JP2012011063A - Hair growth-stimulating device using light - Google Patents

Abstract

An optical hair growth device capable of detecting a location where light should be irradiated and confirming whether a light source is appropriately arranged is provided.
An optical hair growth device of the present invention has a plurality of light sources, a light source unit that irradiates the skin with near infrared light, a control unit that controls lighting of the light sources in the light source unit, and the near Irradiation site determination means for determining a site to be irradiated with infrared light. When the irradiation site determination means determines that at least a part of the skin is a site to be irradiated with near-infrared light, the control unit turns on the light source facing the site and causes the near-red light to the site. Control to emit external light.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a photo-growth apparatus that irradiates light on the skin to promote the growth of body hair. In particular, the present invention relates to an optical hair growth device capable of detecting a place to be irradiated with light and efficiently growing hair.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technique for promoting the growth of body hair by causing mild inflammation on the skin is known. This technique causes inflammation with drugs and the like, but the use of such drugs often causes mild skin roughness and has problems such as pain and infection.

  In addition to this, a technique for growing hair by irradiating the skin with light having a wavelength of 890 nm is known (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1). With regard to this technology, the applicant of the present application has confirmed through animal experiments, and as a result, it has been found that, as in the case of using a drug, the use of inflammation in the skin is utilized.

  However, it cannot be said that it is preferable for the human body to cause inflammation in the skin as in the technique of using a drug or the technique of Non-Patent Document 1. For this reason, hair growth devices that do not use drugs and do not use inflammation inside the skin have been developed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Journal of Korean Society Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons 2004 p. 1-p. 8

International Publication No. 2009/123196

  The hair-growth apparatus described in Patent Document 1 can obtain an excellent hair-growth effect by performing a necessary irradiation amount for a predetermined time at a place to be irradiated. However, in the conventional hair growth device, it is necessary to visually determine a portion where light should be irradiated, and it is difficult to confirm whether the light source is appropriately arranged.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems of the prior art. And the objective of this invention is detecting the location which should irradiate light, and providing the optical hair growth device which can confirm whether the light source is arrange | positioned appropriately.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the photobritulator of the first invention has a plurality of light sources, and controls a light source unit that irradiates the skin with near infrared light and lighting of the light sources in the light source unit. A control unit; and an irradiation site determination unit that determines a site to which the near infrared light is to be irradiated. In the irradiation site determination unit, at least a part of the skin is a site to be irradiated with the near infrared light. If it is determined that there is, the control unit controls to turn on the light source facing the part and irradiate the part with near infrared light.

  The optical hair growth device of the second invention is a reflection of light to the skin whether or not the irradiation site judgment means is a portion to be irradiated with near-infrared light with respect to the photo hair growth device of the first invention. The determination is based on the amount of light.

  The light hair growth device of the third invention is the lightness and color of the skin as to whether or not the irradiation site judgment means is a portion to irradiate near infrared light with respect to the light hair growth device of the first invention. Judgment is made according to the degree.

  When the photo-growth device of the fourth invention determines that there is a site where the skin should be irradiated with near-infrared light in the irradiation site judging means with respect to the photo-growth device of the first invention, It is further characterized by further comprising means for informing the user that there is a site to be used.

  The optical hair growth device of the fifth invention is such that the control unit is only provided to the photo hair growth device of the first invention when the irradiation site determination means determines that there is a region to be irradiated with near infrared light. Control is performed so that the light source in the light source section is turned on.

  The optical hair growth device of the sixth invention is characterized in that the wavelength of the near infrared light is a specific absorption wavelength of water as compared with the optical hair growth device of the first invention.

  The optical hair growth device of the seventh invention is characterized in that the wavelength of the near-infrared light is 950 nm or 1450 nm compared to the photo hair growth device of the sixth invention.

  According to the optical hair growth device of the present invention, in order to determine whether or not the irradiation site determination means is a site that should be irradiated with near-infrared light, is a light source appropriately disposed at a location where light should be irradiated? Can be confirmed.

