Energy-based device comprising recessed roller electrode

Abstract

This energy-based device, according to the present invention, comprises: a head unit in which an electrode for applying electrical stimulation to a human body is disposed; and a main body unit in which a driving circuit for generating an electrical signal to be applied to the electrode is accommodated. The electrode is formed as a cylindrical roller and has both ends, which face each other, mounted on the head unit such that the curved surface freely rolls on the surface of the user's skin.

Description

Energy-based device including recessed roller electrodes

[0001] The present invention relates to an energy-based device.

[0002] Recently, Energy Based Devices (EBDs) are being widely used for medical or cosmetic purposes. An Energy Based Device (EBD) refers to a device that applies various types of energy to the human body for use in skin care and medical treatment. For example, by using an EBD to facilitate the absorption of active ingredients contained in drugs or cosmetics into the human skin, effects such as regeneration, wrinkle improvement, whitening, moisturization, and hair loss treatment can be enhanced.

[0003] Transdermal Drug Delivery (TDD) using EBD is a method for delivering active ingredients into the skin by administering drugs through the skin, utilizing techniques such as electroporation, iontophoresis, arc discharge aponeurosis, microneedle therapy, and sonophoresis. Among these, electroporation, iontophoresis, and arc discharge aponeurosis allow for the control of skin absorption promotion of active substances by varying the parameter values ​​of the electrical signals (voltage, current, and frequency) used. Furthermore, the electrical stimulation itself—such as microcurrents, high voltage, low frequency, high frequency, and pulsed electric fields output from EBD—can also exhibit effects such as regeneration, whitening, wound healing, and pain relief.

[0004] Meanwhile, conventional skin care devices utilizing arc discharge promote drug absorption by creating perforations in the keratin of the skin through electrical stimulation applied via the electrode when the electrode-equipped head is brought into contact with the skin. Here, when the electrode approaches the user's skin and is within the dielectric breakdown distance, an arc discharge occurs, melting the keratin with high heat. Since a distance greater than the dielectric breakdown distance is required between the skin and the electrode to induce an arc discharge, there is the inconvenience of the user having to perform sweeping, brushing, and tapping while a single electrode is in contact with the skin. Consequently, the areas where arc discharge occurs on the user's skin surface are irregular, making it difficult to form micropores uniformly. In particular, there is the inconvenience of the user having to exercise special caution because they must maintain a certain distance while the electrode is in close contact with the skin during the procedure.

[0005] [Prior Art Literature]

[0006] [Patent Document] (Patent Document 1) KR 10-2389659 B

[0007] The present invention aims to solve the problems of the aforementioned prior art by providing an easy-to-use energy-based device that can uniformly form micropores on the application area when an arc perforation skin care device is used on a user's skin, and allows the user to perform the procedure while maintaining the gap between the electrode and the skin required for arc perforation simply by rolling the electrode over the skin.

[0008] Furthermore, another objective of the present invention is to provide an energy-based device comprising a roller electrode structure that can reduce costs by improving productivity in forming an electrode installed in a head portion.

[0009] The objectives of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned objectives will be clearly understood from the description below.

[0010] An energy-based device according to the present invention comprises: a head portion having electrodes arranged thereon for applying electrical stimulation to a human body; and a main body portion having a driving circuit that generates an electrical signal applied to the electrodes. The electrodes are formed in a cylindrical shape and are formed as roller electrodes with opposing ends mounted on the head portion so that the circumferential surface can roll freely on the surface of a user's skin.

[0011] Herein, the roller electrode comprises: a cylindrical electrode having a cylindrical shape with a cylindrical surface formed thereon; a bracket electrically in contact with the cylindrical electrode; and a conductive bearing member to which the bracket is coupled and which is rotatably installed; wherein an insulating film is disposed on the surface of the cylindrical electrode, the insulating film having a plurality of exposed portions that expose a portion of the cylindrical surface of the cylindrical electrode.

[0012] In addition, when the direction parallel to the rotation axis of the roller electrode is called a row and the rolling direction of the roller electrode is called a column, the exposed portion is characterized by being formed in a matrix shape having a plurality of rows and columns.

