Patent Application
20210244613
The invention refers to a procedure and a system for the stimulation, especially in laser acupuncture, of a subject in a region of the body specified in compliance with the patent claims 1 and 11.
Acupuncture is known to treat chronic back pain, chronic pain caused by osteoarthritis of the knee joint or, for example, headaches and chronic migraines, as an alternative to the treatment approaches of conventional medicine. Within this procedure, usually fine needles are placed on the acupuncture points of the subject, in order to obtain the alleviation of the conditions, where, for example, fewer undesirable side effects are to be expected than with drug therapies. Within the current level of technology, an alternative to applying acupuncture needles is using laser light. The advantage of this procedure is that there is no pain, as compared to the application of acupuncture needles, and the upper layers of the patient's epidermis are not damaged, and thus there's not risk of infection.
The disadvantage of the acupuncture procedure using acupuncture needles, or laser light, respectively, known within the current level of technology, is the fact that this procedure is adequate only to a limited extent to self-therapy, because the application of acupuncture needles, or the orientation of the laser light respectively, in areas of the body that are hard to access for the subject, for example on the back or ear, cannot be accomplished by the subject.
The object of the invention is therefore to provide a method that is easy to carry out or a stimulation method that is easy to use and which are suitable for self-acupuncture, so that a test person can treat himself.
The invention solves this task with a procedure of the kind mentioned in the preamble,
For a particularly simple determination of the stimulation points on the subject's body area that react efficiently to stimulation, it can be provided that, for the determination of the points:
For the exact determination of the points to be stimulated on the surface of the subject's body, it can be provided that the stimulation points to be stimulated need to be determined by using a transformation instruction, which can be especially specified through a camera model that records the image, whose relative position on the surface of the body region corresponds to the relative position of the points in the image.
In order to ensure an efficient therapy of the subject's condition, through effective stimulation, it can be provided that the determined stimulation points to be stimulated are stimulated with the help of at least one laser and/or compressed air and/or a push pin, where the laser has a power of at least <5 mW, in particular, and/or where the laser is preferably designed as a low-level-laser.
An exact recording of the subject's body surface is to be provided when the image, three-dimensional, in particular, of the surface of the body region to be stimulated is captured with the use of a camera equipped with infrared vision.
In order to ensure the exact stimulation of the stimulation point determined, it can be provided that, during the alignment of the stimulation unit on at least one of the stimulation points determined and/or during the stimulation of at least one stimulation point determined with the use of the stimulation unit:
In order to ensure that a subject cannot hurt himself during stimulation, it can be provided that, during the alignment of the stimulation unit and/or the stimulation of the stimulation point with the help of the stimulation unit,
In order to automatically adapt the stimulation to the subject's therapy necessities, it can be provided that, during the stimulation of the stimulation point, at least one of the subject's physiological and/or neurological parameters, particularly blood pressure and/or the electrophysiological signals, needs to be recorded with the help of a stimulation unit and
In order to increase the effectiveness of therapy, and of the stimulation, respectively, it can be provided that, during the aligning of the stimulation unit and/or the stimulation of the stimulation point with the help of a stimulation unit,
In order to ensure an effective method of stimulation, in particular for the subject's ear self-acupuncture, it can be provided that
A stimulation system complying to the invention for the stimulation, using, in particular, laser acupuncture, of a subject, in a specified body region, especially the ear, provides:
In order to very accurately determine the points on the subject's body, that are known to be therapeutically efficient, it can be provided that the processing unit needs to be designed in such a manner that it detects
In order to determine the actual location of points to be stimulated on the surface of the subject's body, it can be provided that the processing unit needs to be designed so that it can determine, with the help of a transformation instruction, which can be specified especially with the use of a camera model that records image, to which relative position on the surface of the body region corresponds the relative position of the points in the image.
For efficient and low-irritation stimulation of the subject, it can be provided that at least one stimulation unit comprises at least one laser and/or at least one compressed air nozzle and/or at least one pressure pin, where
The creation of an exact image of the patient's body surface can be ensured if the recording unit includes a camera, in particular an infrared camera, and is especially installed in a headphone shell of the supporting device.
In order to ensure the precise stimulation of the stimulation point determined on the subject's body surface, it can be provided that the processing unit needs to be designed to
In order to provide a highly compact structured stimulation system, it can be provided that the processing unit is located on the supporting device, in particular in a headphone shell on the supporting device.
