JP2003019217A - Light therapeutic apparatus, and supporting mechanism used for light therapeutic apparatus or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a light therapeutic apparatus wherein probes can be respectively independently supported at any location in any direction, and an efficient light therapy can be performed. SOLUTION: A plurality of holders 40 and 40 are connected to the distal end of an arm mechanism 11 which is supported by a therapeutic apparatus main body 2. Then, a plurality of probes 6 and 7 at the distal end of a light guide 5 which extends from the therapeutic apparatus main body 2 are supported by a plurality of holders. Respective ones of the plurality of holders 40 and 40 are connected through a supporting member 15 which is fixed to the distal end of the arm mechanism 11, and a plurality of universal joints 35 and 35 which are respectively connected with the supporting member. The supporting member 15 is formed of an arm shaft 17 which is connected with the arm mechanism 11, and a supporting shaft 16 which is perpendicular to the arm shaft 17. Also, the supporting member 15 is equipped with rotating mechanisms 20 and 20 which can rotate with the shaft core of the supporting shaft 16 as the center. The plurality of universal joints 35 and 35 are fixed through stretching mechanisms 30 and 30 which are connected with both ends of the supporting member 15.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a phototherapy device equipped with a probe for irradiating an affected area with a therapeutic light beam, and in particular,
The present invention relates to a phototherapy device capable of freely irradiating an affected area with light beams emitted from a plurality of probes, and a support mechanism used for the phototherapy device or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of phototherapy device is provided with two probes which extend from the main body of the therapeutic device and irradiate the affected area with light rays such as near infrared rays. It is supported by two fixed arm mechanisms. That is, an arm mechanism composed of two arm pieces whose central part is swingably connected is fixed to the treatment device body,
The probe is sandwiched and supported by a holder swingably connected to the tip of each arm piece.

[0003]

By the way, the support mechanism of the probe having the above structure cannot freely set the position and posture of the probe, so that when the irradiation light from the probe is applied to the affected area of the patient, it is desired. In some cases, it was not possible to irradiate the position. That is, the holder supporting the probe is swingably connected to the tip of the arm mechanism,
In some cases, the tip of the arm piece only pivots at a predetermined angle, and the probe cannot be positioned at an appropriate position on the affected area. Therefore, the probe cannot be positioned at the optimum position on the affected area, and efficient treatment cannot be performed. Also, since two arm mechanisms are required, the configuration becomes complicated,
Installation was also complicated. The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and its object is to have a simple structure, easy installation and assembly, and positioning a supported object such as a probe at a free position. (EN) Provided are a support mechanism which can be supported by the above, and a phototherapy device which can use the support mechanism to position a probe at an optimum position of an affected area and perform efficient treatment.

[0004]

[Means for Solving the Problems] To achieve the above object,
The phototherapy device according to the present invention has a plurality of holders connected to the tip of an arm mechanism supported by the treatment device body, and supports a plurality of probes at the tip of the light guide extending from the treatment device body with the plurality of holders. Each of the multiple holders
It is characterized in that it is connected via a support member fixed to the tip of the arm mechanism and a plurality of universal joints each connected to the support member. According to this configuration, the plurality of holders that support the plurality of probes are connected via the plurality of universal joints that are connected to the support member fixed to the tip of the arm mechanism, and the plurality of holders that irradiate the affected area of the patient with light rays are connected. Since the probe can be supported at any position in any direction, it is possible to irradiate the affected area with a light beam from an optimal position, and to perform efficient treatment. That is, since a plurality of probes can be supported in close proximity to one arm mechanism, the arm mechanism moves the probe largely to approach the affected part, and the plurality of universal joints reduce the optimum position and the optimum direction to the affected part. Since it can be set by movement, operability is good and efficient treatment is possible.

In a preferred specific mode of the phototherapy device according to the present invention, the support member is formed of an arm shaft connected to the arm mechanism and a support shaft orthogonal to the arm shaft, and the plurality of universal joints are It is characterized by being fixed through expansion and contraction mechanisms connected to both ends of the support shaft. And
The support member preferably includes a rotation mechanism that is rotatable about the axis of the support shaft. According to this configuration, since the plurality of universal joints are fixed to both ends of the support member formed by the rod member orthogonal to the arm mechanism via the expansion and contraction mechanism, the plurality of holders supporting the probe are Furthermore, the holder can be positioned at any desired position, and the direction of the holder can be freely set by the rotation mechanism.

