KR20220092318A - Apparatus for treatment of fingernail and toenail and control method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus which can alleviate symptoms of onychomycosis using a low level laser, and a control method thereof. An apparatus for the treatment of onychomycosis according to an embodiment of the present invention detects the position of a hand or a foot in a hand and foot accommodating unit provided in a main body; performs user authentication by a user authentication unit; adjusts the wavelength of light emitted from at least one light emit diode (LED) by a wavelength control unit; and emits light of multiple wavelength bands to an upper part of fingernails or toenails located in at least one hand and foot accommodating unit using the at least one LED.

Description

Toenail athlete's foot treatment device and method for controlling the same

The present invention relates to an apparatus for treating athlete's foot and a method for controlling the same, and more particularly to an apparatus for treating athlete's foot and a method for controlling the same, which can alleviate symptoms of athlete's foot using a low-level laser.

Since the human foot is a miniature version of the human body, it has been regarded as important since ancient times, and many products have been developed that allow the therapeutic effect to be obtained by acupressure on the sole of the foot. In particular, a plantar treatment device has been developed to promote health by energizing the sole of the foot with a low frequency and by penetrating heat to stimulate it.

On the other hand, the nail is made of a hard material of translucent keratin located at the tips of the fingers and toes, respectively, and functions to protect the fingers or toes. Nails continue to grow as long as there are no special conditions or obstacles, and the surface may become uneven depending on nutrition.

Athlete's foot is a chronic recurrent disease caused by ringworm, a type of fungus, between the toes, soles, and hands. Ringworm thrives in high-temperature and high-humidity environments, so it mainly occurs in summer, and the symptoms of athlete's foot are especially severe during the monsoon season. Athlete's foot bacteria does not only occur on the feet, but can occur anywhere on the skin depending on the living environment, occupation, immune status, and factors of athlete's foot bacteria. Athlete's foot also occurs in the toenail area, which is located close to the fingers and toes, where athlete's foot is most common.

The principle of athlete's foot treatment is to combine steady drug treatment with clean dryness. Drug treatment alone does not have the effect of treating athlete's foot, and there are many cases of failure. Therefore, there is a need for a means for treating athlete's foot on the outside of the nail.

The above-described technical configuration is a background for helping understanding of the present invention, and does not mean a conventional technique widely known in the technical field to which the present invention pertains.

Korean Patent Registration No. 2012665 Korean Patent Registration No. 2044535

The present invention provides an apparatus for treating athlete's foot and a method for controlling the same, which can alleviate the symptoms of athlete's foot on a nail by using a low level laser (Low Level Laser).

　 Toenail athlete's foot treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, a body provided with at least one hand or foot receiving part in which the hand or foot is accommodated; at least one LED (Light Emit Diode) provided in the main body to irradiate light of a plurality of wavelength bands to the upper portion of the nail or toenail located in the at least one hand and foot receiving part; and a wavelength adjusting unit for adjusting a wavelength of light irradiated from the at least one LED.

As an embodiment, the light of the plurality of wavelength bands may include ultraviolet (190 nm to 380 nm), visible light (380 nm to 780 nm), and infrared (780 nm to 30 μm).

In one embodiment, the ultraviolet light may exhibit an effect of sterilization and anti-inflammatory action, the visible light may exhibit an effect of skin regeneration, and the infrared light may exhibit an effect of increasing blood flow.

In one embodiment, the visible light, blue light having a wavelength band of 405nm to 415nm; Green light having a wavelength band of 416 nm to 525 nm; yellow light having a wavelength band of 526 nm to 590 nm; and a red light having a wavelength band of 630 nm to 660 nm, wherein the infrared rays may include near infrared rays having a wavelength band of 800 nm to 900 nm.

