CN118252687A - Semi-flexible cold therapy device and application method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a semi-flexible cold therapy device and a use method thereof, wherein the device comprises a flexible lamination protective tool, the flexible lamination protective tool is made of flexible PDMS material, a cooling passage and a plurality of refrigerating sheet grooves are etched on the flexible lamination protective tool, the cooling passage is communicated with the refrigerating sheet grooves, a semiconductor refrigerating sheet is placed in the refrigerating sheet grooves, the hot end of the semiconductor refrigerating sheet faces the cooling passage, a cooling medium is introduced into the cooling passage, and the hot end of the semiconductor refrigerating sheet is in direct contact with the cooling medium; the invention utilizes the combination of the better flexibility of PDMS material and a plurality of small semiconductor refrigerating sheets to ensure that the whole device has certain flexibility and can be well attached to the skin; the low-temperature spray is utilized to radiate heat for the hot end of the refrigerating plate or the cooling water is utilized to radiate heat for the hot end of the refrigerating plate, so that the cooling effect is good, in addition, the driving controller controls the telescopic distance of the electric push rod according to the temperature of the hot end of the refrigerating plate to adjust the flow of the refrigerating spray, and the consumption of the low-temperature spray is minimized.

Description

A semi-flexible cold therapy device and its use method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the technical field of medical protective gear, and in particular to a semi-flexible cold therapy device and a method for using the same.

Background technique

Cold therapy is a method of applying cooling substances to the human body to reduce the local or whole body temperature, thereby achieving the purpose of curing diseases and strengthening physical fitness. The temperature used in cold therapy is generally higher than 0°C and will not cause local tissue damage. Clinically, cold therapy methods are divided into local or systemic applications. Locally applied cold therapies include ice bags, ice pads, ice water immersion baths, ice massages, low-temperature wet compresses, ethyl chloride sprays, etc. For example, fractures are the most common type of orthopedic traumatic diseases. Patients may experience pain and local soft tissue swelling after fractures. Ice compress cold therapy is commonly used clinically to constrict blood vessels and relieve pain. However, it is difficult to control the temperature with ice compresses, and patients may also suffer from frostbite and other problems. At the same time, ice bags are hard and uncomfortable. Other traditional cold therapy methods also have similar disadvantages.

At present, there are temperature-controlled cold therapy devices on the market, but these devices usually use semiconductor refrigeration or other refrigeration methods to lower the water temperature, and the low-temperature water is brought into contact with the body part to be treated through a hose, so the equipment is large in size and expensive. Existing cold therapy using semiconductor refrigeration sheets mainly uses refrigeration sheets to lower the temperature of water or gas, and then relies on low-temperature water or gas to lower the temperature of the skin, or transfers the coldness of the refrigeration sheet to the cold-carrying filler in the flexible bag through a heat conduction plate, and then achieves the purpose of cold therapy through the cold-carrying filler. However, due to the large specific heat capacity of water, the temperature inertia of the entire system will be very large. When the temperature needs to be adjusted, it takes a long time to adjust the temperature of the water in the water tank, and the equipment is usually large in size and expensive.

In addition, the semiconductor refrigeration plate uses fans and other blowing equipment or metal water coolers to dissipate the heat at the hot end of the semiconductor refrigeration plate. Fans and other blowing equipment will make the volume of the entire device too large. At the same time, when the temperature needs to be lowered to a sufficiently low temperature, it is difficult for the air cooling method to dissipate the heat in time. There are also a few cold therapy devices that use multiple small refrigeration plates and install a small metal water cooler at the hot end of each small refrigeration plate. The refrigeration plates are connected in series, and the water coolers are connected in series through flexible water pipes, so that the entire device meets the semi-flexible requirements. However, there are too many connecting devices and the metal water cooler is heavy, making the entire device too cumbersome and unreliable. In addition, the entire device is too heavy and not conducive to wearing and using. In addition, some flexible semiconductor refrigeration equipment made of flexible substrates uses flexible polymer conduits as water coolers. However, the cooling medium of the above-mentioned water coolers is not in direct contact with the hot end, but is separated by the wall of the water cooler. Therefore, the thermal conductivity of the water cooler wall is crucial, and the thermal conductivity of the polymer conduit water cooler is far different from that of the metal water cooler, and the heat dissipation effect is limited.

