JP2007050069A - Irradiation part for microwave therapeutic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an irradiation part for a microwave therapeutic apparatus capable of executing a thermotherapy of an affected part regardless of a narrow area and a wide area and executing the effective thermotherapy while giving a superior warm sense to a patient. <P>SOLUTION: The skeleton of the irradiation part 1 irradiating microwaves of a prescribed frequency to the affected part is constituted of three base bodies 2, 3 and 4 divided from one another, the three base bodies 2, 3 and 4 are disposed adjacent to one another, and the adjacent base bodies 2 and 3 and bodies 2 and 4 are rotationally fixed and connected by a hinge portion. The base body 2 disposed at the center is formed with an antenna part 6. The antenna part 6 is provided with an approximately T-shaped radiator 7 having a base column part 8 whose one end is connected to a transmission line 11, and a joining part 9 joinedly formed to the other end of the base column part 8. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an irradiation unit for a microwave therapy apparatus that performs thermal treatment by irradiating a living tissue with microwaves.

  The following Patent Document 1 discloses a technique that employs a helical antenna as a radiator of a microwave therapy device. The helical antenna has a characteristic of radiating microwaves mainly in the extending direction of the antenna.

  Therefore, although the helical antenna is effective when irradiating the affected area with a small area in a spot manner, the helical antenna does not irradiate the microwave with the spread to the affected area with a wide area. Had. Patent Document 1 below describes that the shape of the radiator is not limited to a helical antenna, but does not mention any specific shape of the radiator other than the helical antenna and how the radiator is installed. Absent.

  Patent Document 2 below discloses a slit antenna in which a movable door that opens and closes a slit is installed on a slit surface formed by making a slit of a slit antenna, and a plurality of slits are opened or closed as appropriate by the movable door. A microwave therapy device used is disclosed.

The slit antenna described in Patent Document 2 has a configuration in which several slits are always opened, and the remaining slits are opened and closed by sliding a movable door, so that microwaves can be irradiated according to the affected area. However, the shape of the antenna can be appropriately changed according to the area and shape of the affected area, and the entire antenna cannot be efficiently utilized to be concentrated on the affected area and irradiated with microwaves. Therefore, the patient feels a strong sense of warmth. However, he was unable to receive hyperthermia.
Utility model registration No. 3011462 Reality No. 3-41722

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and enables a microtherapy that enables a thermal treatment of an affected area of a small area and a wide area and that can efficiently perform a thermotherapy while giving a better sense of temperature to a patient. An object is to provide an irradiation unit for a wave therapy apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 is constituted by a plurality of bases each having a skeleton of an irradiating part for irradiating microwaves of a predetermined frequency toward the affected part. Are arranged adjacent to each other, and adjacent bases are rotatably connected to each other, and an antenna portion is formed on at least one of the plurality of bases.

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the skeleton of the irradiation part is constituted by three bases, and among the three bases, an antenna part is formed on a base disposed at a central position.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substantially T-shaped radiator in which the antenna portion is composed of a base pillar portion whose one end is connected to the transmission line and a joint portion formed to be joined to the other end of the base pillar portion. It is characterized by providing.

  The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the joint portion is joined to the base column portion so that the axis of the joint portion is oriented substantially in the vertical direction.

  The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the axis of the joint is non-parallel to the base surface to which one end of the base pillar is fixed.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the skeleton of the irradiation unit is composed of a plurality of bases separated from each other, the plurality of bases are arranged adjacent to each other, and the adjacent bases are connected so as to be rotatable and fixed. In addition, since the antenna unit is formed on at least one of the plurality of bases, the base is appropriately rotated in accordance with the affected part area and shape for each patient during the thermal treatment, or the whole affected part or one region. By changing the form of the irradiation part to surround the antenna, the microwaves radiated from the antenna part can be radiated not only to the affected area of a small area but also to the affected area of a wide area, and further to the patient Effective thermal treatment can be given while giving an excellent warmth that is wrapped up.

