Surgical generator for ultrasonic and electrosurgical devices

• US 8,986,302 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2010
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cilag Gmbh International (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Aldridge, Jeffrey L., Wiener, Eitan T., Giordano, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dvorak, Linda
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ram, Jocelyn D
• Application Number:
  US12/896,345
• Publication Number:
  US 20110087212A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• Field of Search: 606/34, 606/38, 606/42
• US Class Current: 606/42
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1206 Generators therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1233 with circuits for assuring patient safety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/14 Probes or electrodes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1445 at the distal end of a shaft, e.g. forceps or scissors at the end of a rigid rod
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00017 Electrical control of surgical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00477 Coupling A61B2017/0046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00482 with a code
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00486 Adaptors for coupling parts with incompatible geometries
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2934 arcuate shaped guiding means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2936 Pins in guiding slots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320069 for ablating tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320071 with articulating means for working tip
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320094 additional movable means performing clamping operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320095 with sealing or cauterizing means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00178 Electrical connectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00601 Cutting
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0063 Sealing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00666 using a threshold value
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00678 upper
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00684 using lookup tables
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00702 : Power or energy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0072 : Current
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00732 : Frequency
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00767 : Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00779 : Power or energy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00803 : with temperature prediction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00827 : Current
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00875 : Resistance or impedance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00892 : Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00988 : Means for storing information, e.g. calibration constants, or for preventing excessive use, e.g. usage, service life counter
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00994 : combining two or more different kinds of non-mechanical energy or combining one or more non-mechanical energies with ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/12 : for medicine and surgery
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/802 : Drive or control circuitry or methods for piezoelectric or electrostrictive devices not otherwise provided for

Abstract

A surgical device control circuit. The control circuit may comprise a first circuit portion comprising at least one first switch. The first circuit portion may communicate with a surgical generator over a conductor pair. The control circuit may also comprise a second circuit portion comprising a data circuit element. The data circuit element may be disposed in an instrument of the surgical device and transmit or receive data. The data circuit element may implement data communications with the surgical generator over at least one conductor of the conductor pair.

Claims

1. A control circuit of a surgical device, the control circuit comprising:

a first circuit portion comprising at least one first switch configured to modify a voltage potential difference across the first circuit portion, the first circuit portion configured to communicate with a surgical generator over a conductor pair; and

a second circuit portion in parallel with the first circuit portion and comprising a data circuit element, the data circuit element disposed in an instrument of the surgical device and configured to transmit or receive data, the data circuit element configured to implement data communications with the surgical generator over at least one conductor of the conductor pair.

2. The control circuit of claim 1, wherein the data circuit element comprises a single-wire bus device configured to implement data communications with the surgical generator over a single conductor of the conductor pair.

3. The control circuit of claim 1, wherein the data circuit element comprises a data storage device for storing data to be retrieved by the surgical generator.

4. The control circuit of claim 3, wherein at least a portion of the data stored by the data storage device is transmitted to the data storage device by the surgical generator.

5. The control circuit of claim 3, wherein the data storage device comprises an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM).

6. The control circuit of claim 1, wherein the data circuit element comprises a data input device.

7. The control circuit of claim 6, wherein the data circuit element comprises an indicator configured to provide a user indication based on data received by the data circuit element from the surgical generator.

8. The control circuit of claim 1, wherein the data circuit element comprises a data output device.

9. The control circuit of claim 8, wherein the data circuit element is configured to communicate with a sensor disposed in the instrument, and wherein the data circuit element is configured to transmit sensor data to the surgical generator.

10. The control circuit of claim 1, wherein communications between the surgical generator and the first and second circuit portions are frequency-band separated.

11. The control circuit of claim 10, wherein the second circuit portion comprises an inductive element configured to isolate the at least one first switch from the data circuit element.

12. The control circuit of claim 10, wherein the first circuit portion is configured to receive a first interrogation signal transmitted from the surgical generator in a first frequency band, and wherein the first interrogation signal is blocked from the second circuit portion.

13. The control circuit of claim 12, wherein the data circuit element is configured to communicate with the surgical generator using a communication protocol transmitted in a second frequency band.

14. The control circuit of claim 12, wherein a characteristic of the first interrogation signal, when received through the first circuit portion, is indicative of a state of the at least one first switch.

15. The control circuit of claim 14, wherein the characteristic of the first interrogation signal comprises at least one of:

voltage, current, amplitude, and phase.

16. The control circuit of claim 12, wherein the first interrogation signal comprises a bipolar current signal.

17. The control circuit of claim 12, wherein the first interrogation signal has a frequency of about 2 kHz.

18. The control circuit of claim 12, wherein the second circuit portion comprises at least one second switch.

19. The control circuit of claim 18, wherein the second circuit portion is configured to receive a second interrogation signal transmitted from the surgical generator in a third frequency band.

20. The control circuit of claim 19, wherein a characteristic of the second interrogation signal, when received through the second circuit portion, is indicative of a state of the at least one second switch.

21. The control circuit of claim 19, wherein the at least one second switch is frequency-band separated from the data circuit element and from the first circuit portion such that the second interrogation signal is blocked from the data circuit element and the first circuit portion.