The option of remotely managing and adjusting the stimulation order can be provided, if the processing unit is connected to an external data communication device equipped with a screen and a display unit, in particular a touchscreen display for data communication, where the processing unit
In order to mitigate the risk of injury in case of self-therapy, it can be provided that in the supporting device, especially in a headphone shell on the supporting device,
In order to adapt the stimulation efficiency to the subject's needs, it can be provided that the stimulation system needs to include a device for the recording of at least one of the subject's physiological and/or neurological parameters, particularly blood pressure and/or electrophysiological signals, which can be located on the subject's body, being connected, for data communication purposes, to the processing unit, wherein the processing unit is designed to
In order to increase the effectiveness of the therapy, and of the subject's stimulation, respectively, it can be provided that the stimulation system
Other advantages and configurations of the invention result from the description and the attached drawings.
Particularly advantageous, but not limiting, exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown schematically below, with reference to the accompanying drawings, and are described by way of example based on the drawings.
The following are schematically presented below:
In the provided embodiment of a stimulation system, according to 100, in the supporting device 2, in particular the headphone shell 21 of the supporting device 2, there is a recording unit 3, in particular a folding recording unit, for capturing an image A, in particular a tridimensional image, on the surface of the body area 10 to be stimulated. The recording unit 3 can be optionally designed as foldable, so that the recording unit 3 can be tilted, or folded, respectively, for space saving reasons, for example in the headphone shell 21 of the supporting device 2, when the capturing of images A is not required.
The supporting device 2 is also equipped with a stimulation unit 4, for the stimulation of at least one stimulation point S1, S2, S3 on the surface of the body area 10 which needs to be stimulated. Furthermore, the supporting device 2 is equipped with at least one positioning unit 5 connected to the stimulation unit 4 for the aligning of the stimulation unit 4 to at least one stimulation point S1, S2, S3 that needs to be stimulated.
As can be seen in the embodiment presented in
The embodiment presented in
The processing unit 6 also serves for the activation of the positioning unit 5 for the purpose of aligning the stimulation unit 4 to at least one stimulation point S1, S2, S3 that needs to be stimulated.
For this purpose, 6 points P1, P2, P3 can be previously indicated in the captured image A of the body area 10, and the processing unit 6 determines the stimulation points S1; S2, S3, which need to be stimulated, if their relative position on the surface of the body area 10 of subject 1 corresponds to the relative position of points P1; P2, P3 in image A.
Additionally, or alternatively, the processing unit 6 is designed to determine, by specifying a number of reference stimulation points RS1, RS2, RS3 in relation to a reference, particularly a three-dimensional reference, R of the body area 10 to be stimulated, points P1; P2, P3 in the captured image A, and whether their relative position in image A corresponds to the reference stimulation points RS1; RS2, RS3 in reference R. In this case as well, the processing unit 6 determines the stimulation points S1; S2, S3, which need to be stimulated, and whether their relative position on the surface of the body area 10 corresponds to the relative position of points P1; P2, P3 in image A.
The processing unit 6 is also designed to activate the stimulation unit 4 in order to stimulate at least one of the determined stimulation points S1; S2, S3.
In the example of the embodiment presented in
In the embodiment presented, the supporting device 2 includes only a headphone shell 21 with integrated components for the stimulation of the body region 10, namely the ear of subject 1. Alternatively, the stimulation system 100 might still include a supporting device 2 with two headphone shells 21, wherein at least in one, possibly in both headphone shells 21, there are components for the stimulation of the specified body area 10 of subject 1.
Subject 1 can, using the stimulation system 100 according to the invention, carry out, independently and without external help, a stimulation of a specified body area, particularly of his ear.
In a procedure complying with the invention for the stimulation, especially using laser-acupuncture, of a specified body area 1, it is first indicated a number of reference stimulation points RS1; RS2, RS3 in relation to a three-dimensional reference R of the body area to be stimulated 10. Such a reference can be, for example, a reference image of the specified body area 10 or a three-dimensional model of the specified body area 10, wherein the reference stimulation points RS1, RS2, RS3, relevant for the therapy of different disease, are specified and arranged.
In the next stage of the procedure, an image A, in particular a three-dimensional image, of the body area 10 of subject 1, which needs to be stimulated, is captured. Points P1, P2, P3 are specified and/or determined successively on the captured image, their relative position on the image of the relative position of the reference stimulation points RS1, RS2, RS3, corresponding to reference R.
