Device for Non-Invasive Treatment of Diseases and Conditions of Living Organisms

Abstract

The inventors have developed a device for non-invasive treatment of diseases and conditions of living organisms (10) and a methodology for the use of plasma electrophysical stimulation coupled to resonance for the synchronous and synergistic application of several different physical stimuli, including light, electromagnetic field, electric current, dielectric barrier discharge, micro-vibrations and sound, which can operate at different cellular or tissue levels for the purpose of extended and more comprehensive stimulation of the target treated tissue. These factors are generated locally at the site of application, and the electromagnetic field along with electric currents allow a non-invasive application of stimulation by establishing a therapeutic resonant energy pathway (108) between the points of application of the device on the surface of the treated organism by affecting deeper located parts of the organism. In doing so, the resonance effects of these factors can be achieved by adjusting impulse profiles used for their generation. The present device also enables real-time monitoring of the treated tissue response, as well as dose control, and precise positioning of the impulse profile sources during treatment.

Claims

1. A device for non-invasive treatment of diseases and conditions of living organisms characterized in that the device comprises a central unit for the production and control of high-voltage impulse profiles, and one or more pairs of therapeutic electrodes, each pair of therapeutic electrodes comprising at least one transducer and at least one resonant electrode, and wherein the central unit is coupled to the one or more pairs of therapeutic electrodes, and wherein the device for non-invasive treatment of diseases and conditions of living organisms generates a sequence of high-voltage impulse profiles transmitted to a living organism by means of the one or more pairs of therapeutic electrodes, the transducer acting as a source and the resonant electrode acting as a sink in the device, whereby the application of frequency- and amplitude modulated impulse profiles is possible via at least one pair of the one or more pairs of therapeutic electrodes allowing simultaneous application of light, EM field, electric current, micro-vibrations, sound, and/or dielectric barrier discharge, along with establishing a therapeutic resonant energy pathway through a target treated tissue, and wherein at least one resonant electrode permits the establishment of the therapeutic resonant energy pathway and measurement of transmitted energy, voltage, and impedance current during treatment to control dose according to a type and a response of the target treated tissue.

2. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 1, characterized in that the central unit can be designed in the form of a portable hand-held or desktop device.

3. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 1, characterized in that the central unit comprises one or more housings, a battery or a main power supply source, a management unit, a control unit, a voltage stabilizer, and a block comprising the generator and a signal profile regulator, which represents a source of high-voltage signal profiles, wherein the at least one resonant electrode enables the establishment of the therapeutic resonant energy pathway and the measurement of the transmitted energy, voltage, and/or impedance current during treatment for dose control and adjustment of output impulse profiles on the block comprising the generator and the signal profile regulator according to the type and the response of the target treated tissue.

4. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 3, characterized in that the block comprising the generator and the signal profile regulator further comprises one or more high-voltage transformers, an energy block attached to the one or more high-voltage transformers, wherein at least one transducer and a measuring block are attached to the energy block, the resonant electrode, and the management unit, and further wherein the at least one transducer and the measuring block are connected to the secondary of the high-voltage transformer.

5. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 4, characterized in that the management unit receives from the block comprising the generator and the signal profile regulator a voltage signal, wherein the voltage signal is generated based on the voltage and the current measured within the source and the sink, and creating a voltage managing signal based on the current measured within the source and the sink, wherein the amplitude of the voltage managing signal is proportional to the energy, voltage, and/or impedance current transmitted to the therapeutic resonant energy pathway, and wherein the control unit can determine in real time based on signal monitoring whether the device for treatment of diseases and conditions is operating properly and whether an estimated amount of energy for a particular treatment is being delivered or has been delivered.

6. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 4, characterized in that the voltage waveform parameters on the secondary of the high-voltage transformer of the block comprising the generator and the signal profile regulator are variable and adjustable, so that the amplitude, frequency and amplitude and frequency modulation in time can be changed and regulated.

7. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 5, characterized in that the waveforms of the modulation signal are square, sinusoidal, trapezoidal, triangular, sawtooth, reversed sawtooth, linear increase, linear decrease, exponential growth, exponential decay, even harmonics, odd harmonics, exponentially damped sine, exponentially amplified sine, modulated impulse width, or a combination thereof, whereby the amplitude modulation depth of the voltage signal is adaptable from 1 to 100%.

8. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 5, characterized in that the impulse sequences on the secondary of the high-voltage transformer of the block comprising the generator and the signal profile regulator are made of impulses that are square, sinusoidal, trapezoidal, triangular, sawtooth, reversed sawtooth, linear increase (rumpup), linear decrease (rumpdown), exponential growth (rumpup), exponential decay (rumpdown), even harmonics, odd harmonics, exponentially damped or amplified sine, modulated impulse width, or a combination thereof, wherein the frequency impulse modulation is adaptable.

9. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 5, characterized in that various therapeutic impulse profiles may be applied via a management unit comprising impulse sequences, which can be regulated and modulated according to their waveform impulse sequence frequency, resonant frequency, and voltage amplitude; wherein the impulse sequence frequency is in a range from 0.1 Hz to 7,500 Hz; wherein the resonant frequency is in a range from 20 kHz to 350 Hz and may comprise frequency modulation; and wherein the voltage amplitude is in a range of 500 V to 30,000 V with a voltage amplitude modulation by an oscillating signal in the range from 0.1 Hz to 5,040 Hz with adaptable modulation depth.

10. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 5, characterized in that when the transducer is in the immediate vicinity of the living organism and when the device is in function, it enables the formation of the dielectric barrier discharge, generating an electromagnetic field in the frequency range from 40 MHz to 1 GHz, and micro-vibrations, wherein micro-vibrations comprise sound in the frequency range from 0.1 Hz to 20 kHz, and generating in an air gap between the transducer and the surface of the treated tissue a dielectric barrier discharge and a slightly ionized cold atmospheric plasma, wherein the central unit is coupled to the transducer.

11. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 3, characterized in that when the device is used for the tissue treatment, a transducer-treated tissue-resonant electrode coupling is established, whereby a therapeutic resonant energy pathway is established through the target treated tissue, whereby the block comprising the generator and the signal profile regulator measures energy amount, voltage, current, and impedance in real time through the transducer-treated tissue-resonant electrode coupling during treatment to monitor transmitted energy and the living organism's response to stimulation, which depend on the administration modality, the type and condition of the target treated tissue and/or ambient conditions during application, to allow the control of the transmitted energy amount in real time by adjusting the output impulse profiles generated by the block of the generator and signal profile regulator.

12. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 1, characterized in that the transducer comprises a connector, an insulating housing, a capacitive and/or inductive element, a dielectric barrier, a light source that generates a smoldering discharge in a partially evacuated volume enclosed by dielectric comprising one or more gases that with the help of the capacitive element coupled to the generator and signal profile regulator are excited over dielectric barrier through the connector (405).

13. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 1, characterized in that the transducer comprises a connector, an insulating housing, a capacitive and/or inductive element, a dielectric barrier, an electronic circuit with a light source of LED or OLED type of light or other alternative light source in the UV, visible, or infrared portion of the spectrum, excited by separate impulse profiles generated by the management unit.

14. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 12, characterized in that the dielectric barrier in the transducer is made of glass, ceramics, or polymers.

15. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 12, characterized in that the capacitive and/or inductive element is made of conductive material either as a capacitive plate, a disc, or network, or as an inductive disc, or a coil, or as a combination thereof, and is located on the proximal side of the dielectric barrier.

16. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 12, characterized in that the capacitive and/or inductive element is made of conductive material such as coil, wherein the coil comprises contact points for source coupling and sink coupling, wherein the coil can be flat or conically wound, and wherein the arrangement and length of flat-coil or conically wound coil are of arbitrary width/thickness of wire.

17. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 15, characterized in that the inductive element comprises a contact point for source coupling and sink coupling, the inductive element being directly coupled to the block comprising the generator and the signal profile regulator, wherein operation of the device is possible without a direct contact with the treated organism, but the transducer and the device are positioned at a certain distance from the organism to generate a therapeutic field.

18. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 14, characterized in that the active surface of the transducer is in the form of a dielectric barrier, wherein the dielectric barrier is directed to or comes into contact with the treated organism, is flat, convex, concave, pointed, or a combination thereof to meet energy and ergonomic requirements depending on the type and needs of the therapeutic procedure, and is made of glass, ceramics, or polymers.

19. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 12, characterized in that the transducer comprises adaptive extensions for precise positioning of the transducer relative to a treated surface of the living organism, furthermore wherein the transducer comprises a telescopic extension with an inner wall capable of precisely defining the distance between the active surface of the transducer wherein the transducer comprises a dielectric barrier and the treated surface of the living organism, thereby allowing, during operation of the device, control of dielectric barrier discharge properties and retention of constituents generated by the appearance of a dielectric barrier discharge within a closed and defined volume whose walls comprise an active transducer surface, the treated surface of the living organism, and the inner wall of the telescopic extension.

20. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 19, characterized in that the transducer comprises adaptive extensions comprising a dielectric photo filter that covers the active surface of the transducer by transmitting a specific spectrum of light onto the target treated tissue.

21. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 19, characterized in that the transducer comprises adaptive extensions comprising one or more passive elements for maintaining a constant distance between the dielectric barrier discharge and the surface of the target treated tissue.

22. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 1, characterized in that the resonant electrode comes in contact with the surface of the organism, and wherein the resonant electrode is made of conductive material and is coupled to the central unit, wherein the resonant electrode comprises an electronic circuit that enables voltage measurements and visual or audible signaling to establish a therapeutic resonant energy circuit.

23. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 1, characterized in that the device generates impulse profiles that comprise impulse sequences that can be adapted and modulated with respect to their shape, wherein the shape is either sinusoidal, rectangular, triangular, sawtooth, trapezoidal, linear or exponential growth or decay, even or odd harmonics, or exponentially damped or amplified sine with frequency of impulse sequences ranging from 0.1 Hz to 7,500 Hz, wherein the frequency of modulated impulses is in a range from 20 Hz to 350 Hz, wherein the modulation frequency of the modulation signal amplitude by an oscillating signal is in the range from 0.1 Hz to 5,040 Hz, wherein the impulse amplitude is in a range of from about 500 V to 30 kV, and wherein the electromagnetic field and high-frequency currents range from 40 MHz to 1 GHz and sound waves ranging from 0.1 to 20,000 Hz are generated through the generation of a dielectric barrier in an air gap between the transducer surface and the surface of the target treated tissue.

24. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 1, characterized in that the device generates impulse profiles that comprise impulse sequences that can be adapted and modulated based upon an impulse sequence frequency comprising a range from 0.1 to 7,500 Hz, the frequency of modulated impulses comprising a range from 20 to 350 kHz, and the frequency of the modulation signal comprising a range from 0.1 to 5,040 Hz.

25. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 24, characterized in that the impulse sequence frequency is one or more frequencies or a sweep over the frequency range range from 0.1 Hz to 7,500 Hz.

26. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 24, characterized in that the frequency of the modulated impulses is one or more frequencies or a sweep over the frequency range from 20 kHz to 350 kHz.

27. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 24, characterized in that the frequency of the modulation signal is one or more frequencies or a sweep over the frequency range from 0.1 to 5,040 Hz.

28. The device for treatment of diseases and conditions of claim 25, characterized in that the voltage on the secondary of the high-voltage transformer of the block comprising the generator and the signal profile regulator is generated as an impulse sequence whose waveform is either sinusoidal, rectangular, triangular, sawtooth, trapezoidal, linear or exponential growth or decay, even or odd harmonic, exponentially damped sine, or exponentially amplified sine, wherein the impulse sequences are modulated by sinusoidal, rectangular, trapezoidal, linear or exponential growth or decay, even or odd harmonics, or damped sinusoidal waveforms of the voltage managing signal wherein the voltage managing signal has a frequency ranging from 0.1 to 5,040 Hz and a modulation amplitude depth ranging from 1 to 100%.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0051] FIG. 1a. Two basic derivatives of the device for the application of the plasma electrophysical stimulation and resonance

[0052] FIG. 1b. A schematic of the therapeutic device

[0053] FIG. 2. Description of basic control signals

[0054] FIG. 3. Mode of signals u.sub.K1, u.sub.mod and U.sub.nap

[0055] FIG. 4. Waveform voltage U.sub.VN on a transducer amplitude-modulated by the sinusoidal waveform u.sub.mod

[0056] FIG. 5. U.sub.VN voltage on the transducer-increased time axis

[0057] FIG. 6. Representation of waveform voltage U.sub.VN and waveforms of the modulation signal u.sub.mod: 1. square, 2. sinusoidal, 3. trapezoidal, 4. triangular, 5. sawtooth, 6. reversed sawtooth, 7. linear increase (rumpup), 8. linear decrease (rumpdown), 9. exponential growth (rumpup), 10. exponential decay (rumpdown), 11. even harmonics, 12. odd harmonics, 13. exponentially damped sine, 14. exponentially amplified sine and 17. modulation of impulse width

[0058] FIG. 7. Embodiment examples of modulating the sinusoidal and square waveform of a signal by the sinusoidal, square and sawtooth waveforms of the modulation signal u.sub.mod (at base signal frequency=43.2 kHz, modulation signal frequency=2.16 kHz and amplitude modulation depth (AM) 80%)

[0059] FIG. 8. Measuring the amount of the transferred energy

[0060] FIG. 9. Electrical equivalent scheme of the system shown in FIG. 8

[0061] FIG. 10. A view of some typical transducer embodiments

[0062] FIG. 11. A view of some potential inductive transducer elements

[0063] FIG. 12. Contact forms of the transducer active surface and the treated surface

[0064] FIG. 13. Adaptive transducer extension

[0065] FIG. 14. Administration modalities of the device

[0066] FIG. 15. A representation of couplings of transducers and resonant electrodes and the establishment of the therapeutic resonant energy pathway through the target treated tissue of a living organism

A LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS USED IN DRAWINGS

[0067] 8—hand-held device [0068] 10—device for non-invasive treatment of diseases and conditions of living organisms [0069] 112—multichannel source of electromagnetic impulse profiles [0070] 100—central unit [0071] 101—power supply source [0072] 102—management unit [0073] 103—control unit [0074] 104—power supply stabilizer [0075] 105—block of the generator and signal profile regulator [0076] 106—transducer [0077] 107—resonant electrode [0078] 108—therapeutic resonant energy pathway [0079] 109—dielectric barrier discharge [0080] 110—target treated tissue [0081] 204—output impedance R.sub.gVN [0082] 206—inductance L.sub.gVN [0083] 208—capacity C.sub.gVN [0084] 210—transducer impedance Z.sub.trans [0085] 212—current that flows through the target tissue impedance I.sub.tj [0086] 214—target tissue impedance Z.sub.tj [0087] 216—resonant electrode complex impedance Z.sub.rez [0088] 218—generator current output I.sub.VN [0089] 220—generator voltage output U.sub.VN [0090] 222—signal processing in the measuring block of the generator and signal [0091] profile regulator [0092] 401—insulating housing [0093] 402—capacitive or inductive element [0094] 403—smoldering gas discharge [0095] 404—dielectric barrier [0096] 405—connector for coupling to the generator and impulse profiles regulator (source) [0097] 406—retention element [0098] 407—electronic circuit with a light source [0099] 408—light source (in the UV, visible or infrared portion of the spectrum) [0100] 409—connector for coupling of the light source to the management unit [0101] 410—connector for coupling of the inductive element sink to the generator and impulse profile regulator [0102] 501—adaptive transducer extension [0103] 505—retention element on the transducer housing [0104] 506—active surface of the transducer [0105] 507—telescopic extension [0106] 508—dielectric photo filter [0107] 509—passive element for maintaining a constant distance when used on larger surfaces [0108] 601—single-contact capacitive plate for source coupling [0109] 602—single-contact capacitive disc for source coupling [0110] 603—single-contact capacitive network for source coupling [0111] 604—dual inductive disc with a dual coupling (source-sink) [0112] 605—inductive coil with a dual coupling (source-sink) [0113] 701, 607—contact point for source coupling (block of the generator and impulse profile regulator) [0114] 702, 608—contact point for sink coupling (block of the generator and impulse profile regulator) [0115] 700—therapeutic field [0116] 801—flat shape of the transducer tip [0117] 802—convex shape of the transducer tip [0118] 803—concave shape of the transducer tip [0119] 804—pointed shape of the transducer tip

