Skin treatment device

Abstract

To provide a skin treatment device capable of effectively cooling a light emission surface.SOLUTION: A depilator 1 being a skin treatment device includes: a xenon tube 11 being a light source that generates light emitted from a light emission surface 15a; a Peltier element 21 that absorbs heat of the light emission surface 15a; a heat sink 22 thermally connected to the Peltier element 21; and a fan 26 being air blow means that forms a flow of air passing the heat sink 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a skin treatment device for performing hair removal treatment and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a skin treatment device that irradiates light onto the skin in order to perform a process (hair removal process) for making a user's body hair less noticeable on the skin surface (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] This skin treatment device uses the light of a xenon flash lamp to partially burn body hair and damage the hair roots. Burned body hair becomes brittle and can be easily removed from the skin surface. Also, by damaging the hair roots, the speed at which the hair grows back can be suppressed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-239874 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Incidentally, for the purpose of providing comfort to the patient (user) during skin treatment and mitigating pain caused by light irradiation, it is preferable to set the light emitting surface that comes into contact with the patient's (user's) skin at a temperature lower than the air temperature.

[0006] In view of the above, an object of one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a skin treatment device capable of effectively cooling a light exit surface. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In one aspect, the following solution is provided.

[0008] (1) A skin treatment device is disclosed that includes a light source that generates light to be emitted from a light emission surface, a Peltier element that absorbs heat from the light emission surface, a heat sink thermally connected to the Peltier element, and a blowing means that forms an air flow through the heat sink.

[0009] (2) In the configuration of (1) above, the heat sink is directly joined to the Peltier element.

[0010] (3) In the configuration of (1) above, the heat sink has a plate-shaped portion joined to the heat dissipation side of the Peltier element and a wall portion continuing from the plate-shaped portion, and the blowing means is characterized in that it generates an air flow that hits the wall portion.

[0011] (4) In the above configuration (1), the device further includes a crystal body that forms the light exit surface, and the wall portion is inclined at an angle smaller than 90 degrees, preferably approximately 45 degrees, with respect to a direction perpendicular to the light exit surface.

[0012] (5) The configuration of (1) above is characterized in that it has an air flow path that guides the air flow by the air blowing means from the wall portion through the periphery of the light source to an exhaust port.

[0013] (6) In the configuration of (1) above, the exhaust port is provided on one of both sides in the short side direction of the light exit surface, opposite to the side where the Peltier element is disposed.

[0014] (7) In the above configuration (1), the device further includes a reflector that reflects light from the light source toward the light exit surface, and the reflector and the heat sink are adjacent to each other with an air layer between them.

[0015] (8) In the configuration of (1) above, the device further includes a crystal body that forms the light exit surface, and a cut filter that emits light from the light source to the crystal body, and a light-transmitting adhesive is filled between the crystal body and the cut filter, or a light-transmitting sheet material is inserted. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present disclosure, the Peltier element absorbs heat from the light exit surface, and the heat absorbed by the Peltier element is dissipated to a heat sink, which is then cooled by air blown from a blowing means, so that the temperature of the light exit surface drops below the ambient temperature. Therefore, the person being treated (user) feels a sufficient sense of coolness when undergoing light irradiation treatment, improving the comfort of the skin treatment treatment. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is an external perspective view of a hair removal device according to an embodiment, as viewed from diagonally above; [Diagram 2] 1 is an external perspective view of a hair removal device according to an embodiment, as viewed from diagonally below; [Diagram 3] 1 is a plan view of a hair removal device according to an embodiment; [Figure 4] 4 is a plan view of the upper main body case of FIG. 3 removed. [Diagram 5] 1 is a perspective view of a main structure within a hair removal device according to an embodiment; [Figure 6] 1 is a perspective view of a main structure within a hair removal device according to an embodiment; [Figure 7] 2 is a side view of a main structure within the hair removal device according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] (a) is an oblique view of a heat sink with a wall surface at an angle of 90 degrees, (b) is a diagram showing the case where the airflow direction is horizontal to the heat sink in (a), (c) is an oblique view of a heat sink with a wall surface at an angle of 90 degrees, (d) is a diagram showing the case where the airflow direction is vertical to the heat sink in (c), (e) is a diagram showing a heat sink with a wall surface at an angle of 45 degrees, and (f) is a diagram showing the case where the airflow direction is horizontal to the heat sink in (e). [Figure 11]FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the results of measuring the sapphire glass surface temperature and the heat sink temperature in the cases of (a) and (b), (c) and (d), and (e) and (f) in FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a facial beauty device according to another embodiment. [Figure 13] 13A is a perspective view of the main structure inside the facial beauty device according to another embodiment, and FIG. 13B is a side view of the main structure inside the facial beauty device. [Figure 14] 13 is a side view of a main structure in a hair removal device according to a modified example of an embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Each embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] In the description of the present invention, the longitudinal direction, the lateral direction, and the width direction are defined along the respective axes of a three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system as shown in the drawings such as FIG.

