KR20040034797A - An ultrasonic generator with several probe for a skin stimulus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An ultrasonic wave/low frequency generator having multiple probes is provided to stimulate skin by transferring ultrasonic waves throughout the skin by means of the multiple probes curved to conform to the contour of the skin and producing micro vibrations derived from piezoelectric ceramic. CONSTITUTION: The ultrasonic wave/low frequency generator comprises: a controller(20) incorporating an operating algorithm for controlling various functional units; a high frequency generator(21) for generating high-frequency power to piezoelectric ceramic to induce micro vibrations; an ultrasonic wave/low frequency transmitter(22) having a plurality of probes for transmitting the micro vibrations to the skin, and probe supports for supporting the probes; an ultrasonic wave selector(23) for allowing a user to select a frequency of each probe; a heat sensor(24) installed on each probe and detecting the temperature of the probe; a power supplier(25) for supplying power to the ultrasonic wave/low frequency generator; a refillable gel cartridge(26) for automatically applying gel to the probe when the power is turned on; and a low frequency generator(27) for generating low frequency to cause electric stimuli to the skin.

Description

An ultrasonic generator with several probes for a skin stimulus

The present invention relates to a probe structure for transmitting the vibration of the piezoelectric ceramic to the skin and an ultrasonic / low frequency generator for skin stimulation having a plurality of the probes.

Piezoelectric ceramics that generate ultrasonic waves have been used as core components in a variety of applications since their development. Representative examples thereof include military sonar, fish finder sonar, medical ultrasonic diagnostic element, ceramic resonator, ceramic filter, ultrasonic cleaner element, gas range ignition element, and the like.

In general, piezoelectric ceramics have a property of electrostriction in which piezoelectric ceramics contract or expand when an electric field is applied to opposite electrodes with a piezoelectric ceramic interposed therebetween, and mechanical force applied to the opposite electrodes with a piezoelectric ceramic interposed therebetween. The piezoelectric effect in which an electric field is generated is characterized by two main characteristics. The product using the piezoelectric effect of the two properties is a gas range ignition device and the ultrasonic generator for skin irritation is a product using the total distortion effect.

When a direct current field is applied to both electrodes with a piezoelectric ceramic sandwiched between them, it contracts or expands and stops once. However, when an alternating electric field is applied to both electrodes, the electric field is changed and the piezoelectric ceramic vibrates while repeating contraction and expansion. At this time, the degree of vibration is changed according to the frequency of the electric field and the vibration can be adjusted.

Vibration of piezoelectric ceramics includes surface vibration mode, thickness vibration mode, and thickness torsional vibration mode, depending on the vibration mode.The surface vibration mode is used to obtain a relatively low vibration frequency. It is used to obtain higher vibration frequency.

Ultrasonic generators and ultrasonic cleaner elements for skin stimulation use a thickness vibration mode or a thickness torsional vibration mode. That is, as can be seen in Figure 1 showing the prior art, the skin stimulator vibrates the area where the ultrasonic waves generated by the piezoceramic (vibrator) contact the skin from hundreds of thousands to millions of times per second to stimulate the skin surface It promotes blood circulation and makes skin healthy.

The probe of the conventional ultrasonic wave generator for skin stimulation has a cylindrical shape with a closed skin contact surface and has only one probe with a structure in which a piezoceramic (vibrator) can be coupled to an inner bottom (that is, an interior corresponding to the skin contact surface). Doing. In addition, the skin contact surface has a planar structure.

However, in the case of having the above structure, there are the following problems.

First, there is a problem that one probe does not generate ultrasonic waves at various frequencies at the same time.

Second, because the probe is flat, it is difficult to efficiently stimulate the curved part of the skin.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has been proposed, and an object of the present invention is to provide ultrasonic waves to the entire thickness region of skin by placing a plurality of probes instead of one probe in a skin stimulator for generating ultrasonic waves. In addition, the individual probes have a curved shape so that they can be closely attached to the curved skin.

1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a skin stimulator having a conventional single probe structure.

2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of an ultrasonic wave / low frequency generator for skin stimulation having a plurality of probe structures according to the present invention.

3 is an external perspective view of an ultrasonic wave / low frequency generator for skin stimulation according to the present invention.