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AT LEAST ONE WAY OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0120] There are two basic embodiments of this device for non-invasive treatment of diseases and conditions of living organisms (10) through the application of plasma electrophysical stimulation and resonance, as a hand-held device (8), which in principle consists of one transducer (106) and one or more resonant electrodes (107), and as a desktop device that consists of a multi-channel source of high-voltage impulse profiles (112) coupled to one or more transducers (106) and resonant electrodes (107). It is a device for synchronous and synergistic use of frequency- and amplitude-modulated impulse profiles, light, electromagnetic field, electric current, micro-vibrations, sound, and dielectric discharge barrier and its constituents with the generation of a therapeutic resonant energy pathway through the target tissue to treat diseases and conditions of living organisms. The present device is non-invasive, and more specifically, does not involve physical penetration of parts of the device into an organism, but is applied solely on its surface or in its immediate vicinity. The device generally consists of a central unit (100) which can be configured as a portable hand-held (8) or desktop device for the production and control of high-voltage impulse profiles, and is coupled to one or more pairs of therapeutic electrodes, more specifically, to a source, i.e. transducer (106) and a sink, i.e. resonant electrode (107). The purpose of the device is to generate a sequence of high-voltage impulse profiles that are transmitted to a living organism via a pair of therapeutic electrodes, with the transducer acting as a source and resonant electrode playing the role of a sink in the aforementioned system.

[0121] In one of its embodiments the present device (10) is applied on specific areas of the body using certain impulse profiles that generally include impulse sequences, which can be adjusted and modulated with respect to their shape (sine, right triangle, sawtooth, etc.), frequency of impulse sequences (burst) in the frequency range from 0.1 Hz to 7,500 Hz, through one or more specific frequencies or sweep over the specified frequency range, resonant frequency (of modulated impulses) in the frequency range from 20 to 350 Hz, through one or more specific frequencies or sweep over the specified frequency range, and amplitude modulation (of modulation signal) by an oscillating signal in the frequency range from 0.1 to 5,040 Hz, through one or more specific frequencies or sweep over the specified frequency range, impulse amplitude in the range from about 500 V to 30 kV, and with amplitude modulation depth in the range from 1% to 100%. The treatment also involves the application of an electromagnetic field, high-frequency currents in the range from 40 MHz to 1 GHz and sound waves (0.1 to 20.000 Hz) through the generation of a dielectric barrier discharge in the air gap between the surface of the transducer and the surface of the target treated tissue.

[0122] The central unit (100) comprises housings, a battery or mains power source (101), a management unit (102), a control unit (103), a power supply stabilizer (104), and the block of the generator and signal profile regulator (105), which is in fact a source of high-voltage signal profiles.

[0123] For the proper and efficient operation of the device, it is necessary to ensure the control of the energy amount that is transferred to the treated living organism during treatment. To this end, guidance signals are generated, marked by the arrows in FIG. 1 as well as one additional within the controller. In this case, control of the energy flow will mean control over the shape, frequency, amplitude, and duration of the high-voltage impulse profiles, i.e. impulse sequences.

[0124] The power supply source, i.e. energy source (101) in FIG. 1 my be a galvanically isolated power supply connected to the electrical network or a battery with associated charger and charge control circuits. The power supply stabilizer (104) comprises multiple circuits for generating voltages of different values necessary for supplying other circuits of the system with power. These voltages are fixed in time, but the one indicated in FIG. 1 as U.sub.nap that serves for supplying the block of the generator and impulse profile regulator (105) with power may also be variable in time. The amount of voltage U.sub.nap depends on the managing signal u.sub.mod generated by the control unit (102). Variation in the amplitude of this signal will allow variations in power supply voltage U.sub.nap, which allows for variations in the amplitude of high-voltage impulses. The amplitude of high-voltage impulses is also affected by the U.sub.imp signal, which controls the energy block at the source of high-voltage impulses. One or more power blocks are connected to one or more high-voltage transformers on whose secondary a transducer is connected. Managing signals are also generated from the management unit block towards the control unit (103), and the management unit (102) also monitors feedback signals from the control unit (103). In this way, it is possible to select stimulation parameters (amplitude, frequency, and amplitude and frequency modulation of signal profiles), to start and stop the stimulation, and to monitor the course of stimulation on the intended display units. The management unit (102) also communicates bidirectionally with the power supply source (101). This achieves battery control, or in the case of mains power supply, control of on-off control systems. The management unit (102) also generates signal U.sub.SV that in particular embodiments of the transducer (106) controls the intensity of light therein.

[0125] A particularly important signal is the U.sub.mj received by the management unit (102) from the measuring block (222) of the generator and signal profile regulator (105). It is created based on the voltages and currents measured inside the transducer (106) and the resonant electrode (107). Based on these measurements, the U.sub.mj signal whose amplitude is proportional to the instantaneous energy that is transmitted to the therapeutic resonant energy pathway (108) is created. Based on the monitoring of this signal, the control unit can determine in real time whether the system is operating as intended and whether the intended dose for the selected treatment has been delivered. Based on this signal, it is possible to change in real time the other aforementioned signals. This achieves the regulation of the energy amount transmitted in a unit of time to the therapeutic resonant energy pathway.

