JP4831534B2 - Biological stimulator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention provides a biostimulation conductor that receives a stimulus signal from a stimulus signal generation means and applies a stimulus such as ultrasound, high frequency, or heat to a living body, and a stimulus that includes these stimulus generation means and the biostimulation conductor. It relates to a generator.

  In recent years, as a method for eliminating obesity and the like of the body, there is a method of accelerating the burning of fat without exercising by applying ultrasonic stimulation to a living body to contract muscles. According to the promotion of fat burning, the activity due to heat generation of the living body is enhanced, thereby converting a part of fat accumulated in the living body into heat and consuming it. In addition, ultrasonic stimulation has the effect of removing pain, relieving pain such as lower back, recovering fatigue after sports, removing muscle fatigue, relaxing muscle stiffness, and circulating blood by the effect of heat There is an effect to improve. An apparatus for applying such ultrasonic stimulation to a living body is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1.

  In addition, the high-frequency stimulation has a higher frequency component (for example, 20 to 100 kHz), and thus can stimulate the deep part of the living body and activate the deep part, and the thermal effect is similar to the ultrasonic stimulation. It is effective for fat burning due to symptom and pain relief. An apparatus for giving such a high-frequency stimulus to a living body is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 2.

  Furthermore, thermal stimulation gives a thermal stimulation to a living body, and for example, Patent Document 3 discloses an apparatus having effects such as fatigue reduction and constitution improvement.

  A living body stimulating lead that gives such a stimulus to a living body is arranged on the surface of the living body (for example, an affected part). Generally, this is a fixing method in which the head part of the guide is fixed to the affected part of the living body. A movement method is known in which treatment is performed while moving the head portion of the conductor.

  In the fixation method, since stimulation is continuously applied from the lead to the same affected area, it is necessary to perform some control so that the stimulation intensity does not exceed a certain value.

Also, in the transfer method, if the guide is used at the same position without moving, energy concentrates on the affected area and the temperature rises, which may cause burns, pain, or tissue destruction. It is necessary to perform a treatment for giving a stimulus signal to a certain area around the periphery while moving the head part of the conductor by hand. It was left to the knowledge and experience of the practitioner to determine the appropriate range of movement and speed for the movement operation of the guide.
JP 2002-613 A Japanese Patent No. 3503135 JP 2007-209446 A

  However, when using a guide that can move on the surface of the living body described above, the practitioner is immature, or due to carelessness of the practitioner, the movement of the lead stops, or the speed of movement of the lead There is a concern that there may be a shortage of burns, pain, or tissue destruction. Further, when the range of movement of the guide is out of the affected area, the stimulus is continuously applied to an unnecessary part, and care is required in handling the guide.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a living body stimulating apparatus that can issue a warning or an instruction when the moving speed or moving range of the conductor is inappropriate.

The living body stimulating device according to claim 1 of the present invention is capable of moving on the surface of a living body, and includes a conductor provided with an acceleration sensor that gives a stimulus to the living body and outputs a moving state as a sensing signal; A stimulus signal generating means for giving a stimulus signal to the sensor , a sense signal analyzing means for taking in a sense signal from the acceleration sensor in real time and calculating a position, a moving speed and a speed direction of the conductor planarly or three-dimensionally ; When the moving speed of the conductor calculated by the sensing signal analyzing means does not reach the set speed, or when the position of the conductor calculated by the sensing signal analyzing means is outside the set moving range, and a warning judging means for outputting an alarm signal, the sensing signal analyzing means, based on the first sensing signal taken from the acceleration sensor, the movable said guide The origin position, the proper movement range with the origin position as the center point of the treatment, and the proper movement speed of the conductor are set and stored, and the movement speed of the conductor calculated by the sensing signal analyzing means is An operation guide that outputs a guide signal for instructing operation of the conductor so that the set speed is exceeded and the position of the conductor calculated by the sensing signal analyzing means is within the set movement range. And a means for reducing the stimulus applied to the living body when the alarm signal is output.

In addition , the living body stimulation apparatus according to the present invention is configured to attenuate the stimulus applied to the living body simultaneously with the output of the alarm signal.

