Film illumination system

• US 8,132,949 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2010
• Issued: 03/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Invuity, Inc. (Stryker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Invuity, Inc. (Stryker Corporation)
• Inventors: Vayser, Alex, Grey, Thomas L., Trauner, Kenneth B
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Bao Q
• Application Number:
  US12/750,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20100249528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 362572-574, 362/556, 362/558, 600/212, 600/517, 600/574
• US Class Current: 362/572
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0623 for off-axis illumination
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/07 using light-conductive means, e.g. optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/24 for the mouth, i.e. stomatoscopes, e.g. with tongue depressors tongue depressors per se A61B13/00; Instruments for opening or keeping open the mouth combined with saliva removers A61C17/00; mouth openers for animals A61D15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/32 Devices for opening or enlarging the visual field, e.g. of a tube of the body dilators A61M29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/02 for holding wounds open; Tractors specula A61B1/32 ; drainage appliances for wounds A61M27/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/306 using optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/30 Devices for illuminating a surgical field, the devices having an interrelation with other surgical devices or with a surgical procedure
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 1/088 Illuminating devices or attachments for examination of the mouth A61B1/24 and A61B1/06

Abstract

An illuminator film system may include one or more pre-cut sections of optical film applied to a waveguide to allow light to exit the waveguide through the film in a predetermined manner. The one or more pre-cut sections may be removed and reapplied during a procedure to redirect the light. A laminated illuminator film may be provided that uses a laminated optical film structure to direct light from a fiber optic input. Such a laminated illuminator film may be very low profile, low cost and easy to apply to a retractor for providing illumination during a surgical procedure.

Claims

1. A medical illuminator comprising:

a surgical retractor having a blade;

a waveguide secured to the retractor blade, the waveguide conveying light through total internal reflection;

a light conduit conveying light from a light source to the waveguide; and

one or more pre-cut optical film pieces removably secured to the waveguide for extracting light from the waveguide through the pre-cut optical film and directing the extracted light to a surgical field, wherein the pre-cut optical film pieces have an area smaller than the surface area of the waveguide.

2. The medical illuminator of claim 1 wherein the one or more pre-cut optical film pieces further comprise:

an optical film layer having a light directing portion and a tab portion;

the orientation of the tab portion relative to the light directing portion indicating the direction of extracted light from the light directing portion; and

an adhesive layer applied to the light directing portion for removably securing the light directing portion to the waveguide, the adhesive layer performing some index matching between the waveguide and the optical film layer.

3. The medical illuminator of claim 2 wherein the tab portion is color coded to indicate the degree of focus or directionality of the extracted light.

4. The medical illuminator of claim 1 wherein the one or more pre-cut optical film pieces further comprise:

an optical film layer having at least one diffuse light directing portion and at least one focused light directing portion; and

an adhesive layer applied to the light directing portions for removably securing the light directing portions to the waveguide, the adhesive layer performing some index matching between the waveguide and the optical film layer.

5. The medical illuminator of claim 2 further comprising:

at least one pre-cut optical film pieces removably secured to the waveguide for extracting diffuse light from the waveguide through the pre-cut optical film and providing the extracted light in the area of a surgical field;

at least one pre-cut optical film pieces removably secured to the waveguide for extracting focused light from the waveguide through the pre-cut optical film and directing the focused light to a selected portion of a surgical field.