KR102372081B1 - Light irradiation apparatus for treatment of otitis media - Google Patents

Abstract

A light irradiation device for the treatment of otitis media is disclosed. A light irradiation device for treating otitis media synthesizes a plurality of laser diodes each outputting laser beams of different wavelengths and a plurality of laser beams output from the plurality of laser diodes into one laser beam to generate multi-wavelength laser beams and a beam equalizer for generating and outputting treatment light by equalizing the intensity distribution of a beam pattern of laser light so that the laser light output from the beam synthesizer is uniformly irradiated onto the irradiated area, and a plurality of lasers The diode includes a pair of laser diodes of a first wavelength, a pair of laser diodes of a second wavelength, and a pair of laser diodes of a third wavelength, and the beam synthesizer generates a pair of laser beams of the same wavelength input from the pair of laser diodes for each wavelength. By outputting in-phase combined, the output power is increased by up to 2x.

Description

Light irradiation apparatus for treatment of otitis media

The present invention relates to a device for treating otitis media, and more particularly, to a light irradiation device for treating otitis media using photobiomodulation (PBM) that inhibits and induces biofilm.

1 is a view showing the structure of the ear and the type of otitis media.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the ear is composed of an outer ear, a middle ear, and an inner ear, and all inflammation occurring in the middle ear cavity, which is the middle space, is called otitis media. Otitis media is classified into acute otitis media caused by sudden inflammation, otitis media with effusion caused by exudates such as water or pus, and chronic otitis media caused by chronic inflammation. Otitis media occurs when bacteria or viruses penetrate and become inflamed due to a decrease in the function of the ear canal (Eustachian tube) caused by various causes, resulting in high fever, headache, dizziness, perforation of the eardrum, ear canal, and hearing loss. do.

As the bacteria involved in otitis media, Streptococcus pneumonia ( S. pneumonia ), Haemophilus influenzae ( H. influenzae ), Moraxella catarrhalis ( M. catarrhalis ), etc. are representative. As most of the bacterial characteristics are known, these bacteria are also living environment conditions When this condition becomes poor, the phenotype is changed in the form of a biofilm to increase the viability and accelerate the colonization of the fungus. And, since the already formed biofilm increases the defense against external physical and chemical stimuli, it is difficult to remove it with a general physical method, and it can be temporarily removed only by using a highly toxic antibacterial agent or a large amount of antibacterial agent Do.

In clinical treatment of otitis media, patients with chronic or severe otitis media intentionally puncture the tympanic membranes and insert a drainage tube, often referred to as a tympanostomy tube. AUGMENTIN (amoxicillin and clavuranic acid) and FLOXIN (ofloxacin), a topical antibiotic, are mainly prescribed.

On the other hand, the anti-inflammatory effects of infrared light sources and LED light sources have already been reported in several studies, are being used for the treatment of otitis media in clinical practice, and several techniques for improving treatment efficiency have been proposed.

In this regard, as prior art, a device for treating otitis media using an LED light source (Korean Patent No. 10-1903501), a phototherapy device for treating rhinitis or otitis media (Korea Patent No. 10-1431201), and a portable otitis media treatment device (Korean Patent No. 10-1954236) and earphones capable of preventing and treating otitis media (Korea Patent No. 10-1912166) have been proposed.

In the case of an otitis media treatment device using an LED light source, as an alternative to the treatment of near-infrared otitis media used in clinical practice, the development of a device that is portable with a price-performance ratio and a battery only suggests that the LED light source can treat otitis media by suppressing the inflammatory reaction in the middle ear. However, actual experimental results, including biofilms, were not mentioned. Although a phototherapy device for the treatment of rhinitis or otitis media, and a phototherapy device that can solve the limitations of activity in the treatment of rhinitis or otitis media using light rays such as near infrared rays, only the disadvantages of the existing phototherapy devices, which were accompanied by activity restrictions, are attacked, and the effect of otitis media is actually reduced. could not prove In the case of a portable otitis media treatment device, it is an earphone type using IR LED, which improves heat dissipation efficiency and improves portability and convenience. In the case of earphones capable of preventing and treating otitis media, only the prediction of the effectiveness of otitis media treatment, which can prevent and treat otitis media, in which the light emitting part emits and controls light when the speaker emits sound, is presented. Actual treatment data are not mentioned.

