Summary of the invention
Consider afore-mentioned, the purpose of this invention is to provide a kind of hair growth control device, this hair growth control device provides the ease of use of height, and even can prevent also that under situation about being used mistakenly by child laser from entering eyes.Hair growth control device according to the present invention has: regulate light illuminator, its adjusting illumination that is configured to be used to regulate the body hair growth is mapped to the object position of human body; Watermeter, it is configured to measure in non-contacting mode the water content at the described object position of described human body; And analyzer, it is configured to judge whether to shine described adjusting light from described adjusting light illuminator based on the result of described watermeter.Therefore, needn't contact under the situation that to use the light-struck object of adjusting position,, just can determine whether irradiation adjusting light by estimating whether the position that will shine is skin.As a result, even also can shine adjusting light safely, thereby increase ease of use from position away from skin.In addition, because the part of hair growth control device is contacted with skin, can under without any the situation of sense of discomfort, use this device.
Above-mentioned watermeter preferably includes: the measuring light irradiator is used for having to object position irradiation the measuring light of the wavelength component of 1300nm to 2000nm; Light receiving element is used to receive the light that reflects from described object position and convert thereof into the signal of telecommunication; And signal analyzer, be used to analyze the described signal of telecommunication from described light receiving element, estimate water content with the spectrum of the light that obtains reflection and from this spectrum.
A plurality of light receiving elements preferably are arranged to two-dimensional array and measure water content on a large scale.
In addition, polarizing filter preferably is arranged in measuring light irradiator and the light receiving element, so that catch from the reflected light within the skin as the method that is used for measuring exactly moisture content of skin.
In addition, in the present invention, feeding mechanism preferably is set up, and is used for being used to reduce the liquid substance of regulating the reflection of light rate to the supply of object position.As a result, owing to can strengthen illumination efficiency, can reduce the required light quantity of light source of regulating light illuminator by reducing with the luminous reflectance of regulating light-struck object position.
Be associated therewith, this feeding mechanism preferably is configured to have only when analyzer judges that the object position is skin and just enables.Therefore, can be before with measuring light measuring object position to object position supply liquid substance, thus make and can determine exactly whether the object position is skin.
The specific embodiment
Explanation based on the patent application of the present invention of the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawing is provided below.
Fig. 1 and 2 shows the hair growth control device according to first embodiment of the invention.This hair growth control device comprises by user's the handle that holds 10, the head 20 that is formed on the handle upper end and the removable housing 70 on the head 20, and adjusting light illuminator 30 is arranged within the head 20.This is regulated light illuminator 30 and has the xenon flash lamp that is used for light source, and will regulate light with the form of flash of light with 400 to 600nm wavelength and output to object position on the human body skin, with the growth of adjusting body hair.Therefore, regulate light illuminator 30 and be provided with light filter and drive circuit, be used for driving xenon flash lamp, and make xenon flash lamp launch adjusting light in the short-term below 1ms with ono shot pulse or continuous impulse.This adjusting light of lens 32 irradiations that forms on the diapire of the recess 22 that forms on the leading end by head 20.
Head 20 further holds: measuring light irradiator 40, and its irradiation is used for the measuring light of measuring object position water content; And light receiving element 42, it receives from the measuring light of human object position reflection.Light receiving element 42 will output to the control circuit (not shown) that is contained within the handle 10 with the corresponding signal of telecommunication of the light that receives.This control circuit has signal analyzer 52 and the analyzer of realizing 54 on the circuit board of arranging within the handle 10.Measuring light irradiator 40, light receiving element 42 and signal analyzer 52 are configured for the watermeter of measuring object position water content.Analyzer 54 judges based on the water content of measuring whether the object position is skin, and when the object position has been judged as skin, allows to regulate light from regulating light illuminator 30 irradiations, and is judged when not being skin when the object position, forbids shining adjusting light.
Need be accommodated in the skin from the adjusting light of regulating light illuminator 30 irradiations, and when selecting its wavelength, as shown in Figure 7, use the spectral reflectivity of measuring skin from three Japanese samples in each light wave strong point.Because near 400 to 600nm spectral reflectivity all descends for all samples, be easy to absorbed character so the light in this wave-length coverage is defined as having.This is to be caused by the melanic appreciable impact that is present in the skin.Fig. 8 has indicated the spectral quality of independent melanic absorptance.Have at irradiates light under the situation of wavelength of 567nm, melanin has absorbed 39% irradiates light separately.On this basis, made and to use up stimulating hair with low output as regulating light by the light with wavelength in 400 to the 600nm scopes of skin absorbs being easy to.And then, use the blocking-up of UV cut-off filter to the deleterious ultraviolet light of skin with the following wavelength of 400nm.And then the adjusting light that uses among the present invention not necessarily is limited to above-mentioned wave-length coverage, but can use the adjusting light that for example has 400 to 1000nm wave-length coverages.