  In addition, as described above, the amount of microwaves leaking into the air can be further reduced by appropriately rotating the substrate according to the affected area and shape of each patient, and the power required for irradiation can be kept low. Therefore, the power consumption of the microwave therapy apparatus can be reduced. Furthermore, there is an advantage that unnecessary radiation of microwaves can be reduced, and adverse effects due to radiation to other treatment devices installed around the microwave treatment device and the human body of others can be reduced.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, since the skeleton of the irradiation part is composed of three substrates, and the antenna unit is formed on the substrate disposed at the central position among the three substrates. By appropriately rotating the bases on both sides to change the form of the irradiation part so as to surround the whole affected area or one region, the microwave radiated from the antenna part formed on the base at the central position can be transmitted only by the narrow affected area. In addition, it is possible to irradiate a large area of the affected area in an integrated manner, and furthermore, an effective thermotherapy can be performed while giving an excellent warm feeling that the affected area is wrapped in the patient.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the antenna portion has a substantially T-shaped radiation including a base pillar portion whose one end is connected to the transmission line and a joint portion that is joined to the other end of the base pillar portion. Because it is equipped with a device, it can be narrowed by irradiating microwaves radiated from the radiator while suitably reflecting them toward the affected area with the base on both sides while making the best use of the radiation characteristics of the substantially T-shaped radiator. Effective thermotherapy is possible not only for the affected area but also for a large area.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the joint portion of the radiator is joined to the base column portion so that the axis thereof is directed substantially in the vertical direction, the radiator is substantially laterally front and rear from the substantially T-shaped radiator. Microwaves can be emitted with an extension similar to a columnar shape in the direction, and the microwaves radiated in the left-right direction are irradiated while being suitably reflected by the base toward the affected area, so that the affected area has a wide area as well as a small area It is possible to effectively treat hyperthermia.

  According to the invention described in claim 5, since the axis of the joint is non-parallel to the base surface to which one end of the base pillar is fixed, the connector is attached to the end position of the transmission line that is a coaxial cable. The electric power (reflected wave voltage) rebounded at the terminal portion can be suppressed to a low amount, that is, the voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) value can be suppressed to a low value, and therefore the power from the transmission line can be reduced. It can be efficiently transmitted to the radiator, so that the irradiation efficiency of the microwaves radiated from the radiator can be improved, and an efficient thermal treatment can be performed.

  The purpose of providing an irradiation unit for a microwave therapy apparatus that enables thermal treatment of an affected area of a small area and a wide area and that can perform efficient thermal treatment while imparting a better thermal sensation to a patient, at a predetermined frequency. The irradiation unit 1 for irradiating the microwave toward the affected part is composed of three bases 2, 3, 4 separated from each other, and the three bases 2, 3, 4 are arranged adjacent to each other and adjacent bases 2 -3 and 2 and 4 are connected to each other by a hinge part 5 so as to be rotatable and fixed, and the antenna part 6 is formed on the central base body 2 arranged at the central position among the three base bodies 2, 3 and 4. Realized by.

  Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 is a perspective view showing the irradiation unit 1 of the microwave treatment device 24 with the front cover 23a removed, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the irradiation unit 1 of the microwave treatment device 24, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the microwave treatment device 24.

  The main body 25 of the microwave treatment device 24 incorporates a microwave oscillating unit (not shown) whose main components are members such as a magnetron, a switching element, and a step-up transformer, and the microwave oscillating unit has a predetermined frequency (2 .45 GHz) microwaves are oscillated. The microwave oscillated and output from the magnetron is transmitted and supplied to the irradiating unit 1 through a transmission line 11 such as a coaxial cable that is extended from the microwave oscillating unit to the irradiating unit 1. Irradiated inside.

