Optical output device for skin care

An optical output device for skin care, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, comprises: a substrate disposed such that at least one light source is oriented toward a user's skin; a front cover covering one surface of the substrate; a rear cover covering the other surface of the substrate; a wearing device coupled to the rear cover so as to make contact with a part of the user's body such that the optical output device for skin care is worn by the user; and a wearing detection sensor for detecting whether the user is wearing the device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is the National Stage filing under 35 U.S.C. 371 of International Application No. PCT/KR2018/005551, filed on May 15, 2018, which claims the benefit of earlier filing date and right of priority to Korean Application No. 10-2017-0102904, filed on Aug. 14, 2017, the contents of which are all hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an optical output device for skin care, and more particularly, to a device for outputting light to a facial skin worn on a user's face.

BACKGROUND ART

A skin may be damaged due to aging of cells, repetition of certain facial expressions, constant exposure to external environments (ultraviolet rays, fine dust, etc.), and stress. For example, the aging of cells or the repetition of the certain facial expressions may cause wrinkles on the skin, and the continuous exposure or the stress to the external environments may cause various troubles such as acne and blemishes.

The skin care for preventing or minimizing the damage to the skin is aimed at maintenance of blemish-free, clean and smooth skin, and in particular, the greatest interest has been in caring the skin of the face among the body parts. Therefore, people try to keep their clean skin by receiving massage, applying a functional cosmetic product, or using various cleaning products to care for the facial skin.

In particular, recently, a device (e.g., a mask-type skin care device) attached or worn on the user's face to output light has emerged. A plurality of light sources (e.g., LEDs) may be disposed in the optical output device to output light toward the user's face skin or the like.

When the plurality of light sources are arranged to output light, if the output light is not uniformly irradiated to the user's skin, an effect of the skin care may be deteriorated. Alternatively, in the case of a specific area such as the forehead, the skin damage may be more severe than in other areas. Int this case, it is necessary to focus more light onto the specific area.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Technical Problem

An object of the present disclosure is to provide an optical output device for skin care that is capable of operating by effectively detecting whether the user is wearing.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an optical output device for skin care having a structure for irradiating light having different intensities according to skin parts.

Further another object of the present disclosure is to provide an optical output device for skin care, in which light output from a plurality of light sources is evenly irradiated to a user's skin.

Technical Solution

An optical output device for skin care according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a substrate disposed so that at least one light source is oriented toward a user's skin, a front cover configured to cover one surface of the substrate, a rear cover configured to cover the other surface of the substrate, a wearing device coupled to the rear cover to contact a portion of a user's body so that the optical output device for the skin care is worn on the user, and a wearing detection sensor configured to detect whether the user is wearing.

The wearing device may include a first opening and a second opening, which are defined in positions corresponding to a left eye and a right eye of the user, a first face contact part and a second face contact part, which are disposed along boundaries of the openings to contact a skin of the user, and a nose seating part disposed between the openings so as to be seated on a nose of the user, wherein the wearing detection sensor may be disposed between the first opening and the second opening.

According to some embodiments, the wearing detection sensor may be provided in the nose seating part or on a surface of the nose seating part.

Each of the substrate, the front cover, the rear cover, and the wearing device may have an opening for securing a user's view, and the opening defined in the substrate may have a size greater than or equal to that of each of the remaining openings.

The optical output device may further include a controller configured to control an operation of each of the at least one light source and the wearing detection sensor, wherein the controller may be configured to detect whether the user is wearing based on a detection signal received from the wearing detection sensor and control the at least one light source so that the light source emits light based on the detected result.

The controller may be provided on the substrate or in a user operation device connected to the substrate.

A plurality of light sources may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other on the substrate, and the plurality of light sources may emit different light based on an operation mode of the optical output device for the skin care.

The rear cover may include a groove configured to disperse the light emitted from the plurality of light sources and a plurality of lenses disposed to correspond to positions of the plurality of light sources, respectively.

A portion of the plurality of lenses is implemented as a convex lens so that the light emitted from the light source is concentrated and irradiated to a predetermined position.