For capturing the image, in particular the three-dimensional image, of the surface of the body area 10 to be stimulated, of subject 1, the embodiment provides a recording unit 3, in particular an infrared camera. Such a configuration of the recording unit 3 is very advantageous if the recording unit 3 is placed in a headphone shell 21. If the supporting device 2, the recording unit 3, the stimulation unit 4 and the positioning unit 5, respectively, located in the supporting device 2, are fixed on the body area 10 of subject 1, which needs to be stimulated, no outside light will enter the headphone shell 21 of the supporting device 2, therefore the use of an image recording unit for capturing images A in the visible light will not be possible.
The recording unit 3 might also alternatively include a row or surface sensor for capturing images A on the surface of the body area 10. As an alternative, the recording unit 3 can, for example, measure the distance from the specified body area 10 of subject 1, with the help of optical coherence tomography, through the light of a short length of coherence, with the help of an interferometer, and thus compose a three-dimensional image of the body area 10. As an alternative, the recording unit can also be designed to compose an image A, in particular a three-dimensional image, with the help of an electro-optical distance measurement, according to the Lidar principle, wherein, for example, pulses of laser light are emitted and their two-way transit time between the light source and the reflector, i.e., the body region 10, is used to determine the distance.
In order to determine points P1; P2, P3, if their relative position in the captured image A corresponds to the relative position of the reference stimulation points RS1; RS2, RS3 in reference R, in the presented embodiment of the processing unit 6, first, images of the specified structures Ci, . . . , C10, which can be also found in the reference structures RC1, . . . , RC10, are determined in the captured image an A of the surface of the body area 10 to be stimulated. The specified structures Ci, . . . , C10 and the reference structures RC1, . . . , RC10, respectively, refer, for example, to characteristic structures, namely protrusions or depressions of the ear.
For this purpose, for example, a pattern recognition algorithm known from the prior art (see, for example Paul Viola and Michael Jones, Rapid Object Detection using a Boosted Cascade of Simple Features, Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, 2001), is used to determine that the body area 10 to be stimulated is, for example, the ear of subject 1. Furthermore, by means of pattern recognition, it is determined whether it is the left or right ear of subject 1, in order to provide a subsequent comparison with the specified reference R of the body area 10.
In order to detect the characteristic structures C1; . . . , C10 in image A of the body area to be analysed 10, for example the ear of subject 1, a pattern recognition algorithm known from the prior art (see e.g., John Canny, A Computational Approach to Edge Detection, IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, Vol. PAMI-8, No. 6, November 1986) is used.
For this purpose, image areas for which in image A flat areas are differentiated along a straight or curved line, for example with a different brightness, are detected. In this case, the detection of characteristic structures C1; . . . , C10 is possible, in a very efficient manner, if the ear of subject 1 has no jewelry, piercings holes or hair.
Correlations between this type of structures C1, . . . , C10, detected in image A and the reference structures RC1; . . . , RC10 specified in reference R are successively detected, and a transformation T that transfers in standard alignment the images of structures C1; . . . , C10 to a known position of the reference structures RC1; . . . , RC10 in reference R is established. Thusly, it is possible to transfer differently shaped ears belonging to different subjects 1 to a standard alignment, in which the images of structures C1; . . . , C10 detected correspond to the known position of reference structures RC1; . . . , RC10 in reference R.
By applying the T transformation on the reference stimulation points RS1, RS2, RS3, the P1, P2, P3 points in image A of the body area 10, whose relative position in image A corresponds to the reference stimulation points RS1, RS2, RS3 in the reference R, are determined.
In the embodiment presented in
By applying the determined T transformation to the reference stimulation points RS1, RS2, RS3, it is further possible, as presented in
In order to determine the actual position of the stimulation points determined to be stimulated S1, S2, S3 in the body area 10 of subject 1, namely his ear, a specified transformation instruction is used on points P1, P2, P3 in image A. In this case, the specified transformation instruction provides the stimulation points S1; S2, S3, which need to be stimulated, and whether their relative position on the surface of the body area 10 corresponds to the relative position of points P1; P2, P3 in image A.
The transformation instruction specified refers, for example, to a camera model of the camera capturing image A. If the camera model, namely the camera's parameter, is known, the initial position of the point corresponding to the object in space can be determined for each image point in image A, which was captured using a recording unit 3, as an image point, for example in the two-dimensional image A.
After that, a stimulation unit 4 is automatically aligned on at least one of the stimulation points S1, S2, S3, previously determined on the surface of the body area 10. In the end, at least one of the stimulations points S1, S2, S3, that need to be stimulated will be stimulated with the help of the stimulation unit 4.