The support member is connected to the arm mechanism by a connecting shaft which is orthogonal to the arm shaft, and the arm shaft is rotatably connected to its axis and also swingably connected to the connecting shaft. It is suitable. With this configuration,
Since the support member is connected to the arm mechanism so as to be rotatable and swingable, the plurality of holders for supporting the probe can be set in more free positions, and
It can be set in any direction. Further, as another preferable specific embodiment of the phototherapy device according to the present invention, the universal joint is
It is characterized in that it is composed of a sphere and a support body that is in contact with the spherical surface of the sphere, at least one of the sphere and the support body is a magnet, and the sphere and the support body are attracted by a magnetic force. According to this structure, the spherical body can freely slide along the spherical surface with respect to the support of the universal joint, and the direction of the holder can be freely set, so that the light beams emitted from the plurality of probes are affected. You can hit from the most suitable direction.

A support mechanism used for a phototherapy device or the like according to the present invention comprises an arm mechanism in which a plurality of arm pieces are swingably connected, a support member fixed to the tip of the arm mechanism, and the support member. A plurality of fixed universal joints and a holder connected to each of the universal joints are provided, and the plurality of holders support a plurality of supported objects. According to this configuration, the plurality of holders can position the supported object in a free position and in a free direction with respect to the base body that fixes the base end of the arm mechanism. In a preferred specific mode of the support mechanism according to the present invention, the support member is formed of an arm shaft that is connected to the arm mechanism and a support shaft that is orthogonal to the arm shaft, and the plurality of universal joints are of the support shaft. It is characterized by being fixed through expansion and contraction mechanisms connected to both ends. Further, it is preferable that the support member includes a rotation mechanism that is rotatable about the axis of the support shaft. According to this structure, since the plurality of universal joints are fixed to both ends of the support member formed of the rod member orthogonal to the arm mechanism via the expansion and contraction mechanism, the plurality of holders that support the supported object. Can be positioned in more free positions,
The rotation mechanism allows the direction of the holder to be set freely.

The support member is connected to the arm mechanism by a connecting shaft that is orthogonal to the arm shaft, and the arm shaft is rotatably connected to its axis and also swingably connected to the connecting shaft. It is suitable. With this configuration,
Since the support member is connected to the arm mechanism so as to be rotatable and swingable, the plurality of holders for supporting the supported object can be set in more free positions, and
It can be set in any direction. As another preferable specific example of the support mechanism according to the present invention, the universal joint is a spherical body,
It is characterized in that it is composed of a support body that is in contact with the spherical surface of the sphere, at least one of the sphere and the support body is a magnet, and the sphere and the support body are attracted by a magnetic force. According to this structure, the sphere adsorbed on the support can freely slide along the spherical surface, so that the direction of the supported object can be freely set. This support mechanism is not limited to supporting the probe of the phototherapy device, but can also be applied to support other supported objects.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of a phototherapy device using a support mechanism according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a front view of a phototherapy device using the support mechanism according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG. 2, and FIG. FIG. In FIG. 1, the phototherapy device 1 includes a treatment device main body 2, a light guide 5 extending from the treatment device main body 2, and a support mechanism 10 that supports two probes 6 and 7 at the tip of the light guide 5. Is equipped with. The treatment device main body 2 has a light source for generating a light beam of a predetermined wavelength such as near-infrared light inside, and guides the light beam to the probes 6 and 7 at the tip end by a light guide 5 in which optical fibers are bundled, The treatment is performed by irradiating the affected area from the tips of the probes 6 and 7. In the present embodiment, the light guide 5 inserted into the mounting hole of the treatment device main body 2 is divided into two light guide parts 5b and 5c having a small diameter by the spectroscope 5a in the middle, and the tips of the two light guide parts are divided. Probes 6 and 7 are fixed to.

A horizontal arm 3 is movably attached to the upper surface of the treatment device main body 2, and a pipe-shaped bearing portion 4 opening upward is fixed to the end of the horizontal arm 3, and this bearing portion 4
The support mechanism 10 is connected to. The base of the support mechanism 10 is an arm mechanism 11, and the receiving shaft 1 at the lower end of the arm mechanism
Bearing part 4 of horizontal arm 3 of main body 2 of treatment device 2
Inserted in. The arm mechanism 11 includes two arm pieces 13,
14 are swingably connected to each other, and the two arm pieces are configured so that the two arm pieces can be stopped at an arbitrary swing angle by a spring mechanism, a balance mechanism, a friction mechanism or the like (not shown). . In addition, the arm mechanism is not limited to one including two arm pieces, and may be a plurality of arm pieces that are swingably connected.

The structure of the support mechanism 10 beyond the arm mechanism 11 will be described with reference to FIGS.
2 is a view taken along the line AA in a state in which a part of FIG. 1 is broken, FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a left side view of FIG. A support member 15 is fixed to the arm piece 14 on the distal end side of the arm mechanism 11. The support member 15 includes a support shaft 16 having a large diameter,
A bracket 19 which is formed in a substantially T-shape from a small-diameter arm shaft 17 which projects in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal center of the support shaft, and which is fastened by a connecting shaft 18 located at the tip of the arm piece 14. And is connected to the arm piece 14. Therefore, by tightening the connecting shaft 18, the interval between the brackets 19 is narrowed, and the arm shaft 17 of the support member 15 is fixed. With this configuration, the support shaft 16 of the support member 15 is in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the arm piece 14 of the arm mechanism 11, and is supported in a horizontal state with respect to the floor surface F (see FIG. 1).

The arm shaft 17 has a small diameter portion 17a formed at the center of the bracket 19, and the connecting shaft 1 is attached to the small diameter portion 17a.
8 is engaged. Therefore, the arm shaft 17 is prevented from moving in the axial direction, and can be rotated about the shaft center by loosening the connecting shaft 18. Also, the arm shaft 1
7 can swing around the connecting shaft 18 via the bracket 19 by loosening the connecting shaft 18. Rotation mechanisms 20, 20 are provided at both ends of the support shaft 16 of the support member 15. That is, at both ends of the support shaft 16, a large-diameter recess 16a opening to the end face side and a small-diameter recess 16 inside thereof are provided.
b is formed, and the side guide 23 is rotatably inserted through a friction mechanism 21 inserted into the small-diameter recess 16b and a bearing mechanism 22 inserted into the large-diameter recess 16a.
The friction mechanism 21 includes, for example, a resin sleeve or the like interposed between the small diameter portion at the tip of the side guide 23 and the small diameter recess 16b so that the friction mechanism 21 can rotate with a desired friction slip. The bearing mechanism 22 includes the support shaft 16 and the side guides 2.
3 is for smoothly rotating, and oil-impregnated bearings, dry bearings and the like are used.

The side guides 23, 23, which are rotatably supported by the rotating mechanisms 20, 20 with respect to the support member 15 about the axis thereof, have receiving holes and slits formed therein, and sleeves 24 ( The receiving shafts 25, 25, which are fitted together via (see FIG. 2), are fixed by the lock bolts 26, 26. In addition, by loosening the lock bolt 26,
As indicated by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 3, the sliding shaft 32 can be swung.

The receiving shafts 25, 25 fixed to the side guides 23, 23 are orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the side guides, and the expansion / contraction mechanisms 30, 30 are connected to the receiving shafts. Telescopic mechanism 30
Is composed of an L-shaped receiving body 31 fixed to the receiving shaft 25 of the side guide 23, and a sliding shaft 32 slidably inserted in a receiving hole penetrating the receiving body. , Sliding axis 3
2 and the receiving shaft 25 are orthogonal to each other, and the sliding shaft 32 is configured to be parallel to the longitudinal direction of the support member 15. The sliding shaft 32 can be fixed at a desired sliding position by a lock screw 33 screwed into the receiving body 31.

Universal joints 35 and 35 are connected and fixed to the tips of the sliding shafts 32 and 32 of the expansion and contraction mechanisms 30 and 30, respectively. The universal joint 35 is composed of a chuck member 36 which is a support body having a built-in permanent magnet, and a sphere 37 which is attracted to the chuck member. The chuck member 36 is formed by fitting a cylindrical magnet 38 of a ferrite type or the like into a bottomed cylindrical case body fixed to the tip of the sliding shaft 32.
The exposed surface of is a concave spherical surface that is in contact with the spherical body 37. In this embodiment, the sphere 37 is made of an iron-based ferromagnetic material. The magnet may be an appropriate magnet such as a rare earth magnet, and the sphere may be a ferromagnetic material other than iron. Also,
The sphere 37 may be formed of a magnet and the chuck member 36 may be formed of a ferromagnetic material, or may be formed of a magnet that attracts both.

A connecting shaft 39 (see FIG. 2) is fixed to the spherical bodies 37, 37 of the universal joints 35, 35, and holders 40, 40 are connected to the tip of the connecting shaft 39. Holder 40
Is provided with a base portion 41 fixed to the connecting shaft 39, and two holding pieces 42, 42 swingably supported by the base portion, and a spring 43 for repulsing both is provided between the holding pieces 42, 42. Has been. By narrowing the tips of the two holding pieces with the lever 44, the probes 6 and 7 as the supported objects can be held by being held.