The rear cover may include a light guide layer configured to scatter the light emitted from the at least one light source, and the light guide layer may include a plurality of scattering particles.

The rear cover may include an opening for securing the user's view, and at least one light absorption part may be disposed along a boundary of the opening on a surface of both surfaces of the rear cover, which faces the substrate.

Advantageous Effects

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the optical output device for the skin care may be provided with the wearing detection sensor at a position at which the difference according to the user's face shape such as the head and nose is minimized to more accurately and effectively detect the user's wearing.

Also, the size of the openings formed in the substrate among the openings of the optical output device for the skin care may be formed to be greater than or equal to the remaining openings, thereby preventing the light source from being disposed in close proximity to the left and right eyes of the user. In addition, the light absorption part made of the material having the high light absorption rate may be disposed in the opening of the rear cover to effectively absorb the light irradiated to the left and right eyes of the user. Therefore, the risk of the discomfort or damage of the eye due to the irradiation of the light to the left and right eyes may be prevented.

In addition, the groove or the light guide layer that disperses or scatters the light emitted from the light sources of the substrate may be formed on the rear cover to improve the skin care effect by allowing the light to be evenly irradiated to the skin of the user.

Also, the convex lens may be disposed at the position corresponding to the specific part such as the forehead or cheek in which a lot of wrinkles or troubles occur in the rear cover to maximize the skin care effect by concentrating the light to the corresponding part.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE DISCLOSURE

Hereinafter, embodiments disclosed in this specification is described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the same or corresponding components are given with the same drawing number regardless of reference number, and their duplicated description will be omitted. Furthermore, terms, such as a “module” ad a “unit”, are used for convenience of description, and they do not have different meanings or functions in themselves. Moreover, detailed descriptions related to well-known functions or configurations will be ruled out in order not to unnecessarily obscure subject matters of the present disclosure. However, this does not limit the present disclosure within specific embodiments and it should be understood that the present disclosure covers all the modifications, equivalents, and replacements within the idea and technical scope of the present disclosure.

It will be understood that although the ordinal numbers such as first and second are used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these numbers. The terms are only used to distinguish one component from other components.

It will also be understood that when an element is referred to as being “'connected to” or “engaged with” another element, it can be directly connected to the other element, or intervening elements may also be present. It will also be understood that when an element is referred to as being ‘directly connected to’ another element, there is no intervening elements.

The terms of a singular form may include plural forms unless referred to the contrary.

In this application, the terms “comprises” or “having” are intended to indicate that there is a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, and one or more other features. It is to be understood that the present disclosure does not exclude the possibility of the presence or the addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, components, or a combination thereof.

FIG. 1is a perspective view of a package including an optical output device for skin care and cradles according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, andFIG. 2is an exploded perspective view of the optical output device for the skin care according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG. 3is a rear view of the optical output device for the skin care according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, andFIG. 4is a perspective view of the optical output device for the skin care and a user operation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring toFIG. 1, an optical output device2for skin care (hereinafter, referred to as an “optical output device”) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be a device that is worn on a portion of a user's body to output light to a user's skin, thereby promoting activity of skin cells to improve wrinkles, elasticity, skin tone, or reduce skin troubles. The optical output device2may constitute one skin care package1together with a cradle3that is mounted when the optical output device is charged or stored. As the cradle3is mounted, a battery (not shown) provided in the optical output device2may be charged by power supplied from the cradle3.

The optical output device2according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may correspond to a mask type device that is worn on a user's face to output light to the user's face skin. In order to evenly output the light throughout the user's face skin, the optical output device2may be rounded along a shape of the face of a person.

The cradle3may be connected to the optical output device2to supply the power for the charging to the optical output device2or the battery (not shown) provided in the user operation device4connected to the optical output device2. For this, the cradle3may be connected to an external power supply to receive power from the outside.

The cradle3may provide a seating part for mounting the optical output device2. As illustrated inFIG. 1, the cradle3may have the seating part formed to correspond to an outer edge of the optical output device2, but this is not necessarily limited thereto.