For the stimulation of at one of the stimulations points S1, S2, S3, that need to be stimulated, at least one laser can be used as the stimulation unit 4, in compliance with the embodiment presented in
As an alternative, a stimulation system 100 complying to the invention for the stimulation of at least one stimulation point S1; S2, S3 that needs to be stimulated, may also include, for example, water nozzles, from which a water jet is automatically oriented on at least one of the stimulation points S1; S2, S3. Alternatively, a stimulation system 100 according to the invention might also include acupuncture needles or pressure pins, which are automatically applied to at least one of the stimulation points S1; S2, S3, or are oriented on at least one of the stimulation points S1; S2, S3.
For the stimulation of the stimulation points S1; S2, S3 with the help of at least one laser, a low intensity laser suffices, therefore a laser with a power lower than 5 mW or a low-level-laser can be used. This increases the safety of use.
In this context, automatically aligned means that, during a procedure carried out with the stimulation system 100 presented in
In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the processing unit 6 is connected for data communication purposes to an external data communication device equipped with a screen and a display unit, e.g., a touch display, for example a smartphone or a tablet. The data communication connection can be achieved with the use of a network or fibre optic cable, but also wireless, e.g., through a radio connection. With the help of an external data communication device, it is possible to specify the reference stimulation points RS1; RS2, RS3 in relation with the reference R and/or points P1; P2, P3 in the captured image A of the body area 10 and/or to specify details for the correction of points P1; P2, P3 to be stimulated, which have previously been determined by the processing unit 6 in the registered image.
If, for example, the processing unit 6 cannot determine in image A any such points P1; P2, P3 that correspond to the reference stimulation RS1; RS2, RS3 in reference R, the processing unit 6 is designed to send an error message to subject 1, information which will be displayed on the display unit of the external data communication device.
This configuration of a stimulation system 100 according to the invention which comprises an external data communication device, provides subject 1 with the possibility of independently selecting points P1; P2, P3 in image A, for example with the use of the touchscreen, if the processing unit 6 is unable to determine the points P1, P2, P3 whose relative position in image A corresponds to the relative position of the reference stimulation points RS1, RS2, RS3 in reference R.
For this purpose, the reference R and image A can be displayed on the external data communication device's screen. This configuration of the stimulation system 100 according to the invention, gives subject 1 the possibility of controlling and correcting, since he can, for example, display and verify points P1; P2, P3 in image A, which have been determined by the processing unit 6, and, if necessary, adapt the position of points P1; P2, P3 in image A.
This configuration also offers to possibility of remotely managing and adjusting the stimulation with the help of a stimulation system 100, in which case, a physician monitoring the self-therapy of subject 1 can specify reference stimulation points RS1, RS2, RS3 in relation to reference R and/or, for example, the physician can specify points P1, P2, P3 in the captured image A of the body area 10 and/or correct points P1, P2, P3 determined by the processing unit in image A.
This configuration of a stimulation system 100 according to the invention also offers the possibility to, for example, sent the image A of the ear of subject 1 to a data base, to be provided as reference R with the reference stimulation points RS1; RS2, RS3, and be subsequently accessed as reference R for subject 1 or for other subjects.
In the described embodiment of a stimulation system 100 according to the invention, the processing unit 6 is designed to activate the recording unit 3 at specified time intervals, for capturing images A of the body area 10 and determine, in the captured images A, the stimulation point that needs to be stimulated on the surface of the body area 10, with the help of the stimulation unit 4.
After that, the processing unit 6 will verify if the stimulation point currently stimulated is deviated in relation to the stimulation point S1, S2, S3 that needs to be stimulated. In case of a deviation, the processing unit 6 will control the positioning unit 5 to align the stimulation unit 4, until the alignment of the stimulation unit 4 is duly adapted, so that the currently stimulated stimulation points corresponds to the stimulation point S1, S2, S3 that needs to be stimulated.
This procedure is very advantageous during the alignment of the stimulation unit 4 to at least one of the stimulation points S1, S2, S3 determined and/or or during stimulation, to check on at least one stimulation point S1, S2, S3 determined with the help of the stimulation unit 4, whether the chosen stimulation point S1, S2, S3 is, for example, irradiated with laser. If this is not the case, that the alignment of the stimulation unit 4 is corrected until it finds the stimulation point S1, S2, S3 that needs to be stimulated, thus increasing the therapy efficiency.