  The upper surface of the main body 25 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape is formed in an inclined surface whose rear surface is higher than the front surface, and this inclined surface is constituted by a motor volume, an encoder, or the like, and an output for manually increasing / decreasing the microwave output. In addition to the adjustment knob 15, there is provided an operation panel unit 26 on which various members such as an output level display unit for displaying the microwave output status in real time and a treatment time display unit for digitally displaying the treatment time are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 4, two arm portions 27, 27 having the same configuration are attached to both side surface portions of the main body portion 25. Although the detailed description is omitted because it is not related to the gist of the present invention, the arm portion 27 has an inner tube 28 in which the irradiation unit 1 is attached to one end of the tube and is fitted into the outer tube 29 concentrically. The inner tube body 28 can move back and forth (in the direction of arrows A in FIG. 4) and rotate (in the direction of arrows B in FIG. 4) relative to the outer tube body 29. The other tube end portion of the outer tube body 29 is attached to the main body portion 25 via an arm joint portion 31 provided so as to be rotatable in the horizontal direction with respect to the support member 30, and the entire arm portion 27 is horizontally ( It can be rotated in the direction of both arrows C in FIG.

  Next, the configuration of the irradiation unit 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the skeleton of the irradiation unit 1 includes a central base 2, and a left base 3 and a right base 4 that are disposed adjacent to the left and right of the central base 2. The central base body 2 has a substantially U-shape having an opening 12, the left base body 3 has a right side and a front surface, the right base body 4 has a left side and a front surface removed, and tetrahedrons having openings 13 and 14, respectively. It has an almost box shape. The three bases 2, 3, 4 are arranged adjacent to each other so that the openings 12, 13, 14 face in the same direction.

  The left side of the vertical surface 2a of the central base 2 and the right side of the vertical surface 3a of the left base 3 and the right side of the vertical surface 2a of the central base 2 and the left side of the vertical surface 4a of the right base 4 The left base body 3 and the right base body 4 are rotatable with respect to the central base body 2. Specifically, the left base body 3 and the right base body 4 each have an angle range of approximately 60 to 160 degrees with respect to the central base body 2 (the vertical surface 2a of the central frame 2 on the opening side and the vertical surface 3a of the left base body 3 or Rotation is permitted within the range of angles formed by the vertical surface 2a and the vertical surface 4a of the right base 4).

  The hinge portion 5 provides an appropriate frictional resistance so that the left base body 3 and the right base body 4 do not unnecessarily rotate with respect to the central base body 2, and the left base body 3 and the right base body 4 can be arbitrarily set within the angular range. It can be fixed at an angular position. Of course, the rotation fixing means between the substrates is not limited to the hinge described above, and other means may be used.

  The vertical surfaces 2a, 3a, 4a of the three bases 2, 3, 4 are provided with a substantially U-shaped fixing member 19 so that a hot cathode tube 18 as a light emitter 17 is directed vertically. Has been attached via. In FIG. 1, the hot cathode tubes 18 and 18 are respectively mounted at equidistant positions from the radiator 7 so that the radiator 7 is sandwiched from the left and right in the vertical plane 2a, and at the center positions of the left and right substrates 3 and 4, respectively. A mode in which one hot cathode tube 18 is attached in the vertical direction is shown. The hot cathode tubes 18 attached to the left and right substrates 3 and 4 may be attached in the horizontal direction.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the antenna portion 6 is provided so as to protrude toward the opening 12 at a position slightly below the vertical center position of the vertical surface 2 a of the central base 2. The antenna unit 6 is a radiation having a substantially T-shaped cross-sectional view including a base column portion 8 disposed in a direction orthogonal to the vertical surface 2a and a joint portion 9 formed to be joined to the other end of the base column portion 8. A vessel 7 is provided.

  One end of the base column 8 is connected to the central conductor 11a of the transmission line 11 introduced through the vertical surface 2a by soldering. The connector terminal 33 fastened to the distal end portion of the transmission line 11 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 35b of the insertion portion 35 attached to the rear surface of the vertical surface 2a via the flange portion 35a. Although illustration is omitted, a screw groove is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 35 b, and the connector terminal 33 is fixed to the insertion portion 35 by a fastening member 16 screwed into the screw groove. In FIG. 3, 11b is an insulator, 11c is an outer conductor, and 11d is an outer skin.

