Detachable Plasma Source for Hygienic Body Surface Treatment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plasma devices for treating body surfaces, such as skin and wounds, face challenges in maintaining precise distance and ensuring hygiene, as parts that come into contact with the treated surface can become non-sterile and are not easily cleaned or exchanged between uses.
Innovation Solution
A plasma device with a detachable spacer and plasma source, allowing for easy adjustment of distance and independent cleaning or sterilization, where the spacer is designed for single-use and the plasma source can be detached for thorough disinfection, ensuring hygiene and preventing cross-contamination between patients.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the plasma device uses integrated components for body surface treatment, then the device structure is simpler, but it becomes difficult to clean and sterilize parts that come into contact with the treated surface
Solution Approach 1:
The plasma device is divided into separate components: a reusable main body containing electronic components and a detachable plasma source with treatment components. This segmentation allows the plasma source to be easily removed for cleaning and sterilization while keeping the main body intact, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and ease of maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The plasma source, which comes into direct contact with the treated body surface, is extracted as a separate detachable component from the main device body. This extraction enables independent cleaning and sterilization of the plasma source using methods like autoclaving or chemical disinfection, which would be impossible if the components were integrated.
2Ease of operation
If the plasma device maintains fixed distance between plasma source and body surface, then positioning is simpler, but it cannot adapt to different treatment requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The distance between the plasma source and the body surface is made adjustable rather than fixed. The device incorporates a positioning mechanism that allows the plasma source to be moved to different distances, enabling adaptation to various treatment requirements while maintaining ease of operation through a user-friendly adjustment interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The plasma device is designed with multi-functional capability to handle different treatment scenarios. By combining an adjustable positioning system with detachable plasma sources that can be configured for different applications, the device achieves versatility across various treatment distances and conditions while keeping the operational interface simple.
3Volume of moving object
If the plasma source is permanently attached to the main body, then the device is more compact, but the plasma source cannot be easily cleaned or sterilized between uses on different patients
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into a main body and a detachable plasma source. This segmentation allows the plasma source to be separated for thorough cleaning and sterilization between patient treatments, ensuring hygiene reliability while maintaining a compact overall device design when components are assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The plasma source is designed as a disposable or single-use component that can be discarded after a certain number of uses or after sterilization limits are reached. This approach ensures hygiene between uses by eliminating cross-contamination risks, while the reusable main body maintains compactness. The disposable nature of the plasma source simplifies infection control protocols.
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
The device operates hygienically and safely, allowing for precise treatment with non-thermal plasma while maintaining the hygiene of the device components, ensuring effective sterilization and disinfection between uses.
Implementation Method 1
a non-thermal plasma generated by the plasma device has positive effects on wounds through its sterilizing/disinfecting properties
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a plasma device (1) for treating body surfaces, comprising a main body (3) that can be held in the hand, on which a plasma source (5) is arranged, which is designed for generating a non-thermal plasma, and comprising a spacer which is designed to define, when installed, a distance between the plasma source (5) and a body surface to be treated, wherein the spacer (7) can be detachably connected to the main body (3) and/or to the plasma source (5), and wherein the plasma source (5) can be detachably connected to the main body (3).