[0013] Furthermore, the above-mentioned exposure portion may be formed such that an exposure portion placed in one column is stepped in the row direction relative to an exposure portion placed in an adjacent column.

[0014] According to the present invention, a user can uniformly form micropores simply by rolling a roller electrode provided in the head portion of a skin care device onto the skin, thereby preventing the formation of micropores that are locally dense. Furthermore, since the user can perform the procedure solely by rolling the roller electrode, it is easy to use. In addition, the roller electrode according to the present invention has a structure that facilitates mass production, which is advantageous for cost reduction.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an energy-based device according to the present invention.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a drawing illustrating a roller electrode applicable to an energy-based device according to the present invention.

[0017] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a roller electrode according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the path through which an electrical signal is applied in a roller electrode according to the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the arcporation phenomenon occurring on the skin surface when a procedure is performed using a roller electrode according to the present invention.

[0020] FIG. 6 is a drawing illustrating the arrangement of an opening formed in an insulating film in a roller electrode according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] An energy-based device according to the present invention comprises: a head portion having electrodes arranged thereon for applying electrical stimulation to a human body; and a main body portion having a driving circuit that generates an electrical signal applied to the electrodes. The electrodes are formed in a cylindrical shape and are formed as roller electrodes with opposing ends mounted on the head portion so that the circumferential surface can roll freely on the surface of a user's skin.

[0022] Herein, the roller electrode comprises: a cylindrical electrode having a cylindrical shape with a cylindrical surface formed thereon; a bracket electrically in contact with the cylindrical electrode; and a conductive bearing member to which the bracket is coupled and which is rotatably installed; wherein an insulating film is disposed on the surface of the cylindrical electrode, the insulating film having a plurality of exposed portions that expose a portion of the cylindrical surface of the cylindrical electrode.

[0023] In addition, when the direction parallel to the rotation axis of the roller electrode is called a row and the rolling direction of the roller electrode is called a column, the exposed portion is characterized by being formed in a matrix shape having a plurality of rows and columns.

[0024] Furthermore, the above-mentioned exposure portion may be formed such that an exposure portion placed in one column is stepped in the row direction relative to an exposure portion placed in an adjacent column.

[0025] The present invention is capable of various modifications and may have various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that it includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0026] In describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of related prior art could unnecessarily obscure the essence of the invention, such detailed description is omitted. Furthermore, numbers used in the description of this specification (e.g., first, second, etc.) are merely identifiers to distinguish one component from another.

[0027] In addition, the following description will focus on examples in which an energy-based device including a roller electrode according to the present invention is used as an arcporation device, but is not necessarily limited thereto, and can be applied to various energy-based devices such as electroporators, electroiontophoresis devices, microcurrent devices, low-frequency stimulators, high-frequency stimulators, pulsed electric field stimulators, or devices thereof that apply electrical signals to the surface of a patient's skin.

[0028] Then, specific details for implementing the present invention will be explained with reference to the attached drawings.

[0029] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an energy-based device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a recessed roller electrode applied to an energy-based device according to the present invention.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 1, in an energy-based device according to the present invention, a roller electrode (200) is disposed in the head portion (120), and a driving circuit that generates an electrical signal to be applied to the roller electrode (200) may be embedded in the main body portion (110). In addition, a control button (111) for a user to operate the device according to the present invention may be provided in the main body portion (110). The user may operate the driving circuit by operating the control button (111) while holding the main body portion (110) with their hand. The driving circuit embedded in the main body portion (110) generates an electrical signal to be applied to the roller electrode (200) and may include, for example, an arc discharge circuit that generates high voltage, a power supply circuit that supplies power, etc. Furthermore, it may include a control circuit that controls various circuits according to a signal input through the control button (111). In addition, a battery that can be charged via an external adapter may be accommodated in the main body portion (110). Additionally, a roller electrode (200) is installed in the head portion (120) so that it can rotate freely. The user uses the device by rolling the roller electrode (200) on the surface of the skin to be treated while holding the main body portion (110).

