Abstract:
Light power irradiation treatment apparatus having a cabinet adapted to receive the user&#39;s body, a through hole being formed at a top side of the cabinet to allow the user to extending his head out of the cabinet; a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) emitting light of different wavelength, LEDs being electrically coupled to a circuit substrate to form an irradiation unit, a plurality of irradiation units being mounted on the inner wall of the cabinet, thereby creating at least one planar irradiation light; an LED control circuit adapted to supply power and actuate the light-emitting diodes on the circuit substrate; and a control panel mounted on the surface of the cabinet for selecting a desired irradiation mode to let a certain amount of the light-emitting diodes light up or go out.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The invention relates to a light power irradiation treatment apparatus, and more particularly, to a light power irradiation treatment apparatus having an irradiation light source with certain wavelengths within a cabinet. The user&#39;s body except his head is exposed to the irradiation as if taking a “sunbath”.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0004]     It&#39;s been well-known that light rays are used to treat the dermatosis. One of them is the sunbath. A special treatment effect will be achieved when the skin is exposed to the infrared and ultraviolet in the daylight. However, the daylight is not always available. In addition, some light rays having certain wavelength in the daylight can be harmful to the human body.  
         [0005]     With the change of life style, dermal problems have recently focused on the skin disease caused by job stress, dietetic habit or other factors. Hence, it becomes gradually popular to employ Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) to cure the dermal diseases.  
         [0006]     The research of Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) began in the year of 1990. The action spectrum of the Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) is very wide und it is the light whose wavelength ranges from 550 nm to 1200 nm. The spectrum of visible light and the infrared light are also included in the spectrum of the Intense Pulsed Light. Compared with the laser beam, the Intense Pulsed Light has the similar energy and wavelength, but the range of its wavelength is larger. Because the skin tissue has different reaction to the absorption and dispersion of different light beams, the system of Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) can select the relevant light to cure the different dermal problems. For example, the light with color from yellow to orange can exert its effect on the red blood vessel in the skin and the red light can remove the pigment.  
         [0007]     For the above mentioned characteristics, aiming to the removal of the dermal problems, the Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) can select an arbitrary light with suitable wavelength to carry out the treatment for different dermal problem, such as the expansion of blood vessel (redness-removal), the pigment treatment (spot-removal) and the stimulation of the fabric root cell in the derma (younger treatment) etc. Besides, the treatment results of spots, the uneven pigment, the expansion of blood vessel, the reddish face, the rough skin without flexibility, etc. are also very satisfactory.  
         [0008]     Unfortunately, the instrument of the Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) is very expensive and the operation requirements of this instrument are also very high. Hence, a normal little clinic or family can not afford it. Therefore, it&#39;s difficult to popularize it.  
         [0009]     Accordingly, the invention is aimed at a further research on this topic for an effective breakthrough of the problem caused by the prior art.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     A primary object of the invention is to provide a light power irradiation treatment apparatus having different operation modes to allow the user to select a desired one. That is, the user can choose one irradiation light source with a certain wave-length to which the user&#39;s body except his head is exposed as if taking a “sunbath”.  
         [0011]     Another object of the invention is to provide a light power irradiation treatment apparatus that is convenient to operate and safe to use.  
         [0012]     A further object of the invention is to provide a light power irradiation treatment apparatus having an anion generator. During exposure of user&#39;s body to the light rays, anions can be released in close vicinity to his head for purifying the air and, therefore, refreshing him.  
         [0013]     Still another object of the invention is to provide a light power irradiation treatment apparatus having a steam inlet through which the vapor can be fed to the cabinet. Accordingly, the phototherapeutic cabinet of the invention can be used as a spa facility.  
         [0014]     In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, a phototherapy apparatus with the function of change-over to different wavelength comprises:  
         [0015]     a) a cabinet adapted to receive the user&#39;s body, a through hole being formed at a top side of the cabinet to allow the user to extending his head out of the cabinet;  
         [0016]     b) a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) emitting light of different wavelength, LEDs being electrically coupled to a circuit substrate to form an irradiation unit, a plurality of irradiation units being mounted on the inner wall of the cabinet, thereby creating at least one planar irradiation light;  
         [0017]     c) an LED control circuit adapted to supply power and actuate the light-emitting diodes on the circuit substrate; and  
         [0018]     d) a control panel mounted on the surface of the cabinet for selecting a desired irradiation mode to let a certain amount of the light-emitting diodes light up or go out.  
