KR101534434B1 - Handpiece and appratus for ultrasonicwave treatment with liquid cooling system - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a hand piece for ultrasound treatment. An apparatus for ultrasound treatment with a detachable transducer module based on a conventional technique is difficulty to be used for a long time due to heat generation of a vibrator, incurs costs due to a change in the transducer module, and is inconvenient to be detached. To this end, according to the present invention, a coolant supplied from the outside of the hand piece is circulated to cool the vibrator such that the hand piece for the ultrasound treatment which can be used semi-permanently, and easily maintained and repaired, can be manufactured at low costs.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a handpiece and an apparatus for ultrasonic treatment having a water-

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a handpiece for ultrasonic surgery having a water-cooling system and a device including the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a handpiece for ultrasound therapy using a high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) And an apparatus including the ultrasonic surgical handpiece and the handpiece.

As a non-invasive treatment method for obesity treatment without skin surgery and skin beauty, treatment using high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is widely used. High intensity focused ultrasound refers to ultrasound energy that concentrates energy at one point (e.g., focus). Such high-intensity focused ultrasound-based treatment of obesity and skin beauty has advantages in that there is little side effect and it is possible to perform repeated treatment.

In this connection, in the patent document 10-2011-009181 referred to as a prior art of the present invention, a detachable transducer module and a hand wand provided with an ultrasonic transducer are presented.

However, when the vibrator (transducer) is operated for a long time, a considerable amount of heat is generated, which may cause an image to the subject. Therefore, in order to cool such a heat, the above-mentioned prior art document removes the risk to the image by replacing the transducer module including the cooling water by removing it.

However, in order to replace the transducer module, not only a separate cost is incurred, but also there is a problem that the device must be stopped for replacement and the replacement is troublesome.

In order to solve the above-described problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a handpiece for ultrasound treatment capable of cooling a vibrator without replacing a separate component.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a handpiece and apparatus for ultrasonic surgery that are inexpensive, have a high durability, and can be easily manipulated by a practitioner.

In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a handpiece for ultrasonic treatment comprising: an oscillator unit; a coupling unit coupled to the oscillator unit; and an upper housing and a lower housing coupled via a connection unit, And cooling the vibrator unit by circulating the coolant from the means between the handpiece and the cooling means.

In addition, the ultrasonic treatment handpiece according to the present invention is characterized in that the connection part spatially separates the upper housing and the lower housing, provides the inflow path and the outflow path of the coolant from the cooling means, Allowing circulation of the coolant through the interior of the outer housing and the upper housing.

The apparatus for ultrasound treatment according to the present invention may further comprise a handpiece, a cooling means for cooling the coolant from the handpiece, a coolant storage tank for storing the coolant cooled by the cooling means, and a coolant storage tank And may also include a plurality of handpieces.

The technique disclosed in the present invention can have the following effects. It is to be understood, however, that the scope of the disclosed technology is not to be construed as limited thereby, since the specific embodiments should include all of the following effects or merely include the following effects.

The handpiece for ultrasonic operation according to an embodiment of the present invention and the device including the ultrasonic wave are excellent in durability because they are equipped with a circulating water-cooling type cooling system and can perform ultrasonic irradiation for a long time without replacement of the accessories, It is implemented at low cost.

The apparatus for ultrasound treatment according to an embodiment of the present invention can include a plurality of handpieces, which can be applied to a plurality of patients simultaneously, and each of the handpieces has a different focus depth, It is possible.

The handpiece for ultrasonic surgery according to an embodiment of the present invention can include a plurality of vibrator units so that a wider range of ultrasonic waves can be irradiated, and each of the vibrator units has different focus depths, It is possible to irradiate ultrasonic waves to various depths, and it is possible to irradiate ultrasonic waves efficiently.

1 is a side view of a handpiece for ultrasonic operation according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a handpiece for ultrasound treatment according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a side view of a handpiece for ultrasonic surgery according to another embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a front view of a handpiece for ultrasonic surgery according to another embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a handpiece for ultrasonic surgery according to another embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a schematic view of a coolant circulation structure of a handpiece for ultrasonic operation according to another embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a schematic view of an apparatus for ultrasound treatment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

For the embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein, specific structural and functional descriptions are merely illustrative for purposes of illustrating embodiments of the present invention, and embodiments of the present invention may be embodied in various forms, The present invention should not be construed as limited to the embodiments described in Figs.

The present invention is capable of various modifications and various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the text. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

It is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, . On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that there are no other elements in between. Other expressions that describe the relationship between components, such as "between" and "between" or "neighboring to" and "directly adjacent to" should be interpreted as well.