  The joint portion 9 is joined to the base pillar portion 8 so that the axis YY thereof is oriented substantially in the vertical direction of the vertical surface 2a. The elevation angle θ formed by the axis XX of the base column 8 and the axis YY of the joint 9 is set to an appropriate angle so that the voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) value is low. The axis YY is not parallel to the vertical plane 2a, more specifically, the axis YY is inclined in such a manner that the axis YY moves away from the vertical plane 2a from the lower side to the upper side in FIG.

  The dimensions L1 and L2 from the intersection of the axis line XX and the axis line YY (hereinafter referred to as the junction point 10) to the upper end surface 9a and the lower end surface 9b of the joint portion 9 are designed to satisfy L1> L2. . In this way, impedance matching between the transmission line 11 and the radiator 7 is achieved by shifting the joint point 10 (feed point) downward with respect to the joint 9 and feeding (offset feed), and the transmission line at the connector terminal 33 site. The power reflected in 11 directions (reflected wave voltage) can be reduced, the voltage standing wave ratio value can be made lower, and the power from the transmission line 11 can be efficiently used without waste. Can be supplied to.

  Further, the upper part of the joint 9 of the radiator 7 is loosened in a concave hole 22a of a holding plate 22 provided in a protruding manner in a direction orthogonal to the vertical surface 2a via a mounting bracket 32 having a substantially L shape in cross section. When the transmission line 11 is twisted around the axis, the radiator 7 is restricted from rotating unnecessarily with respect to the direction of the vertical plane 2a.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a front cover 23a and a rear cover 23b made of a material that transmits microwaves irradiated from the radiator 7 are respectively provided on the front surface (opening side) and the rear surface of each of the substrates 2, 3, and 4. The front cover 23a and the rear cover 23b are bonded to each other so as not to hinder the rotation of the base.

  Two rows of vertical grooves 34 extending in the vertical direction are respectively cut on the left and right sides of the front cover 23a covered on the front surface of the central base body 2, and the front covers 23a and 23a covered on the front surfaces of the left and right base bodies 3 and 4 are cut. Four rows of vertical grooves 34 are also cut in the substantially central portion. The vertical groove 34 emits the light of the hot cathode tube 18 that emits light upon receiving the power of the radiation microwave to the outside of the irradiation unit 1 and informs the user or patient that the microwave is output from the radiator 7. Is for the purpose.

  Next, the usage method of the irradiation part 1 of the microwave therapy apparatus 24 is demonstrated. The user turns on a power switch (not shown) provided in the microwave treatment device 24, appropriately rotates or advances and retracts the arm unit 27, and arranges the irradiation unit 1 at a position suitable for the thermal treatment for each patient. Next, after the irradiation unit 1 is brought close to a position at a predetermined distance from the affected part, the left and right bases 3 and 4 are manually moved with respect to the central base 2 so as to surround the entire affected part or one region of the affected part. Rotate as needed.

  When heat-treating an affected area of a small area, the left base 3 and the right base 4 are each rotated in the E direction (see FIG. 2) according to the affected area, shape, etc., and a space surrounded by three bases is created. Narrow it. On the other hand, when treating an affected area over a wide area, the left base 3 and the right base 4 are each rotated in the F direction (see FIG. 2) according to the shape of the affected area, so that the space surrounded by the three bases can be expanded. That's fine.

  The output adjustment knob 15 is rotated in a predetermined direction to gradually increase the output to a desired set output value for each patient, and power is supplied to the radiator 7 via the transmission line 11 to radiate microwaves from the radiator 7. Let The hot cathode tube 18 that has received the microwave radiation power emits light, and the light is emitted from the vertical groove 34 of the front cover 23a to the atmosphere. Thereby, the user and the patient can easily recognize that the microwave is emitted from the radiator 7.