         [0019]     Meanwhile, the above-mentioned objects can be fulfilled by the characteristics described in claims  1  and  12 . Advantageous design features are stated in the subordinate claims: 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES  
       [0020]     The accomplishment of this and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following descriptions and its accompanying figures of which:  
         [0021]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the invention;  
         [0022]      FIG. 2  is a cutaway view of the first embodiment of the invention;  
         [0023]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention;  
         [0024]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the invention;  
         [0025]      FIG. 5  is a cutaway view of an embodiment of an irradiation unit of the invention;  
         [0026]      FIG. 6  is a cutaway view of another embodiment of the irradiation unit of the invention;  
         [0027]      FIG. 7A through 7D  are the irradiation unit in strip-shaped arrangement according to the invention with light-emitting diodes of different wavelength;  
         [0028]      FIG. 8A through 8C  are the irradiation unit in planar arrangement according to the invention with light-emitting diodes of different wavelength; and  
         [0029]      FIG. 9  is a block diagram of a control circuit of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0030]     First of all, referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the invention involves a vertical type cabinet  10  for receiving a user&#39;s body. The cabinet  10  includes a through hole  11  through which the user&#39;s head can be extended out of the cabinet  10 . In accordance with different requirements, the cabinet  10  can be made of material selected from a group consisting of fiberglass-reinforced plastics (FRP), wood, plastics, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), and metal. In addition to the main body, the cabinet  10  further includes a door  12  for opening and closing thee cabinet  10 . The door  12  must not be restricted to one piece type.  
         [0031]     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the cabinet  10  can be constructed by a steel framework  13  covered with a soft covering  14 . Similarly, the soft covering  14  is provided with a through hole  11  at a top side thereof. Besides, a zipper  15  is disposed at a front side thereof. The zipper  15  can be pulled downward from the through hole  11  for opening the cabinet  10  to create an access thereto.  
         [0032]     Again, referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the vertical type cabinet  10  includes a seat pad  16  for the user sitting thereon. So is a cabinet  10  for the light irradiation is completed. Thereafter, the cabinet  10  is fitted with an irradiation light source. In this embodiment in accordance with  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a plurality of light-emitting diodes  21  with a certain wavelength is electrically coupled to a circuit substrate  22 , thereby creating an irradiation unit  20 . A plurality of irradiation units  20  is fitted to at least one side of the inner wall of the cabinet  10 . Alternatively, the irradiation units  20  can be installed at the inner wall of the right, the left, the rear, and/or the bottom side of the cabinet  10  as well as the inner wall of the door  12 . However, the installation of the irradiation units  20  should not be restricted thereto. The irradiation units  20  can be arranged in a strip shape, but it should not be restricted thereto, either. That is, they can also be arranged in a planar shape.  
         [0033]     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the circuit substrate  22  of the irradiation unit  20  is constructed as a flexible circuit board. The light-emitting diodes  21  are mounted on the surface of the circuit substrate  22  and electrically coupled thereto. In this way, the rear side of the irradiation units  20  can be stuck to the predetermined position of the inner wall of the cabinet  10 . Since they are mounted on the flexible circuit board, they can be disposed on an arched surface.  
         [0034]     Of course, the irradiation unit  20  can be designed in accordance with  FIG. 6 . The circuit substrate  22  is constructed as a hard circuit board. The light-emitting diodes  21  are directly packaged to the surface of the circuit substrate  22  and electrically coupled thereto. No matter whether the circuit substrate  22  is a flexible or a hard circuit board, the irradiation unit  20  can be covered with a waterproof layer  23  made of transparent waterproof glue for protecting the light-emitting diodes  21  of the irradiation units  20  as well as the circuit substrate  22  from moisture. Referring to  FIG. 7A through 7D , an applicable embodiment of the irradiation unit  20  is shown. As shown in  FIG. 7A , the light-emitting diodes  21   a  on the circuit substrate  22  have a first wavelength. As shown in  FIG. 7B , the light-emitting diodes  21   b  on the circuit substrate  22  have a second wavelength. As shown in  FIG. 7C , the light-emitting diodes  21   c  on the circuit substrate  22  have a third wavelength. As shown in  FIG. 7D , the light-emitting diodes  21   a ,  21   b ,  21   c  are arranged on the circuit substrate  22  in an alternating manner. In use, one of different irradiation modes can be chosen in accordance with different requirements. Referring to  FIGS. 8A through 8C , a planar type irradiation unit  20  is shown. As shown in  FIG. 8A , the light-emitting diodes  21 a with the first wavelength are mounted on the planar circuit substrate  22 . As shown in FIG.  8 B, the light-emitting diodes  21   a ,  21   b ,  21   c  are arranged in rows on the circuit substrate  22  in an alternating manner. Referring to  FIG. 8C , a staggered arrangement of the light-emitting diodes  21   a ,  21   b ,  21   c  on the circuit substrate  22  is shown. In use, one of different irradiation modes can be chosen in accordance with different requirements for ensuring an optimal irradiation effect.  