Summary of the invention

In view of the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a semi-flexible cryotherapy device and a method of using the same. The cold end of a semiconductor refrigeration plate is in direct contact with the skin, and the device has a small thermal inertia. At the same time, a freezing spray is used for cooling, which has a better heat dissipation effect on the semiconductor refrigeration plate.

The technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

In a first aspect of the present invention, a semi-flexible cryotherapy device is provided, comprising a flexible conformable protective gear, the flexible conformable protective gear being made of a flexible PDMS material, a cooling passage and a plurality of cooling plate grooves being etched on the flexible conformable protective gear, the cooling passage and the cooling plate grooves being connected, a semiconductor cooling plate being placed in the cooling plate groove, the hot end of the semiconductor cooling plate facing the cooling passage, a cooling medium being passed through the cooling passage, and the hot end of the semiconductor cooling plate being dissipated by the cooling medium.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the flexible conformable protective gear is in an open annular structure, the two ends of the flexible conformable protective gear are attached by adhesive tape and Velcro, and the cooling passage and the cooling plate groove are etched on the inner side of the flexible conformable protective gear.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the number of cooling plate grooves is the same as the number of semiconductor cooling plates, and multiple semiconductor cooling plates are connected in series through wires. The semiconductor cooling plates at the ends are connected to the controller through wires. The controller adjusts the voltage provided by the power supply through a PID algorithm and provides it to the semiconductor cooling plates.

In some embodiments of the present invention, a cooling medium inlet and a cooling medium outlet are provided on the flexible conforming protective gear, and the cooling medium inlet and the cooling medium outlet are connected to the cooling passage in the flexible conforming protective gear.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the cooling medium is a freezing spray or cooling water, the cooling medium inlet is connected to the freezing spray tank through a pipeline, the freezing spray tank is driven by an electric push rod to spray the freezing spray into the pipeline, and the freezing spray enters the cooling passage;

Alternatively, the cooling medium inlet is connected to a cooling water tank through a pipe, and the cooling water tank provides cooling water into the pipe through a peristaltic pump. The cooling water flows into the cooling passage, and the heated cooling water flows out of the cooling passage and returns to the cooling water tank again. A layer of phase change material is wrapped around the outer periphery of the cooling water tank to absorb the heat of the heated cooling water.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the electric push rod is electrically connected to a push rod drive controller, and the electric push rod, the freezing spray tank and the push rod drive controller are all arranged on a base.

In some embodiments of the present invention, a cold end temperature sensor is provided at the cold end of the semiconductor refrigeration plate, and a hot end temperature sensor is provided at the hot end of the semiconductor refrigeration plate. The cold end temperature sensor and the hot end temperature sensor transmit temperature signals to a controller.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the semiconductor refrigeration sheet is disposed in the refrigeration sheet groove by gluing, and the semiconductor refrigeration sheet is interference fit with the refrigeration sheet groove to seal the cooling passage.

In a second aspect of the present invention, a method for using a semi-flexible cryotherapy device is provided, comprising the following steps:

Wear the flexible protective gear facing the part to be cooled and attach it with adhesive tape and Velcro;

The cooling temperature is set on the controller to control the cold end temperature of the semiconductor refrigeration plate within an appropriate range; at the same time, a cooling medium is introduced into the cooling passage to cool the hot end of the semiconductor refrigeration plate using the cooling medium.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the controller receives temperature signals from the cold-end temperature sensor and the hot-end temperature sensor, and uses a PID algorithm to control the temperature of the semiconductor refrigeration chip within a suitable range.

