CA1103759A

CA1103759A - Radiation apparatus

Info

Publication number: CA1103759A
Application number: CA273,004A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Maxim. F. Mutzhas
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1976-03-05
Filing date: 1977-03-02
Publication date: 1981-06-23
Also published as: FR2342745A1; IT1080402B; DK147963B; FI770666A; US4298005A; SE422276C; FI60815C; AT368891B; DE2609273A1; BE852176A; DK147963C; GB1567979A; SE7702257L; DK95977A; DE2714724A1; DE2609273C2; SE422276B; FR2342745B1; CH614125A5; NL7702254A

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

A radiation apparatus for cosmetic, photobiological and/or photo-chemical purposes containing at least one ultraviolet ray source and devices for operation for the production of the ignition voltage and operating current and a filter device for emitting rays in the region of 320 nm to 450 nm and for cutting out short wave rays below 320 nm and long wave rays above 800 nm and preferably above 450 nm.

Description

~37S9 This invention relates to a radiation apparatus for cosmetic, photoblological and/or photochemical purposes containing at least one ultra-violet ray source and devices for producing the ignition voltage and the op-erating current necessary for the operation together with preferably a filter apparatus.
The radiation apparatus is to serve for the treatment of different diseases (for example, psoriasis, hyperbiliru~inamie). Fur-thermore it is to be used for cosmetic purposes for direct tanning.
Also it is used in the field of photochemistry, for example, for the drying of varnishes, for the hardening of plastic and for polymerization.
At present it is known to use in the field of photobiology for me-dicinal as well as for cosmetic purposes, radiation apparatus with electric ultraviolet ray sources in order -to treat different diseases (for example psoriasis hyperbilirubinamie) by ul-traviolet radiations which for the most part are supported by medicines. Eowever, there occurs above all with psoriasis treatment with ultraviolet fluorescent lamps in which radiation strengths of about 60 W/m are used (with 365 nm) a disadvantage acting very unpleasantly psychologically for the patient as he is practically shut up in a box. For cosmetic purposes especially in order to achieve the effect of secondary pigmentation (tanning after previous erythema) radiation is used with ultraviolet rays, the wave length of which is shorter than 320 nm.
Furthermore it is known that in solaria ligh-t sources of the afore-mentioned type are used.
For photochemical purposes for the drying of varnishes, for the hardening of plastics and for polymerization as a rule mercury vapour high pressure lamps are used which emit in the region of about 250 nm up to, for the piston radiation~ several 1000 nm.
Instead of mercury, high or low pressure lamps, the latter for the . ~. . .... . . .

