WO2004096072A1

WO2004096072A1 - A light ray unit for diagnosis and treatment of skin problems

Info

Publication number: WO2004096072A1
Application number: PCT/IB2004/001278
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael Magri
Original assignee: O.I. Oesse International S.R.L.
Priority date: 2003-05-02
Filing date: 2004-04-27
Publication date: 2004-11-11
Also published as: ITBO20030261A1; WO2004096072B1; ITBO20030261A0

Abstract

The unit comprises a management and control processor of a light beam, a casing for emitting a light beam and some filters. At least one precabled group comprises the light source and is removably mounted in a front housing of the casing in electrical contact with an electrical contact with an electrical supply and with sensors electrically connected to the processor.

Description

A Light Ray Unit for Diagnosis and Treatment of Skin Problems.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a light ray unit for diagnosis and treatment of skin problems. By exposing the skin to light beams of varied intensities and durations, data can be obtained relating to the state and characteristics of the skin, which data can then be used for diagnostic purposes.

Further, different combinations of light rays on the skin can favour reduction of some dermatological complaints and increase aesthetic appeal. For example, with treatments of this type fine capillary dilation phenomena ("telangiectases") can be reduced in number and permanent or semi-permanent depilation can be achieved.

Background Art

Apparatus are commercially available which are equipped with a lamp commonly used for flash light signals (for example sirens with flash lamps for emergency call vehicles), but are more powerful because they have not only a visual effect but also a production of heat.

The lamp is mounted internally of a mirrored parabola which has the effect of converging the light towards a precisely-defined point on the skin. The assembly is inserted in a casing provided with a switch for activating the emission of a light radiation.

The lamp emits radiations having a very broad range of wave lengths going from ultraviolet to infrared, and for this reason a filter is interposed between the lamp and the skin, so that only the desired wavelengths can pass. This is because each pathology requires a treatment involving a well-defined wavelength.

Light pulse apparatus on the commercial market are manually programmed by means of buttons on the control panel, where the power emitted by the lamp is regulated.

During operation the lamp emits heat and as a result both lamp and skin can overheat.

For this reason an air-intake cooling organ is included, having a pipe which conducts the heat of the lamp towards the control panel.

The light pulse has a large treatment area due to the lamp size; for this reason the apparatus comes complete with reduction masks for the treatment area, which are simple covers with slits of various sizes.

Each cover, when positioned in front of the lamp, causes the light to issue only through the slit, so that small areas can be treated. These reducers are separate from the casing and can easily get lost.

Apparatus of this type are normally used by medical personnel (for diagnosis and treatment) and by operatives working in the aesthetic treatment field (for various low-invasive treatments such as, for example, depilation).

With light pulse treatments at present on the market, before any treatment is begun, dermatological diagnosis is performed on the basis of the operative's experience, which diagnosis is prone to inexactitude. Also, cooling is done through a vacuum pump which sucks in hot air through a pipe connecting the lamp, internally of the casing, with the inside of the control panel, so that the air flow is limited by the diameter of the pipe (which, as it takes in air, may leave skin residues such as hairs etc., which then soil the filter, the lamp and may even block the pipe itself which, being of a rubber-type material, can easily crimp and cause blockage of air passage). Electro-medical apparatus offer the possibility of performing all the treatments and relative diagnosis tests. It is not always possible to collect in a single unit all the devices needed for the totality of functions, so it is necessary to use different devices, for example, for diagnosis or for treatment. The units for use in beauty centres can perform only a limited number of the described functions, and indeed must be designed so that aesthetic operatives cannot perform operations which only qualified medical staff can do.

The technical aim of the present invention is to obviate the above-cited drawbacks and to satisfy the specified needs, i.e. supplying a light-ray unit for diagnosis and treatment which thanks to special use configurations can carry out all of the functions of diagnosis and treatment of the skin, while medical-type functions are made unavailable for use in units destined for beauty centres. Another advantageous aim of the invention is to provide a unit with reduction masks for the treatment area which masks are integrated with the casing and not separate there-from.

