WO1990014128A1

WO1990014128A1 - Portable, remotely controlled cordless therapeutic system

Info

Publication number: WO1990014128A1
Application number: PCT/AU1990/000214
Authority: WO
Inventors: John Leonard Hughes; Steven Ding
Original assignee: Australian Electro Optics Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1989-05-23
Filing date: 1990-05-23
Publication date: 1990-11-29

Abstract

A remotely controlled therapeutic system having a computer (1), a control unit (3) interconnected between the computer (1) and a signal transmitter (6), and a portable, cordless therapeutic unit (8) to be used to provide treatment to a patient (11). The computer (1) includes a data storage unit, in which therapeutic treatment information such as patient data, treatment procedures and treatment schedule, are stored. Required information for a particular treatment and/or patient (11) can be retrieved from the storage unit and displayed on a monitor screen (2) which is connected to the computer (1). The control unit (3) retrieves control information required for a selected treatment from the storage unit, and converts them to a suitable signal form for the use by the transmitter (6). The transmitter (6) transmits the control signal to the cordless therapeutic unit (8) thereby controlling it remotely.

Description

Portable, Remotely Controlled Cordless Therapeutic System

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a remotely controlled, portable and cordless therapeutic system which allows the therapist freedom of movement around the therapeutic couch and minimises any inconvenience resulting from connecting leads as far as the patient is concerned when under treatment. The invention consists of a cordless, remotely controlled head which can either be handled by the therapist or attached to the patient's body, signal transmitters to link the computerised section of the invention to the portable heads, a data storage unit to store therapeutic treatment data, patient data and treatment procedures for the therapist and provisions for a treatment schedule using touch screen and voice activated computer activation techniques and interface units to match the computer outputs to the data channels necessary to operate the portable heads. The system can provide state of the art treatment data from patient symptoms inserted into the computer units by the therapist. Once the treatment schedule recommended by the computer is approved by the said therapist the invention then automatically carries out the treatment schedule and can be used as a laser beam acupuncture system, pain relief system, electrical impulse system as well as specific types of treatment procedures selected by individual therapists.

Summary of the Prior Art

Prior art therapeutic units necessary to input electrical, optical

SUBSTITUTE SHEET and magnetic energy from their generating means to the patient have demanded so much energy input that the energy had to be delivered to the said prior art units via cumbersome electrical or optical leads which severally restricted the movement of the therapist around the patient undergoing therapeutic treatment. When portable therapeutic units were introduced into the prior art systems, they were extremely limited regarding their control functions most of which had to be performed by the therapist themselves in order to ensure the portability of their equipment. The major difficulty with these ι o prior art systems was the fact that they did not incorporate both control and energy generating systems in the one unit so that the therapist was constantly having to provide the key control functions for the units as well as performing all other aspects of the treatment including relating to the patient.

15 Our invention overcomes the defects of prior art therapeutic systems in that it allows the therapist to select the most suitable treatment appropriate to the patient's symptoms and allowance for the portable treatment unit to operate under cordless computer control in turn allowing the therapist to concentrate on other aspects

20 of the patient's treatment fully knowing that all aspects of said selected treatment are under automatic control and the results are fully recorded for future reference.

Background of the Invention

Neural network computers have provided a new, high capacity 25 means of presenting therapists with large amounts of treatment data which can be tailored to a particular patient's treatment simply by

SUBSTITUTE SHEET inserting details of the patient's symptoms into the invention's computer which then displays for the therapist's consideration a range of suggested treatments based on the said inputted symptoms. In this way, the invention allows for the stage of information available from all the experience gained over the years in a particular field of therapeutic medicine. For example, China's vast experience in acupuncture can be stored in the computer of our invention and accessed by a therapist whose skill is required to define the patient's symptoms as accurately as possible. In fact, the neural network computer of the invention can learn from experience in use so that it can also learn the characteristics of the therapists themselves in due course and aid in the selection of the correct treatment procedures using detailed diagrams of the human body to display details of the recommended treatment sites. The invention can control a wide range of portable heads that can be used in therapeutic treatments either by being hand held by the therapist or positioned on the patient's body.

Summary of the Invention

It is an object of the invention to minimise the inconvenience caused by power and control leads around a therapeutic couch by providing portable, hand held therapeutic units whose operation is controlled via a programmed laser beam generator in a computer controlled unit which also stores the data required to both propose and conduct a given course of treatment. Another object of the invention is to provide a portable, cordless, laser beam generator whose operation is controlled by a

SUBSTITUTE SHEET computer via an incoherent optical communication link.

It is an object of the invention to provide a portable, cordless, laser beam generator whose operation is controlled by a computer via a short range, low frequency cordless data link. Another object of the invention is to display all the relevant therapeutic treatment information in response to the touch screen inputs of the therapist.

It is also an object of the invention to display the relevant therapeutic treatment information in response to the voice activated outputs of the therapist thus allowing said therapist to concentrate on the treatment of the patient.

Another object of the invention is to maximise the laser beam energy that can be produced in a portable laser head by using the most efficient laser beam generator possible within the art. It is an object of the invention to provide 100% depth of modulation of the generated laser beams within the portable units. Another object of the invention is to provide a data link for the activation of an array of electrical impulse units placed onto a patient's body allowing for the generation of modulated laser beams in the same units.

Brief Descriptions of the Drawings

A better understanding of the invention may be obtained from the following considerations taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which are not meant to limit the scope of the invention in any way.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET - 5 -

Figure 1 shows a schematic layout of the invention with the cordless data and control link between the computer and the portable therapeutic units being provided by a modulated, eye safe light beam.

Figure 2 shows a schematic layout of the invention with the s cordless data and control link between the computer and the portable therapeutic units being provided by a short range, low frequency link.

