KR20200060887A - Magnetic stimulation apparatus and method with focused target region - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the present invention relates to a magnetic stimulation device which stimulates a target area of human body using a magnetic field formed by an electromagnetic signal, including a plurality of coils for generating electromagnetic signals having different frequencies. The magnetic stimulation device stimulates a target area of the human body by using a pulsation signal formed by electromagnetic signals having different frequencies generated in each coil.

Description

Magnetic stimulation apparatus and method with focused target region}

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for focusing magnetic stimulation in a target region, and more particularly, to a magnetic stimulation apparatus and method for intensively stimulating a target region in a local area using a beat signal according to frequency interference of an electromagnetic signal. .

Magnetic stimulation (magnetic stimulation) is a treatment technique that stimulates the nerves of the human body by forming an induced electric field inside the human body by the law of electromagnetic induction generated by a magnetic field generated by a coil located outside the human body. This magnetic stimulation is a non-invasive method because it can easily penetrate human tissues having a low conductivity due to the characteristics of the magnetic field, and has a lower probability of causing pain than electrical stimulation.

On the other hand, the strength of the electromagnetic field generated by the conventional magnetic stimulation device has a feature that is rapidly attenuated away from the coil. Accordingly, when the deep region of the human body is the target region of the stimulus, the conventional magnetic stimulation apparatus maintains the intensity over the stimulus threshold in the target region in consideration of the damping of the electromagnetic field.

In addition, for the same reason, the conventional magnetic stimulation device has the strongest electromagnetic signal on the skin surface closest to the coil, and can not only cause pain on the skin surface, but also irritate human body parts outside the target area to create unwanted stimulation effects or side effects. There was a problem that occurred.

In order to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, the present invention provides a magnetic stimulation apparatus and method for intensively stimulating a local target area by using a pulsation signal according to frequency interference of an electromagnetic signal generated from a coil. have.

However, the problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

Magnetic stimulation device according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems is a magnetic stimulation device for stimulating a target area of the human body using a magnetic field formed by the electromagnetic signal, the electromagnetic signals having different frequencies It includes a plurality of coils to generate, using a pulse signal formed by electromagnetic signals having different frequencies generated in each coil to stimulate the target area of the human body.

The pulse play signal may include a lower frequency than the electromagnetic signal.

The target area may be located in an area where electromagnetic signals generated by the plurality of coils overlap.

The target region may be located in an area where the pulse play signal has a maximum intensity.

The electromagnetic signals generated by the plurality of coils may be a frequency band in which the human nerve is non-reactive according to a low-pass filter characteristic of the human nerve.

The electromagnetic signals generated by the plurality of coils may be a frequency band of 1 GHz or more.

The pulse play signal may be a frequency band in which the nerves of the human body respond.

The pulsation signal may be a frequency band of 1 kHz or less.

The plurality of coils may respectively generate electromagnetic signals traveling from different directions toward the target area.

The plurality of coils may be spaced apart with a target area therebetween.

The magnetic stimulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a plurality of coil pairs composed of a plurality of coils that generate a specific pulse signal, and the plurality of coil pairs may generate different pulse signals.

It is possible to selectively supply current to each coil or each coil pair.

A magnetic stimulation method according to an embodiment of the present invention is a method for stimulating a target region of a human body using a magnetic field formed by an electromagnetic signal of a magnetic stimulation device, (1) different from a plurality of coils of the magnetic stimulation device Generating an electromagnetic signal having a frequency, and (2) stimulating the target region using a pulse signal formed by electromagnetic signals having different frequencies generated in each coil.

Magnetic stimulation apparatus and method according to an embodiment of the present invention configured as described above is concentrated formation of the electromagnetic field and the induced electric field in a target region of the local area by using a pulsation signal according to the frequency interference principle of the electromagnetic signal generated in a plurality of coils It has the advantage of maximizing the magnetic stimulation treatment effect and minimizing side effects.

In addition, the magnetic stimulation apparatus and method according to an embodiment of the present invention not only generates a low-intensity signal, but also an electromagnetic signal generated by each coil is a nerve non-stimulation signal, and at the same time, a pulse play signal in which the signals overlap is nerves. Since it has the maximum signal strength in the target region as a stimulus signal, it is possible to minimize electromagnetic signal stimulation on the skin surface located close to the coil, as well as to minimize unwanted stimuli that occur outside the target region and reduce side effects. There are advantages.