The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, the terms "comprise", "having", and the like are intended to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof, , Steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof, as a matter of principle.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be construed as meaning consistent with meaning in the context of the relevant art and are not to be construed as ideal or overly formal in meaning unless expressly defined in the present application .

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals are used for the same constituent elements in the drawings and redundant explanations for the same constituent elements are omitted.

1 is a side view of a handpiece 100 for ultrasound treatment according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1, the upper housing 151 and the upper cap 150 are coupled with each other while covering a part of the upper housing 151, and the upper housing 151 and the lower housing 152 are connected to each other through the connecting portion 130 Respectively. The lower housing 152 is coupled to the lower cap 153 and includes a power supply line 122 for supplying a coolant and power to the handpiece 100 and a hose for supplying coolant 140 The hose 160 is connected to the handpiece 100. [ As shown in FIG. 1, the handpiece 100 of the present invention has a cylindrical shape as a whole, and the upper housing 151 is formed to be narrowed toward the distal end, thereby providing an easy grip for ultrasonic surgery.

 Hereinafter, the operation of the handpiece 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the handpiece 100 shown in FIG. 1, in which the upper cap 150 is separated, the contact film 110 is not fully engaged, Some coolant is injected.

First, the contact layer 110 is a heat-resistant adhesive member adhered to one surface of the upper housing 151. The contact layer 110 efficiently transmits vibrational energy from the vibrator 120 transmitted through the coolant to the subject, And serves to prevent the coolant from flowing out to the outside of the upper housing 151 by sealing.

As shown in FIG. 2, the contact layer 110 has a planar shape and has an adhesive force so as to be adhered to the opening of the upper housing 151, and the upper housing 151 and the upper cap 150 The upper housing 151 can be completely sealed when the upper cap 150 is engaged. Further, the contact film 110 may be completely fixed to the upper housing 151 by thermal fusion.

In addition, the handpiece 100 of the present invention includes a vibrator unit composed of a vibrator 120 and a support member 121. [ The vibrator 120 has a hemispherical shape, has a constant focal distance according to its shape, and can generate high-intensity focused ultrasonic waves by receiving power from the power supply line 122. The vibrator 120 is coupled to the cylindrical support member 121 and the support member 121 ensures that the vibrator 120 vibrates while preventing the coolant from flowing into the vibrator.

In addition, the oscillator unit is coupled to the connection unit 130. The connecting part 130 includes a tube for providing a power supply line 122 to the vibrator 120 at the center thereof and a hose 140 for inflow and outflow of the coolant to the outside of the connecting part 130 through a hose connecting part 135 And includes a path to be connected. The connection unit 130 is coupled with the upper housing 151 and the vibrator unit to seal the upper housing 151 together with the contact membrane 110. That is, the connection part 130 seals the upper housing 151 through the ring-shaped protrusion exposed to the outside. The upper housing 151 and the vibrator unit are spatially separated from each other owing to the structure of the connecting part 130. At the same time, power is supplied to the vibrator 120 without any risk of short- So that the coolant can circulate through the inside of the upper housing and the inside of the upper housing.

Meanwhile, the lower housing 152 is coupled to the connection part 130 in the direction opposite to the direction in which the upper housing 151 and the connection part 130 are coupled. That is, the upper housing 151 and the lower housing 152 are coupled through the connection part 130. Further, the cylindrical lower housing 152 is engaged with the lower cap 153.

The upper cap 150 and the upper housing 151, the upper housing 151 and the connecting portion 130, the connecting portion 130 and the lower housing 152 may be coupled to each other in the same manner as the combination of the female screw and the male screw. The handpiece 100 according to the present invention has an advantage that it can be easily managed and maintained and can be repaired. By cooling the vibrator unit by circulating the coolant between the outer cooling water stage and the handpiece 100, There is a feature that the handpiece 100 can be provided.

In addition, the handpiece 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention continuously circulates the coolant into the interior of the handpiece 100 while the handpiece 100 is operating using an external pump, The degree of cooling can be controlled by adjusting.

In addition, although the handpiece 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the vibrator 120 having a fixed focal length, and does not include a separate drive unit for moving the vibrator unit, And a separate drive unit for movement of the unit.

1 and 2, the handpiece 100 has a cylindrical shape, and the structure of the housing and the like is also shown as a cylindrical shape. However, the handpiece 100 may have any shape as required, It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the configuration of the housing and the like may be changed.

Meanwhile, the handpiece according to another embodiment of the present invention may include a plurality of vibrator units. In this regard, FIGS. 3 and 4 are respectively a side view and a front view of the handpiece 300 including the three vibrator units 310a, 310b, and 310c.

3, the handpiece 300 includes a circular upper cap 350, a cylindrical upper housing 351, a vertical lower housing 352, and a lower cap 353, 352 operate as a grip for the operator. In addition, the upper housing 351 and the lower housing 352 may be collectively referred to as housings.