[0020] As shown in Figures 1 to 5, hair removal device 1, which is a skin treatment device, comprises a long, tubular main body case 2, a light irradiation unit 10 that is housed within main body case 2 and emits light from within main body case 2 to the outside, and a cooling unit 20 that is housed within main body case 2 and cools light irradiation unit 10.

[0021] The main body case 2 has a head portion 3 having a substantially rectangular protruding portion 3a on one side in the longitudinal direction, and a rounded grip portion 4 on the other side of the head portion 3. A rectangular head opening 3c is formed on the tip surface 3b of the head portion 3. Light is emitted to the outside from the head opening 3c.

[0022] The grip portion 4 is formed in a size that is easy for the practitioner (user) to grip. A display / operation unit 5 for turning the power on / off, adjusting the light intensity, etc. is provided on the upper surface side of the grip portion 4. A through hole 6 is formed in the grip portion 4, penetrating the center in the width direction in the vertical direction (short direction).

[0023] The through hole 6 has a long and narrow shape in the longitudinal direction, and extends to near the rear end of the grip part 4 .

[0024] The grip portion 4 is divided into left and right halves by a through hole 6, and an electrolytic capacitor 7 (shown in FIG. 4) is housed inside each of the left and right halves. A terminal insertion hole 8 is formed in the rear end of the grip portion 4. All corners of the head portion 3 and the grip portion 4 are rounded.

[0025] As shown in Figures 5 to 7, the light irradiation unit 10 includes two xenon tubes 11 which are light sources, a reflector 12 arranged to cover the outer periphery of the two xenon tubes 11, a cut filter 13, a gasket 14, and a crystal body (including sapphire glass, quartz glass, etc., and in this embodiment, sapphire glass will be used as an example below) 15 which forms the light exit surface 15a.

[0026] The xenon tubes 11 emit light with an intensity and wavelength effective for hair removal in a wide wavelength band from ultraviolet to infrared. The light intensity of the xenon tubes 11 can be adjusted by the display / operation unit 5. The reflector 12 reflects the light from each xenon tube 11 toward the light emission surface 15a. The reflector 12 has cutouts at appropriate positions for passing air. The cut filter 13 cuts out ultraviolet rays that are harmful to the human body from the light from the xenon tubes 11.

[0027] The light irradiation unit 10 is provided so that air can flow from the bottom to the top. In particular, air can flow between the cut filter 13, the xenon tube 11, and the reflector 12, and also through the space outside the outer circumferential surface of the reflector 12. An air flow path 17 (the flow is indicated by an arrow in FIG. 7) is formed so that air flows from a wall portion 25 of the heat sink 22, around the xenon tube 11, and to the exhaust port 9b (see FIG. 9) by a fan 26, which will be described later.

