KR20190106040A - Joint therapy apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

It is installed in the head housing, including the head portion and the handle extending from the head portion so as to directly affect the activation and proliferation of cartilage cells in the cartilage tissue by applying ultrasonic waves to fundamentally treat joint diseases. Ultrasonic output unit for applying low-power ultrasound to the joint portion, a circuit unit installed inside the housing to control the ultrasonic output unit, an operation unit installed in the housing and connected to the circuit unit to operate the circuit unit, installed in the housing and the circuit unit Provided is a joint treatment device including a display unit connected to display an operation state to the outside, and a power supply unit connected to the circuit unit to supply power.

Description

Joint therapy device {JOINT THERAPY APPARATUS}

The present invention relates to an apparatus for treating joints using ultrasound.

In recent years, the number of patients with joint diseases is increasing rapidly in the aging society. Joints are connected structures so that a plurality of bones can move, such as knees, shoulders, elbows, hips, fingers, toes, neck, spine, and the like. The end of the joint is covered with articular cartilage, and articular cartilage, which is a bone composed of chondrocytes and a large amount of matrix surrounding it, serves to prevent friction of the end.

The articular cartilage is worn and regenerated. If the articular cartilage is damaged due to aging and cartilage is worn out, the underlying bone is also damaged and the bone is abnormally regenerated, causing pain and malformation of the joint. Osteoarthritis).

In addition to aging, many patients suffer from joint diseases due to obesity, dysplasia, trauma, some special occupations, past history of arthritis, and family history (genetic factors).

In general, the treatment of joint disease is heated or massaged, but this treatment is difficult to treat the underlying cause of inflammation. In addition, various instruments for the treatment of joint diseases have been developed, but the conventional structure has a problem that damage to the cartilage rather than use is complicated and inconvenient to use incorrectly.

The present invention provides an apparatus for treating joints, which is capable of directly treating joint diseases by directly affecting activation and proliferation of chondrocytes in cartilage tissue by applying ultrasound.

The structure is simple and easy to use, thereby providing a joint treatment device that allows the user to use the joint more conveniently.

Provided is a joint treatment apparatus that can easily apply ultrasonic waves to various sites regardless of the position or shape of a joint such as a severely curved joint site.

The treatment apparatus of the present embodiment comprises a housing forming an external shape including a head part and a handle extended from the head part, an ultrasonic output part installed on the head part and applying low power ultrasound to a joint part, and installed inside the housing. A circuit unit for controlling an ultrasonic output unit, an operation unit installed in the housing and connected to the circuit unit to manipulate the circuit unit, a display unit installed in the housing and connected to the circuit unit to display an operation state externally, and connected to the circuit unit to supply power It may include a power supply for supplying.

The display unit may include a display unit visually indicating an operating state or an acoustic signal unit acoustically indicating an operating state.

The ultrasonic output unit may include a probe installed in the head unit and in contact with the skin, and an ultrasonic vibration device connected to the circuit unit to receive current to generate ultrasonic waves and apply the ultrasonic wave to the probe.

The head may have a cylindrical shape, and a handle may be extended on an outer circumferential surface thereof, and an ultrasonic generator may be installed at a front surface along an axial direction of the head portion, and a display may be disposed at an opposite rear surface.

The power supply unit may include a secondary battery provided inside the housing and connected to the circuit unit, and a terminal unit connected to the circuit unit and installed in the housing to supply the secondary battery charging current.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the user can easily apply ultrasonic waves to various joint parts with a simpler structure.

By simplifying the structure of the device to reduce the size of the device, there is an advantage that it is easy to store and carry, easy to use and easy to handle.

Ultrasound is applied to directly affect the activation and proliferation of chondrocytes in cartilage tissues, thereby fundamentally treating joint diseases.

1 and 2 are perspective views showing the joint treatment apparatus according to the present embodiment.
3 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the joint treatment apparatus according to the present embodiment.
4 is a schematic diagram showing a circuit configuration of a joint treatment apparatus according to the present embodiment.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art may easily implement the present invention. As those skilled in the art can easily understand, the embodiments described below may be modified in various forms without departing from the concept and scope of the present invention. Where possible, the same or similar parts are represented using the same reference numerals in the drawings.

The terminology used below is merely to refer to specific embodiments, and is not intended to limit the present invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural forms as well, unless the phrases clearly indicate the opposite. As used herein, the term "comprising" embodies a particular characteristic, region, integer, step, operation, element, and / or component, and other specific characteristics, region, integer, step, operation, element, component, and / or group. It does not exclude the presence or addition of.

All terms including technical terms and scientific terms used below have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art. Terms defined in advance are additionally interpreted to have a meaning consistent with the related technical literature and the presently disclosed contents, and are not interpreted in an ideal or very formal sense unless defined.

1 and 2 show the external appearance of the joint treatment apparatus according to the present embodiment. 3 and 4 show the internal structure and the circuit portion of the joint treatment apparatus according to the present embodiment.