Therefore, there is a need for a proven otitis media treatment device that can effectively treat otitis media using an infrared light source.

Korea Patent No. 10-1903501 (2018.09.21) Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1431201 (2014.08.11) Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1954236 (2019.02.26) Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1912166 (October 22, 2018)

The present invention is specifically for the treatment of otitis media using photobiomodulation (PBM) inducing inhibition of biofilm, otitis media treatment that can be directly irradiated with a multi-wavelength infrared light source to the biofilm formed by otitis media-causing bacteria It is to provide a light irradiation device for.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a light irradiation device for the treatment of otitis media is disclosed.

A light irradiation apparatus for treating otitis media according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of laser diodes outputting laser light of different wavelengths to generate multi-wavelength laser light, a plurality of lasers output from the plurality of laser diodes A beam synthesizer for synthesizing and outputting light into one laser light, and to uniformly distribute the intensity distribution of a beam pattern of laser light so that the laser light output from the beam synthesizer is uniformly irradiated to the irradiated area to generate and output treatment light A beam homogenizer, wherein the plurality of laser diodes include a pair of laser diodes of a first wavelength, a pair of laser diodes of a second wavelength, and a pair of laser diodes of a third wavelength, and the beam synthesizer is configured from a pair of laser diodes for each wavelength. By combining and outputting a pair of laser beams of the same wavelength input in the same phase (in-phase), the output power is increased up to twice.

The first wavelength, the second wavelength, and the third wavelength are near-infrared wavelengths of a 600 nm band, a 700 nm band, and an 800 nm band, respectively.

The beam synthesizer includes a polygonal columnar body on which the plurality of laser diodes are radially mounted on the side thereof, a reflector positioned at the center of the body, and condensing the laser light output from the plurality of laser diodes toward the upper surface of the body; and an optical fiber stub positioned on the upper surface of the body and configured to output light focused through the reflector, wherein the reflector is configured to collect the laser light output from each laser diode and to be incident on the optical fiber stub. It is formed in the shape of a polygonal pyramid having the same number of sides as the number.

Each laser light output from the plurality of laser diodes mounted on the outside of the beam synthesizer is incident on each corresponding reflective surface, and then is reflected and condensed to a point.

When the plurality of laser diodes generate high-power laser light, in order to prevent a decrease in output power due to heat generation, the beam synthesizer to which the plurality of laser diodes are coupled maintains a preset optical output stabilization temperature. It further includes a thermal regulator for regulating the heat generated by the beam combiner.

The thermostat includes a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) attached to a lower portion of the beam combiner and a thermistor attached to a body of the beam combiner to measure a temperature of the beam combiner.

Further comprising a controller for controlling the thermostat to control the temperature of the beam combiner, wherein the controller increases or decreases the temperature of the beam synthesizer measured through the thermistor based on a preset optical output stabilization temperature. The current of the thermoelectric cooler is controlled so that the thermoelectric cooler performs an endothermic operation or a heat-generating operation, respectively.

The heat controller further includes an air-cooled cooler configured with a fan and a heat sink and connected to a lower portion of the beam combiner.

The controller operates the air-cooled cooler to effectively dissipate heat when the thermoelectric cooler performs an endothermic operation to dissipate heat from the beam synthesizer as the measured temperature rises above the optical output stabilization temperature.

The controller controls the plurality of laser diodes to output modulated laser light in the form of a continuous wave (CW) or pulse, and controls a pulse output time or a light output time.

It further includes an optical cable connecting the beam combiner and the beam equalizer to transmit the laser light output from the beam combiner to the beam equalizer.

