control UV lights, doing so to increase UV light exposure in spaces susceptible to healthcare associated infections (e.g., hospital rooms). Described UV light control features may reduce instances of healthcare associated infections as UV lighting may be more efficiently and effectively operated as compared to manual operation.

As another benefit of the UV light control features described herein, cost savings may be achieved by optimizing operation parameters and activation times of controlled UV lights based on possible infection exposures, available disinfection times, patient-specific issues, etc. Further, the UV light control features described herein may track room occupancy in various ways, whether through occupancy sensors or patient real-time location data, automatically prioritizing safety by deactivating UV light operation upon detection that a disinfection environment is occupied.

These and other features and benefits of UV light control by a building automation system are described in greater detail herein.

<FIG> shows an example of a building automation system <NUM> that supports intelligent control of UV lights to disinfect any number of disinfection environments The building automation system <NUM> may take the form of a computing system, including a single or multiple computing devices such as application servers, compute nodes, desktop or laptop computers, smart phones or other mobile devices, tablet devices, embedded controllers, and more. The building automation system <NUM> may include any system component that supports the control of building elements, such as heating, ventilation, air condition, lights and blinds, safety features, and any other building equipment. In some implementations, the building automation system <NUM> implements a unified building automation tool or building automation program through which multiple building controls are integrated, e.g., to increase energy and cost efficiencies, automate building operations, and more.

As described in greater detail herein, the building automation system <NUM> may support control of UV lights to disinfect disinfection environments of any number or type, e.g., patient rooms. The building automation system <NUM> may automate the activation and deactivation of UV lights to disinfect patient rooms (or any other disinfection environment) based on tracked environment data, which may include patient room occupancy, patient treatment schedules, medical conditions of patients, real-time location data of patients, any other user-configurable factors, or combinations thereof. In some instances, the UV light control features described herein may provide disinfection of patient rooms with increased frequency or improved efficiency, which may result in a reduction in healthcare associated infections.

As an example implementation, the building automation system <NUM> shown in <FIG> includes a disinfection environment tracking engine <NUM> and a UV light control engine <NUM>. The building automation system <NUM> may implement the engines <NUM> and <NUM> (and components thereof) in various ways, for example as hardware and programming. The programming for the engines <NUM> and <NUM> may take the form of processor-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium and the hardware for the engines <NUM> and <NUM> may include a processor to execute those instructions. A processor may take the form of single processor or multi-processor systems, and in some examples, the building automation system <NUM> implements multiple engines using the same computing system features or hardware components (e.g., a common processor or a common storage medium). The GUI <NUM> may include various components through which a user interfaces with the building automation system <NUM>, such as a display, keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, etc..

In operation, the disinfection environment tracking engine <NUM> may track a combination of building environment data and patient data relevant to a disinfection environment, and the UV light control engine <NUM> may control UV lights based on the tracked data. In a hospital or other healthcare setting, the disinfection environment tracking engine <NUM> may access patient room data indicative of a state of a patient room of a patient, medical data of the patient that specifies a medical condition of the patient, and real-time location data of the patient. In such examples, the UV light control engine <NUM> may control operation of a UV light to disinfect the patient room based on the patient room data, the medical data of the patient, and the real-time location data of the patient.

Some example features relating to UV light control are presented in greater detail next. Many of the UV light control features presented herein are described via a patient room as an illustrative disinfection environment. However, a building automation system may consistently implement any of the described UV light control features for other disinfection environments as well, such as hospitality spaces (e.g., hotel rooms), food preparation facilities, cruise ships or other entertainment spaces, school classrooms, mixed office spaces, or any other environment in which UV lighting can be used for disinfection.

<FIG> shows an example of UV light control by a building automation system based on patient room data. The example shown in <FIG> includes a building automation system <NUM> and an example disinfection environment depicted through a hospital <NUM>. Although shown as physically remote to the hospital <NUM> in <FIG>, in some examples the building automation system <NUM> is located within or as part of the hospital <NUM>, whether in part or in whole.

The building automation system <NUM> may provide control capabilities for various building elements of the hospital <NUM>. Communications between the building automation system <NUM> and the hospital <NUM> may be supported by the network <NUM>. The network <NUM> may take the form of any combination of one or more communication networks (or sub-networks) and supporting components by which the building automation system <NUM> may interact with specific building elements of the hospital <NUM>. As such, the network <NUM> may include the Internet, proprietary backend communication systems, building device interfaces, and the like.