The operation of the phototherapy device using the support mechanism of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an essential part showing an operating state. In the phototherapy device 1, the light guide 5 extends from the treatment device body 2, and the two probes 6 and 7 at the tip of the light guide 5 are holders 40 and 40 at the tip of the support mechanism 10.
It is supported by. The therapeutic light beam emitted from the treatment device body 2 is guided by the light guide 5, branched by the spectroscope 5a, guided by the light guide portions 5b, 5c, and emitted from the probes 6, 7. When irradiating a patient's affected area with a light beam such as near-infrared light by the light beam therapeutic device 1 for treatment, the two arm pieces 13 and 14 of the arm mechanism 11 are folded,
Alternatively, it is expanded to expand and contract to approach the affected area.
If necessary, the connecting shaft 18 can be loosened to swing the arm shaft 17 about the connecting shaft 18 via the bracket 19, and the arm shaft 17 can be swung.
Can be rotated around the axis, and the support member 1
The angle and direction of 5 can be changed.

Next, the side guide 23 is rotated by using the rotating mechanism 20 at one end of the support member 15 fixed to the tip of the arm mechanism 11 to determine the direction of the receiving shaft 25 of the side guide. Here, it is possible to loosen the lock bolt 26 and rotate the receiving shaft 25 with respect to the side guide 23 via the sleeve 24 to determine the direction of the receiving body 31. Then, the sliding shaft 32 is expanded and contracted with respect to the L-shaped receiving body 31 of the expansion and contraction mechanism 30 to adjust the protruding length from the receiving body, and the lock screw 33 is tightened and fixed. As a result, the position of one universal joint 35 at the tip of the sliding shaft 32 is set with respect to the tip of the arm mechanism 11.

Similarly, the rotation mechanism 20 at the other end of the support member 15 is rotated to determine the direction of the receiving shaft 25,
Is rotated as necessary to adjust the length of the other sliding shaft 32 with respect to the receiving body 31 of the expansion and contraction mechanism 30 and the arm mechanism 11
The positional relationship between the tip of the and the other universal joint 35 is set.
The support member 15 is formed of a bar, and the expansion and contraction mechanism 3 is provided at both ends thereof.
Since the universal joints 35 and 35 are fixed through 0 and 30,
Since the universal joint is located at a position away from the arm mechanism 11, the degree of freedom of the positions of the holders 40, 40 connected to the universal joints 35, 35 can be increased.

Thereafter, the chuck member 36 of the universal joint 35 is
The spherical body 37 attracted with respect to is slid, and the holder 40 is set in the target direction. Since the sphere 37 can freely slide with respect to the chuck member 36, the holder 40 can be set in any direction, and the direction of the holder 40 connected to the connecting shaft 39 fixed to the sphere 37 is determined by the holder 40. Probes 6 and 7 of the supported light guide 5
When the light treatment is performed on the patient after the position and the direction are determined, it is possible to irradiate the affected area with the light rays from the optimum position and the optimum direction, and the treatment can be performed efficiently. Further, it is possible to irradiate one affected area with light rays for treatment from a plurality of directions, and to irradiate the affected area with a knee or an elbow sandwiched, for example.

In this way, the side guides 23, 23 supported by the rotation mechanisms 20, 20 provided at both ends of the support member 15 with respect to the tip of one arm mechanism 11.
Since the holders 40, 40 can be set at arbitrary positions by the universal joints 35, 35 connected from the side guides via the expansion and contraction mechanisms 30, 30, the probes 6, 7 of the light guide 5 have a wide range of positions and directions. It can be set freely. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the two probes 6 and 7 can be positioned at free positions and in free directions.
Further, when the lever 44 is swung, the sandwiching pieces 42, 42 are spread by the action of the spring 43 provided therebetween, and the probes 6, 7 can be easily removed from the holder 40.
In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the probe support mechanism 10 is attached to the right horizontal arm 3 of the treatment device main body 2 has been described, but a support mechanism having a similar configuration is used on the left side horizontal arm 3a of the treatment device main body 2. It is also possible to mount the same to the above, and to support the two probes by the support mechanism on the left side, and to perform the phototherapy with four probes.

