Surgical tool and handheld electrosurgical instrument, and method for recognizing a surgical tool
AssigneeOlympus Winter & Ibe GmbH
InventorAndreas Mückner
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A surgical tool, which can be identified in a simple and at the same time unambiguous manner. This is achieved in that a surgical tool has an electrical conductor element having a tool-specific electronic signature. An unambiguous identification of the tool is possible via this tool-specific electronic signature. Each surgical tool of the claimed type thus has a signature, using which it can be unambiguously identified.
Claims8
A surgical tool for a handheld electrosurgical instrument comprising:
- an electrical conductor element having a tool-specific electronic signature that enables an unambiguous identification of the surgical tool;
- and
- an HF generator connected to the handheld electrosurgical instrument that includes a controller configured to generate and emit an electromagnetic pulse, wherein:
- the electrical conductor element is configured to:
- receive the electromagnetic pulse;
- and
- emit the electromagnetic pulse again as an outgoing signal;
- and
- the controller of the HF generator is configured to:
- receive the outgoing signal;
- apply time domain reflectometry to determine characteristic properties of the electrical conductor element of the surgical tool;
- associate the characteristic properties of the electrical conductor element of the surgical tool with a specific tool;
- the surgical tool is configured to be detachably coupled to the handheld electrosurgical instrument and electrically connected to the HF generator;
- and
- a proximal end of the surgical tool is coupled to a distal end of a surgical toolholder.
A method for recognizing a surgical tool for a handheld electrosurgical instrument detachably coupled to the surgical tool, wherein a proximal end of the surgical tool is coupled to a distal end of a surgical toolholder and is electrically connected to an HF generator, the method comprising:
- enabling an electrical conductor element with a tool-specific electronic signature to uniquely identify the surgical tool;
- generating and emitting an electromagnetic pulse by the HF generator connected to the handheld electrosurgical instrument;
- receiving the electromagnetic pulse by the electrical conductor element;
- and
- emitting again as an outgoing signal;
- receiving the outgoing signal by the HF generator;
- determining characteristic properties of the electrical conductor element by time domain reflectometry (TDR);
- and
- associating the characteristic properties of the electrical conductor element with the surgical tool.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.