A further positive aim of the invention is to provide a unit in which the cooling system is very efficient and not influenced by the maintenance characteristics. A still further aim of the present invention, with reference to the maintenance characteristics, is to provide a simple structure, relatively easy to set up, reliable in use and efficient in functioning, as well as having relatively low costs. These aims are all attained by the light ray unit for diagnosis and treatment of skin problems of the invention, of a type comprising a control processor of a light source, a casing and set for emission of a light beam and some filters characterised in that at least one cabled group comprises the light source and is removably mounted in a front housing of the casing in electrical contact with an electric supply and with sensors that are electrically connected to the processor. Disclosure of Invention

Further details will better emerge from the detailed description that follows, of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a light ray unit for diagnosis and treatment of skin problems, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying figures of the drawings, in which: figure 1 is a perspective view of a casing of a unit according to the invention, seen from above; figure 2 is a perspective view of the casing of a unit according to the invention, seen from below; figure 3 is a perspective view of a casing during the phase of extraction of a cabled group of a unit according to the invention, seen from below; figure 4 is a perspective view of a casing of a unit according to the invention, seen from above during the opening of a mask; figure 5 is a perspective view of a casing of a unit of the invention, seen from above during positioning of a mask; figure 6 is a perspective view of a casing of a unit of the invention, seen from above with the mask positioned; figure 7 is a perspective view of a group of a unit of the invention, seen from below; figure 8 is a perspective view of a group of a unit of the invention, seen from above; figure 9 is a perspective view of a lamp of a unit according to the invention; figure 10 is a plan view of a parabola of a unit according to the invention; figure 11 is a block diagram of a phototype sensor installed in a unit according to the invention; figure 12 is a block diagram of a temperature sensor gauge installed in a unit according to the invention; figure 13 is a block diagram of a filter sensor installed in a unit according to the invention; figure 14 is a perspective view of an electronic processor of a unit according to the invention.

With reference to the figures of the drawings, 1 denotes in its entirety a light ray unit for diagnosis and treatment of skin problems.

The unit 1 is constituted by a casing 2 connected by multipolar cable to a control processor.

The casing 2 is elongate with smooth connected surfaces, with through-slots 5 afforded in its posterior side, above a hole provided for entrance of a cable 3.

Superiorly, at a halfway line of the casing 2, two activating buttons 6 (6a, 6b) are present, which have the task of selectively activating the diagnostic operation (6a) or the therapeutic button (6b) of the unit 1.

At the front part of the casing 2, a cabled group 7 provided with a plurality of f ontal openings 8 is situated. The group 7 is a block with a flat bottom 9 and with lateral walls delimited by two respective masks 10 made of a material that is not transparent to light radiation and which exhibits small slits 11. The group

7 superiorly exhibits a transparent screen, the filter 12 having a rectangular area with sides measuring respectively 50 and 30 mm. The filter 12 can be made of materials such as glass, quartz, sapphire, but also ceramic, plastic or other types having filtering characteristics to block the light radiation. A phototype sensor 13 is also located above the group 7.

Posteriorly the group 7 exhibits plugs 14 for connection to the casing 2, to establish an electric connection with the socket 14a. Posteriorly on the group 7 are a number of plugs 14 for connection to the casing 2, which electrically connect to the connection socket 14a.

The group 7 is constituted by a reflecting parabola 1, in lateral guides 16 of which there are masks 10 that are free to slide along a plane thereof up into a position in which they reduce the treatment surface. Internally of the parabola 15 is the seating 17 for the lamp 18, which takes the form of two closely-situated parallel cylinders joined at two ends and ending at opposite ends with respective electrical contacts 19. The patient can be subjected to a light radiation of wavelengths varying between 1 and 2000 nanometres.

A cooling turbine 20 is installed longitudinally and located internally of and at the back of the casing 2. When the turbine 20 is operating, it sucks air through the holes 5 and entrains it towards a conduit 21 (delimited between the bottom 9 of the group 7 and the zone surrounding the lamp 18) towards a frontal outlet constituted by the opening 8.

The whole group 7 is removable and can be substituted with other groups having different filters, suitable for performing different treatments.

The phototype sensor 13 is a very important accessory as it serves to reveal the typ of skin under treatment at any given time. Various types of skin exist, and are classified under the Fitzpatrick scale, which defines the reaction of a skin subjected to light rays, such as, for example, the sun's rays. This classification defines six types of skin: a first type which always burns; a second type which sometimes burns; a third type which sometimes burns and sometimes tans; a fourth type which tans and sometimes burns; a sixth type which tans but does not burn.