In the example shown in <FIG>, the hospital <NUM> includes a patient room <NUM>. The patient room <NUM> may be any physical space assigned to a patient, such as a hospital room, a treatment area, an allocated section of a hospital wing, etc. Accordingly, the patient <NUM> may include various building elements such as a bed, furniture, medical equipment or devices, lighting and blinds, tables, televisions, etc. In the particular example shown in <FIG>, the patient room <NUM> includes a patient bed, a couch, an occupancy sensor <NUM>, a door <NUM>, and a UV light <NUM>. The UV light <NUM> may be any UV lighting device or building element that supports room disinfection. In that regard, the UV light <NUM> may provide sterilization capabilities through UV light emanation. Operation of the UV light <NUM> may be set through a UV light controller <NUM>, which may include any circuitry that controls UV light <NUM> activation or deactivation, and support configuration of specific settings or characteristics of the emitted UV light (e.g., intensity, frequency, modulation, or any other UV light operation parameters).

The building automation system <NUM> may support automated operation of the UV light <NUM> in the patient room <NUM>. In particular, the building automation system <NUM> may intelligently automate operation of the UV light <NUM> by communicating activation, parameter configuration, or deactivation instructions to the UV light controller <NUM>. Such instructions may be issued by the building automation system <NUM> based on room occupancy schedules, other preset schedules, room occupancy states, and other factors, doing so while managing power and energy consumption of the UV light <NUM> (e.g., by identifying opportunities to reduce excess energy consumption for the disinfection process). In doing so, the building automation system <NUM> may increase disinfection efficiency, optimize disinfection time, reduce building costs, or provide other benefits.

In some implementations, the building automation system <NUM> controls operation of the UV light <NUM> based on occupancy of the patient room <NUM>. To track occupancy, the disinfection environment tracking engine <NUM> may acquire patient room data for the patient room <NUM>, which may include any data indicative of a state of a patient room of a patient. For instance, the disinfection environment tracking engine <NUM> may access an occupancy status of the patient room from the occupancy sensor <NUM> in the patient room <NUM>, whether by polling the occupancy sensor <NUM> or having occupancy status changes pushed from the occupancy sensor <NUM>. In the example shown in <FIG>, the disinfection environment tracking engine <NUM> obtains an occupancy data <NUM> from the occupancy sensor <NUM>, which may include data indicative of an occupancy state of the patient room <NUM>.

The building automation system <NUM> may activate the UV light <NUM> on an opportunistic basis at times (e.g., whenever) the patient room <NUM> is unoccupied. Based on the occupancy status of the patient room <NUM>, the UV light control engine <NUM> may activate or deactivate the UV light <NUM>, for instance by issuing activation or deactivation commands to the UV light controller <NUM>. Activation or deactivation commands from the UV light control engine <NUM> may be included as control instructions, e.g., as depicted in <FIG> as the control instructions <NUM>. When the occupancy status indicates the patient room <NUM> is unoccupied, the UV light control engine <NUM> may activate the UV light <NUM> to disinfect the patient room. When the occupancy status accessed from the occupancy sensor <NUM> indicates the patient room <NUM> is occupied (whether by the patient or another person), the UV light control engine <NUM> may deactivate the UV light <NUM>. Accordingly, the UV light control engine <NUM> may activate the UV light <NUM> for room disinfection based on a present occupancy status of the patient room <NUM>, e.g., as tracked by the occupancy sensor <NUM>.

In some implementations, the UV light control engine <NUM> may utilize a determined occupancy status in combination with other factors to control operation of the UV light <NUM>. Some such examples are described next in <FIG> with respect to patient schedules and real-time location data of a patient.

<FIG> shows an example of UV light control by a building automation system <NUM> based on patient room data and real-time location data of a patient. To support such operation, the disinfection environment tracking engine <NUM> may access disinfection environment or patient data from various sources to support intelligent control of the UV light <NUM>. As examples, the hospital <NUM> may include various systems that track relevant patient data that the UV light control engine <NUM> may utilize to intelligently control UV lighting. In <FIG>, the hospital <NUM> includes a patient information management system <NUM> and a patient real-time location system <NUM>.