[0126] FIG. 2 shows basic control signals within the control unit (102). u.sub.K1 signal at the top of FIG. 2 (Figures a and b) is the main guiding signal. It is a voltage signal whose activation can be seen as a voltage increase from zero to a value U.sub.1. Activation is initiated by the user himself by starting the system operation on the control unit (103). This is how the sequence of treatment begins that in FIG. 2a lasts from moment t.sub.0 to the moment t.sub.1. The interval between these two moments in absolute amount is determined by the user before activation, by selecting the settings according to the purpose and requirements of the treatment, and is defined by the total amount of the transmitted energy and can vary in the interval from ten seconds to ten minutes. Once the treatment sequence is complete, the device waits for reactivation. It occurs in FIG. 2b at the t.sub.2 moment and the treatment lasts up to the t.sub.3 moment. The treatment duration is not the same as the one from the previous activation, because it was assumed that the user changed the settings of the treatment in the interval between the moments t.sub.1 and t.sub.2. The interval between moments t.sub.1 and t.sub.2 is arbitrary and user-dependent. The user may arbitrarily discontinue the treatment before its expiration on the control unit (103). The layout of the u.sub.K1 signal will be the same as in FIGS. 2a and 2b, only the interval between the voltage rise and fall will be smaller.

[0127] The high u.sub.K1 signal level will initiate the generation of the U.sub.imp signal. It is the signal, which manages the block of the generator and signal profile regulator (105) on the transducer shown in FIGS. 2c and 2d in the time scale from FIGS. 2a and 2b. To be able to see the characteristics of this signal, it is necessary to increase the time scale. This is done by defining the time windows P.sub.1 and P.sub.2 and their representation in new FIGS. 2e and 2f with an increased time scale. The arrows connecting the Figures indicate the same points in time.

U.sub.imp signal is actually a sequence of impulses, as seen in FIGS. 2e and 2f. The impulses are spaced by a time interval T.sub.imp1, i.e. T.sub.imp, considering that T.sub.imp1>T.sub.imp so the frequency of occurrence is lower in the former stimulation sequence. The time interval between the impulses is determined by the user via the control unit (103) and is related to the length of treatment. The longer the treatment, the bigger the allowed T.sub.imp value that can be set, i.e., the frequency of the impulse appearance will be smaller, as shown in FIGS. 2e and 2f. The values of time intervals T.sub.imp, which can be set, range from a few hundreds of nanoseconds to a few tens of milliseconds. During one treatment the T.sub.imp may have a fixed and/or variable value, i.e., it enables frequency modulation.
To be able to more accurately observe the characteristics of u.sub.imp signal, it is necessary to increase the time scale. This is done by defining the time windows P.sub.3 and P.sub.4 and their representation in new FIGS. 2g and 2h with an increased time scale. The arrows connecting the Figures indicate the same points in time.
On an enlarged scale, it can be observed that the signal has three separate parts. In the first part, the voltage rises from zero volts to U.sub.2 during rise time t.sub.r. It then keeps the voltage value at U.sub.2 in t.sub.H1 duration and then falls to zero volts at the fall time t.sub.f. It is visible in FIGS. 2g and 2h that the rise times t.sub.r and fall times t.sub.f are always the same no matter the values of other characteristic times. What the user can change, is the duration of the signal plateau t.sub.H.
The duration of the plateau is not related to other times and it is possible to select all the offered t.sub.H values in any combination of other parameters. This fact is emphasized in FIGS. 2e and 2g, as well as in 2f and 2h where it is seen that the shorter T.sub.imp interval does not condition that t.sub.H must be shorter. The opposite case has been shown.
In one embodiment of the device is the u.sub.imp signal, the signal that is transmitted between the gate and the source of the energy MOSFETs in the high-voltage impulse generation circuit. The characteristics of MOSFETs together with the high-voltage transformer and transducer (106) at the output determine the required rise and fall times that are typically in the range of values from a few tens of nanoseconds to a couple of hundred nanoseconds. Since these times are conditioned by the design of the device, there is no reason for them to be under the user's control.

[0128] It has already been explained how the signals u.sub.mod and U.sub.nap are related, and FIG. 3 shows in detail, what their temporal relations are to each other as well as to the u.sub.K1 signal. The Figure shows that the signals u.sub.mod and U.sub.nap are in time, with the U.sub.nap amplitude being directly related to the u.sub.mod amplitude with some coefficient, which means that the U.sub.nap voltage is amplitude modulated. In FIG. 3 the u.sub.mod signal has a broken waveform in the interval from t.sub.0 to t.sub.1, which maps to the same one at U.sub.nap, meaning that an arbitrary form of voltage can be generated (e.g. rectangle, exponential growth and decay, linear increase and decrease, sine, etc.). Examples of waveforms are shown in FIG. 6. The limitation lies in the fact that the voltage changes of u.sub.mod are not too fast concerning the final rate of speed change, which may be followed by the voltage stabilizer control loop provided by U.sub.nap. For practical implementation, this means that changes can take place for several hundred nanoseconds or more.

[0129] FIG. 3 also shows that the U.sub.mod signal simultaneously serves as an enable signal of the block of the generator and signal profiles regulator (105). The design of the power supply stabilizer (104) enables this, which gives an important safety component to the operation of the device. It should be noted that the U.sub.nap signal is an energy signal, which means that the energy portion of the device will remain out of power supply when the U.sub.K1 signal is inactive. Therefore, even if there is a u.sub.imp signal when the u.sub.K1 signal is inactive due to a fault, the high-voltage impulse source remains without the possibility of energy transfer to the user.

