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US 10,548,504 B2Granted
Overlaid multi sensor radio frequency (RF) electrode system to measure tissue compression
AssigneeEthicon, Inc.
InventorsFrederick E. Shelton, IV, David C. Yates, Jason L. Harris
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A tissue compression sensor system is disclosed. The tissue compression system includes an RF electrode positioned on an end-effector; a first electrical contact positioned on one of an anvil or a channel frame of the end-effector; and a first filter communicatively coupled to the first electrical contact.
Claims15
A tissue compression sensor system comprising:
- an RF electrode positioned on an end-effector;
- a first electrical contact positioned on one of an anvil or a channel frame of the end-effector;
- a first filter communicatively coupled to the first electrical contact;
- a second electrical contact positioned on another of the anvil or the channel frame of the end-effector;
- a second filter communicatively coupled to the second electrical contact;
- and
- a multiplexer configured to overlay two or more RF tissue monitoring signals and transmitting the overlaid two or more RF tissue monitoring signals to the end-effector, and
- a controller coupled to the multiplexer,
- wherein a frequency of each of the two or more RF tissue monitoring signals is in a range of 100 kHz to 20 MHz, and
- wherein each of the two or more RF tissue monitoring signals is at a different frequency,
- wherein the controller is configured to simultaneously measure a first impedance at a first frequency and a second impedance at a second frequency using the RF electrode, and
- wherein the controller is further configured to determine a vertical tissue compression based on the first impedance and a lateral tissue compression based on the second impedance.
9 more elements
A method for sensing tissue compression, the method comprising:
- clamping tissue between two jaws of an end-effector, the jaws of the end-effector comprising an anvil, a channel frame, and an RF electrode for measuring impedance of the tissue,
- overlaying, by a controller, two or more RF tissue monitoring signals on a multiplexer and transmitting the overlaid RF tissue monitoring signals to the end-effector;
- returning the overlaid two or more RF tissue monitoring signals on a common return path via electrical contacts on at least one of the anvil or the channel frame of the end-effector;
- and
- filtering, by two or more filters, the overlaid two or more RF tissue monitoring signals prior to joining the RF tissue monitoring signals on the common return path,
- wherein a frequency of each of the two or more RF tissue monitoring signals is in a range of 100 kHz to 20 MHz, wherein each of the two or more RF tissue monitoring signals is at a different frequency,
- simultaneously measuring a first impedance at a first frequency and a second impedance at a second frequency using the RF electrode,
- determining a vertical tissue compression based on the first impedance, and
- determining a lateral tissue compression based on the second impedance.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.