4, the handpiece includes three oscillator units 310a, 310b, and 310c protruding from the upper cap 350. As shown in FIG.

In this regard, Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a handpiece including three oscillator units 310a, 310b and 310c. 5, the handpiece of this embodiment includes a plurality of vibrator units 310a, 310b, and 310c, and each of the vibrator units 310a and 310b includes isolation plugs 320a and 320b, Lt; / RTI > Each of the isolation plugs 320a and 320b is coupled to cylindrical isolation caps 330a and 330b surrounding the outer periphery of the isolation plugs 320a and 320b. The isolation plugs 320a and 320b include a coolant inflow path and an outflow path and are coupled with the vibrator units 310a and 310b to spatially separate the vibrator units 310a and 310b from the coolant, , 310b without any risk of short circuit. The isolation caps 330a and 330b are coupled with the isolation plugs 320a and 320b to provide a path through which the coolant circulates between the outer walls of the isolation caps 330a and 330b and the inner walls of the isolation plugs 320a and 320b, Spatially separates (i.e., seals) the coolant from the outside of the caps 330a and 330b.

In addition, the isolation caps 330a and 330b and the vibrator units 310a and 310b protrude from the upper cap 350 together for easy operation.

On the other hand, although not shown in Fig. 5, the same contact film as the contact film (110 in Fig. 2) of Fig. 2 is attached to the opening of the isolation caps 331a and 330b toward the outward direction of the handpiece. The contact membrane seals the openings of the isolation caps 331a and 330b, and its function is the same as that described with reference to FIG.

5, although some configurations are omitted in order to explain the difference from the handpiece 100 of FIG. 2, it will be appreciated that a person skilled in the art can include a power supply line from outside to each vibrator unit.

That is, the basic operation is the same as that of the handpiece 100 shown in Fig. 2, except that the handpiece shown in Figs. 3 to 5 includes three vibrator units and further includes a configuration for circulating the coolant, ).

5, the isolation plugs 320a and 320b coupled with the vibrator units 310a and 310b may be connected to each other through the connection hose 340. [ 5 may be connected to the isolation plug 320a through the connection hose 341. The isolation plug 320a may be connected to the isolation plug 320a through the connection hose 341. [ This is to allow the coolant flowing from the outside of the handpiece through the inlet and outlet hoses 342 and 343 to circulate through all of the vibrator units (for example, 310a and 310b) and then to flow out to the outside.

In this regard, FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a coolant circulation structure of a handpiece for ultrasonic operation according to another embodiment of the present invention. This is for explaining the circulation path of the coolant between the respective isolation plugs 320a, 320b, and 320c, and the configurations other than those required for explanation are all omitted.

6, the coolant flows in / out from the outside through the inflow / outflow hoses 342 and 343 and the respective isolation plugs 320a, 320b and 320c are connected through the connection hoses 340 and 341. For example, when the coolant flows from the outside through the inlet hose 342, the coolant is transferred to the neighboring isolation plug 320a through the isolation plug 320c and the connection hose 341, And is transferred to another isolating plug 320b through the hose 342. [ The coolant passing through all the isolation plugs 320a, 320b, and 320c flows out through the inlet / outlet hose 343. In this way, the handpiece of the present invention circulates while cooling the outside of the vibrator unit together with the isolation plugs 320a, 320b and 320c.

3 to 6 illustrate that the handpiece includes three vibrator units, however, the number of vibrator units is not limited thereto, and the handpiece may include a plurality of vibrator units of two or more. Further, by including a plurality of vibrator units, it is possible to perform operation on a wider area, thereby reducing time required for ultrasonic operation.

Further, the plurality of oscillators may have the same focal length, but may have different focal distances from each other. In this case, high-intensity focused ultrasonic waves can be irradiated to various depths by different focal lengths, thereby reducing the time required for the ultrasound procedure.

The handpiece 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention continuously circulates the coolant into the handpiece 300 during operation of the handpiece 300 using an external pump, The degree of cooling can be controlled by adjusting.

3 to 5, the handpiece 300 has a cylindrical shape, and the structure of the housing and the like is also shown as a cylindrical shape. However, the handpiece 300 may have any shape as required, It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the configuration of the housing and the like may be changed. In addition, the upper cap 350 of the handpiece 300 may be formed in a bent shape for convenience of operation.

Hereinafter, an ultrasound procedure apparatus 200 including the above-described ultrasound procedure handpiece will be described with reference to FIG.

