Power supply for light-based dermatologic treatment device

摘要

Switching power supplies made in accordance with the disclosed technology drive flash lamps of dermatologic treatment devices to emit a sequence of relatively small light pulses that are aligned with particular locations within the waveform of the AC line source. Such power supplies not only enable sufficient light energy in aggregate to therapeutically heat target chromophores in a skin region without causing undesired damage to surrounding tissue, but also provide the added benefit that the corresponding electrical energy need not be substantially drawn from any charged capacitor. The disclosed power supply further compensates for performance degradation of the flash lamps during their usable life, by modifying its operation based on predetermined values that are indicative of flash lamp aging/efficiency characteristics. The flash lamps and their associated stored values are preferably incorporated into a replaceable cartridge that facilitates user maintenance of the dermatologic treatment device.

主权项

1. A dermatologic treatment device, the device comprising:
at least one pulse-able flash lamp capable of emitting light energy to facilitate achievement of a desired cosmetic effect in a skin region; an AC line voltage detector in electrical communication with an AC line source, the voltage detector dynamically generating a signal having a duty cycle indicative of when the AC line voltage exceeds a minimum operating voltage threshold, wherein the signal generated by the AC line voltage detector is also indicative of the frequency of the electrical energy provided by the AC line source; a pulse-drive circuit in electrical communication with the flash lamp and the AC line source, the pulse-drive circuit providing electrical energy above a predefined threshold to pulse the flash lamp during an ionized state by drawing more of its electrical energy from the AC line source than from a charged capacitor, wherein at least one characteristic of the electrical energy provided by the pulse-drive circuit is based at least partly on the duty cycle of the signal generated by the voltage detector; and a control circuit in electrical communication with the pulse-drive circuit and voltage detector, the control circuit selectively enabling transmission of electrical energy from the pulse-drive circuit to the flash lamp based at least partly on the signal generated by the voltage detector, wherein such selective transmissions of electrical energy pulse the flash lamp to emit sufficient light energy to facilitate achievement of the desired cosmetic effect.