Stone disintegrator apparatus
AssigneeOlympus Optical Co., Ltd.
InventorsSyuichi Takayama, Kowji Tanikawa, Ryouji Masubuchi, Kunio Kinoshita, Minoru Shinozuka, Kenichirou Sanagi, Naoki Uchiyama, Yoshio Shishido
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A stone disintegrator apparatus has a probe with discharge electrodes and a power supply circuit for supplying a discharge voltage to the probe for causing discharge between the discharge electrodes. An electrode life detection circuit detects the number of use or discharge operations of the probe so as to determine the remaining life of the discharge electrodes. A discharge inhibit circuit inhibits re-use or discharge of the probe when the life detection circuit detects an end of electrode life.
Claims27
A stone disintegrator apparatus comprising:
- a probe having discharge electrodes;
- power supply means for applying a discharge voltage to said probe in order to allow said discharge electrodes to discharge for disintegrating a stone;
- detecting means coupled to the power supply means for establishing a service life of said probe from at least one of the number of discharges and the number of operations of said probe from its installation, and to generate an inhibit signal at the expiration of said service life;
- and
- means coupled to the detecting means for inhibiting use of said probe in response to said inhibit signal;
- wherein said probe comprises a resistor unit having a plurality of resistors which are fused at different voltages;
- said detecting means comprises resistance detecting means for measuring a resistance of said resistor unit and means for applying to said resistor unit different voltages for sequentially disconnecting said tesitors upon each predetermined number of discharge operation, said inhibit signal being generated in response to a predetermined measured value of said resistance detecting means;
- and said inhibiting means inhibits said power supply means to prevent use of the probe beyond said service life.
A stone disintegrator apparatus comprising:
- a probe having discharge electrodes;
- power supply means for applying a discharge voltage to said probe in order to allow said discharge electrodes to discharge;
- means for measuring at least one of the number of discharges and the number of operations of said probe from its installation to output a measuring signal;
- detection means including means for electrically blowing at least one member in response to the measuring signal;
- means for establishing a service life of said probe by the at least one member blown to output a service life signal;
- and
- means responsive to the establishing means for executing at least one of a plurality of operations including inhibiting use of said probe and indicating that the use of said probe has been inhibited.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.