Force switch

• US 8,872,046 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2013
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Smith, Kevin W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Amy Cohen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fishman, Marina
• Application Number:
  US14/036,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20140033517A1
• Time in Patent Office: 398 Days
• Field of Search: 200/61.53, 200/61.67, 200/61.76, 200/275, 200/16.B, 200/532, 296/22
• US Class Current: 200/61.53
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/00 Surgical instruments, devices or methods, e.g. tourniquets A61B18/00 takes precedence; contraceptive devices, pessaries, or applicators therefor A61F6/00; eye surgery A61F9/007; ear surgery A61F11/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/068 Surgical staplers , e.g. containing multiple staples or clampsstaplers containing only one staple A61B17/10; magazines or containers for staples A61B17/105; for performing anastomosis A61B17/115; staplers in general B25C5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/115 Staplers for performing anastomosis in a single operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/72 Intramedullary pins, nails or other devices A61B17/744 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00017 Electrical control of surgical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00115 with audible or visual output with imaging means A61B90/37, A61B34/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00398 using powered actuators, e.g. stepper motors, solenoids
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/032 pressure limiting, e.g. hydrostatic
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/064 for measuring force, pressure or mechanical tension
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0811 for the position of a particular part of an instrument with respect to the rest of the instrument, e.g. position of the anvil of a stapling instrument
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 11/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of electric switches processes specially adapted for manufacture of rectilinearly movable switches having a plurality of operating members associated with different sets of contacts, e.g. keyboards, H01H13/88
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/14 Operating parts, e.g. push-button
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/18 adapted for actuation at a limit or other predetermined position in the path of a body, the relative movement of switch and body being primarily for a purpose other than the actuation of the switch, e.g. door switch, limit switch, floor-levelling switch of a lift
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2203/00 Form of contacts
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2235/01 Spiral spring
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2300/014 Application surgical instrument
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 35/14 Switches operated by change of acceleration, e.g. by shock or vibration, inertia switch wherein the liquid constitutes a contact of the switch H01H29/002
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 9/06 Casing of switch constituted by a handle serving a purpose other than the actuation of the switch, e.g. by the handle of a vacuum cleaner
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49105 Switch making

Abstract

A method of creating a switch to be disposed along a longitudinal axis of a device, comprising providing a hollow body defining an interior cavity, disposing a switching element movably within the interior cavity, the switching element defining a switch-making position and a switch-breaking position and having a biasing element, coupling an electrically-conductive contact to the switching element to define a switch-making state when the switching element is in the switch-making position and a switch-braking state when the switching element is in the switch-braking position, and imparting a variable longitudinal bias to the switching element with the biasing element to place the switching element in one of the switch-making position and the switch-braking position until an external force imparted to the switching element along the switching axis exceeds the longitudinal bias thereby causing the switching element to move to the other one of the switch-making position and the switch-braking position.

Claims

1. A method of creating a switch to be disposed along a longitudinal axis of a device, comprising:

providing a hollow body defining an interior cavity;

disposing a switching element movably within the interior cavity, the switching element having;

a longitudinal switching axis disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of the device and defining;

a switch-making position at a first longitudinal position along the switching axis; and

a switch-breaking position at a second longitudinal position along the switching axis, the second longitudinal position being different from the first longitudinal position; and

a biasing element;

coupling an electrically-conductive contact to the switching element to define;

a switch-making state when the switching element is in the switch-making position; and

a switch-braking state when the switching element is in the switch-braking position; and

imparting a variable longitudinal bias to the switching element with the biasing element to place the switching element in one of the switch-making position and the switch-braking position until an external force imparted to the switching element along the switching axis exceeds the longitudinal bias thereby causing the switching element to move to the other one of the switch-making position and the switch-braking position.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the switching element is a piston.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electrically-conductive contact is physically coupled to the switching element and is moveable along the switching axis between the switch-making position and the switch-breaking position.

4. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises defining a second interior cavity by a stop element in which the switching element is movably disposed, the stop element being at least partly disposed in the interior cavity of the hollow body.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the switching element further comprises a bias contact.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the biasing element is disposed about at least a portion of the switching element between the stop element and the bias contact.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein a magnitude of the longitudinal bias is dependent upon a longitudinal position of the stop element within the interior cavity of the hollow body.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the switching axis is disposed coincident with the longitudinal axis of the device.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the biasing element imparts the longitudinal bias to place the switching element in the switch-breaking position to create a normally open switch configuration.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the biasing element imparts the longitudinal bias to place the switching element in the switch-making position to create a normally closed switch configuration.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein a distance between the first longitudinal position and the switch-breaking position is between approximately 25 μ

m and approximately 750 μ

m.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein a distance between the first longitudinal position and the switch-breaking position is between approximately 75 μ

m and approximately 200 μ

m.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein a range of force sufficient to cause the switching element to move between the switch-making state to the switch-breaking state is between approximately 3 ounces and approximately 20 pounds.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein a range of force sufficient to cause the switching element to move between the switch-making state to the switch-breaking state is between approximately 5 pounds and approximately 8 pounds.

15. The switch according to claim 1, which further comprises electrically insulating the electrically-conductive contact from the hollow body and the switching element.

16. The method according to claim 2, which further comprises:

forming a switch sub-assembly having;

the electrically-conductive contact;

a switch housing longitudinally fixed and electrically conductively connected to the hollow body and at least partially surrounding the electrically-conductive contact;

a switch insulator electrically insulating the electrically-conductive contact from the switch housing; and

a piston contact movably disposed in the switch housing and longitudinally fixedly and electrically conductively connected to the piston.

17. The method according to claim 5, wherein:

the switching element has a first exterior;

the bias contact has a second exterior having a larger diameter than the first exterior;

the interior cavity of the hollow body has a first interior substantially equal in diameter to the second exterior;

the second interior cavity has a second interior substantially equal in diameter to the first exterior;

the bias contact has a third exterior substantially equal in diameter to the first interior; and

the electrically-conductive contact has a fourth exterior smaller in diameter than the first interior.

18. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises electrically connecting an electric indication circuit to the switching element and the electrically-conductive contact, the electric indication circuit having an indicator operable to transmit state-change information to signal a user that a state change of the switching element has occurred.

19. The method according to claim 6, wherein the biasing element is a compression spring compressed between the bias contact and the stop element around the switching element to bias the switching element in a direction away from the stop element.