[0028] The packing 14 is interposed between the cut filter 13 and the sapphire glass 15. The packing 14 is a frame-shaped elastic body, and is disposed in close contact with the entire outer periphery of the cut filter 13 and the sapphire glass 15. As a result, a sealed space 16 (shown in FIG. 7) is formed by the packing 14 between the cut filter 13 and the sapphire glass 15.

[0029] The sapphire glass 15 is a material having high thermal conductivity and optical transparency. The sapphire glass 15 is a flat rectangular parallelepiped. The sapphire glass 15 has a light exit surface 15a on its surface, and is disposed in the head opening 3c of the main body case 2 with only the light exit surface 15a exposed to the outside (see FIG. 1). The light exit surface 15a of the sapphire glass 15 is in contact with the skin surface of the practitioner (user), and is therefore also the skin contact surface. The sapphire glass 15 dews even at room temperature, but as described above, the back side of the sapphire glass 15 is formed in the sealed space 16 (shown in FIG. 7), so dew does not form on the back side of the sapphire glass 15. This prevents problems caused by moisture due to dew on the sapphire glass 15 entering the main body case 2.

[0030] The cooling unit 20 has a Peltier element 21 arranged on the underside of the sapphire glass 15, a heat sink 22 thermally connected to the Peltier element 21, and a fan 26 which is a blowing means for creating an air flow passing through the heat sink 22.

[0031] The heat absorption surface of the Peltier element 21 is directly bonded in surface contact to the sapphire glass 15. The heat dissipation surface of the Peltier element 21 is directly bonded in surface contact to a plate-like portion 24 of the heat sink 22, which will be described below. In other words, the Peltier element 21 and the heat sink 22 are thermally connected by direct bonding.

[0032] The heat sink 22 is made of a copper sheet metal material. The thermal conductivity of the copper sheet metal material is 398 (W / m·k), which is better than that of aluminum material. The heat sink 22 has a heat sink body 23 in which a large number of fins (not indicated by reference numerals) are arranged in parallel at intervals, a plate-like portion 24 joined to the heat dissipation surface of the Peltier element 21, and a wall portion 25 continuing from the plate-like portion 24 (see FIG. 10).

[0033] In the heat sink body 23, when viewed from the side, an upper portion on the front end face side is formed as an arc-shaped cutout surface 23a, and a lower portion on the front face side is formed as an obliquely straight inclined surface 23b. The light irradiation unit 10 is arranged so that a part of the light irradiation unit 10 enters the space formed by the arc-shaped cutout surface 23a. As a result, the heat sink 22 and the reflector 12 are arranged adjacent to each other with an air layer 18 (shown in FIG. 7) interposed therebetween. The air layer 18 is set to a dimension that ensures an insulation distance between the heat sink 22 and the reflector 12.

[0034] That is, the heat sink 22 and the light irradiation unit 10 are arranged in a partially overlapping state in both the longitudinal and lateral directions (see Figs. 5 to 7). This makes the accommodation space for the cooling unit 20 and the light irradiation unit 10 in the main body case 2 more compact in the longitudinal and lateral directions than when the heat sink 22 and the light irradiation unit 10 are arranged in the main body case 2 without overlapping each other.

[0035] The angle of the obliquely straight inclined surface 23b is smaller than 90 degrees with respect to the direction perpendicular to the light exit surface 15a (the air flow direction inside the heat sink body 23), and is formed at approximately 45 degrees in this embodiment. The wall portion 25 is arranged along this approximately 45-degree inclined surface 23b. In other words, the wall portion 25 is joined to the front end surfaces of the many fins of the heat sink body 23, and closes the front gaps between the fins. As a result, the air that has passed through the heat sink body 23 hits the wall portion 25 and is forcibly changed in direction toward the light irradiation unit 10 arranged above the heat sink body 23.

