WO2019083253A1

WO2019083253A1 - Laser device for treatment

Info

Publication number: WO2019083253A1
Application number: PCT/KR2018/012554
Authority: WO
Inventors: 이희철
Original assignee: 주식회사 루트로닉
Priority date: 2017-10-25
Filing date: 2018-10-23
Publication date: 2019-05-02
Also published as: KR20190046223A; KR102035316B1

Abstract

Disclosed is a laser device for treatment, according to one embodiment of the present invention, comprising: an array comprising a plurality of emitters for respectively emitting laser beams having a first divergence angle on a fast axis and a second divergence angle on a slow axis; a converting unit disposed adjacently to the array along the traveling direction of the laser beams, and adjusting the first divergence angle and the second divergence angle so as to convert each of the laser beams to parallel light; and a light concentration unit for focusing each of the converted laser beams so as to allow a plurality of beam spots to be emitted at a subject to be irradiated.

Description

Therapeutic laser devices

Embodiments of the invention relate to a therapeutic laser device.

Laser beams are used in a variety of fields ranging from industrial, medical and military applications. Particularly, medical lasers are widely used in surgery, internal medicine, ophthalmology, dermatology, and dentistry because they can locally concentrate predetermined energy and can perform non-invasive treatment.

A bulk laser such as a fiber laser or a CO ₂ laser as a kind of laser used in the medical field has a large volume and is used for aligning the component (s) including a mirror or the like There is a disadvantage that the structure is complicated and there are many components to be controlled. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem [8] The present invention is directed to solving various problems including the above-mentioned problems, and discloses a therapeutic laser apparatus such as a laser apparatus which does not use a bulky laser and can minimize parts. However, these problems are illustrative and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

One embodiment of the present invention is directed to an array comprising: a plurality of emitters each emitting a laser beam having a first divergence angle on a fast axis and a second divergence angle on a slow axis; A conversion unit disposed adjacent to the array along the traveling direction of the laser beam to convert each of the laser beams into parallel light by adjusting the first divergence angle and the second divergence angle; And a focusing unit for focusing each of the converted laser beams so that a plurality of beam spots are irradiated on the irradiated object.

In this embodiment, the array may comprise a laser diode.

In the present embodiment, the converting unit may include: a first converting unit having a first convex surface extending in a first direction, the first converting unit converting the first diverging angle; And a second conversion unit that has a second convex surface extending along a second direction intersecting with the first direction, and converting the second divergence angle.

In this embodiment, the first conversion unit may include a cylindrical lens including a convex first convex surface toward the array and a convex second convex surface toward the condensing unit.

In this embodiment, the second conversion unit may include a microlens array having second convex surfaces corresponding to each of the plurality of emitters.

In the present embodiment, the plurality of beam spots may be spaced apart from each other in the object to be irradiated.

In the present embodiment, the plurality of emitters may be arranged in a lattice form.

In the present embodiment, the plurality of emitters may be arranged concentrically or radially.

In the present embodiment, the size of each of the plurality of beam spots may depend on the light collecting portion.

In the present embodiment, it further includes a sensor, and the plurality of emitters can be turned on / off based on a signal of the sensor.

In the present embodiment, the treatment laser apparatus includes at least one emitter of the plurality of emitters, and a unit including a sub-conversion unit for converting a laser beam emitted from the at least one emitter into parallel light, And the distance between the units may be variable.

Other aspects, features, and advantages will become apparent from the following drawings, claims, and detailed description of the invention.

The therapeutic laser apparatus in the embodiments of the present invention can provide a therapeutic laser apparatus, such as a small size, which minimizes or does not require alignment maintenance and can reduce the number of parts. Of course, the scope of the present invention is not limited by these effects.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing a laser apparatus for treatment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2A and 2B show a state in which the laser beam emitted from one of the emitters passes through the first conversion unit.

3A and 3B show a state in which the laser beam emitted from any one of the emitters passes through the first conversion unit and the second conversion unit.

4 shows a state in which a laser beam emitted from any one of the emitters passes through the first conversion unit, the second conversion unit, and the condenser unit and is irradiated onto the irradiated object.

5 is a plan view showing beam spots irradiated on the object to be irradiated.

