ES2690878A1 - Modular device of directed phototherapy, integrable in textile garments and wirelessly operable (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

The object of the invention is a modular device of directed phototherapy, integrable in textile garments and wirelessly operable that allows to administer to patients with dermatological diseases a personalized treatment using light of different powers and wavelengths within the spectra of ultraviolet light and blue during cycles of time adapted to the specific problem of each area of the skin to be treated. For this the device has an interactive remote control system that allows to program in a simple and interactive way through a graphical interface the optimal treatment according to the characteristics of the patient without requiring a deep knowledge on the part of the medical professional and/or patient of the light/tissue interaction.

Description

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DESCRIPTION

Modular device of directed phototherapy, integrable in textile garments and wirelessly operable.

Technical sector

The present invention is related to ultraviolet light therapy devices

0 blue light used for the treatment of skin diseases and therefore its field of application is in the health sector.

Background of the invention

Phototherapy consists in the treatment of different inflammatory and neoplastic dermatological diseases of the skin by light radiation of different wavelengths. The effectiveness of phototherapy treatments is determined by a variety of factors such as the properties of the light source (wavelength, power, dose, pulsation parameters (peak power, repetition frequency, cycle), as well as by the patients' own physical characteristics (constitution, weight, sex, skin color, hair color and body part to be treated) which in turn affects the absorption / dispersion coefficient and the penetration depth of light in the biological tissue As a result, comprehensive training and knowledge about the light-tissue interaction is required for professionals to obtain the optimal result of phototherapy. [Lim HW, Silpa-archa N, Amadi U, Menter A, Van Voorhees AS, Lebwohl M. Phototherapy in dermatology: A cali for action. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2015 Jun; 72 (6): 1078-80].

Among the most commonly used types of light are ultraviolet light and blue light. Thus, ultraviolet light has been used for more than twenty years for the treatment of immunologically mediated inflammatory diseases of the skin, such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, pruritus, vitiligo, lichen planus, lymphoproliferative processes among others, due to the known inhibitory effect that said light presents on the antigen-induced cellular immune response and its capacity for induction of T-cell apoptosis [Vangipuram R, Feldman SR. Ultraviolet phototherapy for cutaneous diseases: a concise review. Oral Dis. 2016 May; 22 (4): 253-9] and [Streilein JW, Bergstresser PR: Genetic basis of ultraviolet-B on contact hypersensitivity. Immunogenetics 27: 252-258, 1998]. Irradiation of the skin with ultraviolet light B (280 nm - 320 nm) or with ultraviolet light A (320 nm - 400 nm) on the skin previously or not photosensitized with psoralen inhibits immunological processes in the skin. Similarly, the therapeutic effect of blue light (400-800nm) in treatments against Crigler-Najjar syndrome type I and II, other hyperbilirubinemia and psoriasis or acne is known. (Barbarie J, Abbott R, Posadzki P, Car M, Gunn LH, Layton AM, Majeed A, Car J. Light therapies for acne. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016 Sep 27; 9: CD007917).

There is a large number of phototherapeutic devices for the treatment of skin diseases. The vast majority are based on fixed devices such as lamps or booths such as those described in US6447537 that require the patient to travel to the medical or aesthetic center to undergo irradiation sessions whose duration and intensity is determined in situ by the professional doctor. Thus, for example, Psoriasis treatments with ultraviolet light are administered with a frequency of between 3 to 5 times per week, with phototherapy treatment times begin at a couple of seconds and increase to several minutes over time. For vitiligo, phototherapy sessions are 1-2 times per week for several months, for acne, blue light treatments are given 1 to 2 times per week for 5-6 weeks while patients with Crigler syndrome -Najjar type

1 and II require intensive and chronic treatment. The need to move to be able to continue the treatment using these devices is therefore a problem that has been

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tried to solve recently by integrating LED lighting systems in textile garments that patients can comfortably wear allowing their autonomy and quality of life.