[0036] The fan 26 is of a sirocco type and is disposed continuous with the rear end of the heat sink main body 23. The fan 26 draws external air into the main body case 2 through the air intake 9a (see FIG. 8) of the main body case 2 and exhausts the drawn air toward the inside from the rear end of the heat sink main body 23. The exhausted air passes through the heat sink 22 and the light irradiation unit 10 in that order, and is then exhausted to the outside through the exhaust port 9b (see FIG. 9) of the main body case 2.

[0037] 8, the air intake 9a is provided on the circumferential surface of the through hole 6 of the main body case 2. The air intake 9a is formed as a slit-shaped hole that is formed around the entire periphery of the circumferential surface of the through hole 6.

[0038] 9, the exhaust port 9b is provided at the head portion 3 of the main body case 2. The exhaust port 9b is formed as a slit-shaped hole along the periphery of the protruding portion 3a of the head portion 3. In other words, the exhaust port 9b is provided on one of both sides in the short direction of the light exit surface 15a, opposite the side where the Peltier element 21 is disposed.

[0039] The main body case 2 is provided with a pair of main rollers 30 and one sub-roller 31. The pair of main rollers 30 are provided rotatably with a portion of them protruding from the upper surface continuous with the tip surface 3b at the outer side of the sapphire glass 15. The pair of main rollers 30 are provided at symmetrical positions in the width direction with a gap between them. The sub-roller 31 is provided rotatably with a portion of it protruding from the tip surface 3b at the outer side of the sapphire glass 15, opposite the pair of main rollers 30. The sub-roller 31 is provided in the center position in the width direction.

[0040] When the subject (user) presses the tip surface 3b of the main case 2 against the skin surface, the pair of main rollers 30 and sub-rollers 31 come into contact with the skin surface. When a force is applied to move the tip surface 3b of the main case 2 in the short direction in this state, the pair of main rollers 30 and sub-rollers 31 rotate, allowing the tip surface 3b of the main case 2, i.e., the light emission surface 15a, to move smoothly along the skin surface.

[0041] Next, the operation of the hair removal device 1 will be described. When the person to be treated (user) instructs to turn on the power using the display / operation unit 5, a voltage is applied to the Peltier element 21. Then, the Peltier element 21 absorbs heat from the sapphire glass 15, and the sapphire glass 15 is cooled. The Peltier element 21 transfers heat to the heat dissipation side by the heat absorption effect. The heat is transferred in the order of the plate-shaped portion 24 of the heat sink 22, the wall portion 25, and the heat sink main body 23, and is dissipated via the heat sink 22.

[0042] On the other hand, when the patient (user) instructs to turn on the power through the display / operation unit 5, the fan 26 is driven. Then, the suction force of the fan 26 draws outside air into the main body case 2 through the intake port 9a. The air drawn into the main body case 2 passes around the electrolytic capacitor 7 and is drawn into the fan 26 from the upper surface side of the fan 26. The air drawn into the fan 26 is discharged from the side of the fan 26 toward the front from the rear end of the heat sink main body 23. The air discharged from the fan 26 passes between the fins of the heat sink main body 23 and cools the heat sink 22. By cooling the heat sink 22 in this way, the heating side of the Peltier element 21 is also cooled, and the cooled state of the sapphire glass 15 is maintained.

[0043] In addition, the air flow passing between the fins of the heat sink body 23 hits the wall portion 25 at the front end of the heat sink body 23, and is forcibly redirected upward. The air whose flow has been redirected flows into the light irradiation unit 10 through the air layer 18 (shown in FIG. 7).

[0044] The air that flows into the light irradiation unit 10 passes around the xenon tube 11, specifically, around the periphery of the xenon tube 11, near the outer periphery of the reflector 12, near the inner periphery of the reflector 12, and near the back surface of the cut filter 13, thereby cooling these components.

[0045] The air flow passing through the light irradiation unit 10 from below to above is exhausted to the outside of the main body case 2 through an exhaust port 9b located above the light irradiation unit 10.

