Surgical adapter assemblies and wireless detection of surgical loading units
AssigneeCovidien LP
InventorsAnthony Calderoni, John Pantazis, Luis Dussan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An adapter assembly includes an elongated body configured to couple to a handle assembly and a loading unit assembly. The adapter assembly includes an oscillator configured to output a voltage signal. A sensor determines a connection status of the loading unit assembly coupled to the adapter assembly based on a change in the voltage signal. The voltage signal includes a rectified voltage output and an induced voltage output and changes in response to the approximation of a winding disposed within a loading unit assembly to the oscillator.
Claims21
1-20. (canceled)
A surgical instrument, comprising:
- an elongated body having a proximal portion and a distal portion, wherein the distal portion is configured to couple to a loading unit assembly;
- an oscillator disposed within the elongated body and configured to output a voltage signal;
- and
- a sensor disposed within the elongated body and configured to determine a connection status of a loading unit assembly coupled to the elongated body based on a change in the voltage signal.
A surgical system comprising:
- a surgical loading unit including:
- a memory configured to store a parameter of the surgical loading unit;
- and
- a winding;
- and
- a surgical instrument configured to couple to the surgical loading unit, the surgical instrument including:
- an oscillator configured to wirelessly couple to the winding and to output a voltage signal;
- and
- a sensor configured to determine a connection status of the surgical loading unit based on a change in the voltage signal due to wireless coupling of the winding and the oscillator.
A method for wireless detection of a surgical loading unit being coupled to a surgical instrument, the method comprising:
- generating a signal at an oscillator circuit disposed within a surgical instrument;
- measuring a parameter of the oscillator circuit;
- inserting a surgical loading unit including a winding into the surgical instrument, thereby altering the parameter to generate an altered parameter;
- measuring the altered parameter;
- determining a difference between the parameter and the altered parameter;
- and
- determining presence of the surgical loading unit based on the difference.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.