One or more technical solutions of the present invention have the following beneficial effects:

(1) The semi-flexible cryotherapy device provided by the present invention utilizes the good flexibility of the PDMS material in combination with a plurality of small semiconductor cooling sheets to make the entire device have a certain degree of flexibility and can be well adhered to the skin. In addition, the PDMS material has good biocompatibility and air permeability, and will not produce adverse reactions when in contact with the skin while ensuring good comfort. The PDMS material has good thermal insulation properties and can reduce the loss of cold into the environment.

(2) The semi-flexible cryotherapy device provided by the present invention has a semiconductor cooling plate whose cold end is in direct contact with the skin. The device has a small thermal inertia and can quickly and accurately control the required temperature through a control system. A cooling passage is directly etched on the PDMS material and bonded to the hot end of the cooling plate so that the cooling medium and the hot end can be in direct contact. Only a small amount of freezing spray is required to achieve the purpose of heat dissipation, and there is no cumbersome heat dissipation equipment. The wearable part is small and light.

(3) The semi-flexible cryotherapy device provided by the present invention is easy to manufacture and can meet the needs of different cooling surfaces by simply changing the number of cooling plates and the area of PDMS. At the same time, it is simple and convenient to operate and can be disassembled and replaced after the freezing spray is used up.

(4) The semi-flexible cold therapy device provided by the present invention utilizes low-temperature spray to dissipate heat from the hot end of the refrigeration plate, and has a good cooling effect. In addition, according to the temperature of the hot end of the refrigeration plate, the driving controller controls the extension and retraction distance of the electric push rod to adjust the flow rate of the freezing spray, so as to minimize the use of the low-temperature spray, or a cooling water tank is used to provide cooling water to the cooling passage through a peristaltic pump to dissipate heat from the hot end of the refrigeration plate. The heated cooling water flows out of the cooling passage and then returns to the cooling water tank. A layer of phase change material is wrapped around the outer periphery of the cooling water tank to absorb the heat of the heated cooling water to prevent the cooling water from overheating and affecting the cooling effect. The circulation of cooling water can reduce the use of cooling water, so as to minimize the weight and volume of the cold therapy device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a semi-flexible cryotherapy device using low-temperature spray for cooling according to the present invention;

FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a semi-flexible cryotherapy device using circulating water for cooling according to the present invention;

FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of the flexible fitting protective gear of the present invention;

FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the semiconductor refrigeration plates connected in series according to the present invention;

FIG5 is a schematic structural diagram of a push rod drive controller of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a cooling passage of the present invention.

In the figure: 1. Adhesive tape; 2. Velcro; 3. Cold end temperature sensor; 4. Semiconductor refrigeration sheet; 5. Hot end temperature sensor; 6. Flexible fitting protective gear; 7. Cooling passage; 8. Cooling medium inlet; 9. Cooling medium outlet; 10. Power supply; 11. Controller; 12. Wire; 13. Pipe; 14. Cryogenic spray tank; 15. Base; 16. Electric push rod; 17. Push rod drive controller; 18. Push rod control line; 19. Bolt; 20. Small hole; 21. Cooling water tank; 22. Peristaltic pump.

Detailed ways

The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

Example 1

Semiconductor cooling is a Peltier effect that uses electrical energy to transfer heat from one end to the other to achieve cooling. Semiconductor cooling chips are composed of p-type and n-type thermoelectric materials, electrodes, and ceramic substrates. It generates a temperature difference by applying voltage between two metal materials. When voltage is applied to the semiconductor cooling chip, electrons move from the p-type material to the n-type material through the metal conductor, and the electrons transition to a high energy state, absorbing the heat at the cold end, and the temperature of the cold end decreases; when electrons flow from the n-type material to the p-type material through the metal conductor, the electrons transition to a low energy state, releasing heat to the hot end, and the temperature of the hot end increases. In order to prevent the hot end from burning out due to excessive temperature, a radiator is required to take away the heat from the hot end in time.

