KR20110018021A - Heterogeneous light irradiation portable skin treatment device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses a portable skin treatment device capable of heat treatment while irradiating light of different colors. In addition, the device of the present invention can also fuse ultrasound or low frequency therapy together.

The skin treatment apparatus of the present invention comprises a functional part for performing a first treatment selected from any one of heat, ultrasound, low frequency, and iontophoresis into the skin, and a heterogeneous parallel or sequentially with the first treatment. A light source for irradiating light, an input / output unit installed on an outer circumferential surface of the device housing for transmitting a control command or displaying an operating state, a control unit for controlling the operation of the device, a power supply unit, and an operation mechanism by the action unit in contact with the skin It characterized in that it comprises a tip for skin contact to deliver.

Description

Heterogeneous light irradiation portable skin treatment device {A PORTABLE SKIN TREATMENT DEVICES IRRADIATING DIFFERENT LIGHTS}

The present invention relates to a skin treatment device for the purpose of treating sebaceous gland diseases such as acne, skin itching, skin whitening, and the like, and more particularly, to a portable device.

Techniques for treating skin inflammation, itching and other skin disorders by applying a predetermined temperature to the skin are known. A representative example is US 2001/0008974, "Method and apparatus for treatment of skin itch and disease." It is said that the treatment effect by applying heat of 49 ~ 62 ℃ to the skin disease area. Moreover, this prior art proposes a portable device equipped with a battery.

Unlike specialized treatment devices used in dermatology clinics, the internally mounted, battery-powered portable devices are generally inexpensive, thus expanding the range of consumers who use them. Moreover, since it is portable, it is not limited in place and time, and there is an advantage that it can be used more freely. Thus, if special medication or precise treatment is not required, such portable therapeutic devices will be particularly useful for minor patients.

For example, sebaceous gland diseases such as acne, which occur frequently in adolescents, are diseases that occur very often in everyday life. If symptoms are severe, the patient should be treated in a hospital. But if your symptoms aren't severe and you don't have to go to the hospital, it's best if you can treat yourself right where you want.

However, because it is a portable device used by the patient himself, it is difficult to say that the therapeutic effect is superior to the treatment in the hospital. There are limitations such as power issues in portable therapy devices, limitations on time of use, and incompatibility with specialized treatment methods. Because of this, countless efforts have been made in the field of portable therapeutic devices to further enhance the therapeutic effect. That is, efforts are being made to further improve the performance of portable devices aimed at achieving a therapeutic effect by applying heat.

On the other hand, when a specialist treats a patient using a treatment device, the patient is usually not interested in whether or not the patient is currently being treated. It is natural that they are being treated because they have come to the hospital. However, if you want to treat yourself using a portable therapeutic device, you want to know if it is currently being treated properly during the operation of the portable therapeutic device. However, in the case of the treatment method using heat shock, it is difficult for the user to easily confirm the fact. Since the means of treatment in the heat shock technique depends only on heat of a certain temperature and a time variable to apply heat, the heat felt by the user is the preheating of the heat applied by the device for the treatment operation, the heat applied during the operation, and after the end of the operation. It is difficult to easily identify which of the remaining heat.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel portable skin treatment device for the treatment of sebaceous gland diseases such as acne, for the treatment of itching or for enhancing skin whitening or skin elasticity, and for promoting the activity of skin myofibroblasts.

An object of the present invention is to provide a more excellent therapeutic effect by irradiating light of various wavelength ranges as well as output mechanisms such as heat, ultrasound, low frequency, ion introduction, etc. to the skin portion. That is, the treatment phase of the present invention can be divided into treatment by the first treatment of any one or more of heat, ultrasound, low frequency, ion implantation and treatment by light, and the present invention is fused by We want to double the therapeutic effect. A therapeutic effect is defined herein to include a cosmetic effect.

Another object of the present invention is to ensure the visibility of the treatment. Because the device is operated by the patient and not by the expert, the user has a desire to check on his own whether the device is currently being treated or is operating properly. The present invention seeks to fully satisfy these user's needs. And this purpose is meant as a novel and progressive product by a novel technique that combines two therapeutic methods.