6 is a perspective view schematically showing a laser apparatus for treatment according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show a state in which the laser beams emitted from the adjacent emitters of the treatment laser apparatus of FIG. 6 are irradiated to the irradiated body through the conversion unit and the condenser unit, respectively.

9A and 9B show an array according to another embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a laser apparatus for treatment according to another embodiment of the present invention.

11A and 11B are perspective views schematically showing a conversion unit according to another embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention is capable of various modifications and various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. The effects and features of the present invention and methods of achieving them will be apparent with reference to the embodiments described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, but may be implemented in various forms.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like or corresponding components throughout the drawings, and a duplicate description thereof will be omitted .

In the following embodiments, the terms first, second, and the like are used for the purpose of distinguishing one element from another element, not the limitative meaning.

In the following examples, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In the following embodiments, terms such as inclusive or possessive are intended to mean that a feature, or element, described in the specification is present, and does not preclude the possibility that one or more other features or elements may be added.

In the following embodiments, when a portion such as an area, a component or the like is on or on another portion, not only the case where the portion is directly on another portion but also a case where another region, do.

In the drawings, components may be exaggerated or reduced in size for convenience of explanation. For example, the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrarily shown for convenience of explanation, and thus the present invention is not necessarily limited to those shown in the drawings.

If certain embodiments are otherwise feasible, the particular process sequence may be performed differently from the sequence described. For example, two processes that are described in succession may be performed substantially concurrently, and may be performed in the reverse order of the order described.

In the following embodiments, when an area, an element, or the like is referred to as being connected, an area, a case where the elements are indirectly connected as well as a case where the elements are directly connected to each other, .

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a laser apparatus for treatment according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 2a and 2b show a state in which a laser beam emitted from one of the emitters passes through a first conversion unit, 3A and 3B show a state in which the laser beam emitted from any one of the emitters passes through the first conversion unit and the second conversion unit, FIG. 4 shows a state in which the laser beam emitted from any one of the emitters passes through the first conversion unit, FIG. 5 is a plan view showing beam spots irradiated onto the irradiated object. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing beam spots irradiated onto the irradiated object. FIG. Figs. 2A and 2B correspond to the side view of Fig. 1, and Figs. 2B and 3B may correspond to the top view of Fig.

1, a treatment laser apparatus 10 includes an array 100 including emitters 110, a conversion unit 200 sequentially arranged along a traveling path (z direction) of the laser beam, And may include a light portion 300.

The array 100 includes a plurality of emitters 110, and each emitter 110 emits a laser beam. Emitters 110 may be spaced apart from one another. The array 100 may include a laser diode. The laser diode emits a laser beam generated based on simulated emission. For example, the array 100 may include at least one laser diode bar, And may include corresponding laser diode chips. 1 illustrates, in an embodiment, the case where the array 100 includes laser diode bars in which the emitters 110 are linearly arranged.

The laser beam 120 emitted from each emitter 110 of the laser diode may have a substantially elliptical shape in cross section (cross section on the xy plane in FIG. 1). Each laser beam 120 has a large divergence angle in a fast axis (y direction) and a small divergence angle in a slow axis (x direction). The slow axis may be crossing, e.g. vertical, with respect to the fast axis.

The converting unit 200 may convert the laser beam 120 into parallel light by adjusting the divergence angles of the laser beam 120 on the fast axis and the slow axis of the emitter 110 respectively. The transform unit 200 includes a first transform unit 210 for Fast Axis Collimation (FAC) and a second transform unit 220 for SAC (Slow Axis Collimation) . &Lt; / RTI >

The first conversion unit 210 is disposed closest to the array 100. The first conversion unit 210 includes a cylindrical lens 211 having a first convex surface 211 directed toward the array 100 and a first convex surface 212 opposite to the first convex surface 211, . &Lt; / RTI > The cylindrical lens may be elongated corresponding to the linear arrangement of the emitters 110. [

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the laser beam 120 has a first diverging angle? 1 in the fast axis and a second diverging angle? 2 in the low-speed axis, The angle? 1 is larger than the second divergence angle? 2 as described above. The first divergence angle? 1 of the laser beam 120 can be adjusted by the first conversion unit 210 and proceed in parallel. On the other hand, since the first converter 210 is for high-speed axis collimation, the second divergence angle [theta] 2 of the laser beam 120 does not change even though it passes through the first converter 210 as shown in FIG. Do not.

