Modular Plasma Electrode Control for Variable Treatment Areas
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plasma treatment arrangements face challenges in adapting the size of the electrode unit's contact face to varying surfaces, particularly on living bodies, leading to inconsistent plasma intensity and potential damage due to manual power adjustments.
Innovation Solution
A control unit with a device to determine the reduced contact face size and adjust power output accordingly, ensuring consistent plasma intensity across different surface sizes by using detection methods or coded sections to identify the electrode unit's dimensions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the electrode unit is designed with a fixed large contact face for large-area treatment, then large surfaces can be treated effectively, but the electrode unit cannot adapt to smaller surfaces such as wound areas on living bodies
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode unit is divided into multiple separable sections that can be detached and reconfigured. Each section contains its own electrode and dielectric barrier segments, allowing the contact face area to be reduced by removing unnecessary sections while maintaining functional integrity for treating surfaces of varying sizes.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrode unit is designed with dynamic reconfigurability, allowing the contact face area to be changed during operation by detaching or attaching sections. This enables adaptation from a large contact face for extensive surfaces to a reduced contact face for smaller wound areas, making the system versatile across different application scenarios.
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual power adjustment is used to adapt to different surface sizes, then some adaptability is achieved, but inconsistent plasma intensity and potential surface damage occur due to imprecise manual adjustments
Solution Approach 1:
A detection device automatically determines the actual contact face area of the electrode unit configuration, and a control device uses this information to automatically adjust the power supply parameters. This closed-loop feedback system ensures consistent plasma intensity per unit area regardless of the contact face size, eliminating the inconsistency caused by manual power adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The plasma treatment arrangement performs self-adjustment of power parameters based on its own configuration state. The detection and control devices enable the system to automatically adapt to different contact face areas without requiring external manual intervention, ensuring reliable and consistent plasma generation across various configurations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If numerous sizes of electrode units are produced to fit all surface sizes, then good fit for all surfaces is achieved, but manufacturing costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of manufacturing multiple complete electrode units in different sizes, the system manufactures a standardized electrode unit divided into modular sections. These sections can be combined in different quantities to create effective electrode units of various sizes, significantly reducing the number of unique manufacturing processes required while maintaining the ability to fit different surface areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular sections are designed with universal interfaces and standardized dimensions, allowing the same basic components to serve multiple functions across different configurations. A single section design can be used in various combinations to treat different surface sizes, eliminating the need for specialized manufacturing for each size category.
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
Ensures consistent plasma intensity per unit area, preventing ineffective plasma formation or surface damage by automatically adjusting power based on the adapted contact face size.
Implementation Method 1
a plasma treatment arrangement for carrying out a dielectric barrier plasma discharge on a surface to be treated
Data Source
AI summary
In a plasma treatment arrangement for carrying out dielectrically impeded plasma discharge onto a surface to be treated having a flat electrode unit (4) which has a treatment side, and a control unit (11) which supplies at least one electrode (19) of the electrode unit (4) with a high-voltage AC potential for a power which is required for plasma generation between the at least one electrode (19) and a counterelectrode which forms a reference potential, wherein the at least one electrode (19) which receives the high-voltage AC potential is shielded with a flat dielectric (7), at least on the treatment side, and wherein the flat electrode unit is designed to reduce the size of its support area on the surface to be treated for the purpose of adaptation to the size of the surface to be treated, the adaptation of the support area of the flat electrode unit (4) becomes possible in an unproblematical manner on account of the control unit (11) having a device (14) for determining the size of the adapted support area and a control device for adjusting the power to be output to the at least one electrode (19) in accordance with the determined size of the support area.