JPS6466B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a cooling liquid circulation device for heating therapy, particularly for heating therapy needed when heating a predetermined location deep within a living body using electromagnetic waves. It relates to a coolant circulation device. [Conventional technology] In recent years, heating therapy

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, in such conventional examples, the cooling liquid to be used is simply sent to the cooling mechanism using a liquid pump or the like, so if such a method is used as is and a closed loop is formed with the liquid cooling means, For example, when replacing the applicator or replacing parts within the applicator, the coolant in the closed loop may spout out. On the other hand, such a situation can be easily solved by equipping the inflow and outflow paths of the coolant to the applicator with on-off valves, but in this case, the on-off valves are installed to resist internal water pressure. is relatively robust, which results in an increase in size and weight of the applicator, which is undesirable as it impairs operability. Furthermore, the coolant in the closed loop described above tends to gradually decrease when the applicator is replaced or due to leakage from other parts. [Object of the Invention] The present invention takes into account the disadvantages of the above-mentioned conventional examples, and makes it possible to smoothly replenish the coolant even when a closed-loop coolant circulation mechanism is formed, and to improve the applicator's flow. It is an object of the present invention to provide a coolant circulation device for heating therapy that can prevent the coolant from spewing out even during replacement, etc., without having to be particularly equipped with an on-off valve. [Means for solving the problem] Therefore, the present invention includes an applicator that outputs electromagnetic waves while focusing them, a cooling mechanism that is installed at the electromagnetic wave output end of this applicator and cools the surface side of the heating section, A coolant circulation mechanism is provided for this cooling mechanism to allow the coolant to flow in and out using a pressure pump, and a coolant supply section is provided on the coolant inflow side of the pressure pump, and this coolant supply is provided. The object is achieved by employing a structure in which the part is engaged with a vertically movable support means. [Function] When performing heating treatment within a living body using electromagnetic waves, a large proportion of the electromagnetic waves are absorbed by the surface of the living body, and the surface of the living body is likely to be overheated. Therefore, the biological surface on the electromagnetic wave irradiation side is always cooled by the cooling liquid. In this case, since the coolant gradually decreases when the applicator is replaced, etc., the coolant is replenished from the coolant supply section to the coolant circulation mechanism whenever necessary. Since this coolant supply part is attached to a support mechanism that can move up and down, for example, when replenishing coolant, the coolant supply part must be lowered once to replenish the coolant, and then raised again. I can do it. Therefore, the coolant is smoothly replenished without applying excessive hydraulic pressure to other parts of the coolant circulation system. In addition, since the coolant replenishment section is installed on the coolant inlet side of the pressurizing pump, the water level will be raised, and the water pressure will increase somewhat on the input side of the pressurizing pump, so that the coolant flowing into the pressurizing pump will increase. The influx of
Coolant circulation becomes smoother. On the other hand, when replacing the applicator, if the coolant supply section is lowered, the water pressure inside the coolant circulation mechanism is reduced. Therefore, by placing the opening side of the applicator at the top,
For example, even when the coolant inflow path and outflow path to the applicator are open, the water level at the location is lowered, so the coolant can be avoided from being spouted.
In this case, the coolant circulation path in the applicator part is
Negative pressure is generated due to the water level. Therefore, if this part is opened, outside air can be easily sucked in. In this regard, by installing a suitable stopper, this inconvenience can be overcome without having to equip a particularly robust on-off valve. [Embodiment of the Invention] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. First, in FIG. 1, 10 indicates an applicator, 30 indicates the main body of the heating device, and 50 indicates a control means. The applicator 10 is mainly composed of a case body 10A that functions as a waveguide, and the inside thereof is filled with an insulating oil that has low attenuation of electromagnetic waves, so that electromagnetic waves guided from the outside are attenuated within the applicator. A form has been adopted that suppresses the effects as much as possible. This applicator 10 is equipped with a cooling mechanism 11 for surface cooling at the electromagnetic wave emitting end, a radio wave lens (not shown) is detachably installed inside the applicator 10, and three A stabilization mechanism 10B is equipped, which makes it possible to efficiently irradiate electromagnetic waves in a concentrated manner to a predetermined location within the living body and heat it to a predetermined temperature. 10C indicates an escape means for the insulating oil housed in the case body 10A, and 31 and 32 indicate coolant inflow/outflow guides, respectively. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the installed state of the applicator 10 formed in this manner. Arrows C, D, E, and F each indicate the movable directions. The cooling mechanism 11 attached to or integrally equipped with this applicator 10 has a hydraulic pressure buffering means 12 on its liquid input side and a liquid cooling means 1 on its liquid output side.
3 are each connected and equipped. The cooling liquid flowing out from the cooling mechanism 11 is cooled to a predetermined temperature by the liquid cooling means 13, and then degassed by the air venting means 14 installed at the next stage, and then pressurized. It is pressurized by the pump 15, and then fed into the cooling mechanism 11 of the applicator 10 again via the hydraulic pressure buffer means 12. A series of these liquid circulation systems forms a closed loop and constitutes a coolant circulation mechanism 16. The air venting means 14 is connected to the cooling liquid circulation mechanism 1.