The patient information management system <NUM> may store patient or other medical information of any type. Such patient/medical information may include electronic medical records of patients, disease and treatment history, admission and discharge records, prescription schedules, billing systems, procedural strategies, medical literature systems, disease databases, and more. To support such data warehousing, the patient information management system <NUM> may itself incorporate or include multiple disparate information systems, including as examples patient admission/discharge/transfer (ADT) systems, patient bed management systems (BMS), billing systems, registration and scheduling systems, occupancy schedules, and more.

The UV light control engine <NUM> may operate the UV light <NUM> based on occupancy periods determined from occupancy schedules for the patient room <NUM>. An occupancy schedule may refer to any data, listing, or other time-specification mechanism indicative of scheduling for the patient room <NUM> or relevant personnel that access the patient room <NUM> (e.g., the patient, medical staff, cleaning staff, visitors, etc.). <FIG> shows one example of an occupancy schedule stored by the patient information management system <NUM> through a patient treatment schedule <NUM> for a patient, which the disinfection environment tracking engine <NUM> may retrieve for a patient assigned to the patient room <NUM>.

The UV light control engine <NUM> may analyze the patient treatment schedule <NUM> (or any other occupancy schedule) to determine occupied and unoccupied time periods for the patient room <NUM>. For instance, the UV light control engine <NUM> may identify an assigned occupancy period from the patient information management system <NUM> during which a patient is assigned to the patient room <NUM> (e.g., via patient-to-room assignment data tracked by an ADT system or system module implemented by the patient information management system <NUM>). During the assigned occupancy period, the UV light control engine <NUM> may extract time periods from the patient treatment schedule <NUM> during which the patient is scheduled for treatments or other medical activity outside of the patient room <NUM>. The UV light control engine <NUM> may interpret any such scheduled time periods during which the patient is not scheduled to be present in the patient room <NUM> as unoccupied time periods for the patient room <NUM>. Non-scheduled times may be interpreted by the UV light control engine <NUM> as occupied time periods during which the patient is scheduled or expected to be present in the patient room <NUM>.

As illustrative example, the disinfection environment tracking engine <NUM> may access patient admission date/time data and a patient treatment schedule <NUM> from the patient information management system <NUM>, specifically for the patient assigned to the patient room <NUM>. The obtained patient information may indicate a patient admission time of <NUM>:00am and a CT scan scheduled for <NUM>:00pm-<NUM>:00pm on the same day. Accordingly, the UV light control engine <NUM> may determine the time period from <NUM>:00am-<NUM>:00pm as an occupied time period and the time period from <NUM>:00pm-<NUM>:00pm as an unoccupied time period for the patient room <NUM> based on the accessed patient treatment schedule <NUM>. In a similar manner, the UV light control engine <NUM> may parse or extract other unoccupied and occupied time periods from the patient treatment schedule <NUM>.

The UV light control engine <NUM> may control operation of the UV light <NUM> in the patient room <NUM> according to the unoccupied time periods extracted from the patient treatment schedule <NUM>. During the determined unoccupied time periods, the UV light control engine <NUM> may activate the UV light <NUM> to disinfect the patient room <NUM> and deactivate the UV light <NUM> during the determined occupied time periods in the patient treatment schedule <NUM>.

While a patient treatment schedule <NUM> is provided as an example source (e.g., occupancy schedule) from which the UV light control engine <NUM> may determine unoccupied time periods for the patient room <NUM>, other data sources may be likewise utilized to determine scheduled occupancy of the patient room <NUM>. Other example sources include visitation hours to the patient room <NUM> (or the assigned patient), active visitations (e.g., when a visitor to the patient room <NUM> has been logged into a visitation system but not yet logged out), visitation schedules of medical staff (e.g., medical rounds or scheduled check-ins by nursing staff), cleaning staff schedules, etc., each for which the UV light control engine <NUM> may treat as an occupied time period for the room <NUM>. For unoccupied time periods determined from any such sources, the UV light control engine <NUM> may activate the UV light <NUM> and deactivate the UV light <NUM> during determined occupied time periods.

As another example factor by which a building automation system <NUM> may control UV lighting, the UV light control engine <NUM> may account for an actual location of the patient, e.g., as tracked by real-time location data for the patient assigned to the patient room <NUM>. Hospitals or other medical facilities may include real-time tracking capabilities for admitted patients or other personnel. Example location capture techniques include <NUM> triangulation from access points in a building, Bluetooth beaconing, infrared sensors positioned across the building to track patient movement, and ultrasound or ultra high-frequency wireless tracking systems.