In one embodiment, the main body, a user authentication unit for performing user authentication; a memory for storing a user profile matching user information for performing the user authentication and wavelength information of the at least one LED for treating toenail fungus per user; And by receiving a toenail athlete's foot treatment request including user information from the user to perform user authentication, and after user authentication is completed, receive a first user profile corresponding to the user information from the memory, the user for the first user profile Upon obtaining approval, upon receiving a request for modification of the first user profile upon user approval, the first user profile is modified to form a second user profile, and the first user profile stored in the memory is used as the second updating the user profile, controlling the wavelength adjusting unit according to the first or second user profile to adjust the wavelength of the at least one LED, and irradiating light by the at least one LED according to the adjusted wavelength It may include a control unit.

In an embodiment, the main body further includes a skin scan unit, and by the control unit, the user's skin information is obtained at a predetermined cycle through the skin scan unit, and based on the user's skin information, the user's skin Diagnose whether there is an abnormality in the skin, control to stop the operation of the at least one LED when it is determined that there is an abnormality in the user's skin, and control to resume the operation of the at least one LED after a preset time have.

The control method of the toenail athlete's foot treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises the steps of: detecting that a hand or a foot is located in a hand and foot receiving part provided in the main body; performing user authentication by the user authentication unit; Adjusting the wavelength of light irradiated from at least one LED (Light Emit Diode) by the wavelength adjusting unit: And by the at least one LED, the upper part of the nail or toenail located in the at least one hand and foot receiving unit It may include irradiating light of a plurality of wavelength bands.

As an embodiment, the light of the plurality of wavelength bands may include ultraviolet (190 nm to 380 nm), visible light (380 nm to 780 nm), and infrared (780 nm to 30 μm).

In one embodiment, the ultraviolet light may exhibit an effect of sterilization and anti-inflammatory action, the visible light may exhibit an effect of skin regeneration, and the infrared light may exhibit an effect of increasing blood flow.

In one embodiment, the visible light, blue light having a wavelength band of 405nm to 415nm; Green light having a wavelength band of 416 nm to 525 nm; yellow light having a wavelength band of 526 nm to 590 nm; and a red light having a wavelength band of 630 nm to 660 nm, wherein the infrared rays may include near infrared rays having a wavelength band of 800 nm to 900 nm.

In one embodiment, after user authentication is completed, receiving a first user profile corresponding to the user information from the database; obtaining user approval for the first user profile; forming a second user profile by modifying the first user profile when receiving a request for modification of the first user profile upon approval of the user; updating the first user profile stored in the database to the second user profile; adjusting the wavelength of the at least one LED by controlling the wavelength adjusting unit according to the first or second user profile; and irradiating light by the at least one LED according to the adjusted wavelength.

In an embodiment, the method comprising: acquiring, by a skin scan unit, skin information of a user at predetermined intervals; diagnosing whether there is an abnormality in the user's skin based on the user's skin information; controlling the operation of the at least one LED to stop when it is determined that there is an abnormality in the user's skin; and controlling to resume operation of the at least one LED after a preset time.

According to embodiments of the present invention, sterilization, anti-inflammatory action, skin regeneration action, and blood flow can be increased by strongly irradiating light of multiple wavelength bands from ultraviolet to infrared using a low level laser, Due to this, an excellent athlete's foot treatment effect can be obtained.

1 is an exemplary view showing the configuration of the toenail athlete's foot treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an exemplary view showing the configuration of light generated by at least one LED according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a flow chart showing the procedure of the control method of the nail athlete's foot treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention are exemplified for the purpose of explaining the technical spirit of the present invention. The scope of the rights according to the present invention is not limited to the embodiments presented below or detailed descriptions of these embodiments.

All technical and scientific terms used in the present invention, unless otherwise defined, have the meanings commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. All terms used in the present invention are selected for the purpose of more clearly describing the present invention and not to limit the scope of the present invention.

As used herein, phrases such as "comprising", "including", "having", "having", etc. include the possibility of including other embodiments, unless otherwise stated in the phrase or sentence in which the expression is included. It should be understood as an implicit open-ended terms.

Expressions in the singular in the present invention may include the meaning of the plural unless otherwise stated, and the same applies to expressions in the singular in the claims.

Expressions such as “first” and “second” used in the present invention are used to distinguish a plurality of components from each other, and do not limit the order or importance of the components.