It is equipped at the highest position within 6. In the air venting means 14, as shown in FIG. 2, an air collection chamber 14B is provided integrally with the coolant flow path 14A, and air bubbles in the coolant are collected in the air collection chamber 14B. It's summery. Reference numeral 14C indicates an on-off valve that opens and closes at regular intervals under the control of a main control section 50A, which will be described later. Further, 14D indicates a solenoid that directly drives the opening/closing valve 14C. Furthermore, the air collection chamber 1 of the air venting means 14
4B is connected to a coolant replenishing section 17 for replenishing the coolant circulation mechanism 16 with coolant from the outside. This coolant replenishment section 17 includes a liquid replenishment tank 17A,
It consists of a replenishment port 17B closed at the upper end of the liquid replenishment tank 17A, an on-off valve 17C installed at the lower end of the liquid replenishment tank 17A, and a support means 18 for supporting the liquid replenishment tank 17A. The opening/closing valve 17C portion of the liquid replenishment tank 17A is connected to the air collection chamber 1 of the air venting means 14 via a flexible piping 19.
It is configured to be connected to 4B. Therefore, when the opening/closing valve 14C of the air venting means 14 is opened by the main control unit 50A, which will be described later, the air collected in the air collection chamber 14B immediately rises and goes outside via the liquid supply tank 17A. It is starting to be released. Further, the support means 18 is arranged by the arrow A in FIG.
As shown by B, it is configured to be able to move up and down with a predetermined stroke. Therefore, it is necessary to replace the applicator 10 described above or to replace the applicator 10.
When replacing parts, etc., the liquid supply tank 17A is positioned below the applicator 10 by lowering the supporting means 18, and then the cooling liquid piping is removed and the applicator 10 is removed. Replacement or replacement of parts is convenient because it can prevent the coolant from spewing out due to the water level.
Although it is desirable to use pure water as the cooling water, for example, ordinary water is used in this embodiment. Further, in this embodiment, the hydraulic pressure buffering means 12 is a bellows-shaped expander whose inside is connected to the piping. This bellows-like expander is usually compressed by its own elasticity. Note that this may be replaced with another mechanism as long as it functions equally well. Electromagnetic wave oscillator 20 for the applicator 10
Actually, a magnetron is used. The output of this electromagnetic wave oscillator 20 is sent to the applicator 10 via a directional coupler 21. In this case, the directional coupler 21 is equipped with an output display section 21A that displays the ratio of electromagnetic waves currently being sent to the maximum output, and a reflected wave display section 21B that displays the ratio of reflected electromagnetic waves. There is. Therefore, when there are many reflected waves, the reflection level can be set to the lowest value by adjusting the three stabilization mechanisms 10B of the applicator described above while watching the reflected wave display section 21B. Of the above-mentioned constituent members, the electromagnetic wave oscillator 20, liquid cooling means 13, air venting means 14, cooling liquid replenishing section 17, and pressurizing pump 15 are mainly housed in the heating device main body 30, and liquid is added as needed. The pressure buffer means 12 and the directional coupler 21 are also accommodated within the heating device main body 30. Further, in this embodiment, each of the liquid cooling means 13, the pressure pump 15, and the electromagnetic wave oscillator 20 is operated under the control of the main control section 50A of the control means 50. To explain this in more detail, the main control unit 50A receives temperature information of the heating unit 100 inside the living body using a first thermometer 51, and temperature information of the living body surface where the electromagnetic waves are incident is sent using a second thermometer 51. Each value is constantly input using a thermometer 52. On the other hand, the main control section 50A stores the cooling temperature of the biological surface, the heating temperature of the in-vivo heating section, etc. predetermined according to each patient, and the specific control procedure. The reference information is input from the input section 50B. For this reason, the main control unit 50
A controls the output of the electromagnetic wave oscillator 20 to increase or decrease according to the values and procedures input and set in advance from the input section 50B, and also controls the operating levels of the pressurizing pump 15 and the liquid cooling means 13, thereby controlling the Therefore, the temperature of the heating treatment section 100 is always maintained within a predetermined range of 43° C. to 43.5° C., and the above-mentioned temperature is controlled based on the information from the second thermometer 52 so that the surface of the living body is not burned. As mentioned above, the liquid cooling means 13
It is configured to drive and control the pressurizing pump 15. Next, the overall operation of this embodiment will be explained. First, when starting heating treatment, the status of the heating section is checked in advance, and information such as heating temperature setting, heating time, surface temperature setting and control means necessary for cooling control, etc. The information is input from the section 50B to the main control section 50A, and at the same time, the applicator 10 is placed on the surface of the heating section and the thermometers 51, 52 are installed, as shown in FIG. Next, when the power of the entire device is turned on (“ON”), in this embodiment, electromagnetic waves are first output from the electromagnetic wave oscillator 20 at maximum output, and at the same time, the pressure pump 1
5 is also activated, and cooling of the surface side of the heating section, which is easily overheated, is also started. In this case, if there is an impedance mismatch within the applicator 10, the reflected wave display section 21B of the directional coupler 21 will display the proportion, so the operator can immediately adjust the three stub unit mechanisms 10B to reflect the reflected wave. Set the wave to zero and match. During this time, the first and second thermometers 51, 52
continuously measures the temperature of the in-vivo heating section and the surface side of the heating section, respectively, and sends the information to the main control section 50A.