The beam equalizer equalizes the entire intensity distribution from the center of the beam pattern to the edge so that the beam pattern of the laser light having the Gaussian shape intensity distribution has the top hat shape intensity distribution.

In the light irradiation device for the treatment of otitis media according to an embodiment of the present invention, for the treatment of otitis media using photobiomodulation (PBM) that inhibits biofilm and induces otitis media, a multi-wavelength infrared light source is used to form otitis media. By directly irradiating the biofilm, it is possible to effectively treat otitis media by inhibiting biofilm formation and bacterial growth and increasing antibacterial activity.

1 is a diagram showing the structure of the ear and the type of otitis media.
Figure 2 is a view schematically illustrating the configuration of a light irradiation device for the treatment of otitis media according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 to 7 are views for explaining a light irradiation device for the treatment of otitis media according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 to 12 are views showing experimental results for verifying the effect of treatment using a light irradiation device for the treatment of otitis media according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As used herein, the singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, terms such as "consisting of" or "comprising" should not be construed as necessarily including all of the various components or various steps described in the specification, some of which components or some steps are It should be construed that it may not include, or may further include additional components or steps. In addition, terms such as "...unit" and "module" described in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented as hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software. .

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a light irradiation device for the treatment of otitis media according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 3 to 7 describe a light irradiation device for the treatment of otitis media according to an embodiment of the present invention It is a drawing for Hereinafter, a light irradiation device for the treatment of otitis media according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 , with reference to FIGS. 3 to 7 .

2, the light irradiation device for the treatment of otitis media according to an embodiment of the present invention is a plurality of laser diodes 10, a beam synthesizer 20, a thermal controller 25, an optical cable 30, a beam equalizer ( 40 ) and a controller 50 .

The plurality of laser diodes 10 emit laser light of different wavelengths to generate multi-wavelength laser light.

The light irradiation device for the treatment of otitis media according to an embodiment of the present invention may be configured to output near-infrared light having wavelengths of 600 nm band, 700 nm band and 800 nm band as near-infrared light close to red visible light for the treatment of otitis media, In order to simultaneously satisfy cost reduction and increase in output power, a pair of laser diodes may be provided for each wavelength.

For example, the plurality of laser diodes 10 may include a pair of laser diodes having a wavelength of 630 nm, a pair of laser diodes having a wavelength of 780 nm, and a pair of laser diodes having a wavelength of 804 nm, for a total of six laser diodes. In this case, the output power of each laser diode may be up to 200mW.

The plurality of laser diodes 10 may be controlled by the controller 50 to output modulated laser light in the form of continuous wave (CW) or pulse, and pulse output time or light output Time can also be controlled.

The beam synthesizer 20 synthesizes and outputs a plurality of laser lights output from the plurality of laser diodes 10 into one laser light.

That is, the beam synthesizer 20 may output one multi-wavelength laser light by synthesizing a plurality of laser lights having wavelengths of 600 nm band, 700 nm band, and 800 nm band input from the plurality of laser diodes 10 . In addition to this, the beam synthesizer 20 combines and outputs a pair of laser beams of the same wavelength input from a pair of laser diodes for each wavelength in-phase, thereby increasing the output power up to twice. .

For example, the beam synthesizer 20 may synthesize laser light input from a pair of laser diodes outputting laser light having a wavelength of 630 nm at 200 mW and output laser light having an output power of up to 400 mW. This has the effect of substantially reducing the purchase cost of the laser diode. In general, two laser diodes having an output power of 200 mW are cheaper than the price of one laser diode having an output power of 400 mW. If, instead of multi-wavelength laser light, laser light of a single wavelength is used, six laser lights synthesized through the beam synthesizer 20 have a maximum output power of 6 times, and the cost can be reduced.

3 shows an example of a beam combiner 20 in which a plurality of laser diodes 10 are combined. (20) indicates that a plurality of laser beams are synthesized inside.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the beam synthesizer 20 is a polygonal column-shaped body 100 on which a plurality of laser diodes 10 are mounted radially on the side thereof, located at the center of the body 100 and a plurality of laser diodes 10 . It includes a reflector 200 for condensing the laser light output from the body 100 toward the upper surface, and an optical fiber stub 300 positioned on the upper surface of the body 100 and outputting the light focused through the reflector 200 .

