JPH0356748B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION "Field of Industrial Application" This invention relates to a laser beam therapy device that treats rheumatism, arthritis, etc. by irradiating the affected area with a laser beam in a specific wavelength range.

``Prior art'' In recent years, it has been discovered that when the affected areas of rheumatism, arthritis, etc. are irradiated with light belonging to a specific wavelength range, namely the red visible light range and near-infrared light range, the disease condition improves, and this principle is utilized. A phototherapy device has been proposed. Conventionally known phototherapy devices use an infrared light bulb or a carbon arc light source as a light source, and have a structure in which the light rays from these light sources are directly irradiated onto an affected area at a predetermined distance.

"Problems to be Solved by the Invention" The light source of conventional phototherapy devices is an infrared bare bulb or a carbon arc, and the light rays generated are spontaneously emitted light, so they are a collection of light rays of various wavelengths, and the phase difference The orderly waves last about 10 ^-8 to ^{10 -9} seconds, and last only about 1 meter in length, and are a collection of broken waves. Therefore, even if a predetermined amount of voltage is applied to the light source of conventional phototherapy devices, the amount of light contained in the emitted light with a wavelength suitable for treatment is relatively small, and its directivity and focusing degree are The drawbacks are that the energy given to the irradiated area (affected area) is low, the irradiation efficiency of the effective light beam is low, and the running cost to obtain the desired effect is high. Furthermore, this conventional phototherapy device does not have an effective light condensing device.
This leads to a further decline in irradiation efficiency.

This invention was made in view of the above circumstances,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a phototherapy device that has high effective light irradiation efficiency and low running cost.

"Means for Solving the Problems" In order to achieve the above object, the laser beam therapy device of the present invention includes a laser generator that emits a laser beam having a wavelength in the red visible light region, or the red visible light region and the near-infrared region. , a beam expander that expands the diameter of the laser beam emitted from this laser generator by combining a plurality of convex lenses, and a condenser that converges the laser beam expanded by the beam expander toward the irradiated area. a lens; a control device that controls the output and irradiation time of the laser generator to adjust the energy continuously applied to the irradiated area; A scanning device that continuously changes the direction of irradiation, and the scanning device includes a plurality of reflecting mirrors that each change the direction of reflection by rotating around axes oriented in different directions. It consists of the following.

"Operation" According to the above configuration, since the light source is a laser generator, it is possible to selectively generate only the light beam with the optimum wavelength for treatment, and the light beam is coherent in phase. , directivity, and convergence are high, and as a result, high-density and efficient irradiation is possible for a predetermined applied power. In addition, the beam by the combination of convex lenses
By combining an expander and a condensing lens, the laser beam can be expanded 5 to 10 times in diameter and then condensed, making it possible to further improve irradiation efficiency. In addition, scanning devices do not mechanically displace the laser light source itself by moving the direction of the laser beam, which has been adjusted to have predetermined characteristics, within a predetermined range by rotating reflecting mirrors with different centers of rotation. Scanning can be done without any problems.

Hereinafter, this invention will be explained in more detail with reference to Examples.

Embodiment The laser beam therapy device of this embodiment is comprised of a laser generator 1, a beam expander 2, a condenser lens 3, a scanning device 4, and a control device 5, as shown in the figure.

The laser generating device 1 is a device capable of generating a laser beam having a wavelength in the red visible light region, or in the red visible light region and the near infrared light region. As a laser beam generation source in the red visible light range, it emits a red laser beam with a wavelength of 0.632μm.
There is a He:Ne gas laser, and as a laser beam generation source in the near-infrared region, there is InGaP, which emits a laser beam with a wavelength of 0.65 to 1.0 μm, and InGaP, which emits a laser beam with a wavelength of 0.7 to 1.0 μm.
There are semiconductor lasers such as AlGaAs that emit a laser beam of m. The laser beam generated has a therapeutic effect whether it is in the red visible light range or in the near-infrared range, so either can be used, but it is important to check whether the light source is oscillating when manufacturing or maintaining the device. When using a laser beam in the near-infrared region, it is necessary to simultaneously use a laser beam in the red visible light region in order to confirm at a glance and facilitate adjustment and alignment. As mentioned earlier, both laser beams in the red visible light range and laser beams in the near-infrared range have therapeutic effects, but the therapeutic effects of each differ to some extent depending on the type and location of the disease. This has recently become clear. Therefore, in order to obtain a wide range of therapeutic effects, it is necessary to configure the apparatus so that it can simultaneously generate a laser beam in the red visible light region and a laser beam in the near-infrared region.

The beam expander 2 is used because the beam diameter at the time of generation is small (He:Ne (0.83mmφ for gas lasers) This is to prevent the focal spot from becoming too small, and as is well known, it is a device that expands the beam diameter by combining two convex lenses with different focal lengths. This beam expander 2 for He:Ne gas laser
If the diameter expansion ratio is set to 5 to 10 times, the diameter of the focal spot after condensing should be set to 0.1 to 10 to obtain a suitable illuminance.
It can be suppressed to about 0.01mmφ.