  When electric power is supplied, microwaves are radiated from the substantially T-shaped radiator 7 with a spread resembling a substantially cylindrical shape in the front-rear and left-right directions. The microwave radiated in the forward direction passes through the front cover 23a and is directly irradiated toward the affected part, and the microwave radiated in the left-right direction is reflected by the left and right substrates 3 and 4 that have been rotated. Irradiated in the direction of the affected area. Therefore, the microwave radiated from the radiator 7 can be suitably concentrated and irradiated on the affected area, and an efficient thermal treatment is possible while giving the patient an excellent warm feeling that the entire affected area is wrapped. Become.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the antenna unit 6. In FIG. 5, the same or equivalent components as those in FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description of the components is omitted unless particularly required. The antenna unit 6 according to the second embodiment is a slit hole 36 cut into the vertical surface 2 a of the central base 2. The slit hole 36 is a rectangular hole extending in the vertical direction, and at least one slit hole 36 is appropriately cut in the vertical surface 2a.

  A box-shaped frame body 37 having substantially the same vertical and horizontal dimensions as the base body 2 is abutted and fixed to the rear surface side of the vertical surface 2a, and the front end of the transmission line 11 is fixed to the vertical surface 37a of the frame body 37. Yes. The front end portion of the center conductor 11 a that is covered with the insulator 11 b passes through the vertical surface 37 a and is inserted into a space surrounded by the vertical surface 2 a of the base 2 and the inner peripheral surface of the frame body 37. The microwave transmitted through the central conductor 11a is radiated from the slit hole 36 into the atmosphere.

  Accordingly, by appropriately rotating the left and right bases 3 and 4 according to the shape and area of the affected area, microwaves radiated from the slit hole 36 and diffused to the left and right can be intensively irradiated toward the affected area.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described in the first and second embodiments, and the configuration of the antenna portion, the shape of the base, the number, etc. are appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Needless to say, you can. For example, the antenna unit may be a substantially S-shaped irradiator, and may be of any shape as long as it has a characteristic of radiating microwaves in a front-back, left-right direction. Further, the substrate may not be formed into a substantially U shape or a substantially box shape, and a substantially rectangular flat plate member may be used, and the number of substrates is not limited to three.

  Further, in the first embodiment, an example in which the irradiator is fixed with respect to the vertical surface in such a manner as to be separated from the vertical surface of the base body as the axis of the joint portion goes from the lower side to the upper side is described. You may fix with respect to a vertical surface so that it may space apart from the vertical surface of a base | substrate as the axis line of a junction part goes below from the upper direction.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied to an irradiation unit for a microwave therapy apparatus that performs thermotherapy by irradiating a living tissue with microwaves.

It is a perspective view which shows the irradiation part of the microwave therapy apparatus of the state which removed the front cover which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the irradiation part of the microwave therapy apparatus which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the structure of the antenna part which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the microwave therapy apparatus which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the structure of the antenna part which concerns on Example 2 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Irradiation part 2 Central base | substrate 2a Vertical surface 3 Left base | substrate 4 Right base | substrate 6 Antenna part 7 Radiator 8 Base pillar part 9 Junction part 11 Transmission line 37 Slit hole

Claims (5)

  The skeleton of the irradiation unit that irradiates the affected part with microwaves of a predetermined frequency is composed of a plurality of bases separated from each other, and the bases are arranged adjacent to each other and can be freely fixed between adjacent bases. An irradiation unit for a microwave therapy apparatus, wherein an antenna unit is formed on at least one of the plurality of substrates.   2. The irradiation for a microwave treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the skeleton of the irradiation part is composed of three bases, and an antenna part is formed on a base located at a central position among the three bases. Department.   The antenna portion includes a substantially T-shaped radiator including a base column portion, one end of which is connected to the transmission line, and a joint portion formed to be joined to the other end of the base column portion. The irradiation part for microwave therapy apparatuses of 1 or 2.   The irradiation part for a microwave therapy device according to claim 3, wherein the joint part is joined to the base pillar part so that an axis thereof is oriented substantially in the vertical direction. The irradiation part for a microwave therapy apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the axis of the joint part is not parallel to the base surface to which one end of the base part is fixed.

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