Further , the sensing signal analysis means of the biostimulator according to the present invention sets the movement range based on the first sensing signal output from the sensing means, and the calculation performed by the sensing signal analysis means. Instructing the operation of the conductor so that the movement speed of the conductor exceeds the set speed, and the position of the conductor calculated by the sensing signal analyzing means is within the set movement range. The operation guidance means for outputting the guidance signal is provided.

According to the biostimulation device of claim 1, sensed by sensing means the moving state of Shirubeko, and outputs a sensing signal commensurate with the movement state. Therefore, using this sensing signal, the actual position, moving speed, moving direction, etc. of the conductor are calculated, and these have not reached the required moving speed set in advance or are out of the required moving range. Then, it is possible to issue an alarm or instruction by sound or display, assuming that the moving speed or moving range of the conductor is inappropriate.

  According to the biostimulator of claim 1, the actual position and moving speed of the conductor are calculated by taking the sensing signal from the sensing means provided on the conductor into the determining means, When the moving speed does not reach the set speed or when the position of the conductor is out of the set range, an alarm signal can be output from the alarm determination means. Therefore, using the alarm signal from the alarm determination means, it is possible to give an alarm or an instruction by sound or display when the moving speed or moving range of the conductor is inappropriate.

According to the biostimulator of claim 1 , when an alarm signal is output, for example, the output power of the oscillation signal is reduced to automatically attenuate the stimulus to a level that is not dangerous to the living body. Therefore, even if an alarm signal is output, even if the conductor is not moved and used at the same position, energy does not concentrate on a specific part of the living body. Destruction can be prevented in advance.

According to the biostimulator of claim 1 , upon receiving an initial sensing signal output from the sensing means at the start of treatment, an appropriate movement range centered on the origin position of the conductor is automatically set, and thereafter Calculates the actual position and movement speed of the conductor based on the subsequent sensing signal output from the sensing means, the movement speed of the conductor exceeds a preset speed, and the position of the conductor is The operation of the conductor can be correctly instructed by the guidance signal from the operation guidance means so that it is within the set appropriate movement range. Therefore, the operation of the guide can be correctly guided even for a practitioner having a low skill level.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a biostimulation apparatus applied to, for example, a beauty instrument provided with a conductor according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration of a living body stimulating apparatus according to the present embodiment, which is, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped apparatus main body 30 that houses a conductor 10 for applying stimulation by ultrasonic waves to a living body S and an oscillation circuit 44 described later. And flexible cables 21 and 22 that electrically connect the conductor 10 and the apparatus main body 30 to each other.

  The guide 10 can be arbitrarily moved on the surface of the living body S in order to facilitate the treatment of the affected part of the living body S at a plurality of locations. Specifically, the conductor 10 can be grasped by hand. In order to detect the movement of the formed support 11, the vibrating body 12 provided on the front end side of the support 11, the display lamp 13 as a display provided on the side of the support 11, and the conductor 10. Sensor 14, a start switch 15 as a treatment instruction means for instructing start and stop of treatment by a push operation from the practitioner, and an A / D converter and a one-chip microcomputer provided inside the support 11. And a built-in signal processing unit 16. The vibrating body 12 is mounted with a plate-like vibrator 17 and electrodes 18 provided so as to sandwich both faces of the vibrator 17 inside a head portion 19 made of an insulating material formed in a cap shape, for example. Configured. And while connecting the front-end | tip of the said cable 21 to the electrode 18, and connecting the base end of the electrode 18 to the oscillation circuit 44 mentioned later, the ultrasonic oscillation signal from the said oscillation circuit 44 becomes the cable 21 as a stimulus signal. Is supplied to the electrode 18 of the vibrating body 12, whereby the vibrator 17 in the vibrating body 12 resonates, and stimulation by ultrasonic waves is generated from the vibrator 17.

  Here, the ultrasonic energy emitted from the transducer 17 is applied to the living body S as a stimulus. However, other energy such as heat and electromagnetic waves can be supplied as the stimulus to the living body S. Good. In that case, it is possible to use a thermal conductor that generates thermal energy or a high-frequency conductor that generates high-frequency energy instead of the ultrasonic conductor 10 in this embodiment. For example, in a thermal conductor, a heating element such as a heater can be used in addition to the vibrator 17 that resonates with ultrasonic waves or high frequencies.