[0046] The person to be treated (user) holds the grip 4 of the hair removal device 1 with his / her hand, presses the sapphire glass 15 against the skin surface, and issues an instruction to irradiate light at a predetermined location while moving the pressing position. Then, light is emitted from the sapphire glass 15 toward the skin surface. This allows the person to be treated (user) to remove hair while feeling a cool sensation on the skin surface.

[0047] Next, the angle of the wall surface of the wall portion 25 of the heat sink 22 and the airflow direction (air flow direction) will be described as shown in Fig. 10. (a) and (b) show a case where the wall surface of the wall portion 25 of the heat sink 22 is at an angle of 90 degrees, and the airflow direction is horizontal to the heat sink 22. (c) and (d) show a case where the wall surface of the wall portion 25 of the heat sink 22 is at an angle of 90 degrees, and the airflow direction is vertical to the heat sink 22. (e) and (f) show a case where the wall surface of the wall portion 25 of the heat sink 22 is at an angle of 45 degrees, and the airflow direction is horizontal to the heat sink 22. When the wall surface of the wall portion 25 is at an angle of 45 degrees, the area of ​​the wall surface of the wall portion 25 is about 1.4 times larger than when it is at an angle of 90 degrees.

[0048] When the surface temperature of the sapphire glass 15 and the temperature of the heat sink 22 were measured in these cases, the results shown in Figure 11 were obtained. This shows that the surface temperature of the sapphire glass 15 drops the most when the wall surface of the wall portion 25 is the heat sink 22 at an angle of 45 degrees and the airflow direction is horizontal to the heat sink 22 (cases (e) and (f)). This suggests that there is a correlation between the surface area of ​​the wall surface of the wall portion 25 and the cooling of the sapphire glass 15.

[0049] As described above, the hair removal device 1 includes the xenon tube 11, which is a light source that generates light emitted from the light emission surface 15a, the Peltier element 21 that absorbs heat from the light emission surface 15a, the heat sink 22 that is thermally connected to the Peltier element 21, and the fan 26, which is a blowing means that forms an air flow through the heat sink 22. Therefore, the Peltier element 21 absorbs heat from the light emission surface 15a, and the heat absorbed by the Peltier element 21 is dissipated to the heat sink 22, and the heat sink 22 is cooled by the air blown from the fan 26, which is a blowing means, so that the light emission surface 15a is lowered to a temperature lower than the ambient temperature. As a result, the person to be treated (user) receives the light irradiation treatment in a state where he or she feels a sufficient sense of coolness, improving the comfort of the skin treatment treatment.

[0050] The heat sink 22 is directly bonded to the Peltier element 21. Therefore, the heat of the Peltier element 21 is reliably and effectively dissipated to the heat sink 22. However, in a modified example, the heat sink 22 may be bonded to the Peltier element 21 via a heat dissipating material. The heat dissipating material may be grease (e.g., thermal grease, heat dissipating silicone, etc.), a sheet material (e.g., a thermal pad, a phase change sheet, etc.), or the like. In this case, the thermal conductivity of the heat of the Peltier element 21 to the heat sink 22 can be improved.

[0051] The heat sink 22 has a plate-like portion 24 joined to the heat dissipation side of the Peltier element 21 and a wall portion 25 continuing from the plate-like portion 24, and a fan 26 serving as air blowing means generates a flow of air that hits the wall portion 25. Therefore, the heat sink 22 is directly connected to the Peltier element 21, improving the cooling performance. The wall portion 25 is also cooled by air, which also improves the cooling performance. In addition, the wall portion 25 can forcibly change the air flow to a predetermined direction.

[0052] The light emitting surface 15a is further formed of sapphire glass 15, and the wall portion 25 is set to be inclined at an angle smaller than 90 degrees, preferably at approximately 45 degrees, with respect to the direction perpendicular to the light emitting surface 15a. Since the wall portion 25 is set at an angle smaller than 90 degrees, the area of ​​the wall portion 25, i.e., the area that receives air, is larger than when the wall portion 25 is set at 90 degrees, and the cooling performance is improved. If the wall portion 25 is set at approximately 45 degrees, the surface area of ​​the wall surface of the wall portion 25, i.e., the area that receives air, is larger, and the cooling performance is further improved.

