JP2003117007A - Beam therapy equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the beam therapy equipment capable of preventing the patient's skin from being burnt by irradiation of excessive beam when a probe of a light guide for applying the beam to an affected area is supported. SOLUTION: The beam for treatment is applied from the probe 6 mounted on a tip of the light guide 5 connected to a therapy equipment body 2, the therapy equipment body 2 is provided with a supporting mechanism 10, a holder 20 is mounted on a tip of the supporting mechanism for supporting the probe 6, and the holder 20 is provided with a micro-switch 25 as a detector for detecting that the probe 6 is supported. When the supporting of the probe 6 is detected by the micro-switch 25, the therapy equipment body 2 is released from an arbitrary irradiation mode, and transferred to a safety irradiation mode to limitedly apply the beam.

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 light guide for irradiating a diseased part with a therapeutic light beam, and more particularly to a probe fixed to the tip of the light guide for irradiating the affected part with a light beam. The present invention relates to a phototherapy device including a holder.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of phototherapy device has a light guide which extends from the main body of the treatment device and irradiates the affected area with a therapeutic light beam such as near infrared rays. The probe to irradiate on is fixed. This probe is supported by a holder fixed to the tip of a support mechanism supported by the treatment device main body, and can irradiate the affected area with light rays. That is, as a support mechanism, for example, an arm mechanism composed of two arm pieces whose central part is swingably connected is fixed to the treatment device main body, and a probe is attached by a holder that is swingably connected to the tip of the arm piece. It can be supported by sandwiching. Then, the probe supported by the holder irradiates the affected area with light rays,
I am performing phototherapy.

[0003]

By the way, in the phototherapy device having the above-mentioned structure, when the doctor holds the probe for irradiating the light beam with his / her hand, the doctor grasps the state that the skin is heated by the irradiation, and The intensity can be weakened, and the irradiation dose can be adjusted by retracting the probe from the skin, but when irradiating the affected part of the patient with the probe supported by the holder, it is not possible to make fine adjustments There is a risk that the amount of irradiation of the irradiated light may increase and the skin may cause burns or low-temperature burns.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to detect that a doctor is supporting a holder without manually holding the probe. When the holder is supported by the holder, the support state is detected and, for example, an alarm is issued to promote safety, and when the probe is supported, the arbitrary irradiation mode is released and the safety irradiation mode is set. It is an object of the present invention to provide a phototherapy device capable of preventing the affected area from being burned.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems] To achieve the above object,
The light treatment device according to the present invention irradiates a treatment light beam from a probe at the tip of a light guide connected to the treatment device main body, and the treatment device main body is provided with a support mechanism, and the probe is provided at the tip of the support mechanism. A holder for supporting the probe is provided, and one of the holder and the probe is provided with a detector for detecting that the holder supports the probe. A microswitch is preferably used as the detector, and the microswitch includes a protrusion that is pressed into contact with the probe.

According to this structure, when the probe for irradiating the light beam is supported by the holder, it is detected by the detector, the lamp is turned on, and the buzzer is sounded to activate the alarm device, thereby enabling the doctor or the like. It is possible to call attention to the operator of the phototherapy device and prevent damage such as burns to the patient due to excessive irradiation of light. The micro switch can reliably detect that the probe is supported by the holder with a simple structure.

In a preferred specific embodiment of the phototherapy device according to the present invention, the support mechanism is fixed to the tip of a support mechanism composed of an arm mechanism connected to the main body of the treatment device. There is. According to this configuration, the probe for irradiating the light beam can be fixed in a state of being separated from the treatment device main body, the position of the light treatment device and the patient can be freely set, and the light treatment can be performed in the optimum positional relationship. .

Further, as another preferable specific embodiment of the phototherapy device according to the present invention, the treatment device main body includes a control device, and the control device irradiates a light beam with an arbitrary output, and a light beam. Is switched to a safe irradiation mode in which the irradiation is restricted, and when the detector detects that the probe is supported, the arbitrary irradiation mode is released to shift to the safe irradiation mode. According to this configuration, when the detector detects that the probe is supported by the holder, the treatment device body releases the arbitrary irradiation mode and shifts to the safe irradiation mode, so the irradiation amount of the light beam on the affected area is limited. Therefore, the affected area does not cause burns or low temperature burns.

