BonaCaeli AirVSAFE 2000

The fastest way to deactivate indoor airborne viruses.

Client

BPP-TECH

Categories

Medical, Industrial

Website

https://bonacaeli.com/

The philosophy of BonaCaeli is that breathing clean air is the key to improving the global economy and improve social well-being. BonaCaeli provides solutions for monitoring air quality and cleaning air with scientifically proven products such as air sanitisers and environmental assessments via video or on site.

The BonaCaeli AirVSAFE 2000 is an air purifier cabinet that eliminates the risk of airborne viruses including COVID-19. The AirVSAFE uses a unique triple air treatment which draws air through a medical grade bio-wash and UV-C lights to deactivate bacteria and viruses. The AirVSAFE also traps pollen and larger particles with a G4 filter.

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The Brief

The client approached GBE with a basic proof-of-concept design, this involved the first iteration of the metalwork and the core electronic components. As such, the design work included a user interface, fault detection electronics and redesign of the internal metalwork to house the components. To ensure that the product is suitable for sale, work was needed to be done to ensure the AirVSAFE complies with relevant regulations and directives such as EN60335, EMC directive and CE mark.

Key Points:

  • Decomposition of initial proof-of-concept cabinet.
  • Generation of key interface documents.
  • Design product to a set end build cost.
  • Ensure the product met all relevant compliance and legislative requirements.
  • Implement Design for Manufacture ‘best practice’ principles to enable a smooth transition to volume manufacturing.
  • Verification of third-party components.

Our Approach

The project came in during a time when lockdown restrictions were being lifted and life was returning to normal. During this time, it was crucial that the project was completed and released within a timely manner as the risk of infection was still present. With the world becoming more health conscious, having a device that would clean the air nearby would give some peace of mind.

One of the more challenging aspects of the electronics design was finding a suitable method to implement an error detection system and display that to the end user. Our approach to this was to etch a prototype current detection PCB in house, providing a wide range of methods to measure current within the unit. Using the current allowed us to determine whether a component had failed, which could then be displayed to the end user.

The product was designed with compliance in mind right from the start. All components within the proof-of-concept were compliant, however there were concerns over certain components producing excessive noise and interfering with test equipment. To verify this, GBE built a benchtop mock-up with the components. This simulated the worst-case scenario with all the components exposed. This was then sent through pre-compliance EMC testing which involved testing for radiated and conducted emissions to check the noise levels emitted from the components. During this time, alternative components were also sourced and EMC tested. If any components were to fail, we would be able to quickly replace them. Thankfully, all components passed EMC testing and the alternative components were kept on file in case stock levels for certain components became low.

The firmware was developed in house at GBE on an ARM microprocessor and written in C, this was implemented as a finite state machine. This allowed a lot of the complex electronics to be condensed into a single microprocessor.

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, there were supply chain issues which would have normally slowed down development. To mitigate this, GBE carefully selected and sourced critical components well in advance. This is thanks to our extensive experience in hard-to-find electronics components – for more information see Sourcing & Distribution.

The Solution

The AirVSAFE 2000 was launched in April 2022 and commercialised under the customer’s BonaCaeli brand.

Features Include:

  • Fault detection with audio and visual cues for end user.
  • Implementation of an ARM based microcontroller.
  • Current detection circuitry using dedicated ICs and transformers.
  • Fast cycling of air at 510m3/hr.
  • Scientifically proven unique BubbleMaze technology, which sanitises drawn in air through a medical grade bio-wash and through UV-C lights.
  • AirVSAFE is shown to reduce viral loads by up to 99.99%.
  • AirVSAFE eliminates a wide range of airborne pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, dust, and pollen.
  • Funded by Innovate UK and approved by government scientists.