Figure 4 is a view showing the state of the probe and the probe support.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention, the skin stimulator is provided with a plurality of probes of the curved shape to effectively deliver the ultrasound generated in the ultrasonic wave / low frequency generator to the skin. To this end, the skin stimulator supports a plurality of probes and a plurality of probes that deliver ultrasonic waves generated by the high frequency generator by being in close contact with the skin and generating high frequency ultrasonic waves by piezoelectric ceramics to generate an electrical vibration. Ultrasonic / low frequency transmission unit including a probe support for making, an ultrasonic selection unit for selecting the ultrasonic wave to be generated for each probe from the user, and electrically installed in the probe to detect the actual temperature of the probe and compare with the preset temperature A thermal sensor to control the power and a function to supply power to the skin stimulator. When the probe is in close contact with the skin, the power is automatically turned on. When the probe is not in close contact with the skin for a long time In order to be able to change the gel and the power supply to turn off the power automatically It is in the form of a cartridge, the gel cartridge that automatically sprays the gel to the probe when the power is turned on (ON), the low frequency generator for generating a low frequency to pass the low frequency current through the human body to give electrical stimulation, It is provided with a control unit that controls each of the above functional units and incorporates an operation algorithm of each functional unit.

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

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the ultrasonic wave / ultrasound generator for skin stimulation having a multi-probe structure according to the present invention.

The high frequency generator 21 is a place where the vibrator (piezoelectric ceramic) generates high frequency power to generate ultrasonic waves by generating micro-vibration (mechanical micro vibration) by receiving an electrical signal. That is, the ultrasonic wave may be generated by supplying the high frequency power amplified according to the desired ultrasonic wave to the vibrator from the high frequency generator to drive the vibrator. Therefore, the high frequency generator controls the oscillation frequency of each probe according to the vibration of each probe for each probe set by the ultrasonic selection unit, and controls the constant voltage and the constant current to match the output load variation with the output set value.

Ultrasonic / low frequency transmission unit 22 is a place that transmits the vibration generated by the high frequency generator to the skin surface, and is divided into a plurality of probes in contact with the skin and a probe support to move the probe along the skin surface. . Hereinafter, the probe support will be described first after describing the probe.

The surface of the probe of the ultrasonic wave / low frequency transmission unit according to the prior art has a planar structure. In order to transfer the vibration to the skin through the vibration of the ultrasonic wave / low frequency transmission part, the vibration energy must be concentrated on the skin in order to promote the blood circulation. In other words, the skin stimulator having a flat probe structure cannot deliver an efficient vibration energy to the curved skin surface such as the jaw or the shoulder.

Therefore, in the present invention, the surface of the portion in contact with the actual skin in the ultrasonic wave / low frequency transmission unit, such as the probes 31a, 31b, and 31c shown in FIG. The curved shape may be applied to any shape as long as the probe surface is curved, such as a semi-circle or a half-shape.

Meanwhile, the skin / ultrasound generator for skin stimulation varies according to the generated frequencies, which is related to the penetration depth of the ultrasonic waves. In other words, the higher the frequency, the smaller the depth of penetration. For example, in the case of the lowest frequency of 1MHz is used in the deep, such as the abdomen, in the case of 3MHz is mainly used in thin areas of the skin, such as the face. However, the conventional skin stimulation ultrasonic wave / low frequency generator has a structure having only one probe as shown in FIG. 1 and thus does not generate ultrasonic waves of various frequencies at the same time. Probes may be provided to simultaneously generate ultrasonic waves in various frequency bands. At the same time, by generating ultrasonic waves in various frequency bands, all skin tissues can be stimulated regardless of skin thickness, from shallow skin tissues to deep skin tissues, thereby enabling effective skin irritation. In FIG. 3, the structure has three probes, but in some cases, a plurality of probe structures such as four or five probes may be used.

Meanwhile, the probe may not only generate an ultrasonic signal but may serve as an electrode for a low frequency current for transmitting an electrical stimulus to the body, which will be described in detail in the description of the low frequency generator.

In addition, the probe is a waterproof device to prevent sweat or foreign matter from directly contacting the high frequency generator. In addition, the size of each probe may not be fixed but may vary in size for each probe. The probe may not be fixed to the probe support but may be replaced by inserting another probe into the probe support.

The probe support is a place where the probes are attached to the skin stimulator so as to be in close contact with the skin surface, and each probe is in the form of a leaf spring to move freely along the curved surface of the skin. That is, the springs in the form of several plates support the respective probes, so that the probes may be in close contact with the face surface of the skin according to the curvature of each skin such as the nose, chin, and forehead. The structure of the probe and the probe support will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4.