         [0035]     As shown in  FIG. 9 , the aforementioned irradiation unit  20  requires an LED control circuit  30  to supply power and to activate the light-emitting diodes  21  on the circuit substrate  22 . The LED control circuit  30  includes a direct current  31 , at least one LED driver, a controller  33 , and a temperature detector  34 .  
         [0036]     The direct current  31  is used to feed the required power to the light-emitting diodes  21  on the circuit substrate  22 . The direct current  31  is obtained by an exchange type power source  50  that changes an alternating current into a direct current of 1.5 V-4.5 V. Alternatively, the direct current  31  can be directly fed by a battery  60  in the cabinet  10 . The battery  60  can be a secondary battery that can be charged by the exchange type power source  50 .  
         [0037]     In the embodiment according to  FIG. 9 , three LED drivers  32   a ,  32   b ,  32   c  are employed and interposed between the direct current  31  and the circuit substrate  22  for actuating the light-emitting diodes  21   a ,  21   b ,  21   c , respectively.  
         [0038]     The controller  33  is coupled to a control panel  40 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the control panel  40  is installed on an external side of the cabinet  10 . The LED control circuit  30  is disposed within the housing of the control panel  40 . Referring back to  FIG. 9 , the control panel  40  feeds the control signals to the controller  33  for controlling one of the LED drivers  32   a ,  32   b ,  32   c  to let the corresponding light-emitting diodes  21   a ,  21   b ,  21   c  light up.  
         [0039]     Moreover, a temperature detector  34  is interposed between the circuit substrate  22  and the controller  33  for monitoring the temperature of the light-emitting diodes  21  when they light up, thereby protecting the human skin from the overtemperature. When the temperature of the light-emitting diodes  21  exceeds a predetermined temperature, the controller  33  closes all of the light-emitting diodes  21  for ensuring a better safety in use.  
         [0040]     In addition, as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 9 , an anion generator  70  is installed in close vicinity to the through hole  1   1  of the cabinet  10 . Meanwhile, the anion generator  70  is controlled by the control panel  40  such that the anion generator  70  creates anions by means of the point discharge. In this way, the user exposed to the irradiation can inhale the air purified by the released anions. So, the invention ensures an effective purification of air, cleanses the residue and dirt in skin, and restores the moisture of skin.  
         [0041]     Referring again to  FIG. 2 , a steam inlet  17  is installed near the bottom of the cabinet  10  for feeding steam to the cabinet  10 . In this way, the phototherapy cabinet  10  can serve a spa facility. The aforementioned irradiation unit  20  is covered with a waterproof layer  23  so that a desirable protection of the irradiation unit  20  from steam and moisture can be guaranteed. The phototherapy cabinet provided with steam treatment purpose is only suitable for business localities rather than for the household use. That is because steam pipes and a steam generator are necessary for this purpose. Accordingly, the steam inlet  17  is optionally installed for special use.  
         [0042]     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the user sits on the seat pad  16  in the cabinet  10 . Then, one of buttons on the control panel  40  can be compressed to select the desirable irradiation unit  20  of different intensity and wavelength. For example, the first wavelength 300-330 nm is intended for ultraviolet rays, the second one 630-660 nm for infrared rays, and the third one over 860 um for invisible rays. Of course, a fourth wavelength of 470 nm for blue rays can be added to the invention. This won&#39;t be more described hereinafter. Each light wave has its own function, and a suitable one should be chosen by a professional physician. This doesn&#39;t belong to the object of the invention so that no further descriptions are given hereinafter.  
         [0043]     Referring again to  FIG. 4 , the cabinet  10   a  can alternatively be designed in a horizontal type. The seat pad  16  intended for the cabinet  10  is replaced by a lying pad (not shown). The other components remain unchanged.  
         [0044]     The invention utilizes a horizontal and vertical type cabinet  10  in which the irradiation units  20  are installed. Meanwhile, the LED control circuit  30  is used to actuate the light-emitting diodes  21  of different wavelength. The technology in the field of light-emitting diodes  21  has been mature and stable. Meanwhile, they have features of small-size and power-saving effect. So, the invention employs these features to enable that people can take sunbath at any moment and everywhere. Besides, the phototherapy of the invention can deliberately protect the human skin from exposure to harmful light rays. Accordingly, the use of the invention is much saver than the natural sunbath.  
         [0045]     Many changes and modifications in the above-described embodiments of the invention can, of course, be carried out without departing from the scope thereof. Accordingly, to promote the progress in science and the useful arts, the invention is disclosed and is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.