HIGH-FREQUENCY SKIN CARE DEVICE

Abstract

Disclosed is a high-frequency skin care device. The high-frequency skin care device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a high-frequency generator configured to receive power and output a high-frequency current, a coil part configured to convert the high-frequency current output from the high-frequency generator into an alternating magnetic field, a needle assembly including a plurality of needles configured to be heated by the alternating magnetic field and come in contact with the skin to treat the skin, a mover configured to move the needle assembly and allow the needle assembly to be inserted into the skin, and a controller configured to control the high-frequency generator and the mover.

Claims

1. A high-frequency skin care device comprising: a high-frequency generator configured to receive power and output a high-frequency current; a coil part configured to convert the high-frequency current output from the high-frequency generator into an alternating magnetic field; a needle assembly including a plurality of needles configured to be heated by the alternating magnetic field and come in contact with the skin to treat the skin; a mover configured to move the needle assembly and allow the needle assembly to be inserted into the skin; and a controller configured to control the high-frequency generator and the mover.

2. The high-frequency skin care device of claim 1, wherein the coil part includes: a substrate; a coil disposed on the substrate; and a plurality of through-holes formed between portions of the coil and through which the plurality of needles pass.

3. The high-frequency skin care device of claim 2, wherein the substrate is formed as a nonconductor and has one surface formed as a close contact surface configured to come in contact with the skin of a user during treatment and the other surface disposed on the coil.

4. The high-frequency skin care device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of through-holes are spaced apart at predetermined intervals and formed in a lattice shape.

5. The high-frequency skin care device of claim 1, wherein the coil part is disposed at a front end portion of a handpiece case.

6. The high-frequency skin care device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of needles includes: a circular rod part which is made of a nonconductor and has an upper end portion connected to the mover; and a heat generator which is connected to the circular rod part and configured to generate heat due to the alternating magnetic field generated by the coil part.

7. The high-frequency skin care device of claim 6, wherein the heat generator is made of a conductor and converts the current flowing therein into heat by eddy current loss and hysteresis loss due to the alternating magnetic field.

8. The high-frequency skin care device of claim 6, wherein the heat generated by the heat generator is, without being transferred to the circular rod part, transmitted as thermal energy to a part of the dermis that is in contact with the heat generator, and thus the skin is treated.

9. The high-frequency skin care device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of needles of the needle assembly each have the same length.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by describing exemplary embodiments thereof in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0020] FIG. 1 is a view schematically illustrating a configuration of a high-frequency skin care device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a handpiece of the high-frequency skin care device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] FIG. 3 is an exemplary view for describing a front end portion of the high-frequency skin care device according to the present embodiment;

[0023] FIG. 4 is an exemplary view for describing a coil part according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] FIG. 5 is an exemplary view for describing through-holes of the coil part according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] FIG. 6 is an exemplary view for describing needles according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0026] FIG. 7 is an exemplary view for describing a state in which thermal energy is output into the dermis by the needles according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0027] Hereinafter, a high-frequency skin care device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this process, thicknesses of lines or sizes of components illustrated in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity and convenience of description.

[0028] Also, terms used herein are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. A singular expression includes a plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In the present application, terms such as include or have are intended to designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described herein and should not be understood as precluding the possibility of presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof. Terms such as first and second may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are only used to distinguish one component from another component.

[0029] Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and in the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same or corresponding components will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping description thereof will be omitted.

[0030] FIG. 1 is a view schematically illustrating a configuration of a high-frequency skin care device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a handpiece of the high-frequency skin care device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 3 is an exemplary view for describing a front end portion of the high-frequency skin care device according to the present embodiment, FIG. 4 is an exemplary view for describing a coil part according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 5 is an exemplary view for describing through-holes of the coil part according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 6 is an exemplary view for describing needles according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 7 is an exemplary view for describing a state in which thermal energy is output into the dermis by the needles according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a high-frequency skin care device 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a high-frequency generator 120, a coil part 130, a mover 140, a needle assembly 150, and a controller 160. Here, the high-frequency generator 120 may be included in a main body (not illustrated) of the high-frequency skin care device, and the coil part 130, the mover 140, and the needle assembly 150 may be included in a handpiece case 110 illustrated in FIG. 2.

[0032] The handpiece case 110 also serves as a handle, which may be gripped by a user, and may have an inner space provided therein. The handpiece case 110 may have a substantially cylindrical shape and may have the inner space in which the coil part 130, the needle assembly 150, and the mover 140 are installed. The handpiece case 110 may be formed of an insulating material such as plastic.

[0033] A front end portion of the handpiece case 110 may be a portion of the handpiece case 110 that comes in contact with the skin.

[0034] The high-frequency generator 120 may receive power and output a high-frequency current.

