Medical Cooling Device Segmented Temperature Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical cooling technologies face challenges in precisely controlling temperature for effective anesthesia, pain relief, and lesion treatment due to high heat capacity of body tissues and inefficiencies in cooling methods, particularly in dermatology for lesion removal and ocular anesthesia.
Innovation Solution
A cooling device that sprays a coolant from a reservoir, featuring a spraying unit, valve for flow regulation, and a control unit to manage two cooling modes, allowing precise temperature control and minimizing normal cell destruction, with a temperature sensor to monitor the target region and adjust coolant flow accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a coolant is sprayed to cool body tissues, then the cooling efficiency is improved, but the temperature control precision deteriorates due to high heat capacity of body tissues
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling process is divided into two distinct modes: a first cooling mode for rapid temperature reduction and a second cooling mode for maintaining temperature within a predetermined range. This segmentation allows the system to achieve both high cooling efficiency and precise temperature control by transitioning between different cooling intensities based on the current temperature state.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit dynamically adjusts the valve opening time and cooling intensity based on real-time temperature feedback from the temperature sensor. The system transitions from aggressive cooling when the target temperature is not yet reached to gentle maintenance cooling when the target temperature range is achieved, enabling adaptive temperature control that overcomes the high heat capacity of body tissues.
2Speed
If the coolant flow is increased to cool the target region faster, then the cooling speed is improved, but the risk of excessive cooling and normal cell destruction increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs a temperature sensor to continuously monitor the temperature of the detection region (which includes the coldest site in the target region) and provides real-time feedback to the control unit. Based on this feedback, the control unit adjusts the valve opening time and coolant flow rate, reducing the opening time when the detection region temperature reaches the predetermined threshold, thereby preventing excessive cooling and protecting normal cells.
Solution Approach 2:
The temperature sensor specifically monitors the detection region, which is defined as the region to which coolant is sprayed and includes the site with the lowest temperature in the target region. This localized monitoring allows the system to precisely control cooling at the most vulnerable area while maintaining safety margins for surrounding normal tissues.
3Measurement precision
If a temperature sensor is added to monitor the target region temperature, then the temperature control precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature sensor utilizes infrared detection to measure temperature without physical contact with the target region. This non-contact measurement approach simplifies the overall system design by eliminating the need for complex thermal coupling mechanisms or invasive temperature probes, while still achieving precise temperature monitoring of the detection region.
4Reliability
If the valve opening time is reduced to prevent excessive cooling, then the safety is improved, but the cooling efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit implements periodic adjustment of the valve opening time based on temperature feedback. During the first cooling mode, the valve opens for longer durations to achieve rapid cooling. When the detection region temperature approaches the predetermined threshold, the system transitions to the second cooling mode with reduced opening times to maintain temperature stability, thereby achieving both safety and efficiency through time-varying control.
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 achieves stable and precise cooling protocols for various clinical effects, enhancing anesthesia and immune activation while minimizing pain and normal cell damage, and is portable and efficient in coolant usage.
Implementation Method 1
a temperature sensor configured to convert an intensity of infrared rays emitted from a detection region into heat and detect the converted heat to check an average temperature of the detection region
Implementation Method 2
A cooling device and a cooling method using a coolant... capable of spraying a coolant received from a coolant reservoir toward a target region to cool the target region
Implementation Method 3
spraying unit configured to spray the coolant toward the target region
Data Source
AI summary
This application relates to a cooling device that sprays a coolant received from a coolant reservoir toward a target region to cool the target region. In one aspect, the cooling device includes a spraying unit from which the coolant is sprayed, a valve configured to regulate a flow of the coolant, and a control unit configured to control opening and closing of the valve, wherein, when cooling starts. The control unit controls a first cooling mode in which a temperature of the target region is decreased and a second cooling mode in which the temperature of the target region is maintained in a predetermined temperature range to be sequentially performed.