It is the schematic which shows the structure of the optical hair growth device which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the optical hair growth device which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, an optical hair growth device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not restrict | limited only to the following embodiment. In addition, the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for convenience of explanation, and may be different from the actual ratios.

[First embodiment]
As shown in FIG. 1, the optical hair growth device according to the present embodiment includes a light source unit 20 that emits near-infrared light on one side end surface of the housing 70 in the longitudinal direction. And the near infrared light emitted from the said light source part 20 permeate | transmits the protective plate 80 as a transmission window installed so that the light source part 20 may be obstruct | occluded, and is irradiated outside.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the light source unit 20 includes a plurality of first light sources 21 and a plurality of second light sources 22, which are further mounted on a substrate 23. The first light source 21 and the second light source 22 are light sources that emit near infrared light having a wavelength of 0.76 to 2.5 μm. Here, it is preferable that the wavelength of the light emitted from the first and second light sources is equal to the specific absorption wavelength of water. The specific absorption wavelength of water is defined as a wavelength that exhibits a stronger absorbance than other wavelengths when light is absorbed by water. The specific absorption wavelength of water is due to the O—H bond sound of water, and the specific absorption wavelengths of water particularly in the near infrared region are, for example, 950 nm, 1150 nm, 1450 nm, and 1790 nm.

  The light source unit 20 preferably emits a wavelength of 950 nm and / or 1450 nm among these specific absorption wavelengths of water. If it is the light of this wavelength, the hair-growth effect can be heightened without giving inflammation to skin. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a light source that emits light having a wavelength of 950 nm is used as the first light source 21, and a light source that emits light having a wavelength of 1450 nm is used as the second light source 22. As a light source of such a light source unit 20, it is preferable to use a light emitting diode. A short wavelength laser may be used instead of the light emitting diode. In addition, a filter for selecting a wavelength for a halogen lamp or a broadband laser may be provided between the light source unit 20 and the irradiation site (skin) to use only a necessary wavelength.

  Further, the substrate 23 in the light source unit 20 is connected to a power source 30. The power source 30 supplies power for causing the first and second light sources in the light source unit 20 to emit light. As such a power supply 30, for example, a DC power supply having a constant output voltage such as a primary battery or a secondary battery can be used. Further, the power supply 30 may have a function of converting an AC voltage obtained from a commercial power supply into a DC voltage.

  Moreover, in the optical hair growth device of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a timer 40 (timer) is provided between the light source unit 20 and the power source 30. The timer 40 measures the irradiation time in the light source unit 20 and cuts off the electric path between the power source 30 and the light source unit 20 after a predetermined time (for example, 20 minutes) elapses. Thus, the timer 40 is used as a time control unit that causes the light source unit 20 to emit light continuously for a predetermined time.

  Further, in the present embodiment, a pulse generation unit 50 and a switching unit 60 are provided between the light source unit 20 and the timer 40. The pulse generator 50 has a function of converting the output voltage of the power supply 30 into a pulse voltage. In the present embodiment, the cycle of the pulse voltage generated by the pulse generator 50 is set to 500 Hz, but is not limited to this cycle.

  The switching unit 60 switches the electric circuit between the power supply 30 and the substrate 23 between a first electric circuit 51 that passes through the pulse generator 50 and a second electric circuit 52 that does not pass through the pulse generator 50. In the first electric circuit 51, since the pulse generator 50 is inserted between the power supply 30 and the substrate 23, a pulse voltage is applied to the light source unit 20, and the light source unit 20 emits light intermittently (pulse lighting). . In the second electric circuit 52, since the pulse generator 50 is not inserted between the power supply 30 and the substrate 23, a constant output voltage is applied to the light source unit 20, and the light source unit 20 emits light continuously ( Continuous lighting). That is, the switching unit 60 is configured to switch between pulse lighting and continuous lighting. The switching unit 60 has an operation unit (not shown) for manually switching between pulse lighting and continuous lighting, and the operation unit is installed on the outer surface of the housing 70, for example.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 70 accommodates the light source unit 20, the power supply 30, the timer 40, the pulse generation unit 50, and the switching unit 60. A window hole 71 through which light from the light source unit 20 is emitted to the outside is formed on one end face in the axial direction of the housing 70. The light source unit 20 is housed in the housing 70 with the first and second light sources facing the outside through the window hole 71. The housing 70 can be formed in a cylindrical shape, for example.