[0035] The high-frequency generator 120 may include an inverter part (not illustrated) configured to convert direct current power to an alternating current in a range of 100 kHz to 10 MHz to generate an induced electromotive force. Specifically, the high-frequency generator 120 may include an input filter circuit (not illustrated), a primary rectifier circuit (not illustrated), a power-factor improvement circuit (not illustrated), a switching circuit (not illustrated), an isolation transformer (not illustrated), a secondary rectifier circuit (not illustrated), an inverter circuit (not illustrated), and an output common filter (not illustrated). The input filter circuit may block noise of input alternating current power, the primary rectifier circuit and the power-factor improvement circuit may set an input voltage to be in a range of 85 V to 264 V while improving the power factor, the switching circuit may switch the direct current power input from the power-factor improvement circuit and transfer the direct current power as alternating current power to the isolation transformer, the isolation transformer may control an output voltage while insulating the primary side and the secondary side, the secondary rectifier circuit may rectify the alternating current power input from the isolation transformer to direct current power, the inverter circuit may adjust a frequency to be transferred to the coil part 130, and the output common filter may remove common-mode noise included in the output power and then transmit the output power to the coil part 130.

[0036] The high-frequency generator 120 may be connected to each of a positive (+) pole and a negative () pole of the coil part 130 and may receive power and transmit the power to the coil part 130. The high-frequency generator 120 may cause a high-frequency current to flow in the coil part 130.

[0037] The coil part 130 may convert the high-frequency current output from the high-frequency generator 120 into an alternating magnetic field. That is, the coil part 130 may convert an alternating current input from the high-frequency generator 120 into an alternating magnetic field having energy. For example, the coil part 130 may convert an alternating current in a range of 100 kHz to 10 MHz, which is transferred from the high-frequency generator 120, into an alternating magnetic field through a coil 134.

[0038] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the coil part 130 may be disposed at the front end portion of the handpiece case 110. That is, the coil part 130 may be disposed at the portion that comes in contact with the skin.

[0039] As illustrated in FIG. 4, the coil part 130 may include the coil 134, a substrate 132 on which the coil 134 is disposed, and a plurality of through-holes 136.

[0040] The coil 134 may be disposed in a spiral shape on the substrate 132.

[0041] The coil 134 may be positioned on the substrate 132 and positioned between the substrate 132 and a close contact surface of the handpiece case 110 that comes in contact with the skin. Maximum energy transfer is possible when the coil part 130 is positioned closest to the skin.

[0042] One surface of the substrate 132 may be a close contact surface that comes in contact with the user's skin during treatment, and the other surface of the substrate 132 may have the coil 134 disposed thereon. The plurality of through-holes 136 may be formed in the substrate 132. The substrate 132 may be a concept encompassing a bobbin.

[0043] The substrate 132 may be made of a nonmetal material such as rubber, silicone, or plastic to not affect the high-frequency current flowing in the coil 134.

[0044] The plurality of through-holes 136 may be disposed on the substrate 132 and allow a plurality of needles 155 to pass therethrough between portions of the coil 134. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the plurality of through-holes 136 may be spaced apart at predetermined intervals and formed in a lattice shape. Although the plurality of through-holes 136 are formed in a lattice shape in the present embodiment, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto, and the plurality of through-holes 136 may be formed in various other shapes across the front end portion of the handpiece case 110. The front end portion of the handpiece case 110 comes in contact with the user's skin.

[0045] When the needle assembly 150 is moved downward in a state in which the user's skin is pressed with the close contact surface coming in contact with the skin, the needles 155 of the needle assembly 150 move downward through the through-holes 136 and stimulate the dermis of the skin.

[0046] For the needles 155 to be easily inserted into the through-holes 136, the diameter of the through-hole 136 may be larger than the diameter of the needle 155.

[0047] By allowing the plurality of needles 155 to be positioned in the plurality of through-holes 136, the coil part 130 may prevent the plurality of needles 155 from being bent right before being inserted into the skin and may improve straightness of the plurality of needles 155.

[0048] The mover 140 may be installed in the handpiece case 110 and move the needle assembly 150 (in a vertical direction) to cause the needle assembly 150 to come in contact with or not come in contact with the skin.

[0049] The mover 140 may vertically lift or lower the plurality of needles 155. The plurality of needles 155 are fixed to the mover 140, and the plurality of needles 155 are lifted or lowered vertically due to movement of the mover 140. By the mover 140, the plurality of needles 155 may protrude from one surface of the front end portion of the handpiece case 110 and be inserted into the skin. The mover 140 may be configured to vertically move upward or downward through a separate driver (not illustrated) provided inside or outside the handpiece case 110. A motor, a ball screw, a pneumatic actuator, an electromagnetic device, or the like may be applied as the driver.

[0050] The needle assembly 150 may include the plurality of needles 155 configured to be heated by the alternating magnetic field, which is generated by the coil part 130, and come in contact with the skin to treat the skin.

[0051] The plurality of needles 155 may each be designed to be inserted into the skin at a depth of about 0.1 mm to 4 mm, current may flow in a heat generator 155b inserted into the skin due to the alternating magnetic field generated by the coil part 130, and the heat generator 155b may convert the generated current into heat due to eddy current loss and hysteresis loss which are caused by the current.