The above-mentioned scanning device 4 has the above-mentioned 0.1 to 0.01 mm
It is designed to evenly irradiate the affected area with a laser beam of φ, and consists of two reflecting mirrors that are in charge of the X-axis and Y-axis, respectively, which determine the irradiation direction, and a micromotor that displaces these reflecting mirrors independently. The drive control of these micro motors is performed by a control device 5. The beam irradiation method of this scanning device 4 is to first set the distance so that the beam is focused on the center of the affected area, adjust the movable range from 0 to 50 mmφ depending on the area of the affected area, and scan in a spiral pattern. Let's do it. The scan speed is
For example, it can be varied from 1 to 50 Hz, and the irradiation time can be adjusted in the range of 1 second to 30 minutes depending on the type of disease, site, etc.

The control device 5 controls the output (mW) and oscillation time (irradiation time) of the light source, and drives the scanning device 4, so that the continuous irradiation energy to the affected area is 60 mW/mm ² to 60 W/mm ² It is programmed so that. This 60
The irradiation energy value of mW/mm ² ~ 60W/mm ² is
It was determined as a result of clinical experiments, and is the energy value at which good therapeutic effects can be obtained. In addition, 60W/
The upper limit value of mm ² is a limit value that does not cause discomfort such as heat to the patient. Here, the generated beam energy level is variable from about 2 mW to about 50 mW, and the above irradiation energy value is determined according to the type, situation, and site of the disease, using the beam diameter and irradiation time as variables. .

In the above embodiment, the scanning by the scanning device is performed in a spiral manner, but this is done in consideration of the fact that the affected area is generally a three-dimensional surface. Therefore, if the affected area is close to a flat surface, irradiation may be performed using the horizontal scan method that has been frequently used in the past.

In addition, in the above example, the explanation was given assuming that the affected area is the body surface or a tissue close to the body surface, but if the affected area is a relatively deep tissue such as the synovial membrane, as shown in the figure, It is preferable that the beam from the condenser lens 3 is guided directly to the affected area via the optical system fiber 6 and irradiated thereon.

"Effects of the Invention" As explained above, the present invention provides the following effects.

A. Since the light source is a laser generator, it is possible to selectively generate only the light beam with the optimal wavelength for treatment.B. Moreover, the light beam is coherent with a uniform phase, and has high directivity and focusing. , C As a result, high-density irradiation is possible for a given applied voltage.

D Also, the beam due to the combination of convex lenses
By combining an expander and a condensing lens, a laser beam can be expanded 5 to 10 times in diameter and then condensed, a luminous flux with an illumination intensity suitable for irradiation can be obtained, and the irradiation efficiency can be further improved.

By moving the laser beam using the E-scanning device, it is possible to irradiate the laser beam in a predetermined pattern in an orderly manner depending on the size of the irradiated area or the disease status.

F Scanning equipment changes the direction of laser light that has been adjusted to predetermined characteristics (wavelength and intensity) through a beam expander and a condensing lens in the final stage, so the surface of the object to be irradiated with the laser light is An arbitrary two-dimensional scanning pattern can be constructed, and laser light can be effectively irradiated depending on the extent of the irradiated surface or the disease situation. Furthermore, if the scanning device is configured separately from the means for obtaining laser light with predetermined characteristics, it can be easily separated depending on whether scanning is necessary or not.

G Since the irradiation direction of the laser beam is changed by multiple reflecting mirrors that rotate around axes oriented in different directions, the necessary range can be achieved by the extremely small mechanical displacement of the rotation of the reflecting mirrors. Therefore, compared to, for example, scanning by moving the laser beam generator itself, it is easier to speed up the scanning (shorten the scanning period). , the mechanism for realizing scanning is also simplified, and the cost of the device can be reduced. In addition, scanning can be performed without imparting vibrations to delicate components such as laser light generators, beam expanders, and condensing lenses.

H The control device allows the optimal light energy for treatment to be irradiated to the affected area.

I. Phototherapy for rheumatic diseases can be performed using an inexpensive low-power optical laser.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The figure is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Laser generator, 2... Beam expander, 3... Condensing lens, 4... Scanning device, 5... Control device, 6... Optical system fiber.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A laser generator that emits a laser beam with a wavelength in the red visible light range, or the red visible light range and the near-infrared range, and a plurality of convex lenses that combine the laser light flux emitted from this laser generator. A beam expander that expands the diameter, a condenser lens that converges the laser beam expanded by the beam expander toward the irradiated area, and a condenser lens that controls the output and irradiation time of the laser generator to control the irradiated area. a control device that adjusts the energy continuously applied to the part; and a scanning device that is interposed between the condensing lens and the irradiated part to continuously change the direction of irradiation of the lens beam, the scanning device A laser beam therapy device comprising a plurality of reflecting mirrors whose reflection directions can be changed by rotating around axes oriented in different directions.