Method of Powering a Surgical Instrument

• US 20110251632A1
• Filed: 02/08/2011
• Published: 10/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Covidien AG (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Covidien AG (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Palmer, Matthew A., Smith, Kevin W., Bales, Thomas O. JR., Deville, Derek Dee
• Granted Patent: US 8,439,939 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/169
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1285 for minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/320092 with additional movable means for clamping or cutting tissue, e.g. with a pivoting jaw
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00017 Electrical control of surgical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0023 disposable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0046 with a releasable handle; with handle and operating part separable for prosthetic joint-implanting tools A61F2/4603
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00477 Coupling A61B2017/0046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00734 battery operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320093 additional movable means performing cutting operation
• 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 2017/320097 with stapling means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320098 with transverse or torsional motion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00595 Cauterization
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/02 Localised ultrasound hyperthermia hyperthermia in general A61F7/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A method for powering electrically powered surgical instruments includes removably inserting a cordless battery assembly into a handle thereof, the instrument handles having a battery chamber and different types. The battery assembly comprises an energy cell powering a signal generation assembly of the instruments. A battery/handle interface has connectors mating with connectors within the chamber. A voltage-control circuit is operable to communicate with and power the signal generation assembly, detect which handle type is connected to the battery assembly, and provide different outputs in response to a detection of the handle types. As the battery assembly is inserted, connectors of the battery/handle interface are coupled with connectors within the battery chamber to communicatively couple the voltage-control circuit to the signal generation assembly and provide power thereto. The connected handle is detected and dependent upon the detected handle type a different one of the outputs are provided.

Claims

1. A method for powering surgical instruments, the method comprising:

removably inserting a cordless battery assembly into a handle of one of a set of electrically powered surgical instruments, the instruments having handles with a battery chamber and different handle types, the cordless battery assembly comprising;

at least one energy storage cell operable to power a signal generation assembly of the surgical instruments;

a battery/handle interface having a plurality of connectors shaped to mate with a plurality of corresponding connectors within the battery chamber; and

a voltage-control circuit operable to;

communicatively couple with and provide power to the signal generation assembly;

detect which one of the handle types is connected to the battery assembly;

provide a first output in response to a detection of a first handle type; and

provide at least a second output in response to a detection of at least a second handle type;

as the cordless battery assembly is removably inserted into the handle, coupling at least one of the plurality of connectors of the battery/handle interface with at least one of the connectors within the battery chamber to;

communicatively couple the voltage-control circuit to the signal generation assembly; and

provide power to the signal generation assembly;

detecting the handle type of the handle connected to the cordless battery assembly with the voltage-control circuit; and

dependent upon the detected handle type, providing at the battery/handle interface one of;

the first output; and

the second output.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the signal generation assembly comprises an ultrasonic-signal-generation assembly; and

at least one of the first output and the second output is an ultrasonic-movement-generating signal supplied to the ultrasonic-signal-generation assembly.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein one of the set of electrically powered surgical instruments is a surgical cautery and cutting device having a surgical cautery and cutting end effector assembly comprising an ultrasonic waveguide with an ultrasonic cutting blade.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the surgical cautery and cutting end effector assembly comprises at least one jaw member and the cutting blade is disposed adjacent the at least one jaw member.

5. The method according to claim 4, which further comprises:

detecting an attribute of the cutting blade; and

determining at least one of an output signal level, an output signal frequency, and an output signal scheme based on the detected attribute of the cutting blade.

6. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises storing in a memory at least one piece of information pertaining to at least one of:

the surgical instrument; and

the cordless battery assembly.

7. The method according to claim 6, which further comprises communicating the at least one piece of information to an information receiver remote from the battery assembly.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the at least one piece of information is at least one of:

a battery-assembly-use history;

a battery assembly identifier;

a list of surgical instruments previously powered by the battery assembly; and

a software version identifier.

9. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises storing at least two output voltage profiles in a memory communicatively coupled at least to the voltage-control circuit, each profile corresponding to one of a handle type and a surgical instrument attachment.

10. The method according to claim 9, which further comprises:

interrogating, with a processor communicatively coupled at least to one of the voltage-control circuit and the memory, the handle for at least one piece of information pertaining to the handle;

receiving an instruction from the memory corresponding to the at least one piece of information pertaining to the handle; and

driving the voltage-control circuit according to the instruction.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the battery assembly is at least one of watertightly sealed and autoclavably sealed.

12. A method for powering a surgical instrument, the method comprising:

removably inserting a cordless battery assembly into a handle of an cordlessly powered surgical instrument having a signal generation assembly, the cordless battery assembly comprising;

at least one energy storage cell operable to power the signal generation assembly of the surgical instrument;

a battery/handle interface having a plurality of connectors shaped to mate with a plurality of corresponding connectors within a battery chamber of the surgical instrument; and

a voltage-control circuit operable to;

communicatively couple with and provide power to the signal generation assembly;

detect at least one feature of the surgical instrument connected to the battery assembly; and

provide different control outputs in response to the at least one feature of the surgical instrument detected; and

as the cordless battery assembly is removably inserted into the handle, coupling at least one of the plurality of connectors of the battery/handle interface with at least one of the connectors within the battery chamber to;

communicatively couple the voltage-control circuit to the signal generation assembly; and

provide power to the signal generation assembly.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein:

the signal generation assembly comprises an ultrasonic-signal-generation assembly; and

at least one of the first output and the second output is an ultrasonic-movement-generating signal supplied to the ultrasonic-signal-generation assembly.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the cordlessly powered surgical instrument is a surgical cautery and cutting device having a surgical cautery and cutting end effector assembly comprising an ultrasonic waveguide with an ultrasonic cutting blade.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the surgical cautery and cutting end effector assembly comprises at least one jaw member and the cutting blade is disposed adjacent the at least one jaw member.

16. The method according to claim 15, which further comprises:

detecting an attribute of the cutting blade; and

determining at least one of an ultrasonic-movement-generating signal level, an ultrasonic-movement-generating signal frequency, and an ultrasonic-movement-generating signal scheme based on the detected attribute of the cutting blade.

17. The method according to claim 12, which further comprises storing in a memory at least one piece of information pertaining to at least one of:

the surgical instrument; and

the cordless battery assembly.

18. The method according to claim 17, which further comprises communicating the at least one piece of information to an information receiver remote from the battery assembly.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the at least one piece of information is at least one of:

a battery-assembly-use history;

a battery assembly identifier;

a list of surgical instruments previously powered by the battery assembly; and

a software version identifier.

20. The method according to claim 12, which further comprises storing at least two output voltage profiles in a memory communicatively coupled at least to the voltage-control circuit, each profile corresponding to at least one of the surgical instrument and a surgical instrument attachment.

21. The method according to claim 20, which further comprises:

interrogating, with a processor communicatively coupled at least to one of the voltage-control circuit and the memory, the surgical instrument for at least one piece of information pertaining to the surgical instrument;

receiving an instruction from the memory corresponding to the at least one piece of information pertaining to the surgical instrument; and

driving the voltage-control circuit according to the instruction.

22. The method according to claim 12, wherein the battery assembly is at least one of watertightly sealed and autoclavably sealed.