7, the coolant is sent from the handpiece 100 to the cooling means 210. The coolant cooled by the cooling means 210 is sent to the coolant storage tank 220, The pump 230 connected to the pump 220 continuously transfers the coolant from the coolant storage tank 220 to the handpiece 100 during the operation of the handpiece 100 to enable circulation of the coolant. In addition, the control unit 240 controls the circulation of the coolant and the operation of each part. Also, although not shown in FIG. 7, it will be clear to a person skilled in the art that power can be supplied to each part of the device 200 shown in FIG.

7, the control unit 240 may include one or more switches and / or a touch screen for receiving input from a user, and may be connected to the current device 200 via a display or touch screen. State or the like.

Also, the cooling means 210 of Fig. 7 may be capable of air-cooling cooling using well-known radiators and / or fans, or cooling using Peltier elements. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that this is an example of a cooling system, and that known technologies can be used for cooling.

While only one handpiece 100 is shown in FIG. 7, the device 200 may include one or more handpieces (100 in FIG. 1 or 300 in FIG. 3). In this case, the plurality of handpieces may include an oscillator unit which are different from each other or have the same focal distance, a plurality of handpieces may be used to simultaneously treat a plurality of patients, or a plurality of parts Can be performed.

In addition, the handpiece 100 of the present invention can be detachably coupled to the main body of the apparatus 200 and is easily replaced.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various embodiments of the present invention may be combined in various ways in accordance with the various embodiments of the invention described above as well as the embodiments of the present invention described above with reference to FIG. Any combination of the embodiments is within the scope of the present invention.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. It will be understood that the present invention can be changed.

100: handpiece 110: contact membrane
120: Oscillator 121: Support member
122: Power supply line
130: Housing connection part 135: Hose connection part
140: water supply hose 150: upper cap
151: upper housing 152: lower housing
153: Lower cap
160: Connection hose 200: Ultrasonic device
210: Cooling means 220: Coolant storage tank
230: pump 240:
300: handpiece 310a, 310b, 310c: vibrator unit
320a, 320b, 320c:
330a, 330b: Isolation cap 340, 341: Connection hose
342,343: Inlet hose 350: Upper cap
351: upper housing 352: lower housing
353: Lower cap

Claims (9)

Oscillator unit;
A coupling unit coupled to the vibrator unit; And
And an upper housing and a lower housing coupled via the connecting portion,
Circulates the coolant from the cooling means on the outside of the handpiece between the handpiece and the cooling means to cool the vibrator unit,
The connecting portion
The upper housing and the lower housing are spatially separated,
To provide an inlet path and an outlet path for the coolant from the cooling means,
Further comprising a vibrator unit coupled to the vibrator unit to enable circulation of the coolant outside the vibrator unit and through the interior of the upper housing. The method according to claim 1,
An upper cap coupled to the upper housing and covering a portion of the upper housing; And
Further comprising a lower cap coupled to the lower housing in a direction opposite to a direction in which the lower housing and the connection portion are coupled. delete 3. The method of claim 2,
A contact film attached to an opening of the upper housing in a direction in which the upper housing and the upper cap are coupled,
The contact film,
Isolating said upper housing from said outer space together with said connection;
A heat dissipating adhesive member, and is fixed by an adhesive force and an engagement of the upper housing and the upper cap; And
Wherein the upper cap is replaceable by separating the upper cap from the upper housing. As a handpiece for ultrasonic surgery,
A plurality of vibrator units;
An isolation plug coupled to each of the plurality of vibrator units;
An isolation cap coupled to an outer periphery of the isolation plug;
An upper cap protruding and fixed together with the plurality of vibrator units and the isolation cap;
A housing coupled to the top cap,
Wherein each of the isolation plugs includes an inflow path and an outflow path of the coolant from the cooling means outside the handpiece,
The isolation cap and the isolation plug are formed between the outer wall of the isolation plug and the inner wall of the isolation cap with respect to each of the vibrator units coupled to the respective isolation plugs while spatially isolating the vibrator unit from the inside of the housing. Providing a circulation path of the coolant,
Wherein each of the isolation plugs constitutes a circulating path of the coolant so that the coolant introduced from the cooling means circulates through each of the isolation plugs to flow out to the cooling means. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein a focal distance of at least one of the plurality of transducer units is the same as or different from a focal distance of the remaining transducer units of the plurality of transducer units. An ultrasonic surgical apparatus comprising the ultrasonic therapeutic handpiece according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 4 to 6,
The handpiece;
Cooling means for cooling the coolant from the handpiece;
A coolant storage tank for storing the coolant cooled by the cooling means; And
And a pump for circulating the coolant from the coolant storage tank to the handpiece. 8. The method of claim 7,
Further comprising at least one of said handpieces. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the oscillator unit of at least one of the handpieces of the ultrasonic apparatus is the same or different from the oscillator unit of the other handpiece.

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