The control device limits the safety of the light beam by at least one of, for example, reducing the wattage of the light source to reduce the output of the light beam and intermittently turning on the light source to irradiate the light beam intermittently. The irradiation mode is preferable. As a result, the amount of light rays applied to the affected area is limited, and even when the probe is supported by the holder and the positional relationship between the affected area and the probe does not change, burns of the affected area due to excessive irradiation of light rays can be prevented.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of a phototherapy device according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a front view of the phototherapy device according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the holder of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the main body of the therapy device of FIG. 1, and FIG. The flowchart and FIG. 5 are other flowcharts of the irradiation operation.

1 to 3, the phototherapy device 1 includes a treatment device main body 2, light guides 5 and 5 extending from the treatment device main body 2, and probes 6 at the tips of the light guides 5 and 5.
The supporting mechanism 10, 10 supporting 6 is provided. The therapeutic 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 this light beam to the probes 6 and 6 at the tip end by the light guides 5 and 5 in which optical fibers are bundled. Then, treatment is performed by irradiating the affected area from the tip of the probe. The light guide 5 inserted into the mounting hole 2a of the treatment device main body 2 is divided into a plurality of small-diameter light guide parts by providing a branching device in the middle thereof, and a plurality of light guide parts are provided at the tips of the plurality of light guide parts. The probe may be a fixed multi-branched fiber, and in this case, a therapeutic light beam can be emitted from a plurality of probes at the same time.

On the upper surface of the treatment device body 2, a horizontal arm 3,
3 is movably mounted, and pipe-shaped bearings 4 and 4 that open upward are fixed to the ends of the horizontal arms 3 and 3,
The support mechanisms 10 and 10 are connected to the bearings 4 and 4.
The support mechanism 10 is an arm mechanism 11 including two arm pieces.
And a holder 20 at the lower end of the arm mechanism and a holder 20 at the tip of the arm mechanism, and the receiver shaft 12 is inserted into the bearing portion 4 of the horizontal arm 3 of the treatment device body 2. The holder 20 of the support mechanism 10 sandwiches and supports the probe 6 at the tip of the light guide 5.

The arm mechanism 11 is formed by swingably connecting two arm pieces. The two arm pieces are arbitrarily rocked by a spring mechanism (not shown), a balance mechanism, a friction mechanism or the like. The probe 6 can be supported in a state in which the probe 6 can be stopped at a moving angle, and the probe 6 can be supported in a state of approaching the treatment device body 2 or in a state of being separated from the treatment device body 2. It should be noted that the arm mechanism 11 is not limited to one including two arm pieces, and may be a plurality of arm pieces that are swingably connected.

As shown in FIG. 2, the holder 20 includes a base portion 21 fixed to the tip of the arm mechanism 11 and two holding pieces 22, 22 swingably supported by the base portion 21,
A spring 23 that repels the two is provided between the sandwiching pieces 22, 22. By narrowing the tips of the two holding pieces against the spring 23 by the lever 24, the probe 6, which is a supported object, can be held between the holding pieces 22 and 22 and supported.

A micro switch 25 is embedded as a detector in one of the sandwiching pieces 22, and a projection 26 for operating the micro switch 25 projects from the inner surface of the sandwiching piece 22. A lead wire 27 extends from the micro switch 25, and the lead wire 27 extends through the support mechanism 10.
Is connected to the treatment device main body 2 through the arm mechanism 11 of
The control device 30 in the treatment device main body 2 is configured to switch the irradiation mode of the light beam by a signal from the micro switch 25. The holder 20 is fixed to the tip of the support mechanism 10 via a ball joint 28 composed of a magnet 28a and a spherical body 28b made of a magnetic material, and its direction can be freely changed.

As shown in FIG. 3, the phototherapy device 1 sets a light irradiation mode by a control device 30 in the treatment device main body 2, and a light source 3 such as a halogen lamp through a lighting circuit 31.
2 is turned on. The control device 30 controls the lighting of the light source 32, and includes, for example, a display operation unit 33 including an irradiation start switch, and the microcomputer 3.
4, an EEPROM (programmable ROM that is writable and electrically erasable) 35, and the like. Specifically, the setting of the lighting time and the lighting pause time of the light source 32,
Adjust the lighting output according to the set program.

The microcomputer 34 is a CPU, RO
It is composed of M, RAM and the like. Lighting and extinction are controlled by the lighting circuit 31 of the light source, and lighting output is adjusted by adjusting the voltage supplied to the light source 32 by the lighting circuit 31, for example, to adjust the intensity (emission amount) of the radiated light. A signal from a micro switch 25, which is a detector for detecting that the probe 6 is supported, is input to an I / O port (not shown) of the microcomputer 34.

