Surgical end effector detection
AssigneeGyrus Medical Limited
InventorMatthew RUNNALLS
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Abstract
A surgical instrument including a means for determining the presence of an end effector and determining the type of end effector which is coupled to the surgical instrument handpiece. The end effector includes a ring-shaped magnet, and the handpiece includes a hall-effect sensor for determining the presence and magnitude of the magnetic field produced by the ring-shaped magnet. This allows the end effector to be characterised even where the end effector is rotatably coupled to the handpiece of the surgical instrument.
Claims20
An electrosurgical end effector for rotatably coupling to a surgical instrument handpiece, the surgical instrument handpiece comprising a hall effect sensor, the electrosurgical end effector comprising:
- a distal end;
- a proximal end comprising:
- a ring-shaped magnet;
- a connection means configured for rotatably coupling to the surgical instrument handpiece.
A method of detecting the coupling of an electrosurgical end effector comprising a ring-shaped magnet to a surgical instrument handpiece, the method comprising:
- detecting, using a hall-effect sensor, the presence of a magnetic field produced by the ring-shaped magnet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.