As shown, the treatment apparatus 10 of the present embodiment includes a head portion 12 and a handle 14 extending from the head portion 12 to be installed in the housing 11 and the head portion 12 forming the outline. And the ultrasonic output unit 20 for applying low-power ultrasonic waves to the joint part, the circuit unit 30 installed inside the housing 11 to control the ultrasonic output unit 20, the housing 11, and the circuit unit 30 ( 30 is connected to the operation unit 40 to operate the circuit portion 30, the housing 11, the display portion 50 is connected to the circuit portion 30 to display the operating state to the outside, and connected to the circuit portion 30 It may include a power supply unit 60 for supplying power.

The housing 11 forms the outline of the treatment device 10. The housing 11 may include a cylindrical head portion 12 and a handle 14 extending outwardly from the side of the head portion 12. The head portion 12 and the handle 14 may be integrally formed. The handle 14 may be formed to a size that the user can hold by hand. The head unit 12 may be provided with an ultrasonic output unit 20 on the front side in the axial direction, and the display unit 50 on the opposite rear side.

Thus, the user can easily apply the ultrasonic wave to the required joint site by contacting the skin with the ultrasonic output unit 20 installed in the head portion 12 using the handle 14.

The operation unit 40 may include a switch for driving the apparatus. The switch may include, for example, a control switch 44 for adjusting the intensity intensity of the power switch 42 or the ultrasonic output unit 20 for turning on / off the device. The switch is electrically connected to the circuit portion 30.

In the present embodiment, the power switch 42 is installed at the rear of the head portion 12 of the housing 11, and the control switch 44 may be installed at the handle 14. Thus, the user can easily operate the various switches in the state in which the handle 14 is cut.

The display unit 50 displays the operation state operated by the operation unit 40 to the outside. For example, the display unit 50 may include a display unit 52 that visually indicates an operating state or an acoustic signal unit 54 that visually indicates an operating state. In addition to the display unit 52, the display unit 50 may further include an LED light emitting unit that displays an operating state as a lighting state of a light. The display unit 52, the acoustic signal unit 54, or the LED light emitting unit is electrically connected to the circuit unit 30. The display unit 52 may display, for example, an operating state such as intensity or time. The sound signal unit 54 may output a voice message for a set value, for example. In this way, the user can easily check the current operating state through the display unit 50. The display method of the display unit 52 and the emission color of the LED light emitting unit may be variously modified.

A sound hole 55 may be formed in the handle 14 of the housing 11 so that sound can be more easily transmitted to the outside at a position corresponding to the sound signal unit 54. In the present embodiment, the lower end of the handle 14 may be further formed with a vent 16 communicating with the interior of the housing 11. Through the vent 16, the inside and the outside of the housing 11 communicate with each other to effectively heat dissipate the internal heat of the housing 11.

The power supply unit 60 may include a terminal unit 62 connected to the circuit unit 30 and installed in the housing 11 to supply a current. As shown in FIG. 1, a terminal portion 62 may be installed at a lower end of the handle 14. The power supply unit 60 may further include a secondary battery 64 provided inside the housing 11 and connected to the circuit unit 30 to apply a current. The secondary battery 64 is a battery that can be charged and discharged, and may be, for example, a lithium ion battery, a lithium ion polymer battery, or the like.

Accordingly, the external power supplied through the terminal portion 62 is applied to the secondary battery 64 through the circuit portion 30 and charged. Therefore, the device can be driven using the electric current charged in the secondary battery 64 without supplying external power, and thus the device can be used more conveniently regardless of the place.

The ultrasonic output unit 20 is installed on the front of the head portion 12, the ultrasonic wave device is connected to the probe 22, the circuit portion 30 in contact with the skin and supplied with a current to generate a low-power ultrasonic wave to the probe 22 And (24).

The probe 22 is installed on the front of the head portion 12 and exposed to the outside, and is a member that contacts the skin of the user to apply low power ultrasound to the internal cartilage tissue. The probe 22 may be made of, for example, a metal material as a conductor. The probe 22 may be plated with chromium or the like on the outer surface of the human body in contact with the skin.

The ultrasonic vibration device 24 generates ultrasonic waves of low power and low intensity and applies them to the probe 22. In the present embodiment, the ultrasonic vibration device 24 may generate low-power ultrasonic waves having a frequency of 1 MHz to 3 MHz and output 1 to 60 mW / cm 2 to be applied to the skin through the probe 22. Thus, the low-power low-intensity ultrasound is applied to the cartilage tissue through the skin, thereby effectively healing the cartilage tissue without deep fever.

FIG. 4 schematically shows the circuit part 30 of the joint treatment apparatus according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 4, circuitry 30 includes a main controller 32 that controls each component of the device. The main controller 32 is electrically connected to the display unit 50, the operation unit 40, the power supply unit 60, and the ultrasonic vibration device 24 to control each component.

The main controller 32 is connected to the display unit 52 and the sound signal unit 54 or the LED light emitting unit of the display unit 50 to apply a control signal to each component. The main controller 32 is connected to the power switch 42 and the control switch 44 of the operation unit 40, and outputs a control signal in accordance with the operation of each switch.

The circuit unit 30 may further include a power controller 34 connected to the main controller 32 to control the power supply unit 60. The power control unit 34 supplies the power supplied through the terminal unit 62 to the necessary components, and controls the charge / discharge current of the secondary battery 64.