As used herein, the term “unit” refers to software or hardware components such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). However, "units" are not limited to hardware and software. A “unit” may be configured to reside on an addressable storage medium, or it may be configured to refresh one or more processors. Thus, by way of example, “part” includes components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, and processors, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, and so forth. It includes segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. Functions provided within components and “parts” may be combined into a smaller number of components and “parts” or further separated into additional components and “parts”.

As used herein, the expression “based on” is used to describe one or more factors affecting the act or action of a decision, judgment, or action described in a phrase or sentence in which the expression is included, the expression being It does not exclude additional factors influencing the act or action of decision, judgment.

In the present invention, when it is said that a certain element is "connected" or "connected" to another element, a certain element can be directly connected or connectable to another element, or a new other element It should be understood that the elements may be connected or may be connected via an element.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same or corresponding components are assigned the same reference numerals. In addition, in the description of the embodiments below, overlapping description of the same or corresponding components may be omitted. However, even if descriptions regarding components are omitted, it is not intended that such components are not included in any embodiment.

Figure 1 is an exemplary view showing the configuration of the toenail athlete's foot treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Fig. 1, the nail athlete's foot treatment device 100 has a main body 110, a hand and foot receiving unit 120, at least one LED (Light Emit Diode, 130), a wavelength adjustment unit 140, a user authentication unit. 150 , a memory, a control unit, and a skin scan unit 160 may be included. According to one embodiment, the body 110, the limb receiving unit 120, at least one LED 130, the wavelength adjusting unit 140, the user authentication unit 150 , the memory, the control unit, and the skin scan unit 160 may be connected so as to be able to communicate with each other through a system bus.

The main body 110 may be provided with at least one hand or foot receiving part 120 in which the hand or foot is accommodated. Also, the main body 110 may include a user authentication unit 150 for performing user authentication. According to an embodiment, the user authentication unit 150 receives the user's identification code (eg, password) to perform user authentication, or user's biometric information (eg, fingerprint, vein, iris, face, etc.) may be input to perform user authentication, but the method of performing user authentication of the user authentication unit 150 is not limited thereto.

The main body 110 may include a memory for storing user information for performing user authentication and a user profile that matches wavelength information of at least one LED 130 for treating toenail fungus for each user. According to an embodiment, the memory may store the user information and the wavelength information of the at least one LED 130 in the form of a matching table, but the method of storing the user information and the wavelength information of the at least one LED 130 is not limited thereto. does not Table 1 is an example of a matching table stored in memory.

username identification code Wavelength information Kim Yeon Ah 1234 Ultraviolet (190nm~250nm) Park Tae-hwan 5678 Visible light (416nm to 525nm) Suzy Shin 9876 Infrared (780nm~900nm) … … …

The at least one LED 130 may simultaneously irradiate light of a plurality of wavelength bands from an ultraviolet region to an infrared region to penetrate into the dermal layer of the human body. For this reason, it may be possible to treat athlete's foot with effects such as sterilization by ultraviolet rays, anti-inflammatory action, skin regeneration action by visible light, and blood flow increase by infrared rays. According to an embodiment, light of a plurality of wavelength bands may include, but is not limited to, ultraviolet light (190 nm to 380 nm), visible light (380 nm to 780 nm), and infrared light (780 nm to 30 μm).

2 is an exemplary view showing the configuration of light generated by at least one LED according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2 , visible light is blue light having a wavelength band of 405 nm to 415 nm, green light having a wavelength band of 416 nm to 525 nm, yellow light having a wavelength band of 526 nm to 590 nm, and 630 nm to 660 nm It may include red light having a wavelength band, and infrared light may include near-infrared light having a wavelength band of 800 nm to 900 nm, but is not limited thereto.

The controller of the main body 110 may receive a nail athlete's foot treatment request including user information from the user and perform user authentication by the user authentication unit 150 . According to an embodiment, the user authentication unit 150 may perform user authentication by comparing the identification code input by the user with the identification code of the corresponding user stored in the memory.

The control unit may receive the first user profile corresponding to the user information from the memory after the user authentication is completed. According to an embodiment, the first user profile may include wavelength information (eg, ultraviolet rays (190 nm to 250 nm)) of a user whose user authentication has been completed.