The second conversion unit 220 is disposed on the optical path of the laser beam that has passed through the first conversion unit 210 and may include the second convex surfaces 221. The second conversion unit 220 may include a microlens array including second convex surfaces 221 corresponding to the emitters 110 as shown in FIG. The second convex surface 221 may have a semi-cylindrical shape and may extend in a direction intersecting with the 1-1 and 1-2

convex surfaces

211 and 212 of the first conversion unit 210 In direction).

The second divergence angle? 2 of the laser beam 120A passing through the first conversion unit 210 can be adjusted by the second conversion unit 220 and proceed in parallel as shown in FIG. 3B. Since the second conversion unit 220 is for low speed axis collimation, the high-speed axis component of the laser beam 120A passed through the first conversion unit 210 does not change even though it passes through the second conversion unit 220. [

The light condensing unit 300 is disposed on the path of the laser beam passing through the conversion unit 200 as shown in FIG. 1, and may include a focusing lens. 1 shows that the light collecting part 300 has a convex surface 311 on the opposite side to the surface facing the converting part 200. [

The laser beam 120B converted into the parallel light by the conversion unit 200 is focused while being passed through the condensing unit 300 as shown in FIG. 4, and irradiated to the irradiated object IS. 5 shows beam spots 120C irradiated on the object to be irradiated IS.

Each of the beam spots 120C is formed such that the laser beam 120 emitted from each emitter 110 passes through the converting unit 200 and the light collecting unit 300 as described with reference to Figs. Controlled, it can be understood that each beam spot 120C corresponds one-to-one with the laser beam 120 of each emitter 110.

The beam spots 120C are mutually spaced apart from each other as shown in Fig. 5 in the object to be inspected IS and can be used for treatment of the object to be treated IS by providing a predetermined energy to the object to be inspected IS. For example, in the case where the object to be treated IS is skin, the beam spots 120C can locally provide the skin with a predetermined energy for treating and regenerating the skin and the like.

The shape and size of the beam spot 120C are different from those of the laser beam 120 (see FIG. 1) emitted from the emitter 110. The shape of the beam spot 120C is different from that of the first and

second converters

210 and 220 and the size of the beam spot 120C can be designed depending on the light collecting part 300 and the shape and arrangement pattern of the beam spot 120C can be variously changed .

FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing a laser apparatus for treatment according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 7 and 8 are cross-sectional views of laser beams emitted from neighboring emitters of the laser apparatus for treatment of FIG. And passes through the light collecting portion to irradiate the irradiated body.

Referring to FIG. 6, the treatment laser device 10 'may include an array 100' in the form of a two dimensional lattice arrangement in which the emitters 110 are spaced apart from one another along the x and y directions . According to the arrangement of the emitters 110 included in the array 100 ', the conversion unit 200' may include first conversion units 210 arranged in parallel, and the second conversion unit 220 ' The second convex surfaces 221 may extend to correspond to the emitters 110 arranged in the y direction and the light collecting portion 300 ' The convex surfaces 311 may be provided.

7 and 8, the laser beam emitted from each emitter 110 has a first diverging angle on the high-speed axis and a second diverging angle on the low-speed axis, The first divergence angle and the second divergence angle are adjusted to be changed into parallel light and can be focused by the condensing unit 300 'and irradiated to the irradiated object IS as a beam spot. Referring to FIGS. 2A to 5 As described above.

In one embodiment, the first transforming unit 210, which adjusts a relatively large first diverging angle, is disposed adjacent to the array 100 'than the second transforming unit 220 that adjusts a relatively small second diverging angle . With this arrangement, the first and second divergent angles of the laser beams can be controlled before the fast and slow axis components of the laser beams emitted from the adjacent emitters 110 interfere with each other. For example, FIG. 7 shows a case where the shortest distance d from the array 100 'to the first conversion unit 210 is a distance at which the laser beams having the first divergence angle emitted from the adjacent emitters 110 cause interference The first conversion unit 210 is arranged to be smaller than the first conversion unit D shown in FIG. 7, " PL " represents the beam divergence of the laser beam having the first divergence angle emitted from each emitter 110 when the first converter 210 is not provided. Similarly, the shortest distance from the array 100 'to the second transformer 220 may be arranged to be less than the distance that the laser beams having the second divergence angle emitted from the neighboring emitters 110 cause interference .

