KR20210116335A - Apparatus for dry eye treatment - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a dry eye syndrome treatment device having a curved surface 2D array shape and using negative pressure (pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure) and heat to treat dry eye syndrome. The present invention is a technology that oil of meibomian glands located under an eyelid is melted with heat to secure fluidity, and the meibomian glands are sequentially lifted with negative pressure. Unlike existing methods of stimulating nerves, tissues and the like with electric current, ultrasound, magnetic fields, and LEDs, physical force from negative pressure is used according to the present invention. Thus, safe and effective treatment management can be performed without a potential risk. In addition, since the device is in a form of a 2D array, the device can be applied to skin in other parts. Thus, the device can be variously used for under-eye fat management, skin lifting, skin cleaning and the like.

Description

Dry eye treatment device {Apparatus for dry eye treatment}

The present invention relates to a device for treating dry eye syndrome in the form of a curved 2D array using negative pressure (lower than atmospheric pressure) and heat to treat dry eye syndrome. , It is a technique that sequentially lifts, that is, adsorbs meibomian glands with negative pressure. Unlike the existing methods that stimulate nerve tissue with electric current, ultrasound, magnetic field, LED, etc., it uses physical force due to negative pressure, so it is a potential risk It relates to a device that can safely and effectively manage treatment without

Dry eye syndrome is occurring in all age groups, including young people, due to an increase in the elderly population and an increase in the population using portable electronic devices such as mobile phones. Dry eye syndrome is a disease that causes eye discomfort due to damage to the ocular surface due to tear deficiency or excessive tear evaporation, which causes damage to the ocular surface. appear in various ways.

Dry eye syndrome is caused by a tear film disorder that protects the eyes, and the tear film consists of three layers: a mucus layer, an aqueous layer (tears), and a fat (oil) layer that prevents the evaporation of tears. Sjogren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease that invades, occlusion of Meibomoian glad that is located under the epidermis of the eyelids and makes fat (oil), ocular surface disease, contact lens wear, fine dust (environment), etc. .

It is known that meibomian gland dysfunction accounts for more than 80% of the causes of dry eye syndrome, and the treatment method for dry eye syndrome caused by meibomian glands is laser treatment (IPL, Intense Pulsed Light) at an ophthalmic hospital. It is a method to physically remove the hardened oil at the entrance of the meibomian gland by irradiating it on the eyelid skin and meibomian gland by converting light energy of wavelength into thermal energy. Treatment by an ophthalmic hospital visit entails time, money and labor.

There are other methods to stimulate internal tissues by sending electric current, ultrasonic waves, magnetic fields, etc. into the human body, but this has potential risk factors. This method is less effective in terms of physically lifting the meibomian glands.

To treat dry eye syndrome, it is intended to use heat and negative pressure in a safe way while effectively stimulating the meibomian glands. Here, the effect of negative pressure is kinematically activating the movement of the tissue under the skin in the longitudinal and transverse directions to smooth the lymphatic flow. Compared to pressurization, negative pressure has relatively no energy loss and has the advantage of being able to effectively control it.

In addition, medically, there is MDWT (Microdeformation wound treatment) using negative pressure to treat burns or wounds. MDWT heals wounds by activating the lymphatic supply by discharging unnecessary fluid by creating micro-transformation of the tissue by the pressure difference at the tissue interface, inhibiting bacterial growth, and additionally increasing the density of lymphatic vessels in the wound area. (Ref: C , Huang et al., “of negative pressure wound therapy on wound healing” Current Problems in Surgery 51 (2014) 301-331)

In connection with the present invention, “dry eye syndrome treatment device (application number 10201230106932)”, “stimulation device for treating dry eye syndrome (application number 1020177013393)” and “portable dry eye syndrome treatment device using LED device (application number 1020140050748)”, etc. However, this invention is a method of stimulating tissue using electric current, LED, etc., and does not physically lift the meibomian gland effectively.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to safely and effectively treat dry eye syndrome by using heat and negative pressure in the meibomian gland located under the eyelid skin.