[0053] An air flow path 17 is provided that guides the air flow by a fan 26, which is a blowing means, from the wall portion 25 to the exhaust port 9b, passing around the xenon tube 11, which is the light source. Therefore, the air flow reliably passes around the xenon tube 11, and the xenon tube 11 and the like can be cooled.

[0054] The exhaust port 9b is provided on one of both sides in the short side direction of the light emitting surface 15a, opposite to the side where the Peltier element 21 is disposed. Therefore, the warm air before entering the exhaust port 9b does not interfere with the heat absorption action of the Peltier element 21.

[0055] The reflector 12 further includes a reflector that reflects light from the xenon tube 11, which is a light source, toward the light emission surface 15a, and the reflector 12 and the heat sink 22 are disposed adjacent to each other with an air layer 18 (shown in FIG. 7) interposed therebetween. The reflector 12 is generally in contact with a trigger that is applied when the xenon tube 11 is made to emit light, and is at the same potential, and a voltage of several kV is applied instantaneously, so that the reflector 12 has a tendency to leak current to surrounding conductive components. Therefore, although the metal heat sink 22 is also a component that is at risk of current leakage, the air layer 18 (shown in FIG. 7) can prevent current leakage without providing a partition between the reflector 12 and the heat sink 22. In addition, since the configuration is simple, the air that has cooled the heat sink 22 can be easily used to cool the reflector 12 without reducing the wind speed. In other words, since there is no partition (obstacle) to the heat source, it is possible to prevent the wind speed of the fan 26 from being reduced.

[0056] Next, another embodiment will be described. As shown in Fig. 12 and Fig. 13, a facial treatment device 40, which is a skin treatment device, has a long and slender cylindrical main body grip 41 and a head part 42 that protrudes obliquely from the tip of the main body grip 41 toward the front side. The light irradiation part 10 and the cooling part 20 are housed in the main body grip 41 and the head part 42. In the above-mentioned embodiment, the light irradiation part 10 is arranged at a position where it partially overlaps with the heat sink 22 of the cooling part 20, but in this other embodiment, the light irradiation part 10 is arranged at a position where it is connected to the heat sink 22 in a straight line without overlapping.

[0057] The front end surface of the heat sink body 23 of the heat sink 22 does not have an arc-shaped cutout surface 23a, but only has a diagonally straight inclined surface 23b. A wall portion 25 having a wall surface inclined at 45 degrees is disposed so as to cover the diagonally straight inclined surface 23b. The air flow passing through the heat sink body 23 flows into the light irradiation unit 10 from the front end surface of the heat sink body 23 that is not covered by the wall portion 25 (the portion where the arc-shaped cutout surface 23a is not formed).

[0058] The other configurations are almost the same as those of the above-mentioned embodiment, so in order to avoid duplication of explanation, the same components in the drawings are given the same reference numerals and the explanation is omitted.

[0059] In this other embodiment, similarly to the above embodiment, the Peltier element 21 absorbs heat from the light exit surface 15a, and the heat absorbed by the Peltier element 21 is dissipated to the heat sink 22, which is cooled by air blown from the fan 26, which is a blowing means, so that the temperature of the light exit surface 15a drops below the ambient temperature. As a result, the person to be treated (user) feels a sufficient sense of coolness while undergoing the light irradiation treatment, improving the comfort of the skin treatment treatment.

[0060] Next, a modified example of the embodiment will be described. In the above-mentioned embodiment, a sealed space 16 is formed between the sapphire glass 15 and the cut filter 13 using the packing 14 (see FIG. 7). In contrast, in this modified example, as shown in FIG. 14, a highly light-transmitting adhesive 50 is filled between the sapphire glass 15 and the cut filter 13. The adhesive 50 is formed to a substantially uniform thickness over the entire area of ​​the opposing surfaces of the sapphire glass 15 and the cut filter 13. A Peltier element 21 is disposed on the lower surface of the sapphire glass 15 via a thermally conductive sheet 51.

