FR2857252A1 - INSTALLATION FOR STIMULATING POINTS OF ACUPUNCTURE BY LUMINOTHERAPY AND / OR MAGNETOTHERAPY AND / OR ELECTROTHERAPY - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an installation for stimulating acupuncture points at least by energy originating from a light and / or magnetic and / or electrical source, comprising: - at least one probe (2) capable of cooperating with means (3) for temporary attachment to the skin (4), provided with means for emitting said stimulation energy, - at least one power supply unit (6) for the probe (s) (2), comprising connection means (62 ) from said housing (6) to at least one probe (2) and means (61) for receiving control signals (7), - a control unit (8) for the supply of the probe (s) (2) , provided with means (81) for transmitting control signals (7) as well as means (82) for programming the stimulations.

Description

The present invention relates to a point stimulation facility

  acupuncture by light therapy and / or magnetotherapy and / or electrotherapy.

  Acupuncture is an oriental method of medical treatment, considered a soft medicine in Europe and the Anglo-Saxon countries. It is a question of stimulating certain particular points of the human body located on meridians where the energy circulates.

  Traditionally, the stimulation of these points is carried out using fine needles planted at these points, to tone or disperse the energy at the meridians. It is also possible to stimulate acupuncture points using moxa, or by massage.

  New types of stimulation have been developed, including stimulations by light, magnetic field or electricity.

  For this, several types of installation have been developed.

  US Pat. No. 6,074,411 relates to a laser acupuncture apparatus comprising a controller and a power supply assembled in the same housing and a plurality of laser emitters, adhering to the skin of the patient, each emitter being connected to said housing by a link electric, which thus constitutes an octopus secured to this housing.

  However, this device requires a large number of electrical connections, which can be particularly troublesome on the one hand during the installation of the transmitters and on the other hand during the laser acupuncture session.

  Also known unit treatment devices, pen-type, relatively autonomous, but need to treat the patient point by point, the practitioner then being obliged to keep the pen in position during treatment.

  The object of the present invention is to provide an acupuncture stimulation device at least by the energy from a light source and / or magnetic and / or electrical, which overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks.

  An object of the invention is to provide an acupuncture stimulation facility compact and autonomous.

  Another object of the invention is to provide an acupuncture stimulation facility that does not require the intervention of the practitioner during treatment.

  Another object of the invention is to provide an acupuncture stimulation facility requiring only a simple supervision by the practitioner during treatment and not requiring intervention of the practitioner during treatment.

  Another object of the invention is to provide an acupuncture point stimulation facility for easy placement and removal of stimulation means.

  Other aims and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description which follows, which is given for information only and which is not intended to limit it.

  The invention relates to an acupuncture stimulation device at least by energy from a light source and / or magnetic and / or electric, comprising: - at least one probe capable of cooperating with temporary fixing means the skin, provided with means for transmitting said stimulation energy, - at least one power supply unit of the one or more probes, comprising means for connecting said housing to at least one probe and means for receiving the control signals a central control unit for supplying the probe or probes, provided with means for transmitting control signals as well as stimulation programming means.

  The invention will be better understood on reading the description, accompanied by the appended figures in which: FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of an installation according to the invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of FIG. 3a and 3b are views in axial section along plane III of FIG. 2, showing two variants of a probe; FIG. 4 is a top view of temporary fixing means to the skin; - Figures 5 and 6 are views in diametral section, according to the planes V and VI of Figure 4, temporary fixing means to the skin.

  The invention relates to an installation 1 for stimulating acupuncture points. The stimulation is obtained at least by the energy from a light source and / or magnetic and / or electrical.

  The device of the invention comprises at least one probe. However, in an advantageous embodiment as illustrated in Figure 1, the installation may comprise a plurality of probes 2, for example from two to twenty probes. These are able to cooperate with temporary fixing means 3 to the skin 4 of the patient. In addition, each probe 2 is provided with means 5 for transmitting said stimulation energy.

  The installation also comprises at least one power supply unit 6 of the one or more probes, comprising means 62 for connecting said housing 6 to at least one probe 2 as well as receiving means 61 for control signals 7. Although each housing 6 is provided to be equipped with a single probe, advantageously, it is possible to provide including four probes per housing, as shown in Figure 1.

  In addition, the installation comprises a control unit 8, separate from the supply of the one or more probes 2, and able to control their power supply. The control unit 8 is provided with means 81 for transmitting control signals 7 as well as means 82 for programming the stimulations. This unit 8 thus makes it possible to control the different power supply boxes 6 distributed on the patient.

  As illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3a and 3b, said probes are in the form of a hollow stud having a cylindrical upper portion 21, a frustoconical intermediate portion 22 whose diameter increases toward a cylindrical lower portion 23, of larger diameter than that of the upper part 21.

  According to this example, said probe 2 has in particular a longitudinal opening 24, of the same axis as that of the probe.

  According to a first variant, illustrated in FIG. 3a, a source 51 of light energy is housed inside the probe, at the level of the intermediate portion 22 or the lower portion 23. Said source of light energy is fed through to the connecting means 62. In this example, it is an electrical cable connecting the light energy source 51 to the power supply unit 6.

  The light energy source 51 is in particular in the form of a light-emitting diode or a laser diode, arranged at the right acupuncture point to stimulate. The wavelength of the light emitted is for example between 500 nanometers and 1000 nanometers. It may also be envisaged to provide a group of several contiguous diodes in one and the same probe for treating an area of the patient's body.

  According to a second variant, illustrated in FIG. 3b, the probe 2 is further completed by a magnetic energy source 52, able to be associated with the source of light energy and / or with an electric energy probe.

