Data processing: measuring – calibrating – or testing – Measurement system in a specific environment – Electrical signal parameter measurement system
Utility Patent
1998-06-02
2001-01-02
Hoff, Marc S. (Department: 2857)
Data processing: measuring, calibrating, or testing
Measurement system in a specific environment
Electrical signal parameter measurement system
C702S115000, C324S319000, C600S409000, C600S425000
Utility Patent
active
06169963
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the field of bioelectromagnetic technology and particularly relates to a method and apparatus for testing magnetic field strength and tissue penetration of a magnetic field and for accurately describing the field strength in a multi-dimensional representation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The increasing interest toward alternative and complimentary medicine has attracted the attention of scientists and clinicians to the potential benefit of using magnetic field (MF) for therapeutic purposes. At present, magnetic and electromagnetic fields are widely accepted as real physical entities existing in the environment. Scientists and medical practitioners acknowledge that the use of magnetic field therapy for the treatment of various pathologies represents an effective and non-invasive method to directly treat various injuries, including pain and inflammation.
A rigorous scientific approach toward the clinical application of magnetic fields was suggested and developed in the last several decades, mainly in Europe and Asia. Both static and time varying magnetic fields were successfully applied to treat therapeutically resistant problems in the musculoskeletal system.
However, despite a long history of interest on the part of scientists and clinicians, very little is known about the mechanisms of action provided by magnetic therapy. Therefore the clinical application of magnetic fields is very limited and unpredictable. The ability to duplicate or determine magnetic field strength is currently more of an art than a science.
After World War II, Japan, later Romania and the former Soviet Union, developed various aspects of magnetic therapy. In Japan therapeutic devices using magnets are registered under the Drug Regulation Act of 1961 as #81 and by 1976 such devices were in common use in Japan, mainly due to the efforts of Kyochi Nakawa. Therapeutic devices using magnets have also had a long history in Europe. Between 1960-1985 most European countries had produced therapeutic devices using magnets. The first clinical application of magnetic therapeutic devices in the USA, utilizing electromagnetic stimulation, occurred in 1974. The first book on dealing with the use of therapeutic magnetic devices, written by N. Todorov, was published in Bulgaria in 1982 covering the use of magnets for treatment of more than 2700 patients with 33 different pathologies. In recent years numerous studies have demonstrated that permanent magnetic fields can have a profound effect on a number of biological processes. Most recently it has been recognized that magnetic field energy can modify many physiological processes ranging from cellular and membrane functioning to alterations in the mechanical properties of important tissues and organs. The use of both permanent magnets and electromagnetic fields for the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries and pathologies have opened new avenues in both human and veterinary medicine.
Presently, there is no coordinated effort on the part of the scientific community to create dosimetry and methodology for the quantification of this type of stimulation. Saying that a patient was “magnetically stimulated” is thus as nonspecific as saying a patient was given a drug. It should be made clear that magnetic field stimulation requires as precise a control of dosage as any other therapy. This dosage is even more complicated since it needs to take into account a number of physical parameters which characterize any magnetic field generating system.
In general, electromagnetic (EMF) therapeutic modalities can be categorized in five groups:
permanent magnetic fields;
low frequency sine waves;
pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF);
pulsed radiofrequency fields (PRF); and
transcranial magnetic stimulation.
Permanent magnets provide a practical non-invasive method for stimulation of cells and tissues. This stimulation results in an acceleration of the healing process which is believed to result from enhanced tissue repair and regeneration.
Magnetic and electromagnetic fields can be used for the treatment of various musculoskeletal injuries and pathologies which occur due to injury, over-use of a particular body part, or the effects of illness or infection. The most effective applications of permanent magnets are related to bone unification, wound healing and the reduction of pain and inflammation.
As the ability of magnetic fields to modulate biological responses has become more widely accepted, the need for an accurate and effective device to quantify the various magnetic field parameters as they interact with the targeted tissue is critical. If a serious scientific approach is to be taken in developing this methodology, it is not enough to merely cite anecdotal evidence of utility. It is imperative that researchers be provided with a tool which enables them to develop universally accepted data regarding dosimetry and methodology whereby an organized progression and development of the science is made possible.
Most of the permanent magnets available in the market purport to have an unrealistically high magnetic field characteristics. Several companies use the term gauss rating to characterize the strength of their products. This term is misleading, since gauss rating may be used to characterize the magnet itself, but not the external magnetic field. In actuality, the magnetic field strength exerted at close proximity to the surface of the magnet is 4-10 times smaller than the gauss rating of the magnet.
The most biologically and clinically relevant characteristic of the magnetic field is the field strength at the target site. This means that the ability to quantify the complete three-dimensional dosimetry of the magnetic field is extremely important in order to analyze and further predict the biological effects at a given target, having a defined biological and/or clinical status.
It must be emphasized that the expected therapeutic results strongly depend on the magnetic field strength at the target tissue. Therefore, a mere knowledge of the gauss rating and even the field strength at the surface of the magnet is insufficient if one is to predict expected therapeutic effects at the target site.
Thus, what is lacking in the art is a method and apparatus which is capable of determining magnetic field strength in real time and at the tissue location for which treatment is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is directed toward a process and apparatus for analyzing a source of magnetic field strength so as to accurately define the effective geometry of the generated magnetic field and quantify the strength of the field which is generated at the tissue site. In order to establish a reliable physical method for the evaluation of a three-dimensional structure of the magnetic field, a robotically controlled gauss metering system has been designed. The system utilizes a gauss meter for measuring the magnetic field strength or flux density. The gauss meter is coupled to a robotic arm which is capable of movement along the X,Y and Z axis. The robotically controlled gauss meter is moved through a pre-programmed series of stepwise movements. Data regarding the flux density is collected at each point, and the data is fed to a program which creates a multi-dimensional image, e.g. a two or three dimensional mapping, that approximates the shape and strength of the detected magnetic field.
Thus it is an objective of the present invention to provide an apparatus for detecting and evaluating the magnetic field strength of a given source of magnetic flux in multiple dimensions.
It is a further objective of the instant invention to provide a graphical representation of the detected flux density at varying distances and positions relative to the source of magnetic energy.
It is yet another objective of the instant invention to teach a method of quantifying the magnetic field strength at a given location within affected tissue so as to provide for quantification of the therapeutic magnetic effect being applied thereto.
Other objectives and advantag
Bui Bryan
Hoff Marc S.
Magnetherapy, Inc.
McHale & Slavin
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