In the example shown in <FIG>, the hospital <NUM> includes the patient real-time location (RTL) system <NUM> that stores patient RTL data <NUM>. Although shown separately in <FIG>, the patient RTL system <NUM> may be implemented as a component or sub-system of the patient information management system <NUM>.

The disinfection environment tracking engine <NUM> may access the patient RTL data <NUM> for a patient assigned to the patient room <NUM>, and the UV light control engine <NUM> may control operation of the UV light <NUM> based on the accessed patient RTL data <NUM>. For instance, the UV light control engine <NUM> may automate activation of the UV light <NUM> during an unoccupied time period of the patient room <NUM> determined from the patient treatment schedule <NUM>. In such instances, the UV light control engine <NUM> may use the patient RTL data <NUM> (and additionally or alternatively use an occupancy status accessed from the occupancy sensor <NUM>) to confirm that the patient is no longer present in the patient room <NUM> during the unoccupied time period. Put another way, the UV light control engine <NUM> may confirm, via the patient RTL data <NUM>, that the patient is not present in the patient room <NUM> during determined unoccupied time periods and, in response, activate the UV light <NUM> to disinfect the patient room.

As another example use of the patient RTL data <NUM>, the UV light control engine <NUM> may activate the UV light <NUM> when a patient is at least a threshold distance away from the patient room <NUM> and deactivate the UV light <NUM> otherwise. To illustrate, the UV light control engine <NUM> may enforce an activation criteria that activates the UV light <NUM> only when the patient is at least <NUM> feet (or any other configurable distance) from the patient room <NUM>. Responsive to a determination that the patient is less than <NUM> feet from the patient room <NUM> (e.g., returning to the patient room <NUM> after a scheduled treatment), the UV light control engine <NUM> may deactivate the UV light <NUM>.

As described above, the UV light control engine <NUM> may control operation of the UV light <NUM> to account for occupancy of the patient room <NUM>. Actual or predicted (e.g., scheduled) occupancy may be determined in various ways, and the disinfection environment tracking engine <NUM> may access environment data, patient data, or any other data relevant or otherwise related to patient room occupancy.

The UV light control engine <NUM> may utilize any of the described environment or patient data alone to control UV light operation. For instance, the UV light control engine <NUM> may use one of the occupancy status data extracted from the occupancy sensor <NUM>, the unoccupied time periods extracted from the patient treatment schedule <NUM>, or the patient location information tracked by the patient RTL data <NUM> as a sole condition or factor in activation and deactivation of the UV light <NUM>. Alternatively, the UV light control engine <NUM> may use any of the accessed environment or patient data in combination to set automated activations of the UV light <NUM>. For scheduled unoccupied time periods as determined from treatment schedules or other data sources, the UV light control engine <NUM> may activate the UV light <NUM> upon confirmation that the patient room <NUM> is actually unoccupied, e.g., as confirmed via the occupancy sensor <NUM>, the patient RTL data <NUM> or both. For occupied time periods in which the patient is not scheduled to be outside the patient room <NUM>, the UV light control engine <NUM> may opportunistically activate the UV light when the occupancy sensor <NUM> or patient RTL data <NUM> indicates the patient has left the patient room <NUM> or the patient room <NUM> is otherwise unoccupied.

Other automated settings may likewise be applied by the UV light control engine <NUM> to operate the UV light <NUM>. For instance, a user (e.g., a system administrator) may schedule preset times during which the UV light <NUM> is activated. Such preset scheduling may correspond to a disinfection cycle or cleaning schedule set up by a medical facility. The UV light control engine <NUM> may effectuate the preset schedules by interfacing with the UV light controller <NUM> to activate the UV light <NUM> during the scheduled disinfection times. During these scheduled disinfection times (or any other time the UV light <NUM> is activated), the UV light control engine <NUM> may override the activation based on a detected room occupancy, e.g., by immediately deactivating the UV light <NUM> responsive to a change in occupancy status as detected by the occupancy sensor <NUM>, when the patient RTL data <NUM> indicates the patient is occupying the patient room <NUM>, or is within a threshold distance from the patient room <NUM>.