  The magnetic energy source is for example in the form of a separate probe provided with an electromagnetic coil, or in the form of a permanent magnet, and surrounding, for example, the portion 21 or 23 of the probe luminous and / or electric 2.

  The power supply can come from the same housing 6 or another separate housing, in particular specified for the magnetic power supply. In both cases, the magnetic energy source is in particular toric and placed at the right of the acupuncture point to stimulate, for example around this point of acupuncture.

  It should be noted that said electromagnetic coil can also be directly incorporated in the probe 2.

  Advantageously, a magnetic field is used, in particular of low intensity.

  According to another variant, not shown, the connection means 62 comprise a waveguide, for example an optical fiber, for conveying the light energy emitted by the supply box 6 to the probe 2 and the acupuncture point. to stimulate.

  According to a particular characteristic of the invention, each power supply unit 6 supplies four probes 2. Thus, it is possible to arrange around the patient a series of power supply boxes 6 connected to probes 2. The operation of the housings supply 6 is controlled by the control unit 8. The practitioner is not obliged to have a large number of son around his patient to activate the operation and synchronization of all stimulation probes required for the treatment envisaged.

  According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the signals 7 emitted by the transmission means 81 of the control unit 8 are radio signals, especially infrared signals. The transmission means 81 take the form of a transmitter for downloading an operating program to the receiving means 61 of the housing 6 which then becomes autonomous.

  The programming and transmission means 81 and 81 can control, box 6 by housing and therefore zone by zone of the patient's body, for example the sequence, the intensity, the duration and / or the frequency of light stimulation and / or magnetic and / or electric. Thus, it is possible, for example, to define the order in which the probes must be activated, the duration, intensity and frequency of the stimulation and / or to define whether the stimulation must be in continuous or pulsed transmission. It is also possible to choose whether several acupuncture points should be stimulated simultaneously or not.

  As illustrated in Figures 4, 5 and 6, the fixing means 3 are in the form of a circular adhesive pad 31, having a central opening 32, intended to be at the right acupuncture point to stimulate. Said pellet has an upper face and a lower face both adhesive. At least the face intended to be in contact with the skin of the patient is covered with a hypoallergenic adhesive, this disposable patch is changed to each person.

  For its use, said pellets are provided in particular adherent to a sheet 33, for example roll. The adhesion of the pellet 31 to the sheet 33 is reversible, so that it is possible to take off the pellet to place it on the skin of the patient. Moreover, each pellet is covered with a peelable protection 34 protecting the second adhesive face of said pellet 31. Thus, for example, once the pellet 31 is stuck to the skin of the patient, the practitioner can remove the peelable protection 34 and install a probe 2.

  To facilitate this last operation, for example, the pellets 31 have a non-adhesive tab 35 to easily hold the pellet before gluing it to the patient's skin and then separating the peelable protection 34 from said pellet. Other solutions for installing the probe 2 on the patient's body may be provided, such as cupping, or gel type adhesive for example.

  The installation works as follows. First, the practitioner determines the acupuncture points to stimulate as well as the stimulation program to follow. He then arranges the adhesive pellets 31 on the patient's skin 4, to the right of the acupuncture points to be stimulated, or on the probe. Then, after removing the peelable protection 34 of a pellet 31, the practitioner applies a probe 2 for stimulating acupuncture points at least by the energy from a light source and / or magnetic and / or electrical.

  Once the set of probes is correctly positioned, the practitioner can remotely trigger the program and the stimulation treatment using the control unit 8, via the power supply boxes 6.

  Thus, the installation makes it possible to treat or stimulate several acupuncture points, in particular, simultaneously or one after the other, on one or more zones of the body, in a pulsed or continuous manner with different frequencies, the where appropriate, zone by zone.

  Naturally, other modes of implementation, within the reach of those skilled in the art, could still be envisaged without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (8)

  1. Installation (1) for stimulating acupuncture points at least by energy from a light source and / or magnetic and / or electrical, comprising: - at least one probe (2) able to cooperate with means (3) temporary attachment to the skin (4), provided with means (5) for emitting said stimulation energy, - at least one supply casing (6) of the at least one probe (2) comprising means (62) ) connecting said housing (6) to at least one probe (2) and means (61) for receiving control signals (7), - a control unit (8) for supplying the one or more probes ( 2), provided with means (81) for transmitting control signals (7) and means (82) for programming stimulation.   2. Installation according to claim 1, wherein said probes (2) comprise means (51, 52) for stimulating the acupuncture points by energy from a light source and a magnetic source.   3. Installation according to claim 2, in which: the light source (51) is in the form of a light-emitting diode or a laser diode, to the right of the acupuncture point to stimulate, and, - the source (52) magnetic is in the form of an electromagnetic coil or a permanent magnet, toric, to the right acupuncture point to stimulate.   4. Installation according to claim 2 wherein the connecting means (62) comprise a guide to help convey the light energy emitted by the supply box 6 to the probe and the acupuncture point to stimulate.   5. Installation according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said at least one casing (6) feeds four probes (2).   6. Installation according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said signals (7) are radio signals.   7. Installation according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said programming means (82) and emission (81) control housing (6) per housing, and therefore zone area of the body of the patient, at least the sequence , the intensity, the duration and / or the stimulation frequency, for a continuous or pulsed emission, and simultaneous or not.   8. Installation according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said means (3) for fixing are in the form of a pellet (31) adhesive double-sided hypoallergenic, having a central opening (34) to the right of the point d acupuncture to stimulate.