The phototype sensor 13 enables a diagnosis of the patient's skin, defining which group he or she belongs to so that the correct treatment can be applied.

The phototype sensor 13 is formed by four main components: a led light 22, a photodiode 23, a start button 6a and an electronic control apparatus described in the block diagram of figure 11.

The casing 2 contains a generator 24 of electric current or voltage, which supplies a stabilizer circuit 25 for the work point (possibly with temperature compensation), the led light 22 (which can be replaced by any infrared or visible band radiation source, possibly controlled at a predetermined frequency), connected for stabilisation of the circuit 25, a second stabiliser circuit 26 (possibly with temperature compensation) and the photodiode 23 (which can be substituted by any infrared or visible band receiver), connected for stabilising the circuit 26. The outputs of the circuit 26 and the photodiode 23 lead to the inputs of a circuit 27 for treating the analog signal which then transfers the signal f om its output to the control processor through the cable 3. The phototype sensor 13 is positioned close to the lamp 18 but can also be positioned in other places, or separate from the group 7. A temperature sensor is inserted in the group 7 and is connected to the control and activation processor 4 of the lamp 18, which makes sure that the lamp 18 does not exceed a predetermined temperature which might damage the group 7 and/or burn the skin of the patient undergoing treatment. The temperature sensor can be electronic, electric, electromechanical or of any type having these functions.

The casing 2 contains a generator 28 of the reference electric power, which supplies a stabiliser circuit 29 of the work point (with a temperature compensation faculty) and a temperature sensor 30 (for example an electrical photoresistance). The outputs of the circuit 29 and the sensor 30 lead to the inputs of a circuit 31 for treatment of the analog signal (installed in the body containing the processor 4 through the cable 3) which then transfers the signal from the output to the control processor 4 and to safety devices which are not shown in the figures of the drawings.

Each group 7 differs in the type of filter 12 mounted, and for purposes of recognition the group 7 is provided with an electronic recognition apparatus. This recognition apparatus is an electric circuit positioned internally of the group 7 which when the filter is mounted sends a signal to the control processor which in turn sends to the display 32 of a monitoring and control processor 33 an indication of the type of filter 12 present on the casing 2. Since the filter 12 is an integral part of the group 7, the problem of recognition of the filter 12 is reduced to the problem of recognition of the electrical circuit of the group 7 on which the filter 12 is installed.

The filter 12 sensor comprises a generator 34 of the reference electrical power supplying a generator 35 of the analog current, the level of which identifies the type of filter (for example the electrical resistance). A circuit 36 receives input from the output of the generator 35, and adapts and compares the electric power (if the power belongs to a first value set it means that the filter 12 is of the first type ). The comparison can be performed by suitable measuring instruments and transmitted digitally to the processor 4 or realised directly by the processor

4 following algorithms for signal treatment.

The invention functions as follows. Once the treatment type for the patient is known, a suitable type of group 7 is chosen and inserted in the casing 3 by sliding the bottom 9 into the seating and the plugs 14 into the socket 14a. The filter 12 sensor will bring up the filter type on the display 32.

By pressing the button 6a located on the top of the casing 2 the phototype sensor

13 is activated and identifies the patient's skin characteristics, checking the skin reflection of the light ray issued by the led light 22 with the photodiode 23. The result of this control is indicated on the display 32.

According to the patient's skin characteristics, the operator selects the most suitable programme (following the indications that appear on the display 32 determined by the treatment programs memorised in the processor 4 which operates a control on all the operations the operator carries out) and starts treatment with the button 6b keeping the casing 2 oriented with the lamp 18 facing the portion of the skin to be treated.

If the portion of skin to be treated is small, the mask 10 can be removed from the guide 16 and arranged in front of the filter 12 (following the sequence indicated in figures 4, 5 and 6).

The temperature of the lamp 18 is constantly monitored by the temperature sensor 30 which sends a signal that is proportionate to the lamp temperature to the processor 4 which regulates the duration and frequency of the successive flashes in order to avoid over-heating. When a limit temperature is reached the processor 4 inhibits the lamp 18 operation.

During operation the cooling turbine 20 is in action and maintains the lamp 18 temperature low.

Thus the invention achieves its set aims.

The invention is susceptible to numerous modifications and variants, all entering within the scope of the inventive concept.