6, the emitters 110 of the array 100 'are arranged in the lattice arrangement along the x and y directions, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

As an alternative embodiment, the array 100 " may be arranged so that the emitters 110 are concentric, as shown in Figure 9 A. In yet another embodiment, the array 100 " As with the other emitters 110 centered on the emitter 110 in the middle as shown in FIG. 3B, the configuration of the emitters 110 can be varied in various ways.

10, the treatment laser apparatus 20 includes a case 1000 having an opening and an array 1100, a conversion unit 2000, and a condensing unit 3000 provided in the case 1000. [

The case 1000 may have a hollow shape and the case 1000 may be formed of an opaque material. For example, the case 1000 may be formed of various materials such as plastic and metal. The case 1000 may be a handpiece and corresponds to a portion of the hand held by the practitioner performing the procedure using the treatment laser apparatus 20. [

The array 1100 may include any one of the

arrays

100, 100 ', 100 ", 100 "' described above, and the transform unit 2000 and the light collecting unit 3000 may include any of the transformers 200, 200 ', and the light collecting unit 300, 300', and the specific configuration thereof is the same as that described above, so that the difference will be mainly described below.

The array 1100, the conversion unit 2000, and the light collecting unit 3000 are fixed in the case 1000. The conversion unit 2000 may include a support member 230 for accommodating the first conversion units 210 and the second conversion unit 220.

The support member 230 may include a resin material having a light transmitting property. The first conversion unit 210 may be fixed on the support member 230 by providing concave portions corresponding to the convex surface of the first conversion unit 210 on one side of the support member 230, The second conversion unit 220 may be disposed on the other side of the support member 230. The support member 230 may include a connecting member for connecting the first and

second conversion units

210 and 220 and / or a first conversion unit 210 and a second conversion unit 220 in the case 1000, As shown in FIG.

The therapeutic laser apparatus 20 may further include a sensor 4000. [ A proximity sensor or a contact sensor of the sensor 4000 and the like and the sensor 400 detects that the treatment laser apparatus 20 is moving away from or approach the object to be irradiated or contact or contact with the irradiated object , The on / off of the array 1100 can be controlled based on the signal of the sensor 4000. [ For example, when the therapeutic laser apparatus 20 is moved away from the irradiated object or away from the reference distance, the sensor 4000 generates a predetermined signal, and a control unit (not shown) The control unit (not shown) turns on the array 1100 on the basis of the signal of the sensor 4000 when the treatment laser apparatus 20 comes close to or comes into contact with the object to be irradiated below the reference distance ).

FIG. 10 shows that the first and

second conversion units

210 and 220 are connected by the support member 230, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Referring to FIG. 11A, the converting unit 2000 'may include a first converting unit 210' and a second converting unit 220 'that include the same material and are integrally formed. The portion on which the first side of the conversion unit 2000 ', for example, the 1-1 convex surface 211 is disposed corresponds to the first conversion unit 210', and the second side of the conversion unit 2000 ' The portion where the second convex surfaces 221 are disposed may correspond to the second conversion unit 220 '.

Referring to FIG. 11B, the conversion unit 2000 '' may include first conversion units 210 '' and second conversion units 220 '' formed of different materials. In a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention, The first and second conversion units 210 " and 220 " may be formed through heterogeneous injection molding.

One surface of the second conversion portion 220 " includes second convex surfaces 221 and the other surface of the second conversion portion 220 " is a concave surface corresponding to the convex surface of the first conversion portions 210 " 222 may be disposed on the concave surface 222 of the second conversion unit 220 ". For example, the first conversion unit 210 " of the first conversion unit 210 " -2 convex surface 212 may be arranged so as to contact the concave surface 222 of the second conversion portion 220 ". The first conversion portion 210" of FIG. 11 (b) The first and second

convex surfaces

211 and 212 may be provided.

