Flexible LED LIght Pad For Phototherapy

• US 20150202455A1
• Filed: 08/15/2014
• Published: 07/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Biophotonics Limited
• Original Assignee: Applied Biophotonics Limited
• Inventors: Williams, Richard K., Lin, Yu-Min, Schell, Daniel, Lin, Keng Hung, Leahy, Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 9,895,550 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0645 Applicators worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0652 Arrays of diodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/06 using light

Abstract

In a flexible LED pad for use in phototherapy treatment of humans or animals, the PCBs in the pad are securely linked together with electrical connectors and ribbon cables to prevent the connections from being broken as the flexible pad is bent or otherwise deformed during the treatment. In one embodiment, low-profile socket connectors are mounted to the PCBs and mate with plug connectors at the ends of the ribbon cables. For similar reasons, the LED pad may be connected to an LED control unit by means of an electrical connector (e.g. a USB socket) mounted to a PCB in the LED pad. The PCBs, on which the LEDs are mounted, are fitted into a downset in the flexible pad to prevent the LEDs from becoming misaligned with openings in the flexible pad.

Claims

1. A flexible LED pad for use in phototherapy comprising a plurality of printed circuit boards (PCBs) arrayed in a row across the pad, an array of LEDs being attached to each PCB, each of the PCBs having mounted thereto a low-profile electrical connector, a ribbon cable extending between the low-profile electrical connector on one of the PCBs and the low-profile electrical connector on an adjacent one of the PCBs, the PCBs, the low-profile electrical connectors and the ribbon cable being enclosed in a flexible material.

2. The flexible LED pad of claim 1 wherein a first low-profile electrical connector on a first PCB is mounted at a first edge of the first PCB facing a first edge of a second PCB, a second low-profile electrical connector on the second PCB being mounted on the first edge of the second PCB facing the first edge of the first PCB, a first cable connector at a first end of the ribbon cable being mated with the first low-profile electrical connector, a second cable connector at a second end of the ribbon cable being mated with the second low-profile electrical connector.

3. The flexible LED pad of claim 2 wherein each of the low-profile electrical connectors comprises a low-profile socket.

4. The flexible LED pad of claim 3 wherein each of the cable connectors comprises a plug compatible with the low-profile socket.

5. The flexible LED pad of claim 4 further comprising an external electrical connector mounted on at least one of the PCBs along a second edge of the PCB, the second edge of the PCB being perpendicular to the first edge of the PCB, the external electrical connector being for linking the flexible LED pad to a second flexible LED pad.

6. The flexible LED pad of claim 5 wherein the external electrical connector comprises a USB socket.

7. The flexible LED pad of claim 6 wherein the flexible material comprises a top piece and a bottom piece, the bottom piece comprising a downset for each of the PCBs, each PCB being fitted into a corresponding downset in the bottom piece.

8. The flexible LED pad of claim 7 wherein the bottom piece comprises a plurality of openings, each of the openings being aligned with one of the LEDs.

9. The flexible LED pad of claim 8 wherein each of the PCBs comprises at least one hole, a post extending from one of the top and bottom pieces through the at least one hole to assist in anchoring the PCB at a selected position within the flexible material.

10. The flexible LED pad of claim 9 wherein the post extends into a hole formed in the other of the top and bottom pieces.

11. The flexible LED pad of claim 8 wherein the top piece and the bottom piece are glued together so as to enclose the PCBs.

12. The flexible LED pad of claim 4 wherein the flexible material comprises a strain relief formed along an edge of the flexible LED pad, a feature being formed in the strain relief for mating with a corresponding feature on a cable linking the LED pad with a control unit.

13. The flexible LED pad of claim 4 further comprising an external electrical connector mounted on at least one of the PCBs along a second edge of the PCB, the second edge of the PCB being perpendicular to the first edge of the PCB, the external electrical connector being for linking the flexible LED pad to an LED control unit.

14. The flexible LED pad of claim 13 wherein the external electrical connector comprises a USB socket.

15. An arrangement comprising a plurality of flexible LED pads for use in phototherapy, an LED control unit and a control cable linking one of the flexible LED pads to the LED control unit, said one of the flexible LED pads comprising an electrical connector mated to a corresponding electrical connector at an end of the control cable.

16. The arrangement of claim 15 wherein the electrical connector comprised in the flexible LED pad comprises a USB socket and the electrical connector at the end of the control cable comprises a USB plug.

17. The arrangement of claim 16 wherein the control cable further comprises an adapter cable connected to the LED control unit.

18. The arrangement of claim 17 wherein the adapter cable comprises a USB connector at one end of the adapter cable and a RJ45 plug at the opposite end of the adapter cable.

19. The arrangement of claim 15 wherein the control cable is shielded.

20. The arrangement of claim 15 wherein each of the flexible LED pads has a rectangular shape and each of the flexible LED pads comprises second and third electrical connectors positioned along a single edge of the rectangular shape, at least one of the second and third connectors in each flexible LED pad being connected to a cable extending to an adjacent flexible LED pad in the arrangement.

21. The arrangement of claim 20 wherein the flexible LED pads and the LED control unit are arranged in a T configuration.

22. The arrangement of claim 20 wherein the flexible LED pads and the LED control unit are arranged in an L configuration.

23. A flexible LED pad for use in phototherapy comprising a flexible material and having a Velcro tape attached to a flexible material by means of an adhesive film, the adhesive film being attached to the flexible material by a first adhesive material and being attached to the Velcro tape by a second adhesive material.

24. The flexible LED pad of claim 23 wherein the flexible material comprises a polymeric material and the first adhesive material comprises a silicone glue or epoxy.

25. The flexible LED pad of claim 24 wherein the second adhesive material comprises an acrylic-based adhesive.

26. The flexible LED pad of claim 25 wherein the adhesive film comprises a polyester film.