Film illumination system

• US 8,596,847 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2012
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Invuity, Inc. (Stryker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Invuity, Inc. (Stryker Corporation)
• Inventors: Vayser, Alex, Trauner, Kenneth B., Grey, Thomas L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Bao Q
• Application Number:
  US13/366,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20120136216A1
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: 362/572, 362/573, 362/574, 362/556, 362/558, 362/804, 600/212, 600/517, 600/574
• US Class Current: 362/572
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0623 for off-axis illumination
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/07 using light-conductive means, e.g. optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/24 for the mouth, i.e. stomatoscopes, e.g. with tongue depressors tongue depressors per se A61B13/00; Instruments for opening or keeping open the mouth combined with saliva removers A61C17/00; mouth openers for animals A61D15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/32 Devices for opening or enlarging the visual field, e.g. of a tube of the body dilators A61M29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/02 for holding wounds open; Tractors specula A61B1/32 ; drainage appliances for wounds A61M27/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/306 using optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/30 Devices for illuminating a surgical field, the devices having an interrelation with other surgical devices or with a surgical procedure
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 1/088 Illuminating devices or attachments for examination of the mouth A61B1/24 and A61B1/06

Abstract

An illuminator film system may include one or more pre-cut sections of optical film applied to a waveguide to allow light to exit the waveguide through the film in a predetermined manner. The one or more pre-cut sections may be removed and reapplied during a procedure to redirect the light. A laminated illuminator film may be provided that uses a laminated optical film structure to direct light from a fiber optic input. Such a laminated illuminator film may be very low profile, low cost and easy to apply to a retractor for providing illumination during a surgical procedure.

Claims

1. A medical illuminator for illuminating a surgical field, said medical illuminator comprising:

an optical waveguide conveying light therethrough by total internal reflection

a light conduit conveying light from a light source to the waveguide; and

one or more optical film pieces removably secured to the waveguide for extracting light from the waveguide through the optical film pieces and directing the extracted light to the surgical field, wherein the one or more optical film pieces each have an area smaller than the surface area of the optical waveguide.

2. The medical illuminator of claim 1, wherein the one or more optical film pieces further comprise:

a light directing portion and a tab portion, wherein the orientation of the tab portion relative to the light directing portion indicates the direction of extracted light from the light directing portion.

3. The medical illuminator of claim 2, wherein the tab portion is color coded to indicate the degree of focus or directionality of the extracted light.

4. The medical illuminator of claim 1, further comprising an adhesive layer applied to the one or more optical film pieces for removably securing the one or more optical film pieces to the waveguide.

5. The medical illuminator of claim 4, wherein the adhesive layer performs index matching between the waveguide and the one or more optical film pieces.

6. The medical illuminator of claim 4, wherein the one or more optical film pieces may be removed from the waveguide and reapplied to a different position on the waveguide thereby redirecting light extracted therefrom.

7. The medical illuminator of claim 1, wherein the one or more optical film pieces further comprise:

an optical film layer having at least one diffuse light directing portion; and

at least one focused light directing portion.

8. The medical illuminator of claim 1, wherein the at least one optical film pieces extract diffuse light from the waveguide, and wherein another of the at least one optical film pieces extract focused light from the waveguide, the diffuse light and the focused light directed to the surgical field.

9. The medical illuminator of claim 1, wherein the at least one optical film pieces comprise optical structures for extracting the light from the waveguide.

10. The medical illuminator of claim 9. wherein the optical structures comprise prismatic structures.

11. The medical illuminator of claim 1, further comprising a retractor blade, wherein the waveguide is coupled with the retractor blade.

12. A method for illuminating a surgical field, said method comprising:

providing an optical waveguide conveying light by total internal reflection;

coupling a light conduit with the waveguide so that light from a light source is conveyed to the waveguide;

applying one or more optical film pieces to the waveguide, wherein the one or more optical film pieces each have an area smaller than the surface area of the optical waveguide; and

extracting light from the waveguide through the optical film and directing the extracted light to the surgical field.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein applying the one or more optical film pieces comprises adhesively attaching the one or more optical film pieces to the waveguide.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more optical film pieces comprise a light directing portion and a tab portion, the method further comprising orienting the tab portion relative to the light directing portion thereby indicating the direction of extracted light from the light directing portion.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more optical film pieces are color coded, the color code indicating the light directing function of the one or more pierces of optical film, and wherein applying the One or more optical film pieces comprises selecting the one or more optical film pieces based on the color coding.