ITPV20100001A1 - PHYSIOTHERAPY EQUIPMENT FOR ELECTROSTIMULATION AND / OR BIOFEEDBACK WITH INTERNAL POWER SUPPLY WITH RECHARGE NEAR INSTANTANEOUS - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION

State of the art

The administration and detection of electricity to / from the human body, through trans-cutaneous, percutaneous and intra-cavity electrodes, better known for decades under the terms of "electrotherapy", "electrostimulation", "electrodiagnosis," "electromyography" , "Biofeedback", uses electrodes made of conductive material applied to the skin or deep tissues, or introduced into a patient's orifice. The therapeutic or diagnostic function of these electrodes is linked to the application of one or more electric fields, and therefore to the passage of a determined current, or to the detection of electric potentials generated by the human body. These electrodes are normally connected, by means of electric cables of various kinds and rigid or flexible printed circuit materials and / or circuits of various shapes, to a suitable generator of electric fields (electrotherapy unit or electrostimulator) or to a unit for detecting, processing and displaying signals (electrodiag unit nostica, electromyography or biofeedback). These units are currently available both with mains power (for example 230 V) and with internal battery power (rechargeable or not).

Technical description of the new invention

The new physiotherapy equipment, subject of this patent filing application, is an electromedical device that integrates the functions of electric field generator and detection unit, signal amplification / processing, wearable by the patient and in which the source of power supply consists of one or more very high capacity capacitors (super-capacitors). The result is an electro-diagnostic device that can be charged in a very short time (from a few seconds to 2 minutes) and used for a single session that can last from 10 to 60 minutes.

The absence of any type of battery (primary or secondary) greatly improves the safety of the electro-medical device and increases its flexibility, allowing it to be recharged almost instantly.

From the electronic point of view, the new invention is composed at least (but not only) of the following elements:

- a generator of electrical impulses (monopolar or bipolar) characterized by a pulse width that can vary from 20 ps to 2ms and a frequency that can vary from 1 to 50,000 Hz (pulses per second) and / or galvanic current ( uni-directional direct current).

- a very high capacitance capacitor (super-capacitor) of at least 25F (Farad)

- a series of metal contacts (at least 2) on the device container, to allow the super-capacitor to be recharged; alternatively, an electronic circuit equipped with an inductive component (solenoid, possibly integrated in the printed circuit traces) is provided for the reception, conversion and stabilization of the wireless charging energy (current and voltage).

- an external device for instantaneous recharging of the super-capacitor, comprising a voltage and current stabilizer, the output of which is intended to connect with the device to be recharged through suitable electrical contacts; alternatively, an inductive transfer charger or an electronic circuit equipped with an inductive component (solenoid, possibly integrated in the printed circuit traces) for the generation and transmission of wireless charging energy is provided.

The device may include (but not necessarily):

- a micro-controller (MCU) intended for the generation of pulses and / or for the conversion and display of the detected signals and / or for the man-machine interface of the device.

- a component (LCD display or single color or multicolor LED element) for displaying the status of the device during normal operation and / or during charging.

- one or more electrodes for the application / detection to / from human tissues of electrical stimulation and / or physiological signals, for therapeutic and / or diagnostic purposes or for (rehabilitation through biofeedback.

The advantages of using a capacitor, instead of a rechargeable battery or primary battery, are at least the following:

1. High security, suitable for integration into a wearable medical device;

2. Possibility of recharging in a few minutes (or even instantaneously) with a great saving of energy for recharging;

3. Indifference to complete discharge, even permanent, for very long periods;

4. Extremely long operating life (up to 500,000 charge / discharge cycles) or a thousand times longer than the life of a rechargeable battery.

5. Total absence of maintenance.

6. Environmental protection due to the absence of batteries to be disposed of at the end of the product life cycle.

The working voltage of a high-capacity capacitor or a super-capacitor such as the one mentioned above, is 2.7 V. The super-capacitor can be recharged with a few common electronic components and the only precaution to be taken to adopt is the limitation of the charging voltage used (maximum 2.8V but it is better not to exceed 2.75V). The stabilization of the charging current also allows you to define the speed of charging.

Claims (1)

CLAIMS 1) Physiotherapy equipment for electrostimulation and / or biofeedback with internal power supply with almost instant recharge, characterized by the presence, inside, of a super-capacitor of at least 25 Farad which acts as a power source; 2) Physiotherapy equipment for electrostimulation and / or biofeedback with internal power supply with almost instantaneous recharge, as per claim 1 and characterized by the presence of at least two electrical contacts on the external container that allow it to be connected to a special charger. 3) Physiotherapy equipment for electrostimulation and / or biofeedback with internal power supply with instant recharge, as per claims 1 and 2 and comprising a special charger, stabilized voltage and current generator, intended to recharge the supercapacitor contained in the device almost instantly, through at least two contacts. 4) Physiotherapy equipment for electrostimulation and / or biofeedback with internal power supply with almost instantaneous recharge, as per claim 1 and characterized by the presence of an electronic circuit comprising an inductive component (solenoid) for the reception, conversion and stabilization of energy (current and wireless charging voltage), coming from a special inductive transfer charger. 5) Physiotherapy equipment for electrostimulation and / or biofeedback with internal power supply with almost instant recharge, as per claims 1 and 4 and including a special inductive transfer charger 6) Physiotherapeutic apparatus for electrostimulation and / or biofeedback with internal power supply with instant recharge, as per claims 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 as described above.