1 is a block diagram of a magnetic stimulation apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 shows an example of an electromagnetic field region according to electromagnetic signals generated from a plurality of coils 20.
3 shows an example of an electromagnetic signal generated from the coil 20 of FIG. 2.
4 shows the strength of the electromagnetic field according to the electromagnetic signal generated from the coil 20 of FIG. 2.
5 shows that a plurality of coil pairs are provided in the magnetic stimulation apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a flowchart of a magnetic stimulation method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The above objects and means of the present invention and effects thereof will be more apparent through the following detailed description in connection with the accompanying drawings, and accordingly, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may facilitate the technical idea of the present invention. Will be able to practice. In addition, in the description of the present invention, when it is determined that the detailed description of the known technology related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

The terminology used herein is for describing the embodiments, and is not intended to limit the present invention. In the present specification, the singular form also includes the plural form in some cases unless otherwise specified in the phrase. In this specification, terms such as “include”, “have”, “have” or “have” do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components other than the components mentioned.

In this specification, terms such as “or” and “at least one” may refer to one of the words listed together, or a combination of two or more. For example, “or B” “and at least one of B” may include only one of A or B, and may include both A and B.

In this specification, descriptions following “for example,” etc. may not accurately match the information presented, such as the cited characteristics, variables, or values, and tolerances, measurement errors, limits of measurement accuracy, and other factors commonly known. It should not limit the embodiments of the invention according to various embodiments of the present invention with effects such as modifications.

In this specification, when a component is described as being'connected' or'connected' to another component, it may be directly connected to or connected to the other component, but other components may exist in the middle. It should be understood that it may. On the other hand, when a component is said to be'directly connected' or'directly connected' to another component, it should be understood that no other component exists in the middle.

In the present specification, when a component is described as being'on' or'in contact with' another component, another component may be directly in contact with or connected to the other component, but another component may exist in the middle. It should be understood that it can. On the other hand, when a component is described as being'directly on' or'directly on' another component, it can be understood that another component does not exist in the middle. Other expressions describing the relationship between the components, for example,'between' and'directly between' can also be interpreted.

In this specification, terms such as'first' and'second' may be used to describe various components, but the corresponding components should not be limited by the above terms. In addition, the above terms should not be interpreted to limit the order of each component, but may be used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another component. For example, the'first component' may be referred to as a'second component', and similarly the'second component' may also be referred to as a'first component'.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used in this specification may be used in a sense that can be commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. In addition, terms defined in the commonly used dictionary are not ideally or excessively interpreted unless explicitly defined.

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

1 is a block diagram of a magnetic stimulation apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The magnetic stimulation device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a device that stimulates a target area in a human body by using a magnetic field formed by an electromagnetic signal. At this time, the target region is an area in the human body where stimulation occurs, and may be an area affected by an induced electric field induced by the magnetic field formed by the stimulation electromagnetic signal inside the human body. For example, the present invention may be a device for magnetic stimulation of a brain nerve region, but is not limited thereto, and may be a device for magnetic stimulation of other peripheral nerve regions.

Specifically, the magnetic stimulation apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figure 1, includes a signal supply 10 and the coil 20.

The signal supply 10 is a configuration in which each coil 20 supplies current required for generating an electromagnetic signal to each coil 20. At this time, the signal supply 10 may selectively supply current to each coil 20. 'Selective' means that current is supplied to each coil 20 (that is, whether it is on/off), the frequency of the supply current, the intensity of the supply current, the supply current ratio, and the like can be selected. By this selective current supply, the present invention can adjust the position and size of the region where the electromagnetic field and the induced electric field by the electromagnetic signal generated in the coil 10 are concentrated.

Coil 20 is a configuration that generates an electromagnetic signal according to the current supplied from the signal supply 10, a plurality may be provided. At this time, the'electromagnetic signal' may form an electromagnetic field as electromagnetic waves. That is, the plurality of coils 20 may generate electromagnetic signals having the same or different frequencies.

2 shows an example of an electromagnetic field region according to an electromagnetic signal generated from a plurality of coils 20, FIG. 3 shows an example of an electromagnetic signal generated from the coils 20 of FIG. 2, and FIG. It represents the intensity of the electromagnetic field according to the electromagnetic signal generated from the coil 20 of the.

Electromagnetic signals having different frequencies generated in each coil 20 may form a beat signal by frequency interference. The present invention can intensively stimulate the local target region by using the pulse signal formed in this way. This will be described in more detail as follows.

That is, referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, the first coil 20a and the second coil 20b may generate an electromagnetic signal of S ₁ having an f ₁ frequency, and the third coil 20c and the fourth coil The coil 20d may generate an electromagnetic signal of S ₂ having an f ₂ frequency. At this time, S ₁ may form an electromagnetic field, S ₂ may form an electromagnetic field, S ₁ and S ₂ is a frequency band in which the nerves of the human body are non-reactive (hereinafter referred to as “neural non-reactive frequency”). ). This neural non-response frequency may be a frequency band of 1 GHz or higher.