  The protection plate 80 is formed in a disk shape from a light-transmitting material such as glass or a light-transmitting resin. The size of the protective plate 80 may be any size that can close the window hole 71. The protection plate 80 is fitted into the window hole 71 and protects the light source unit 20 from the outside. Further, a lens function may be added to the protective plate 80 as necessary.

  And the optical hair growth device 10 of this embodiment is provided with the some probe 90 and the irradiation site | part judgment part 100 which are the irradiation site | part judgment means which judges the site | part which should irradiate the near infrared light in skin, as shown in FIG. ing.

As shown in FIG. 1, the probe 90 is provided so as to be interposed between the first light source 21 and the second light source 22 in the light source unit 20 while being held by the substrate 23. The tip of the probe 90 is flush with the surface of the protective plate 80 so as to come into contact with the skin irradiated with near infrared light. The probe 90 includes a measurement illumination light source (not shown) that irradiates the skin with measurement light, and a light receiver (not shown) that receives the measurement light reflected from the skin. A colorimetric standard illuminant D ₆₅ (multicolor LED) can be used as the measurement illumination light source, and a photodiode can be used as the light receiver.

The irradiation site determination unit 100 obtains the lightness L ^* and the chromaticities a ^* and b ^* from the measurement light received by the light receiver. Specifically, the irradiation site determination unit 100 measures the measurement light received by the light receiver with a sensor, obtains tristimulus values (X, Y, Z), and calculates the tristimulus values with a microcomputer. L ^* and chromaticity a ^* , b ^* are obtained. That is, the probe 90 and the irradiation site determination unit 100 have a function as a colorimeter.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, the optical hair growth device 10 of the present embodiment has a control unit that controls lighting locations of the first light source 21 and the second light source 22 between the switching unit 60 and the substrate 23. 110 is provided. The control unit 110 is connected to the irradiation site determination unit 100.

  The usage method of the optical hair grower 10 of this embodiment which has such a structure is demonstrated. First, the power switch (not shown) of the optical hair growth device 10 is turned on to be usable. Next, the protective plate 80 provided on the one side end face of the photohair grower 10 is disposed so as to come into contact with the irradiation site of the user.

By turning on an irradiation switch (not shown) in this state, measurement light is irradiated from the measurement illumination light source in the probe 90 to the irradiation site of the user. Then, the measurement light (reflected light) reflected from the irradiated portion is received by a light receiver, and the irradiated portion determination unit 100 obtains the lightness L ^* and chromaticity a ^* , b ^* from the reflected light. More specifically, the spectrum is measured from the reflected light received by the light receiver, and the brightness is determined from the shape of the spectrum using a known color system (L ^* a ^* b ^* color system defined in JISZ8729). L ^* and chromaticity a ^* , b ^* are calculated to identify the color of the irradiated part. The irradiation site determination unit 100 has an L ^* value in the reflected light in the range of 20 to 80, an a ^* value in the range of 0 to +60, and a b ^* value in the range of 0 to +60. In this case, it is determined that hair removal has progressed at the irradiated site and the skin is exposed. On the other hand, when the L ^* value, a ^* value, and b ^* value are out of the above ranges, it is determined that a lot of black hair or white hair is present at the irradiated site, and hair removal has not progressed.

