RF Roller Skin Treatment System for Wrinkle Contraction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing radio-frequency (RF) skin treatment technologies face challenges in maintaining consistent contact between electrodes and skin, leading to potential overheating, underheating, and painful discharges, particularly when treating elongated skin features like wrinkles and fine lines, due to varying contact conditions and stick-slip motion.

Innovation Solution

A system featuring a rotatable roller with RF electrodes that maintains continuous contact with the skin surface, preventing discharges by ensuring direct mechanical contact and using a controller and sensor to detect skin contact and adjust energy application, allowing for controlled treatment of large areas and varying skin contours.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If a roller with RF electrode is used to treat skin, then treatment area and productivity are improved, but maintaining consistent contact between electrode and skin becomes difficult leading to varying contact conditions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetreatment areaVSAvoidcontact consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The roller is designed to be rotatable about an axis of rotation, allowing it to dynamically adapt to skin contours and maintain continuous contact. The rotation mechanism enables the electrode to follow skin surface variations while treating large areas, resolving the contradiction between productivity and contact consistency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The roller employs a curved cylindrical surface that naturally conforms to skin contours. This spherical/curved geometry allows the electrode to maintain consistent contact across varying skin topographies while covering extensive treatment areas through rolling motion.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

2Reliability

If the roller rotates over skin surface, then continuous contact is maintained, but stick-slip motion occurs causing painful discharges

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontinuous contactVSAvoidpainful discharges

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system incorporates vibration mechanisms that oscillate the roller at high frequencies, eliminating stick-slip motion between the electrode and skin. This continuous micro-vibration ensures smooth rolling contact without intermittent separation that would cause discharges.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #18Mechanical vibration

Solution Approach 2:

A feedback system with sensors detects contact conditions in real-time and adjusts roller rotation speed and RF energy delivery accordingly. When contact is detected, the system modulates parameters to prevent discharge conditions, ensuring safe continuous treatment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Temperature

If RF energy is applied to heat skin tissue, then skin tightening and rejuvenation are achieved, but improper positioning or dosing causes under- or overheating

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveskin tissue heatingVSAvoidenergy dosing accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system employs feedback control where sensors continuously monitor skin temperature and RF energy delivery. The controller adjusts energy dosing in real-time based on detected temperature, ensuring precise heating within the therapeutic range and preventing both under- and overheating conditions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces manual positioning and dosing control with automated sensor-based systems. Optical or thermal sensors detect skin characteristics and treatment progress, allowing precise energy delivery without operator skill variation, thereby improving dosing accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

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 solution ensures safe and effective skin tightening and rejuvenation by maintaining consistent energy delivery, preventing tissue ablation and discomfort, while allowing for precise control over treatment area and force, effectively addressing the limitations of existing RF skin treatment methods.

Implementation Method 1

Application of electromagnetic energy at radio frequencies (RF energy) to heat the skin tissue has proven to be very effective

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectRadio-frequency heating: Dielectric Heating

Implementation Method 2

Dermal collagen contracts when it is heated at temperatures approximately between 60°C and 70°C, and it denatures at higher temperatures

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal contraction: Thermal Contraction

Data Source

PatentEP2892610B1Radio -frequency system for skin treatment including a roller with an electrode

Publication Date: 2022.07.06 KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS NV

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AI summary

A method of treating a skin tissue relief feature (3) in mammalian, in particular human, skin tissue (1) is provided. The method comprises the steps of: determining a perimeter (4) of the relief feature and inducing contraction of skin tissue areas (5) present on opposite sides of the relief feature in positions adjacent to respective portions of the perimeter in a direction of contraction substantially parallel to a skin surface and substantially normal to the respective portions of the perimeter. A system is also provided comprising a radio-frequency source (9) and an applicator with a roller.