Measuring light irradiator 40 is configured to shine the measuring light in the near infrared range with 1300nm to 2000nm wavelength.Light receiving element 42 receives from the light of object position reflection, convert this light to the signal of telecommunication, and the signal of telecommunication is outputed to signal analyzer 52, after this, the spectrum that the signal of telecommunication is analyzed with the light of determining reflection by signal analyzer 52 is estimated water content based on the method that will describe after a while subsequently from this spectrum.The catoptrical incident axle that light receiving element 42 receives is oblique to the target inclination with respect to the measuring light irradiator with miter angle.
By this way, owing to can from the reflectance of near infrared light, measure water content by the measuring light in the human body skin irradiation near infrared range that comprises moisture, so can be with non-contacting mode measuring object position.In addition, owing to make it possible to use lower powered light to measure water content from the measuring light of measuring light irradiator 40 irradiations, so, can injury not arranged to it even measuring light is shone eyes mistakenly yet.So, just can measure water content, even and under the situation that device is used mistakenly by child, also can guarantee safety in non-contacting mode.
Fig. 3 shows and judges whether to regulate the flow chart of light from regulating light illuminator 30 irradiations.
At first, extract by the spectral absorption value (L1) in the wave-length coverage of water absorption.More specifically, measuring light irradiator 40 comprises the light of 1300nm to 2000nm wavelength component to the human body skin irradiation, light receiving element 42 receives from the light of body skin reflection and converts thereof into the signal of telecommunication, signal analyzer 52 then analysis and is determined by the spectral absorption value (L1) in the wave-length coverage of 1450 ± 5nm of moisture absorption from the signal of telecommunication of light receiving element 42.
Next step, determine in the wave-length coverage of 570 ± 5nm melanin correlation spectrum absorption value (L0) (S2).Subsequently, signal analyzer 52 calculates the ratio by the interior melanin correlation spectrum absorption value (L0) of spectral absorption value (L1) in the wave-length coverage of 1450 ± 5nm of moisture absorption and the wave-length coverage of 570 ± 5nm, and exports water content (K) (K=L1/L0) (S3).
Next step, analyzer 54 judges whether the water content (K) by signal analyzer 52 outputs is the interior value (S4) of set point.As its result, if water content (K) is the value in the set point, then the object position is judged as human body skin (S5).If water content (K) is not the value in the set point, then the object position is judged and is not human body skin (S6).
As the result who fulfils these steps that are used to confirm safety, be under the situation of skin only at the object position, just from regulate light illuminator 30 to the object position irradiation regulate light.As the result of this process, will have with the eyes and the skin of skin different moisture content and distinguish mutually.Therefore, even this device is used mistakenly by child, this configuration makes that also can reduce eyes receives from the risk of the high light of regulating light illuminator 30 irradiations.
A plurality of light receiving elements 42 also can be arranged to the form of two-dimensional array.Be arranged at a plurality of light receiving elements 42 under the situation of form of two-dimensional array, measure water content on can be on a large scale.Therefore, can estimate in a big way whether the object position at moisture measurement is human body skin, thereby further improve safety.
Can show similar effect and effect equally by the measurement that microwave method or dielectric constant method rather than above-described moisture measurement method are carried out water content.
Said apparatus further is provided with feeding mechanism, is used for comprising to the supply of object position the liquid substance that is used to reduce reflectance of water or clear gel, regulates the illumination efficiency of light to skin so that strengthen.This feeding mechanism is provided with: storage tank 62 is used for the storage of liquids material; And pump 66, it is arranged in the feed lines 64, is used for liquid substance is fed to recess 22 on head 20 leading ends.Pump 66 can have only when the determined instrument 54 in object position is judged as skin just to be operated, and liquid substance automatically or the selection by the user be fed to recess 22.
Under the situation of supply liquid substance, head 20 is pressed on the skin.In this state simultaneously, the space between lens 32 and the skin is filled to be fed to the liquid substance of recess 22, regulates light from regulating light illuminator 30 irradiations after this.In this case, the result as the reflectance of skin surface is reduced by liquid substance regulates the illumination efficiency of light to the body hair root owing to increased, so can fully apply optical stimulation to the body hair root.Because the thickness of liquid substance is limited to below the setting by the degree of depth of recess 22, so liquid substance can not cause light transmittance to descend.
Liquid substance has reduced reflectance by the floating layer of eliminating air, and as its result, the thickness that this reflectance reduces agent only is required to be below the 0.5mm, considers this simultaneously, and the degree of depth that is used to limit the recess 22 of this thickness is set to below the 0.5mm.