[0061] Since other configurations are similar to those of the embodiment described above, the same components in the drawings are given the same reference numerals and repeated explanations are omitted.

[0062] In this modified example, the same effect as in the above-described embodiment allows the person to be treated (user) to experience a cool sensation on the skin surface while hair removal is being performed.

[0063] This modified example has the following advantages: Since the rear surface of the sapphire glass 15 is filled with adhesive 50, a heat insulating layer is formed by the adhesive 50, which has low thermal conductivity, so that condensation does not occur on the rear surface of the sapphire glass 15.

[0064] Since the sapphire glass 15 and the cut filter 13 are integrated with each other by the adhesive 50, the sapphire glass 15 and the cut filter 13 can be handled as an integrated component, improving assembly efficiency.

[0065] Since the adhesive 50 functions as a cushioning material for the sapphire glass 15 etc., it is possible to reduce the risk of glass pieces interfering with each other due to the impact of being dropped or the like.

[0066] The light from the xenon tube 11 passes through the cut filter 13 to cut out ultraviolet rays before being incident on the adhesive 50, which prevents the adhesive 50 from being damaged by ultraviolet rays and contributes to the durability of the adhesive 50.

[0067] The temperature of the cut filter 13 rises due to the light from the xenon tube 11, but the adhesive 50, which has low thermal conductivity, acts as a heat insulating layer to suppress the temperature rise of the sapphire glass 15, improving the efficiency of the sapphire glass 15 in maintaining a cool feeling.

[0068] Since the gap between the sapphire glass 15 and the cut filter 13 is filled with adhesive 50, dust does not get into the light path and localized scorching during long-term use can be prevented.

[0069] Here, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the gap between the sapphire glass 15 and the cut filter 13 is filled with the adhesive 50, but instead of this, a light-transmitting sheet material may be inserted into the gap between the sapphire glass 15 and the cut filter 13. In this case, the sheet material may be, for example, a transparent sheet of a heat-insulating silicon material. Alternatively, the gap between the sapphire glass 15 and the cut filter 13 may be filled with the adhesive 50 together with the light-transmitting sheet material. Note that, after attaching a silicon sheet to either the sapphire glass 15 or the cut filter 13, air bubbles tend to be generated when attempting to attach the other component to the filter. In response to this, air bubbles can be reduced by applying a highly viscous adhesive to the silicon sheet and then attaching the other component.

[0070] In the case of such a modified example, substantially the same effect can be obtained as in the case where the above-mentioned adhesive 50 is filled. That is, the sheet material adheres closely to the sapphire glass 15 and the cut filter 13, so that dust does not get into the light path and localized burning can be prevented when used for a long period of time.

[0071] Although each embodiment has been described above in detail, the present invention is not limited to a specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the claims. In addition, it is also possible to combine all or a plurality of the components of the above-described embodiments.

[0072] In the embodiment, a xenon tube 11, which is a flashlight, is used as the light source, but light sources other than the xenon tube 11 (laser light source, LED light source, IPL, halogen) may be used. The xenon tube 11 is effective for hair removal treatment because it can emit light with a stronger intensity than other light sources, but it generates a large amount of heat and requires efficient heat dissipation, heat removal, and cooling. As described above, the hair removal device 1 according to the embodiment has good cooling performance of the heat sink 22, so it is effective in efficiently dissipating heat, removing heat, and cooling.

[0073] In the embodiment, the fan 26 is of a sirocco type, but may be of another type (for example, a propeller type).

[0074] In the embodiment, the skin treatment device is a hair removal device 1 and a facial beauty device 40, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to any device that comes into contact with the skin surface to treat the skin (treating wrinkles, sagging skin, age spots, freckles, pimples, rough skin, etc.).