The irradiation mode of the light source 32 can be selected from, for example, an arbitrary irradiation mode and a safe irradiation mode by a selection switch (not shown) of the display operation unit 33 of the control circuit 30. The arbitrary irradiation mode is arbitrarily set such as a continuous irradiation mode in which the light source 32 is continuously turned on and a therapeutic light beam is continuously irradiated from the tip of the probe 6, or a cycle irradiation mode in which irradiation is performed for a predetermined time and then stopped for a predetermined time. This is a mode that is basically used when a doctor holds the probe 6 by hand and irradiates the affected area with a therapeutic light beam.

The safe irradiation mode is a mode in which the light-irradiated skin is irradiated with a quantity of light that does not cause low-temperature burns. Even in continuous irradiation, the low-power mode in which the output of the light is weakened and the light source 32 is used. Lights up intermittently, probe 6
The intermittent mode in which the therapeutic light beam is intermittently emitted from the tip of the probe, the output of the light source 32 is changed, and the output of the therapeutic light beam from the distal end of the probe 6, for example, the variable output mode in which the intensity is repeatedly emitted, or both of them are selected. It is possible to switch the combined output variable intermittent mode, etc.
2 limits the light rays emitted from the two.

The operation of the phototherapy device 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. First, when the doctor holds the probe 6 by hand and irradiates the patient with the light beam by the light beam treatment device 1 to perform the treatment, the doctor selects the arbitrary irradiation mode on the display operation unit 33 of the control circuit 30,
While observing the affected area, the light intensity of the light source 32 in the treatment device body 2 is adjusted to irradiate the affected area with light. In this case, when the doctor presses the irradiation start switch in step (hereinafter referred to as S) 41, it is determined in S42 whether or not the micro switch 25 is pressed. In this case, since S is not pressed, S
While keeping the arbitrary irradiation mode at 44, the doctor prevents excessive irradiation of light rays on the affected area by changing the distance between the affected area and the probe 6 and by operating the display operation section 33 to repeatedly turn on and off. be able to. And
In S45, when the irradiation time ends, the standby state is set. In addition,
Even if the doctor does not first select the arbitrary irradiation mode, since the micro switch 25 is not pressed, the arbitrary irradiation mode is automatically set in S42.

Next, the doctor does not hold the probe 6 in his hand,
A case will be described in which the probe 6 is supported by the holder 20 at the tip of the support mechanism 10 to perform light treatment. When the doctor presses the irradiation start switch in S41, it is determined in S42 whether or not the micro switch 25 is pressed. In this case, the safe irradiation mode is selected in S43, and the light amount of the light source is limited. Is done. As mentioned above, the light guide has a branch in the middle,
In the case of a multi-branched fiber with a plurality of probes fixed, it is preferable to shift to the safe irradiation mode when at least one of the microswitches provided in each of the plurality of holders is pressed.

That is, when the probe 6 is supported by the holder 20, the outer peripheral surface of the probe 6 is attached to the microswitch 2
By pressing the protrusion 26 of No. 5 and pushing the protrusion 26, for example, the microswitch 25 is closed.
This signal is input to the control circuit 30 in the treatment device main body 2 via the lead wire 27, and the control circuit 30 shifts the irradiation mode of the light beam 32 from the arbitrary irradiation mode to the safe irradiation mode. As a result, the light beam emitted from the probe 6 shifts to a safe irradiation mode such as a low output mode or an intermittent mode, the irradiation amount of the light beam is limited, and an excessive light beam is not irradiated on the affected area, so that the light is not burned.

Another operation of the phototherapy device will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, about the same structure as FIG. 4, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and detailed description is abbreviate | omitted. In FIG. 5, when the power switch of the phototherapy device 1 is pressed in S40, the control device determines in S42 whether the micro switch is pressed, and selects the safe irradiation mode in S43 or the arbitrary irradiation mode in S44. Also in this case, when the light guide is branched by a branching device in the middle and provided with a plurality of probes, when at least one of the microswitches of the plurality of holders supporting the probes is pressed, the safe irradiation mode should be entered. Is preferred. Then, when the irradiation start switch is pressed in S45, light irradiation is performed in the selected irradiation mode, and in S46, a standby state is entered when the irradiation time ends. In the case of the operation of FIG. 4, the state of the micro switch is checked each time the irradiation switch is pressed, but in the case of FIG. 5, the state of the same irradiation mode is maintained once the power switch is turned on.

