Precision bone drill and method of use
First Claim
1. A method of drilling through bone comprising the steps of:
- (i) providing a drilling device having an electrically conductive bone cutter and an electrically conducting nosepiece assembly spaced from the conductive bone cutter, and acting as a counter electrode;
(ii) placing the conductive bone cutter and nosepiece assembly into contact with the bone tissue to be drilled; and
(iii) commencing the drilling of the bone tissue;
said drilling device further comprising;
(a) a housing that includes a drilling assembly and an electrically conductive nosepiece assembly to be placed in contact with bone tissue to be drilled;
(b) a bone cutter rotated by an electric motor which is mobile in translation in the housing and wherein the bone cutter is electrically conductive and is adapted to be moved into and out of the bone tissue being drilled;
(c) a printed circuit board control module electrically connected to the drilling assembly for controlling the translation of the bone cutter in the housing and into and out of the bone tissue being drilled;
(d) a sensor, electrically connected to the drilling assembly and to the control module, for detecting a change in an electrical impedance between the bone cutter and the surface of the bone tissue being drilled;
wherein upon detection, by the sensor, of a change in the electrical impedance corresponding to a transition between air (no load;
high electrical impedance) and bone tissue surface, sends a signal to the control module begins incrementing a step counter; and
(e) wherein the direction of the vertical drive motor is automatically reversed when the step counter reaches a prespecified count, thereby withdrawing the bone cutter from the bone tissue being drilled, and thereby controlling the depth of the drilled hole.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed is a drilling device and a method for the drilling of human or animal bone tissue. The method comprises the following steps; (a) providing a drill having an electrically conductive bone cutter and an electrically conducting nosepiece assembly spaced apart from the electrically conductive bone cutter and acting as a counter electrode; (b) placing the electrically conductive bone cutter and nosepiece assembly into contact with the bone tissue to be drilled; (c) measuring the electrical impedance between the bone cutter tip and the nosepiece or the current through the cutter motor; (d) commencing drilling and moving the bone cutter toward the bone surface; (e) starting a step counter when the impedance reduces or the cutter motor current increases; (f) incrementing the step counter with every step of the vertical drive motor until the step count reaches the prespecified value thereby controlling the depth of the hole drilled.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method of drilling through bone comprising the steps of:
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(i) providing a drilling device having an electrically conductive bone cutter and an electrically conducting nosepiece assembly spaced from the conductive bone cutter, and acting as a counter electrode; (ii) placing the conductive bone cutter and nosepiece assembly into contact with the bone tissue to be drilled; and (iii) commencing the drilling of the bone tissue;
said drilling device further comprising;(a) a housing that includes a drilling assembly and an electrically conductive nosepiece assembly to be placed in contact with bone tissue to be drilled; (b) a bone cutter rotated by an electric motor which is mobile in translation in the housing and wherein the bone cutter is electrically conductive and is adapted to be moved into and out of the bone tissue being drilled; (c) a printed circuit board control module electrically connected to the drilling assembly for controlling the translation of the bone cutter in the housing and into and out of the bone tissue being drilled; (d) a sensor, electrically connected to the drilling assembly and to the control module, for detecting a change in an electrical impedance between the bone cutter and the surface of the bone tissue being drilled;
wherein upon detection, by the sensor, of a change in the electrical impedance corresponding to a transition between air (no load;
high electrical impedance) and bone tissue surface, sends a signal to the control module begins incrementing a step counter; and(e) wherein the direction of the vertical drive motor is automatically reversed when the step counter reaches a prespecified count, thereby withdrawing the bone cutter from the bone tissue being drilled, and thereby controlling the depth of the drilled hole. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for conducting drilling of human or animal bone comprising the following steps:
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providing a drill device having an electrically conductive bone cutter and an electrically conducting nosepiece assembly spaced from the conductive bone cutter, and acting as a counter electrode; placing the electrically conductive bone cutter and nosepiece assembly into contact with the bone tissue to be drilled; commencing the drilling of the bone tissue to be drilled; measuring an electrical impedance between the bone cutter tip and the counter electrode to obtain impedance data of the bone tissue being drilled; analyzing the electrical impedance data by a printed circuit board control module and starting the increment of a step counter when the electrical impedance decreases; and controlling the depth of drilling in the bone tissue by incrementing the step counter with every step of the motor until a prespecified count is reached.
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12. A drilling device for drilling of human or animal bone tissue, said drilling device comprising:
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(a) a housing that includes a drilling assembly and an electrically conductive nosepiece assembly to be placed in contact with bone tissue to be drilled; (b) a bone cutter rotated by an electric motor which is mobile in translation in the housing and wherein the bone cutter is electrically conductive and is adapted to be moved into and out of the bone tissue being drilled; (c) a printed circuit board control module electrically connected to the drilling assembly for controlling the translation of the bone cutter in the housing and into and out of the bone tissue being drilled; (d) a sensor, electrically connected to the drilling assembly and to the control module, for detecting a change in the electrical current through the cutter motor; wherein, upon detection, by the sensor, of a change in the electrical current through the cutter motor corresponding to a transition between air (no load) and bone tissue surface, the control module begins incrementing a step counter; and (e) wherein the direction of the vertical drive motor is reversed when the step counter reaches a prespecified count, thereby withdrawing the bone cutter from the bone tissue being drilled, and thereby controlling the depth of the drilling. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A drilling device for drilling of human or animal bone tissue, said drilling device comprising:
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(a) a housing that includes a drilling assembly and an electrically conductive nosepiece assembly to be placed in contact with bone tissue to be drilled; (b) a bone cutter rotated by an electric motor which is mobile in translation in the housing and wherein the bone cutter is electrically conductive and is adapted to be moved into and out of the bone tissue being drilled; (c) a printed circuit board control module electrically connected to the drilling assembly for controlling the translation of the bone cutter in the housing and into and out of the bone tissue being drilled; (d) a sensor, electrically connected to the drilling assembly and to the control module, for detecting a change in an electrical impedance between the bone cutter and the surface of the bone tissue being drilled when the bone cutter is translated in the bone tissue being drilled;
wherein upon detection, by the sensor, of a change in the electrical impedance corresponding to a transition between no load and high electrical impedance, and bone tissue surface, sends a signal to the control module begins incrementing a step counter; and(e) wherein the direction of the vertical drive motor is reversed when the step counter reaches a prespecified count, thereby withdrawing the bone cutter from the bone tissue being drilled, and thereby controlling the depth of the drilled hole. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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Specification