Due to the problems in the background technology of the existing semiconductor cryotherapy devices, in a typical embodiment of the present invention, a semi-flexible cryotherapy device is proposed, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, including a flexible conformable protective gear 6, the flexible conformable protective gear 6 is made of a flexible PDMS material, a cooling passage 7 and a plurality of cooling plate grooves are etched on the flexible conformable protective gear 6, the cooling passage 7 is connected to the cooling plate groove, a semiconductor cooling plate 4 is placed in the cooling plate groove, the hot end of the semiconductor cooling plate 4 faces the cooling passage, a cooling medium is passed through the cooling passage 7, and the hot end of the semiconductor cooling plate is cooled by the cooling medium.

As shown in Figure 3, the flexible fitting protective gear 6 is an open annular structure, and the two ends of the flexible fitting protective gear 6 are pasted by adhesive tape 1 and Velcro 2, and the cooling passage 7 and the cooling plate groove are etched on the inner side of the flexible fitting protective gear 6. The flexible fitting protective gear 6 is made of PDMS material (Polydimethylsiloxane), which is a high molecular organic silicon compound. On the one hand, the high plasticity of the PDMS material is utilized to directly etch the refrigerant channel on the PDMS material and bond with the hot end of the cooling plate, and the freezing spray sprays the low-temperature spray to flow through the refrigerant channel, and the hot end of the cooling plate is in direct contact with the low-temperature spray to meet the heat dissipation demand of the hot end, so that the additional use of fans and heavy metal water coolers and other equipment can be avoided, so that the entire wearing part is light and reliable, and the cooling effect of the freezing spray is excellent, and the direct contact of the cooling medium with the hot end also makes the heat dissipation effect reach the best. On the other hand, the high flexibility of PDMS also makes the cooling surface fit closely with the skin, which can be applied to various parts of the body. At the same time, the device directly uses the cold end of the refrigeration plate to cool the skin without passing through media such as water and gas, so that the thermal inertia of the entire device is small and the temperature can be adjusted quickly.

In this embodiment, the number of the cooling plate grooves is the same as the number of the semiconductor cooling plates 4, and a plurality of semiconductor cooling plates 4 are connected in series through wires, as shown in FIG4 , the semiconductor cooling plate 4 at the end is connected to the controller 11 through a wire 12, and the power supply 10 provides an input voltage to the controller 11, wherein the controller 11 can be a single-chip microcomputer, and the controller 11 adjusts the voltage provided by the power supply 10 through a PID algorithm and provides it to the semiconductor cooling plate 4, and the controller 11 controls the temperature of the semiconductor cooling plate 4 within an appropriate range.

In this embodiment, a cooling medium inlet 8 and a cooling medium outlet 9 are provided on the flexible conforming protective gear 6, and the cooling medium inlet 8 and the cooling medium outlet 9 are connected to the cooling passage in the flexible conforming protective gear.

In this embodiment, the cooling medium is a refrigeration spray or cooling water. When the cooling medium is a refrigeration spray, the structure is shown in Figure 1. The cooling medium inlet 8 is connected to the refrigeration spray tank 14 through a pipeline 13. The refrigeration spray tank 14 is driven by an electric push rod 16 to spray the refrigeration spray into the pipeline 13. The refrigeration spray enters the cooling passage. The refrigeration spray can be tetrafluoroethane refrigerant. The low-temperature spray flows into the cooling passage in a gaseous form to absorb the heat of the hot end of the refrigeration plate, and finally the spray at the cooling medium outlet 9 is directly sprayed into the surrounding environment.

Furthermore, the electric push rod 16 is electrically connected to the push rod drive controller 17. The electric push rod 16, the freezing spray tank 14 and the push rod drive controller 17 are all arranged on the base 15. As shown in Figure 5, the base 15 is L-shaped and provides support for the freezing spray tank 14. The electric push rod 16 and the push rod drive controller 17 are installed on the base by bolts 19.