The probe 6 at the tip of the light guide 5 can be expanded and contracted from the treatment device main body 2 by the arm mechanism 11 of the support mechanism 10 to be set at a free position, and can be freely oriented by the magnet 28a and the sphere 28b of the ball joint 28. Therefore, the positional relationship between the patient and the probe 6 can be freely changed, and the therapeutic light beam can be emitted from the optimum position.

In the above-described embodiment, when the microswitch 25, which is a detector, detects that the holder 6 supports the probe 6 of the light guide 5, the control device 30 shifts to the safe irradiation mode. Although an example of limiting the above is shown, by receiving an output from the detector, displaying a notification lamp such as a red light, or operating a notification device such as a buzzer,
It may be configured to indicate that there is a possibility of burns when the treatment is performed in the arbitrary irradiation mode and call attention.

In this case, when the detector detects that the holder supports the probe, the buzzer and the notification lamp call attention, so that the doctor or operator operating the phototherapy device irradiates the affected area from the probe. The light source is controlled to be turned on so that the amount of light rays to be generated is not such that it causes burns, and the amount of light that is irradiated to the affected area is limited by, for example, setting a low output or intermittently turning on the light source.

Although an example of a microswitch is shown as the detector, the detector is not limited to this. For example, the light output part and the light receiving part of the photointerrupter are installed between two holding pieces, and the probe is held between them. The light receiving part is shielded from light when it is in a closed state, or a magnetic material is attached to the probe,
The holder may be provided with a magnetically sensitive reed switch or the like.

Further, for example, a micro switch is attached as a detector on the probe side, and when the probe is sandwiched and supported by the holder, the holder presses the protruding operation piece of the micro switch to close the contact, and this signal is output. May be configured to be input to the control device by a lead wire wired along the light guide. In this case, it is not necessary to wire the lead wire to the arm mechanism.

[0029]

As can be understood from the above description, the phototherapy device of the present invention is detected by the detector when the probe for irradiating the affected area with the light beam is supported by the holder,
For example, since the notification is made by the indicator light or the notification means, the skin is not irradiated with light rays excessively, and it is possible to prevent burns and low-temperature burns. By fixing the holder to the tip of the support mechanism composed of the arm mechanism, the positional relationship between the phototherapy device and the patient can be freely set.

Further, when the probe of the light guide is supported by the holder by the detector, if the control device is configured to shift from the arbitrary irradiation mode to the safe irradiation mode, the therapeutic light beam is restricted and irradiated. Because
Excessive light rays are not applied to the affected area, and the skin of the affected area does not suffer low-temperature burns or the like. The control device can easily enter the safe irradiation mode by at least one of reducing the output of the light beam and intermittently irradiating the light beam, and can prevent burns on the affected area.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a main part of the holder shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the treatment device main body of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of irradiation operation of the phototherapy device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is another flowchart of the irradiation operation of the phototherapy device.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 light treatment device, 2 treatment device main body, 5 light guide, 6 probe, 10 support mechanism, 20 holder, 25 micro switch (detector), 26 protrusion, 30 control device, 31 lighting circuit, 3
2 light sources, 34 microcomputer, S43 safe irradiation mode, S44 arbitrary irradiation mode

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A light treatment device for irradiating a treatment light beam from a probe at the tip of a light guide connected to the treatment device body, wherein the treatment device body has a support mechanism, and the treatment mechanism has a support mechanism at the tip thereof. A phototherapy device comprising a holder for supporting the probe, and a detector for detecting that the holder supports the probe is provided in either one of the holder and the probe. . 2. The phototherapy device according to claim 1, wherein the support mechanism comprises an arm mechanism connected to the treatment device main body. 3. The treatment device main body includes a control device, and the control device switches between an arbitrary irradiation mode of irradiating a light beam with an arbitrary output and a safe irradiation mode of restricting and irradiating the light beam, and the detector. The phototherapy device according to claim 1, wherein when the probe is detected to be supported by, the arbitrary irradiation mode is released and the safe irradiation mode is entered. 4. The control device reduces the output of a light beam and intermittently irradiates the light beam, and limits the light beam to enter a safe irradiation mode. Light therapy device.