Granted Patent B2

US 8,197,502 · App. 13/072,187 · Granted Jun 12, 2012

Assignee: Covidien AG

Abstract

Claims (74)

1. A method of maintaining a constant movement of a cutting blade of an ultrasonic waveguide, which comprises:

providing:

an ultrasonic transducer operable to convert a received motional current into a movement of a cutting blade of an ultrasonic waveguide, the ultrasonic transducer having a first capacitance in a parallel configuration with a series configuration of a resistance, an inductance, and a second capacitance, wherein the motional current flows through the series configuration;

a measurement circuit connected in a parallel configuration with the ultrasonic transducer and comprising a third capacitance in a parallel configuration with the first capacitance;

supplying current through a set of connection points of the parallel configuration with a variable power source to, thereby, create the motional current in the ultrasonic transducer, the variable power source being coupled to the third capacitance and the ultrasonic transducer; and

regulating the motional current with a current controller by varying an output of the power source based upon a product of the current flowing through the third capacitance multiplied by a ratio between a value of the first capacitance and a value of the third capacitance subtracted from a total current flowing into the ultrasonic transducer, thereby maintaining a substantially constant rate of movement of the cutting blade across a variety of cutting loads.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:

the current controller comprises a processor; and

the variable power source comprises a phase locked loop communicatively coupled to the processor, and which further comprises:

determining a frequency of movement of the cutting blade with the phase locked loop; and

storing a last frequency of blade movement in a memory communicatively coupled to the processor.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the variable power source comprises a removable battery.

4. The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises providing a disposable handle body with:

a portion defining a battery-holding compartment having at least two battery contacts;

a waveguide attachment dock exposed to the environment and shaped to accept the ultrasonic waveguide therein;

a transducer attachment dock exposed to the environment and shaped to place the ultrasonic transducer in coaxial alignment with the ultrasonic waveguide when the ultrasonic waveguide is disposed within the waveguide attachment dock; and

an ultrasonic-signal-generator assembly dock exposed to the environment and shaped to substantially simultaneously:

selectively removably secure at least the ultrasonic transducer to the handle body;

place an end of the ultrasonic transducer within the transducer attachment dock; and

electrically couple at least the ultrasonic transducer to the at least two battery contacts.

5. A method of maintaining a constant movement of a cutting blade of an ultrasonic waveguide, which comprises:

providing:

an ultrasonic transducer operable to convert a received motional current into a movement of a cutting blade of an ultrasonic waveguide, the ultrasonic transducer having a first capacitance in a parallel configuration with a series configuration of a resistance, an inductance and a second capacitance, whereby the motional current flows through the series configuration; and

a third capacitance in a parallel configuration with the first capacitance;

supplying current through a set of connection points of the parallel configuration with a variable power source coupled to the third capacitance and the ultrasonic transducer to, thereby, create the motional current in the ultrasonic transducer; and

regulating the motional current with a current controller by varying an output of the power source based upon a product of the current flowing through the third capacitance multiplied by a ratio between a value of the first capacitance and a value of the third capacitance subtracted from a total current flowing into the ultrasonic transducer, thereby maintaining a substantially constant rate of movement of the cutting blade across a variety of cutting loads.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein:

the current controller comprises a processor; and

the variable power source comprises a phase locked loop communicatively coupled to the processor, and which further comprises:

determining a frequency of movement of the cutting blade with the phase locked loop; and

storing a last frequency of blade movement in a memory communicatively coupled to the processor.

7. The method according to claim 5 , which further comprises:

providing a clamping mechanism having a range of clamping force values and being operable to place material in physical contact with the cutting blade;

communicatively coupling the current controller to the clamping mechanism; and

varying the motional current with the current controller based upon a given clamping value within the range of clamping values.

8. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the variable power source comprises a removable battery.

9. The method according to claim 5 , which further comprises providing a disposable handle body with:

a portion defining a battery-holding compartment having at least two battery contacts;

a waveguide attachment dock exposed to the environment and shaped to accept the ultrasonic waveguide therein;

a transducer attachment dock exposed to the environment and shaped to place the ultrasonic transducer in coaxial alignment with the ultrasonic waveguide when the ultrasonic waveguide is disposed within the waveguide attachment dock; and

an ultrasonic-signal-generator assembly dock exposed to the environment and shaped to substantially simultaneously:

selectively removably secure at least the ultrasonic transducer to the handle body;

place an end of the ultrasonic transducer within the transducer attachment dock; and

electrically couple at least the ultrasonic transducer to the at least two battery contacts.

10. A method of maintaining a constant movement of a cutting blade of an ultrasonic waveguide, which comprises:

providing:

an ultrasonic transducer operable to convert a received motional current into a movement of a cutting blade of an ultrasonic waveguide;

a removable battery;

a disposable handle body with:

a portion defining a battery-holding compartment shaped to removably receive the battery therein; and

operable to removably couple the ultrasonic transducer to the ultrasonic waveguide, the ultrasonic transducer being separable from the handle body;

the ultrasonic transducer having a first capacitance in a parallel configuration with a series configuration of a resistance, an inductance and a second capacitance, whereby the motional current flows through the series configuration; and

a third capacitance in a parallel configuration with the first capacitance;

supplying current through a set of connection points of the parallel configuration with a variable power source coupled to the third capacitance and the ultrasonic transducer to, thereby, create the motional current in the ultrasonic transducer; and

regulating the motional current with a current controller by varying an output of the power source based upon a product of the current flowing through the third capacitance multiplied by a ratio between a value of the first capacitance and a value of the third capacitance subtracted from a total current flowing into the ultrasonic transducer, thereby maintaining a substantially constant rate of movement of the cutting blade across a variety of cutting loads.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein:

the current controller comprises a processor; and

the variable power source comprises a phase locked loop communicatively coupled to the processor, and which further comprises:

determining a frequency of movement of the cutting blade with the phase locked loop; and

storing a last frequency of blade movement in a memory communicatively coupled to the processor.

12. The method according to claim 10 , which further comprises:

providing a clamping mechanism having a range of clamping force values and being operable to place material in physical contact with the cutting blade;

communicatively coupling the current controller to the clamping mechanism; and

varying the motional current with the current controller based upon a given clamping value within the range of clamping values.

13. A method of maintaining a constant movement of a cutting blade of an ultrasonic waveguide, which comprises:

providing:

an ultrasonic transducer operable to convert a received motional current into a movement of a cutting blade of an ultrasonic waveguide;

a clamping mechanism having a range of clamping force values and being operable to place material in physical contact with the cutting blade;

a current controller communicatively coupled to the clamping mechanism; and

a measurement circuit connected in a parallel configuration with the ultrasonic transducer;

supplying current through a set of connection points of the parallel configuration with a variable power source to, thereby, create the motional current in the ultrasonic transducer;

varying the motional current with the current controller based upon a given clamping value within the range of clamping values; and

regulating the motional current with the current controller by varying an output of the power source, thereby maintaining a substantially constant rate of movement of the cutting blade across a variety of cutting loads.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the variable power source comprises a removable battery.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (25)