Multi-Electrode RF Treatment Tip with Integrated Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional high frequency treatment devices are limited in treating large areas of tissue due to the constrained surface area of their electrodes, which restricts the speed and efficiency of procedures.
Innovation Solution
The use of a treatment apparatus with multiple electrically-isolated electrodes that can be sequentially energized and cooled, allowing for the delivery of high frequency energy to larger tissue areas without moving the treatment tip, utilizing a heat transfer member and fluid cooling system to manage temperature and prevent thermal damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If conventional single electrode treatment tips are used, then the device structure is simple, but the treatment area is limited and procedure speed is slow
Solution Approach 1:
The treatment tip is segmented into multiple electrically-isolated electrodes (e.g., four electrodes arranged in a grid pattern) instead of using a single large electrode. Each electrode can be independently controlled and energized, allowing the system to treat larger tissue areas by activating multiple electrodes simultaneously or sequentially, thereby resolving the contradiction between increased treatment area and device complexity.
2Productivity
If multiple electrodes are used to treat larger areas, then treatment speed improves, but thermal management becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple cooling channels are merged into a single integrated cooling system that delivers coolant to the back surface of the treatment tip, where it cools multiple electrodes simultaneously through a common heat transfer member. This merging approach enables efficient thermal management of multiple electrodes without proportionally increasing system complexity, thus supporting faster treatment speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
A heat transfer member (such as a cooling block or thermal conductor) is introduced as an intermediary between the coolant and the multiple electrodes. This intermediary component efficiently distributes thermal energy away from all electrodes through thermal conduction, simplifying the cooling architecture while maintaining effective temperature control across the entire multi-electrode array.
3Area of moving object
If electrode surface area is increased, then more tissue can be treated at once, but the electrical load on the generator increases
Solution Approach 1:
The total electrode surface area is segmented into multiple smaller, electrically-isolated electrodes rather than one large electrode. This segmentation allows the high frequency generator to deliver energy to multiple electrodes simultaneously at reduced individual power levels, distributing the total electrical load across multiple channels and preventing overload while maintaining large total treatment area.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs periodic or pulsed energization of multiple electrodes in controlled sequences or simultaneous patterns, rather than continuous high-power delivery to a single electrode. This periodic action allows the generator to manage electrical load more effectively by distributing energy delivery over time across multiple electrodes, reducing peak power demands while treating large tissue areas.
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 approach enables efficient treatment of larger tissue areas with reduced treatment time and improved thermal management, enhancing the speed and efficacy of non-invasive tissue treatments.
Implementation Method 1
a heat transfer member which acts as a heat sink and which contacts the electrodes. The heat transfer member contacts the electrodes in a relationship that promotes heat transfer between the electrodes and the heat transfer member
Implementation Method 2
the heat transfer member is positioned to receive the coolant discharged from the fluid delivery member
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus and methods for treating skin conditions that deliver high frequency energy across large tissue areas. The treatment apparatus comprises a treatment tip carrying a plurality of electrodes that are switched such that fewer than all of the electrodes are concurrently energized. The treatment tip includes a cooling mechanism that cools near-surface tissue regions disposed between the skin surface and the treated tissue by cooling the respective electrode that treats each of the regions. The cooling mechanism may include a heat transfer body intervening between the electrodes and a fluid delivery member configured to discharge coolant that impinges the heat transfer body. Alternatively, the cooling mechanism may include a fluid delivery member having individually valve-controlled passages configured to discharge a dedicated stream of coolant at each of the electrodes, a thermoelectric cooler, or a closed-loop fluid delivery member.