IP Library Granted Patent US 10,263,171
Granted Patent B2
US 10,263,171 · App. 14/657,876 · Granted Apr 16, 2019

Surgical generator for ultrasonic and electrosurgical devices

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,263,171
App. No.
14/657,876
Granted
Apr 16, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method for determining motional branch current in an ultrasonic transducer of an ultrasonic surgical device over multiple frequencies of a transducer drive signal. The method may comprise, at each of a plurality of frequencies of the transducer drive signal, oversampling a current and voltage of the transducer drive signal, receiving, by a processor, the current and voltage samples, and determining, by the processor, the motional branch current based on the current and voltage samples, a static capacitance of the ultrasonic transducer and the frequency of the transducer drive signal.

Claims (71)

1. A surgical system, comprising:

a surgical device, wherein the surgical device comprises an end effector to treat tissue;

a surgical generator in communication with the surgical device, the surgical generator comprising at least one programmable logic device, wherein the at least one programmable logic device is programmed to:

provide a drive signal to drive the end effector;

receive a frequency of the drive signal; and

determine a temperature at the end effector considering the frequency of the drive signal and executing a neural network, wherein executing the neural network comprises executing a first hidden layer node and a second hidden layer node:

wherein the first hidden layer node is programmed to:

receive a set of input variables selected from a portion of a plurality of input variables, the selected set of input variables including the frequency of the drive signal;

weight at least a portion of the input variables selected from the set of input variables to generate a weighted set of input variables;

sum the weighted set of input variables to generate a first hidden layer node output; and

wherein the second hidden layer node is programmed to:

receive a set of outputs from hidden layer nodes, wherein the set of outputs from the hidden layer nodes comprises the first hidden layer node output;

weight at least a portion of the set of outputs from the hidden layer nodes to generate a weighted set of outputs from the hidden layer nodes;

sum the weighted set of outputs from the hidden layer nodes; and

apply a transform function to the sum of the weighted set of outputs from the hidden layer nodes to generate a second layer node output.

2. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein determining the temperature at the end effector comprises training a model of end effector temperature.

3. The surgical system of claim 2 , wherein training the model comprises:

providing to the model a set of input values including the frequency of the drive signal; and

comparing an output temperature of the model to a known output temperature associated with the set of input values.

4. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one programmable logic device is further programmed to receive a plurality of input variables describing the end effector, wherein the plurality of input variables describing the end effector comprises the frequency of the drive signal.

5. The surgical system of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of input variables describing the end effector further comprises at least one of a voltage of the drive signal, a current of the drive signal, a power of the drive signal, an energy of the drive signal, or an impedance of an ultrasonic transducer.

6. The surgical system of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of input variables describing the end effector further comprises at least one characteristic of the end effector.

7. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the second layer node output indicates the temperature at the end effector.

8. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein, to determine the temperature at the end effector, the at least one programmable logic device is further programmed to:

execute a third layer node, wherein the third layer node is programmed to:

receive a set of outputs from second layer nodes, wherein the set of outputs from the second layer nodes comprises the second layer node output;

weight at least a portion of the set of outputs from the second layer nodes to generate a weighted set of outputs from the second layer nodes;

sum the weighted set of outputs from the second layer nodes; and

apply a third layer node transform function to the sum of the weighted set of outputs from the second layer nodes to generate a third layer node output.

9. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one programmable logic device is further programmed to:

compare the temperature at the end effector to a temperature setpoint; and

modify the drive signal to reduce a difference between the temperature at the end effector and the temperature setpoint.

10. The surgical system of claim 9 , wherein the at least one programmable logic device is further programmed to execute a control algorithm to minimize the difference between the temperature at the end effector and the temperature setpoint.

11. The surgical system of claim 9 , wherein modifying the drive signal to reduce the difference between the temperature at the end effector and the temperature setpoint comprises modifying a current of the drive signal.

12. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the surgical device is an ultrasonic surgical device comprising an ultrasonic transducer, and wherein the surgical generator is further programmed to provide the drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer.

13. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the end effector comprises a first electrode and a second electrode, and wherein the surgical generator is further programmed to provide the drive signal to the first and second electrodes.

14. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the programmable logic device comprises at least one of a digital signal processor (DSP) or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA).