Referring toFIG. 2, the optical output device2may include a front cover21, a substrate22, a rear cover23, and a wearing device24.

The front cover21may define an entire surface of the optical output device2and protect the substrate22provided between the front cover21and the rear cover23from an external shock, a contact, and the like. For this, the front cover21may be implemented with various plastics, ceramics, and the like.

An opening211for securing a user's view when worn by the user may be defined in the front cover21. When the user wears the optical output device2, the user's eyes are located in the opening211, and thus the user may secure the user's view through the opening211. According to an embodiment, in order to prevent foreign substances from contacting or colliding with the user's eyes through the opening211, an opening protection cover212covering the opening211may be provided. The opening protection cover212may be made of acrylic, plastic, or the like that is a transparent material.

The substrate22may include at least one light source that emits light for the skin care of the user. According to an embodiment, in order to output light having different colors according to an operation mode of the optical output device2, the at least one light source may include a plurality of LEDs for outputting light having different colors.

For example, the plurality of LEDs may include at least one red LED and at least one blue LED. The red LED may emit red light at a wavelength of about 645 nm to about 670 nm. The red light may promote activity of skin cells, which is effective in improving wrinkles, elasticity, and skin tone. The blue LED may emit blue light at a wavelength of about 400 nm to about 430 nm. The blue light may be effective for removing various troubles of the skin.

If it is assumed that the operation mode of the optical output device2is divided into an active promotion mode and a trouble removal mode, when the operation mode is set to the active promotion mode, the red LED may be activated to emit the red light to the skin. On the other hand, when the operation mode is set to the trouble removal mode, the blue LED may be activated to emit the blue light to the skin. A control of the light source according to the operation mode may be performed by a controller of the optical output device2to be described later. According to an embodiment, the plurality of LEDs may further include at least one yellow LED. The yellow LED may emit yellow light at a wavelength of about 580 nm to about 600 nm, and the yellow light may be effective to brighten skin tones.

The substrate22may include a controller for controlling the light output operation of the at least one light source. The controller may be implemented as an integrated circuit (IC), a microcomputer, an embedded processor, an application processor (AP), or the like. According to an embodiment, the controller may be provided in the user operation device4to be described later.

Similar to the front cover21, an opening221for securing the user's view when the user is wearing may be defined in the substrate22. As described above, when the user wears the optical output device2, the user's eyes are located in the opening221, and thus the user may secure the user's view through the opening221.

The substrate22provided in the optical output device2having a mask shape may be formed so that at least a portion thereof has a curved surface. For this, the substrate22may be made of a plastic material or the like.

The rear cover23may be coupled to the front cover21and the substrate22to cover one surface of the substrate22. The front cover21and the rear cover23may prevent water or other foreign substances from permeated into the substrate22disposed therein, thereby preventing the light source or other components disposed on the substrate22from being broken down or damaged.

Also, when the user wears the optical output device2, the rear cover23may be disposed between the substrate22and the user's skin to prevent the user's skin from contacting the substrate22.

The rear cover23may be made of transparent plastic, acrylic, or the like so that the light emitted from the light source provided in the substrate22is irradiated to the user's face skin. In particular, the rear cover23may have a structure that allows the light emitted from the light source to be evenly irradiated to the skin or allows the light to be concentrated to a specific site.

Like the front cover21and the substrate22, the rear cover23may also include an opening231for securing the user's view.

The wearing device24may fix the optical output device2to the user as the user wears the optical output device2. The wearing device24may be coupled to the rear cover23. For example, the wearing device24may have a shape of glasses that are seated and worn on the nose and ears of the user.

In particular, the wear device24according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a wearing detection sensor for effectively detecting whether the user is wearing.

More specific structure and configuration of the wearing device24will be described with reference toFIG. 3.

Referring toFIG. 3, the wearing device24may include an opening241, a face contact part242, a nose seating part243, a wearing fixing part244, and a wearing detection sensor245.