It is now being sent to When the temperature of the heating section 100 exceeds 43.5 degrees Celsius, the main control section controls the output from the electromagnetic wave oscillator to be lowered or temporarily stopped, while lowering the surface temperature to a predetermined temperature (e.g. 20℃),
Increasing the cooling of the liquid by the liquid cooling means or increasing the speed of the pressure pump 15 to increase the flow rate,
This increases the cooling effect on the surface of the heating section, and if necessary, it is also possible to temporarily stop the electromagnetic wave output in order to cool the surface. . These series of heating treatments are continued for one to two hours, and are repeated as necessary. On the other hand, the cooling liquid that has cooled the surface of the living body is heated to some extent and at the same time generates bubbles, and then flows out from the cooling mechanism 11 disposed on the surface of the living body. Bubbles in this coolant not only increase the reflection of electromagnetic waves as mentioned above, but also due to the compressibility of the air,
The output of the pressurizing pump 15 is significantly reduced. As a result, the cooling ability of the biological surface decreases,
As a measure to prevent such a situation, in the present invention, an air bleed means 14 is provided on the coolant input side of the pressurizing pump 15. On the input side of the pressure pump 15, some negative pressure is generated due to the suction action of the pressure pump 15, so the bubbles in the coolant tend to expand and therefore rise efficiently. This makes it easy to degas. Therefore, in the present invention, degassing is performed smoothly, and therefore, the pressurizing pump 15
It is possible to smoothly feed the coolant into the coolant circulation mechanism 16 while maintaining the same performance at all times. On the other hand, when heating the body using electromagnetic waves, a large proportion of the electromagnetic waves are absorbed by the surface of the body, and therefore, as described above, the surface of the body is likely to be overheated. Since the coolant used in this case gradually decreases when the applicator 10 is replaced, etc., the coolant circulation mechanism 16 is replenished from the coolant supply section 17 whenever necessary. Since this coolant replenishing part 17 is attached to a vertically movable support mechanism 18, for example, when replenishing the coolant, the coolant replenishing part 17 is lowered once to replenish the coolant, and then It will be raised again later. Therefore, the coolant is smoothly replenished without applying excessive hydraulic pressure to other parts of the coolant circulation system. In addition, since the coolant replenishing section 17 is installed on the coolant inflow side of the pressurizing pump 15, the water level will be raised, and the water pressure will increase somewhat on the input side of the pressurizing pump. The inflow of the coolant is promoted, and the circulation of the coolant becomes smooth. On the other hand, when replacing the applicator 10, if the coolant supply section 17 is lowered, the water pressure inside the coolant circulation mechanism 16 is reduced. Therefore, by placing the opening side of the applicator 10 at a higher position, for example, even when the coolant inflow path and outflow path to the applicator 10 are open, the water level at the relevant location is low, so cooling can be carried out. It can avoid liquid gushing. In this case, applicator 1
The coolant circulation path in the 0 portion generates negative pressure due to the water level, so if this portion is opened, outside air is likely to be absorbed. For this reason, if a suitable stopper is installed, this inconvenience can be overcome without having to equip a particularly robust on-off valve. [Effects of the Invention] Since the present invention is configured and functions as described above,
According to this, it is easy to replenish the coolant, and even when replacing the applicator or its parts, it can be done very easily without the need for a special opening/closing valve and without spouting out the coolant. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the cooling drop due to a lack of cooling liquid, and as a result, the surface side of the heating section can be cooled smoothly and sufficiently, which is an unprecedented and excellent heating method. A therapeutic coolant circulation device can be provided.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a partial sectional view showing an example of the degassing means forming a part of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of equipment for the applicator part in Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a conventional example. It is a perspective view showing an applicator part of. 10... Applicator, 11... Cooling mechanism, 1
5... Pressure pump, 16... Coolant circulation mechanism, 1
7...Cooling liquid supply section, 18...Support means.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An applicator that outputs electromagnetic waves while focusing them, a cooling mechanism that is installed at the electromagnetic wave output end of the applicator and cools the surface side of the heating section, and a pressurizing pump for this cooling mechanism. Inject the coolant using
A coolant circulation mechanism is provided for causing the coolant to flow out, and a coolant replenishment section is provided on the coolant inflow side of the pressurizing pump, and the coolant supply section is attached to a vertically movable support means. Cooling fluid circulation device for heating therapy.