The controller may obtain user approval for the first user profile, and when receiving a request for modification of the first user profile upon user approval, the controller may modify the first user profile to form a second user profile. According to an embodiment, the control unit may receive wavelength information stored in the memory together with the identification code for user authentication as the first user profile, and “Sun-Shin Lee, according to your record, using ultraviolet rays (190 nm to 250 nm) I will start treatment. If you want to adjust the wavelength, please use the adjustment button.” You can inquire whether the user approves or not by outputting a message such as. When the user inputs a request to modify the first user profile using the wavelength adjusting unit 140 , the controller may form a second user profile according to the corrected wavelength.

The controller may update the first user profile stored in the memory to the second user profile, and adjust the wavelength of the at least one LED 130 by controlling the wavelength adjusting unit 140 according to the first or second user profile. . According to an embodiment, the control unit uses the first user profile when user approval is obtained with the first user profile, and uses the second user profile when the second user profile is formed. can be adjusted.

The controller may control to emit light by the at least one LED 130 according to the adjusted wavelength. As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, there is no need to manually adjust the wavelength of at least one LED 130 according to the user, and only by performing user authentication through the user authentication unit 150, a setting suitable for the user is applied. User convenience can be improved.

In addition, the main body 110 may further include a skin scan unit 160, and by the control unit, obtains the user's skin information at a predetermined cycle through the skin scan unit 160, and obtains the user's skin information Based on the diagnosis of whether there is an abnormality in the user's skin, if it is determined that there is an abnormality in the user's skin, control to stop the operation of at least one LED 130, and a preset time (eg, 1 minute) , 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, etc.) can be controlled to resume the operation of the at least one LED 130 after. According to an embodiment, the controller may acquire information about the user's skin color as the user's skin information through the skin scan unit 160, and when the acquired skin color is outside the threshold color range stored in the memory, the user It may be determined that there is an abnormality in the skin of the user, but the method of diagnosing whether the user's skin is abnormal is not limited thereto.

The wavelength adjusting unit 140 may operate to adjust the wavelength of light generated by the at least one LED 130 . According to an embodiment, the wavelength adjusting unit 140 adjusts the wavelength of the at least one LED 130 according to the first or second user profile under the control of the controller, or adjusts the wavelength of the at least one LED 130 on the skin of the user under the control of the controller. When it is determined that there is an abnormality, the operation of the at least one LED 130 may be stopped, and the operation of the at least one LED 130 may be controlled to resume after a preset time.

The memory can store various data. Data stored in the memory is data obtained, processed, or used by at least one component of the toenail athlete's foot treatment apparatus 100, and may include software (eg: program). The memory may include volatile and/or non-volatile memory. As an embodiment, the memory may store user information and wavelength information of at least one LED 130 in the form of a matching table, and store a threshold color range for the user's skin.

In the present invention, the 　 program is software stored in the memory, and an operating system for controlling the resources of the toenail athlete's foot treatment apparatus 100, the application and/or the application various functions so that the resources of the toenail athlete's foot treatment apparatus 100 can be utilized. Middleware provided to applications may be included.

Figure 3 is a flow chart showing the procedure of the control method of the toenail athlete's foot treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Although process steps, method steps, algorithms, etc. are described in a sequential order in the flowchart of FIG. 3, such processes, methods, and algorithms may be configured to operate in any suitable order. In other words, the steps of the processes, methods, and algorithms described in various embodiments of the present invention need not be performed in the order described in the present invention. Also, although some steps are described as being performed asynchronously, some of these steps may be performed concurrently in other embodiments. Further, the exemplification of the process by the depiction in the drawings does not mean that the exemplified process excludes other changes and modifications thereto, and the exemplified process or any of its steps is not one of the various embodiments of the present invention. It is not meant to be essential to more than one, nor does it imply that the illustrated process is preferred.