Further, one support mechanism may be provided with three or more holders so that the phototherapy can be efficiently performed. The chuck member and the sphere may be fixed in reverse. That is, the sphere may be fixed to the tip of the sliding shaft, and the holder may be connected to the chuck member that attracts the sphere. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment,
The light guide has been shown to be divided into two light guide portions from the middle and emit light rays from two probes, but two light guides each having one probe may be used to be supported by the holder. It goes without saying that the support mechanism of the present invention can be applied not only to the probe of the phototherapy device but also to any other supported object.

[0023]

As can be understood from the above description, in the phototherapy device of the present invention, a plurality of universal joints are fixed to a support member fixed to the tip of the arm mechanism, and a holder is connected to each of the universal joints. Since the probe can be independently supported by the holder at any position and in any direction, it is possible to irradiate the affected area with light rays at the optimum position for treatment, and to perform efficient treatment. You can Further, when the support member is formed of a rod and the universal joints are connected to both ends of the support member through expansion and contraction mechanisms, the interval between the plurality of holders can be increased, and thus the probe can be positioned in a more free positional relationship. The probe can be positioned in more directions by providing the support member with the rotation mechanism rotatable about the axis of the rod.

The support mechanism of the present invention is capable of independently supporting the object to be supported at any desired position in the holder in any direction. By connecting a universal joint to both ends of a support member formed of a rod through expansion and contraction mechanisms, it is possible to support a supported object in a more free position, and if a rotation mechanism is provided,
The supported object can be supported in any direction. If the universal joint is composed of a sphere and a support that attracts to the spherical surface of the sphere, the holder that supports the supported object can be set in any direction along the spherical surface.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of an embodiment of a phototherapy device including a support mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of the support mechanism in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a left side view of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a main part showing an operating state.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 light treatment device, 2 treatment device main body, 3 horizontal arm, 4 bearing part, 5 light guide, 6,7 probe (supported object), 10 support mechanism, 11 arm mechanism, 12 receiving shaft, 15 support member, 16 support Shaft, 17 arm shaft, 18 connecting shaft, 1
9 bracket, 20 rotation mechanism, 23 side guide, 30 expansion mechanism, 31 receiving body, 32 sliding shaft, 35 universal joint, 36 chuck member (supporting body), 37 spherical body, 40 holder

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A light beam in which a plurality of holders are connected to the tip of an arm mechanism supported by the treatment device body, and a plurality of probes at the tip of a light guide extending from the treatment device body are supported by the plurality of holders. A treatment device, wherein each of the plurality of holders is connected via a support member fixed to a tip of the arm mechanism and a plurality of universal joints each connected to the support member, A phototherapy device. 2. The support member is formed of an arm shaft connected to the arm mechanism and a support shaft orthogonal to the arm shaft, and the plurality of universal joints are connected to both ends of the support shaft. The phototherapy device according to claim 1, wherein the phototherapy device is fixed through the phototherapy device. 3. The phototherapy device according to claim 1, wherein the support member includes a rotation mechanism rotatable about an axis of the support shaft. 4. The support member is connected to the arm mechanism by a connecting shaft that is orthogonal to the arm shaft, and the arm shaft is rotatably connected to its axis.
The phototherapy device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the phototherapy device is swingably connected to the connection shaft. 5. The universal joint is composed of a sphere and a support body that is in contact with the spherical surface of the sphere. At least one of the sphere and the support body is a magnet, and the sphere and the support body are magnetic. 5. Adsorbed by
The phototherapy device according to any one of 1. 6. An arm mechanism that swingably connects a plurality of arm pieces, a support member fixed to the tip of the arm mechanism, a plurality of universal joints fixed to the support member, and a universal joint of the universal joint. A support mechanism comprising: a holder connected to each of the holders; and a plurality of objects to be supported by the plurality of holders. 7. The support member is formed of an arm shaft connected to the arm mechanism and a support shaft orthogonal to the arm shaft, and the plurality of universal joints are connected to both ends of the support shaft. 7. The support mechanism according to claim 6, wherein the support mechanism is fixed via. 8. The support mechanism according to claim 6, wherein the support member includes a rotation mechanism rotatable about an axis of the support shaft. 9. The support member is connected to the arm mechanism by a connecting shaft that is orthogonal to the arm shaft, and the arm shaft is rotatably connected to its axis.
The support mechanism according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the support mechanism is swingably connected to the connection shaft. 10. The universal joint is composed of a sphere and a support body that is in contact with the spherical surface of the sphere. At least one of the sphere and the support body is a magnet, and the sphere and the support body are magnetic. The support mechanism according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the support mechanism is adsorbed by.