The present invention as a technical idea for achieving the above object is a head in contact with the skin; a heat dissipation pad provided on the head to provide heat; a 2D array nozzle in which nozzles are arranged in a grid shape inside the heat dissipation pad; a pneumatic valve module connected to the 2D array nozzle of the head; a motor pump providing negative pressure to the pneumatic valve module; and a body to which the head is coupled to one end; Including, wherein the pneumatic valve module comprises: a pneumatic valve head which moves the 2D array nozzle and connects to a motor pump; a screw for sequentially moving the pneumatic valve head; and a position motor for rotating the screw. includes

A pneumatic valve head hole is formed in the pneumatic valve head and is connected to the pneumatic valve module holes formed in the pneumatic valve module.

The pneumatic valve module holes are connected to nozzle arrays located in the head.

In the 2D array nozzle, a plurality of nozzle arrays in which nozzles are continuously arranged in a horizontal direction are arranged in a longitudinal direction.

One side of each of the nozzle arrays is composed of a plurality of nozzles and the other side is composed of a single nozzle.

The dry eye syndrome treatment device, a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the heat dissipation pad; a temperature controller for controlling the temperature of the heat dissipation pad; MCU for controlling the operation of the dry eye syndrome treatment device; a power supply for supplying power to the dry eye syndrome treatment unit; and an interface for inputting a control signal to the MCU. further includes

As described above, the dry eye treatment device according to the present invention has the advantage of being able to effectively and safely treat without potential risk by using a physical force due to negative pressure, unlike the existing invention, such as electric current, ultrasound, magnetic field, laser, and the like. In addition, it can be applied to fat management of eyelid skin, skin lifting, cosmetic cleaner, etc. in addition to the treatment of dry eye syndrome.

In addition, since negative pressure is used, energy loss is small, and by effectively lifting the meibomian gland blood vessels, it is possible to treat dry eye syndrome as well as to treat eye fat under the eyelids at the same time. It can be used as a cosmetic device.

The dry eye syndrome treatment device according to the present invention is to contact the skin with a two-dimensional flat array of a curved surface on the eyelid skin, apply heat to secure the fluidity of meibomian gland oil, and then suck the skin surface by negative pressure, 2 After inhaling air with negative pressure sequentially from the bottom nozzle array of the dimensional plane array to the top nozzle array (the bottom of the eyelids), it moves back to the initial position, the bottom nozzle array, and repeats the periodic movement by the negative pressure for a given time.

1 is a schematic diagram schematically showing the configuration of a dry eye syndrome treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a design of a dry eye syndrome treatment device and a head portion in close contact with the skin according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a schematic diagram showing the connection structure of the dry eye syndrome treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a pneumatic valve module.
It is a schematic diagram which shows the inner diameter shape of the nozzle which comprises a nozzle array.
6 is a schematic diagram showing the shape of a nozzle array.

1 is a schematic diagram schematically showing the configuration of a dry eye treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a design of a dry eye syndrome treatment device and a head portion in close contact with the skin according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the connection structure of the dry eye syndrome treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 3, the dry eye treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention is of a portable size, and the front face 10-1 is in contact with the skin so as to be in close contact with the eyelid skin of the human body, the head 10, The heat dissipation pad 25 provided on the curved front surface 10-1 of the head 10 to provide heat, and the heat dissipation pad 25 based on the front surface 10-1 of the head 10. A 2D array nozzle 12 disposed inside, a hollow body 11 to which the head 10 is coupled to one end, and a pneumatic valve module 24 connected to the 2D array nozzle 12 of the head 10 and a motor pump 20 for providing negative pressure to the pneumatic valve module 24, wherein the pneumatic valve module 24 moves the 2D array nozzle 12 in the longitudinal direction and connects to the motor pump 20. The valve head 29, a screw 22 for sequentially moving the pneumatic valve head 29, and a position motor 21 for rotating the screw 22 are configured. The body 11 includes a pneumatic valve module 24 connected to the 2D array nozzle 12 and a motor pump 20 providing negative pressure to the pneumatic valve module 24 .