As shown in FIG. 3 , in step S310 , it is sensed that a hand or foot is positioned in a hand and foot receiving unit provided in the body. For example, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the hand and foot receiving unit 120 provided in the main body 110 of the toenail athlete's foot treatment apparatus 100 may detect the position of the hand or foot to form a detection signal. . According to an embodiment, the sensing signal formed in the hand/foot receiving unit 120 is transmitted to the control unit through the system bus, and when the sensing signal is received, the control unit may detect that a hand or a foot is located in the hand/foot receiving unit.

In step S320, 　 user authentication is performed by the user authentication unit. For example, referring to 1 to 2, the user authentication unit 150 provided in the main body 110 of the toenail athlete's foot treatment apparatus 100, 　 Input the user's identification code (eg, password) User authentication may be performed by receiving the user, or user authentication may be performed by receiving user's biometric information (eg, fingerprint, vein, iris, face, etc.).

In step S330, the wavelength of the light irradiated from at least one LED is adjusted by the 　 wavelength adjusting unit. For example, referring to 1 to 2, the wavelength adjusting unit 140 provided in the main body 110 of the toenail athlete's foot treatment apparatus 100 is controlled by the controller according to the first or second user profile. When the wavelength of at least one LED 130 is adjusted or when it is determined that there is an abnormality in the user's skin by the control of the controller, the operation of the at least one LED 130 is stopped, and a preset time (eg, 1 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, etc.) may be controlled to resume the operation of the at least one LED 130 .

In step S340, light of a plurality of wavelength bands is irradiated to the upper part of the nail or toenail located in the at least one hand and foot receiving part by at least one LED. For example, referring to 1 to 2, at least one LED 130 provided in the main body 110 of the toenail athlete's foot treatment apparatus 100 is at least one nail located in the hand and foot receiving unit 120 or The upper part of the toenail may be irradiated with light having a wavelength according to the wavelength adjusted by the wavelength adjusting unit 140 in step S330 .

Various embodiments of the present invention may be implemented as software in a machine-readable storage medium. The software may be software for implementing various embodiments of the present invention. Software may be inferred from various embodiments of the present invention by programmers in the art. For example, software may be a program containing machine-readable instructions (eg, code or code segments). The device is a device capable of operating according to a command called from a storage medium, and may be, for example, a computer. As an embodiment, the device may be the patent management system 120 according to embodiments of the present invention. As an embodiment, the processor of the device may execute the called command to cause device components to perform a function corresponding to the command. In one embodiment, the processor may be the processor 122 according to embodiments of the present invention. The storage medium may refer to any type of recording medium in which data that can be read by a device is stored. The storage medium may include, for example, ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage device, and the like. As an embodiment, the storage medium may be the database 130 . As an embodiment, the storage medium may be implemented as a distributed form in a computer system connected to a network or the like. The software may be distributed, stored, and executed in a computer system or the like. The storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium. A non-transitory storage medium means a medium that exists regardless of whether data is semi-permanently or temporarily stored, and does not include a transitory propagated signal.

Although the technical idea of the present invention has been described by various embodiments above, the technical idea of the present invention includes various substitutions, modifications, and changes that can be made within a range that can be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. include It is also intended that such substitutions, modifications and variations be included within the scope of the appended claims.

100: nail athlete's foot treatment device 110: body
120: limb receiving unit 130: LED
140: wavelength control unit 150: user authentication unit
160: skin scan unit

Claims (12)

