WO2024070216A1

WO2024070216A1 - Light irradiation device

Info

Publication number: WO2024070216A1
Application number: PCT/JP2023/028352
Authority: WO
Inventors: 隆秀堀
Original assignee: ヤーマン株式会社
Priority date: 2022-09-29
Filing date: 2023-08-02
Publication date: 2024-04-04
Also published as: CN118119434A

Abstract

Disclosed is a light irradiation device comprising a head unit having a light-emitting surface which can be brought into contact with the skin of a person, wherein: the head unit has an optical system for emitting light to the outside via the light-emitting surface; and the optical system includes one or more light sources and two or more filters having different characteristics, and can emit two or more types of light having different characteristics via the two or more filters on the basis of the light from the one or more light sources.

Description

Light irradiation device

This disclosure relates to a light irradiation device.

There is a known technology that can promote hair removal and whitening of hair after removal by applying pulses of light from a light source to the skin.

JP 2010-246760 A

However, in the conventional technology described above, the function of the light irradiation device is limited to one function, which makes it less convenient.

The purpose of this disclosure is to diversify the functions of light irradiation devices.

In one aspect, the present invention includes a head portion having a light emitting surface that can be brought into contact with human skin,
the head unit has an optical system that emits light to the outside through the light emission surface,
The optical system includes one or more light sources and two or more filters with different characteristics, and is capable of emitting two or more types of light with different characteristics through the two or more filters based on light from the one or more light sources. A light irradiation device is disclosed.

This disclosure makes it possible to diversify the functions of light irradiation devices.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a light irradiation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 1 is an illustration of a light source in the form of a xenon tube. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the inside of the head portion. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic diagram of a path of light from a light source. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a typical illumination mode of light from two light sources. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the characteristics of an optical filter on one side. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the characteristics of the other optical filter. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a control system of the light irradiation device according to the present embodiment. 11A and 11B are cross-sectional views showing the configuration of a reflector according to another embodiment.

Each embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a light irradiation device 1 according to this embodiment. The light irradiation device 1 generates light that can be irradiated to human skin. The light may have a beauty-related effect. In this case, the beauty-related effect is arbitrary and may include hair removal, beautiful skin, elimination of sagging, tightening, fat burning, lifting, face slimming, improving skin firmness, luster, moisture, or any combination of one or more of the above. Furthermore, the beauty-related effect may be a quantifiable effect or an effect that cannot be quantified.

The light irradiation device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a portable type that can be held by the user's hand, but it may also be applied to a movable type that is movably supported on a fixed device via an arm or the like.

The light irradiation device 1 includes a grip portion 2 and a head portion 3. In this case, the user can locally irradiate light from the light irradiation device 1 to a desired part on the user's face or body by gripping the grip portion 2 and pointing the light emission surface 3a (described later) of the head portion 3 at the desired part on the user's face or body.

The grip portion 2 has a shape that allows it to be easily held by the user's hand. The grip portion 2 may include an input unit 20 that includes various buttons such as a power on/off button, a mode switching button, an intensity adjustment button, etc. The various buttons may be mechanical buttons or touch switches. The grip portion 2 may also be provided with a display unit (not shown) that displays the status of the light irradiation device 1, etc.

The head portion 3 is provided at the end of the grip portion 2. The head portion 3 may be fixed to the grip portion 2, may be removable, or may be movable relative to the grip portion 2.

The head portion 3 may have a light exit surface 3a that is substantially planar (including a curved surface with a relatively large radius of curvature). The shape of the light exit surface 3a when viewed from the front (the shape when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the light exit surface 3a) may be any shape, such as rectangular, circular, elliptical, polygonal, etc. The light exit surface 3a may be formed from any material that can transmit light, such as glass. The light exit surface 3a may also be in the form of a lens.