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most part with fluorescence and xenon high pressure lamps for such fields are used. The present known radiation devices emit -to a not inconsiderable extent conjunctivitis and erythema active rays which with a wrong dosage can bring about considerable damage to health. This applies above all to ultraviolet ray sources which operate in the high pressure range. Radiation devices for photobiological purposes equipped with low pressure mercury vapour lamps (fluorescent lamps) are extremely expensive so that they can be used only in clinics and large practices and not however for home treatment.
The invention lS based on the problem of providing a radiation ap-paratus for photobiological and photochemical purposes which supplies in the region of 320-450 nm high radiation strengths and completely suppresses the ~;
radiation area which is of shorter wave than 320 nm. In order to avoid dam-age to health by con~unctivitis (inflammation of the conjunctiva) and eryth-ema ~sunburn). Furthermore the radiation range which is of longer wave than ~50 nm is to be substantially suppressed in order to avoid undesired effects on the radiation ob~ects due to high energy loading. To be avoided are in particular daz~ling and damage to the skin by too high radia-tion loads, the latter above all in the infra-red range.
This problem is solved according to the invention in that the short wave rays from 320 nm are completely suppressed. Vischarge lamps which are used usually as ultraviolet ray sources emit the greatest part of their energy in the infra-red range therefore the infra-red rays from about 800 nm are sup-pressed as far as possible. In order to reduce the radiation flow outside the effective range wbich is between 320 and about 450 nm it is convenient to filter out substantially the longer wave rays above L~50 nm.
Cheap and easy to operate ultraviolet ray sources are mercury va-pour low pressure lamps (ultraviolet fluorescent lamps) the fluorescence of which suitably consists of lead active barium silicates as -these have a particularly high por-tion of radiation between 320 nm and 1l6o nm.
An ultraviolet ray source of especially high intensity in the region of 320-450 nm is the mercury vapour high pressure lamps above all if is pro-vided with iro~ i~odide and gallium iodide.
In order to save the devices connected in series otherwise neces-sary for the operation of the mercury vapour high pressure lamps, the lamp may be constructed as a mixed light lamp whereby the current limitation is ~effected by the incandescent lamp winding.
An ultraviolet ray source which operates as a xenon high or maximum pressure lamp can be intensified in the région of 320-450 nm if it is provid-ed with metal iodide preferably iron iodide and gallium iodide.
The short wave rays under 320 nm are suppressed by an ultraviolet edge filter. A very simple ultraviolet edge filter can be produced from plate glass usual in the trade.
If no temperatures too high occur polyester can also be used as ul-travlolet filters either in plates or foils. If polyester foil is applied directly on the lamp pistons of the fluorescent lamp there is the danger that from the 1amp no rays under 320 nm emerge.
;~ The radiation load in the visible range above 450 nm can be achieved by the use of colour filters ~preferably blue violet filters).
This filter may consist of glass, quartz or plastics in which fine-ly divided heavy metal oxides, for example, cobalt, nickel, iron oxide are dissolved or deposited on the surface.
A colour filter may be made from the viole-t glass which may be pushed over the burner of the high pressure lamp and at the same time serves as a protective tube for the sensitive burner tube of quartz. If cobalt ox-ide is added to the quartz fused mass the burner tube may serve at the same time as blue violet filters whereby with sui-table dimensioning of the added :

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amount, an ultraviolet filter action in the region below 320 nm can be achieved.
In the radiation procedure between the ultraviolet ray source and the radiation ob~ect an infra-red filter is inserted which may act either as an absorption or reflection filter.
The simplest solution of this type is to use a heat absorption glass, usual in the trade, as an infra red filter. Instead of the maximum ~necessary three filter types a single filter may also fulfill the three func-tlons if, for example, the corresponding additional materials for the colour filtering and/or infra-red filtering are added to the plate glass fusion in ' suitable quantities. The same applies if instead of the pla-te glass fusion a quartz fusion is used or the ,ilter ma-terials are finely divided in plastics or deposited on the surface.
The housing in which the ultraviolet ray source is located is pro-duced either from glass eloxered aluminium or it contains reflectors from this material in order to increase the radiation output.
For the cooling of the housing there are ventilation openings which are provided with shield pIates so that no unfiltered rays~can emerge from the housing. The arrangement of these inlet and outlet openings is suitably so effected that the ray source, the housing and the filters are sufficiently cooled.
For increasing the cooling effect a ventilator is provided in order to carry out the cooling more effectively.
The cooling of ultraviolet ray sources and/or housing is suitably ::: :
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~housing and lamp. The housing must not be too hot because of -the added de-vlces ~and the danger of burns which could affect persons who operate the ra-diation apparatus.