22. A control circuit of a surgical device, the control circuit comprising:

a first circuit portion comprising at least one first switch, wherein the at least one first switch is configured to modify a voltage potential difference across the first circuit portion, the first circuit portion configured to communicate with a surgical generator over a conductor pair; and

a second circuit portion in parallel with the first circuit portion, the second circuit portion comprising a data circuit element, the data circuit element disposed in an instrument of the surgical device and configured to transmit or receive data, the data circuit element configured to implement data communications with the surgical generator over at least one conductor of the conductor pair;

wherein the first circuit portion is configured to receive a first interrogation signal transmitted from the surgical generator in a first frequency band; and

wherein the data circuit element is configured to communicate with the surgical generator using an amplitude-modulated communication protocol transmitted in a second frequency band, wherein the second frequency band is higher than the first frequency band.

23. The control circuit of claim 22, wherein the first interrogation signal comprises a bipolar current signal at a frequency of about 2 kHz, and wherein a carrier frequency of the amplitude-modulated communication protocol is at least 8 MHz.

24. The control circuit of claim 22, wherein the second circuit portion comprises a demodulation circuit configured to demodulate the amplitude-modulated communication protocol.

25. The control circuit of claim 22, wherein the second circuit portion comprises an inductive element configured to isolate the at least one first switch from the data circuit element.

26. The control circuit of claim 22, wherein the second circuit portion comprises at least one second switch.

27. The control circuit of claim 26, wherein the second circuit portion is configured to receive a second interrogation signal transmitted from the surgical generator in a third frequency band, wherein a characteristic of the second interrogation signal, when received through the second circuit portion, is indicative of a state of the at least one second switch.

28. The control circuit of claim 27, wherein the at least one second switch is frequency-band separated from the data circuit element and from the first circuit portion such that the second interrogation signal is blocked from the data circuit element and the first circuit portion.

29. A control circuit of a surgical device, the control circuit comprising:

a first circuit portion comprising at least one first switch configured to modify a voltage potential difference across the first circuit portion, wherein the first circuit portion is configured to receive a first interrogation signal transmitted from a surgical generator over a conductor pair; and

a second circuit portion in parallel with the first circuit portion, the second circuit portion comprising at least one of a resistive element and an inductive element disposed in an instrument of the device, wherein the second circuit portion is configured to receive a second interrogation signal transmitted from the surgical generator over the conductor pair;

wherein the second circuit portion is frequency-band separated from the first circuit portion;

wherein a characteristic of the first interrogation signal, when received through the first circuit portion, is indicative of a state of the at least one first switch; and

wherein a characteristic of the second interrogation signal, when received through the second circuit portion, uniquely identifies the instrument of the device.

30. A control circuit of a surgical device, the control circuit comprising:

a first circuit portion comprising a first switch network and a second switch network, the first switch network comprising at least one first switch configured to modify a voltage potential difference across the first circuit portion, the second switch network comprising at least one second switch configured to modify the voltage potential difference across the first circuit portion, the first circuit portion configured to communicate with a surgical generator over a conductor pair; and

a second circuit portion comprising a data circuit element in parallel with the first circuit portion, the data circuit element disposed in an instrument of the surgical device configured to transmit or receive data, the data circuit element in data communication with the surgical generator over at least one conductor of the conductor pair.

31. The control circuit of claim 30, wherein the data circuit element comprises a single-wire bus device in data communication with the surgical generator over a single conductor of the conductor pair.

32. The control circuit of claim 30, wherein the data circuit element comprises a data storage device for storing data retrievable by the surgical generator.

33. The control circuit of claim 32, wherein at least a portion of the data stored by the data storage device is transmitted to the data storage device by the surgical generator.

34. The control circuit of claim 32, wherein the data storage device comprises an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM).

35. The control circuit of claim 30, wherein the data circuit element comprises a data input device.

36. The control circuit of claim 35, wherein the data circuit element comprises an indicator configured to provide a user indication based on data received by the data circuit element from the surgical generator.

37. The control circuit of claim 30, wherein the data circuit element comprises a data output device.

38. The control circuit of claim 37, wherein the data circuit element is in communication with a sensor disposed in the instrument, the data circuit element configured to transmit sensor data to the surgical generator.

39. The control circuit of claim 30, wherein the first switch network comprises a plurality of series-connected first diodes, wherein each first switch is connected in parallel with at least one of the first diodes, wherein the second switch network comprises a plurality of series-connected second diodes, and wherein each second switch is connected in parallel with at least one of the second diodes.

40. The control circuit of claim 39, wherein the first circuit portion is configured to receive a bipolar current signal transmitted from the surgical generator, wherein a first polarity of the bipolar current signal is received through the first switch network to generate a first voltage across the first circuit portion, and wherein a second polarity of the bipolar current signal is received through the second switch network to generate a second voltage across the first circuit portion.

41. The control circuit of claim 40, wherein a frequency of the bipolar current signal is about 2 kHz.

42. The control circuit of claim 40, wherein the first voltage is measurable by the surgical generator to determine a state of the at least one first switch, and wherein the second voltage is measurable by the surgical generator to determine a state of the at least one second switch.