As an apparatus for treating athlete's foot toenail,
a body provided with at least one hand or foot receiving unit in which a hand or foot is accommodated;
at least one LED (Light Emit Diode) provided in the main body to irradiate light of a plurality of wavelength bands to the upper portion of the nail or toenail located in the at least one hand and foot receiving part; and
Comprising a wavelength adjusting unit for adjusting the wavelength of the light irradiated from the at least one LED,
Toenail athlete's foot treatment device. According to claim 1,
The light of the plurality of wavelength bands,
Including ultraviolet (190nm~380nm), visible light (380nm~780nm) and infrared (780nm~30μm),
Toenail athlete's foot treatment device. 3. The method of claim 2,
The ultraviolet is
It shows the effect of sterilization and anti-inflammatory action,
The visible light is
Shows the effect of skin regeneration,
The infrared is
showing the effect of increasing blood flow,
Toenail athlete's foot treatment device. 3. The method of claim 2,
The visible light is
blue light having a wavelength band of 405 nm to 415 nm;
Green light having a wavelength band of 416 nm to 525 nm;
yellow light having a wavelength band of 526 nm to 590 nm; and
It includes a red light having a wavelength band of 630 nm to 660 nm,
The infrared is
Including near infrared rays having a wavelength band of 800 nm to 900 nm,
Toenail athlete's foot treatment device. According to claim 1,
The body is
a user authentication unit for performing user authentication;
a memory for storing a user profile matched with user information for performing the user authentication and wavelength information of the at least one LED for treating toenail fungus per user; and
Receives a request for treatment of toenail athlete's foot including user information from a user to perform user authentication, and after user authentication is completed, receives a first user profile corresponding to the user information from the memory, and user approval for the first user profile obtaining a second user profile by modifying the first user profile when receiving a request for modification of the first user profile upon user approval, and converting the first user profile stored in the memory to the second user A control unit for updating the profile, controlling the wavelength adjusting unit according to the first or second user profile to adjust the wavelength of the at least one LED, and irradiating light by the at least one LED according to the adjusted wavelength containing,
Toenail athlete's foot treatment device. 6. The method of claim 5,
The body further comprises a skin scanning unit,
By the control unit, the user's skin information is obtained every predetermined period through the skin scan unit, and based on the user's skin information, it is diagnosed whether there is an abnormality in the user's skin, and there is an abnormality in the user's skin. Controlling to stop the operation of the at least one LED when it is determined to be, and controlling to resume the operation of the at least one LED after a preset time,
Toenail athlete's foot treatment device. As a control method of the nail athlete's foot treatment device,
Sensing that the hand or foot is located in the hand and foot receiving part provided in the body;
performing user authentication by the user authentication unit;
Adjusting the wavelength of light irradiated from at least one LED (Light Emit Diode) by the wavelength adjusting unit: And
Comprising the step of irradiating light of a plurality of wavelength bands to the upper part of the nail or toenail located in the at least one hand and foot receiving part by the at least one LED,
A method of controlling a device for treating toenail athlete's foot. 8. The method of claim 7,
The light of the plurality of wavelength bands,
Including ultraviolet (190nm~380nm), visible light (380nm~780nm) and infrared (780nm~30μm),
A method of controlling a device for treating toenail athlete's foot. 9. The method of claim 8,
The ultraviolet is
It shows the effect of sterilization and anti-inflammatory action,
The visible light is
Shows the effect of skin regeneration,
The infrared is
showing the effect of increasing blood flow,
A method of controlling a device for treating toenail athlete's foot. 9. The method of claim 8,
The visible light is
blue light having a wavelength band of 405 nm to 415 nm;
Green light having a wavelength band of 416 nm to 525 nm;
yellow light having a wavelength band of 526 nm to 590 nm; and
It includes a red light having a wavelength band of 630 nm to 660 nm,
The infrared is
Including near infrared rays having a wavelength band of 800 nm to 900 nm,
A method of controlling a device for treating toenail athlete's foot. 8. The method of claim 7,
receiving a first user profile corresponding to the user information from the database after user authentication is completed;
obtaining user approval for the first user profile;
forming a second user profile by modifying the first user profile when receiving a request for modification of the first user profile upon approval of the user;
updating the first user profile stored in the database to the second user profile;
adjusting the wavelength of the at least one LED by controlling the wavelength adjusting unit according to the first or second user profile; and
Further comprising the step of irradiating light by the at least one LED according to the adjusted wavelength,
A method of controlling the device for treating toenail athlete's foot. 12. The method of claim 11,
obtaining, by the skin scan unit, skin information of the user at predetermined intervals;
diagnosing whether there is an abnormality in the user's skin based on the user's skin information;
controlling to stop the operation of the at least one LED when it is determined that there is an abnormality in the user's skin; and
Further comprising controlling to resume operation of the at least one LED after a preset time,
A method of controlling a device for treating toenail athlete's foot.

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