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Thus also the cooling may also be effected by means of a ven-tilator and/or a blower and be regulated or adjusted preferably by electrical means.
Advantageously the cooling is so dirnensional -that the ul-traviolet ray source is not cooled during the burning. From this an optimum operating temperature on the burner results; if the space between the burner and the protective tube upon starting of a lamp is comple-tely cooled the optimum op-erating temperature of the burner is not obtained.
The cooling is suitably regulated via an electronic delay switch which monitors preferably also the temperature of the ultraviolet ray source and/or housing.
In order to obtain as high an ultraviolet ray output as possible the temperature on the wall of the burner must not fall short of a certain minimum value. On the other hand above all at the place where the current leads to the electrode are errlbedded must not exceed a certain h:ighest temper-ature if i-t is wished to avoid the lamp being destroyed prema-turely.
The exhaust air of -the cooling may also be led into the open air.
If especially with radiation devices of extremely high outputs which contain partly several ultraviolet ray sources and the exhaust air from -the cooling remains in the room then this heats up -too much.
At least one additional ultraviolet ray source which emits erythema effective rays is applied which is operated in continuous or impulse switch- ' ing.
Advantageously the ignition device is switched off after the igni-tion of the ultraviolet ray source.
The ignition at which as a rule higher voltages than the usual mains voltages are necessary, is effected either by resonance switchings, by transformers or via high frequency ignition devices which consist of spark sections and winding parts. After the ignition with the latter the full lamp - 5 ~

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current flows through the winding part therefore the winding must be dimen-sioned correspondingly thick. If the ignition device is switched off on -the other hand after the ignition of the ultraviolet ray source then considerable saving in cost, weight and space can be achieved.
Advantageously the taking up of current of the radiation device is so dimensioned that for the supplying of current plugs of normal domestic current circuits suffice. Thus the radiation apparatus can also be used as a home radiation apparatus.
In order also to be able to carry out home radiations it is neces-sary to dimension the electrical e~uipment of the radiation apparatus so thatthe apparatus will operate on the electrical data with regard to the mains voltage and current. This means that the lamp burning voltage must amount to a maximum 2/3rds of the mains vol-tage and that the throttle connec-ted in se ries with the lamp is compensated and limited to the highest permissible fuse in order not to exceed the maximum mains current. On the other hand the high-est possible output of the ultraviolet ray source (lamp) is necessary in order to achieve -the best possible effect in the shortest time.
The space between the burner and protective tube may however also be cooled by air flowing through which preferably emerges from the previously described ventilator. This air cooling if necessary may be supported or superceded by a suitably arranged water cooling. Thus care must be taken that the liquid cooling is not effected directly on the burner as this, for example, must with the mercury vapour high pressure lamp, have temperature ranges of 700-900C.
Special advantages of the radia-tion apparatus according to the in-vention are:
Avoiding of conjunc-tivitis and erythema by the filtering out of the rays below 320 nm which in addition are to be seen in the appropriate liter-.
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ature also as the rays which have cancerogenous affect.
By the filterlng out of the infra-red radia-tion the heat loading of the raaiation object is considerably reduced so that even with very intensive radiation, for example, no heat erythema is brought abou-t. With a pigmenting effec-tive radiation strength of about 150 W/m2 -there would result a total ra-diation loading of about 2,~QO W/m2 if the infra-red portions and the portions of the visible light are not filtered out. If these are filtered out this value is reduced by about 80%.
Due to the blue violet filter the luminous density of the light source is reduced so considerably that normally this can no longer bring about any permanent dazzle phenomena. ;
The use of gallium ~odide and iron iodide increases the radiation output of the high pressure discharge in the range of 320-ll50 nm by a consid-erable amount. If the mercury vapour high pressure lamp is constructed as a mixed light lamp the added device is dispensable and the lamp can be operated directly on the mains.
Ultraviolet edge filters made from plate glass known in the trade are extraordinarily cheap. The same applies to filters from polyesters. If the colour filter is used as a blue violet glass tube then this results in a considerable reduction in cost compared with blue violet filter discs.
One of the most essential advantages however may consist in that hitherto radiation strengths between 320 nm and 450 nm obtainable cheaply in labour can now also be achievably cheaply in practice. This applies to photobiology as well as also to photochemis-try.
In summary, according to the present invention, there is provided a radiation apparatus for photobiological and/or photochemical purposes, com-prising a housing constructed as a -reflector out of anode brightened alumin-ium and containing at least one ultraviolet ray source in the form of a ' ~._S?