Although the case where the relative positions of the emitters 110 are fixed on the

arrays

100, 100 ', 100 ", 100 "', 1100 has been described according to the embodiment described with reference to Figs. 1 to 11B, But is not limited thereto. As another embodiment of the present invention, by adjusting the distance between the emitters 110, the number of spots per unit area and / or the effective area of the beam spot 120C (FIG. 5) irradiated to the object per unit area .

12A, 12B, and 13 schematically illustrate an embodiment of a configuration in which the interval between the emitters 110 can be adjusted as a treatment laser apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

12A and 12B, a sub-conversion unit 2000A and a sub-concentrating unit 2000A disposed on the path of the laser beam 120 emitted from one emitter 110, one emitter 110, The laser beam 120 emitted from the one emitter 110 and one emitter 110 are arranged on the path of the laser beam 120 The sub-conversion unit 2000A can configure the unit U as one unit element (Fig. 12B). Each sub-conversion unit 2000A includes first and second

sub-conversion units

2100 and 2200 having a first convex surface and a second convex surface, and the structure of the sub- 1 to < RTI ID = 0.0 > 11b. &Lt; / RTI >

12A, the distances d1, d2, d1 ', d2' between the units U are variable, as shown in Fig. 13, in the case of the treatment laser apparatus including a plurality of units U Lt; / RTI > For example, when the distances d1 and d2 between the units U are relatively small or the distances d1 ', d2', d1 '> d1, d2'> d2 between the units U are relatively small Large, or vice versa.

The treatment laser apparatus including a plurality of units U as shown in Fig. 12B is also configured such that the distances d1 and d2 between the units U are relatively small as shown in Fig. 13, D2 'between the units U are relatively large, or the distances d1', d2 ', d1'> d1 between the units U are relatively large, Of course, be arranged so that the distances d1, d2, d1 < d1 ', d2 < d2' between the units U are relatively small. In this case, the light collecting part 3000 'may have an area corresponding to all of the plurality of units U whose relative spacing distance is variable.

12A and 12B illustrate a case where one unit U includes one emitter 110, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The unit U in the present specification may include a plurality of emitters 110 as one unit U as a unit configuration smaller than the treatment laser apparatus. In this case, each unit U may have a configuration corresponding to the emitters 110 included in the corresponding unit U, or a configuration of the conversion unit and the light condensing unit.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments, and that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the true scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical idea of the appended claims.

Claims

An array having a plurality of emitters for respectively emitting a laser beam having a first diverging angle on a fast axis and a second diverging angle on a slow axis;

A conversion unit disposed adjacent to the array along the traveling direction of the laser beam to convert each of the laser beams into parallel light by adjusting the first divergence angle and the second divergence angle; And

A focusing unit focusing each of the converted laser beams so that a plurality of beam spots are irradiated on the irradiated object;

Wherein the laser beam is a laser beam.
The method according to claim 1,

Wherein the array comprises a laser diode.
The method according to claim 1,

Wherein,

A first converting unit having a first convex surface extending in a first direction, the first converting unit converting the first diverging angle; And

And a second converging portion having a second convex surface extending along a second direction intersecting the first direction, the second converging portion converting the second diverging angle.
The method of claim 3,

Wherein the first conversion unit comprises:

And a cylindrical lens including a convex first convex surface toward the array and a convex second convex surface toward the condensing portion.
The method of claim 3,

Wherein the second conversion unit comprises:

And a microlens array having second convex surfaces corresponding to each of the plurality of emitters.
The method according to claim 1,

Wherein the plurality of beam spots are spaced apart from each other in the object to be irradiated.
The method according to claim 1,

Wherein the plurality of emitters are arranged in a lattice form.
The method according to claim 1,

Wherein the plurality of emitters are arranged concentrically or radially.
The method according to claim 1,

Wherein the size of each of the plurality of beam spots depends on the light collecting portion.
The method according to claim 1,

Further comprising a sensor,

And the plurality of emitters are turned on / off based on a signal of the sensor.
The method according to claim 1,

The treatment laser apparatus comprises:

And at least one emitter of the plurality of emitters and a sub-conversion unit for converting a laser beam emitted from the at least one emitter into parallel light,

Wherein the distance between the units is variable.