Hair removal system with light source array

• US 20060200114A1
• Filed: 03/04/2005
• Published: 09/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC A Limited Liability Corporation of The State of Delaware
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Tegreene, Clarence T., Wood, Lowell L. Jr., Jung, Edward K.Y., Ferren, Bran
• Application Number:
  US11/072,007
• Publication Number:
  US 20060200114A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/9
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/203 applying laser energy to the outside of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00452 Skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00476 Hair follicles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/208 with multiple treatment beams not sharing a common path, e.g. non-axial or parallel
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/065 for measuring contact or contact pressure

Abstract

Embodiments of methods and systems for hair treatment are disclosed. According to various embodiments, light is used to shave, trim, or otherwise modify hair shafts.

Claims

1. A system for treating skin, comprising:

a) a housing;

b) at least one light source carried by said housing and capable of producing light of a frequency significantly absorbed by hair;

c) an optical system configured to modify light from said at least one light source to produce a highly convergent beam having a beam waist;

d) at least one photodetector adapted to detect light from a skin structure, said photodetector positioned in said housing relative to said at least one light source such that said photodetector is oriented to detect light from the skin structure when said at least one light source is positioned within a selected distance range of said skin structure; and

e) a controller responsive to detection of light by said photodetector and configured to control delivery of light such that said beam waist is positioned at a known position with respect to the skin structure when said at least one light source is within said selected distance range.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a secondary illumination source.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said optical system comprises a high numerical aperture lens.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein said controller is configured to control delivery of light such that said beam waist is positioned between about 25 μ

m and about 300 μ

m above the skin surface when said at least one light source is within said selected distance range.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein said optical system has a numerical aperture of between about 0.5 and about 0.98.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein said optical system has an f-number of between about 1.2 and about 11.3.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein said optical system comprises a beam expander interposed between said light source and said high numerical aperture lens.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein said optical system includes an adjustable lens.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein said controller comprises at least one of an analog circuit, a digital circuit and a microprocessor.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein said housing is configured as a hand-held device.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein said control circuitry is located in a base unit and data are transmitted between said handset and said base unit by one of an electrical connection, an optical connection, or a wireless connection.

30. The system of claim 1, wherein said optical system is an adjustable optical system, and wherein said controller is configured to control said optical system such that said beam waist is positioned at a specified X-Y position within a plane parallel to the skin structure.

61. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one light source includes at least one of a laser, a laser diode, a light-emitting diode, or a laser array comprising a plurality of laser diodes.

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23. The system of claim 4, further comprising a plurality of lenses.

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32. A system for treating skin, comprising:

a) a laser array including a plurality of lasers in array;

b) a lens array including a plurality of lenses corresponding to said plurality of lasers, each of said lenses being positioned with respect to a corresponding laser of said plurality of lasers to modify the profile of a beam generated by said corresponding laser to form a highly convergent beam having a short beam waist; and

c) a detector array including a plurality of photodetectors mounted relative to said laser array such that said plurality of photodetectors are oriented to detect light from a skin region containing one or more hairs responsive to generation of light by at least a subset of said plurality of lasers when said laser array is brought within a desired distance range of the skin surface.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein said plurality of lasers includes a plurality of laser diodes.

37. The system of claim 32, wherein said laser array, lens array, and detector array are positioned relative to each other such that light is detected from the skin region in response to light generation by said subset of said plurality of lasers when said beam waist is positioned just adjacent to the skin surface.

38. The system of claim 32, further comprising a controller including at least one of analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and a microprocessor, configured to receive as input at least one signal indicative of detection of light from said detector array and to generate as output a control signal for driving said laser array.

40. The system of claim 32, wherein each lens of said plurality of lenses has a numerical aperture of between about 0.5 and about 0.98.

43. The system of claim 32, wherein each lens of said plurality of lenses has an f-number of between about 1.2 and about 11.3.

48. The system of claim 38, wherein said plurality of lenses comprises a plurality of adjustable lenses, wherein said controller is further configured to generate a lens control signal, and wherein said lens array is configured to receive said lens control signal from said controller adapted for controlling adjustment of said adjustable lenses.

49. The system of claim 32, further comprising a secondary illumination source mounted in said mounting member and oriented to provide illumination to substantially the same area as said laser array.

53. The system of claim 32, wherein said laser array is a first laser array, and wherein said system further comprises a second laser array mounted to said mounting member, said second laser array comprising a second plurality of lasers in a substantially linear array.

54. The system of claim 53, wherein said lens array is a first lens array, and wherein said system further comprises a second lens array comprising a second plurality of lenses corresponding to said second plurality of lasers, each of said lenses of said second plurality of lenses being positioned with respect to one laser of said second plurality of lasers to modify the profile of a beam generated by one of said lasers of said second plurality of lasers.

62. The system of claim 32, wherein at least one of said laser array, said lens array, and said detector array is a substantially linear array.

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57. A depilation device comprising:

a) a mounting including a plurality of mounting regions of defined width arranged in a linear array;

b) a plurality of light sources, each light source movably disposed within one said mounting region and of a type that emits light of a frequency-band significantly absorbed by hair;

c) a plurality of lenses, each lens of said plurality corresponding to and positioned in fixed relationship with one of said light sources;

d) one or more optical detectors configured to detect the presence and location of one or more hair shafts within a plurality of skin regions on a skin surface when the depilation device is positioned adjacent to the skin surface, each said skin region corresponding to one of said plurality of mounting regions;

e) a plurality of positioners, each positioner corresponding to one said light source and configured to adjust the position of said light source within a corresponding mounting region to target light from said light source onto a targeted hair shaft; and

f) a controller configured to drive each said positioner responsive to detection of said one or more hair shafts by said one or more optical detectors and to drive each said light source to generate light of intensity and duration sufficient to produce mechanical failure of a targeted hair shaft at a desired position thereon.

60. The depilation device of claim 57, wherein light from each said light source is focused by said corresponding lens to form a beam of light that converges to a short, narrow beam waist and subsequently diverges, and wherein said light source is positioned by said positioner to locate said beam waist on a targeted hair shaft at sufficient distance above the skin surface that mechanical failure of the hair shaft occurs at said beam waist without production of damage or irritation at the skin surface.

63. The depilation device of claim 57, wherein said plurality of light sources comprises a plurality of light-emitting diodes or a plurality of laser diodes.

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