  The sensor 14 is a portion (in the embodiment, a head in contact with the living body S) of the conductor 10 in order to output the movement state (position, velocity, acceleration) of the conductor 10 operated by the practitioner as an electrical sensing signal. Part 19) or a part in the vicinity thereof (support 11 in the embodiment), and is configured by embedding sensing elements such as an acceleration sensor, a magnetic sensor, an optical sensor, a sound sensor, and a temperature sensor, singly or plurally. The The analog sensing signal from the sensor 14 is processed in real time by the signal processing unit 16, converted into a digital signal, and sent to the apparatus main body 30 through the cable 22. Further, the signal processing unit 16 converts the analog operation signal from the start switch 15 into a digital signal and sends it to the apparatus main body 30 through the cable 22 and converts the digital control signal sent from the apparatus main body 30 through the cable 22 into an analog form. It has a function of processing and converting into an alarm signal or an induction signal and sending it to the display lamp 13. Here, the signal processing unit 16 is provided to reduce the number of cables between the conductor 10 and the apparatus main body 30, but if there is no such request, the above function as the signal processing unit 16 will be described later. The control unit 43 of the apparatus main body 30 may also be used.

  The apparatus main body 30 includes a display body 31 such as an LCD that can be displayed on a screen, a speaker 32 that serves as a notification unit that can output sound or voice, a main power switch 33 for activating the apparatus main body 30, A set button 34 as an operation unit for setting a timer, a use mode, an interval, and the like, and a power plug 35 with a cord are provided.

  Next, the internal configuration of the apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, the function of the signal processing unit 16 provided in the conductor 10 is conveniently described as being included in the control unit 43 of the control body 30 in order to clarify the exchange of signals between the units. Has been. In addition to the main power switch 33 described above, the inside of the apparatus main body 30 includes a main circuit 40 of the apparatus main body 30 and a rectifying / smoothing circuit 41 that rectifies and smoothes an AC voltage. The main power switch 33 is connected between the power plug 35 and the rectifier circuit 41. By turning on the main power switch 33, the AC voltage from the power plug 35 is converted to DC by the rectifier circuit 41. Is supplied to each part of the main circuit 40.

  The main circuit 40 includes, in addition to the display body 31, the speaker 32, and the set button 34 also shown in FIG. 1, a control unit 43 that controls the operation of the entire biostimulator including the conductor 10, and a control unit 43. An oscillation circuit 44 as a stimulation signal generating means for receiving an instruction signal from the amplifier and amplifying and outputting an oscillation signal of a predetermined frequency, and a current for detecting the current value of the oscillation signal supplied from the oscillation circuit 44 to the vibrating body 12 And a detection circuit 45.

  FIG. 3 mainly shows a functional configuration of the control unit 43. The control unit 43 is set by an input from the set button 34 when the start switch 15 is turned on and a treatment start is instructed. Oscillation control means 51 for supplying a command signal to the oscillation circuit 44 so that the output of the oscillation signal from the oscillation circuit 44 to the vibrating body 12 starts under the conditions (for example, oscillation intensity, oscillation duration, etc.), From the current value of the oscillation signal detected by the detection circuit 45, it is determined whether or not the conductor 10 is in contact with the living body S as a load, and the load determination means 52 that outputs the result to the oscillation control means 51; Immediately after the start button 15 is turned on, the origin position of the conductor 10 and an appropriate movement range of the conductor 10 including the origin position are set from the first sensing signal output from the sensor 14, and Later, while the oscillation circuit 44 outputs the oscillation signal, the sensing signal from the sensor 14 is taken in real time, and the position, moving speed, and direction of the speed of the conductor 10 are calculated two-dimensionally or three-dimensionally ( Analysis signal 53 to be analyzed) and a calculation result from the detection signal analysis unit 53, the moving speed of the current conductor 10 exceeds a preset speed, and the position of the current conductor 10 is preset. Operation guidance that outputs a guidance signal for instructing the operation of the conductor to one or both of the display body 31 and the speaker 32 of the apparatus main body 30 and the display lamp 13 of the conductor 10 so as to be within the movement range. According to the calculation results from the means 54 and the sensing signal analysis means 53, when the current moving speed of the conductor 10 is less than a preset speed, or the current position of the conductor 10 is set in advance. Alarm determination means for outputting an alarm signal for notifying one or both of the display body 31 and the speaker 32 of the apparatus main body 30 and the display lamp 13 of the conductor 10 when out of the moving range. 55.