For example, the lamp 18 cooling can be obtained by realising a hydraulic circuit for circulation of a fluid in the casing 2 close to the lamp 18, connected to a refrigerator for keeping the fluid at a low temperature. The refrigerator can be inserted internally of the body containing the processor 4 or can be a separate body.

The processor 33 can be connected to the processor 4 by a cable or can be cordless. This is extremely advantages if the operator has to perform treatments on the patients which involve special positions. The operator continuously has the display 32 in front of him or her so that all treatment parameters are clearly visible.

All of the details of the invention can be substituted by technically equivalent ones. In the illustrated embodiment single characteristics which are cited can be interchanged with different ones in other possible embodiments.

Claims

Claims.

1). A light ray unit for diagnosis and treatment of skin problems, comprising a management and control processor of a light source, a casing for emission of a light beam and some filters, wherein at least one pre-cabled group comprises the light source and is removably mounted in a front housing of the casing in electrical contact with an electricity supply and with sensors that are electrically connected to the processor.

2). The unit of claim 1, wherein the at least one group containing the light beam has a filter for the beam emitted, the filter of each at least one group having a specific impedance and being suitable for a specific skin treatment.

3). The unit of claim 2, wherein the filter is made of a glass obtained from various mixtures of constituents.

4). The unit of claim 3, wherein the filter is made of crystal.

5). The unit of claim 4, wherein the crystal is made of quartz.

6). The unit of claim 4 or 5, wherein the crystal is made of sapphire.

7). The unit of one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that some of the sensors are recognition sensors of a characteristic impedance of each filter, and send to the processor a signal which is distinctive of a group of the at least one group which is installed on the casing.

8). The unit of one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the processor is electrically connected to memorising elements containing algorithms for control and management of each group and for each treatment for which the group is designed.

9). The unit of one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the groups containing the light sources are four in number and are provided with respective filters for defining respective wave length intervals of radiation transmitted to the skin and for reducing heat transmitted to the skin.

10). The unit of one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the radiation emitted has a wavelength comprised between 1 and 2000 nanometres.

11). The unit of one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the casing comprises a small electric motor powering a fan installed upstream of an internal conduit of the casing, which communicates with an outside ambient frontally and posteriorly of the casing, the fan motor and the conduit being destined to cool the light beam installed in the group.

12). The unit of one or more of the preceding claims, and alternatively of claim

11, wherein the casing comprises a hydraulic circuit constituted by a continuous channel distributed along the casing and connected by means of a delivery tube and a return tube to a refrigerator.

13). The unit of claim 12, wherein the refrigerator and the channel contain water as a refrigerating fluid.

14). The unit of claim 12, wherein the refrigerator and the channel contain a gas for refrigeration circuits as a refrigerating fluid.

15). The unit of one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the processor is connected to a temperature sensor installed in proximity of the source and sets times and operations of the source inversely proportionally to a temperature detected, interrupting operation for temperatures above a preset limit, according to an algorithm of management and control.

16). The unit of claim 1, wherein the processor is installed in the body of the unit, the body being electrically connected by means of a multipolar cable to the casing.

17). The unit of claim 1, wherein the light source interests an area of skin which is rectangular and which has sides of about 5cm and 3cm. 18). The unit of claim 1, wherein the group containing the light source is provided with masks for reduction of the treatment area.

19). The unit of claim 18, wherein the masks are sheets of non-transparent material provided with small openings installed on relative slides along lateral surfaces of the group containing the light source, the masks being translatable and movable from a configuration in which the masks are parallel and close to the lateral surfaces to a configuration in which the masks are interpositioned between the light source and the skin, reducing an area of skin which is struck by the light.

20). The unit of claim 1, wherein a skin phototype sensor is mounted on the group, which sensor is calibrated according to the Fitzpatrick scale and comprises a led light, a photodiode, an activation button and relative electronic devices for treatment and management of a signal, the led light and the photodiode being oriented towards the skin of the patient.

21). The unit of one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the unit is connected to an electronic processor provided with a screen for displaying operating parameters and for selecting a type of operation.

22). The unit of one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the processor is connected cordlessly to the unit.

23). The unit of one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the processor exhibits a screen which is touch-sensitive, so that when an icon on the screen is touched a represented unit is activated.