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mercury vapour high pressure lamp provided with iron iodide additions, at least one filter for suppressing erythema producing radiation with a wave ;
length below 320 nm, and an infra-red filter that suppresses raaia-tion ~ith a wave length above 800 nm, the apparatus also comprising cooling means for cooling one of the housing and the ultraviolet ray source.
The invention will now be described with re~erence to the accom-panying drawings in which:
Figure 1 shows three photobiological effective curves S-f (2);
Figùre 2 shows the spectral course of the transmission rate of a fil-ter device ~ = f (2);

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~ Figure 3 shows the spectral radiation flow of a mercury vapour high ; pressure lamp with filter device~ = f (2);
~Figure 4 shows the spectral radiation flow of an ultraviolet fluo- ;
rescent lamp with polyester filter 0 = f (2); and Figure 5 shows one embodiment of a radiation apparatus.
In Figure 1 the con~unctivitis sensitivity 1, the erythema sensi-tivity 2 and the spectral effect curve of the direct pigmentation 3 is shown in relative scale.
The maximum for the sensitivity of the photo conjunctivitis is about ~ :
260 nm whereby the dose threshold value referred to this wave length amounts to about 50 Ws/m .
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The maximum of the erythema sensitivity is about 297 nm so that the dose tbreshold value with this wave length amounts to about 100000 Ws/m .
In Figure 2 the spectral course of the transmission grade 4 of a filter device is shown which consists of an ultraviolet edge filter ~plate : :
glass 5 nm), an infra-red absorption filter (heat absorption glass 4 nm) and a colour~filter (blue violet glass 1 nm). In the range (not shown) from about 600 nm to the far infra-red the transmission grade amounts to about 6~.

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In Figure 3 is shown the spectral ray Mow distribution of a 2000 W
mercury vapour high pressure lamp with the filter device men-tioned in Figure

2 as a discontinuous curve 5 in relative scale. The measurements took place respectively with a band width of 10 nm.
In Figure 4 the spectral radiation flow distribu-tion of a llo W
fluorescent lamp with load activa-ted barium disilicate which is surrounded with a covering of 0.175 nm thick polyester foil is shown as a curve 6 in relative scale.
In Figure 5 is shown one embodiment of a radiation apparatus with an ultraviolet ray source 7 which is surrounded with a protective tube 8 T~hlch is constructed as a filter glass tube. The space between the burner and protective tube indicated by 9 may be evacuated possibly for thermal reasons.
The inside of the housing 10 serves as a reflector. The heat ab-sorption disc frame 11 and the residue ultraviolet absorber 12 are held by the frame 11. The ventilator motor 14 with its ventilator vanes 15 draw the ;
air through the inlet member 16 and forces it past the lamp and through the intermediate space so that the exhaust air can escape through the openings 17a and 17b. The shield plates 18a and 18b prevent the escape outwards of the unfiltered rays. The stirrup 19 fixed preferably on both sides permi-t the lamp housing 10 to pivot over a predetermined range. The stirrups are fixed on the added apparatus housing 20, the bottom plate 21 of which carries an ignition device 22 and the throttle 23.
If a 2000 W mercury vapour lamp with metal iodide addi-tions is used as a ray source then it presents a filter glass tube with about 40 mm diameter ; ~and 1 mm wall thickness to use as a colour fil-ter in order to reduce the light density of the lamp by a considerable amount. It is for reasons of cost not recommended to use ultraviolet or blue glass discs as the prices for these are so extremely high that these would stand in the way of a practical - 9 _ :; ~ . ~; ., . ~, : , . , . .; -: ".. ... . . .