As yet another example, the UV light control engine <NUM> may control operation of the UV light <NUM> by activating the UV light <NUM> responsive to a patient discharge or transfer. For instance, the disinfection environment tracking engine <NUM> may obtain discharge/transfer data from the patient information management system <NUM>, which may specify a time when the patient assigned to the patient room <NUM> will be or has been discharged. Responsive to such a discharge/transfer determination, the UV light control engine <NUM> may schedule a UV light activation for the patient room <NUM> subsequent to the patient discharge/transfer (e.g., immediately subsequent or subsequent by a configured timing offset). Similarly as described above, the UV light control engine <NUM> may override the scheduled UV light activations upon detecting the patient room <NUM> is not unoccupied.

In many of the examples described above, the UV light control engine <NUM> triggers activation or deactivation the UV light <NUM> to disinfect the patient room <NUM>. As another feature, the UV light control engine <NUM> may control operation of the UV light <NUM> by setting any number of operation parameters of the UV light <NUM>. For example, the UV light control engine <NUM> may calibrate the light intensity of the UV light <NUM>, otherwise modulate between different light intensities, or otherwise configure any operation parameter of the UV light <NUM>. Parameter control, UV light activation and deactivation, and other control of the UV light <NUM> may be specified through control instructions sent by the UV light control engine <NUM>, e.g., the control instructions <NUM> shown in <FIG>.

The UV light control engine <NUM> may configure operation of the UV light <NUM> according to a determined available disinfection period in which the patient room <NUM> is expected to or predicted to be unoccupied. The UV light control engine <NUM> may determine an available disinfection period based on accessed patient treatment schedules <NUM>, for example, or according to any other schedule extraction techniques to identify preset times in which the patient is not scheduled to occupy the patient room <NUM>. That is, the UV light control engine <NUM> may treat a determined unoccupied time period as an available disinfection period, though other ways to determine an available disinfection period are possible as well.

As another example of available disinfection period determination, the UV light control engine <NUM> may correlate a patient distance from the patient room <NUM> to a baseline (e.g., minimum) available disinfection period. The UV light control engine <NUM> may, for instance, convert a patient distance from the patient room <NUM> into a minimum available disinfection period based on the walking or transportation speed for a patient to return to the patient room <NUM>. To provide a concrete illustration, the UV light control engine <NUM> may determine an available disinfection period of at least <NUM> seconds when the patient is at least <NUM> feet from the patient room <NUM>. Various distance-to-timing translations may be used, for example based on tiered distance translations (e.g., <NUM>-<NUM> feet away = <NUM> seconds of available disinfection period, <NUM>-<NUM> feet away = <NUM> seconds of available disinfection period, etc.).

As yet another illustration, the UV light control engine <NUM> may identify a particular available disinfection period based on the patient reaching or being at a particular location, e.g., as determined from the patient RTL data <NUM>. For instance, the patient RTL data <NUM> may indicate the patient has reached a particular medical facility or room that requires a threshold amount of time for treatment (e.g., a MRI or CT scanning room, surgery room, delivery room, intensive care unit, etc.). In such cases, the UV light control engine <NUM> may identify a correlated available disinfection period for the patient location, which may be specified in a correlation table or other configurable data structure.

The UV light control engine <NUM> may adjust, customize, optimize, or intelligently automate operation of the UV light <NUM> based on determined available disinfection periods. In some examples, the UV light control engine <NUM> may reduce the UV light intensity of the UV light <NUM> to reduce energy consumption during an available disinfection period of the patient room <NUM> (e.g., determined as an unoccupied time period) such that the UV light <NUM> is nonetheless effective to disinfect the patient room <NUM> during the available disinfection period.

In other examples, the UV light control engine <NUM> may deactivate the UV light <NUM> during the available disinfection period due to a disinfection cycle completing prior to the available disinfection period ending. Such a scenario may occur in which the patient is away from the patient room <NUM> for an extended period of time, upon which the UV light control engine <NUM> may reduce resource consumption and lighting costs by deactivating the UV light <NUM> once a sufficient amount of UV disinfection has occurred.

Another factor by which the UV light control engine <NUM> may activate or calibrate operation of the UV light <NUM> is patient medical conditions. Some examples of UV light control based on medical data of a patient are described next in <FIG>.

<FIG> shows an example of UV light control by a building automation system based on patient room data, real-time location data of a patient, and medical data of a patient. In <FIG>, the disinfection environment tracking engine <NUM> accesses medical data of a patient, through which the UV light control engine <NUM> may activate or calibrate operation of the UV light <NUM> to disinfect the patient room <NUM>. Example medical data accessible by the disinfection environment tracking engine <NUM> includes the current medical conditions(s) of a patient, infection capabilities of medical conditions, disease treatment methods, patient medical history, and more.