[0130] The layout of the energy signal U.sub.VN on the transducer (106) in one embodiment of the device, can be seen in FIG. 4. This Figure shows the result of the device operating when the u.sub.K1 signal is active. The Figure shows the use of a sinusoidal waveform of the modulation signal u.sub.mod, in the embodiment of a device with a naturally oscillating resonance transformer circuit, more specifically, with an open-core transformer. A more detailed insight into the possible voltage and impulse form in such a device embodiment can be seen in FIG. 5. The impulse form can be described by an exponentially damped sinusoidal voltage. The reason for this form lies in the fact that the secondary of the high-voltage transformer together with the secondary parasitic capacity of the transformer freely flickers. The energy is first stored in the transformer, while the MOSFET is switched on in the primary circuit, i.e. by t.sub.H (FIGS. 2g and 2h), and then the transistor shuts off and energy is transferred to the secondary circuit. Since there are losses in the secondary winding in this oscillator, damping occurs in the electrode and in the resistance of the body of the user, which is seen in the exponential decline of oscillation amplitudes with time. It should be emphasized that most of the damping comes from the resistance of the secondary winding, so the voltage waveform will depend a little on the electrical characteristics of the treated living organism. Therefore, the amount of the energy transmitted to the user body will vary slightly (on the order of 10%) on a case-by-case basis. FIG. 5 shows an edge case where the distance between individual T.sub.imp impulses (FIGS. 2e and 2f) is set to start the next impulse at the moment when the energy of the last impulse has already been transferred and consumed.

[0131] The moment of MOSFET activation on the primary can easily be observed by the positive voltage spike at the beginning of the waveform shown in FIG. 5. The u.sub.imp voltage duration is (t.sub.r+t.sub.f+t.sub.H) and can vary from a few hundred nanoseconds up to 20 μs. Depending on which transistor is switched on on the primary, the initial spike may be either positive or negative, which also changes the polarity of the voltage of the first period of oscillation, and thus the polarity of the modulated signal envelope (FIG. 4), which allows the system operation to be adjusted according to the goals and requirements of the therapeutic intervention.

[0132] In another embodiment of the device, the implemented block of the generator and signal profiles regulator (105) has full control over secondary voltage. It also has guidance signals, as described so far, with the difference that the voltage waveform parameters on the transformer secondary (amplitude, frequency, and modulation of frequency and amplitude in time) are variable and adjustable. This means that, at its output, it is possible to obtain both the waveforms of FIGS. 4 and 5, but also the waveforms shown in FIG. 6, except that the waveforms do not depend on the parasitic elements of the secondary circuit of the transformer. The waveforms shown in FIG. 6 also represent the waveforms of the u.sub.mod modulation signal. FIG. 6 shows the waveforms of U.sub.VN voltage and the waveforms of the modulation signal u.sub.mod: 1. square, 2. sinusoidal, 3. trapezoidal, 4. triangular, 5. sawtooth, 6. reversed sawtooth, 7. linear increase (rumpup), 16. linear decrease (rumpdown), 9. exponential growth (rumpup), 17. exponential decay (rumpdown), 11. even harmonics, 12. odd harmonics, 13. exponentially damped sine, 14. exponentially amplified sine and 15. modulation of the signal width.

[0133] FIG. 7 shows some of the modulation designs of the sine wave signal U.sub.vn by sinusoidal (7a), square (7b) and sawtooth (7c) waveforms of the modulation signal u.sub.mod, as well as the modulation designs of the square wave U.sub.vn by sinusoidal (7d), square (7e) and sawtooth (7f) waveforms of the modulation signal u.sub.mod. With the ability to select the characteristics of U.sub.vn and u.sub.mod, the described system can adjust the amplitude depth ranging from a just few percents to 100%. In particular, FIG. 7 shows an example of the modulation design of a sinusoidal and square waveform of a signal by the sinusoidal, square and sawtooth waveforms of the modulation signal u.sub.mod (at base signal frequency=43.2 Hz, modulation signal frequency=2.16 Hz, and amplitude modulation depth (AM) 80%).

[0134] The amount of transmitted energy will depend on the duration of the described basic signals. How the energy is transmitted, i.e., how much energy is transmitted in a unit of time will depend on the amplitude and frequency modulation signal and its characteristics. The user does not have complete control over all combinations, but only over those allowed by the controller to avoid possible overuse of energy in the unit of time.

[0135] Measuring the amount of the transferred energy is reduced to measuring the target tissue impedance Z.sub.tj (214) and current I.sub.tj (212) that flows through this impedance as shown in FIG. 8.

[0136] The block of the generator and signal profile regulator (105) provides energy that passes through the transducer (106), the target treated tissue (110) and the resonant electrode (107).

[0137] An equivalent electrical scheme of this part of the system is shown in FIG. 9. The output circuit of the generator and signal profile regulator is replaced by the ideal voltage source U.sub.gVN and by the output passive network of elements. Output impedance R.sub.gVN (204) represents the secondary impedance of the high-voltage transformer as well as the mapped impedance of the primary circuit. Inductance L.sub.gVN (206) and capacity C.sub.gVN (208) in the same way represent the parasitic inductance and secondary capacity of the high-voltage transformer, as well as the mapped inductance and capacity of the primary circuit. It can be said with great certainty that these elements will be linear and independent of the currents and voltages in the network. This does not apply to the transducer impedance Z.sub.trans (210) that has a dominant element of the voltage-dependent nonlinear impedance. The voltage dependence physically arises from the ionization of the low-pressure gas contained within the electrode. The resonant electrode has the same complex impedance Z.sub.rez (216), which, however, is predominantly determined by small series impedance. Therefore, it can be assumed that there is practically a short circuit at the stimulation frequency on the electrode. With this assumption, we can say that the current passing through the resonant electrode will be practically equal to the current passing through the target tissue impedance I.sub.tj (212).

