Radial keratotomy knife and system using same
First Claim
1. A knife system comprising:
- a body;
a member in said body;
a footplate secured to said body, said footplate defining a reference location;
a blade having a tip, said blade being axially movable and movably secured to said body so that said tip can be extended or withdrawn relative to said reference location;
means for causing said blade to be so extended or withdrawn;
transducer means for sensing the position of said member whose position is related to the position of said tip relative to said reference location and for providing an output signal indicative thereof;
circuit means connected to said transducer means for providing said electrical signal to electronic means for displaying a value representative of the extension of said tip relative to said reference location; and
a member including means structurally adapted to receive said blade therein and reflecting means for providing a reflective surface indicative of said reference location, said member further including sensing means for sensing contact between said reference location and said reflecting means to provide a basis for determining when said tip is at said reference location.
12 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A radial keratotomy knife which includes an accurate linear position transducer for digitally displaying the extension of a surgical blade beyond a footplate on the knife. A system is also disclosed for zeroing the blade position relative to the footplate. The system includes a zeroing sleeve having a reflective membrane to reflect light to a detector. The knife is inserted into the sleeve so that the footplate is in contact with the membrane within the system contained within a console. When the blade is advanced to contact the reflective membrane from within the sleeve, the reflected light pattern is altered to establish accurately a zero position of the knife blade relative to the footplate. The knife is then withdrawn from the sleeve and the blade advanced by a micrometer so that the transducer produces a signal relative to the reference level indicating the extension of the blade.
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Citations
44 Claims
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1. A knife system comprising:
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a body; a member in said body; a footplate secured to said body, said footplate defining a reference location; a blade having a tip, said blade being axially movable and movably secured to said body so that said tip can be extended or withdrawn relative to said reference location; means for causing said blade to be so extended or withdrawn; transducer means for sensing the position of said member whose position is related to the position of said tip relative to said reference location and for providing an output signal indicative thereof; circuit means connected to said transducer means for providing said electrical signal to electronic means for displaying a value representative of the extension of said tip relative to said reference location; and a member including means structurally adapted to receive said blade therein and reflecting means for providing a reflective surface indicative of said reference location, said member further including sensing means for sensing contact between said reference location and said reflecting means to provide a basis for determining when said tip is at said reference location. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A sleeve for use in optical and electrical circuits for determining a reference position of a tip of a knife having a knife blade in a surgical instrument relative to a reference location defined by a footplate of the knife, said sleeve comprising:
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a body defining a hollow bore therein for receiving the knife therein; and a reflective, flexible member located at one end of said body at a position in contact with the footplate of the knife when located in said bore to establish a first optical condition capable of being sensed by optical and electrical circuits, said flexible member establishing a second optical condition capable of being sensed by the optical and electrical circuits when the tip of the knife is extended beyond the footplate and contacts said flexible member. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A surgical knife of the type comprising a body structurally adapted to be held in the hand of its user, a footplate, a blade having a tip, and micrometer means for manually advancing or withdrawing said tip relative to said footplate, the improvement comprising:
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sensing means for electromagnetically sensing the position of a member accurately representative of the position of said tip relative to said footplate, and providing an electrical output signal indicative thereof; determining means, including an optical sensor, for determining a reference position for said tip at said footplate and providing a reference signal indicative thereof; an electrical circuit means for receiving said electrical output signal and said reference signal and providing a signal representative thereof; and display means for receiving said position signal and for displaying a representation of the position of said tip relative to said footplate. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. An optical circuit for sensing a datum position for a tip of a blade of a surgical knife relative to a reference location defined by a footplate, comprising:
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a source of light, a flexible reflective member contactable with the footplate, said reflective member including establishing means for establishing a first optical condition when the tip is withdrawn from the footplate and a second optical condition when the tip is aligned with the footplate, said reflective member being adapted to receive and reflect light from said source of light, a detector means for sensing said first optical condition upon reflection of light from said reflective member when the tip is withdrawn from the footplate, and said reflective member comprising means for establishing said second optical condition upon reflection of light from said reflective member upon contact between the tip and said reflective member, said second optical condition establishing a datum or zero position. - View Dependent Claims (33)
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34. A method of determining a dataum position for a tip of a blade of a surgical knife relative to a reference location defined by a footplate comprising the steps of:
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placing a reflective member in contact with said footplate while said tip is withdrawn from said reference location; reflecting a beam of light from said reflective member to a detector to determine a first optical condition; advancing said tip until it contacts said reflective member to establish a second optical condition upon reflection of said beam of light from the reflective member to said detector; detecting said first and second conditions to establish that said second optical condition indicates when said tip is at said datum position; and distinguishing said first and second optical conditions with circuit means to provide a signal indicative thereof. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. A surgical knife comprising:
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a body having a tip; a member in said body; a footplate secured to said body, and defining a reference location; a blade axially movable and movably secured to said body so that said tip can be extended or withdrawn relative to said reference location; means for manually causing said blade to be so extended or withdrawn; transducer means including a core member for sensing the position of said member in said body in contact with said core member, wherein the position of said core member is related to the position of said tip relative to said reference location and providing an output signal indicative thereof; and circuit means connected to said transducer means for providing said output signal to electronic means for displaying a value representative of the extension of said tip relative to said reference location. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44)
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Specification