Like the front cover21, the substrate22, and the rear cover23, the opening241may be defined to secure the user's view when the user is wearing. The opening241may include a first opening and a second opening, which are defined in positions corresponding to the left and right eyes of the user, respectively. According to an embodiment, when the opening protection cover212is not provided in the front cover21, a lens may be provided in the opening241of the wearing device24. The phenomenon in which the foreign substances are prevented from contacting or colliding with the user's eyes by the opening protection cover212or the lens.

When comparing the openings respectively defined in the front cover21, the substrate22, the rear cover23, and the wearing device24, the opening221defined in the substrate22may have a size greater than or equal to that of each of the remaining openings211,231, and241. That is, a boundary of the opening221defined in the substrate22may be spaced a predetermined distance from the left and right eyes of the user to prevent the light source of the substrate22from being disposed close to the left and right eyes of the user. The opening241defined in the wearing device24may have a size less than or equal to that of each of the remaining openings211,221, and231to effectively ensure the user's view.

The face contact242may be disposed along the boundary of the opening241. When the user wears the optical output device2, the face contact part242may include a first face contact part and a second face contact part, which are respectively contact the skin surface disposed around the user's left eye and the skin surface disposed around the user's right eye. As the face contact part242contacts the skin surface disposed around both the eyes of the user, the light emitted from the light source of the substrate22may be prevented from being irradiated to the user's eyes. The face contact part242may be made of a material such as rubber or silicon and may have an opaque color that minimizes light transmission.

The nose seating part243may be disposed between the first opening and the second opening, or between the first face contact part and the second face contact part and may be seated on the user's nose when the user is wearing. In order to be seated on the user's nose, the nose seating part243may be rounded to correspond to the shape of the person's nose.

The wearing fixing part244may be fixed to the user's body by being seated on the ear when the user is wearing or by being in close contact along the user's head. The optical output device2may be worn and fixed to the user's body by the nose seating part243and the wearing fixing portion244.

The wearing detection sensor245may detect whether the optical output device2is worn on the user's body. For example, the wearing detection sensor245may be implemented as a proximity sensor. When the wearing detection sensor245is implemented as a proximity sensor, the proximity sensor may detect that a portion of the user's body (e.g., the face) approaches the proximity sensor as the optical output device2is worn. The proximity sensor may transmit a detection signal according to the proximity of a portion of the user's body to the controller (not shown) of the optical output device2. The controller of the optical output device2may detect whether the optical output device2is worn based on the detection signal transmitted from the proximity sensor.

According to an embodiment, in order to prevent erroneous detection due to the proximity of another portion such as a user's hand when the user wears the optical output device2from occurring, the controller of the optical output device2may determine that the optical output device2is normally worn when the detection signal is continuously received for a predetermined time from the wearing detection sensor245.

In some embodiments, during the wearing detection operation of the wearing detection sensor245, the wearing detection operation may not be normally performed by the light emitted from the light source222(seeFIG. 6) provided on the substrate22of the optical output device2. For example, when the wearing detection sensor245is implemented as an infrared proximity sensor, the wearing detection sensor245may include a light source that emits infrared light and a light receiving part that receives reflected infrared light when the emitted infrared light is reflected by the human body or the like. When the wearing detection sensor245performs the emission and reception of the infrared light to detect whether the user is wearing, as the light emitted from the light source222is also received, the wearing detection operation may not be normally performed.

Accordingly, in order to solve the above problem, the optical output device2may include a filter (not shown) for blocking the light emitted from the light source222from being received by the wearing detection sensor245. The filter may allow the infrared light to pass therethrough and block visible light (blue, yellow, red, etc.). For example, the filter may be provided to cover the wearing detection sensor245inFIG. 3or may be disposed to be adjacent to the wearing detection sensor245, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

The wearing detection sensor245may be electrically connected to the substrate22or may be electrically connected to the user operation device4through the substrate22.

In particular, as illustrated inFIG. 3, the wearing detection sensor245may be disposed between the first opening and the second opening or between the first face contact part and the second face contact part and may be disposed above the nose seating part243. That is, the wearing detection sensor245may be disposed to correspond to the forehead or a middle of the forehead when the user is wearing to detect the proximity of the forehead or the middle of the forehead of the user.