In addition, the circuit unit 30 may further include an ultrasonic controller 36 connected to the main controller 32 to control a current applied to the ultrasonic vibration device 24. The ultrasonic control unit 36 includes an amplifying circuit 37 and a driving circuit 38 for generating ultrasonic waves, and controls the current applied to the ultrasonic vibrating element 24. The current supplied through the circuit unit 30 is amplified by the amplifying circuit 37 and applied to the ultrasonic vibration device 24 through the driving circuit 38. Thus, the ultrasonic vibration element 24 is oscillated to generate ultrasonic vibrations.

In this way, the current value of the ultrasonic vibration device 24 is controlled through the ultrasonic control unit 36 to generate ultrasonic vibration of a value set by the user and apply it to the cartilage through the probe 22.

Hereinafter, the operation of the apparatus will be described.

The user may connect and use an external power source through a terminal unit provided in the housing or charge a secondary battery provided therein. When the user grabs the handle and operates the power switch, the main controller of the circuit unit is driven to display the operation through the display unit. In addition, the main controller drives the ultrasonic vibration device to apply ultrasonic vibration to a value set in the probe on the front of the head. Accordingly, the user may apply the low power low intensity ultrasound to the connection site by holding the handle and touching the probe with the skin. If necessary, a special gel may be applied between the probe and the skin. Ultrasonic waves are not transmitted in the air but are better transmitted in a fluid such as gel, and thus, the gel can be used to deliver ultrasonic waves better.

In the process of applying ultrasonic vibration to the skin, when the ultrasonic intensity is strong or weak, the ultrasonic intensity is adjusted by selectively driving a control switch provided on the handle. The operation state of the control switch is immediately displayed to the outside visually or audibly through the display unit, so that the user can easily check.

After the start of operation, the main controller can terminate the operation automatically when the set time elapses. In this embodiment, one operation time can be set to 5 minutes. Therefore, the main controller is operated for 5 minutes after the operation, and automatically shuts down after 5 minutes. The passage of time in the course of operation may be displayed externally via the display. The operation can be terminated if the operation switch is turned off 5 minutes before the operation.

By applying a low-power low-intensity ultrasound to the cartilage area through the device of the present embodiment, it is possible to fundamentally treat joint diseases by directly affecting the activation and proliferation of cartilage cells in the cartilage tissue.

Low intensity ultrasonic energy penetrating the affected area through the probe creates very fine bubbles. Numerous bubbles burst on the surface of chondrocytes, exerting shock and pressure. This action increases the permeability of the cell membrane and facilitates the movement of ionic materials and proteins into the chondrocytes. The movement of these substances acts as a kind of biosignal that governs the activity of cells, and as a result, arthritis can be treated through the proliferation of chondrocytes.

In addition, chondrocyte activation and cell proliferation promote the production of substrates such as collagen and protein. Since it is protected by the matrix of chondrocytes, the growth of chondrocytes is facilitated as the amount of the substrate increases. Degenerative arthritis can be treated essentially because cartilage proliferates when chondrocytes begin to be activated.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the claims and the detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings. Naturally, it belongs to the range of.

10: treatment device 11: housing
12: head 14: handle
16 vent hole 20 ultrasonic output unit
22: probe 24: ultrasonic vibration device
30: circuit part 32: main controller
34: power control unit 36: ultrasonic control unit
37 amplification circuit 38 driving circuit
40: control panel 42: power switch
44: control switch 50: display unit
52: display unit 54: sound signal unit
60: power supply 62: terminal
64: secondary battery

Claims (6)

A housing having an outer shape including a head part and a handle extended from the head part,
An ultrasonic output unit installed in the head unit and configured to apply low power ultrasonic waves to a joint part;
A circuit unit installed inside the housing to control the ultrasonic output unit;
An operation unit installed in the housing and connected to the circuit unit to manipulate the circuit unit;
A display unit installed in the housing and connected to the circuit unit to display an operating state to the outside;
A power supply unit connected to the circuit unit to supply power
Joint treatment device comprising a. The method of claim 1,
And the display unit includes a display unit visually indicating an operating state or an acoustic signal unit acoustically indicating an operating state. The method of claim 1,
The head portion has a cylindrical shape and a handle is formed on the outer circumferential surface, the ultrasonic generator is installed on the front side along the axial direction of the head portion, and the display unit is disposed on the opposite rear side. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The ultrasonic output unit includes a probe installed in the head portion and in contact with the skin, and an ultrasonic vibration device connected to the circuit portion receives an electric current to generate an ultrasonic wave to apply to the probe. The method of claim 4, wherein
The power supply unit includes a secondary battery provided inside the housing and connected to the circuit unit, and a terminal unit connected to the circuit unit and installed in the housing to supply the secondary battery charging current. The method of claim 4, wherein
The circuit unit is electrically connected to the display unit, the operation unit, the power supply unit and the ultrasonic vibration device to control each component, a power controller connected to the main controller to control the power supply unit, and ultrasonic vibration connected to the main controller An apparatus for treating joints, comprising an ultrasonic control unit for controlling a current applied to an element.

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