2 is an exploded perspective view of the head unit 3. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the light source 61 (similarly for the light source 62) in the form of a xenon tube, with a front view on the left and a cross-sectional view on the right. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the inside of the head unit 3. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the path of light from the light source 61, with the left side showing the path of direct light, the center showing the path of indirect light (light reflected by the reflector 80 to reach the light exit surface 3a), and the right side showing the entire path (distribution) of the light combined with these, with the hatched region R51. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the irradiation mode of light from the two light sources 61 and 62, with the entire path of light from the two light sources 61 and 62 being shown overlapping with the hatched regions R51 and R52. FIG. 7A is a diagram showing an example of the characteristics of the optical filter 71, and FIG. 7B is a diagram showing an example of the characteristics of the optical filter 72.

In FIG. 2 and other figures, three mutually orthogonal directions, the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction, are defined. In the following explanation, the side closer to the light exit surface 3a in the Z direction is referred to as the "front side," and the side farther from the light exit surface 3a in the Z direction is also referred to as the "rear side."

As shown in FIG. 2, the head unit 3 has an optical system 50 in the case 30. The optical system 50 includes two light sources 61, 62, two optical filters 71, 72, and a reflector 80.

The light sources 61 and 62 may be any light source such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode), but in this embodiment, they are xenon tubes that emit light by using electric discharge. Specifically, the light source 61 (similar to the light source 62) has electrodes 6c at both ends of a cylindrical glass tube filled with xenon gas, as shown in FIG. 3. A high current is applied to the metal wire 6b attached to the outer surface of the glass tube 6a to form a state in which xenon ions are charged, and when a high voltage is applied to the inside by the electrode 6c, the charged xenon ions are discharged in a chain reaction and emit light instantaneously. Alternatively, a similar light emission may be achieved by passing an electric current through a conductive coating material that may be applied to the outer surface of the glass tube 6a instead of the metal wire 6b. The light emitted is output radially, as shown diagrammatically by the arrow R3 in the cross-sectional view on the right side of FIG. 3.

The light sources 61, 62 are arranged side by side in the Y direction with the same positions in the X direction and Z direction. In this case, the light sources 61, 62 are arranged with the central axis of the glass tube oriented along the Y direction. In a modified example, the light sources 61, 62 may be arranged side by side in the X direction with the same positions in the Y direction and Z direction, and the arrangement of the light sources 61, 62 is arbitrary.

Light sources 61 and 62 may have the same configuration except for their different arrangements. In other words, light sources 61 and 62 may be products with the same part number.

Optical filters 71, 72 are provided between light sources 61, 62 and light exit surface 3a. In this embodiment, optical filter 71 is provided in correspondence with light source 61, and optical filter 72 is provided in correspondence with light source 62. Specifically, optical filters 71, 72 are arranged side by side in the Y direction with their respective positions in the X direction and Z direction being the same. In this case, optical filter 71 faces light source 61 in the Z direction, and optical filter 72 faces light source 62 in the Z direction.

Optical filters 71 and 72 have different characteristics. Therefore, even if the characteristics of the light incident on optical filters 71 and 72 are the same, the characteristics of the light emitted from optical filter 71 and the characteristics of the light emitted from optical filter 72 are different. In this embodiment, light from light source 61 is incident on optical filter 71, and light from light source 62 is incident on optical filter 72. Light sources 61 and 62 generate light with the same characteristics, but the light emitted from optical filters 71 and 72 is different.

In this embodiment, the optical filters 71 and 72 are filters that cut light below a specific wavelength, and the specific wavelengths are different for each filter. Specifically, the optical filter 71 cuts the wavelength range below 450 nm, as shown in FIG. 7A. That is, the optical filter 71 passes only light of a wavelength range (an example of a first wavelength range) that is 450 nm or more and includes a specific wavelength that is considered to be effective for hair removal. The optical filter 72 cuts the wavelength range below 535 nm, as shown in FIG. 7B. That is, the optical filter 72 passes only light of a wavelength range (an example of a second wavelength range) that is 535 nm or more and includes a specific wavelength that is considered to be effective for skin beauty. Light from the optical filter 71 having the characteristics shown in FIG. 7A is suitable for hair removal. Light from the optical filter 72 having the characteristics shown in FIG. 7B is expected to have a skin beauty effect.

The reflector 80 reflects the light from the light sources 61 and 62 and guides it to the light exit surface 3a. The reflector 80 includes a side reflector 82 and a rear reflector 84.