The face shape of the person may be different from each other, and a distance between the optical output device2and each portion of the face may also partially vary depending on the face shape. However, generally, when the optical output device2is worn, the distance between the optical output device2and the middle of the forehead may be relatively short depending on the face shape. Therefore, in the optical output device2according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the wearing detection sensor245may be disposed at a position corresponding to the middle of the forehead of the user to effectively detect whether the user is wearing regardless of the user's face shape.

An example of the operation of the optical output device2according to whether the wearing detection sensor245is detected will be described later with reference toFIG. 11.

Referring toFIG. 4, the package1may further include a user operation device4. The user operation device4may be connected to the optical output device2by a wire via a cable421, but is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the user operation device4may be wirelessly connected to the optical output device2through a wireless communication method. In this case, each of the substrate22and the user operation device4of the optical output device2may further include a wireless communication chip or element.

The user operation device4may provide an interface for allowing the user to turn on/off the power of the optical output device2or to set an operation mode of the optical output device2.

A body part41of the user operation device4may be provided with a button part411. For example, the button part411may include a power button for turning on/off the power of the optical output device2and an operation mode button for changing the operation mode of the optical output device2. As illustrated inFIG. 4, in the button part411, the power button and the operation mode button may be provided to be integrated with each other. In this case, one side of the button part411may correspond to the power button, and the other side may correspond to the operation mode button. According to an embodiment, the button part411may include a power button and an operation mode button, which are separated from each other. The user may turn on/off the power of the optical output device2or set the operation mode of the optical output device2by pressing a button411.

The user operation device4includes an operation mode display part412for providing information on an operation mode that is currently set according to the operation of the button part411and a battery status display part413for providing information related to a battery state. The operation mode display part412and the battery status display part413may be implemented as LED light sources, but are not necessarily limited thereto.

In detail, the operation mode display part412may inform information on the currently selected operation mode to the user. For this, the operation mode display part412may include a plurality of operation mode display parts. As described above with reference toFIG. 2, it is assumed that the plurality of operation modes include an activity promotion mode for improving wrinkles, elasticity, and/or skin tone of the skin, and a trouble removal mode for removing trouble of the skin. In this case, a first operation mode display part of the plurality of operation mode display parts may correspond to the active promotion mode, and a second operation mode display part may correspond to the trouble removal mode. That is, when the currently selected operation mode is the active promotion mode, the first operation mode display part is activated to output light having a specific color (for example, red light), and when the currently selected operation mode is the trouble removal mode, the second operation mode display part may be activated to output light having a specific color (e.g., blue light).

The battery status display part413may visually provide information related to a remaining amount of battery to the user. For example, a color or a flickering cycle of the battery status display part413may be changed based on the remaining amount of battery.

For example, when the remaining amount of battery is greater than or equal to a reference amount, the color of the battery status display part413may be displayed as a first color (e.g., green), or the battery status display part413may not be flickered. On the other hand, when the remaining amount of battery is less than the reference amount, the color of the battery status display part413may be displayed as a second color (e.g., red), or the battery status display part413may be flickered.

As described above, the controller for controlling an overall operation of the optical output device2may be provided in the user operation device4instead of the substrate22. In this case, the controller may be connected to the substrate22through a cable421to control operations of the light source provided on the substrate22or the wearing detection sensor245provided on the wearing device24.

Although not shown, the user operation device4may be mounted to the cradle3when stored. In this case, the user operation device4may be connected to the cradle3through a connection terminal422to receive power from the cradle3. According to an embodiment, a battery (not shown) for supplying power for the operation of the optical output device2as well as the user operation device4may be provided inside the user operation device4. In this case, the battery may be charged by the power supplied from the cradle3. Also, when the optical output device2operates, the battery may supply the power required for the operation.

FIG. 5is a front view illustrating an example of the rear cover provided in the optical output device for the skin care ofFIG. 1, andFIG. 6is a cross-sectional view of the optical output device for the skin care, which includes the rear cover ofFIG. 5.