Alternatively, when cooling water is used as the cooling medium, the structure is shown in Figure 2. The cooling medium inlet 8 is connected to the cooling water tank 21 through a pipe 13. The cooling water tank 21 provides cooling water to the pipe through a peristaltic pump 22. The cooling water enters the cooling passage 7. The heated cooling water flows out of the cooling passage 7 and returns to the cooling water tank 21 again. A layer of phase change material is wrapped around the outer periphery of the cooling water tank 21 to absorb the heat of the heated cooling water to prevent the cooling water from overheating and affecting the cooling effect.

In this embodiment, a cold end temperature sensor 3 is provided at the cold end of the semiconductor refrigeration plate 4, and a hot end temperature sensor 5 is provided at the hot end of the semiconductor refrigeration plate 4, which are used to measure the temperatures of the hot end and the cold end of the semiconductor refrigeration plate 4 respectively. The cold end temperature sensor 3 and the hot end temperature sensor 5 transmit the temperature signal to the controller.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 , the shape of the cooling plate groove is square, and the shape of the semiconductor cooling plate 4 is also square. The semiconductor cooling plate 4 is set in the cooling plate groove by pasting. The semiconductor cooling plate 4 and the cooling plate groove are interference fit to seal the cooling passage 7. Before the semiconductor cooling plate is installed, the surrounding walls of the cooling plate groove are cleaned with a plasma cleaner and then quickly adhered to the cooling plate 4 with double-sided adhesive to ensure sufficient sealing. The cross section of the cooling passage 7 is rectangular, and the cross-sectional area of the cooling passage 7 is slightly smaller than the cross-sectional area of the cooling plate. For example, if the semiconductor cooling plate is 10mm×10mm, the cooling passage can be 8mm×8mm×5mm, so that the semiconductor cooling plate is fixed. The cooling passage is S-shaped, and the cooling medium flows in from one end of the inlet, flows along the cooling passage to the other end, and flows into the next cooling passage through the small hole at the other end, and circulates in sequence.

The working principle of the semi-flexible cold therapy device provided in this embodiment is as follows:

The hot end temperature sensor 5 measures the hot end temperature of the last semiconductor refrigeration plate 4 in series. The push rod driving controller 17 controls the upward and downward extension distance of the electric push rod 16 according to the hot end temperature, thereby controlling the flow rate of the low-temperature spray sprayed by the freezing spray 14. The low-temperature spray flows into the cooling passage 7 through the pipeline 13 to ensure that the heat of the hot end of the refrigeration plate is dissipated in time. The cold end temperature sensor 3 is attached to the cold end of the last refrigeration plate 4 in series to measure the cold end temperature. The controller 11 receives the signal of the cold end temperature sensor 3 and uses the PID algorithm to adjust the output voltage of the power output line 12 so that the temperature of the cold end of the semiconductor refrigeration plate is controlled within a suitable range.

This embodiment adjusts the temperature by adjusting the output voltage according to the temperature of the last stage of cooling plates in the series. As long as the temperature of the last cooling plate can be lowered to an appropriate range, the temperatures of all the previous cooling plates will not lose the cold therapy effect due to excessively high temperatures.

Example 2

In a typical embodiment of the present invention, a method for using a semi-flexible cold therapy device is provided, comprising the following steps:

Wear the flexible protective gear facing the part to be cooled and attach it with adhesive tape and Velcro;

The cooling temperature is set on the controller to control the cold end temperature of the semiconductor refrigeration plate within an appropriate range; at the same time, a freezing spray is introduced into the cooling passage to cool the hot end of the semiconductor refrigeration plate using the cooling spray.

Furthermore, the controller receives temperature signals from the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor, and uses a PID algorithm to control the temperature of the semiconductor refrigeration plate within a suitable range.