  When the irradiation site determination unit 100 determines that the skin is exposed, the control unit 110 issues a signal indicating that the skin is exposed to the control unit 110. The second light source 22 is controlled to emit light. As a result, near-infrared light is emitted from the first light source 21 and the second light source 22, and the user's skin is irradiated with the near-infrared light through the protective plate 80. And the growth of body hair can be accelerated | stimulated by the said near-infrared light being absorbed into the light absorption component which exists in the skin inside.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, the optical hair growth device of this embodiment is provided with a plurality of probes 90a, 90b, 90c. Of these plural probes 90a, 90b, 90c, for example, when the L ^* value, a ^* value, and b ^* value in the reflected light measured by the probe 90a are within the above range, the skin near the probe 90a. The controller 110 controls the first light source 21a and the second light source 22a adjacent to the probe 90a to emit light. However, when the L ^* value, a ^* value, and b ^* value in the reflected light measured by the other probes 90b and 90c are not within the above ranges, the skin is exposed at the irradiated portion facing the probes 90b and 90c. The controller 110 determines that there is no light, and controls the first light source 21b and the second light source 22b adjacent to the probes 90b and 90c not to emit light.

As described above, in the photohair growth device 10 of the present embodiment, the irradiation site determination means distinguishes between a site where there is a lot of black hair or white hair, for example, where hair removal has not progressed, and a site where hair removal has progressed. And the 1st light source 21 and the 2nd light source 22 are turned on so that near infrared light may be concentrated and irradiated to the site | part in which hair removal is progressing. Thereby, even if a user does not confirm the light source part 20 and the location which should be irradiated visually, by making an optical hair growth device contact an irradiation site | part, should an optical hair growth device itself should irradiate the said site | part near infrared light? It can be determined whether or not. Moreover, in the conventional optical hair growth device, it was difficult to confirm whether the light source was appropriately arrange | positioned in the location which should irradiate light. However, in the photohair-growth apparatus of this embodiment, in order to determine whether or not to irradiate near-infrared light by measuring the lightness L ^* and chromaticity a ^* and b ^* of the irradiated region, the portion to be irradiated with light It is possible to confirm whether the light source is properly arranged.

  Furthermore, since it is not possible to specify the irradiation site with the conventional optical hair growth device, it is necessary to arrange the light source section in a wide range and turn on all the light sources to cover all of them, which is inefficient in terms of power consumption. . However, in the optical hair growth device of this embodiment, the irradiation site determination means distinguishes the site where hair removal is progressing and only the light source facing the portion is turned on, so that power consumption can be reduced and irradiation can be performed efficiently. It becomes. In addition, since the control unit 110 automatically turns on only the necessary light source, the burden on the user is reduced.

In the photohair growth device of the above embodiment, the irradiation site determination means determines whether to irradiate near infrared light by measuring the lightness L ^* and chromaticity a ^* , b ^* of the irradiation site. did. However, a configuration in which the lightness L ^* and the chromaticities a ^* and b ^* are not calculated and the determination is simply based on the amount of reflected light may be employed. That is, first, the reflected light amount of the background and the reflected light amount of the part having black hair or gray hair are measured in advance. Next, the reflected light of the irradiated part is measured with the probe 90. Then, the irradiation site determination unit 100 determines whether the obtained reflected light amount is closer to the reflected light amount of the background or the reflected light amount of the part having black hair or gray hair. Thereafter, when the irradiation site determination unit 100 determines that the obtained reflected light amount is close to the reflected light amount of the background, the control unit 110 sends a signal to the control unit 110 that the skin is exposed. The first light source 21 and the second light source 22 are controlled to emit light. As a result, near-infrared light is emitted from the first light source 21 and the second light source 22, and the user's skin is irradiated with the near-infrared light through the protective plate 80.