  Next, a series of operation procedures for the above configuration will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

  First, in step S <b> 1, when the practitioner turns on the main power switch 33, the AC voltage from the power plug is converted to DC by the rectifier circuit 41, and the power supply voltage is input to each part of the main circuit 40. Here, the control unit 43 receives an input from the set button 34, stores the conditions such as the oscillation intensity and the oscillation duration set by the input in a storage means (not shown), and displays the stored conditions on the display body. 31 is displayed (step S2). It is to be noted that the input of the condition by the setting button 40 is not indispensable. For example, the setting stored in advance in the storage means regardless of whether the power supply voltage is supplied to the main circuit 40 by the non-volatile storage means. You may comprise so that conditions may be hold | maintained as it is.

  Subsequently, in step S <b> 3, the control unit 43 determines whether or not the start switch 15 is turned on by the operator's operation based on an operation signal from the start switch 15. This start switch 15 is kept on during the push operation by the practitioner and is switched off when the push operation is no longer performed. The start switch 15 is turned on and off every time the practitioner performs the push operation. Any of the alternate switches that are alternately switched may be used.

  When the practitioner turns on the start switch 15, the sensing signal analyzing means 53 constituting the control unit 43 is moved to the movable conductor 10 based on the sensing signal first captured from the sensor 14 in the next step S 4. And an appropriate movement range with the origin position as the center point of the treatment are set and stored. In step S4, an appropriate moving speed of the conductor 10 is set and stored by the control unit 43 from the conditions set in step S2.

  In the next step S5, the oscillation control means 51 of the control unit 43 supplies the oscillation circuit 44 with a command signal for outputting an oscillation signal from the oscillation circuit 44 to the vibrating body 12 under the conditions set in the step S2. . As a result, stimulation energy having a desired intensity, frequency, and interval is given to the living body S that contacts the vibrating body 12, and the affected area is treated. At this time, if the conductor 10 is used at the same position without moving, energy concentrates on a specific part of the living body S, and there is a risk of causing burns, pain, or tissue destruction. The treatment is performed while moving the guide 10 held by hand with respect to a certain area around the periphery.

  During the treatment, the load determination unit 52 takes in the detection signal from the current detection circuit 45, determines whether the conductor 10 is in contact with the living body S as a load, and outputs the result to the oscillation control unit 51. To do. As a result, when the load determination means 52 determines that the conductor 10 is in contact with the living body 10, the oscillation control means 51 causes the oscillation circuit 44 to output the oscillation signal having the oscillation intensity set in step S2. When the load determination means 52 determines that the conductor 10 is not in contact with the living body 10 while supplying the command signal to the signal, an oscillation signal having an oscillation intensity weaker than that set in step S2 is output. In addition, a command signal is supplied to the oscillation circuit 44. Note that, when it is determined that the conductor 10 is not in contact with the living body S, how the oscillation signal is changed and how much power is reduced is not particularly limited.

  During the treatment, the sensing signal analyzing means 53 of the control unit 43 monitors the moving state of the conductor 10 by the sensing signal from the sensor 14 and determines whether the moving speed and position of the conductor 10 are appropriate. (Step S6). Specifically, the sensing signal analyzing means 53 takes in the sensing signal from the sensor 14 in real time, and the current position and movement of the conductor 10 in the two-dimensional space or the three-dimensional space centered on the origin position in the step S4. The speed and direction of the speed are calculated moment by moment, whether the calculated actual position of the conductor 10 is within the appropriate movement range set in step S4, and the calculated movement speed of the actual conductor 10 However, it is determined whether or not the movement speed set in step S4 has been reached. At this time, the alarm determination means 55 is preferably constant when the actual position of the conductor 10 is out of the proper movement range or when the actual movement speed of the conductor 10 is less than the set movement speed. When the state continues for a period of time, it is determined that the movement of the conductor 10 by the practitioner is not appropriate, and an alarm signal is output. It is turned on or an alarm sound is generated from the speaker 32 to notify that fact (step S7). At this time, in order to improve safety, the output power of the oscillation signal may be reduced simultaneously with the output of the alarm signal. Note that there is no particular limitation on how the oscillation signal is changed and how much power is reduced when it is determined that the movement of the conductor 10 is not appropriate.

  With respect to the function of reducing the output power of the oscillation signal simultaneously with the output of the alarm signal, attenuation that automatically attenuates (including stop) the stimulus to a level that is not dangerous to the living body S based on the output timing of the alarm signal. The means may be provided in the biological stimulation device. Therefore, even if the conductor 10 is not moved and used at the same position, energy does not concentrate on a specific part of the living body S, and burns, pains, or tissue destruction can be prevented in advance. In order to attenuate the stimulus, in addition to reducing the amplitude of the oscillation signal, the frequency may be widened or the on-pulse time width may be narrowed.

  Further, the operation guiding means 54 is configured so that when the actual position of the conductor 10 is not out of the proper movement range and the movement speed of the actual conductor 10 is equal to or higher than the set movement speed, the actual conductor 10 The degree of the position and the moving speed is output as a guidance signal (step S8). In response to this guidance signal, for example, the actual position of the conductor 10 is within a movement range narrower than the set appropriate movement range, and the actual movement speed of the conductor 10 is the minimum set value. If the display lamp 13 is in an appropriate range faster than the moving speed, the display lamp 13 is lit in green, and if either one is not, the display lamp 13 is lit in another yellow, thereby The operation can be guided correctly.

  Here, it is preferable that the notification or display by the warning signal or the guidance signal is performed by display means or notification means provided on the conductor 10 operated by the practitioner 10 rather than the apparatus main body 30. If it carries out like this, a display and alerting | reporting can be confirmed by a practitioner's hand and usability will improve. Further, the display and notification by the alarm signal described above can also be regarded as a guidance signal.

  In this way, during the treatment, in the next step S9, until the start switch 15 is turned off, a stimulus of necessary energy is given to the living body S, the alarm signal from the alarm determination means 55, and the operation guidance means 54 This guide signal enables the practitioner to operate the conductor 10 at the correct position and moving speed. When the start switch 15 is turned off in step S9, the procedure returns to step S2, and another affected area can be treated under different setting conditions. Further, if the main power switch 33 is turned off as it is with the start switch 15 turned off, the supply of the power supply voltage to the main circuit 30 is cut off, and the operation as the biostimulator is terminated (step S10).

  As described above, paying attention to the living body stimulating conductor 10 in the present embodiment, the conductor 10 can be held and carried on the surface of the living body S, and stimulation signal generating means is also provided. In response to the stimulation signal from the oscillation circuit 44, the living body S is stimulated by ultrasonic waves, electromagnetic waves or heat. Further, as the state of movement of the conductor 10, how the conductor 10 moves. A sensor 14 is provided for outputting whether the signal has been detected as a sensing signal.

  If there is such a conductor 10, the sensor 14 which is a sensing means senses the movement state of the conductor 10 and outputs a sensing signal corresponding to the movement state. Therefore, using this sensing signal, the actual position, moving speed, moving direction, etc. of the conductor 10 are calculated, and these do not reach the necessary minimum moving speed set in advance, or the required moving range. If it deviates, it will be possible to issue an alarm or instruction by sound or display, for example, because the moving speed or moving range of the conductor 10 is inappropriate.

  Further, in this embodiment, the biostimulation apparatus includes the conductor 10 having the above-described characteristics and the oscillation circuit 44. The sensing signal from the sensor 14 is captured in real time, and the position and moving speed of the conductor 10 are obtained. , And when the moving speed of the conductor 10 calculated by the sensing signal analyzing means 53 does not reach the set minimum speed, or the conductor 10 calculated by the sensing signal analyzing means 53 Is provided with an alarm determination means 55 for outputting an alarm signal when the position is outside the set appropriate movement range.

  With such a biological stimulation device, the actual position and moving speed of the conductor 10 are calculated by taking the sensing signal from the sensor 14 provided in the conductor 10 into the alarm determination means 55, and this conductor 10. An alarm signal can be output from the alarm determination means 55 when the moving speed of the actuator 10 has not reached the set speed or when the position of the conductor 10 is outside the set range. Therefore, the alarm signal from the alarm determination means 55 can be used to issue an alarm or instruction by sound or display when the moving speed or moving range of the conductor 10 is inappropriate.

  The sensing signal analyzing means 53 here sets an appropriate movement range based on the first sensing signal output from the sensor 14 when the start switch 15 is operated, and the sensing signal analyzing means 53. Of the conductor 10 so that the movement speed of the conductor 10 calculated in (1) exceeds the set minimum speed and the position of the conductor 10 calculated by the sensing signal analyzing means 53 is within the set movement range. A guidance signal for instructing the operation is output from the operation guiding means 54.

  That is, in response to the first sensing signal output from the sensor 14 at the start of treatment, an appropriate movement range centered on the origin position of the conductor 10 is automatically set, and thereafter, output from the sensor 14. The actual position and moving speed of the conductor 10 are calculated by the subsequent sensing signal, the moving speed of the conductor exceeds the preset minimum speed, and the appropriate movement of the position of the conductor 10 is set. The operation of the conductor 10 can be correctly instructed by the guidance signal from the operation guidance means 54 so that it is within the range. Therefore, it is possible to correctly guide the operation of the conductor 10 even for a practitioner having a low skill level.

  Further, in this embodiment, in the above-described biological stimulation device, the stimulus applied to the living body S is attenuated simultaneously with the output of the warning signal from the warning determination means 55.

  In this way, even though the alarm signal is output, the energy does not concentrate on a specific part of the living body S even if the conductor 10 is used at the same position without moving. Pain or tissue destruction can be prevented in advance.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said Example, A various deformation | transformation implementation is possible in the range of the summary of this invention. For example, in response to a guidance signal from the operation guidance unit 54 or a warning signal from the warning determination unit 55, the display lamp 13 or the display body 31 as a display unit displays what kind of display, and the speaker 32 as a notification unit. There is no particular limitation on what kind of notification is performed.

1 is an overall schematic view of a biological stimulation apparatus showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure of a biological stimulation apparatus same as the above. It is a block diagram which shows a structure of a control part and its periphery same as the above. It is a flowchart which shows an operation | movement procedure same as the above.

10 Lead (Body Stimulation Lead)
14 Sensor (Sensing means)
44 Oscillation circuit (stimulation signal generating means)
53 Sense signal analysis means 54 Operation guidance means 55 Alarm determination means S Living body

Claims (1)

A conductor equipped with an acceleration sensor that is movable on the surface of the living body and that gives a stimulus to the living body and outputs a moving state as a sensing signal;
A stimulus signal generating means for giving a stimulus signal to the conductor;
A sensing signal analyzing means for taking in a sensing signal from the acceleration sensor in real time and calculating a position, a moving speed and a speed direction of the conductor planarly or three-dimensionally ;
When the moving speed of the conductor calculated by the sensing signal analyzing means does not reach the set speed, or when the position of the conductor calculated by the sensing signal analyzing means is outside the set moving range, An alarm determination means for outputting an alarm signal ,
The sensing signal analyzing means is based on a sensing signal first taken from the acceleration sensor, the origin position of the movable conductor, an appropriate movement range with the origin position as a center point of the treatment, and the guidance position. Set and memorize the appropriate movement speed of the child,
The guide is calculated so that the moving speed of the conductor calculated by the sensing signal analyzing means exceeds the set speed, and the position of the conductor calculated by the sensing signal analyzing means is within the set moving range. Comprising operation guidance means for outputting a guidance signal for instructing the operation of the child;
A biostimulation apparatus characterized in that when the alarm signal is output, the stimulus applied to the living body is attenuated .

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