JPH09201422A - Curative apparatus using light - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To readily conduct a light radiation cure effects of which are widely recognized for example on stiff in shoulder, lumbagos and atopic dermatisit in home. SOLUTION: A package 1 containing a light source 2 emitting a light for curing is fixed on the diseased part or a healing point of the organism with a fixing means 7 such as a sticking tape, etc., and the light from the light source 2 is radiated by operating a switching mechanism 4 to readily conduct a light curing.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a so-called phototherapy device for treating or assisting by irradiating the surface of a living body with light, and more particularly to a phototherapy device that can be easily used in a general household.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, attention has been paid to phototherapy in which treatment is performed by irradiating an affected area or a "vase" with light, but the conventional phototherapy has been performed by a specialist in a hospital or clinic. The device used for the phototherapy is composed of a main body including a power source, a control unit, and a light source, an optical fiber for guiding light from the light source in the main body, and a light irradiation probe unit attached to the tip of the optical fiber. Is common. A gas laser or a semiconductor laser is mainly used as a light source.

[0003]

By the way, the above-mentioned conventional apparatus for phototherapy is not only large-scaled and expensive, but also requires safety management, so that it is practically used at home on a daily basis. Is impossible. However, in recent years, light treatment has been recognized to be effective for a wide range of symptoms, from treatment of pains such as stiff shoulders and low back pain, to treatment of atopic dermatitis, and it is a light treatment device that can be easily used in general households. The demand for realization is increasing.

The present invention has been made to meet such a demand, and an object thereof is to provide a phototherapy device which can be used easily and safely in a general household.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the phototherapy device of the present invention comprises at least one light source, a drive circuit including a switch mechanism for turning on / off the light source, and a power supply battery. The light source is housed in a package, and the package is provided with a fixing means for fixing the package to a required part of the human body in a posture in which the output light from the light source is directed to the surface of the human body. Characterized by:

In the present invention, it is possible to adopt a structure in which a drive circuit for the light source is housed in a package, and a power supply battery is housed in the same package. When the drive circuit and / or the power supply battery are not housed in the package, both or the power supply battery are housed in another package or case, and connected to the package housing the light source through a lead wire. Can be adopted.

The light source used in the phototherapy device of the present invention may be a light emitting element made of a semiconductor such as an LED or a semiconductor laser, or a light bulb. Further, the output wavelength and light density of the light source are not particularly limited,
These are appropriately selected according to the purpose of treatment.

Further, as the fixing means in the present invention,
Adhesive tapes, various belts, bands and the like can be preferably used. Further, in the switch mechanism of the drive circuit in the phototherapy device of the present invention, the human body for detecting that the phototherapy device is fixed to the human body when the output light density from the light source used exceeds a predetermined value. It is desirable to include a detection mechanism and have a safety function such that the light source can only emit light unless it is properly fixed to the human body. When the output light density from the light source is less than or equal to a predetermined value, such a mechanism is not necessary.

In the phototherapy device of the present invention, a package containing a light source such as an LED for outputting light for phototherapy is fixed to a required part such as an affected part or a "pot" on the living body by a fixing means and is switched. By simply operating the mechanism and causing the light source to emit light, light treatment can be easily applied. When the light output density from the light source is large, the safety function described above is provided as necessary, so that there is no problem in terms of safety.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a light source, a drive circuit including a battery and a switch mechanism,
In addition, since the power supply battery is housed in one package and fixed to the human body by the fixing means, it is possible to use it while performing outdoor light treatment such as walking outdoors or doing housework.

[0011]

1 is a sectional view showing the structure of an embodiment of the present invention. The package 1 has a cylindrical side wall 1.
a, an end face wall 1b closing one end portion thereof, and a collar 1c protruding inward from the other end portion of the side wall,
The central portion of the collar 1c is circularly opened to form an open portion 1d. The material of the package 1 is synthetic resin, for example.

In the package 1, a semiconductor light emitting device 2 is provided.
And a part of the printed circuit board 3 and the switching ribbon 4,
The button battery 5 and the spring electrode 6 are housed. Here, the semiconductor light emitting element 2 is an LD (laser diode) or an LED, and the button battery 5 can be, for example, a Ni-hydrogen battery.