Examples of these devices are known as the pajamas described in US6596016 in which a flexible LED lighting device is incorporated that can be remotely controlled for the treatment of hyperbilirubinemia in neonatal children. However, this device only allows light treatments to be applied at a predefined wavelength between 420 and 500nm over the entire surface of the garment through the use of LEDs suitable for such radiation. Therefore, the device does not allow the administration of specific and differentiated treatments simultaneously in different parts of the body. The aforementioned device also does not solve problems such as the leakage of light radiation out of the garment that can be, as in the case of UV radiation, harmful to people or the security of the information transmitted between the wireless communication device and the device the invention.

Likewise, in US20140074010 a phototherapy device is described which employs surface emission laser diodes with vertical cavity and optionally LEDs that emit in wavelengths between 400nm and 1500 nm that can be fixed to textile garments in a removable way and can be controlled by a Wireless device. As in US6596016, the invention described in US20140074010 does not solve some of the current problems of phototherapy devices integrable in textile garments such as the problem of light leakage that occurs through the textile garment or thermal control of the device. This last aspect is of double importance because on the one hand the excess heat generated by the LEDs is one of the main causes of failure of these optical elements and on the other causes such heat causes the patient to sweat making it uncomfortable to use a garment that incorporates this lighting technology. On the other hand, the inventors of US20140074010 also do not describe the control mechanisms on the operation of the device or the possibility of adapting the therapy to the specific problem of each area of the patient's skin allowing the simultaneous application of different variable treatments as to the type and radiation power used and the times and cycles of application.

Explanation of the invention.

The present invention solves on the one hand the problem posed to patients not being able to make the administration of phototherapy compatible with other activities of their daily lives by having to perform it in a specific physical space and usually away from home. It allows therefore the traveling use of phototherapy. On the other hand, the present invention allows to administer phototherapy treatments totally adapted to both the patient's anatomy and the dermatological problem thereof, being able to program independent treatments in different parts of the patient's skin simultaneously by activating / deactivating and independent control. of the LEDs through an interactive bluetooth communication system that does not require in-depth knowledge about the light / tissue interaction by the professional in order to establish the optimal phototherapeutic treatment.

As shown in Fig. 1, the alternative presented in this invention is a modular phototherapy device that can be integrated into textile garments composed of at least one lighting module that fixed to the inner surface of the garment allows directing light radiation selectively on the area of skin affected by the pathology. The device can incorporate as many lighting modules as the pathology of the patient requires, thus being able to cover the entire surface of the skin that requires it with the light treatment.

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Each of the lighting modules has a set of LEDs 2 selected to work in the appropriate light spectrum for the pathology of the area of skin to be treated that illuminate said area following a program defined from the data received from the sensors and the parameters of the treatment introduced by the medical professional or the patient himself through a graphic interface available on the smartphone phone of said patient and accessible by the doctor via internet. The LEDs of each module are connected by sewing with conductive wire or copper wire with the controller 3 of each of the modules so that each flexible lighting module is configured as a piece of cloth with a matrix of LEDs electrically connected to the control electronics

The device also has a power system 7 that allows it to operate both connected to the mains and autonomously thanks to the use of batteries and a central control unit that governs the operation of the different lighting modules as well as the system of feeding.

Among the advantages of the device of the invention is the possibility of using the device in contact with water, thereby allowing the textile garment to be washed.

The device also allows you to safely apply the optimal treatment in each area of the skin, reducing light losses through the garment and the risks arising from the overheating of the LEDs.

The object of the invention is therefore a modular device of phototherapy personalized and integrable in textile garments composed of:

a) At least one flexible lighting module 1 composed of a textile patch 9 and an electronic circuit sewn by means of conductive wire or copper wire to one of the faces of said textile patch and which is composed of LED lighting elements 2 with a emission spectrum located between 15 and 800 nm, a controller 3 and sensors 4 electrically connected to each other.

b) A central control unit 5 composed of a power module, a microcontroller with bluetooth wireless connectivity and a battery manager.

c) A feeding system 7.

a) A bidirectional wireless communication system via mobile phone 6.

The LEDs incorporated in the electronic circuits of the flexible lighting modules are selected according to the skin disease to be treated. In particular, the device uses LEDs with a wavelength between 400 nm and 800 nm corresponding to the spectral range of blue light for diseases such as hyperbilirubinemia, pruritus or atopic dermatitis and LEDs with wavelengths between 15 nm and 400 nm for other diseases such as they can be psoriasis, atopic dermatitis or cutaneous or systemic lymphomas. In each of the flexible lighting modules, the LEDs are connected by means of a conductor wire or copper wire to each other forming a matrix and with the module controller.

