Mechanisms for compensating for drivetrain failure in powered surgical instruments
First Claim
1. An apparatus for affecting tissue, comprising:
- an end effector configured to interact with a tissue; and
a surgical instrument, comprising;
different drivetrains configured to drive a plurality of gear components in order to perform operations of the surgical instrument; and
vibration sensors positioned relative to the different drivetrains of the surgical instrument to sense and record vibration information from the different drivetrains of the surgical instrument, wherein the vibration sensors are configured to generate output signals based on the vibration information, and wherein the output signals are processed to generate signature waveforms used to determine an identity of a malfunctioning drivetrain among the different drivetrains.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for affecting tissue includes an end effector configured to interact with a tissue. The apparatus further includes a surgical instrument that includes one or more drivetrains configured to drive a plurality of gear components in order to perform operations of the surgical instrument, and one or more vibration sensors positioned relative to the one or more drivetrains of the surgical instrument to sense and record vibration information from the one or more drivetrains of the surgical instrument, wherein the one or more vibration sensors are configured to generate an output signal based on the vibration information for comparison to predetermined threshold values to determine a status of the surgical instrument.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus for affecting tissue, comprising:
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an end effector configured to interact with a tissue; and a surgical instrument, comprising; different drivetrains configured to drive a plurality of gear components in order to perform operations of the surgical instrument; and vibration sensors positioned relative to the different drivetrains of the surgical instrument to sense and record vibration information from the different drivetrains of the surgical instrument, wherein the vibration sensors are configured to generate output signals based on the vibration information, and wherein the output signals are processed to generate signature waveforms used to determine an identity of a malfunctioning drivetrain among the different drivetrains. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for assessing performance of a surgical instrument including different drivetrains, the method comprising:
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sensing via vibration sensors, vibrations generated during operation of the different drivetrains of the surgical instrument; generating output signals based on the sensed vibrations; filtering the output signals to generate filtered signals of the vibrations from the different drivetrains; processing the filtered signals to generate processed signals of the vibrations from the different drivetrains, wherein the processed signals are processed to generate signature waveforms used to determine an identity of a malfunctioning drivetrain among the different drivetrains; comparing predetermined threshold values to corresponding values of the processed signals; and detecting the malfunctioning drive train based on the predetermined threshold values being equal to or less than the corresponding values of the processed signals. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A surgical stapler, comprising:
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a staple cartridge comprising a plurality of staples deployable into tissue; at least one drive mechanism operable to deploy the plurality of staples into the tissue during a firing sequence of the surgical stapler, wherein the at least one drive mechanism comprises different drivetrains; and vibration sensors configured to record vibrations generated by the at least one drive mechanism, wherein the vibration sensors are configured to generate output signals based on the vibrations, and wherein the output signals are processed to generate signature waveforms used to determine an identity of a malfunctioning drivetrain among the different drivetrains. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification