System and method for transferring power to intrabody instruments

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9654183-B2
Application number	US-201514803482-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 20, 2015
Priority date	Mar 5, 2010
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

A system and method for transferring power includes a power transmitting unit for transmitting power and a power receiving unit for receiving power from the power transmitting unit. The power transmitting unit may be positioned outside a human body and the power receiving unit is located on an intrabody instrument adapted to be movable from the outside of the human body to inside the human body. The intrabody instrument may be a medical instrument connected to or incorporated within a robotic arm. The power transmitting unit may wirelessly transfer power to the power receiving unit in a continuous, non-interrupted manner.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for transferring power, the system comprising:
a power transmitting unit for transmitting power and being located outside a human body; and
an intrabody instrument positionable within the human body, the intrabody instrument including a power receiving unit for receiving power from the power transmitting unit;
wherein the intrabody instrument is operably coupled in a wireless manner to another intrabody instrument positionable within the human body such that the intrabody instruments electrically communicate with each other.

2. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a control manager for monitoring communications between the intrabody instruments; and
a plurality of information managers in operative communication with a communication manager, the communication manager transmitting control signals to the control manager based on the communications between the intrabody instruments.

3. The system according to claim 2 , further comprising one or more consoles each associated with the control manager for remotely controlling the intrabody instrument.

4. The system according to claim 2 , wherein the power transmitting unit allows a user to remotely adjust a spatial position and orientation of the intrabody instrument.

5. The system according to claim 2 , wherein the plurality of information managers continuously process spatial position and orientation information of the intrabody instrument to actuate the control manager.

6. The system according to claim 2 , wherein operations of the intrabody instrument are monitored by the control manager while at least a portion of the intrabody instrument is positioned within the human body.

7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the power transmitting unit transmits power in a plurality of different power levels associated with a plurality of different frequency signals.

8. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the power transmitting unit enables a plurality of power transmitting protocols to be chosen by a user via a configuration manager based on a plurality of surgical procedures to be performed.

9. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the configuration manager provides for dynamic real-time configuration of the intrabody instrument for a particular surgical procedure.

10. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the intrabody instrument is a medical instrument used in surgical procedures.

11. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the intrabody instrument is a robotic arm.

12. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the power transmitting unit wirelessly transfers power to the power receiving unit in a continuous, non-interrupted manner.

13. The system according to claim 12 , wherein power is wirelessly transferred by using inductive coupling power transfer methodologies permitting the power transmitting unit and the power receiving unit to share a same inductor-capacitor resonance frequency.

14. The system according to claim 12 , wherein power is wirelessly transferred by using radio frequency (RF) power transfer methodologies permitting the power transmitting unit and the power receiving unit to operate at a common frequency.

15. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising one or more data communications units for transferring data between the power transmitting unit and the power receiving unit.

16. A system for wirelessly, continuously, and non-interruptedly transferring information, the system comprising:
a robotic arm configured for positioning in a human body during surgical procedures;
a transmitting unit connected to an energy source for transmitting power, the transmitting unit further configured to transmit the information; and
a receiving unit including an energy storage unit, the receiving unit configured to receive the information from the transmitting unit, the transmitting unit positioned outside the human body and the receiving unit operatively associated with the robotic arm;
wherein the robotic arm is operably coupled in a wireless manner to another robotic arm positionable within the human body, such that the robotic arms electrically communicate with each other.

17. The system according to claim 16 , further comprising:
a control manager for monitoring communications between the robotic arms; and
a plurality of information managers in operative communication with a communication manager, the communication manager transmitting control signals to the control manager based on the communications between the robotic arms.

18. The system according to claim 17 , further comprising one or more consoles each associated with the control manager for remotely controlling the robotic arm.

19. The system according to claim 17 , wherein the plurality of information managers continuously process spatial position and orientation information of the robotic arm to actuate the control manager.

20. The system according to claim 17 , wherein operations of the robotic arm are monitored by the control manager while at least a portion of the robotic arm is positioned within the human body.

Assignees

• Covidien Lp

Inventors

• Ma Yong

Classifications

• A61B34/30

  Surgical robots · CPC title

• A61B34/37

  Leader-follower robots (A61B34/35 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61B2017/00734

  battery operated · CPC title

• A61B5/0002

  Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network (endoradiosondes A61B5/07) · CPC title

• A61B2017/00411

  actuated by application of energy from an energy source outside the body · CPC title