Annular Coil Electrical Stimulator to Minimize Skin Damage
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current electrical stimulators for treating bone fractures, osteoporosis, and injuries are either too invasive, cause skin damage, or require prolonged treatment times, especially for elderly patients, and often involve physical pain or discomfort.
Innovation Solution
An electrical stimulator featuring a base wire with a core wire and an outer winding wire, coated with insulating films, wound in a spiral or helical configuration to minimize skin contact and facilitate easy attachment and detachment, with a support member to maintain the annular shape and control parameters like current, time, and frequency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electrodes are directly adhered to the skin for cancer treatment, then electrical stimulation can be applied effectively, but skin damage such as inflammation and dermatitis occurs in approximately 20% of patients
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible coil is introduced as an intermediary component between the power source and the patient's body. The coil generates a magnetic field that penetrates the body without requiring direct skin contact with electrodes, thereby maintaining electrical stimulation effectiveness while eliminating skin damage caused by electrode adhesion
2Object-affected harmful factors
If PEMF treatment is performed using a flexible coil, then skin damage is avoided, but only magnetic stimulation can be applied to the affected part resulting in longer recovery periods
Solution Approach 1:
The device merges both magnetic field generation (via flexible coil) and electrical field generation (via electrode array) into a single integrated system. This allows simultaneous application of both magnetic and electrical stimulation to the affected part, avoiding the extended recovery period associated with using only magnetic stimulation while still preventing skin damage through the flexible coil design
3Productivity
If screw type electrodes are embedded inside the body, then electric current can flow directly through the affected region achieving speedier recovery, but physical pain and surgical burden are imposed on the patient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical invasion of embedded screw electrodes with a non-invasive flexible coil system. The flexible coil generates a magnetic field that induces electrical current in the affected region without requiring physical penetration or surgical embedding, thereby achieving speedier recovery through direct current flow while completely eliminating the physical pain and surgical burden
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design reduces treatment time, minimizes skin damage, and provides a more comfortable and efficient method for electrical stimulation, suitable for elderly patients by allowing easier attachment and reducing physical burden.
Implementation Method 1
an electrical stimulator that applies an electrical stimulation to a living body
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical stimulator is provided including: a base wire configured with a core wire and an outer winding wire wound around the core wire with the core wire serving as a winding axis. The core wire is entirely coated by an insulating film, and an annulus is formed by spiraling or looping the base wire. One end of the core wire is electrically connected to one end of the outer winding wire. The other end of the core wire is connected to a first terminal of an external circuit. Further, the other end of the outer winding wire is connected to a second terminal of the external circuit. Thus, the annulus can apply an electrical stimulation to a living body.