[0075] In addition, the following supplementary notes are disclosed regarding the above embodiment.

[0076] (Appendix 1)

[0077] (1) A skin treatment device is disclosed that includes a light source that generates light to be emitted from a light emission surface, a Peltier element that absorbs heat from the light emission surface, a heat sink thermally connected to the Peltier element, and a blowing means that forms an air flow through the heat sink.

[0078] (2) In the configuration of (1) above, the heat sink is directly joined to the Peltier element.

[0079] (3) In the configuration of (1) above, the heat sink has a plate-shaped portion joined to the heat dissipation side of the Peltier element and a wall portion continuing from the plate-shaped portion, and the blowing means is characterized in that it generates an air flow that hits the wall portion.

[0080] (4) In the above configuration (1), the device further includes a crystal body that forms the light exit surface, and the wall portion is inclined at an angle smaller than 90 degrees, preferably approximately 45 degrees, with respect to a direction perpendicular to the light exit surface.

[0081] (5) The configuration of (1) above is characterized in that it has an air flow path that guides the air flow by the air blowing means from the wall portion through the periphery of the light source to an exhaust port.

[0082] (6) In the configuration of (1) above, the exhaust port is provided on one of both sides in the short side direction of the light exit surface, opposite to the side where the Peltier element is disposed.

[0083] (7) In the above configuration (1), the device further includes a reflector that reflects light from the light source toward the light exit surface, and the reflector and the heat sink are adjacent to each other with an air layer between them.

[0084] (8) In the configuration of (1) above, the device further includes a crystal body that forms the light exit surface, and a cut filter that emits light from the light source to the crystal body, and a light-transmitting adhesive is filled between the crystal body and the cut filter, or a light-transmitting sheet material is inserted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 1. Hair removal device (skin treatment device) 9a Air intake 9b Exhaust port 10 Light irradiation unit 11 Xenon tube (light source) 12 Reflector 13 Cut Filter 15 Sapphire glass (crystalline material) 15a Light exit surface 17 Air Flow Path 18 Air Layer 20 Cooling section 21 Peltier element 22 Heat sink 24 Plate-shaped parts 25 Wall part 26 Fan (air blowing means) 40 Facial beautifying device (skin treatment device) 50 Adhesive

Claims

1. A light source that generates light to be emitted from a light emission surface; A Peltier element that absorbs heat from the light exit surface; a heat sink thermally connected to the Peltier element; and a blowing means for forming an air flow through the heat sink.

2. The skin treatment device according to claim 1 , wherein the heat sink is joined to the Peltier element directly or via a heat dissipating material.

3. the heat sink has a plate-like portion joined to a heat dissipation side of the Peltier element and a wall portion continuing from the plate-like portion, The skin treatment device according to claim 1 , wherein the air blowing means generates a flow of air that hits the wall portion.

4. Further comprising a crystal forming the light exit surface, The skin treatment device according to claim 1 , wherein the wall portion is inclined at an angle smaller than 90 degrees, preferably approximately 45 degrees, with respect to a direction perpendicular to the light exit surface.

5. The skin treatment device according to claim 1 , further comprising an air flow path that guides the air flow from the wall portion through the periphery of the light source to an exhaust port.

6. The skin treatment device according to claim 5 , wherein the exhaust port is provided on one of both sides in the short side direction of the light exit surface, opposite to a side on which the Peltier element is disposed.

7. Further comprising a reflector that reflects light from the light source toward the light exit surface, The skin treatment device according to claim 1 , wherein the reflector and the heat sink are adjacent to each other with an air gap therebetween.

8. The optical fiber further includes a crystal body that forms the light exit surface, and a cut filter that outputs light from the light source to the crystal body, The skin treatment device according to claim 1 , wherein a light-transmitting adhesive is filled between the crystal body and the cut filter, or a light-transmitting sheet material is inserted between the crystal body and the cut filter.

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