  Note that, as described above, in the optical hair growth device 10 of the present embodiment, both the first light source 21 and the second light source 22 are configured to emit light simultaneously, but control between the substrate 23 and the switching unit 60 is performed. The unit 110 may be used to alternately irradiate the first light source 21 and the second light source 22. In particular, it is preferable to switch the wavelength of the irradiated near infrared light according to the age of the subject irradiated with the near infrared light. For example, near-infrared light with a wavelength of 950 nm is irradiated for people under 50 years old, and near-infrared light with 1450 nm is irradiated for people of all ages to further improve the hair-growth effect. Can do. This is because 1450 nm near-infrared light absorbs more water than 950 nm near-infrared light, and elderly people with less water can use 1450 nm near-infrared light to achieve a hair-growth effect. It is considered a thing.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, in the optical hair growth device of the present embodiment, the first light sources 21 and the second light sources 22 are arranged so as to be alternately arranged. However, the arrangement is not limited to this, and for each wavelength. They may be collected or arranged randomly regardless of the wavelength. Further, the first light source 21 and the second light source 22 do not have to be arranged at equal intervals, and the number can be arbitrarily set.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, the optical hair growth device which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same structure as 1st embodiment, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the optical hair growth device 11 according to the present embodiment, the irradiation site determination unit 100 is connected to a monitor (display unit) 120 as shown in FIG. As the monitor 120, a liquid crystal monitor or the like can be used.

  And in the photohair growth device 11 which concerns on this embodiment, the site | part in which hair removal has not progressed and the site | part in which hair removal has progressed are distinguished by the irradiation site | part judgment means as mentioned above. And when the site | part in which hair removal is advancing is detected by the irradiation site | part determination means, the irradiation site | part determination part 100 emits the signal to that effect to the monitor 120, and the monitor 120 has a site | part which should irradiate near infrared light. Display. As a result, the user performs an operation of turning on the light source unit 20, and near infrared light is irradiated to the site where hair removal is progressing.

  As described above, when the site where hair removal is progressing is detected by the irradiation site determination means, the user can be irradiated only when necessary by prompting the user to irradiate near infrared light. Therefore, it is possible to ensure a necessary irradiation amount without giving the user an excessive sense of restraint.

  In the optical hair growth device 11 of the present embodiment, the user is prompted to irradiate near infrared light using the monitor 120, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, near infrared light irradiation may be prompted by sound, or may be prompted by vibration.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated by some embodiment, this invention is not limited to these, A various deformation | transformation is possible within the range of the summary of this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Optical hair growth device 20 Light source part 30 Power supply 40 Timer 50 Pulse generation part 60 Switching part 70 Housing 80 Protection board 90 Probe 100 Irradiation site | part judgment part 110 Control part 120 Monitor

Claims (7)

A light source unit having a plurality of light sources and irradiating the skin with near infrared light;
A control unit for controlling lighting of the light source in the light source unit;
An irradiation site determination means for determining a site to be irradiated with the near infrared light;
With
In the irradiation part determination means, when it is determined that at least a part of the skin is a part to be irradiated with near infrared light, the control unit turns on a light source facing the part and causes the part to emit near infrared light. An optical hair growth device that is controlled to emit light.   2. The photogrowth device according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation site determination unit determines whether or not the site should be irradiated with near-infrared light based on the amount of light reflected from the skin.   2. The photogrowth device according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation site determination unit determines whether or not the site should be irradiated with near-infrared light based on the brightness and chromaticity of the skin.   The irradiation part determining means further comprises means for notifying the user that there is a part to be irradiated when it is determined that there is a part to be irradiated with near infrared light on the skin. The photogrowth device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   The control unit controls the light source in the light source unit to turn on only when the irradiation site determination unit determines that there is a site to be irradiated with near infrared light. The optical hair growth device as described in any one of.   The optical hair growth device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the wavelength of the near-infrared light is a specific absorption wavelength of water.   The optical hair growth device according to claim 6, wherein the wavelength of the near infrared light is 950 nm or 1450 nm.

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