Here, the 2D array nozzle 12 refers to holes having a structure in which nozzles 32 that are in close contact with the skin are arranged in a grid shape inside the heat dissipation pad 25, and the shape of the holes may be a circular shape or a long hole shape. can

The 2D array nozzle 12 includes a plurality of nozzle arrays 13-1 to 13-6 in which the nozzles 32 are successively arranged in the transverse direction with respect to the surface where the head 10 is in contact with the skin in the longitudinal direction. is placed. That is, in each of the nozzle arrays 13-1 to 13-6, the nozzles 32 are continuously arranged in the lateral direction, and the 2D array nozzle 12 includes a plurality of nozzle arrays 13-1 to 13-6. It has a structure in which the nozzles 32 are continuously arranged in the longitudinal direction and arranged in a grid shape, and the pneumatic valve module 24 is a motor providing negative pressure by moving the plurality of nozzle arrays 13-1 to 13-6. Connect to the pump (20).

In addition, the dry eye treatment device according to the present invention includes a temperature sensor 26 for detecting the temperature of the heat dissipation pad 25 , a temperature controller 23 for controlling the temperature of the heat dissipation pad 25 , and an MCU for controlling the operation of the dry eye treatment device (18), a power supply device 31 for supplying power to the dry eye syndrome treatment device, an interface 14 for inputting a control signal to the MCU, and a motor pump connected to the pneumatic valve module 24 and the tube 28 to provide negative pressure (20) is further included.

The head 10 is coupled to the upper end of the main body 11 of the dry eye syndrome treatment device to facilitate contact with the face of the human body. Here, the power supply device 31 includes a power IC (Integrated Circuit) 15 , a battery 16 , and a charger 17 , and the motor pump 20 is driven by the motor driver 19 .

It is a schematic diagram which shows the inner diameter shape of the nozzle which comprises a nozzle array.

Referring to FIG. 5 together with FIGS. 1 to 4 , the 2D array nozzle 12 of the head 10 has a curved shape in close contact with the skin. In addition, the diameter of the nozzle 32 that comes into contact with the skin and sucks at a negative pressure is 0.1 to 10 mm, and at this time, it is a well-known fact that the shape of the end of the nozzle 32 should be designed so as not to leave a mark on the skin after treatment.

That is, the edge of the inner diameter of the cylindrical nozzle 32 in contact with the skin when the skin is sucked under a negative pressure is preferably an obtuse angle with respect to a vertical section. In addition, it is noted that the size of the negative pressure applied to the nozzle arrays 13-1 to 13-6 in contact with the skin due to the negative pressure generated by the motor pump 20 should be sucked to a size that does not excessively suck the skin. True.

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

2 and 3 are diagrams schematically showing the configuration of the 2D array nozzle of the dry eye syndrome treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 and 3 together with other drawings, the dry eye syndrome treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention applies heat to the meibomian gland located under the epidermis of the eyelid to melt the oil of the meibomian gland, and sucks the skin with negative pressure. As a lifting principle, the heat dissipation pad 25 located on the surface where the 2D array nozzle 12 is located is raised to a preset temperature that can melt the oil of the meibomian gland by the temperature controller 23, and the heat dissipation pad ( The temperature of 25) is measured by the temperature sensor 26 and the temperature information is transmitted to the temperature controller 23 . At this time, the maximum rising temperature of the heat dissipation pad 25 is preferably set to around 40° C. as a temperature that can melt the oil of the meibomian gland and does not cause burns on the skin.

4 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a pneumatic valve module.

Referring to FIG. 4 together with other drawings, a plurality of pneumatic valve module holes 24-1 to 24-6 are formed in the pneumatic valve module 24 to be spaced apart from each other, and the negative pressure generated by the motor pump 20 is provided. is connected to the pneumatic valve module holes 24-1 to 24-6 drilled in the pneumatic valve module 24 through the pneumatic valve head hole 29-1 drilled in the pneumatic valve head 29, and the pneumatic valve module The holes 24-1 to 24-6 are located on the 2D array nozzle surface in front of the head 10 and are connected to the nozzle arrays 13-1 to 13-6 in contact with the skin. Here, the pneumatic valve module 24 may be connected to the 2D array nozzle 12 through the valve tubes 30-1 to 30-6. That is, a screw is provided in the longitudinal direction of the pneumatic valve module 24, and the pneumatic valve head hole 29-1 of the pneumatic valve head 29 moves along the screw while the pneumatic valve head 29 moves along the screw. 24) is connected to the pneumatic valve module holes 24-1 to 24-6 and is connected to the nozzle arrays 13-1 to 13-6.

