Optical fluid sensor
First Claim
1. A surgical fluid management system adapted to control the volume of a fluid delivered to a body cavity by a pump, comprising:
- a fluid dampener with an internal hollow;
a light transmissive inlet conduit in fluid communication with said internal hollow and the pump, said fluid dampener smoothing output variations of the pump;
a fluid sensor for determining the presence of fluid in said conduit, said fluid sensor including a light emitter positioned proximate to said conduit and said dampener;
a light detector, positioned proximate to said conduit and said dampener, said light detector juxtaposed relative to said light emitter to receive light emitted by said light emitter, the light received by said light detector being dependent upon the presence of fluid in said conduit, the light received by said light detector being converted by said light detector into an electrical signal representative of the presence or absence of fluid in said conduit, said electrical signal being transmitted to the fluid management system to enable the fluid management system to regulate the volume of fluid delivered to said dampener and the body cavity.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A fluid sensor for determining the presence of fluid in a light-transmissive conduit includes a light emitter and a light detector positioned proximate to the conduit. The light detector is juxtaposed relative to the light emitter to receive light emitted by the light emitter. The light received by the light detector is dependent upon the presence of fluid in the conduit. The light received by the light detector varies due to the different optical properties between a conduit that is empty and one that has fluid in it. The light detector may be a phototransistor whose output is amplified to increase the signal attributable to the presence or absence of fluid in the conduit. The light emitter may be an
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A surgical fluid management system adapted to control the volume of a fluid delivered to a body cavity by a pump, comprising:
a fluid dampener with an internal hollow;
a light transmissive inlet conduit in fluid communication with said internal hollow and the pump, said fluid dampener smoothing output variations of the pump;
a fluid sensor for determining the presence of fluid in said conduit, said fluid sensor including a light emitter positioned proximate to said conduit and said dampener;
a light detector, positioned proximate to said conduit and said dampener, said light detector juxtaposed relative to said light emitter to receive light emitted by said light emitter, the light received by said light detector being dependent upon the presence of fluid in said conduit, the light received by said light detector being converted by said light detector into an electrical signal representative of the presence or absence of fluid in said conduit, said electrical signal being transmitted to the fluid management system to enable the fluid management system to regulate the volume of fluid delivered to said dampener and the body cavity.- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
Specification