JPH0328953B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to improvement of laser output characteristics of a laser device, particularly a medical laser irradiation device.

[Prior Art] Application technology for lasers has been significantly developed in the medical field, and is used in surgeries using laser scalpels, diagnosis of cancer using laser endoscopes, and treatments using laser irradiation.

In the treatment of cancer and other diseases using laser irradiation, for example, in hollow organs such as the stomach, it is common to use an endoscope to confirm the location of the affected tissue and then apply laser irradiation.During normal treatment, laser irradiation is performed 40 to 70 times. is required.

However, in conventional therapeutic laser irradiation equipment, as is clear from the relationship between the operating state of the irradiation switch and the excitation lamp current and laser output shown in Figure 2, the irradiation switch is a switch that expands the discharge of the excitation lamp. Therefore, it takes time from turning on the irradiation switch to starting laser oscillation, and the delay time until the desired laser output is obtained cannot be ignored.

In other words, with conventional devices, if the tissue is constantly moving, such as in the stomach, the target may shift from the endoscope's confirmation of the affected area to the laser irradiation, making it difficult to obtain effective treatment. There are also problems such as damage to normal tissue.

Further, in conventional devices, since the pre-discharge current value is set high when energizing, the current consumption is large and the life of the excitation lamp is short, and furthermore, overshoot is likely to occur when the irradiation switch is turned on.

Purpose of the Invention The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and its purpose is to provide a therapeutic laser irradiation device that shortens the delay time from when the irradiation switch is turned on until stable laser output is obtained. It's about doing.

[Means and effects for solving the problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a photoelectric switch for detecting foot insertion in a foot switch operated by an operator, thereby detecting foot insertion. Detection starts the excitation of the laser medium and excites it to the point where it can oscillate, so the shutter opens and laser oscillation begins as soon as the operator flips the foot switch, reducing the delay time until the desired stable laser output is obtained. It is characterized by

[Embodiments] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a therapeutic laser irradiation device according to the present invention.

In the embodiment, a laser medium 10, an excitation lamp 12, a partial transmission mirror 14 and a total reflection mirror 16 as resonators, and a shutter 1 for limiting oscillation are used.
The shutter 1 is equipped with a laser oscillator 52 consisting of 8
8 is interlocked with the foot switch 24.

First, when the device in the embodiment is energized, the switch drive circuit 38 operates the switches 26, 46, 6.
2 is OFF and the switch 48 is ON, and the signal from the excitation lamp minimum discharge current setting signal generator 28 passes through the amplifier 32 to the excitation lamp power supply 34.
The discharge of the excitation lamp 12 is started, and a minimum discharge state is maintained.

Next, when the desired laser output value is set with the laser output setting dial 36 and the foot is inserted into the foot switch 24, the photoelectric switch 20, which is an insertion detector inside the foot switch 24, detects the insertion of the foot, and the switch is driven. The circuit 38 causes the switch 46,
62 is turned off, and switches 26 and 48 are turned on.

At this time, the photoelectric switch ON signal 40 is sent by detecting the insertion of the foot into the foot switch 24.
and the signal obtained from the laser output setting signal generator 42 via the excitation lamp preliminary current setting signal generator 44 according to the laser output setting, the boost current is added in consideration of overshoot prevention. This is done in a vessel 30.

Therefore, the discharge of the excitation lamp 12 is expanded from the low discharge state when energized to the point where the excitation of the laser medium 10 can generate laser oscillation.
Since the shutter 18, which operates in conjunction with the shutter 18, remains closed, laser oscillation is not started.

Furthermore, when the foot switch 24 is stepped on, the switch drive circuit 38 turns the switch 48 OFF and switches 26, 46, and 62 ON, as shown in FIG. 1.

When the foot switch 24 is stepped on, the photoelectric switch ON signal 40 and the foot switch ON signal 5 are activated.
0 is sent, the shutter 18 is opened by the shutter drive power supply 22, and at the same time, the laser oscillation, which had been limited by the shutter, starts.

With the start of laser oscillation, the laser oscillator 52,
Splitter 54, laser power sensor 56, amplifier 58, error amplifier 60, excitation lamp power supply 34
A negative feedback circuit is formed, and a stable laser output can be obtained according to the set level.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the characteristic feature of the present invention is that by using the foot switch 24 including an insertion detector as the irradiation switch, the insertion of the foot before stepping on the foot switch 24 is detected. It is possible to start excitation of the laser medium 10.

FIG. 2 is a diagram comparing the relationship between the operating states of the foot switch 24, photoelectric switch 20, and shutter 18, excitation lamp current, and laser output of the therapeutic laser irradiation apparatus according to the present invention with a conventional example.

That is, as is clear from FIG. 2, according to the present invention, by detecting the insertion of a foot into the foot switch 24 before stepping on the foot switch 24, the laser medium 10 is excited to the extent that it can oscillate. Therefore, when the foot switch 24 is stepped on, the shutter 18 in the laser oscillator 52 opens and laser oscillation is started, making it possible to shorten the delay time until a stable laser output value is obtained.

Furthermore, in the present invention, by using the foot switch 24 that includes an insertion detector as the irradiation switch, it is possible to operate the endoscope and the laser irradiation device at the same time, reducing the time from target confirmation operation to irradiation start operation. It is possible to shorten.

In addition, the characteristic feature of the present invention is that the discharge current of the excitation lamp 12 is minimized during energization, and the laser medium 10 is sufficiently excited before the start of laser oscillation, thereby preventing overshoot and reducing consumption. This reduces the power consumption and extends the life of the excitation lamp 12.

As described above, according to the present invention, by providing a foot switch including an insertion detector, it is possible to shorten the delay time until stable laser output is obtained, and also to allow simultaneous operation with an endoscope device. It is possible to significantly shorten the time from confirmation of the irradiation target position to laser irradiation.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, it is possible to significantly shorten the time until laser irradiation, and to provide a therapeutic laser irradiation device that can provide effective treatment without damaging normal tissue. It is possible to provide.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a comparative diagram of the operating states of the present invention and a conventional example. 10... Laser medium, 12... Excitation lamp, 18
...Shutter, 20...Photoelectric switch, 24...Foot switch, 26, 46, 48, 62...Switch,
28... Excitation lamp minimum discharge current setting signal generator, 30... Adder, 34... Excitation lamp power supply, 3
6... Laser output setting dial, 40... Photoelectric switch ON signal, 44... Excitation lamp preliminary current setting signal generator, 50... Foot switch ON signal, 52
...Laser oscillator.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a laser irradiation device equipped with a laser oscillator consisting of a laser medium, an excitation lamp, and a resonator, a shutter for limiting laser oscillation disposed in the laser oscillator, and an insertion detector that works in conjunction with the shutter and is operated by the operator. A foot switch to be operated,
It includes an excitation lamp minimum discharge maintenance circuit, a current boost circuit that expands the discharge of the excitation lamp and excites the laser medium, a negative feedback circuit that stabilizes the laser output, and a circuit that controls the operation of these circuits, A therapeutic laser irradiation device characterized in that upon detection of insertion into a foot switch, the discharge of an excitation lamp is expanded and the laser medium is excited, and laser oscillation is started at the same time as the shutter is opened by the foot switch to obtain a stable laser output. .