The device of the invention has a control system that allows the time, light intensity and wavelength of the LEDs of each of the lighting modules to be independently regulated, either individually or in groups. In this way the medical professional in charge of programming the treatment or the patient himself can individually establish the operation of each of the lighting modules and even groups of LEDs within each module adapting said treatment to the

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specific problem in each area of the patient's skin. For this, the control is based on a master-slave structure that has two types of controllers, on the one hand the device has a central control unit 5 and on the other hand slave controllers 3 arranged in each of the lighting modules that They are responsible for executing the on / off commands of each of the LEDs of the corresponding module and for carrying out the sensor measurements. This structure allows the system to be easily scaled without having to redesign the device by increasing the number of lighting modules and minimizing the wiring between said modules.

The central control unit 5 has a power module to convert the supply voltage to the operating voltages of the system components and a microcontroller with bluetooth wireless connectivity to allow system communication with a Smartphone and, through it , with Internet. Through this bluetooth connection, the different therapies to be applied are sent to the device, fundamentally hours of therapy / shutdown and power of each LED in each of the therapies. It also has a battery manager consisting of analog / digital converters that allow you to control the battery status and know if the device is connected to the mains.

The lighting control of the LEDs of each lighting module is carried out through a specific controller located in the corresponding module that acts as a "slave" of the central control unit and allows the generation of lighting patterns corresponding to the therapy to be applied by said module by means of pulse width modulation (PWM), which allows to regulate the light intensity applied. In particular, this controller can use the "charlieplexing" technique, thereby allowing a large number of LEDs to be controlled by using a limited number of digital outputs. The slave controllers located in the lighting modules consist of a microprocessor, capacitive sensing inputs to measure the capacity between the electrodes integrated in the textile and the mass of the circuit, thus allowing to detect whether or not the user is wearing the garment. , analog inputs to detect faults in the LEDs and i2c module for the connection of other sensors such as optical sensors.

In a particular embodiment of the invention the flexible lighting modules of the device include a thin metal foil or a metal mesh of less than 0.5 mm thickness located between the textile patch and the electronic circuits. This sheet allows to dissipate the heat generated by the module's LEDs and to reflect the light into the garment, thereby reducing the light losses through the garment and consequently increasing the efficiency of the treatment.

The device has a power system 7 that allows its operation by means of a direct connection to the mains using an AC / DC converter. It can also work autonomously by using batteries and a charger.

As shown in Fig. 2, the flexible lighting modules incorporate one or more sensors 4 selected from the group of temperature sensors, contact sensors and optical sensors. Preferably, the optical sensors can be ambient light sensors and sensors for estimating the bilirubin level.

In another particular embodiment of the invention the flexible lighting modules are covered by a transparent polymeric film so that the electronic circuit is located between the textile patch and said polymeric film. As shown in Fig. 3, this film completely envelops the flexible lighting module, electrically protecting and isolating electronic components from the outside environment and allowing the garment to be washed without affecting the operation of the device. Preferably said film is composed of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) or polyvinyl butyral (PVB). The process of

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Lamination of the lighting modules to the fabric is done by applying heat and pressure to a sheet of transparent film and a fabric, placing the flexible plate on which the LEDs are mounted between both materials. For this, a system of two heating plates protected with a TEFLON sheet is used to avoid adhesion of the film to the heating plate. The system is operated under vacuum conditions to avoid the formation of bubbles in the film.

The lighting modules 1 can be removably attached to the garment by sailboat, square brackets, buttons or magnets. In this way, the phototherapy treatment can be applied in a localized way in the parts of the body that require it, and the device configuration can be adapted to the dermatological problem of the patient in a simple way.

As shown in Fig. 4, the modular device for personalized phototherapy and integrable in textile garments of the invention has a communication system formed by a graphic interface that allows bi-directional communication via bluetooth between a mobile phone and the bluetooth module of the central control unit and regulates the operation of the lighting modules and the power system. Access to this interface can be done by the patient himself through a mobile phone application specifically developed or by the medical professional through the internet.