Here, the reflector 200 is formed in the form of a polygonal pyramid having the same number of side surfaces as the number of the plurality of laser diodes 10 so that the laser light output from each laser diode 10 is focused and is incident on the optical fiber stub 300 . can be Thus, each laser light output from the plurality of laser diodes 10 mounted on the outside of the beam combiner 20 may be reflected to a point after being incident on each corresponding reflective surface to be condensed.

In this way, the plurality of laser diodes 10 and the beam combiner 20 may be integrally configured.

When the plurality of laser diodes 10 generate high-power laser light, the thermal regulator 25 is a beam synthesizer ( 20) adjusts the heat generated by the beam synthesizer 20 to maintain a preset optical output stabilization temperature.

For example, FIG. 4 exemplifies the configuration of the thermal regulator 25 installed on the beam combiner 20, and FIG. 4 (a) shows a detailed view of the configuration of the thermal regulator 25, FIG. (b) of (b) shows an actual implementation in which the thermal adjuster 25 is coupled to the beam synthesizer 20 .

Referring to Figure 4, the thermostat 25 is a thermoelectric cooler (TEC: Thermoelectric Cooler) 26 attached to the lower portion of the beam combiner 20, is attached on the body of the beam synthesizer 20, the beam synthesizer 20 It includes a thermistor 27 for measuring the temperature of a thermistor 27 and an air-cooled cooler 60 which is composed of a fan and a heat sink and is connected to the lower portion of the beam combiner 20 .

The thermostat 25 configured in this way controls the temperature of the beam combiner 20 according to the control of the controller 50 . For example, when the temperature of the beam synthesizer 20 is measured through the thermistor 27 and the measured temperature rises or falls based on a preset optical output stabilization temperature, the thermoelectric cooler 26 respectively performs an endothermic operation or The current of the thermoelectric cooler 26 may be controlled to generate heat.

And, as the measured temperature rises above the preset light output stabilization temperature, when the thermoelectric cooler 26 performs an endothermic operation in order to emit the heat of the beam synthesizer 20, the air-cooled cooler 60 is used for effective heat dissipation. It can be controlled to operate.

5 shows the results of measuring the output power for 1 hour when the plurality of laser diodes 10 generate laser light while the thermoelectric cooler 26 controls the heat generated by the beam synthesizer 20 .

As shown in FIG. 5 , it can be seen that the output power is stabilized after 10 minutes according to the thermal control of the thermoelectric cooler 26 .

The optical cable 30 connects the beam combiner 20 and the beam homogenizer 40 , and transmits the laser light output from the beam synthesizer 20 to the beam homogenizer 40 .

For example, one side of the optical cable 30 may be connected to the optical fiber stub 300 of the beam synthesizer 20 to receive laser light output through the optical fiber stub 300 .

The beam equalizer 40 uniformizes the intensity distribution of the beam pattern of the laser light as a whole so that the laser light transmitted from the beam synthesizer 20 through the optical cable 30 is uniformly irradiated onto the irradiated area to generate treatment light. print out

For example, (a) of FIG. 6 shows the beam equalizer 40 connected to the optical cable 30, and FIG. 6(b) shows the beam displayed by irradiating the laser light output from the beam equalizer 40. A pattern 41 is shown. The beam equalizer 40 may include a lens, a collimator, and the like.

In general, a beam pattern displayed by irradiating laser light output from a laser diode has a Gaussian-type intensity distribution in which the intensity increases toward the center and decreases toward the edge. Accordingly, the beam equalizer 40 equalizes the intensity distribution from the center of the beam pattern to the rim as a whole so that the beam pattern of the laser light having the Gaussian-shaped intensity distribution has the top hat-shaped intensity distribution.

Through this, the irradiation amount of the laser light irradiated for the treatment of otitis media may be accurately calculated.