The positioning unit 5 for the aligning of a stimulation unit 4, can mean an optomechatronic system, in which the stimulation unit 4, namely the laser, is positioned on a rotating disk, so that the laser is rotating, and folding, respectively. The stimulation unit 4 is additionally moved, for example, through two linear servo motors, moved in the supporting device 2, namely in the headphone shells 21 in the supporting device 2, so that they can be aligned in an optimal position for irradiation, namely for the stimulation of a stimulation point S1, S2, S3. As an alternative, the positioning unit 5 for the aligning of the stimulation unit 4 can be designed as an azimuth control system. Alternatively, the stimulation unit, at least one, can be electronically aligned.
In order to increase the safety of service, and of use, respectively, the stimulation system 100 can also be equipped with an optical sensor and/or a pressure sensor 8, if necessary for the embodiment presented in
In the presented embodiment, an optical sensor 7 is placed in the headphone shells 21 of the supporting device. The optical sensor is connected for data communication purposes with the communication unit 6 and is designed to register the light incidents upon the fixing of the supporting device 2 on the body region to be stimulated 10 of the subject. The processing unit 6 verifies if the light incidence exceeds the specified limit value and, if it detects the exceeding of a limit value, it controls the processing unit 6, the stimulation unit 4, to end the stimulation.
This embodiment of a stimulation system 100 according to the invention is very advantageous for preventing a subject 1 from damaging his eye, e.g., with the laser light or with compressed air, when pulling off the supporting device 2 to which the stimulation components are attached. If the supporting device 2 is fixed on the body region to be stimulated 10, no external light comes into the headphone shell 21, so that a light incidence determined by the optical sensor 7 indicates the fact that the supporting device 2 and the stimulation need to be interrupted with the help of the stimulation unit 4.
In addition, or as an alternative to the optic sensor 7, a pressure sensor 8 can be placed on the supporting device, especially in the headphone shell 21, which is connected for data communication purposes with the processing unit 6. In the embodiment of
If the pressure exceeds the lower value of a pressure limit, this indicates that the supporting device 2 was removed from the body area 10 that needs to be stimulated, and the stimulation needs to be ended in order to exclude a risk of injury. Upon the detection of a value exceeding the lower value of the limit, the processing unit 6 controls the stimulation unit 4 to end the stimulation.
Optionally, the stimulation system 100 according to the invention might include at least one device, which can be especially applied on the body of subject 1, for registering at least one biological parameter of subject 1, which is connected for data exchange purposes with the processing unit 6. The biological parameter might refer to the blood pressure, pulse, EEG or EKG values of subject 1, but also to the skin resistance, skin conductivity, temperature and respiration rate of subject 1.
The processing unit 6 is designed to verify, at specified times during stimulation, if the registered biological parameter exceeds the upper and lower limit of a specified value and/or range of values and verify, at pre-established moments during stimulation, whether the registered biological parameter exceeds the inferior or superior limit of a specified value and/or range of values. If this occurs, then it indicates that the stimulation of at least one stimulation point S1; S2, S3 on the body surface 10 of subject 1 is, for example, to intense, and the subject perceives the stimulation as uncomfortable, or that the stimulation is to weak, thus generating a therapy with reduced effect on subject 1.
If a value exceeding the lower or upper value of a limit value or of a specified range of values, the processing unit 6 commands the stimulation unit 4 adequately, and adapts the stimulation, namely the laser acupuncture, of the stimulation point S1, S2, S3 that needs to be stimulated in order to obtain an optimal therapeutic effect for subject 1. In this case, the connection duration and intensity of the laser light are adapted to the therapeutic requirements of subject 1.
In order to amplify the therapeutic effect of the stimulation, namely of the laser acupuncture, on a subject 1, a stimulation system 100, according to the invention, can optionally comprise a speaker for issuing noises, sounds and/or indications for the subject 1, which is preferably located in a headphone shell 21 of the supporting device 2.
A stimulation system 100 complying to the invention may comprise at least one application device for the application of medicine on the stimulation point S1; S2, S3 that needs to be stimulated on the surface of the body region 10 of subject 1. The application device serves, for example, to spray or apply with a brush medicine that acts in a specific manner when the laser light is applied, thus enhancing the therapeutic effect on subject 1 on the body areas, namely the ear.
A stimulation system 100, according to the invention, may also include goggles for issuing light impulses or images for subject 1, due to which the brain waves of subject 1 are adjusted to a certain frequency and the subject enters a relaxation state, so that the stimulation, namely the laser acupuncture of the ear of subject 1 is very efficient.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| A50463/2018 | Jun 2018 | AT | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/AT2019/060188 | 6/7/2019 | WO | 00 |