In <FIG>, the patient information management system <NUM> stores medical data in the form of electronic medical records <NUM> for a patient assigned to the patient room <NUM>. The disinfection environment tracking engine <NUM> may retrieve the electronic medical records <NUM> for the patient and the UV light control engine <NUM> may adapt control of the UV light <NUM> for the patient room <NUM> based on the accessed electronic medical records <NUM>.

In a general sense, the UV light control engine <NUM> may tailor UV light operation for the patient room <NUM> to specifically address particular medical conditions or disease capabilities the patient room <NUM> is exposed to. As particular examples, the UV light control engine <NUM> may account for a contagiousness level or disease spreading capabilities of medical conditions that afflict the patient of the patient room <NUM>. The UV light control engine <NUM> may increase the UV light intensity or activation UV disinfection times of the UV light <NUM> for severe or highly contagious medical conditions (e.g., airborne pathogens or life-threatening bacteria) or reduce UV operation parameters for medical conditions of lesser severity or contagiousness level (e.g., common cold, or non-infectious medical conditions).

In some implementations, the UV light control engine <NUM> may access disinfection parameters for specific diseases, medical conditions, or ailments from medical databases. The center for disease control (CDC), research facilities, or other healthcare agencies may provide treatment recommendations or parameters for various medical conditions, and the building automation system <NUM> may access any such treatment parameters to calibrate the UV light <NUM>. Such parameters may specify best-practices or recommended disinfection parameters, including UV light intensities and UV disinfection times to effectively eradicate infectious bacteria and diseases.

The UV light control engine <NUM> may determine a disinfection time (or active disinfection time), which may refer to a baseline or minimum time period to activate the UV light <NUM> to disinfect the patient room <NUM>. Put another way, the UV light control engine <NUM> may determine the disinfection time as the required time period needed to effectively disinfect the patient room <NUM> through activation of the UV light <NUM>. Determination of the disinfection time may be performed as a function of the UV light capabilities of the UV light <NUM> (e.g., maximum intensity), severity of a medical condition exposed to the patient room <NUM>, length of time that the patient has occupied the patient room <NUM> prior to disinfection, and various other factors. The more severe the medical condition and the longer the patient has occupied the patient room <NUM> prior to UV light activation, the longer the disinfection time that the UV light control engine <NUM> may determine. Various weights may be applied to each factor in the disinfection time determination, which may be configurable based on UV disinfection goals (e.g., healthcare associated infections reduction, UV light costs, efficiency, patient traffic, etc.).

As one example, the UV light control engine <NUM> may determine a disinfection time for the patient room <NUM> based on a severity of the medical condition of the patient and a length of an occupied time period in an occupancy schedule (e.g., the patient treatment schedule <NUM>) in which the patient occupies the patient room <NUM>. The UV light control engine <NUM> may further identify an unoccupied time period in the occupancy schedule in which the patient does not occupy the patient room and activate the UV light <NUM> to disinfect the patient room <NUM> during the unoccupied time period responsive to a determination that a length of the unoccupied time period exceeds the determined disinfection time. When the determined disinfection time exceeds (i.e., is longer than) the unoccupied time for the patient room <NUM>, the UV light control engine <NUM> may operate the UV light <NUM> with increased intensity or, alternatively, determine not to activate the UV light <NUM> at all (e.g., as a determination that the unoccupied time period is too short to effectively disinfect the patient room <NUM> and UV light activation would result in inefficient resource consumption).

When the UV light control engine <NUM> identifies a determined disinfection time is shorter than an unoccupied time period, the UV light control engine <NUM> may operate the UV light <NUM> in various ways. In some instances, the UV light control engine <NUM> may activate the UV light <NUM> for a length of time equal to the determined disinfection time, and deactivate the UV light <NUM> afterwards. Doing so may reduce resource consumption by turning off the UV light <NUM> after effective UV light disinfection has been achieved. In other instances, the UV light control engine <NUM> may reduce a light intensity of the UV light <NUM> to reduce energy consumption during the unoccupied time period of the patient room <NUM> such that the UV light <NUM> is nonetheless effective to disinfect the patient room for the length of the unoccupied time period based on the medical condition of the patient. Other calibration or activation options are possible as well. Such control of the UV light <NUM> may be effectuated by the UV light control engine <NUM> through the control instructions <NUM> generated and sent to the UV light controller <NUM>.