The side reflector 82 is disposed between the optical filters 71, 72 and the light exit surface 3a in the Z direction. The side reflector 82 may be in the form of a cylinder having a rectangular cross section when viewed in the Z direction. The rear reflector 84 extends toward the rear side of the optical filters 71, 72 in the Z direction. The rear reflector 84 faces the rear side of the light sources 61, 62 in the Z direction, and is disposed so as to face both sides of the light sources 61, 62 in the Y direction. For example, the rear reflector 84 may be in the form of an arc that follows the cross-sectional shape of the light sources 61, 62 when viewed in the X direction, and the opening side may abut against the optical filters 71, 72 in the Z direction. The rear reflector 84 may be disposed close to the rear side of the light sources 61, 62 in a manner that makes contact with the metal wires 6b of the light sources 61, 62.

Reflector 80 is configured so that light from light source 61 is emitted uniformly from the entire light exit surface 3a through optical filter 71, as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 5. Similarly, reflector 80 is configured so that light from light source 62 is emitted uniformly from the entire light exit surface 3a through optical filter 72. In this case, as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 6, the entire light exit surface 3a can be shared for light from light source 61 and light from light source 62.

In this way, according to this embodiment, the optical system 50 can emit two types of light with different characteristics through the optical filters 71, 72 in one head unit 3 based on the light from the light sources 61, 62 in one head unit 3. This reduces the effort and cost for the user to change dedicated head units or purchase separate light irradiation devices in order to use light with different characteristics.

In the following, for the sake of explanation, the light emitted from the light source 61 through the optical filter 71 and from the light exit surface 3a is also referred to as the "first type of light", and the light emitted from the light source 62 through the optical filter 72 and from the light exit surface 3a is also referred to as the "second type of light". As described above, the first type of light and the second type of light are emitted from the common light exit surface 3a and become overlapping light (a combination of the first type of light and the second type of light) when they hit the user's skin. In a modified example, the first type of light and the second type of light may be emitted from different regions of the light exit surface 3a or from regions that only partially overlap.

Next, the control system of the light irradiation device 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the control system of the light irradiation device 1 of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 8, the light irradiation device 1 includes a control unit 150 that is electrically connected to the above-mentioned input unit 20 and the light sources 61 and 62. The control unit 150 may include, for example, a computer such as a microcomputer and a driving circuit.

The control unit 150 controls the light sources 61, 62, etc. of the light irradiation device 1 by executing a computer program stored in, for example, an internal storage device or an accessible external storage device. Note that the processing performed by the light irradiation device 1 may be realized additionally or alternatively using a hardware circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA.

The control unit 150 can realize at least one of a first operating mode in which two or more types of light are emitted simultaneously, and a second operating mode in which a portion of the two or more types of light is emitted.

For example, the control unit 150 may realize one of a plurality of operation modes including a first operation mode and a second operation mode based on a user input that may be input via the input unit 20.

In this embodiment, the two or more types of light consist of the first type of light described above (light emitted from the light source 61 through the optical filter 71 and from the light exit surface 3a) and the second type of light described above (light emitted from the light source 62 through the optical filter 72 and from the light exit surface 3a).

In this case, the control unit 150 may be capable of realizing at least one of a first operation mode in which the first type of light and the second type of light are emitted simultaneously, and a second operation mode in which only one of the first type of light and the second type of light is emitted. In addition, in a configuration capable of emitting three or more types of light with different characteristics, the first operation mode may include a mode in which any two types of light out of the three or more types of light are emitted simultaneously, in addition to or instead of the mode in which the three or more types of light are emitted simultaneously. The any two types of light may be, for example, two types of light selected by the user, or two types of light selected randomly, or the combination of the two types may be changed every time a predetermined time elapses during one skin treatment (during treatment). In addition, in a configuration capable of emitting three or more types of light, three or more types of optical filters may be provided in the head unit 3.