Referring toFIG. 5, the rear cover23A includes an opening231, a coupling part232, a connection part233for connecting the user operation device4to the substrate22, and a wearing device coupling part234, and a wearing detection sensor connection part235.

As described above with reference toFIG. 2, the opening231may be provided to secure the user's view when the optical output device2is worn.

The rear cover23A may be coupled to the front cover21and the substrate22through the coupling part232. For example, the coupling part232may be constituted by a coupling hole and a screw passing through the coupling hole, but is not necessarily limited thereto. As the rear cover23A is coupled to the front cover21and the substrate22through the coupling part232, the substrate22may be protected by being surrounded by the front cover21and the rear cover23A.

The wearing device24may be coupled to the rear cover23through the wearing device coupling part234of the rear cover23. For example, as illustrated inFIG. 5, the wearing device coupling part234is implemented as a coupling groove having a specific shape, and the coupling device24is provided with the coupling part having a shape corresponding to that the coupling groove to couple the wearing device24to the rear cover23. InFIG. 5, one wearing device coupling part234is provided on the rear cover23, but a plurality of wearing device coupling parts may be provided according to an embodiment.

The wearing detection sensor connection part235may be provided to electrically connect the substrate22to the wearing detection sensor245or electrically connect the user operation device4to the wearing detection sensor245. The wearing detection sensor connection part235may be disposed at a position corresponding to a position of the wearing detection sensor245. For example, the wearing detection sensor connection part235may be implemented as a conductive contact pad or may be implemented as a connection hole through which a cable for connecting the wearing detection sensor245to the substrate22passes.

Referring toFIG. 5, a groove236, a first lens237, and a second lens238may be provided in the rear cover23according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

A plurality of light sources may be spaced apart from each other on the substrate22. For example, a distance between the light sources disposed on the substrate22may be determined based on a light irradiation angle of each of the light sources. For example, when arranging light sources arbitrarily without considering the light irradiation angle, the light emitted from the light sources may not be evenly irradiated on the user's skin, or unnecessary many light sources may be provided to reduce power efficiency. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the light sources are disposed on the substrate22based on the light irradiation angle of the light source to optimize the number of light sources disposed in the optical output device2, thereby reducing unnecessary power consumption and improving efficiency of the skin care operation.

When the light is emitted from a plurality of light sources disposed spaced apart from each other, an intensity of the light irradiated to the skin, which is disposed at a position corresponding to a position at which the light source is disposed, may be greater than that of the light irradiated to the skin, which is disposed at a position corresponding to a position at which the light source is not disposed. That is, as the light is unevenly irradiated to the skin of the user, the skin care effect of the optical output device2may be deteriorated.

The wrinkles or troubles may be relatively largely generated when compared to the skin of other sites. For example, a number of wrinkles may be generated on the user's forehead when compared to other sites, and a number of freckles and the like may be generated on the cheeks of the user when compared to other sites. In this case, the optical output device2needs to maximize the skin care effect by irradiating more light to a specific site such as the user's forehead or cheek.

The groove236may be defined entirely in the remaining portions except for the lenses237and238of the rear cover23and the portion at which the wearing device24is mounted. For example, the groove236may provide the rear cover23having a bend or irregular surface so that the light emitted from the light source is dispersed when passing through the groove236. As a result, the light may be more evenly irradiated to the user's skin to improve the skin care effect on various portions of the face.

The first lens237and the second lens238may be disposed on the rear cover23to correspond to the positions of a plurality of light sources disposed on the substrate22. For example, the first lens237may be implemented as a convex lens, and the second lens238may be implemented as a planar lens.

In particular, the first lens237may be disposed to correspond to a portion having a relatively high probability of occurrence of the wrinkles or troubles such as the forehead or the cheek, i.e., a portion having the relatively high need for the skin care.