The ultrasound selector 23 is provided to allow the skin stimulator user to select ultrasound for each probe. That is, since the frequency can be varied by 1M, 2M, 3M, etc. for each probe, the user can select the frequency of each probe through the ultrasonic selection unit. To this end, the ultrasonic selector places a switch for selecting a frequency for each probe in the body portion of the skin stimulator.

Gel cartridge 26 is a package that is installed on the skin stimulator exterior as shown in Figure 32 shown in Figure 3 to supply the gel. The gel is sprayed onto the probe automatically when the skin stimulator is used by putting the gel together on the skin stimulator without the user having to carry the gel separately. Gel is applied to a probe before skin massage using a skin stimulator, and the gel can be applied to the human body by applying a gel. If you run out of gel in the form of a cartridge, you can replace it with a different gel cartridge.

The thermal sensor unit 24 is installed in the probe to electrically detect the actual temperature of the probe and to control the power by comparing the temperature with the set temperature in the control unit. Due to the heat generated there is a fear of a minute burn, etc. When the temperature rises to a certain temperature by the heat sensor to automatically stop the operation of the skin stimulator.

The power supply unit 25 supplies power to the skin stimulator and may control power according to a user's selection, but in some cases, the skin stimulator power is automatically turned on / off. When the probe is in close contact with the skin and the probe is pressed, the power unit recognizes this and supplies power to operate the skin stimulator. On the other hand, the power is on, but there is a long time isolation between the skin and the probe because the skin stimulator is not used. If perceived, the power supply stops supplying power to the skin stimulator. On the other hand, the power supply unit can use a general power source, but can be used while carrying a skin stimulator as a rechargeable type using a battery or the like.

The control unit 27 controls each of the above functional units and automatically sprays the gel to the probes, and also allows the high frequency generator to generate the corresponding ultrasonic waves by recognizing the ultrasonic frequencies for each probe set by the user through the ultrasonic selection unit.

As described above, the skin stimulator includes a high frequency generator, an ultrasonic wave / low frequency transmitter, a gel cartridge, a heat sensor, and a power supply, but may include a low frequency generator. By providing a low frequency generator in addition to the high frequency generator in the skin stimulator, the skin stimulator not only functions as a skin massage, but also serves as a medical low frequency treatment device by giving electric stimulation by passing a low frequency current through the human body. Such low-frequency therapy devices are used for the purpose of preventing pulmonary atrophy of paralysis muscles, pain relief, blood circulation improvement, and stiffening of shoulders by current stimulation. To this end, in order to pass the current generated in the low frequency generator through the human body, each probe is made into a (+) pole and a (-) pole. That is, the pro part not only generates an ultrasonic signal but also serves as a single electrode to give a constant electrical stimulation to the body.

4 is a view showing the structure of the probe and the probe support shown in FIG.

In FIG. 4, only two probes are displayed for the convenience of description, and an inside front view thereof is illustrated. However, it will be apparent that the ultrasonic wave / low frequency generator for skin stimulation includes a plurality of probes according to a product.

The ultrasonic / low frequency generator for skin irritation may generate ultrasonic waves or low frequencies. When used as an ultrasonic stimulator, the piezoelectric ceramic 42, which causes vibration by compressing or expanding by receiving an electric field, has a front head case 41 and a rear case ( 46) and is located under the front headcase. The signal line 49 is connected to the front head case 41 and the piezoelectric ceramic lower end 42 to allow current to flow through the piezoelectric ceramic positive electrode. Since the front headcase 41 attached to the top of the piezoelectric ceramic is made of a metallic material, when a current having one polarity flows through the front headcase, the current naturally flows to one electrode of the piezoelectric ceramic. The current of the other polarity connects a signal line directly to the bottom of the piezoelectric ceramic so that it can flow through the piezoelectric ceramic. The front headcase not only plays a role in delivering current, but also provides a gel discharge surface, and the front headcase surface has a curved structure to be in close contact with the skin.

On the other hand, when the ultrasonic wave / low frequency generator for skin stimulation is used for low frequency stimulation, a signal line of each probe emits different electrode signals so that each probe can hold different electrodes. That is, when a positive electrode is output to one probe, the other probe generates an electrode signal to have a negative electrode.

The rear case has a structure covering the lower part of the piezoelectric ceramic.