On the other hand, other unspecified objects of the present invention will be further considered within the range that can be easily inferred from the following detailed description and effects.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention, the action unit for performing a first treatment selected from any one or more of heat, ultrasound, low frequency, iontophoresis into the skin;

A light source for irradiating different kinds of light in parallel or sequentially with the first treatment;

An input / output unit installed on an outer circumferential surface of the device housing to transmit a control command or display an operation state;

A control unit for controlling the operation of the apparatus;

Power supply; And

It is characterized in that it comprises a skin contact tip for transmitting the action mechanism by the action in contact with the skin.

It is preferable that the said light source of this invention is LED which selectively emits blue and red.

In addition, the light source is an LED having an RGB color, and may be to selectively irradiate blue, red, white light to the skin.

The light source is also preferably attached to the edge surface of the tip end of the printed circuit board on which the circuit elements are mounted.

In addition, the tip is made of a cylindrical having an empty space inside,

The light source is located in the inner space of the tip,

The inner space of the light source and the tip is preferably filled with a filler.

In addition, a light irradiation hole may be provided at the center of the tip of the present invention.

By the above problem solving means, the present invention is an excellent advantage that can achieve anytime, anywhere, treatment effect of sebaceous gland diseases such as acne, itching or skin whitening or skin elasticity, and enhance the activity of skin myofibroblast cells There is this.

In addition, the present invention can provide a more excellent therapeutic effect by selectively irradiating not only the output mechanism of heat, ultrasound, low frequency, ion introduction, etc., but also light of various wavelength ranges.

In addition, the treatment of invisible heat, ultrasound, low frequency, ion implantation, etc., together with the visible light therapy, the user can easily check the operation of the device by yourself, and improve the treatment experience It offers excellent advantages.

Although effects not specifically mentioned in the specification of the present invention, it is added that the potential effects expected by the technical features of the present invention are treated as described in the specification of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described specific details for the practice of the invention. In the following description of the present invention, when it is determined that the subject matter of the present invention may be unnecessarily obscured as matters obvious to those skilled in the art, such as related well-known functions, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

1 and 2 are diagrams showing examples of the external structure of the portable skin treatment device 100 of the present invention. The housing of the portable skin treatment apparatus 100 may be formed in a hollow cylindrical shape of a size that is easy to carry by a user and easy to grip by hand. Input buttons 50 and 51, which are user interfaces, and one or more display lamps 20 and 30 may be formed on the outer circumferential surface of the housing. By using the lamps which emit the two display lamps 20 and 30 in different colors, for example, green and blue colors, it is preferable to allow the user to easily distinguish various treatments according to the present invention. You can use LEDs with these lamps.

The skin end of the housing is formed with a tip 10 that contacts the user's skin, a tip fixing portion 14 for fixing the tip 10 to the housing, a cap (not shown) and a screw protecting the tip 10. Cap coupling portion 16 can be formed in such a manner. The coupling between the cap coupling portion 16 and the cap is not necessarily rotated by screw coupling, but may be coupled by sliding the surface of the cap coupling portion in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the cap. On the other hand, since the tip 10 is attached to one end of the internal printed circuit board, the tip 10 is fixed to the housing through the fixing part 14 and the internal printed circuit board can also be fixed together inside the housing. have.

The length of the housing of the skin treatment apparatus 100 is preferably about 60 to 80 mm, and the diameter is about 22 to 26 mm. However, the size of the skin treatment device 100 may be modified depending on the configuration of the working part embedded therein. In addition, the size of the housing may vary depending on the type of battery used, for example, a secondary battery such as a lithium polymer battery or a primary battery such as an AAA or AA standard alkaline battery. Furthermore, the size may vary depending on the design element. However, a size that is portable and easy for a user to grip is desirable.