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evaluation.
As a heat protection filter it is proposed to use a heat absorption glass usual in the trade which in the region of 800 nm as far as long wave infra-red has a transmission degree of only 6%. Possible residues of ultra- ~
~iolet radiations, ~hich are shorter waved than 320 nm can be removed by i ultraviolet edge filters which however similar to the blue violet glasses are relatively expensive. The economically most effective solution is thus the use of normal plate glass which likewise acts in this area as an edge filter.
If such a radiation apparatus is used then there results effective pigmentation radiation strengths~which are of the order of magnitude of over 150 W/m (comparison value for unf~iltered sun radiation with 90 sun altitude of about 50 W/m2). From this it follows that after a radiation time of about ten mlnutes already the threshold value for direct tanning is achieved (com-parison value for the unfiltered sun radiation at 90 sun altitude of about thirty minutes). The whole radiation strength when the radiation apparatus is provided with a suitably dimensioned ventilator then amounts to about ~`
500 W/m (comparison value for the unfiltered sun radiation at 90 sun alti-tude: about llOO W/m j.
he erythema threshold would be achieved purely mathematically ~after about seven hours a value which practically cannot be checked (compar-ison value for the unfiltered sun radiation of methoxy psorales preferably 0.75 to 1.5% 8-mop solution or this corresponding inner application of this medicine~), the threshold time for the dlrection tanning by sensitising of the skin can be reduced considerably. A similar sensitising may be effected also .: ~
by erythema effective ultraviolet radiation, for example, by short time re-moval of the plate glass 12, this radiation being under the erythema thresh-old or additional ultraviolet ray sources which are operated in continuous or impulse operation.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A radiation apparatus for photobiological and/or photochemical purposes, comprising a housing constructed as a reflector out of anode brightened aluminium and containing at least one ultraviolet ray source in the form of a mercury vapour high pressure lamp provided with iron iodide additions, at least one filter for suppressing erythema producing radiation with a wave length below 320 nm, and an infra-red filter that suppresses ra-diation with a wave length above 800 nm, the apparatus also comprising cool-ing means for cooling one of the housing and the ultraviolet ray source.

2. A radiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cooling means is a ventilator that is connected to a rear area portion of the reflec-tor housing.

3. A radiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reflector housing is provided with ventilation openings.

4. A radiation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the ventila-tion openings are provided in the forward area of the reflector housing.

5. A radiation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein shield plates are provided in the area of the ventilation openings to prevent the emergence of unfiltered rays.

6. A radiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a colour fil-ter, that suppresses radiation with a wave length over 450 nm, is provided.

7. A radiation apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the colour filter consists of glass, plastics or quartz in which finely divided heavy metal oxides are dissolved or deposited on the surface.

8. A radiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the filter that suppresses radiation with a wave length below 320 nm consists of plate glass (float glass).

9. A radiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the filter that suppresses radiation with a wave length below 320 nm consists of poly-ester material in plate or foil form.

10. A radiation apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the mercury vapour high pressure lamp comprises an ultraviolet tube surrounded by a colour filter tube.

11. A radiation apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the ultra-violet tube of the mercury vapour high pressure lamp is constructed as a col-our filter tube consisting of quartz in which cobalt oxide in fine distribu-tion is dissolved.

12. A radiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the infra-red filter is composed of a heat absorption glass.

13. A radiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the filter that suppresses radiation with a wave length below 320 nm and the infra-red filter axe formed as a unitary filter.

14. A radiation apparatus according to claim 10, wherein an evacuated space is provided between the ultraviolet tube and the colour filter tube.

15. A radiation apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a space be-tween the ultraviolet tube and the colour filter tube is provided with a con-nection for a cooling fluid.

16. A radiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mercury vapour high pressure lamp is doped within addition to the iron iodide,gal-lium iodide.

17. A radiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mercury vapour high pressure lamp is constructed as a mixed light lamp.

18. A radiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mercury vapour high pressure lamp has an output resulting in an effective pigmenta-tion radiation strength more than three times that of unfiltered sun radia-tion (at 90° sun altitude).