The probe consisting of the front head case and the rear case can be inserted into the outer cover 43 is circular. This outer cover serves to prevent the detachment of each probe. The outer cover is connected to a link portion 44 located on the central axis.

The leaf spring 48 has one end attached downward to the rear case so that the leaf spring is pressed and returned according to the degree of close contact with the skin when the probe case is in close contact with the curved surface of the skin. By the operation of the leaf spring can be in close contact with the probe to operate the skin. One end of the rear case and the leaf spring is attached by a leaf spring fixing injection molding 47. Specifically, one end of the leaf spring is fully attached to the leaf spring fixing injection and the rear case is convex in the center of the rear case so that the probe case can be easily separated from the skin stimulator so that it can be inserted into a specific concave groove of the leaf spring fixing injection. It can have a form.

The inner support portion 45 is a function of supporting the link portion 44 located in the center of the plurality of probes in the skin / stimulation ultrasonic wave / low frequency generator, and at the same time, the other end of each leaf spring is attached.

Although the technical spirit of the present invention has been described in detail according to the above-described preferred embodiment, the above-described embodiment is for the purpose of description, and various ordinary embodiments of the present invention may be made by those skilled in the art. I can understand.

As described above, the ultrasound / low frequency generator for skin stimulation includes a plurality of probes, so that the entire skin thickness region can be massaged regardless of the skin depth, thereby doubling the effect of skin stimulation. In addition, the probe has a curved shape so that the ultrasound can be delivered well to the curved skin. Furthermore, the probe has an electrode function, so that the skin stimulator has a low frequency therapeutic massage function as well as an ultrasonic massage, thereby implementing a skin stimulator for various uses.

Claims (5)

A high frequency generator which transmits high frequency power to the piezoelectric ceramic so that the piezoelectric ceramic, which is an oscillator, receives an electrical signal and causes fine vibration; An ultrasonic wave / low frequency transmitting unit including a plurality of probes for transmitting vibration ultrasonic waves generated by the piezoelectric ceramic to the skin and a probe support for supporting the probes; An ultrasonic selection unit for selecting ultrasonic waves to be generated for each probe from a user; A heat sensor unit installed in the probe to electrically detect an actual temperature of the probe and to control the power by comparing with a preset temperature; It is a function to supply power to the ultrasonic / low frequency generator for skin stimulation. When the probe is in close contact with the skin, the power is automatically turned on, and when the probe is not in close contact with the skin, the power is automatically turned off. With the power supply part to turn off (OFF), A gel cartridge that is in the form of a cartridge to replace the gel and automatically sprays the gel on the probe when the power is turned on, A low frequency generator for generating a low frequency so as to pass a low frequency current through the human body to give an electrical stimulus, A control unit that controls each of the above functional units and incorporates an operation algorithm of each functional unit. Ultrasound / low frequency generator for skin irritation. The method of claim 1, wherein the probe in the ultrasonic wave / low frequency transmission unit, Piezoelectric ceramics that cause vibration by generating ultrasonic waves, As a piezoelectric ceramic top cover, the front head case is curved to form a curved surface to be in close contact with the skin, and a gel is secreted. A rear case supporting the lower part of the front headcase; Signal lines for putting a current signal into the piezoelectric ceramic and the front head case respectively so that the piezoelectric ceramics cause electrical vibration Ultrasound / low frequency generator for skin irritation comprising. The method of claim 2, wherein the signal line, When the ultrasonic wave / low frequency generator for skin stimulation is used to transmit vibration ultrasonic waves generated by piezoelectric ceramics to the skin, the skin stimulus is characterized by transmitting each electrical signal to generate a specific ultrasonic wave for each probe. Ultrasonic / Low Frequency Generator The method of claim 2, wherein the signal line, When the ultrasonic wave / low frequency generator for skin stimulation is used to deliver the low frequency generated by the low frequency generator to the skin, each probe transmits an electrical signal to have a positive / negative electrode. Low frequency generator. The method of claim 1, wherein the probe support in the ultrasonic wave / low frequency transmission unit, Leaf springs that allow the probe to move along the curved surface of the skin, An injection plate fixing member for connecting the probe with the leaf spring so that one end of the leaf spring can be easily attached / detached with the probe; Internal support to the other end of the leaf spring as the central axis of the ultrasonic / low wave generator Ultrasonic / low frequency generator for skin stimulation comprising a.