An adhesive tape 7 is attached to the outer surface of the end wall 1b of the package 1. The adhesive tape 7 extends on both sides of the package 1, and by attaching both ends to the skin of the person, the package 1 is fixed to the human body with the open portion 1d facing the skin surface.

The printed circuit board 3 is fixed to the inner surface side of the collar 1c of the package 1. The semiconductor light emitting device 2 is mounted on the printed circuit board 3, and the drive for driving the semiconductor light emitting device 2 which will be described later is performed. The circuit is printed. Further, the semiconductor light emitting element 2 is fixed to the printed circuit board 3 in such a posture that its light emitting portion faces the outside of the package 1 through the open portion 1d of the package 1 and emits its output light toward the outside of the package 1 by driving. There is.

Two electrodes 31a and 31b for detecting a human body mounted on the printed circuit board 3 are projected through the open portion 1d of the package 1. These electrodes 31
After passing through the open portion 1d, a and 31b are bent along the outer surface of the collar 1c.

Further, one end of the switching ribbon 4 has a slit 1e formed in the side wall 1a of the package 1.
It is pulled out of the package 1 through. The other end of the switching ribbon 4 is inserted between the electrode pad 32 provided on the printed board 3 and one electrode of the button battery 5. The other electrode of the button battery 5 contacts the spring electrode 6 and is guided to the circuit on the printed circuit board 3, and the spring electrode 6 directs the button battery 5 toward one electrode side, that is, the printed circuit board 3 side. Since the switching ribbon 4 is pulled out, one electrode of the battery 5 and the electrode pad 32 of the printed circuit board 3 come into contact with each other, and in this state, the switch 30 in the drive circuit described later is activated. It is turned on.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of a drive circuit assembled on the printed circuit board 3. The semiconductor light emitting element 2 is turned on / off by using the button battery 5 as a power source and the switching ribbon 4 as a switch 30, and a resistor 33 and a transistor 34 are interposed between the switch 30 and the semiconductor light emitting element 2. . The base of the transistor 34 is connected to the output terminal of the amplifier 35, and the transistor 3 is connected only when the output of the amplifier 35 reaches a specified level.
4 is turned on.

The amplifier 35 is a high input impedance amplifier using a FET or the like, and when the switch 30 is in the ON state, the two electrodes 31a and 31 for human body detection described above.
It is connected so as to generate an output for turning on the transistor 34 only when both b are in contact with the skin. Therefore, only when the switch 30 is operated to the ON state by pulling out the switching ribbon 4 and the human body detection electrodes 31a and 31b are both in contact with the skin, the current from the button battery 5 is the semiconductor light emitting element. It flows to 2 and emits light. In addition, Rs is the electrode 31
b is a pull-down resistor for preventing the circuit from malfunctioning due to charge-up.

When the embodiment described above is used, the package 1 is fixed to the human body by the adhesive tape 7 so that the output light from the semiconductor light emitting element 2 hits the "pot" or the affected part of the phototherapy, and the switching ribbon. The semiconductor light emitting element 2 may be made to emit light by pulling out 4.

According to such an embodiment of the present invention,
All of the drive circuits including the light source and its power source required for phototherapy are housed in a compact package and fixed to the human body with adhesive tape, so it is extremely useful in general households without using complicated operations or instruments. Light treatment can be performed easily. In addition, since the semiconductor light emitting element 2 does not emit light unless both the human body detection electrodes 31a and 31b are in contact with the human body surface (skin), there is no danger that output light will enter the eye due to an erroneous operation, and the safety of the device is improved. There is no problem in terms.

As a method of detecting a human body, in addition to the method of electrically detecting the contact of the two electrodes 31a and 31b with the skin surface as described above, the human body is closely opposed to the human body surface when being fixed. A light receiving element is provided at a position to detect darkness from the output of the light receiving element to detect fixation to the human body, or a reflection type photo interrupter is provided to detect contact or approach to the human body surface. Further, a mechanical detection method such as providing a microswitch that outputs a contact signal when an actuator is pressed by the surface of the human body when fixed to the human body can be adopted.

Here, if the output light density of the light source is such that it does not pose a danger to each part of the human body, the safety mechanism composed of the human body detection electrodes 31a and 31b, the amplifier 35 and the transistor 34 is particularly preferable. There is no need to provide it.

Further, in the present invention, the amplifier 35 in the drive circuit can be provided with the function of controlling the discharge of the battery 5 (detecting the discharge end voltage and forcibly stopping the drive) and the timer function. .

Further, there may be provided means for notifying the user that the light emitting element 2 is operating by using audible sound or visible light while the light emitting element 2 is emitting light. Furthermore, although a semiconductor light emitting element such as an LD or an LED is used as the light source in the above embodiments, a light bulb may be used instead. Further, in the above embodiment, an example in which the number of light sources is one is shown, but a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in a line or a plane and are housed in one package 1. By connecting in parallel in a drive circuit such as
It may be configured to irradiate light on a relatively large area, and is particularly effective for treatment in dermatology such as atopic dermatitis.

Furthermore, the shape and structure of the package 1,
The type of fixing means for fixing this to the human body or the switch mechanism is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and any type can be used as long as the object of the present invention can be achieved. For example, as the shape and structure of the package 1, as shown in the sectional view of FIG. 3, a disk 11 having a hole having a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the package body 10 is formed at the open end of the bottomed cylindrical package body 10. A fixed one can be adopted. In this case, with the printed circuit board 3 mounted on the inner surface side of the disk 11, the switching ribbon 4 and the button battery 5 are placed on the disk 11, and the package body 10 is covered from above and fixed to the disk 11. As a result, the assembling work becomes easy, and in this case, the adhesive tape 7 has its adhesive surface facing outward,
A configuration in which the opposite surface is attached to the outer surface of the disk 11 with an adhesive or the like can be adopted, and the shape and size of the adhesive tape 7 can be selected more freely, and a more practical phototherapy. It can be a vessel.

The fixing means to the human body may be a belt or a band in addition to the adhesive tape 7 as described above, and a mechanical switch may be used as the switch mechanism instead of the switching ribbon 4. Of course.

Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, the light emitting element 2, the drive circuit and the battery 5 are housed in the package 1. However, only the battery 5 is housed in another package and the battery 5 and The drive circuit in the package 1 may be connected to each other by a lead wire, and further, the battery 5
And the drive circuit together in a separate package,
The drive circuit and the light source 2 in the package 1 may be connected. In these cases, the package containing the battery 5 and the drive circuit may or may not be provided with a fixing means for fixing the package on the human body different from the light irradiation site.

The phototherapy device of the present invention may be entirely disposable, or may be of a rechargeable battery type so that it can be repeatedly used including the light source and the drive circuit.

[0029]

As described above, according to the present invention, the package containing the light source is fixed to a desired part such as an affected part or "pot" on the human body by the fixing means, and the switch mechanism of the drive circuit is operated. The light is radiated to that place only,
The light treatment, which has been recognized as effective for treating stiff shoulders and atopic dermatitis, can be applied very easily, and the light treatment can be easily performed in a general household.

Further, by adopting the structure in which the drive circuit and the power source battery are also housed in the package housing the light source, it is possible to freely move around while performing phototherapy, and the convenience of use thereof is further increased. .

Further, even when a light source which generates an output light having a predetermined light density or more is adopted, the safety problem is solved by adding a simple circuit for detecting that the package is fixed to the human body. Therefore, light treatment can be safely and easily performed in a general home.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a structure of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration example of a drive circuit thereof.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Package 1d Open Part 2 Semiconductor Light Emitting Element 3 Printed Circuit Board 4 Switching Ribbon 5 Button Battery 6 Spring Electrode 7 Adhesive Tape 30 Switch 31a, 31b Human Body Detection Electrode 32 Electrode Pad 34 Transistor 35 Amplifier

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. At least one light source and the light source
It is composed of a drive circuit including a switch mechanism for turning on / off and a power supply battery, and the light source is housed in a package,
A phototherapy device, wherein the package is equipped with fixing means for fixing the package to a required part of the human body in a posture in which the output light from the light source is directed to the surface of the human body. 2. The phototherapy device according to claim 1, wherein the drive circuit and the power supply battery are housed in the package together with a light source.