Through this remote communication system, the operation of the LEDs 2 arranged in the flexible lighting modules 1 can be regulated either individually or in groups, thereby enabling the definition of lighting patterns tailored to the needs of the patient. In particular, the on / off, the operating time, the operating cycles, the lighting power and the wavelength of the LEDs of each of the modules can be regulated individually or in groups via the communication system. of LEDs.

In a particular embodiment the communication system of the device of the invention allows to know in real time the level of charge and autonomy of the device and generate an alert that is sent to the patient's mobile phone when the level of charge decreases below a threshold predetermined by the patient or the medical professional. This alert in turn generates audible and visual signals on the patient's mobile phone that allow him to be warned of the risk situation and charge the device's batteries sufficiently in advance by connecting it to the mains.

The modular phototherapy device of the invention can be integrated into a wide variety of textile garments and particularly in sweaters, shirts, shirts, pants, blankets, bags, gloves, pajamas and hats. The arrangement of the device in all textile garments is similar to that shown in Fig. 5. Specifically, the controllers of the flexible lighting modules are connected by copper wire or electric conductor wire to the central control unit, which is in turn electrically connected to the power supply.

Brief description of the drawings

To complement the description that is being made and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, a set of drawings is attached as an integral part of said description, where illustrative and non-limiting nature has been represented. next:

Figure 1.- Illustrative scheme of the operation of the device consisting of 2 flexible lighting modules. The arrows indicate the flow of communication between the different components of the device.

Figure 2.- Shows the cross section of a lighting module.

Figure 3.- Cross section of a flexible lighting module encapsulated with polymeric film that incorporates a metal sheet.

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Figure 4.- Graphic interface of communication between Smartphone and central control unit of the device of the invention.

Figure 5.- T-shirt with two flexible lighting modules located on the inside of the garment.

Claims (9)

1. Modular device for personalized and integrable phototherapy in textile garments consisting of:  5 a) At least one flexible lighting module composed of a textile patch and an electronic circuit sewn by means of conductive wire or copper wire to one of the faces of said textile patch composed of LED type lighting elements with an emission spectrum located between 15 and 800 nm, a controller and sensors electrically connected to each other. 10 b) A central control unit consisting of a power module, a Microcontroller with bluetooth wireless connectivity and a battery manager. c) A feeding system. fifteen d) A bidirectional wireless communication system via mobile phone. 2. Custom phototherapy modular device that can be integrated into textile garments according to claim 1, characterized in that the flexible lighting modules include a metallic foil 20 or a metal mesh of less than 0.5 mm thickness located between the textile patch and the electronic circuit. 3. Custom phototherapy modular device that can be integrated into textile garments according to any of claims 1-2, characterized in that the flexible lighting modules include one or more sensors selected from the group of temperature sensors, contact sensors and optical sensors. 5. Modular device for personalized phototherapy and integrable in textile garments according to claim 4, characterized in that the transparent polymeric film is made of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate 30 (EVA) or polyvinyl butyral (PVB). 6. Modular device of personalized phototherapy and integrable in textile garments according to any of claims 1-5 characterized in that the lighting modules and the central control unit are fixed to the textile garment removably by sailboat, 35 square brackets, buttons or magnets . 7. Modular device of personalized phototherapy and integrable in textile garments according to any of claims 1-6, characterized in that the communication system is formed by a graphic interface that allows bidirectional communication via bluetooth 40 between a mobile phone and the bluetooth module of the central control unit and regulates the operation of the lighting modules and the power system. 8. Modular device for personalized phototherapy and integrable in textile garments according to any of claims 1-7, characterized in that the communication system e) 45 regulates the on / off, operating time, operating cycles, lighting power and the length of LED wave of each of the flexible lighting modules individually or in groups of LEDs. 9. Modular device of personalized phototherapy and integrable in textile garments according to any one of claims 1-8 characterized in that the communication system allows to know in real time the level of charge and the autonomy of the device and generate a sound and visual signal in the mobile phone when the charge level is below the predefined limit. 10. Use of the custom phototherapy modular device and integrable in textile garments according to any of claims 1-9 in sweaters, shirts, shirts, pants, blankets, bags, gloves, pajamas and caps.