15. A method of operating a surgical device, the method comprising:

providing a drive signal to the surgical device to drive an end effector of the surgical device;

receiving a frequency of the drive signal; and

determining a temperature at the end effector considering the frequency of the drive signal, wherein determining the temperature at the end effector comprises:

receiving a set of input variables selected from a portion of a plurality of input variables, the selected set of input variables including the frequency of the drive signal;

weighting at least a portion of the input variables selected from the set of input variables to generate a weighted set of input variables;

summing the weighted set of input variables to generate a first hidden layer node output;

receiving a set of outputs from hidden layer nodes, wherein the set of outputs from the hidden layer nodes comprises the first hidden layer node output;

weighting at least a portion of the set of outputs from the hidden layer nodes to generate a weighted set of outputs from the hidden layer nodes;

summing the weighted set of outputs from the hidden layer nodes; and

applying a transform function to the sum of the weighted set of outputs from the hidden layer nodes to generate a second layer node output.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein determining the temperature at the end effector comprises training a model of end effector temperature.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising receiving a plurality of input variables describing the end effector, wherein the plurality of input variables describing the end effector comprises the frequency of the drive signal.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the second layer node output indicates the temperature at the end effector.

19. The method of claim 15 , further comprising;

comparing the temperature at the end effector to a temperature setpoint; and

modifying the drive signal to reduce a difference between the temperature at the end effector and the temperature setpoint.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein the surgical device is an ultrasonic surgical device comprising an ultrasonic transducer, and further comprising providing the drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer.

21. The method of claim 15 , wherein the end effector comprises a first electrode and a second electrode, and further comprising providing the drive signal to the first and second electrodes.

22. A surgical system, comprising:

a surgical device, wherein the surgical device comprises an end effector to treat tissue; and

a surgical generator in communication with the surgical device, the surgical generator comprising at least one programmable logic device programmed to:

provide a drive signal to drive the end effector;

receive a frequency of the drive signal; and

determine a temperature at the end effector considering the frequency of the drive signal and training a neural network model of end effector temperature, wherein training the neural network model comprises:

providing to the model a set of input values including the frequency of the drive signal and changing or varying weight values w, bias values b, and transform functions f of the set of input values such that an output temperature of the neural network model approximates a measured dependency of the output temperature for known values of the set of input values;

comparing the output temperature of the neural network model to a known output temperature associated with the set of input values; and

modifying the weight values w, the bias values b, or the transform functions f of the set of input values until an error between the output temperature of the neural network model and a corresponding measured output temperature is below a predetermined error level.

23. The surgical system of claim 22 , further comprising executing the neural network model to determine the temperature at the end effector.

24. The surgical system of claim 22 , wherein the at least one programmable logic device is further programmed to:

compare the temperature at the end effector to a temperature setpoint; and

modify the drive signal to reduce a difference between the temperature at the end effector and the temperature setpoint.

25. The surgical system of claim 24 , wherein the at least one programmable logic device is further programmed to execute a control algorithm to minimize the difference between the temperature at the end effector and the temperature setpoint.

26. The surgical system of claim 24 , wherein modifying the drive signal to reduce the difference between the temperature at the end effector and the temperature setpoint comprises modifying a current of the drive signal.

Assignments (7)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 6, 2021
From: ETHICON LLC
To: CILAG GMBH INTERNATIONAL
Reel/Frame 056983/0569 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Dec 14, 2017
From: ETHICON ENDO-SURGERY, LLC
To: ETHICON LLC
Reel/Frame 045603/0586 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jun 22, 2017
From: ETHICON ENDO-SURGERY, LLC
To: ETHICON LLC
Reel/Frame 042941/0565 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 5, 2015
From: ETHICON ENDO-SURGERY INC.
To: ETHICON ENDO-SURGERY, LLC
Reel/Frame 037219/0612 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 27, 2015
From: BROTZ, JOSEPH A.; HEIN, JOHN E.
To: PLEXUS CORP.
Reel/Frame 036439/0922 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 27, 2015
From: WIENER, EITAN T.; ALDRIDGE, JEFFREY L.; NOYES, BRIAN T.; MESSERLY, JEFFREY D.; GIORDANO, JAMES R.; BEETEL, ROBERT J., III; PRICE, NATHAN J.; MILLER, MATTHEW C.; WILEY, JEFFREY P.; PRICE, DANIEL W.; KOCH, ROBERT L., JR.
To: ETHICON ENDO-SURGERY, INC.
Reel/Frame 036500/0648 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 27, 2015
From: PLEXUS CORP.
To: ETHICON ENDO-SURGERY, INC.
Reel/Frame 036440/0106 →
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