At liquid substance is under the situation of clear gel, because surrounding the leg of recess 22 peripheries works even to guarantee thickness, allow the thin layer of clear gel to be fed to skin simultaneously,, regulate light succeeded by irradiation so clear gel can at first be supplied by using this leg.
Although water or clear gel are indicated as the liquid substance that is used to reduce reflectance, also can use other material naturally, as long as they can reduce the reflectance of skin surface.Yet those materials with cooling effect of the skin of heating owing to rayed are preferred.
With 1,500,000 to 7,000, the illumination of 000 lux (lux) and the flash duration of 100 to 700 μ s (half value peak power) are shone from regulating the adjusting light of light illuminator 30 irradiations.Because the amount of irradiates light can be confirmed as the product of illumination and flash duration, so this becomes 150 to 4900luxs.In addition, irradiation energy (J/cm
2) be the product of irradiation power (W) and irradiation time (second), and by controlling irradiation power (W) and irradiation time (second) so that irradiation energy K for example is 0.1J/cm
2, can suppress generation reliably owing to the adverse side effect of irradiation.Be accompanied by this, when relatively with several days interval once a day irradiates light situation and once a day repeatedly during the situation of about 5 to 10 Consecutive Days of irradiates light, the latter allows to use the light source of lower-wattage.
Known hair (comprising chaeta and hair) has hair cycle, and during hair cycle, hair changed in the cycle that comprises trophophase, catagen and rest period.The present inventor confirms in the test of using mouse, if under above-mentioned illuminate condition to skin exposure light, if and during the trophophase of hair cycle irradiates light, then hair growth is suppressed effectively, can not cause variation of cellular morphology or the like, as viewed with existing treatment laser, and the destruction that can not cause pair cell.And then, if during the rest period of hair cycle irradiates light, then the hair growth during the trophophase of hair cycle has been identified rapidly and has carried out.In addition, disadvantageous side effect is not identified and can takes place as burning.
Although during the trophophase when reason that why can hair growth inhibition when can not cause level that cellular morphology changes and unclear with the rayed hair, but be based on the analysis result of rna level, the activation of inflammatory cytokine is considered to as taking place with light-struck result, and the inhibition of consequent hair growth is considered to this activated result of inflammatory cytokine.
And then, based on the spectral reflectivity that causes the effect that changes hair cycle to take place, change irradiation power corresponding to the rate of change of the spectral reflectivity at skin that is irradiation object position at 500 to 600nm places.When the reflectance of the specific wavelength that serves as benchmark is defined as R0, the reflectance of illuminated skin is defined as R1, and when realizing that for the skin of R0 the activated light source power of inflammatory cytokine is defined as P0, can determine irradiation power P with formula P=R1/R0 * P0.Since to hair cycle influential energy be constant value, so under the high situation of the spectral reflectivity of skin, should increase power, and should shorten irradiation time.
And then, since the persistent period of trophophase, catagen and the rest period of hair cycle change according to position such as scalp, so after at first determining whether be in the trophophase hair cycle at the position of wishing hair growth inhibition, irradiates light again.
Fig. 6 shows the hair growth control device according to second embodiment of the invention.The explanation of with this device relevant those things different with aforementioned first embodiment only is provided below.So just omitted the explanation of those things the same with first embodiment.
Hair growth control device according to present embodiment is provided with the polarizing filter 41 and 43 that lays respectively at measuring light irradiator 40 and light receiving element 42 fronts.
Promptly be used in the target of measuring water content and be in skin inside, when from measuring light irradiator 40 irradiates lights, also have approximate 70% irradiates light to end to be reflected by skin surface.Therefore, the major part of the light that is received by light receiving element 42 is all by the skin surface reflection, thereby makes and be difficult to measure exactly light from the skin internal reflection.On the other hand, form contrast with the light from the skin surface reflection with angle of polarization identical with irradiates light, the known light that passes skin inside can experience the variation of the angle of polarization.Therefore, in this embodiment, polarizing filter 41 is arranged in measuring light irradiator 40 fronts, thereby light is polarized the angle of polarization of regulation.Polarized light is irradiated to the object position.By polarizing filter 43 being arranged in light receiving element 42 fronts, it only allows to be polarized the light transmission at the polarisation of light angle of reflecting within the skin, can only measure water content exactly by the measuring light from the skin internal reflection.
Here, although use different light sources to be used to regulate light illuminator 30 and measuring light irradiator 40 in the above-described embodiments, also can use identical light source to both.As its result, can reduce the number of parts and can reduce cost.Yet the irradiation power of irradiates light is set to low-level under the situation of irradiation measuring light, and regulates the next high level that is set to of situation of light in irradiation.