energy delivery device for treating tissue

Abstract

An electrode assembly adapted to be coupled with a handpiece and powered to treat skin and underlying tissues. A sensor is coupled to the energy delivery device. The sensor may comprise, for example, a force sensor or a thermal sensor.

1 . An apparatus for use with a handpiece to non-invasively treat tissue beneath a skin: surface using radiofrequency energy, the apparatus comprising: 
 an energy delivery device adapted to be removably coupled to the handpiece, the energy delivery device including a dielectric portion and a conductive portion disposed on the dielectric portion, the conductive portion configured to deliver the radiofrequency energy to the tissue, and the dielectric portion adapted to be positioned between the conductive portion and the skin surface such that the radiofrequency energy is transmitted from the conductive portion through the dielectric portion for capacitively coupling with the tissue to perform the non-invasive tissue treatment; and    a sensor coupled to the energy delivery device.    
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the sensor is a thermal sensor, a thermocouple, an optical sensor, a current sensor, voltage sensor, an impedance sensor, or a flow sensor.  
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the sensor is a force sensor.  
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3  wherein the dielectric portion and the conductive portion comprise a flex circuit, and the force sensor is coupled to the flex circuit.  
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the sensor is a thermocouple, a thermistor, an infrared photo-emitter, or a thermally sensitive diode.  
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the energy delivery device further comprises a support structure, the energy delivery device is coupled to the support structure, and the sensor is carried by the support structure.  
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 a cooling media delivery member coupled to the energy delivery device, the cooling media delivery member configured to deliver a cooling media to the energy delivery device.    
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7  further comprising: 
 a non-volatile memory coupled to the energy delivery device, the non-volatile memory configured to store at least one of a duty cycle for controlling the fluid delivery member, a number of times the energy delivery device has been moved relative to the skin surface, or a number of areas treated by the energy delivery device.    
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8  wherein the non-volatile memory is mechanically coupled to the energy delivery device.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 a non-volatile memory coupled to the energy delivery device.    
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 10  wherein the non-volatile memory is configured to store at least one of: 
 a number of times the energy delivery device has been moved relative to the skin surface, or    a number of areas treated by the energy delivery device.    
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 10  wherein the non-volatile memory is mechanically coupled to the energy delivery device.  
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the energy delivery device is configured to reduce at least one of an edge effect, an electrode edge effect, an electrode temperature gradient an electrode current density gradient, or a tissue interface surface temperature gradient.