Surgical device employing a cantilevered beam dissector
First Claim
1. A system employing an elongated cantilevered beam having proximal and distal ends, with the distal end adapted to be inserted into a body passage so that it engages target tissues to produce therapeutic effects on the tissues, comprising:
- piezoelectric material fixed to a surface of the beam adjacent to the proximal end of the beam;
an electrical excitation system connected to the piezoelectric material, adapted to apply reciprocating currents to the material to produce deformations of the beam;
a piezoelectric sensor for detecting an amplitude of deformation of the beam, and wherein the sensor is connected to said excitation system to determine degree of engagement of the beam with the target tissues and to modify the excitation of the piezoelectric material to control the engagement of the beam with the target tissues; and
further comprising a blocking mass from which the beam is cantilevered, wherein the blocking mass is made of high elastic modulus material and is disposed to reflect energy back towards the distal end of the beam and prevent energy from spreading to the proximal end of the beam.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A surgical instrument for treating body tissues through narrow body passages employs an elongated cantilevered beam having a proximal end supported in a rigid block and a narrower distal end extendable through the narrow passages. One or more piezoelectric actuators are fixed to the beam surface and energized from an AC source through electrodes interspersed with the piezoelectric actuators to produce oscillatory motion of the beam distal end in multiple modes of movement with sensing electronics to monitor and control the distal mechanical movement.
40 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A system employing an elongated cantilevered beam having proximal and distal ends, with the distal end adapted to be inserted into a body passage so that it engages target tissues to produce therapeutic effects on the tissues, comprising:
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piezoelectric material fixed to a surface of the beam adjacent to the proximal end of the beam; an electrical excitation system connected to the piezoelectric material, adapted to apply reciprocating currents to the material to produce deformations of the beam; a piezoelectric sensor for detecting an amplitude of deformation of the beam, and wherein the sensor is connected to said excitation system to determine degree of engagement of the beam with the target tissues and to modify the excitation of the piezoelectric material to control the engagement of the beam with the target tissues; and further comprising a blocking mass from which the beam is cantilevered, wherein the blocking mass is made of high elastic modulus material and is disposed to reflect energy back towards the distal end of the beam and prevent energy from spreading to the proximal end of the beam. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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- 2. The system of 1 wherein the piezoelectric material is fixed to two opposed surfaces of the beam.
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16. A system employing an elongated cantilevered beam having proximal and distal ends, with the distal end adapted to be inserted into a body passage so that it engages target tissues to produce therapeutic effects on the tissues, comprising:
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piezoelectric material fixed to a surface of the beam between its proximal and distal ends; an electrical excitation system connected to the piezoelectric material adapted to apply reciprocating currents to the material to produce deformations of the beam; and a sensor for detecting an amplitude of deformation of the beam connected to said excitation system to determine degree of engagement of the beam with the target tissues to modify the excitation of the piezoelectric material to control the engagement of the beam with the target tissues, wherein the sensor for detecting the amplitude of deformation of the beam comprises fibers formed of a piezoelectric material and has an output signal which is applied to a peak detector to generate a signal proportional to the resistance to motion of the beam in response to the degree of engagement of the beam with the target tissues to regulate the excitation system.
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17. A system employing an elongated cantilevered beam having proximal and distal ends, with the distal end adapted to be inserted into a body passage so that it engages target tissues to produce therapeutic effects on the tissues, comprising:
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piezoelectric material fixed to two opposed surfaces of the beam adjacent to the proximal end of the beam; an electrical excitation system connected to the piezoelectric material, adapted to apply reciprocating currents to the material to produce deformations of the beam, wherein the electrical excitation system has an output, and the system further comprises electrodes connected to the output of the electrical excitation system, said electrodes having an interleaved pattern, so as to apply alternating current to the piezoelectric material; a piezoelectric sensor for detecting an amplitude of deformation of the beam, wherein the sensor is connected to said excitation system to determine degree of engagement of the beam with the target tissues and to modify the excitation of the piezoelectric material to control the engagement of the beam with the target tissues; a blocking mass from which the beam is cantilevered, wherein the blocking mass is made of high elastic modulus material and is disposed to reflect energy back towards the distal end of the beam and prevent energy from spreading to the proximal end of the beam; and wherein the modification of the excitation of the piezoelectric material controlled by the sensor for detecting the amplitude of deformation of the beam controls the frequency of the alternating current applied to the piezoelectric material.
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18. A system employing an elongated cantilevered flat beam having top and bottom surfaces and having proximal and distal ends, the beam in width being tapered towards the distal end, with the distal end adapted to be inserted into a body passage so that it engages target tissues to produce therapeutic effects on the tissues, comprising:
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piezoelectric material fixed to the top and bottom surfaces of the beam adjacent to the proximal ends of the beam; a blocking mass from which the beam is cantilevered, wherein the blocking mass is made of high elastic modulus material and is disposed to reflect energy back towards the distal end of the beam and prevent energy from spreading to the proximal end of the beam; an electrical excitation system connected to the piezoelectric material adapted to apply reciprocating currents to the materials to produce deformation of the beam in two modes, wherein the modes comprises a longitudinal mode to produce the deformation of the beam axial to the beam and a transverse mode to produce the deformation of the beam normal to the surface of the beam; and a sensor for detecting an amplitude of deformation of the beam connected to said excitation system to determine degree of engagement of the beam with the target tissues to modify the excitation of the piezoelectric materials to control the engagement of the beam with the target tissues, wherein the sensor for detecting the amplitude of deformation of the beam comprises fibers formed of a piezoelectric material and has an output signal which is used to generate a signal proportional to the resistance to motion of the beam in response to the degree of engagement of the beam with the target tissues to regulate the excitation system.
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Specification