Incidentally, when implementing the second operating mode, it is necessary to apply separate voltages and currents to the light sources 61 and 62. In this case, if the back reflector 84 of the reflector 80 is in contact with the metal wire 6b, it will generate a high current at the moment of light emission. In this regard, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the back reflector 84 is a member integrated into both the light sources 61 and 62, so when implementing the second operating mode, the entire back reflector 84 generates a high current. In this case, there is a risk that current will flow to unnecessary locations via the entire back reflector 84 each time irradiation is performed in the second operating mode.

Therefore, as in the modified example shown in FIG. 9, the reflector 80A may have a rear reflector 84A separated into two pieces. That is, in the modified example shown in FIG. 9, the rear reflector 84A may include a reflector portion 841A provided in correspondence with the light source 61 and a reflector portion 842A provided in correspondence with the light source 62. In this case, a partition plate 90 made of an insulating material may be provided between the reflector portion 841A and the reflector portion 842A. This makes it possible to prevent a high current from being generated unnecessarily in one of the parts of the rear reflector 84A (the reflector portion 841A or the reflector portion 842A) when the second operation mode is realized. As a result, it is possible to prevent a current from flowing to an unnecessary location via the rear reflector 84A every time irradiation is performed in the second operation mode.

Although each embodiment has been described in detail above, it is not limited to a specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the claims. It is also possible to combine all or some of the components of the above-mentioned embodiments.

For example, in the above embodiment, two types of optical filters 71 and 72 are incorporated in the head unit 3, but three or more types of optical filters may be used.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the light sources 61, 62 and the optical filters 71, 72 correspond to each other in a one-to-one relationship, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the light sources 61, 62 may be integrated into one light source, and the optical filters 71, 72 may be provided in common for the one light source. In this way, two or more types of optical filters may be provided in any combination within one head unit 3 for one or more light sources.

In the embodiment described above, the reflector 80 is configured so that the light from the light source 61 basically passes only through the optical filter 71, but a portion of the light from the light source 61 may pass through the optical filter 72. This also applies to the light from the light source 62.

1 Light irradiation device 2 Grip part 3 Head part 3a Light emission surface 6a Glass tube 6b Metal wire 6c Electrode 20 Input part 50 Optical system 61 Light source (first light source)
62 Light source (second light source)
71 Optical filter (first filter)
72 Optical filter (second filter)
80 Reflector 80A Reflector 82 Side reflector 84 Rear reflector (first reflector, second reflector)
84A Rear reflector 841A Reflector portion (first reflector)
842A Reflector part (second reflector)
90 Partition plate 150 Control unit

Claims

a head portion having a light emitting surface that can be brought into contact with human skin;
the head unit has an optical system that emits light to the outside through the light emission surface,
The optical system includes one or more light sources and two or more filters with different characteristics, and is capable of emitting two or more types of light with different characteristics through the two or more filters based on light from the one or more light sources.
The light irradiation device according to claim 1, wherein the two or more filters include a first filter that passes light in a first wavelength range from the incident light from the one or more light sources, and a second filter that passes light in a second wavelength range from the incident light from the one or more light sources, the second wavelength range being at least partially different from the first wavelength range.
the one or more light sources include a first light source and a second light source having the same characteristics;
The light irradiation device according to claim 2 , wherein the first filter is provided in association with the first light source, and the second filter is provided in association with the second light source.
the optical system further includes a first reflector provided in correspondence with the first light source and a second reflector provided in correspondence with the second light source,
The light irradiation device according to claim 3 , wherein the first reflector and the second reflector are integrated or separated.
A controller for controlling the one or more light sources,
2. The light irradiation device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is capable of realizing at least one of a first operation mode in which the two or more types of light are simultaneously emitted and a second operation mode in which a portion of the two or more types of light are emitted.
the optical system is capable of emitting three or more types of light having different characteristics;
The light irradiation device according to claim 5 , wherein the first operation mode includes a mode in which two types of light of the three or more types of light are emitted simultaneously.
The light irradiation device according to claim 5 or 6, further comprising an input unit that allows a user to select one operation mode from among a plurality of operation modes including the first operation mode and the second operation mode.
The optical system further includes a reflector.
The light irradiation device according to claim 1 , wherein the optical system emits the two or more types of light through a common region of the light exit surface.
The light irradiation device according to claim 1, wherein the one or more light sources are xenon tubes.