The controller 50 controls the plurality of laser diodes 10 and the thermal regulator 25 .

That is, the controller 50 controls the plurality of laser diodes 10 to output modulated laser light in the form of continuous wave (CW) or pulse, and pulse output time or light output time can be controlled.

In addition, when the temperature of the beam combiner 20 measured through the thermistor 27 rises or falls based on the preset optical output stabilization temperature, the controller 50 controls the thermoelectric cooler 26 to perform an endothermic operation or a heat-generating operation, respectively. The current of the thermoelectric cooler 26 can be controlled to do this.

And, when the thermoelectric cooler 26 performs an endothermic operation in order to emit heat from the beam combiner 20 as the measured temperature rises above the preset optical output stabilization temperature, the controller 50 uses an air-cooled type for effective heat dissipation. The cooler 60 may be operated.

For example, Figure 7 (a) shows the appearance of the light irradiation device for the treatment of otitis media according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 7 (b) is a control screen output by the controller 50 as a user interface it has been shown That is, the controller 50 may be a terminal such as a PC installed with a program for controlling the light irradiation device for the treatment of otitis media according to an embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in FIG. 7( b ), each laser A control screen may be output so that a user can adjust the output power of the laser light output from the diode 10 .

8 to 12 are diagrams showing experimental results for verifying the effect of treatment using the light irradiation device for the treatment of otitis media according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, referring to FIG. 8 , in the experiment, after 16 hours of culturing Streptococcus pneumonia (S. pneumonia) as a bacterium causing otitis media, the light irradiation device for the treatment of otitis media according to an embodiment of the present invention was used for the 630 nm wavelength. The procedure was performed by irradiating a laser light of 18 mW to the bacterial culture medium for 40 minutes. After the laser light irradiation was completed, the biomass of the biofilm, the number of bacteria (Bacterial viability), and the metabolic activity (Metabolic activity) were measured.

The biomass of the biofilm was measured by cv-microtiter plate assay, the number of bacteria was measured by the number of colony forming units (cfu), and metabolic activity was measured by resazurin staining.

As shown in FIG. 9 , it can be confirmed that the bacterial culture medium irradiated with laser light with the light irradiation device for the treatment of otitis media according to an embodiment of the present invention has a significantly reduced number of bacteria compared to the non-bacterial culture medium.

10 is a result of measuring the biomass of the biofilm after forming an in vitro biofilm with Streptococcus pneumoniae D-39 (NCTC 7466) and irradiating laser light with a wavelength of 630 nm for 40 minutes. As shown in Figure 10, it can be seen that the biomass of the biofilm is reduced after irradiation with laser light.

11 is a result of counting the number of Streptococcus pneumoniae after irradiating laser light by culturing the biofilm suspension. As shown in FIG. 11 , it can be seen that the number of bacteria was significantly reduced after laser light irradiation.

12 is a result of quantitatively measuring biofilm metabolic activity after irradiating laser light. As shown in FIG. 12 , it can be seen that the metabolic activity significantly decreased after laser light irradiation.

As such, the light irradiation apparatus for treating otitis media according to an embodiment of the present invention uniformizes the intensity distribution of a beam pattern of laser light as a whole to generate and output treatment light, so that the irradiation amount can be accurately measured, The exact dosage can be given.

In addition, the range of treatment can be diversified through multi-wavelength laser light, and biofilm formation is suppressed and the number of bacteria is significantly reduced through phototherapy. It is possible to administer low-dose antibiotics, and it can also be a new treatment method for otitis media in children and the elderly who are physically weak.

On the other hand, the components of the above-described embodiment can be easily grasped from a process point of view. That is, each component may be identified as each process. In addition, the process of the above-described embodiment can be easily understood from the point of view of the components of the apparatus.

In addition, the technical contents described above may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination. The program instructions recorded on the medium may be specially designed and configured for the embodiments or may be known and available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, and magnetic such as floppy disks. - includes magneto-optical media, and hardware devices specially configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include not only machine language codes such as those generated by a compiler, but also high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. A hardware device may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the embodiments, and vice versa.