Thus, the UV light control engine <NUM> may adapt operation of the UV light <NUM> to account various disinfection environment and patient-based factors. While some examples are described herein, the UV light control engine <NUM> may account for any number of additional or alternative factors in controlling the activation, deactivation, disinfection duration, and UV intensity of the UV light <NUM> in disinfecting the patient room <NUM>.

<FIG> shows an example of UV light control and room access control by a building automation system <NUM>. As another feature of UV light control, the building automation system <NUM> may limit access to a disinfection environment undergoing UV light disinfection. In <FIG>, the UV light control engine <NUM> may interface with the hospital access systems to control access to the patient room <NUM> during UV light operation to reduce or prevent inadvertent exposure to the UV light <NUM> when activated.

In particular, the hospital <NUM> shown in <FIG> includes a physical access control system <NUM>. The physical access control system <NUM> may be any system, logic, hardware, or physical elements that control access to building spaces within the hospital <NUM>. As such, the physical access control system <NUM> may support room lockdowns, gated entries, badge security, or support other access control mechanisms in the hospital <NUM>. For the patient room <NUM>, the physical access control system <NUM> may have access limitation capabilities to lock or unlock the door <NUM> of the patient room <NUM>.

The UV light control engine <NUM> may limit access to the patient room <NUM> upon activation of the UV light <NUM>. Prior to, concurrent with, or directly subsequent to activation of the UV light <NUM>, the UV light control engine <NUM> may cause the physical access control system <NUM> to deny access to the patient room <NUM>, doing so to prevent human exposure to UV light. In some examples, the UV light control engine <NUM> may send a lock request <NUM> to a physical access control system <NUM> to lock the door <NUM> of the patient room <NUM> when the UV light <NUM> is active to disinfect the patient room. In some instances, the UV light control engine <NUM> sends a one-sided lock request to the physical access control system <NUM> to deny exterior entry to the patient room <NUM> but allowing interior exiting from the patient room <NUM>. Responsive to such a request, the physical access control system <NUM> may lock the door <NUM> from outside access but allow for exiting of the patient room <NUM> through the door <NUM>, e.g., in case the patient or another person is located within the patient room <NUM> upon activation of the UV light <NUM>.

In some instances, the UV light control engine <NUM> may issue an alarm warning prior to activation of the UV light <NUM>. The alarm warning may cause an acoustic or visual warning to be issued in the patient room <NUM> prior to activation of the UV light <NUM>, e.g., via an alarm system or sound system of the hospital <NUM>. Upon deactivation of the UV light <NUM>, the UV light control engine <NUM> may send an unlock request to the physical access control system <NUM>. In some instances, the UV light control engine <NUM> sends the unlock request after a threshold amount of time has elapsed since deactivation of the UV light <NUM>, providing another measure of safety. Accordingly, the building automation system <NUM> may provide various safety features to reduce or prevent human exposure to the UV light <NUM> during active UV disinfection periods. The building automation system <NUM> may do so in combination with intelligent control of the UV light <NUM> (e.g., as effectuated through control instructions <NUM>) to disinfect various disinfection environments).

<FIG> shows an example of logic <NUM> that a system may implement to support control of UV lights to disinfect patient rooms. For example, the building automation system <NUM> may implement the logic <NUM> as hardware, executable instructions stored on a machine-readable medium, or as a combination of both. The building automation system <NUM> may implement the logic <NUM> through the disinfection environment tracking engine <NUM> and the UV light control engine <NUM>, through which the building automation system <NUM> may perform or execute the logic <NUM> as a method to control UV lights for room disinfection. The following description of the logic <NUM> is provided using the disinfection environment tracking engine <NUM> and the UV light control engine <NUM> as examples. However, various other implementation options by the building automation system <NUM> are possible.

In implementing the logic <NUM>, the disinfection environment tracking engine <NUM> may access disinfection environment data (<NUM>). The disinfection environment data may include any data relevant to a disinfection environment, whether it be a patient room or other space, as well as any other data that may impact UV light disinfection, such as medical data, occupancy time periods, and the like. For example, in accessing the access disinfection environment data, the disinfection environment tracking engine <NUM> may access patient room data of a patient (<NUM>), access medical data of the patient (<NUM>), and access real-time location data of the patient (<NUM>). In implementing the logic <NUM>, the UV light control engine <NUM> may control operation of a UV light to disinfect a disinfection environment based on the accessed in disinfection environment data (<NUM>).