 The user grips the outer circumferential surface of the housing to use the device 100 of the present invention. In this case, the conductive hand electrode part 80 may be formed at a portion where the hand is held. This hand electrode unit 80 is not related to thermal treatments or light irradiation treatments, but is essential in carrying out ion implantation treatments or low frequency treatments that apply electrical stimulation. The hand electrode part 80 visible to the outside of the housing is made of a metal member. In the housing, a cable connected to the hand electrode part 80 is electrically connected to the internal circuit, and during the iontophoretic treatment, Conduct with the electrode. The material of the other housing is preferably ABS resin which is easy to process and has good impact resistance and heat resistance.

Since the tip 10 transfers heat to the skin, it is preferable that the tip 10 is made of a component having good thermal conductivity. In addition, since the tip 10 must form a conductive electrode, a metal material is preferable. The tip 10 may be made of gold, silver, aluminum, stainless, tungsten, copper, zinc, or an optional alloy thereof. In consideration of economics and thermal conductivity, it is preferable that the tip 10 be 5 mm thick aluminum. In addition, the conductive electrode may be made of zinc or zinc alloy to enhance the purpose of treating sebaceous gland diseases in iontophoresis treatment. Sebum when the drug ion is a zinc (+) ion during iontophoresis treatment, and an iontophoretic agent is applied to the skin topically with an active agent such as an acne treatment (eg salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, retinoic acid and / or retinol). It can reduce the secretion of the acne and improve the effect of treating acne.

On the other hand, in the case where only the skin whitening effect is intended, the vitamin C composition may be applied to the skin and negative (−) ions may be introduced. The active substance used in the latter iontophoresis is any one of arbutin, vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and vitamin C derivatives MAP (magnesium ascorbyl phosphate) and AA-2G (ascorbyl acid-e glucoside). It may contain the above.

As shown in FIG. 2, a charging port 40 capable of charging an internal battery may be installed at an end opposite to the skin of the housing. The charging port 40 can be charged by plugging the charging jacks 61 and 71 of the chargers 60 and 70 separately provided. As shown in FIG. 3 (a), the charger 60 may be an adapter that plugs into a commercial power source of 100 to 240 V and outputs 5 V to supply a charging voltage to the treatment apparatus 100. In addition, as shown in Figure 3 (b), the charger 70 may be made of a USB cable for charging using the USB voltage of the computer. As shown in FIG. 3 (c), the charging jacks 61 and 71 of the chargers 60 and 70 are inserted into the charging port 40 of the treatment apparatus 100 to be charged.

The power of the charger (60, 70) is to charge the battery through the internal charging circuit, at this time, the microcomputer control unit may display the state of charge to the user by using the two display lamps (20, 30). For example, when charging starts, the green lamp 20 may be turned on, and when charging is completed, the blue lamp 30 may be turned on.

4 shows an enlarged configuration of the upper part of the housing of the apparatus 100 of the present invention, ie the skin end. First, a portion of the cap engaging portion 16 wound around the cap engaging portion 16 by oblique line is a screw thread for engaging with the cap. When the skin contacts the surface 12 of the skin contact tip 10 protruding from the fixing portion 14, the heat of the heated tip 10 is transmitted to the skin. Tip 10 is made of a hollow cylindrical shape inside, the light source (not shown) may be located inside. A light irradiation hole 13 may be provided at the central portion of the surface 12 of the tip 10. Light of the emitted light source may be irradiated out of the surface 12 of the tip 10 through the light irradiation hole 13.

The light source is located inside the treatment unit housing, but considering that the visible light transmission distance of the LED embedded as the light source is only a few centimeters, the interior of the tip 10, i. It is preferable to comprise at the position closest to). However, in the case of a laser pointer capable of transmitting visible light at a greater distance, it is also possible to form a long light irradiation conduit inside the housing and to position the laser light source further inside.

5 shows in more detail the internal configuration, light and heat of the skin contact tip 10 of the device 100 of the present invention. Although the internal circuit elements are mounted on the substantially square printed circuit board 250 embedded in the housing, the drawings are omitted for convenience of description. The tip 10 side end portion of the printed circuit board 250 may be formed to reduce its width in a stepwise manner. A heater 121 made of a resistor may be positioned in the front portion 251 of the printed circuit board 250. In addition, the predetermined temperature sensor and the heating control circuit may be adjacent to each other. The frontmost portion 252 of the printed circuit board 250 may be inserted into the tip 10.

