Electronic controlled surgical power tool

A surgical power tool comprising

• a control unit including a power source,
• a hand held motor unit including an electric motor and a rotatable shaft driven by said motor,
• a housing enclosing said motor including a cavity,
• a speed control in said housing, said speed control including a resistive network in said cavity connected to said control system;
• a layer of textured semi-conductive material which cooperates with said resistive network to vary electrical resistance with applied physical pressure;
• and
• a flexible cover plate overlying said network and semi-conductive material whereby pressure on said cover plate varies the electrical resistance of said network and the speed of said motor and wherein said flexible cover plate seals said cavity without any switches exposed and whereby said housing is autoclavable and wherein said rotatable shaft includes a receptacle and said power tool further includes a plurality of tool modules configured to fit in said receptacle, at least some of said tool modules including a magnet, and a single Hall effect sensor in said housing connected to said control unit for identifying which of several of said tool modules is in said receptacle.

A surgical power tool comprising:

• a power source;
• a hand held motor unit connected to said power source said motor unit including an electrical motor;
• a housing for said motor;
• a rotatable shaft driven by said motor and a receptacle in said shaft;
• a plurality of modules, any one of which may be selectively inserted into said receptacle and a magnet of selected field strength and polarity in certain of said modules inserted in said receptacle;
• and
• a magnetic field sensor responsive to multiple levels of magnetic field strength;
• said magnetic field sensor being positioned in said housing in the region of said receptacle for sensing the presence and, magnetic field strength of a magnet and thereby identifying the particular module in said receptacle;
• said sensor connected to said power source to control said electrical motor.

A surgical power tool comprising:

• a control unit including a power source;
• a hand held motor unit connected to said power source including a housing including a cavity and an electrically driven motor in said housing;
• a rotatable shaft driven by said motor, said shaft including a receptacle;
• a plurality of tool modules, any one or which may be selectively inserted into said receptacle,
• a magnet in at least some of said modules, said magnets being of varying strengths in different modules;
• a Hall effect sensor in said housing connected to said control unit and positioned to sense the magnetic strength of a magnet in said receptacle for identifying the particular module in the receptacle;
• a speed control in said housing, said speed control including a conductive circuit network in said cavity connected to said control system and a layer of textured semi-conductive material in said cavity which cooperates with said semi-conductive material to vary resistance with applied physical pressure;
• and
• a cover plate overlying said network and semi-conductive material in cavity sealed relationship with said housing;
• said cover plate and housing being impervious to moisture and said speed control and motor being unaffected by autoclave temperatures
• whereby said entire power tool may be autoclaved.

A handheld motor unit for driving powered surgical instruments comprising:

• a motor;
• a shaft driven by said motor;
• a receptacle on said shaft for receiving a variety of surgical tool modules to be driven by said motor;
• a housing for said motor;
• said housing being sealed with said shaft, receptacle and a source of power extending outside of said sealed housing;
• said housing having a proximal end and a distal end and including a flexible wall portion;
• said flexible wall portion having a pattern thereon tapering in size along the length thereof;
• variable electrical resistance means within said housing in the region of said flexible wall portion and connected to said source of power;
• said variable electrical resistance means being responsive to variable deflection of said flexible wall portion corresponding to the taper of the pattern on the surface of said flexible wall portion to similarly vary the speed of said motor and;
• a surgical tool in said receptacle.

A powered surgical tool drive system comprising:

• a control unit including a power source;
• a handheld motor unit including a motor and a rotatable drive shaft driven by said motor;
• a receptacle on said drive shaft for holding any one of a plurality of surgical tools;
• a housing for said handheld motor unit sealing said motor unit within said housing except for an outwardly extending driving portion of said shaft and said receptacle and power supply for said motor from said control unit;
• said housing having a flexible wall portion;
• finger pressure operated motor controls for said motor within said housing positioned beneath said flexible wall portion to be operated by flexing said flexible wall portion with finger pressure while holding said handheld unit;
• a Hall effect device within said housing and positioned in the region of said receptacle for surgical tools;
• a series of surgical tools including portions dimensioned for mounting in said receptacle and for rotation by said shaft;
• at least some of said surgical tools each including magnetic means of different magnetic field strength in the portion of the surgical tool positioned in the region of said Hall effect device while in said receptacle;
• and
• means in said system responsive to the detection of the field strength of said magnetic means by said Hall effect device for controlling the operation of the motor consistent with the operating characteristics of such surgical tool.

In a surgical power tool including a power source, a handheld motor unit connected to said power source and including a receptacle for receiving a variety of surgical tools to be operated by said handheld motor unit;

• the improvement wherein said handheld unit includes radiation detection means in the region of said receptacle;
• said radiation detection means being capable of distinguishing radiation of a plurality of different levels and
• a variety of surgical tool modules include a proximal end configured to be received by said receptacle, certain of said surgical tool modules include a radiation source of different radiation levels therein detectable by said radiation detector;
• said radiation source coupled to said power source to control the operation of said motor unit consistent with the operating standards of the surgical tool module presently in the receptacle.