Energy module for driving multiple energy modalities through a port

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12239353-B2
Application number	US-201916562195-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 5, 2019
Priority date	Sep 7, 2018
Publication date	Mar 4, 2025
Grant date	Mar 4, 2025

Abstract

An energy module connectable to a surgical instrument is disclosed. The energy module can include a circuit, which can include a first amplifier and a second amplifier coupled to a port of the energy module to which a surgical instrument is connectable. The first amplifier can be configured to generate a first drive signal at a first frequency range and the second amplifier can be configured to generate a second drive signal at a second frequency range. The circuit can be configured to control the amplifiers to deliver the first drive signal, the second drive signal, and/or a combination of the first and second drive signals to a surgical instrument connected to the port.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An energy module of a modular energy system, the energy module configured to connect to a surgical instrument, the energy module comprising:
a port for connecting the surgical instrument to the energy module, wherein the port comprises:
a first contact pin for engaging a first electrical connector of the surgical instrument; and
a second contact pin for engaging a second electrical connector of the surgical instrument, wherein the second contact pin is electrically isolated from the first contact pin; and

a circuit comprising:
a first amplifier coupled to the first contact pin, the first amplifier configured to generate a first drive signal at a first frequency range; and
a second amplifier coupled to the second contact pin, the second amplifier configured to generate a second drive signal at a second frequency range;

wherein the circuit is configured to:
control the first amplifier to deliver the first drive signal to the surgical instrument through the port via the first contact pin;
control the second amplifier to deliver the second drive signal to the surgical instrument through the port via the second contact pin; and
control both the first amplifier and the second amplifier to concurrently deliver the first drive signal to the surgical instrument through the port via the first contact pin and deliver the second drive signal to the surgical instrument through the port via the second contact pin.

2. The energy module of claim 1 , wherein:
the circuit further comprises an isolated circuit portion that electrically isolates the port from the first amplifier and the second amplifier; and
the isolated circuit portion comprises:
a first isolation transformer coupled to the first amplifier, the first isolation transformer configured to transmit the first drive signal from the first amplifier to the port; and
a second isolation transformer coupled to the second amplifier, the second isolation transformer configured to transmit the second drive signal from the second amplifier to the port.

3. The energy module of claim 1 , wherein:
the first amplifier comprises an ultrasonic amplifier configured to generate an ultrasonic drive signal configured to ultrasonically oscillate an ultrasonic transducer of the surgical instrument; and
the second amplifier comprises a bipolar amplifier configured to generate a bipolar drive signal configured to cause bipolar electrodes of the surgical instrument to deliver bipolar energy.

4. The energy module of claim 1 , wherein:
the energy module is configured to engage a header module such that, when engaged together, the energy module and the header module are communicably coupled; and
the circuit is configured to deliver the first drive signal, the second drive signal, or a combination of the first drive signal and the second drive signal to the surgical instrument connected to the energy module according to control signals received from the header module.

5. The energy module of claim 1 , wherein the circuit further comprises a relay assembly configured to selectively couple the second amplifier to the port.

6. The energy module of claim 1 , wherein the port further comprises: a third contact pin for engaging a third electrical connector of the surgical instrument, wherein the third contact pin is electrically coupled to each of the first amplifier and the second amplifier, wherein the third contact pin is configured to serve as a return for each of the first amplifier and the second amplifier, and wherein the circuit is configured to simultaneously deliver the first drive signal through the first contact pin and the second drive signal through the second contact pin.

7. An energy module circuit for an energy module of a modular energy system, the energy module comprising a port connectable to a surgical instrument, the port comprising a first contact pin and a second contact pin, the energy module circuit comprising:
a first amplifier coupled to the first contact pin, the first amplifier configured to generate a first drive signal at a first frequency range; and
a second amplifier coupled to the second contact pin, the second amplifier configured to generate a second drive signal at a second frequency range;
wherein the energy module circuit is configured to:
control the first amplifier to deliver the first drive signal to the surgical instrument through the port via the first contact pin;
control the second amplifier to deliver the second drive signal to the surgical instrument through the port via the second contact pin; and
control both the first amplifier and the second amplifier to concurrently deliver the first drive signal to the surgical instrument through the port via the first contact pin and deliver the second drive signal to the surgical instrument through the port via the second contact pin.

8. The energy module circuit of claim 7 , further comprising:
an isolated circuit portion that electrically isolates the port from the first amplifier and the second amplifier; and
the isolated circuit portion comprises:
a first isolation transformer coupled to the first amplifier, the first isolation transformer configured to transmit the first drive signal from the first amplifier to the port; and
a second isolation transformer coupled to the second amplifier, the second isolation transformer configured to transmit the second drive signal from the second amplifier to the port.

9. The energy module circuit of claim 7 , wherein:
the first amplifier comprises an ultrasonic amplifier configured to generate an ultrasonic drive signal configured to ultrasonically oscillate an ultrasonic transducer of the surgical instrument; and
the second amplifier comprises a bipolar amplifier configured to generate a bipolar drive signal configured to cause bipolar electrodes of the surgical instrument to deliver bipolar energy.

10. The energy module circuit of claim 7 , wherein:
the energy module is configured to engage a header module such that, when engaged together, the energy module and the header module are communicably coupled; and
the energy module circuit is configured to deliver the first drive signal, the second drive signal, or a combination of the first drive signal and the second drive signal to the surgical instrument connected to the energy module according to control signals received from the header module.

11. The energy module circuit of claim 7 , further comprising a relay assembly configured to selectively couple the second amplifier to the port.

12. The energy module circuit of claim 7 , wherein the port further comprises a third contact pin electrically coupled to each of the first amplifier and the second amplifier, wherein the third contact pin is configured to serve as a return for each of the first amplifier and the second amplifier wherein each of the first contact pin, the second contact pin, and the third contact pin are configured to engage a different connector of the surgical instrument, and wherein the energy module circuit is configured to simultaneous deliver the first drive signal through the first contact pin and the second drive signal through the second contact pin.

13. An energy module of a modular energy system, the energy module configured to connect to a surgical instrument for driving one or more energy modalities deliverable by the surgical instrument, the energy module comprising:
a port comprising a first electrical contact and a second electrical contact; and
a circuit comprising:
a first circuit portion configured to generate a first drive signal, the first drive signal configured to drive a first energy modality; and

Assignees

• Cilag Gmbh Int

Inventors

• Henderson Joshua
• Morgan Joshua P
• Carroll Andrew W
• Aldridge Jeffrey L
• Wiener Eitan T
• Asher Ryan M
• Schulte John B
• Hein John E
• Hoch James R

Classifications

• H04B5/72

  for local intradevice communication · CPC title

• H05K5/30

  Side-by-side or stacked arrangements · CPC title

• A61B17/072

  for applying a row of staples in a single action, e.g. the staples being applied simultaneously · CPC title

• H05K7/023

  Stackable modules · CPC title

• G06F8/65

  Updates (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) · CPC title