Magnetic Core Leg Geometry for Cooler Continuous Stimulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional magnetic stimulation devices face challenges in maintaining a surface temperature below 43°C due to heat generation, especially in smaller devices used for rehabilitation, which limits the number of pulses and magnetic flux density, making it difficult to achieve continuous effective stimulation without overheating.
Innovation Solution
The magnetic stimulation device features a unique magnetic core design with sloping legs and a cooling mechanism, including a casing with cooling spaces, and conductors wound in a specific layered structure to reduce temperature rise and maintain magnetic flux density, allowing for continuous stimulation without exceeding safety limits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If a large current is supplied to the coil to generate effective magnetic flux for magnetic stimulation, then the magnetic flux density increases and stimulation effectiveness improves, but significant heat generation occurs in the coil causing temperature rise that limits continuous operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful heat generated by coil resistance into a beneficial cooling effect by introducing a cooling fluid through a cooling chamber. The heat that would otherwise limit continuous operation is now managed through controlled thermal exchange, allowing sustained high-power magnetic stimulation without dangerous temperature accumulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a cooling fluid as an intermediary substance between the heat-generating coil and the surrounding environment. This fluid acts as a heat transfer medium, absorbing excess thermal energy from the coil and transporting it away, thereby enabling continuous high-power operation without direct thermal damage to the device or patient.
2Ease of operation
If the device size is reduced for portability and patient comfort, then ease of operation improves, but heat dissipation capability decreases leading to faster temperature rise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent nests the cooling fluid passage and cooling chamber within the compact device structure, integrating the thermal management system into the existing device architecture. This nested arrangement allows effective heat dissipation without increasing the overall device footprint, maintaining portability while managing thermal loads from high-power operation.
3Productivity
If the number of magnetic pulses is increased to enhance rehabilitation effectiveness, then treatment efficacy improves, but cumulative heat generation increases causing temperature to exceed safety limits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables continuous magnetic stimulation by implementing an active cooling system that operates throughout the treatment session. The cooling fluid continuously removes heat as pulses are delivered, allowing the therapeutic process to proceed without interruption or temperature-related safety breaks, thereby maximizing the number of deliverable pulses within the treatment time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful cumulative heat effect of repeated pulses into a manageable thermal exchange process. By introducing the cooling fluid, the heat that would otherwise accumulate and limit pulse number is transformed into a controlled thermal flow, enabling extended treatment sessions with high pulse counts while maintaining surface temperature below safety thresholds.
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 effectively suppresses temperature rise and maintains consistent magnetic flux density, enabling longer and more effective magnetic stimulation sessions while ensuring patient safety, even in smaller devices, by reducing eddy currents and enhancing cooling efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
when a pulse current is supplied to a coil placed near the surface of a body to cause the coil to generate a magnetic flux
Implementation Method 2
EP 3 332 837 A1 discloses a system including a magnetic field generating device created using a powdered ferromagnetic
Implementation Method 3
JP 2016-28640 A discloses a technique for air-cooling a magnetic stimulation device so as to suppress a temperature rise of a coil and a magnetic core caused by heat generation during current supply
Implementation Method 4
JP 2016-28640 A discloses a technique for air-cooling a magnetic stimulation device
Implementation Method 5
when a pulse current is supplied to a coil placed near the surface of a body to cause the coil to generate a magnetic flux
Implementation Method 6
a current is induced in the body by the magnetic flux and the induced current stimulates the nerves to activate the muscles
Data Source
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AI summary
It is an object of the present invention to make practical use of a magnetic stimulation device, regardless of whether it is large or small in size, that can suppress a temperature rise caused by heat generation during current supply below a safety standard and thus allows continuous magnetic stimulation to be applied many times. A magnetic stimulation device A includes a magnetic core 2, conductors 1b, 1c (1b', 1c'), and a casing 4. The magnetic core 2 includes a core body 2a and first and second legs 2b, 2c extending in one direction from the core body 2a. The conductors 1b, 1c (1b', 1c') are respectively wound in a coil shape around the first leg 2b and the second leg 2c. The casing 4 is a container for housing the magnetic core 2 and the conductors 1b, 1c. The first and second legs 2b, 2c of the magnetic core 2 each have such a shape that a cross-sectional area Sb, Sc of the leg parallel to a plane K passing horizontally through both of the legs 2b, 2c gradually decreases from a base 2k, 21 of the leg near the core body 2a to a tip 2s, 2t of the leg.