 Attaching the light source 127 to the edge surface 253 of the front end of the portion 252 inserted into the tip 10 allows the light source 127 to be closest to the surface 12 of the tip 10. . Thus, by attaching the LED light source 127 to the edge surface 253 of the front end of the printed circuit board so that the light irradiation direction of the LED light source and the user contact direction of the tip 10 coincide with each other, the efficiency of light irradiation treatment Can promote it.

Meanwhile, although not shown in FIG. 5, a conductive contact terminal is formed on an inner wall of the conductive skin contact tip 10, and a cable connected to the contact terminal is electrically connected to an internal circuit formed on a printed circuit board. Is connected.

In addition, since the inside of the tip 10 is empty, when inserting the end 252 of the printed circuit board into it, it is necessary to ensure that the end 252 is fixed inside the tip 10. Moreover, if the interior is empty and filled with air in the space, the thermal conductivity can be severely degraded. At this time, in order to fix the end 252 while maintaining the performance of the heat of the heater 121 is conducted to the tip 10, the thermally conductive filler 19 may be filled into the space in the tip 10. The thermally conductive filler 19 is preferably a thermally conductive silicone member, and a hot melt, a thermally conductive epoxy resin, or the like may be used.

Figure 6 shows the internal circuit configuration of the treatment device of an embodiment of the present invention. The internal circuit of the treatment apparatus 100 can be largely divided into five parts. The five parts are the control unit 110, the input unit 130, the operation unit 120, the display unit 140, and the power supply unit 150. The controller 110 controls the overall operation, and the input unit 130 transmits an input command for controlling the operation of the controller 110. The input unit 130 is control buttons 50 and 51 installed in the treatment apparatus 100 housing. The input command can be transmitted by the operation of a plurality of physically divided buttons, and as a control button, the input signal can be interpreted according to the time when it is pressed and programmed to transmit different commands.

Preferably, two control buttons are provided, one control button 50 instructs power supply and execution of the first treatment, and the other control button 51 is in a different mechanism than the first treatment. The execution of the second treatment to be executed may be instructed.

The action unit 120 may have an execution unit that exhibits different mechanisms of action for the user's skin. The action unit 120 may sequentially or selectively perform one or more of thermal treatments, iontophoretic treatments, low frequency treatments, and ultrasonic treatments. At this time, the light irradiation treatment can be performed in parallel. The light irradiation treatment can be performed by controlling the on and off of the light source 127 at the position closest to the tip.

< Of the working part 120  Heat treatment Mention >

The heat treatment heats the heater 121, which is a predetermined resistor, and the heater controller 123 controls the heating state of the heater 121, while using the detected value of the temperature sensor 125, the microcomputer control unit 111. ) Is achieved by controlling the heater controller 123. The heater 121 is adjacent to the thermally conductive tip 10 inside the housing, and the tip 10 is also heated together as the heater 121 is heated. The heating time until the temperature of the tip 10 reaches the set temperature is about 50 seconds to 90 seconds.

The thermal treatment may be performed by heating the resistor heater 121 to a temperature of the tip in the range of 47.2 to 49.4 ° C. and bringing the tip into contact with the skin. The heating system maintains the temperature of the heater 121 within the set temperature range and can be controlled by the heater control circuit 123 and the temperature sensor 125 made of thermistor chips. The operating temperature of the treatment device 100 in the heat treatment was set to 47.2 ~ 49.4 ℃. The heater was preheated to the set temperature. The time taken to reach 47.2 ° C. took about 65 seconds. Then, the heated heat was applied to the skin for 2 minutes and 30 seconds, and the temperature of the heater was controlled so that the output temperature range was maintained at 47.2 ~ 49.4 ° C.

The thermal treatment of the present invention is preferably applied to the skin in parallel with the light irradiation treatment, as shown in FIG.

< Of the working part 120  Ion introduction treatment >

The iontophoretic treatment is performed by the ion generator 129 of the acting portion 120. For this purpose, the hand electrode terminal and the tip electrode terminal must be electrically connected to the ion generator 129. The ion generator 129 may generate a potential difference of the conductive circuit, and may include a means for adjusting the potential difference and the current applied to the skin and for switching the polarity.