[0138] The value of the voltage signal U.sub.mj is proportional to the transferred energy. To determine this, it is necessary to measure the U.sub.VN voltage and the current at the generator output I.sub.VN (218) and signal profile regulator, and the reverse current at the output of the resonant electrode I.sub.tj (212). These two currents differ in value and phase due to the parasitic capacities that exist between all nodes in the equivalent scheme. Based on the measured amplitudes and voltage phases, as well as the amplitude and phase currents, it is possible to calculate the body impedance Z.sub.tj (214). Based on its value, it is also possible to determine the energy transferred to the treated tissue.

[0139] From the above considerations, it can be seen that most of the impact on the target tissue will come from the direct effects generated by the current flow and the dielectric barrier discharge along with the transducer. Other effects expected from the electromagnetic field, sound and light will manifest through a minor change in the impedance of the target tissue. Therefore, measuring voltages U.sub.VN, I.sub.VN, and Itj as accurate as possible is crucial. An extremely high value of interference will be present when measuring due to the immediate vicinity of the generator and signal profile regulator. Several electrostatic shielding measures have been used to minimize the impact of these interferences. When installing the shielding, it was taken into account not to create new parasitic capacitive pathways that would transmit energy from the generator to the mass and that bypass the target tissue. In addition to shielding, a differential signal measurement is used as another way to suppress interference. Interferences also appear here as a single-phase signal at the input of the measurement channel, which is designed for a specially extended single-phase signal travel at the input. Extended signal travel was not sufficient to protect against high amplitude interference, so special attention was given to the circuit protection of the measuring channel. They must meet the opposing requirements for maintaining the large input impedance of the measuring channel and, on the other hand, small physical dimensions that are consistent with the size of electrodes.

[0140] The central unit (100) is coupled to one or more transducers (106), i.e. sources that convert electromagnetic impulse profiles into the light, electromagnetic field, electric current, dielectric barrier discharge, micro-vibrations and sound transmitted to the target treated tissue (110). The central unit (100), more specifically, the block of the generator and signal profile regulator (105) is also coupled to one or more resonant electrodes (107), i.e. sinks that enable the establishment of a therapeutic resonant energy pathway (108) through the target treated tissue (110), i.e. between the points of application of the transducer (106) and the resonant electrode (107). The central unit (100), i.e. the block of the generator and signal profile regulator (105) via transducer (106)—treated tissue (110)—the resonant electrode (107) coupling, in real time, measures the amount of energy, more specifically, the voltage, current, and impedance during treatment, thus monitoring the amount of the transmitted energy and the response of the treated organism to stimulation, which depend on the administration modality, the type of target treated tissue and/or ambient conditions during application. This allows for real-time dose control by adjusting the output impulse profiles generated by the block of the generator and impulse profile regulator (105). Impulse profiles and doses for each therapeutic procedure are defined by settings stored in the memory of the management unit (102).

[0141] The central unit in the desktop version of the device comprises one or more blocks of the generator and impulse profiles regulator (105) coupled to the management unit (102) on one side and the transducer (106) and the resonant electrode (107) on the other side. In this case, the management unit enables parallel or serial operation (switching on/off) of individual generators and impulse profile regulators.

[0142] The impulse profile settings, more specifically, the impulse sequences and their waveforms and doses are adapted to a particular disease or condition of the treated living organism based on clinical experience, and are stored in the management unit (102), and are defined based on the administration modality, the resonant frequency of the individual tissue or, e.g. the microorganism, and the total amount of the transmitted energy.

[0143] The device (10) enables the regular application of various therapeutic impulse profiles, generally consisting of impulse sequences (impulse arrays) that can be regulated and modulated by the management unit (102) with respect to the waveform (sinusoidal, rectangular, trapezoidal, linear or exponential growth or decay, even and odd harmonics, damped sine), impulse sequence frequency from 0.1 Hz to 7,500 Hz, impulse width ranging from several hundred nanoseconds to 20 microseconds with the possibility of frequency modulation in the specified range, a resonant frequency from 20 kHz to 350 kHz, and a voltage amplitude of 500 V to 30,000 V with voltage amplitude modulation by oscillating signal in the range from 0.1 Hz to 540 Hz with adjustable modulation depth.

[0144] The device (10) also enables the application of a dielectric barrier discharge when the transducer is in immediate vicinity to a living organism generating an electromagnetic field in the frequency range from 40 MHz to 1 GHz and micro-vibrations, i.e. sound in the frequency range from 0.1 Hz to 20 kHz, also a dielectric barrier discharge together with a slightly ionized cold atmospheric plasma are generated in the air gap between the transducer and the surface of the treated tissue.

[0145] The transducer (106), as shown in FIG. 10, in principle, contains an insulating housing (401), a capacitive and/or inductive element (402), a dielectric barrier (404) made of glass, ceramics or polymers, and a light source generated by a smoldering discharge in a partially evacuated volume enclosed by dielectric containing one or more gases (403), which by means of the capacitive element (402) (601 in FIG. 11) coupled to the block of the generator and signal profile regulator (105) are excited over a dielectric barrier (404) through the connector (405), or the light generates a separate electronic circuit (407) with a light source (408) such as LED, OLED or any other alternative light source in the UV, visible, or infrared portion of the spectrum, excited by separate impulse profiles generated by the management unit (102). Also, FIG. 10 shows a connector for the coupling of the light source to the management unit (409) and the connector for the coupling of the inductive coil sink to the generator (410).

[0146] Capacitive and/or inductive element (402), shown in FIG. 10, can be made of conductive material as a capacitive plate (601), a capacitive disc (602) or as a capacitive network (603), an inductive disc (604) or a coil (605) or combination thereof, which may be transparent to light, as shown in FIG. 11, and is located on the proximal side of the dielectric (opposite side of the active surface of the transducer).

