Multi-Spot Laser Surgical Apparatus and Method

Abstract

An array of light beams is swept along a main scan direction and dithered in a sub-scan direction to generate a treatment pattern of spots. The array is elongated along the sub-scan direction and the dithering has a travel that is significantly less than the length of the array in the sub-scan direction.

1 . A light treatment apparatus for generating a pattern of spots over a treatment area of skin tissue, comprising: 
 an optical module that generates an array of light beams configured to beneficially coagulate skin tissue, wherein the array is elongated along a sub-scan direction that is transverse to a main scan direction;    a sub-scan module coupled to the optical module that dithers the array of light beams in the sub-scan direction; wherein, for a sweep of the array along the main scan direction, a travel of the array in the sub-scan direction is not more than the length of the array in the sub-scan direction;    a handpiece configured to manually scan the array of light beams along the main scan direction across the treatment area of skin tissue; and    a controller that adjusts a location and/or an exposure of the light beams to generate a pattern of treatment energy.    
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the optical module comprises: 
 a plurality of light sources; and    optics coupled to the light sources for generating the array of light beams from the plurality of light sources.    
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the optical module comprises: 
 an optical input port for receiving one or more input light beams from an external source; and    optics coupled to the optical input port for generating the array of light beams from the received input light beams.    
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the optical module generates all of the light beams simultaneously.  
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the optical module generates the light beams sequentially in time.  
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the sub-scan module comprises: 
 a light deflecting module configured to deflect one or more of the light beams.    
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the array of light beams is a rectangular array of light beams with N rows in the sub-scan direction, wherein N is a positive integer greater than  2 , and wherein the travel in the sub-scan direction is not more than a row-to-row spacing in the sub-scan direction.  
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the array of light beams is a 1×N array of light beams, wherein N is a positive integer greater than 1.  
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the array of light beams is directed through a contact window attached to the handpiece and the array of light beams has a length of about 1 cm in the sub-scan direction.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the travel of the array in the sub-scan direction is less than one half of the length of the array in the sub-scan direction.  
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the pattern of spots produces fractional phototherapy of the treatment area.  
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the pattern of spots is an irregular pattern of spots.  
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the controller is coupled to the sub-scan module for controlling the dithering of the array of light beams to generate the pattern of spots.  
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 a main scan sensor for sensing the sweeping of the array of light beams along the main scan direction, wherein the controller is coupled to the sub-scan module and the main scan sensor and controls dithering of the array in response to sweeping of the array.    
     
     
         15 . A method for generating a pattern of spots over a treatment area, comprising: 
 generating an array of light beams, wherein the array is elongated along a sub-scan direction;    directing a handpiece toward a region of dermal tissue; and    manually sweeping the handpiece across the region of skin tissue to scan the array of light beams along a main scan direction that is transverse to the sub-scan direction; and    for a sweep of the array along the main scan direction, automatically dithering the array in the sub-scan direction, wherein a travel of the array in the sub-scan direction is not more than a length of the array in the sub-scan direction and the sweeping along the main scan direction and the dithering in the sub-scan direction generate a pattern of treatment zones at the region of dermal tissue to cause a therapeutic change in the skin tissue.    
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the step of generating an array of light beams comprises: 
 generating all of the light beams simultaneously.    
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the step of generating an array of light beams comprises: 
 generating the light beams sequentially in time.    
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the array of light beams is a rectangular array of light beams with N rows in the sub-scan direction, wherein N is a positive integer greater than  1  and wherein the travel in the sub-scan direction is not more than a row-to-row spacing in the sub-scan direction.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15  further comprising: 
 adjusting an exposure of the light beams in the array.    
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the step of automatically dithering the array of light beams in the sub-scan direction comprises: 
 sensing sweeping of the array along the main scan direction; and    controlling dithering of the array in response to the sensed sweeping of the array along the main scan direction.    
     
     
         21 . A light treatment apparatus for generating a pattern of spots over a treatment area of skin tissue, comprising: 
 optical means for generating an array of light beams configured to beneficially coagulate skin tissue, wherein the array is elongated along a sub-scan direction that is transverse to a main scan direction;    sub-scan means coupled to the optical means that dithers the array of light beams in the sub-scan direction; wherein, for a sweep of the array along the main scan direction, a travel of the array in the sub-scan direction is not more than the length of the array in the sub-scan direction;    handpiece means configured to manually scan the array of light beams along the main scan direction across the treatment area of skin tissue; and    controller means that adjusts a location and/or an exposure of the light beams to generate a pattern of treatment energy.