In the ion implantation treatment, a potential difference is formed between the hand electrode unit 80 and the conductive electrode of the tip 10, thereby allowing ion introduction into the portion where the tip 10 contacts. The two conductive electrodes are a positive electrode and a negative electrode, and both polarities can be switched by the purpose of iontophoresis. In order to improve the skin whitening effect, the conductive tip 10 electrode may be a negative electrode and the chemical composition to be introduced into the skin may be vitamin C, as shown in FIG. 8 (b).

In addition, in order to further enhance the acne treatment effect, it is also possible to make the conductive tip 10 electrode a (+) electrode and apply ions to the skin by applying the acne treatment composition to the skin. This is as shown in Fig. 8 (a). In order to perform the iontophoretic treatment, the user's hand should hold the hand electrode unit 80. In this case, it is preferable that the control button 51 is input.

< Of the working part 120  ultrasonic wave treatment >

The ultrasonic treatment may be performed by ultrasonic oscillation by the ultrasonic oscillation circuit 126 of the acting portion 120. The resonance frequency preset by the microcomputer control unit 111 is output and transmitted to the ultrasonic wave oscillation circuit 126. The ultrasonic oscillator circuit 126 boosts the voltage of the power supply unit to approximately 7 to 8V by a DC / DC converter, boosts it again by a transformer, and physically vibrates the ultrasonic vibrator through the boosted AC component. In order to perform the ultrasonic treatment, a diaphragm must be provided inside the housing, and the diaphragm may be physically connected to the tip for contacting the skin to transmit ultrasonic waves. For ultrasonic treatment, an oscillating element, a boosting element, an oscillator, and an element for transmitting ultrasonic vibrations to the tip must be included in the housing. Although the configuration of such an ultrasonic treatment is not shown in the drawings, the specific elements thereof are known in the field of skin beauty.

< Of the working part 120  Low frequency treatment >

Low frequency treatments apply electrical stimulation to the skin. It can be executed by generating a low frequency pulse in the low frequency generator 128 of the acting portion 120. The low frequency generator may boost the DC voltage of the battery to a predetermined range and apply electrical stimulation to the skin through a circuit connected between the hand electrode unit 80 and the electrode by the tip 10.

The first treatment of the present invention may be selected from one or more of the four treatments of the acting portion 120 as described above. To this end, an internal circuit may include a switching circuit. In addition, the controller controls the mechanism of action of the action part 120. The display unit 140 displays the state of the action unit and the operation state of the power unit to the user. The green lamp 20 and the blue lamp 30 described above may configure the LED of the display unit 140, and the buzzer may generate a buzzer sound. The power supply unit 150 supplies power to a circuit element, a charging circuit unit 151 for charging an external power supply 80 through a charger (not shown), and a lithium polymer battery 152 charged through the charging circuit unit 151. It may include a power control unit 153 for controlling the power on and off.

The control of the control unit 110 is performed through the MCU 111 chip in which firmware is embedded, and performs input / output control, display unit control, and operation unit operation control. In addition, when a predetermined time set by the timer circuit 112 elapses, the power is automatically cut off. For example, when the action time of the action portion is set to 2 minutes 30 seconds, the power supply is cut off at 2 minutes 30 seconds by counting when the heating is completed.

< Of the working part 120  Light irradiation treatment >

The light irradiation treatment irradiates the skin with the light source 127. Preferably, the light source is a red LED or a blue LED. In another embodiment, the white LED can be illuminated.

Skin treatment effects can be achieved by applying blue light of a blue LED having a wavelength in the range of approximately 400-480 nm to the skin. Red light of a red LED having a wavelength in the range of approximately 600 to 660 nm may be applied to the skin to achieve a skin treatment effect. Red light activates young fibroblasts that produce mitochondria and collagen in the cells, and is known to be effective in giving skin elasticity and improving fine lines and pores. In addition, by adjusting the output amount of light of the RGB LED to emit white light, it is possible to include the wavelength of the blue light and the wavelength of the red light at the same time. In this case, the wavelength of white light may include a wavelength of blue light of 400 nm band, a wavelength of red light of 600 nm band and a wavelength of green light of 500 nm band.