Figure 3 shows a schematic layout of the cordless hand held laser beam generating unit which is controlled either by the modulated light beam or the short image low frequency link. ιo Figure 4 shows a schematic layout of a cordless portable unit arrays of which can be positioned on a patient's body and activated in a sequence to provide both electrical and light impulses necessary to undertake the therapeutic treatment.

Detailed Description of the Invention _i s In Figure 1 , numeral 1 indicates a computer in which therapeutic data is stored. Numeral 2 indicates a monitor screen which displays the recommended therapeutic treatment after the patient's symptoms have been inserted into the said computer by the therapist either via a key board, touch screen or voice activated input. Numeral 3

₂₀ indicates the treatment hardware control unit which takes the information from 1 and converts it into optical signals which are injected into an optical fibre link indicated by numeral 4 which in turn is guided through a tube indicated by numeral 5 to a position indicated by numeral 6 where said optical signals emerge from fibre

₂₅ link 4 and are transmitted as eye safe optical signals indicated by numeral 7 through free space to be detected on the portable

SUBSTITUTE SHEET therapeutic unit indicated by numeral 8 hand held by the therapist indicated by numeral 9. The therapist is free to move around the therapeutic couch indicated by numeral 10 without being hindered in any way by connecting leads and, once activated by the therapist, the invention automatically controls the therapeutic treatment selected for the patient indicated by numeral 11.

In Figure 2, the link used to transmit the control signals is indicated by numeral 12 which can take the form of a co-axial electrical cable connected to the short range radio frequency ι o transmitter indicated by numeral 13 underneath the therapeutic couchlO. The radio frequency signals, indicated by numeral 14, which are transmitted by unit 13 are again detected on the hand held unit 8. In Figure 3, numeral 15 indicates the body of hand held unit 8. Numeral 16 indicates a detachable tip with an opening indicated by 15 numeral 17 through which the energy used in the programmed treatment sequence emerges from unit 8. Numeral 18 indicates a detachable base through which the battery supply indicated by numeral 19 is inserted. Numeral 20 indicates the signal detection system whilst numeral 21 indicates the signal detection area which 2o views the outside world. Numeral 22 indicates the programmed energy generating unit to produce the energy required for the selected treatment, for example, optical energy, microwave energy or acoustic energy.

In Figure 4, numeral 24 indicates the body of a remotely 25 controlled therapeutic unit which can be attached directly to the patient's body 11 using the adhesive layer indicated by numeral 25. Numeral 26 indicates the signal detection medium which picks up the

SUBSTITUTE SHEET treatment control signals to operate the switching of the battery power supply indicated by numeral 27. Numeral 28 indicates the energy generation which directs optical, microwave, acoustic, electrical or magnetic or thermal energy as the case may be into the

5 selected site on the body of patient 11. Using arrays of these therapeutic units, the treatment program could switch said array in a time sequence such as to fully optimise said treatment.

The invention has application in the programmed therapeutic treatment of patients using optical, microwave, acoustic, electrical, ι o magnetic and thermal energies. The invention allows the therapist to insert the patient's symptoms into its computer which are then automatically matched to the most appropriate treatment based on vast amounts of therapeutic data stored in the said computer. Control sequences are then automatically set and the therapist can

15 move the portable unit from one part of the patients body to another as directed. Alternatively, the portable units may be simply attached to selected regions of the patient's body relieving the therapists of direct participation in the programmed treatment sequence altogether. However, the therapist is free to oversee the treatment o of one or more patients at a time, with full access to each therapeutic couch without fear of tripping over a maze of interconnecting cables.

The invention provides for the display of the human body and its recommended treatment sites in full colour providing a record of 5 each treatment procedure as it is completed.

It should be noted that the laser beam generator of the invention may be solid state lasers in the form of an electrically excited

SUBSTITUTE SHEET } semiconductor laser or a diode laser pumped solid state laser. These two laser beam generators can have their output beams modulated by modulating the electrical current input and the optical pump input respectively.

It should be noted that a single neural computer can service several therapeutic couches simultaneously.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET

Claims

We claim,

1. A cordless, remotely controlled, therapeutic system consisting of a portable laser beam generator and modulator with a hand held head which is activated via an optical data link emitted by the output

5 end of a fibre optic link from a neural computer controlled therapeutic data storage system which has a display screen which can be activated by the therapist and which provides the information required to undertake the said therapeutic treatment, allowing the therapeutic to concentrate on the patient. ι o 2. A therapeutic system as claimed in Claim 1 where the hand held head contains a solid state laser beam generator whose output beam is modulated by modulating the input electrical current under control of the neural computer via the optical control link.

3. A therapeutic system as claimed in Claim 1 where the hand held 15 head contains a solid state laser beam generated whose output beam is modulated by modulating the output optical pump light.

4. A therapeutic system as claimed in Claim 1 where the data link between the neural computer and the portable laser head is produced by a short image, low frequency data link. 0

5. A system as claimed in Claim 1 where the invention is activated and controlled via the voice of the therapist.

6. A system as claimed in Claim 1 where the portable heads are in the form of pads which can be attached to the patient's body and activated via the data links of the invention so that electrical 5 impulses and a laser light beam are produced within each of the said units either simultaneously or sequentially so as to undertake the recommended therapeutic treatment consistent with the symptoms of the patient.

7. A system as claimed in Claim 1 where a single neural computer services more than one patient at the same time.

8. A system as claimed in Claim 1 where the optical data link is transmitted from above the therapeutic couch so that a direct line of sight is established between said transmitted and said hand held unit.

9. A system as claimed in Claim 1 where the low frequency data ι o link is transmitted by a short image transmitter mounted near the patient's couch.