In particular, since S ₁ and S ₂ have different frequencies, it is possible to form the pulse signal of S ₃ by frequency interference. That is, the formed pulse play signal may include a difference frequency (|f ₁ -f ₂ |) of f ₁ and f ₂ as an electromagnetic signal (hereinafter referred to as a “pulse play frequency”), and such a pulse play frequency may cause the nerves of the human body to fail. It may correspond to the frequency of reaction (hereinafter referred to as "neural response frequency"). The neural response frequency may be a frequency band of 1 kHz or less, for example, 0.1 kHz to 100 kHz.

That is, the present invention generates a pulse beat signal according to the frequency interference phenomenon of electromagnetic signals having a nerve non-reaction frequency, and since the generated pulse beat signal has a pulse beat frequency corresponding to a nerve response frequency, the human body is generated by the generated pulse beat signal. An induction electric field can be formed inside to stimulate the nerves of the human body. Accordingly, it is advantageous to stimulate the deep nerve parts of the human body.

Also, Referring to Figure 4, S ₁ is the largest signal strength has a signal strength toward the area A ₂ in the area A ₁ is reduced. Likewise, S ₂ is the signal having the greatest intensity increasing signal strength in the area A ₁ in the area A ₂ is reduced. Therefore, the beat signals of S ₃ is to form a standard (Normailzed) of the maximum intensity of the electromagnetic field in the area A ₃ area that overlaps the S ₁ and S _2. Accordingly, according to the present invention, by setting the target region to be located in the A ₃ region, the stimulation effect can be further enhanced by concentrating the pulse signal on the local target region. In addition, in order to maximize this effect, the present invention can be set so that the target region is located in the region where the pulse signal of S _{3 has} the maximum signal strength among the regions of A ₃ .

That is, even though the magnetic and induced electric fields generated by electromagnetic signals, which are high-frequency signals generated by each coil 10, are concentrated on the skin surface, they do not stimulate nerves by themselves due to the low-pass filter characteristics of the human nerves. Only the pulse signal formed by the superimposed frequency of the electromagnetic signals stimulates the nerve. Accordingly, the present invention can locally stimulate only the target region by adjusting the intensity of the magnetic field and the induced electric field of the overlapping frequency formed by the pulse signal to be strongest in the target region.

For this effect, each coil 20 may each generate electromagnetic signals traveling from different directions toward the target area. That is, each coil 20 may be spaced apart with a target area therebetween. For example, based on FIG. 2, the first coil 20a and the second coil 20b may generate S ₁ that progresses from one side toward the target region (located within the region A ₃ ). a second coil (20a) and the third coil (20b) can generate S ₁ traveling toward the target area (located in the area a ₃₎ which is located in the area a ₃ on the other end side. By arranging each coil 20 in this way, the present invention can concentrate the pulse signal in the target area. At this time, each coil 20 may achieve line symmetry or point symmetry around the target area, but is not limited thereto. Further, each coil 20 may be located on a straight line with the target area, but is not limited thereto, and may be positioned to form a predetermined angle with the target area.

Meanwhile, a pulsation frequency is generated by a frequency difference between a plurality of electromagnetic signals having different frequencies generated by each coil 20 (hereinafter, referred to as “source signals” for each of these signals). At this time, any one source frequency ( For example, the coils 20 that generate f ₁ or f ₂ ) may be plural, as illustrated in FIG. 2. For example, the source signal of S ₁ having the frequency f ₁ may be generated by the first coil 20a and the second coil 20b, and the source signal of S ₂ having the frequency f ₂ may be the third coil 20c ) And the fourth coil 20d may be generated. As described above, when there are a plurality of coils for generating each source frequency, the region of each source signal is widened, and thus the maximum signal strength region of the pulse signal can be widened.

Further, each coil 20 may be configured such that its position can be arbitrarily changed. By changing the position of each coil 20 in this way, the present invention can change the maximum signal area of the pulse signal formed by the electromagnetic signal of each coil 20, so that it can correspond to the target area changed as needed. .

5 shows that a plurality of coil pairs are provided in the magnetic stimulation apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Also, a plurality of coils generating a pulse signal may be formed in pairs. That is, referring to FIG. 2, the first coil 20a and the third coil 20c, the second coil 20b and the fourth coil 20d, or the first coil 20a to the fourth coil 20d Is a pair (hereinafter referred to as a “coil pair”), and can generate a single pulse signal. The present invention may include a plurality of such coil pairs, and each coil pair may generate different pulse beat signals. That is, referring to FIG. 3, the first coil pair may generate a first pulse signal, and the second coil phase may generate a second pulse signal. In this case, the first coil pair may be the first coil 20a and the third coil 20c, the second coil 20b and the fourth coil 20d, or the first coil 20a to the fourth coil 20d. The second coil pair may include a fifth coil 20e and a seventh coil 20g, a sixth coil 20f and an eighth coil 20h, or a fifth coil 20e to an eighth coil 20h Can be Accordingly, the signal supplier 10 selects whether a current is supplied to a coil pair, whether a current is supplied to each coil 20 in a specific coil pair, the frequency of the supply current, the intensity of the supply current, the ratio of the supply current, etc. Can supply. When a plurality of coil pairs are included in this way, the present invention enables simultaneous stimulation of a plurality of target regions. In addition, the coils 20 of each coil pair may achieve line symmetry or point symmetry around the target area, but are not limited thereto. In addition, the coil 20 on each coil may be located on a straight line with the target area, but is not limited thereto, and may be positioned to form a predetermined angle with the target area.