[0031] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a roller electrode (200). As shown in FIG. 2, the roller electrode (200) is formed in a cylindrical shape, and its opposing ends are installed on the head portion (120) so that they can freely rotate, allowing the circumferential surface to roll freely on the surface of the user's skin. That is, the roller electrode (200) is installed so that it can freely rotate in the rolling direction (R) with respect to an axis (X) mounted on the head portion (120).

[0032] FIG. 3 shows an exploded view to explain each component constituting the roller electrode (200) described above and the connection state thereof. As shown in FIG. 3, the roller electrode (200) may be composed of a cylindrical electrode (210) having a cylindrical surface (211) formed thereon, a bracket (250) that is electrically in contact with the cylindrical electrode (210), and a conductive bearing member (240) to which the bracket (250) is coupled and which is rotatably installed. Additionally, the surface of the cylindrical electrode (210) is characterized by having an insulating film (220) formed with a plurality of exposed portions (221) that expose a portion of the cylindrical surface (211) of the cylindrical electrode. Here, the insulating film (220) may be formed from an electrically insulating material that is harmless to the human body and has little foreignness, such as PVC or silicone. Additionally, the exposed portion (221) can be formed by opening a part of the insulating film (220) through punching.

[0033] To explain in more detail, the cylindrical electrode (210) is supported by a support frame (230) disposed on its inner side. The support frame (230) is preferably formed of an electrically insulating synthetic resin material. At both ends of the support frame (230), a seating groove (231) is provided for a bearing member (240) to be seated. Additionally, the bearing member (240) is fitted into a bracket (250), and is electrically connected to the bracket (250) by an inner connection lead (252). Furthermore, the outer connection lead (251) is electrically connected to the inner surface of the cylindrical electrode (210) through a slit (232) formed in the support frame (230). With the insulating film (220) placed on the circumferential surface (211), a support frame (230) is placed inside the circumferential electrode (210), and then a bracket (250) and a bearing member (240) are installed at both ends thereof, and then both ends are finished with a cover (260). After that, the roller electrode (200) can be completed by press-fitting the tip (271) of the contact terminal (270) into the inner hole (241) of the bearing (240) through the through hole provided in the cover (260). Here, the bearing member (240) can be manufactured in a form in which a ball is placed between the outer shell and the inner shell, the tip (271) of the contact terminal (270) is press-fitted into the inner hole (241) of the inner shell, and an inner connection lead (252) is connected to the outside of the outer shell. The outer shell, ball, and inner shell constituting the bearing member (240) can all be formed from an electrically conductive metal material. FIG. 3 illustrates the assembly state of each bearing member (240), bracket (250), and contact terminal (270) at one end of the roller electrode (200), but the bearing member, bracket, and contact terminal can be assembled in the same structure at the other end as well.

[0034] FIG. 4 schematically illustrates the path through which an electrical signal is applied from a roller electrode (200). As shown in FIG. 4, an electrical signal applied from a driving circuit embedded in the main body (110) is transmitted to a circumferential electrode (210) via a contact terminal (270), a bearing member (240), and a bracket (250). Additionally, a wire (280) connected to one side contact terminal (270) is connected to receive an electrical signal from the driving circuit, and a wire (280a) connected to the other side contact terminal may be grounded for use. All of these components forming the electrical signal system may be formed from an electrically conductive material, or may be formed by coating an electrically conductive metal layer on the surface of a synthetic resin material.