On the other hand, when the light irradiation treatment and the heat treatment in parallel, a high-brightness blue LED having an approximately 470 nm single wavelength can be used as the light source. The blue light is best absorbed by porphylin, a metabolite of inflammatory acne P-Acne, to generate free radicals, and the free radicals generated to destroy P-Acne promote the treatment effect.

In addition, when a light irradiation treatment and an iontophoretic treatment are performed together, red light can be irradiated to skin using a red LED as a light source. In this way, during the thermal treatment and the iontophoretic treatment, the light irradiation is performed together, but the irradiated light is separated into the blue light and the red light, respectively, so that the sebaceous gland treatment effect can be enhanced and the user can be displayed more efficiently. have.

To this end, it is possible to use LEDs that selectively emit blue or red light. The controller selectively controls which color of light to emit light. For example, the control unit is configured to emit blue light when the thermal treatment is performed, and to emit red light when the ion implantation treatment is performed.

In addition, RGB LEDs that can emit light in three colors, blue, green and red, can be used. In the case of the RGB LED, the control unit may control to selectively emit blue or red, and when it is desired to emit white light, the control unit may emit white light by controlling the amount of light emitted by each color. In addition, blue or red light may be irradiated at the time of treatment, other light (for example, green light) may be turned off, or may be instantaneously irradiated when the power button is first input and used for signal display.

On the other hand, the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited by the embodiments explicitly described above. Further, it should be noted that the protection scope of the present invention may not be limited due to obvious changes or substitutions in the technical field to which the present invention belongs.

1 and 2 are perspective views showing an example of the outer housing of the portable skin disease treatment device 100 of the present invention.

3 is a view showing the structure and the state of charge of the charger of the treatment device 100 of the present invention.

4 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating an example of a configuration of an active part having a skin contact tip 10 of the treatment apparatus 100 of the present invention.

5 is a view illustrating a fixed state of the printed circuit board 250 and the tip 10 therein.

6 is a view schematically showing the internal circuit configuration of the treatment device 100 of the present invention.

7 is a state diagram used in the treatment device 100 in one embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a state diagram used in the treatment apparatus 100 in another embodiment of the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

10 skin tip 13 light irradiation hole

14 tip fixing portion 16 cap coupling portion

19: tip filling 20, 30: indicator lamp

50, 51: control button 80: hand electrode

100: treatment unit 110: control unit

120: action part 130: input device

121: heater 123: heater controller

125: temperature sensor 127: light source

126: ultrasonic wave generator 128: low frequency generator

129 ion generator

140: display unit 150: power supply unit

250: printed circuit board 253: front edge of the printed circuit board

The accompanying drawings show that they are illustrated as a reference for understanding the technical idea of the present invention, by which the scope of the present invention is not limited.

Claims (6)

An action unit for performing a first treatment selected from any one of heat, ultrasound, low frequency and iontophoresis into the skin; A light source for irradiating different kinds of light in parallel or sequentially with the first treatment; An input / output unit installed on an outer circumferential surface of the device housing to transmit a control command or display an operation state; A control unit for controlling the operation of the apparatus; Power supply; And And a skin contact tip for transmitting the action mechanism by the action part to the skin. The method of claim 1, The light source is a portable skin treatment device, the LED selectively emitting blue and red. The method of claim 1, The light source is an LED having an RGB color, and is characterized in that the skin, blue, red, white light selectively irradiated to the skin, portable skin treatment device. The method of claim 1, And the light source is attached to an edge surface of the tip end of the printed circuit board on which the circuit elements are mounted. The method of claim 1, The tip is made of a cylindrical shape having an empty space inside, The light source is located in the inner space of the tip, Portable skin treatment device is filled by the filling in the inner space of the light source and the tip. The method of claim 1, Portable skin treatment device is provided with a light irradiation hole in the center of the tip.

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