6 is a schematic diagram showing the shape of a nozzle array.

Referring to FIG. 6 together with FIGS. 1 to 5 , taking the nozzle array 13-1 shown in FIG. 6 as an example, the pneumatic valve module hole 24-1 is an upper hole of the nozzle array 13-1. It is connected to (33) and leads to seven lower holes (34) that are in direct contact with the skin, and the negative pressure applied to the upper hole (33) of the nozzle array (13-1) is a lower hole (34) composed of seven (13). are divided In this way, the remaining nozzle arrays 13-2 to 13-6 are configured in the same manner, and one side of each of the nozzle arrays 13-1 to 13-6 has lower holes 34, that is, a plurality of nozzles 32. The other side of the nozzle arrays 13-1 to 13-6 and the bottom hole 34 are made of an upper hole 33, that is, one nozzle 32, and constituting the 2D array nozzle 12. The number and size can be changed.

The position motor 21 rotates the screw 22 so that the pneumatic valve head 29 is moved from the lower nozzle array 13-6 to the upper nozzle array 13-1, and at the same time the motor pump 20 Inhale the skin by negative pressure. After the pneumatic valve head 29 is moved to the nozzle array 13-1 located at one end, it returns to the initial position of the nozzle array 13-6, and then the periodic motion is repeated for a set time.

10: head 11: main body
12: 2D array nozzle 13-1 to 13-6: nozzle arrays
14: interface
15: power IC 16: battery
17: charger 18: MCU
19: driver 20: motor pump
21: position motor 22: screw
23: temperature controller 24: pneumatic valve module
24-1 ~ 24-6: Pneumatic valve module hole 25: Heat dissipation pad
26: temperature sensor
28: tube 29: pneumatic valve head
29-1: pneumatic valve head hole 30-1 ~ 30-6: valve pipes
31: power supply 32: nozzle
33: upper hole 34: lower holes

Claims (6)

head in contact with the skin;
a heat dissipation pad provided on the head to provide heat;
a 2D array nozzle in which nozzles are arranged in a grid shape inside the heat dissipation pad;
a body to which the head is coupled to one end;
a pneumatic valve module connected to the 2D array nozzle of the head and accommodated in the body; and
a motor pump providing negative pressure to the pneumatic valve module; including,
The pneumatic valve module,
a pneumatic valve head that moves the 2D array nozzle and connects to a motor pump;
a screw for sequentially moving the pneumatic valve head; and
a position motor for rotating the screw; characterized by comprising
Dry eye syndrome treatment. The method of claim 1,
A pneumatic valve head hole is formed in the pneumatic valve head and is connected to the pneumatic valve module holes formed in the pneumatic valve module.
Dry eye syndrome treatment. 3. The method of claim 2,
The pneumatic valve module holes are characterized in that they are connected to the 2D array nozzle located in the head
Dry eye syndrome treatment. The method of claim 1,
The 2D array nozzle is characterized in that a plurality of nozzle arrays in which the nozzles are continuously arranged in the transverse direction are arranged in the longitudinal direction.
Dry eye syndrome treatment. 5. The method of claim 4,
One side of the nozzle arrays is composed of a plurality of nozzles and the other side is composed of a single nozzle
Dry eye syndrome treatment. The method of claim 1,
The dry eye syndrome treatment device,
a temperature sensor sensing the temperature of the heat dissipation pad;
a temperature controller for controlling the temperature of the heat dissipation pad;
MCU for controlling the operation of the dry eye syndrome treatment device;
a power supply for supplying power to the dry eye syndrome treatment unit; and
an interface for inputting a control signal to the MCU; characterized in that it further comprises
Dry eye syndrome treatment.

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