Electrosurgical instrument and an electrosurgical electrode assembly
AssigneeGyrus Medical Limited
InventorsNigel Mark Goble, Colin Charles Owen Goble
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electrosurgical instrument primarily intended for so-called "underwater" electrosurgery has a radio frequency generator, a handpiece, and an electrode assembly detachably mounted to the handpiece. Different electrode assemblies may be selected according to the surgical procedure to be performed. To adapt the generator characteristics for improved electrosurgical performance, each electrode assembly contains an identification element such as a capacitor of unique value which is sensed by the generator. Inside the generator, the sensed capacitor value causes the selection of operating parameters, preferably a nominal generator output power and a peak voltage limit, to suit the selected electrode assembly.
Claims35
An electrosurgical instrument comprising:
- a first unit including a generator for generating radio frequency power, and
- a second unit including an electrode assembly, the second unit being detachably connectible to the first unit such that radio frequency power can be conveyed to the elctrode assembly,
- wherein the second unit includes a passive electrical identification component having a parameter of a finite non-zero value indicative of a characteristic of the electrode assembly, and
- the first unit includes a sensing circuit including a second passive electrical component and an oscillator, the second component forming a resonant circuit with the identification component when the second unit is connected to the first unit and the oscillator oscillating at the resonant circuit's resonant frequency, the sensing circuit generating an output signal based on the oscillator's oscillating frequency and being representative of the parameter value, the first unit further including a controller connected to the sensing circuit and receiving the output signal, the controller being configured to adjust the output of the generator in response to the output signal from the sensing circuit so as to suit the indicated electrode assembly characteristic.
An electrode assembly for an electrosurgical instrument comprising:
- at least one electrode,
- a mounting portion for detachably securing the assembly to an another part of the instrument, and
- a passive electrical identification component arranged to form a resonant circuit with a reactive component in a sensing circuit associated with said other part of the instrument, the sensing circuit including an oscillator oscillating at the resonant circuit's resonant frequency, the identification element having a parameter of a finite non-zero value indicative of the assembly.
An electrosurgical generator for use with a plurality of different electrode assemblies including respective electrical identification components having different finite non-zero parameter values indicative of the characteristics of the electrode assemblies, wherein the generator includes
- a sensing circuit configured to include a reactive component which forms a resonant circuit with an electrode assembly's respective electrical identification component when the electrode assembly is connected to the generator and an oscillator oscillating at the resonant circuit's resonant frequency, the sensing circuit generating a signal based on the oscillator's oscillating frequency and being representative of the parameter values, and
- a controller connected to the sensing circuit and receiving the output signal, the controller being configured to adjust the output of the generator in response to the output signal according to the indicated characteristic of an electrode assembly connected to the generator.
A method of assembling and operating an electrosurgical instrument comprising:
- providing a first unit including an oscillator, a reactive component and an electrosurgical generator for generating radio frequency power;
- providing a plurality of second units comprising different electrode assemblies each having means for detachable mounting to the first unit and each including an electrical identification component having a parameter of a finite non-zero value indicative of a characteristic of the respective assembly;
- selecting one of the second units and mounting it to the first unit thereby causing the identification component and reactive component to form a resonant circuit and the oscillator to oscillate at the resonant circuit's resonant frequency, and
- in the first unit, sensing the oscillator's oscillating frequency and thereby the said identification component parameter value and automatically adjusting the generator output in response to said sensing to suit the characteristic of the electrode assembly of the selected second unit.
A kit of parts for assembling an electrosurgical instrument, comprising a first unit including an electrosurgical generator for generating a radio frequency electrosurgical voltage, and a plurality of different second units including different electrode assemblies, each second unit including means for mounting to the first unit, wherein each second unit includes an electrical identification component having a parameter of a respective value selected from a range of finite non-zero values and indicative of a characteristic of the respective electrode assembly, and the first unit includes means for sensing the indicating parameter when a second unit is mounted to the first unit, said sensing means including a second electrical component forming a resonant circuit with the respective identification component of a second unit mounted to the first unit and an oscillator oscillating at the resonant circuit's resonant frequency, the generator including adjustment means responsive to an output signal from the sensing means based on the oscillator's oscillating frequency to adjust the output of the generator, whereby the generator output is automatically adjusted to suit the different characteristics of the electrode assemblies of the second units when they are selectively mounted to the housing according to the sensed parameter value.
An electrosurgical instrument comprising
- a first unit including a generator for generating radio frequency power, and
- a second unit including an electrode assembly, the second unit being detachably connectible to the first unit such that radio frequency power can be conveyed to the electrode assembly,
- wherein the second unit includes a passive electrical identification component having a parameter of a finite non-zero value indicative of a characteristic of the electrode assembly, and
- the first unit includes a sensing circuit responsive to the identification component when the second unit is connected to the first unit, the sensing circuit generating an output signal representative of the parameter value, the first unit further including a controller connected to the sensing circuit and receiving the output signal, the controller being configured to adjust the output of the generator in response to the output signal from the sensing circuit so as to suit the indicated electrode assembly characteristic, the sensing circuit including a reactive component which forms a resonant circuit with the identification component when the second unit is connected to the first unit, the resonant frequency of the resonant circuitry being dependent on the reactance of the identification component;
- wherein the identification component is a capacitor and the reactance component comprises a first winding of a transformer, the capacitor being connected between a first pair of contacts on the second unit, and the transformer first winding being connected between a second pair of contacts on the first unit, and
- the first and second pairs of contacts being so located that the contacts of one pair engage respective contacts of the other pair when the first unit is connected to the second unit to form the said resonant circuit.
An electrosurgical instrument comprising
- a first unit including a generator for generating radio frequency power, and
- a second unit including an electrode assembly, the second unit being detachably connectible to the first unit such that radio frequency power can be conveyed to the electrode assembly, wherein
- the second unit includes a passive electrical identification component having a parameter of a finite non-zero value indicative of a characteristic of the electrode assembly, and
- the first unit includes a sensing circuit responsive to the identification component when the second unit is connected to the first unit, the sensing circuit generating an output signal representative of the parameter value, the first unit further including a controller connected to the sensing circuit and receiving the output signal, the controller being configured to adjust the output of the generator in response to the output signal from the sensing circuit so as to suit the indicated electrode assembly characteristic,
- wherein the sensing circuit is configured to detect a plurality of different values of said parameter, and
- the controller is configured to set the output power of the generator according to the output signal provided by the sensing circuit and representative of the identification component parameter, the controller being operable to adjust the average supply voltage supplied to a radio frequency output circuit of the generator in response to the output signal of the sensing circuit, and
- wherein the generator includes a switched mode power supply, and the controller is coupled to the power supply and operable to adjust the duty cycle of the switched output in response to the output signal of the sensing circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.