Although the above describes the specific implementation mode of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Technical personnel in the relevant field should understand that various modifications or variations that can be made by technical personnel in the field without creative work on the basis of the technical solution of the present invention are still within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims (10)

1. The utility model provides a semi-flexible cold therapy device, its characterized in that includes flexible laminating protective equipment, flexible laminating protective equipment adopts flexible PDMS material to make, the sculpture has cooling passageway and a plurality of refrigeration piece recess on the flexible laminating protective equipment, cooling passageway and refrigeration piece recess intercommunication, place the semiconductor refrigeration piece in the refrigeration piece recess, the hot junction of semiconductor refrigeration piece is towards cooling passageway, let in cooling medium in the cooling passageway, dispel the heat through cooling medium to the hot junction of semiconductor refrigeration piece.

2. The semi-flexible cold therapy device according to claim 1, wherein the flexible attaching protector is in an open annular structure, two ends of the flexible attaching protector are attached through an attaching belt and a magic tape, and the cooling passage and the cooling plate groove are etched on the inner side surface of the flexible attaching protector.

3. The semi-flexible cryotherapy device of claim 1, wherein the number of grooves of the refrigerating sheets is the same as the number of the semiconductor refrigerating sheets, the plurality of semiconductor refrigerating sheets are connected in series through wires, the semiconductor refrigerating sheets at the end parts are connected with a controller through wires, and the controller adjusts the voltage provided by the power supply through a PID algorithm and provides the voltage to the semiconductor refrigerating sheets.

4. The semi-flexible cooling therapy apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flexible conformable shield is provided with a cooling medium inlet and a cooling medium outlet, the cooling medium inlet and cooling medium outlet in communication with a cooling passage within the flexible conformable shield.

5. The semi-flexible cryotherapy device of claim 4, wherein the cooling medium adopts a frozen spray or cooling water, the cooling medium inlet is connected with a frozen spray tank body through a pipeline, the frozen spray tank body is driven by an electric push rod to spray the frozen spray into the pipeline, and the frozen spray is led into the cooling passage;

Or the cooling medium inlet is connected with the cooling water tank through a pipeline, the cooling water tank supplies cooling water to the pipeline through a peristaltic pump, the cooling water is introduced into the cooling passage, the heated cooling water flows out of the cooling passage and returns to the cooling water tank again, and the periphery of the cooling water tank is wrapped with a layer of phase change material for absorbing heat of the heated cooling water.

6. The semi-flexible cooling device of claim 5, wherein the electric push rod is electrically connected to a push rod drive controller, and wherein the electric push rod, the cryogen spray canister, and the push rod drive controller are all disposed on the base.

7. The semi-flexible cryotherapy device of claim 1, wherein the cold end of the semiconductor refrigeration sheet is provided with a cold end temperature sensor and the hot end of the semiconductor refrigeration sheet is provided with a hot end temperature sensor, the cold end temperature sensor and the hot end temperature sensor transmitting temperature signals to the controller.

8. The semi-flexible cryotherapy device of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor cooling fin is disposed in the cooling fin recess by means of a paste, the semiconductor cooling fin having an interference fit with the cooling fin recess to seal the cooling passage.

9. A method of using the semi-flexible cryotherapeutic device of any of claims 1-8, comprising the steps of:

wearing the flexible attaching protective tool towards the part to be cooled, and attaching the flexible attaching protective tool through an attaching belt and a magic tape;

Setting cooling temperature on a controller, and controlling the cold end temperature of a semiconductor refrigerating sheet within a proper range; meanwhile, a cooling medium is introduced into the cooling passage, and the cooling medium is utilized to cool the hot end of the semiconductor refrigerating sheet.

10. The method of using a semi-flexible cold therapy apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the controller receives temperature signals from the cold side temperature sensor and the hot side temperature sensor and uses PID algorithm to control the temperature of the semiconductor cooling sheet within a suitable range.