<FIG> shows an example of a system that supports control of UV lights to disinfect patient rooms or other disinfection environments. The system <NUM> may include a processor <NUM>, which may take the form of a single or multiple processors. The processor(s) <NUM> may include a central processing unit (CPU), microprocessor, or any hardware device suitable for executing instructions stored on a machine-readable medium. The system <NUM> may include a machine-readable medium <NUM>. The machine-readable medium <NUM> may take the form of any non-transitory electronic, magnetic, optical, or other physical storage device that stores executable instructions, such as the disinfection environment tracking instructions <NUM> and the UV light control instructions <NUM> shown in <FIG>. As such, the machine-readable medium <NUM> may be, for example, Random Access Memory (RAM) such as a dynamic RAM (DRAM), flash memory, spin-transfer torque memory, an Electrically-Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), a storage drive, an optical disk, and the like.

The system <NUM> may execute instructions stored on the machine-readable medium <NUM> through the processor <NUM>. Executing the instructions may cause the system <NUM> (e.g., a building automation system) to perform any of the UV light control features described herein, including according to any of the features with respect to the building automation system <NUM>, the disinfection environment tracking engine <NUM>, the UV light control engine <NUM>, or combinations thereof. For example, execution of the disinfection environment tracking instructions <NUM> by the processor <NUM> may cause the system <NUM> to access patient room data indicative of a state of a patient room of a patient, the patient room data including an occupancy schedule for the patient room that indicates an unoccupied time period during which the patient does not occupy the room and access medical data of the patient, the medical data of the patient specifying a medical condition of the patient.

Execution of the UV light control instructions <NUM> by the processor <NUM> may cause the system <NUM> to control operation of UV light to disinfect the patient room based on the patient room data and the medical condition of the data, including by calibrating the UV light to account for a length of the unoccupied time period and a severity of the medical condition of the patient.

The systems, methods, devices, and logic described above, including the building automation system <NUM>, the disinfection environment tracking engine <NUM>, and the UV light control engine <NUM>, may be implemented in many different ways in many different combinations of hardware, logic, circuitry, and executable instructions stored on a machine-readable medium. For example, the building automation system <NUM>, the disinfection environment tracking engine <NUM>, the UV light control engine <NUM>, or combinations thereof, may include circuitry in a controller, a microprocessor, or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or may be implemented with discrete logic or components, or a combination of other types of analog or digital circuitry, combined on a single integrated circuit or distributed among multiple integrated circuits. A product, such as a computer program product, may include a storage medium and machine readable instructions stored on the medium, which when executed in an endpoint, computer system, or other device, cause the device to perform operations according to any of the description above, including according to any features of the building automation system <NUM>, the disinfection environment tracking engine <NUM>, the UV light control engine <NUM>, or combinations thereof.

The processing capability of the systems, devices, and engines described herein, including the building automation system <NUM>, the disinfection environment tracking engine <NUM>, and the UV light control engine <NUM>, may be distributed among multiple system components, such as among multiple processors and memories, optionally including multiple distributed processing systems or cloud/network elements. Parameters, databases, and other data structures may be separately stored and managed, may be incorporated into a single memory or database, may be logically and physically organized in many different ways, and may implemented in many ways, including data structures such as linked lists, hash tables, or implicit storage mechanisms. Programs may be parts (e.g., subroutines) of a single program, separate programs, distributed across several memories and processors, or implemented in many different ways, such as in a library (e.g., a shared library).

Claim 1:
A system (<NUM>), comprising:
a disinfection environment tracking engine (<NUM>) configured to:
access patient room data indicative of a state of a patient room (<NUM>) of a patient;
access medical data of the patient, the medical data of the patient specifying a medical condition of the patient; and
access real-time location data of the patient; and
an ultra-violet (UV) light control engine (<NUM>) configured to control operation of a UV light (<NUM>) to disinfect the patient room (<NUM>) based on the patient room data, the medical data of the patient, and the real-time location data of the patient,
wherein the UV light control engine (<NUM>) is further configured to control the operation of the UV light (<NUM>) by:
activating the UV light (<NUM>) during the unoccupied time period responsive to a determination from the real-time location data that the patient is more than a threshold distance from the patient room (<NUM>); and
deactivating the UV light (<NUM>) during the unoccupied time period responsive to a determination from the real-time location data that the patient is less than a threshold distance from the patient room (<NUM>).