Wireless laparoscopic probe

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11903703-B2
Application number	US-202017002730-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 25, 2020
Priority date	Jul 18, 2016
Publication date	Feb 20, 2024
Grant date	Feb 20, 2024

Abstract

A laparoscopic medical device includes an oximeter sensor at its tip, which allows the making of oxygen saturation measurements laparoscopically. The device can be a unitary design, wherein a laparoscopic element includes electronics for the oximeter sensor at a distal end (e.g., opposite the tip). The device can be a multiple piece design (e.g., two-piece design), where some electronics is in a separate housing from the laparoscopic element, and the pieces (or portions) are removably connected together. The laparoscopic element can be removed and disposed of; so, the electronics can be reused multiple times with replacement laparoscopic elements. The electronics can include a processing unit for control, computation, or display, or any combination of these. However, in an implementation, the electronics can connect wirelessly to other electronics (e.g., another processing unit) for further control, computation, or display, or any combination of these.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device comprising:
an elongated tube, comprising a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the elongated tube comprises a uniform diameter along a longitudinal direction between the proximal and distal ends, and an opening is at the distal end;
a sensor head, coupled to the opening at the distal end of the elongated tube, wherein the sensor head comprises a surface that is transverse to the longitudinal direction;
an emitter, positioned on the sensor head, wherein the emitter emits light in the longitudinal direction and in a direction away from the surface of the sensor head and away from the proximal end;
a detector, positioned on the sensor head, wherein the detector comprises a light-to-electrical-current converter and faces the opening at the distal end of the elongated tube;
an amplifier circuit, positioned within an interior tubular space of the elongated tube, wherein the amplifier circuit is coupled to the detector closer to the distal end than the proximal end of the elongated tube; and
a first wireless transceiver, coupled to the proximal end of the elongated tube, wherein the first wireless transceiver is outside of the elongated tube.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the device is an oximeter.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the detector is positioned distal to the emitter in the elongated tube.

4. A system comprising the device of claim 1 and comprising:
a system unit, comprising a second wireless transceiver, wherein the system unit is wirelessly coupled to the device by way of the first wireless transceiver wirelessly coupling to the second wireless transceiver, and the system unit comprises a display, and
the first wireless transceiver is contained within a probe unit enclosure, and the probe unit enclosure does not include a display panel.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the device receives light and the detector converts the light into digital signal information, and the device transmits the digital signal information wirelessly to the system unit via the first wireless transceiver.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the system unit receives the digital signal information from the device via the second wireless transceiver, the system unit processes the digital signal information using a processing circuit of the system unit to obtain an oxygen saturation value, and the oxygen saturation value is displayed on the system unit.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein to process the digital signal information using a processing circuit of the system unit, the system unit stores executable code to perform spatially resolved spectroscopy on the digital signal information and executes the executable code to calculate an oxygen saturation value using spatially resolved spectroscopy.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein the device comprises a first wired connector, which is outside of the elongated tube.

9. A system comprising the device of claim 8 and comprising:
a system unit, comprising a second wireless transceiver, wherein the system unit is capable of being wirelessly coupled to the device by way of the first wireless transceiver wirelessly coupling to the second wireless transceiver,
the device is capable of being coupled to the system unit using a cable coupling the first wired connector to a second wired connector of the system unit, and
when the cable is used to connect the device to the system unit, a wireless link between the device and system unit is disabled, and digital signal information from the device is transmitted by cable from the device to the system unit.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the device comprises a battery as a power source for the first wireless transceiver.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein the elongated tube comprises a first cross-section transverse to the longitudinal direction, and the first cross-section comprises a first length, and
the first wireless transceiver comprises a second cross-section having a second length that is larger than the first length.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein the elongated tube comprises stainless steel.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein a length of the elongated tube is greater than the diameter of the tube.

14. The device of claim 1 comprising an optical fiber coupled to the emitter and extending through the elongated tube from the emitter to the proximal end.

15. The device of claim 14 comprising an electrical conductor coupled to the detector and extending from the detector to the proximal end.

16. The device of claim 1 comprising an electrical conductor coupled to the detector and extending from the detector to the proximal end.

17. The device of claim 16 comprising a fluid gap between the electrical conductor and an interior wall of the elongated tube.

18. The device of claim 1 wherein the first wireless transceiver is contained within a probe unit enclosure, and the probe unit enclosure does not include a display panel.

19. The device of claim 1 wherein the first wireless transceiver is contained within a probe unit enclosure, and a length of the elongated tube is longer than a length of the probe unit enclosure.

20. The device of claim 1 wherein the elongated tube comprises an exterior diameter that is tapered and the uniform diameter is along the interior tubular space along the longitudinal direction between the proximal and distal ends of the elongated tube.

21. The device of claim 1 wherein the uniform diameter comprises a constant value for an entire length of the elongated tube, from the distal end to the proximal end.

22. The device of claim 1 wherein the elongated tube comprises only a single passageway extending from the distal end to proximal end.

23. A device comprising:
an elongated tube, comprising a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the elongated tube comprises a uniform diameter along a longitudinal direction between the proximal and distal ends, and an opening is at the distal end;
an oximeter sensor, wherein the oximeter sensor comprises
an emitter, positioned in the elongated tube, and
a detector, positioned in the elongated tube, wherein the detector comprises a light-to-electrical-current converter and faces the opening at the distal end of the elongated tube;
a printed circuit board, within an interior tubular space of the elongated tube;
an amplifier circuit, positioned on the printed circuit board within the interior tubular space of the elongated tube, wherein the amplifier circuit is coupled to the detector and is closer to the distal end than the proximal end of the elongated tube; and
a first wireless transceiver, coupled to the proximal end of the elongated tube, wherein the first wireless transceiver is outside of the elongated tube.

24. A system comprising the device of claim 23 and comprising:
a system unit, comprising a second wireless transceiver, wherein the system unit is wirelessly coupled to the device by way of the first wireless transceiver wirelessly coupling to the second wireless transceiver.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the device receives light and the detector converts the light into digital signal information, and the device transmits the digital signal information wirelessly to the system unit via the first wireless transceiver.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the system unit receives the digital signal information from the device via the second wireless transceiver, the system unit

Assignees

• Vioptix Inc

Inventors

• Bechtel Kate Leeann
• Harris Todd Louis
• Solomon Edward Gerald
• Sun Winston
• Baldwin Alan
• Coleridge Scott
• Lonsinger Mark

Classifications

• A61B5/1459 Primary

  invasive, e.g. introduced into the body by a catheter · CPC title

• A61B1/00006

  of control signals · CPC title

• A61B1/00016

  using wireless means · CPC title

• A61B1/00032

  internally powered · CPC title

• A61B1/00052

  positioned at proximal end of the endoscope body · CPC title