[0052] The plurality of needles 155 of the needle assembly 150 may each have the same length. The diameter of each needle 155 may be in micro units.

[0053] As illustrated in FIG. 6, the needle 155 may include a circular rod part 155a and the heat generator 155b. That is, the needle 155 may have an upper end portion configured as the circular rod part 155a which does not conduct electricity (has characteristics of a nonconductor) and has high thermal resistance and a lower end portion configured as the heat generator 155b which has conductivity and low thermal resistance.

[0054] The circular rod part 155a may be configured as an insulator (nonconductor) and have an upper end portion connected to the mover 140.

[0055] The heat generator 155b may be connected to the circular rod part 155a and generate heat due to the alternating magnetic field generated by the coil part 130.

[0056] The heat generator 155b may be configured as a conductor, current may flow in the heat generator 155b due to the alternating magnetic field, and the heat generator 155b may generate heat due to eddy current loss and hysteresis loss which are caused by the current. For example, the heat generator 155b may be made of a metal material.

[0057] The alternating magnetic field may induce an eddy current in the heat generator 155b configured as a conductor. The eddy current may be converted into heat in the heat generator 155b due to eddy current loss and hysteresis loss. The hysteresis loss may be energy loss that occurs when the heat generator 155b changes from a magnetized state to a demagnetized state due to the alternating magnetic field. The heat generated by the heat generator 155b may be transferred as thermal energy to a part of the dermis in contact with the heat generator 155b without being transferred to the circular rod part 155a with high thermal resistance. The skin may be treated by the heat transferred to the dermis of the skin.

[0058] When the needle assembly 150 is inserted into the skin, each needle 155 may be inserted into the epidermis at a depth of about 0.1 mm to 4 mm. The heat generator 155b may be inserted into the dermis of the skin and use heat to treat the skin. For example, when high-frequency waves are applied to the needle assembly 150, a plurality of thermal energy reach areas A are distributed in the thickness direction of the dermis.

[0059] The controller 160 may control the high-frequency generator 120 and the mover 140.

[0060] The controller 160 may also be connected to a switch (not illustrated) arranged on an outer side surface of the handpiece case 110. The user may operate the switch to generate a control signal.

[0061] Hereinafter, operations of the high-frequency skin care device 100 configured as above will be described.

[0062] A practitioner brings the close contact surface of the front end portion of the handpiece case 110 in close contact with the patient's skin while gripping the high-frequency skin care device 100. When the close contact surface is completely in close contact with the patient's skin, the switch (not illustrated) disposed on the handpiece case 110 may be operated to move the mover 140 downward toward the skin. When the mover 140 moves downward, the needle assembly 150 connected to the mover 140 also moves downward, and the needles 155 pass through the epidermis and prick the dermis as illustrated in FIG. 7. The moment the needles 155 are inserted into the dermis, the high-frequency generator 120 may be operated and generate high-frequency waves. The high-frequency generator 120 may transfer a high-frequency current to the coil part 130, and the coil part 130 may convert the high-frequency current output from the high-frequency generator 120 into an alternating magnetic field.

[0063] In each of the plurality of needles 155, current may flow in the heat generator 155b inserted into the skin due to the alternating magnetic field generated by the coil part 130, and the heat generator 155b may convert the current into heat due to eddy current loss and hysteresis loss which are caused by the current flowing therein. That is, the heat generator 155b of each needle 155 may be heated by the alternating magnetic field generated by the coil part 130 and may output thermal energy as in A of FIG. 7. The thermal energy output from the heat generator 155b of each needle 155 may coagulate tissue in the dermis and may regenerate and revitalize collagen.

[0064] As described above, in the high-frequency skin care device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, heat is generated only at the heat generator at the tip of the needle without being generated at the circular rod part of the needle, and thus skin burns or a skin reddening phenomenon that may occur after treatment can be prevented.

[0065] Also, in the high-frequency skin care device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, electrical energy is transferred as thermal energy into the skin using high-frequency induction heat technology, and thus skin tissue can be regenerated, and a skin care effect can be enhanced.

[0066] In a high-frequency skin care device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, since heat is generated only at a heat generator at the tip of a needle without being generated at a circular rod part of the needle, there is an effect of preventing skin burns or a skin reddening phenomenon that may occur after treatment.

[0067] Also, in the high-frequency skin care device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, since electrical energy is transferred as thermal energy into the skin using high-frequency induction heat technology, there is an effect of regenerating skin tissue and enhancing a skin care effect.

[0068] Meanwhile, advantageous effects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned advantageous effects, and various other advantageous effects may be included within the scope self-evident to those of ordinary skill in the art from the content described below.

[0069] The present disclosure has been described above with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, but the description is merely illustrative, and those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that various modifications and other equivalent embodiments are possible therefrom. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present disclosure should be defined by the claims below.