Determining the state of an ultrasonic end effector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11317937-B2
Application number	US-201816115247-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2018
Priority date	Mar 8, 2018
Publication date	May 3, 2022
Grant date	May 3, 2022

Abstract

Various systems and methods for determining the state of an end effector of an ultrasonic surgical instrument are disclosed. A control circuit can be configured to measure a complex impedance of an ultrasonic electromechanical system including an ultrasonic blade and compare the measured complex impedance to reference complex impedance patterns that each correspond to a state of the end effector. Accordingly, the control circuit can further be configured to determine the state of the end effector according to which of the plurality of reference complex impedance patterns the measured complex impedance corresponds.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An ultrasonic surgical instrument comprising:
an end effector comprising an ultrasonic blade;
an ultrasonic transducer acoustically coupled to the ultrasonic blade, the ultrasonic transducer configured to ultrasonically oscillate the ultrasonic blade in response to a drive signal; and
a control circuit coupled to the ultrasonic transducer, the control circuit configured to:
measure a complex impedance of the ultrasonic transducer;
compare the complex impedance to a plurality of reference complex impedance patterns, each of the plurality of reference complex impedance patterns corresponding to a state of the end effector; and
determine the state of the end effector according to which of the plurality of reference complex impedance patterns the complex impedance corresponds,

wherein the reference complex impedance patterns comprise fitted curves plotted from data points of the reference complex impedance patterns,
wherein the control circuit is configured to determine which of the plurality of reference complex impedance patterns the complex impedance corresponds according to a Euclidean perpendicular distance between the complex impedance and the fitted curves, and
wherein the complex impedance corresponds to which of the fitted curves the complex impedance has a smallest Euclidean perpendicular distance therebetween.

2. The ultrasonic surgical instrument of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of reference complex impedance patterns correspond to at least one of the ultrasonic blade contacting air, the ultrasonic blade being broken, or the ultrasonic blade contacting metal.

3. The ultrasonic surgical instrument of claim 1 , further comprising:
a memory coupled to the control circuit, the memory storing the plurality of reference complex impedance patterns;
wherein the control circuit is configured to retrieve the plurality of reference complex impedance patterns from the memory.

4. The ultrasonic surgical instrument of claim 1 , wherein the complex impedance corresponds to a ratio between a voltage signal and a current signal exciting the ultrasonic transducer.

5. An ultrasonic generator for driving an ultrasonic surgical instrument comprising an end effector, an ultrasonic blade, and an ultrasonic transducer acoustically coupled to the ultrasonic blade, the ultrasonic transducer configured to ultrasonically oscillate the ultrasonic blade in response to a drive signal, the ultrasonic generator comprising:
a control circuit coupled to the ultrasonic transducer, the control circuit configured to:
apply the drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer;
measure a complex impedance of the ultrasonic transducer;
compare the complex impedance to a plurality of reference complex impedance patterns, each of the plurality of reference complex impedance patterns corresponding to a state of the end effector; and
determine the state of the end effector according to which of the plurality of reference complex impedance patterns the complex impedance corresponds,

wherein the reference complex impedance patterns comprise fitted curves plotted from data points of the reference complex impedance patterns,
wherein the control circuit is configured to determine which of the plurality of reference complex impedance patterns the complex impedance corresponds according to a Euclidean perpendicular distance between the complex impedance and the fitted curves, and
wherein the complex impedance corresponds to which of the fitted curves the complex impedance has a smallest Euclidean perpendicular distance therebetween.

6. The ultrasonic generator of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of reference complex impedance patterns correspond to at least one of the ultrasonic blade contacting air, the ultrasonic blade being broken, or the ultrasonic blade contacting metal.

7. The ultrasonic generator of claim 5 , further comprising:
a memory coupled to the control circuit, the memory storing the plurality of reference complex impedance patterns;
wherein the control circuit is configured to retrieve the plurality of reference complex impedance patterns from the memory.

8. The ultrasonic generator of claim 5 , wherein the complex impedance corresponds to a ratio between a voltage signal and a current signal exciting the ultrasonic transducer.

9. A method of controlling an ultrasonic surgical instrument comprising an end effector, an ultrasonic blade, and an ultrasonic transducer acoustically coupled to the ultrasonic blade, the ultrasonic transducer configured to ultrasonically oscillate the ultrasonic blade in response to a drive signal from a generator, the method comprising:
measuring, by a control circuit coupled to the ultrasonic transducer, a complex impedance of the ultrasonic transducer;
comparing, by the control circuit, the complex impedance to a plurality of reference complex impedance patterns, each of the plurality of reference complex impedance patterns corresponding to a state of the end effector;
determining, by the control circuit, the state of the end effector according to which of the plurality of reference complex impedance patterns the complex impedance corresponds,
wherein the reference complex impedance patterns comprise fitted curves plotted from data points of the reference complex impedance patterns; and
determining, by the control circuit, which of the plurality of reference complex impedance patterns the complex impedance corresponds according to a Euclidean perpendicular distance between the complex impedance and the fitted curves,
wherein the complex impedance corresponds to which of the fitted curves the complex impedance has a smallest Euclidean perpendicular distance therebetween.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of reference complex impedance patterns correspond to at least one of the ultrasonic blade contacting air, the ultrasonic blade being broken, or the ultrasonic blade contacting metal.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising retrieving, by the control circuit, the plurality of reference complex impedance patterns from a memory.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the complex impedance corresponds to a ratio between a voltage signal and a current signal exciting the ultrasonic transducer.

Assignees

• Ethicon Llc
• Cilag Gmbh Int

Inventors

• Nott Cameron R
• Quigley Fergus P
• Cuti Alexander R
• Schneider Matthew S
• Rockman Maxwell
• Bishop Gregory D

Classifications

• A61B5/068 Primary

  using impedance sensors · CPC title

• A61B34/30

  Surgical robots · CPC title

• A61B18/1233

  with circuits for assuring patient safety · CPC title

• A61B2017/00017

  Electrical control of surgical instruments · CPC title

• A61B2018/00791

  Temperature · CPC title