Referring toFIG. 6, when the light emitted from the light source222provided on the substrate22passes through the first lens237, the emitted light may be refracted while passing through the first lens237so as to concentrated and irradiated to a predetermined area. That is, light L passing through the first lens237may be concentrated and irradiated to the skin area disposed at a position corresponding to the first lens237. As the light is concentrated on the skin area as compared to other areas, the skin care effect may be improved.

When the light emitted from the light source222provided on the substrate22passes through the second lens238, the emitted light is partially reflected when passing through the second lens238, and thus, a portion of the light may pass through the second lens238as it is. The reflected light may be reflected again by the substrate22and then irradiated to the skin through the groove236or the like. According to an embodiment, the rear cover23A may include only the groove236and the first lens237.

That is, the light emitted from the light source222may be evenly irradiated to the skin by the grove236defined in the rear cover23A. Also, the first lens237may be provided at a portion at which necessity or importance of the skin care is high, and the light emitted from the light source222may be concentrated and irradiated to the portion to improve the skin care effect.

FIG. 7is a front view illustrating another example of the rear cover provided in the optical output device for the skin care ofFIG. 1, andFIG. 8is a cross-sectional view of the optical output device for the skin care, which includes the rear cover ofFIG. 7.

Referring toFIGS. 7 and 8, the rear cover23B may include a light guide layer239for evenly dispersing the light emitted from the light source222of the substrate22. InFIGS. 7 and 8, only the light guide layer239is provided on the rear cover23B. However, according to an embodiment, the first lens237ofFIG. 5and the light guide layer239may be provided on the rear cover23B. In this case, the light guide layer239may be provided instead of the groove236and the second lens238.

The light guide layer239may transmit the light emitted from the light source222toward the skin and simultaneously diffuse the light so that the light emitted from the light source222is uniformly provided toward the skin.

The light guide layer239may be made of a light transmissive material, for example, silicone or an acrylic resin. However, the material of the light guide layer239is not limited thereto. For example, the light guide layer24may be made of one of various resins. Also, a plurality of scattering particles239A may be provided in the light guide layer239. In detail, the scattering particles239A may scatter or refract the light so that the light emitted from the light source222is spread more widely. As a result, the light may be irradiated more uniformly to the user's skin.

In order to scattering or refracting the light emitted from the light source222, the scattering particles239A may be made of a material having a refractive index different from that of the material forming the light guide layer239, i.e., be formed of a material having a refractive index greater than that of a silicone-based or acrylic-based resin forming the light guide layer24.

For example, the scattering particles239A may include poly methyl methacrylate/styrene copolymer (MS), poly methyl metaacrylate (PMMA), poly styrene (PS), silicone, titanium dioxide (TiO2), silicon dioxide (SiO2), or a combination thereof.

The scattering particles239A may be made of a material having a refractive index lower than that of the material constituting the light guide layer239. For example, the scattering particles239A may be constituted by bubbles in the light guide layer233.

FIG. 9is a front view illustrating an example of the rear cover provided in the optical output device for the skin care ofFIG. 1.

Referring toFIG. 9, the rear cover23may include a light absorption part DOT disposed along the boundary of the opening231.

The light absorption part DOT may absorb the light emitted from the light source222and irradiated to be adjacent to the opening231to prevent the light emitted from the light source222from being irradiated directly or to be adjacent to the eye of the user through the boundary of the opening231. Accordingly, as the light is irradiated to the eye when the optical output device2is used, it is possible to prevent the user from feeling uncomfortably or causing damage to the eye. The light absorption part DOT may be made of various materials having high light absorption properties such as polysilicon and gallium arsenide (GaAs).

As illustrated inFIG. 9, a plurality of light absorption parts DOT may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other along the boundary of the opening231, but is not limited thereto. For example, in some embodiments, the light absorption parts DOT may be provided to surround the boundary of the opening231.

Also, according to an embodiment, the rear cover23may be provided with a light transmission prevention part that prevents the light transmission instead of the light absorption portion DOT. The light transmission prevention part may prevent the light from being irradiated to or close to the eye of the user through the action such as the reflection of the light emitted from the light source.