[0035] Referring to FIG. 5, when performing a procedure using an energy-based device equipped with the aforementioned roller electrode (200), an electrode adjacent to the user's skin surface approaches a distance (BD) at which dielectric breakdown can occur due to the rolling motion of the roller electrode (200), thereby causing an arc discharge. At this time, an insulating film (220) is formed on the circumferential surface (211) of the cylindrical electrode (210), and the thickness of the insulating film (220) can be appropriately selected according to the magnitude of the applied voltage that can be applied by the driving circuit. For example, the thickness of the insulating film can be set to approximately 30 KV / cm. The thickness of the insulating film (220) is set to match the dielectric breakdown distance (BD) determined by the applied voltage. When a portion of the circumferential surface (211) exposed by the exposed portion (221) formed in the insulating film (220) approaches the skin surface during the rolling motion of the roller electrode (200) on the skin surface, it approaches the dielectric breakdown distance, causing an arc discharge (ARC) to occur. Consequently, micropores (MP) are formed in the keratin of the skin. At this time, since the exposed portion (221) is formed at a predetermined position in the insulating film (220), the position where the circumferential electrode (210) exposed by the exposed portion (221) approaches the skin can be formed uniformly. Therefore, by using an energy-based device equipped with a roller electrode (200) according to the present invention, micropores can be formed uniformly simply by rolling the roller electrode (200) on the skin. In the case of conventional arc pore devices, while the user performs sweeping, brushing, tapping, etc., arc discharge may not occur at a constant location, and thus micropores may be generated irregularly. However, the device according to the present invention can cause arc discharge to occur regularly at a constant location through the rolling motion of the rolling electrode (220), thereby enabling the uniform formation of micropores on the user's skin surface.

[0036] In the above-described drawing, the exposed portion (221) formed on the insulating film (220) is shown to be formed in a matrix shape having a plurality of rows and columns, where the direction parallel to the rotation axis (X) of the roller electrode (200) is called a row, and the rolling direction (R) of the roller electrode (200) is called a column. By appropriately forming the spacing and number of the exposed portions (221), the positions of the micropores can be formed uniformly.

[0037] Additionally, the exposed portion (221) can be formed such that the exposed portion in one row is stepped relative to the exposed portion in an adjacent row. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the position of the micropores can be controlled more uniformly by causing arc discharges to occur sequentially (1 to 5) on the exposed surface of the cylindrical electrode (210) that is close to the skin through the exposed portion formed with steps relative to the row direction (X).

[0038] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described so far, those skilled in the art may implement the invention in modified forms without departing from the essential characteristics of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments of the present invention described herein should be considered in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims rather than the description above, and all variations within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the present invention.

Claims

1. An energy-based device comprising: a head portion having electrodes disposed thereon for applying electrical stimulation to a human body; and a main body portion housing a driving circuit that generates an electrical signal applied to the electrodes. The above electrode is formed in a cylindrical shape and is formed as a roller electrode with opposing ends mounted on the head portion so that the circumferential surface rolls freely on the surface of the user's skin. The roller electrode comprises: a cylindrical electrode having a cylindrical shape with a circumferential surface formed thereon; a bracket electrically in contact with the cylindrical electrode; and a conductive bearing member to which the bracket is coupled and which is rotatably installed. An energy-based device characterized by having an insulating film disposed on the surface of the above-mentioned cylindrical electrode, the insulating film having a plurality of exposed portions that expose a portion of the circumferential surface of the above-mentioned cylindrical electrode.

2. In Paragraph 1, An energy-based device characterized in that, when a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the roller electrode is called a row and the rolling direction of the roller electrode is called a column, the exposed portion is formed in a matrix shape having a plurality of rows and columns.

3. In Paragraph 2, An energy-based device characterized in that the above-described exposure portion is formed such that the exposure portion in one column is stepped in the row direction relative to the exposure portion in an adjacent column.

4. A roller electrode usable in an energy-based device comprising: a head portion having electrodes disposed thereon for applying electrical stimulation to a human body; and a main body portion housing a driving circuit that generates an electrical signal applied to the electrodes; A cylindrical electrode having a cylindrical shape with a cylindrical surface formed thereon; a bracket electrically in contact with the cylindrical electrode; and a conductive bearing member to which the bracket is coupled and which is rotatably installed; comprising A roller electrode characterized by having an insulating film disposed on the surface of the above-mentioned cylindrical electrode, the insulating film having a plurality of exposed portions that expose a portion of the circumferential surface of the above-mentioned cylindrical electrode.

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