[0147] A coil with a dual coupling (605), shown in FIG. 11, is made of conductive material and comprises a contact point for source coupling (607) and a contact point for sink coupling (608). A coil (605) can be flat or conically wound and arrangement and length of coil are of arbitrary width/thickness of wire.

[0148] In the embodiments of the transducer containing inductive elements (604), (605), as shown in FIG. 11, this element contains a contact point for source coupling (607) and sink coupling (608), and is directly coupled to the block of the generator and signal profile regulator (105), and their operation is possible without a direct contact with the treated organism, whereas the transducer (106) and the device (10) are positioned at a certain distance from the organism to generate a therapeutic field. Some of the possible embodiments of the transducer with inductive elements are a dual inductive disc with a dual coupling (source-sink) (604) or a coil with a dual coupling (source-sink) (605). In the case where the transducer contains capacitive elements, some possible embodiments are a single-contact capacitive plate for source coupling (601), a single-contact capacitive disc for source coupling (602) and a single-contact capacitive network for source coupling (603).

[0149] The active surface of the transducer (106), i.e. the dielectric barrier (404), which is directed or comes into contact with the treated organism, can vary in shape and size, all as shown in FIG. 12, wherein the shape is flat (801), convex (802), concave (803) or pointed (804), or combinations thereof, all to meet energy and ergonomic requirements depending on the type and needs of the therapeutic procedure, and is also made of glass, ceramics or polymers.

The transducer (106) is usually located in the transducer housing, and may also comprise an adaptive transducer extension (501), as shown in FIG. 13, for precise positioning of the transducer (106) relative to the treated surface of the living organism, more specifically, for defining the distance between the active surface of the transducer (506) and the treated surface of the living organism, it also enables control of the discharge properties and retention of constituents generated by the appearance of a dielectric barrier discharge within a closed volume whose walls comprise the active transducer surface, the treated surface of the living organism, and the inner wall of the telescopic extension (507). The adaptive extension may also comprise a dielectric photo filter (508) that covers the active surface of the transducer for light transmission of a specific spectrum to the target treated tissue, in the case of a wide-spectrum light source usage. The adaptive extension may also comprise passive elements adjacent to the active surface of the transducer (106) and the target treated surface, which allow the same distance to be maintained for use on larger surfaces of the living organism. The transducer (106) may also include a retention element on the extension or a retention element on the transducer housing (505). If necessary, the transducer (106) may also comprise a passive element for maintaining a constant distance when used on larger surfaces (509).

[0150] The resonant electrode (107) that comes in contact with the surface of the organism is made of conductive material of arbitrary dimensions and shapes, e.g. a tube or a plate, and is coupled to the central unit (100). The resonant electrode (107) comprises an electrical circuit that allows the U.sub.M, measurement described earlier to be performed and visual or audible signaling of the establishment of a therapeutic energy resonant circuit.

[0151] In another embodiment, the present device for treatment of diseases and conditions generates impulse profiles that include impulse sequences that can be adjusted and modulated with respect to their shape that can be either square, sinusoidal, trapezoidal, triangular, sawtooth, reversed sawtooth, linear increase (rumpup), linear decrease (rumpdown), exponential growth (rumpup), exponential decay (rumpdown), even harmonics, odd harmonics, exponentially damped sine, exponentially amplified sine or modulated impulse width, with frequencies of the impulse sequences ranging from 0.1 Hz to 7,500 Hz, resonant frequency ranging from 20 to 350 Hz, amplitude modulation by an oscillating signal in the frequency range from 0.1 to 5,040 Hz, impulse amplitude ranging from 500 V to 30 kV with modulation depth ranging from 1 to 100%, wherein electromagnetic field, high-frequency currents ranging from 40 MHz to 1 GHz and sound waves ranging from 0.1 to 20,000 Hz are generated through the generation of dielectric barrier discharge in the air gap between the transducer surface and the target treated tissue surface.

[0152] The device is applied in several possible ways, as shown in FIG. 14, by placing one or more transducers (106) and resonant electrodes (107) in direct contact as in FIG. 14a, or immediate vicinity, as shown in FIG. 14b, or combination thereof 14c with the treated surface of the organism at specific sites on the body, and specific impulse profiles designed for treating specific diseases and conditions are applied to or guide through the target treated tissue of the living organism. In the embodiment of the transducer with inductive elements (604 and 605) that are directly coupled to the block of the generator and signal profile regulator (105), a therapeutic field (700) is generated, which affects the treated organism without direct contact between the transducer active surface and the living organism, as shown in FIG. 14d.

[0153] The coupling between one or more transducers (106) and one or more resonant electrodes (107) achieved through the target treated tissue by direct coupling, e.g., when applied to a wound or by capacitive coupling, e.g., when applied to the skin, it enables the establishment of a therapeutic resonant energy circuit, i.e targeted guidance of electromagnetic impulse profiles through target treated tissue, such as joint and muscle, or between target points on the tissue, such as between the reflex points at the upper and lower extremities, to stimulate certain deeper tissue structures, neurological pathways, innervation areas or energy meridians, and centers of a living organism. Some of the possible arrangements of transducers and resonant electrodes in relation to the treated tissue are shown in FIG. 15. In this way, a therapeutic resonant energy pathway circuit may be applied to stimulate a particular pathway on a living organism between two (15a) or more (15b) distant points on the surface, as well as the stimulating deeper structures of a living organism with one or more pairs of transducers and resonant electrodes (15c and d), whereby in the case of multiple pairs of therapeutic electrodes a diffuse or focused effect on a specific target tissue of a living organism may be achieved by controlling the impulse profiles and starting modes (parallel or serial) of individual transducers (FIG. 15d).