Electrochromic + Anti-Fog Personal-Protective Eyewear (PPE) Based on Unique, Very Low Power, Conductive Coatings and Leveraging Unique, ANSI Z87.1-/military-Qualified Electrochromic Eyewear Technology

Details

• Personal Author:
  Chandrasekhar P
• Description:
  This project sought to address the need for Personal Protective Eyewear (PPE) technologies in high risk industrial sectors such as manufacturing, mining, construction, environmental remediation and warehousing relating to the worker transitioning from very bright to dark areas, with fogging of protective eyewear exacerbating the situation. Per recent OSHA statistics, the number of fatal accidents potentially caused by light/dark (L/D) plus fogging issues may be up to 30% of the total (3.2/100,000 workers, 2012), with non-fatal accidents having a similar proportion. In Ebola work, frequently in hot, humid, sunny environments, the suit wearer critically needs automated, hands-free L/D and antifogging control. Current PPE technologies for L/D control, e.g. photochromics, clip-on sunshades/-extra sunglasses, are inadequate. Similarly, PPE antifogging technologies, e.g. superhydrophilic/-oleophobic coatings, or double-pane polycarbonate, are also grossly inadequate, with the US Army Public Health Command even specifically prohibiting these. Now in very recent work prior to this Phase I project, this firm developed and patented a new, automated-function electrochromics technology, based on unique, matched-dual-polymer conducting polymer electrochromics (which change color with small, e.g. 5 VDC, applied voltage). This overcame drawbacks that heretofore prevented practical, commercial electrochromic eyewear. Fully functional, automated-operation electrochromic spectacles and goggles conforming to ANSI Z87.1-2010 and US military specifications were demonstrated. In separate, preliminary work, this firm also developed a new, unique, active anti-fogging technology, based on mild heating of specially designed, transparent, conductive electrodes; this direct defogging approach overcame the poor performance of indirect approaches such as superhydrophobic coatings. The present Phase I project sought to combine these two unique technologies to yield PPE with combined L/D control plus anti-fogging capabilities. The achievements of the present project can be briefly summarized as follows: (1) All objectives of the original Phase I project eminently achieved, and in many cases exceeded. (2) Fully functional, automated (photosensor-activated), PPE (spectacles as well as goggles) with combined (electrochromic + defogging) function developed, fabricated tested. (3) These showed 5 to 6 seconds defogging times. (4) These prototypes used two types of conductive films, selected from seven evaluated in detail. (5) This firm's existing electrochromics Microcontroller was modified to accommodate electronics for driving the defog function. (6) Several humidity sensors were evaluated for automated function of the defog capability based on internal/external humidity parameters, and two selected for further use in potential Phase II work. Meanwhile, a simple On/Off operation of the defog function was demonstrated in the Phase I prototypes. (7) A refined CAD design was completed for the fully functional, automated (photosensor-activated), PPE spectacles with combined (electrochromic + defogging) function, to be used for pilot-plant manufacture in potential Phase II work. (8) Semi-automated and automated instrumentation was designed and developed for the key electrochemical polymerization ("electroplating") and processing steps for medium-scale manufacture of the PPE. (9) A clear pathway was demonstrated for potential Phase II work that would lead directly to a semi-automated, demonstration pilot plant for inexpensive manufacture of 1,000 PPE pieces per month (12,000 per year) with estimated cost of < $60 per PPE piece. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Eye Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Protective Clothing Safety Sense Organs
• Keywords:
  Equipment Design Equipment Testing Eye Protection Eye Protective Equipment Eye Safety Personal Protective Equipment PPE
• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Final Grant Report
• Place as Subject:
  New Jersey ; OSHA Region 2
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-33
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20053538
• Citation:
  Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, R43-OH-010799, 2016 Jul; :1-33
• Contact Point Address:
  Prasanna Chandrasekhar, Ph.D., Ashwin-Ushas Corporation, 9 Red Coach Ln, Holmdel, NJ 07733
• Email:
  chandra.p2@ashwin-ushas.com
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2016
• Performing Organization:
  Ashwin-Ushas Corporation, Inc., Holmdel, New Jersey
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20150930
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20160731
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2490723d5c3e558fbaa83e24ab2cf8266a01eb77bdf34646fd8e3bc5022daf9a2a0f1121b9c550790734f02526675d7323c53d0881bf599b6fa9c7a4588bc24f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/218768/cdc_218768_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.27 MB ]