Identification of surgical instrument attached to surgical robot

• US 8,054,184 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2008
• Issued: 11/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Loh, Alan Eton, Cline, Edward Arthur
• Primary Examiner(s): Blount; Eric M
• Application Number:
  US12/183,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20100026456A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,195 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.7, 340/10.1, 340/572.1, 600/101, 600/103, 600/104, 600/109, 600/112, 901/46, 901/9, 343/7, 367/96
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00059 provided with identification means for the endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00482 with a code
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/361 Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/90 Identification means for patients or instruments, e.g. tags
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/98 using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/041 Constructional details G06K19/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07779 the inductive antenna being a coil
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07781 the coil being fabricated in a winding process
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22

Abstract

A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag is embedded on a surgical instrument and a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader is provided on a surgical robot to allow identification of the attached surgical instrument. The RFID tag includes an RFID circuit assembly, a first pot core half, and a first toroidal wire coil that fits within the first pot core half and is electrically coupled to the RFID circuit assembly to modulate received radio frequency (RF) energy. The RFID reader includes an RFID transceiver circuit, a second pot core half, and a second toroidal wire coil that fits within the second pot core half and is electrically coupled to the transceiver circuit to transmit RF energy and receive modulated RF energy from the first wire coil only when the first pot core half is substantially aligned with and proximate to the second pot core half.

Claims

1. A radio frequency identification system comprising:

a radio frequency identification reader that includes

a radio frequency identification transceiver circuit,

a first pot core half having a base, the base having a center pole and an outer pole extending from a first side of the base,

a first toroidal wire coil that fits within the first pot core half around the center pole, the first wire coil terminated by two leads electrically coupled to the transceiver circuit to transmit and receive radio frequency energy,

a second pot core half having a base, the base having a center pole and an outer pole extending from a first side of the base, wherein a distance between the first pot core half and the second pot core half is less than two inches, and

a second toroidal wire coil that fits within the second pot core half around the center pole, the second wire coil terminated by two leads electrically coupled to the transceiver circuit to transmit and receive radio frequency energy; and

a radio frequency identification tag that includes

a radio frequency identification circuit assembly,

a third pot core half having base, the base having a center pole and an outer pole extending from a first side of the base, and

a third toroidal wire coil that fits within the third pot core half around the center pole, the third wire coil terminated by two leads electrically coupled to the radio frequency identification circuit assembly to modulate the radio frequency energy received from the first wire coil only when the third pot core half is substantially aligned with and proximate to the first pot core half and to modulate the radio frequency energy received from the second wire coil only when the third pot core half is substantially aligned with and proximate to the second pot core half.

2. The radio frequency identification system of claim 1, wherein the pot cores are constructed of a magnetic material with a high magnetic permeability.

3. The radio frequency identification system of claim 1, wherein the pot cores are constructed of ferrite.

4. The radio frequency identification system of claim 1, wherein the radio frequency identification circuit assembly transmits and receives radio frequency energy having a frequency of substantially 125 kHz.

5. A method of identifying a surgical instrument attached to a surgical robot, the method comprising:

embedding a radio frequency identification tag on the surgical instrument, the radio frequency identification tag including

a radio frequency identification circuit assembly,

a first pot core half having a base, the base having a center pole and an outer pole extending from a first side of the base to a surface of the surgical instrument, and

a first toroidal wire coil that fits within the first pot core half around the center pole, the first wire coil terminated by two leads electrically coupled to the radio frequency identification circuit assembly to modulate received radio frequency energy;

providing a radio frequency identification reader on the surgical robot, the radio frequency identification reader including

a radio frequency identification transceiver circuit,

a second pot core half having a base, the base having a center pole and an outer pole extending from a first side of the base to a surface of the surgical robot that is adjacent the radio frequency identification tag when the surgical instrument is attached to the surgical robot, and

a second toroidal wire coil that fits within the second pot core half around the center pole, the second wire coil terminated by two leads electrically coupled to the transceiver circuit to transmit radio frequency energy and receive modulated RF energy from the first wire coil only when the first pot core half is substantially aligned with and proximate to the second pot core half.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the radio frequency identification reader further includes:

a third pot core half having a base, the base having a center pole and an outer pole extending from a first side of the base to the surface of the surgical robot that is adjacent the radio frequency identification tag when the surgical instrument is attached to the surgical robot, and

a third toroidal wire coil that fits within the third pot core half around the center pole, the third wire coil terminated by two leads electrically coupled to the transceiver circuit to transmit radio frequency energy and receive modulated RF energy from the first wire coil only when the first pot core half is substantially aligned with and proximate to the third pot core; and

wherein the method further comprises identifying the orientation of the surgical instrument based on whether the second or third wire coil receives the modulated RF energy.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

embedding a second radio frequency identification tag on the surgical instrument, the second radio frequency identification tag including

a second radio frequency identification circuit assembly,

a third pot core half having a base, the base having a center pole and an outer pole extending from a first side of the base to a surface of the surgical instrument, and

a third toroidal wire coil that fits within the third pot core half around the center pole, the third wire coil terminated by two leads electrically coupled to the second radio frequency identification circuit assembly to modulate received radio frequency energy;

wherein the radio frequency identification circuit assembly coupled to the first wire coil provides a first identification code and the second radio frequency identification circuit assembly coupled to the third wire coil provides a second identification code.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising providing a sterile barrier between the surface of the surgical instrument and the surface of the surgical robot.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising transmitting and receiving radio frequency energy having a frequency of substantially 125 kHz with the radio frequency identification reader.

10. A radio frequency identification system comprising:

a radio frequency identification reader that includes

a radio frequency identification transceiver circuit,

a first pot core half having a base, the base having a center pole and an outer pole extending from a first side of the base, and

a first toroidal wire coil that fits within the first pot core half around the center pole, the first wire coil terminated by two leads electrically coupled to the transceiver circuit to transmit and receive radio frequency energy; and

radio frequency identification tags that include

a first radio frequency identification circuit assembly that provides a first identification code,

a second pot core half having base, the base having a center pole and an outer pole extending from a first side of the base,

a second toroidal wire coil that fits within the second pot core half around the center pole, the second wire coil terminated by two leads electrically coupled to the first radio frequency identification circuit assembly to modulate the radio frequency energy received from the first wire coil only when the second pot core half is substantially aligned with and proximate to the first pot core half,

a second radio frequency identification circuit assembly that provides a second identification code,

a third pot core half having a base, the base having a center pole and an outer pole extending from a first side of the base, wherein a distance between the second pot core half and the third pot core half is less than two inches, and

a third toroidal wire coil that fits within the third pot core half around the center pole, the third wire coil terminated by two leads electrically coupled to the second radio frequency identification circuit assembly to modulate the radio frequency energy received from the first wire coil only when the third pot core half is substantially aligned with and proximate to the first pot core.

11. The radio frequency identification system of claim 10, wherein the pot cores are constructed of a magnetic material with a high magnetic permeability.

12. The radio frequency identification system of claim 10, wherein the pot cores are constructed of ferrite.

13. The radio frequency identification system of claim 10, wherein the radio frequency identification circuit assembly transmits and receives radio frequency energy having a frequency of substantially 125 kHz.