The above-described embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for purposes of illustration, and various modifications, changes, and additions will be possible within the spirit and scope of the present invention by those skilled in the art having ordinary knowledge of the present invention, and such modifications, changes and additions should be regarded as belonging to the following claims.

10: a plurality of laser diodes
20: Beam synthesizer
25: thermostat
30: optical cable
40: beam equalizer
50: controller

Claims (12)

a plurality of laser diodes outputting laser light of different wavelengths to generate multi-wavelength laser light;
a beam synthesizer for synthesizing and outputting a plurality of laser beams output from the plurality of laser diodes into one laser beam;
a beam equalizer for generating and outputting treatment light by equalizing the intensity distribution of a beam pattern of the laser light so that the laser light output from the beam synthesizer is uniformly irradiated onto the irradiated area;
When the plurality of laser diodes generate high-power laser light, in order to prevent a decrease in output power due to heat generation, the beam synthesizer to which the plurality of laser diodes are coupled maintains a preset optical output stabilization temperature. a heat regulator for regulating heat generated by the beam combiner; and
a controller for controlling the thermostat to control the temperature of the beam synthesizer;
The thermostat is
a thermoelectric cooler attached to the lower part of the beam synthesizer (TEC: Thermoelectric Cooler);
a thermistor attached to the body of the beam combiner to measure a temperature of the beam combiner; and
An air-cooled cooler composed of a fan and a heat sink and connected to a lower portion of the beam combiner,
The controller is
When the temperature of the beam synthesizer measured through the thermistor rises or falls based on a preset optical output stabilization temperature, the thermoelectric cooler controls the current of the thermoelectric cooler to perform an endothermic operation or a heat-generating operation, respectively,
As the measured temperature rises above the optical output stabilization temperature, when the thermoelectric cooler performs an endothermic operation in order to dissipate heat of the beam synthesizer, the air-cooled cooler is operated for effective heat dissipation;
The plurality of laser diodes includes a pair of laser diodes with a wavelength of 600 nm, a pair of laser diodes with a wavelength of 700 nm, and a pair of laser diodes with a wavelength of 800 nm,
The beam synthesizer for the treatment of otitis media, characterized in that by combining and outputting a pair of laser beams of the same wavelength input from a pair of laser diodes for each wavelength in the same phase (in-phase), the output power is increased up to two times. light irradiation device.
delete According to claim 1,
The beam synthesizer,
a polygonal columnar body on which the plurality of laser diodes are radially mounted on the side;
a reflector positioned at the center of the body and condensing the laser light output from the plurality of laser diodes toward the upper surface of the body;
An optical fiber stub positioned on the upper surface of the body and configured to output light focused through the reflector,
The reflector is light irradiation for otitis media, characterized in that it is formed in a polygonal pyramid shape having the same number of sides as the number of the plurality of laser diodes so that the laser light output from each laser diode is focused and is incident on the optical fiber stub Device.
4. The method of claim 3,
Light irradiation apparatus for the treatment of otitis media, characterized in that the laser light output from the plurality of laser diodes mounted on the outside of the beam synthesizer is reflected to a point after being incident on each reflective surface corresponding to the condensed.
delete delete delete delete delete According to claim 1,
The controller controls the plurality of laser diodes to output modulated laser light in the form of a continuous wave (CW) or pulse, and controls a pulse output time or a light output time Light irradiation device for the treatment of otitis media.
According to claim 1,
The light irradiation apparatus for treating otitis media further comprising an optical cable connecting the beam combiner and the beam homogenizer to transmit the laser light output from the beam synthesizer to the beam equalizer.
According to claim 1,
The beam equalizer is light irradiation for otitis media, characterized in that the beam pattern of the laser light having a Gaussian-type intensity distribution has an intensity distribution of a Top hat shape, and uniformizes the intensity distribution from the center to the edge of the beam pattern as a whole. Device.

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