InFIG. 9, the light absorption part DOT is disposed at a position close to the eye of the user, but it not limited thereto. For example, in some embodiment, the light absorption part DOT may be also disposed at a position corresponding to a mouth of the user to prevent the light from being irradiated to the mouth with a relatively weak skin, thereby preventing the risk of causing side effects.

FIG. 10is a rear view of the optical output device for the skin care so as to explain an additional example of an arrangement position of the wearing detection sensor ofFIG. 3.

The wearing detection sensor245provided in the optical output device2according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be disposed at a position other than a position corresponding to the user's forehead to detect whether the user is wearing.

As illustrated inFIG. 10, the wearing detection sensor245A provided in the optical output device2may be disposed inside the nose seating part243or on the surface of the nose seating part243. For example, when the wearing detection sensor245A is implemented as a proximity sensor or a touch sensor, the wearing detection sensor245A disposed inside the nose seating part243or on the surface of the nose seating part243may be worn by the user. When the nose seating part243may be in close proximity or contact with the user's nose, a detection signal may be transmitted to the controller. The controller provided in the optical output device2or the user operation device4may detect that the user has mounted the optical output device2by receiving the detection signal.

The nose seating part243may contact the nose of the user when worn, regardless of the face shape of the user. Therefore, when the wearing detection sensor245A is disposed inside or on the surface of the nose seating part243, the nose may contact the nose seating part243when the user is wearing to accurately detect whether the user is wearing when compared to other positions.

Similar to that described above with reference toFIG. 3, in order to prevent erroneous detection due to the proximity of another portion such as a user's finger when the user wears the optical output device2from occurring, the controller of the optical output device2may determine that the optical output device2is normally worn when the detection signal is continuously received for a predetermined time from the wearing detection sensor245A.

InFIG. 10, only the embodiment in which the wearing detection sensor245A is disposed on the nose seating part243is described. However, according to some embodiments, the wearing detection sensor245A may be disposed at the other position (e.g., the face contact part242, etc.) contacting a portion of the user's body when the user is wearing to minimize possibility of the erroneous detection according to a difference in user's face shape and to accurately detect whether or not to be worn.

FIG. 11is a flowchart for explaining an operation of the optical output device for the skin care according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring toFIG. 11, the power of the optical output device2may be turned on by a user's operation (S100). For example, the user may turn on the power of the optical output device2by operating the power button of the button part411provided in the user operation device4.

The optical output device2may detect whether the user wears the optical output device2by using the wearing detection sensor245(S110).

The controller of the optical output device2may activate the wearing detection sensor245when the power is turned on to detect whether the user wears the optical output device2. Contents related to the wearing detection sensor245has been described above with reference toFIG. 3, and further description thereof will be omitted.

The controller may control the light source so as not to output the light until the user detects that the user wears the optical output device2.

When the optical output device2detects that the user wears the optical output device2, the optical output device2may control the light source to irradiate light to the user's skin (S120).

For example, the user may set the operation mode before wearing the optical output device2or set the operation mode after wearing the optical output device2.

The user may set the operation mode in advance by operating the operation mode button of the button part411before wearing the optical output device2. In this case, the controller of the optical output device2may control the light source to automatically output light corresponding to the set operation mode when the user's wearing is detected.

According to an embodiment, after the user wears the optical output device2and sets the operation mode by operating the operation mode button of the button part411provided in the user operation device4, the controller of the optical output device2may control the light source to output light corresponding to the set operation mode.

That is, since the optical output device2controls the light so as not to be output before the user's wearing, it may be possible to prevent the user's discomfort or eye damage caused by the light being irradiated to the eyes during the user's wearing and effectively prevent the power from being unnecessarily consumed, thereby maximizing the user's satisfaction.

The above-disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, and not restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications, enhancements, and other embodiments, which fall within the true spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Thus, the embodiment of the present disclosure is to be considered illustrative, and not restrictive, and the technical spirit of the present disclosure is not limited to the foregoing embodiment.

Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure is defined not by the detailed description of the disclosure but by the appended claims, and all differences within the scope will be construed as being included in the present disclosure.