Hereinafter, a magnetic stimulation method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

6 is a flowchart of a magnetic stimulation method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The magnetic stimulation method according to an embodiment of the present invention is a method for stimulating a target area of the human body using a magnetic field formed by an electromagnetic signal of the magnetic stimulation apparatus 100, as shown in FIG. 6, S10 and S20. At this time, since the magnetic stimulation apparatus 100 is the same as the above-described contents according to FIGS. 1 to 3, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

S10 is a signal generation step, and is a step of generating electromagnetic signals having different frequencies in a plurality of coils 20 of the magnetic stimulation apparatus 100. In this case, S10 may include disposing a plurality of coils 10 apart from each other with a target area therebetween. In addition, S10 may include selectively supplying current to each coil 10.

S20 is a step of stimulating a target area using a pulse play signal formed by different electromagnetic signals generated by each coil 20.

In addition, the magnetic stimulation method according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include the step of positioning the target region within the overlapping region of the electromagnetic signals generated in each coil 10. At this time, the magnetic stimulation method according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include changing the position of each coil 10.

In addition, the magnetic stimulation method according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include the step of positioning the target region in the region where the pulse signal has the maximum intensity.

In addition, when the magnetic stimulation apparatus 100 includes a plurality of coil pairs, S10 may include selecting a coil pair and generating electromagnetic signals having different frequencies in a plurality of coils 10 in the selected coil pair. Can be. At this time, S10 may include the step of selectively supplying current to each coil (10). In addition, when there are a plurality of coil pairs selected in S10, S20 may include generating a plurality of different pulse beat signals through each coil pair.

In the detailed description of the present invention, specific embodiments have been described, but various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, but should be defined by the claims that will be described later and those equivalent to the claims.

10: signal supply 20: coil
100: magnetic stimulation device

Claims (13)

As a magnetic stimulation device for stimulating a target area of the human body using a magnetic field formed by an electromagnetic signal,
It includes a plurality of coils for generating electromagnetic signals having different frequencies,
A magnetic stimulation apparatus characterized by stimulating a target area of the human body using a pulse play signal formed by electromagnetic signals having different frequencies generated in each coil. According to claim 1,
The pulsation signal is a magnetic stimulation device comprising a lower frequency than the electromagnetic signal. According to claim 1,
The magnetic stimulation apparatus, characterized in that the target region is located in the region where the electromagnetic signals generated by the plurality of coils overlap. According to claim 3,
The magnetic stimulation apparatus, characterized in that the target region is located in the region having the maximum intensity of the pulse signal. According to claim 1,
The magnetic stimulation apparatus, characterized in that the electromagnetic signals generated by the plurality of coils are non-reactive frequency bands of the human nerve according to the characteristics of the low-pass filter of the human nerve. The method of claim 5,
The magnetic stimulation device, characterized in that the electromagnetic signals generated by the plurality of coils is a frequency band of 1 kHz or more. According to claim 1,
The pulsation signal is a magnetic stimulation device, characterized in that the frequency band to which the nerves of the human body responds. The method of claim 7,
The pulsation signal is a magnetic stimulation device, characterized in that the frequency band of 1 kHz or less. According to claim 1,
The magnetic stimulation apparatus, characterized in that the plurality of coils respectively generate electromagnetic signals traveling toward the target area from different directions. The method of claim 9,
The magnetic stimulation apparatus, characterized in that the plurality of coils are spaced apart from each other with a target region therebetween. According to claim 1,
It includes a plurality of coil pairs consisting of a plurality of coils to generate a specific pulse signal,
A magnetic stimulation device characterized in that the plurality of coil pairs generate different pulse play signals. The method of claim 11,
A magnetic stimulation device, characterized in that it is possible to selectively supply current to each coil or each coil pair. As a method for stimulating a target area of the human body using a magnetic field formed by the electromagnetic signal of the magnetic stimulation device,
Generating electromagnetic signals having different frequencies from a plurality of coils of the magnetic stimulation apparatus; And
And stimulating the target region by using a pulsation signal formed by electromagnetic signals having different frequencies generated in each coil.

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