Modular surgical energy system with module positional awareness sensing with time counter
A modular surgical system for use in a surgical procedure is disclosed. The modular surgical system includes a control module, a first surgical module arrangeable in a stack configuration with the control module, and a second surgical module arrangeable in a stack configuration with the control module and the first surgical module. The first surgical module includes a first counter module, a first stop-counter module configured to receive a sequence signal that causes the first stop-counter module to disable the first counter module from incrementing at a first final count, and a first delay module. The second surgical module includes a second counter module and a second stop-counter module configured to receive the sequence signal from the first surgical module after a predetermined delay. The sequence signal causes the second stop-counter module to disable the second counter module from incrementing at a second final count.
1. A modular surgical system for use in a surgical procedure, the modular surgical system comprising:
a control module configured to output pulse signals and a sequence signal;
a first surgical module arrangeable in a stack configuration with the control module, the first surgical module comprising:
a first counter module configured to increment in response to the pulse signals;
a first stop-counter module configured to receive the sequence signal that causes the first stop-counter module to disable the first counter module from incrementing at a first final count, wherein the first final count corresponds to a physical position of the first surgical module in the stack configuration; and
a first delay module; and
a second surgical module arrangeable in the stack configuration with the control module and the first surgical module, the second surgical module comprising:
a second counter module configured to increment in response to the pulse signals; and
a second stop-counter module configured to receive the sequence signal from the first surgical module after a predetermined delay caused by the first delay module, wherein the sequence signal causes the second stop-counter module to disable the second counter module from incrementing at a second final count, wherein the second final count corresponds to a physical position of the second surgical module in the stack configuration.
2. The modular surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the second final count corresponds to a physical position of the second surgical module in the stack configuration different than the physical position of the first surgical module.
3. The modular surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the control module comprises a pulse generator configured to produce the pulse signals that cause the first counter module and the second counter module to increment.
4. The modular surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the control module is configured to generate a timing signal that causes the first counter module and the second counter module to increment.
5. The modular surgical system of claim 4 , wherein the predetermined delay is measured in a number of timing-signal pulses.
6. The modular surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the control module comprises a start sequence module configured to generate the sequence signal.
7. The modular surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the first delay module is implemented as a logic latch or a logic flip-flop.
8. The modular surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the first stop-counter module is implemented as a logic latch or a logic flip-flop.
9. The modular surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the sequence signal is transmitted from the control module to the second surgical module through the first surgical module.
10. The modular surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the second final count is different from the first final count.
11. The modular surgical system of claim 1 , further comprising a display, wherein the display is configured to visually represent a physical position of the first surgical module relative to the control module based on the first final count and visually represent a physical position of the second surgical module relative to the control module based on the second final count.
12. A modular surgical system for use in a surgical procedure, the modular surgical system comprising:
a control module, comprising:
a pulse generator module configured to produce pulse signals; and
a start sequence module configured to generate a sequence signal;
a first surgical module, wherein the control module is stackable with the first surgical module, and wherein the first surgical modules comprises:
a first counter module operably coupleable to the pulse generator module, wherein the first counter module is configured to increment in response to the pulse signals;
a first stop-counter module operably coupleable to the start sequence module, wherein the first stop-counter module is configured to prevent the first counter module from incrementing in response to the pulse signals, based on the first stop-counter module receiving the sequence signal; and
a first delay module operably coupleable to the start sequence module; and
a second surgical module, wherein the first surgical module is stackable with the second surgical module, and wherein the second surgical module comprises:
a second counter module operably coupleable to the pulse generator module, wherein the second counter module is configured to increment in response to the pulse signals; and
a second stop-counter module operably coupled to the first delay module, wherein the second stop-counter module is configured to prevent the second counter module from incrementing in response to the pulse signals, based on the second stop-counter module receiving the sequence signal, and wherein the second stop-counter module is configured to receive the sequence signal from the first delay module at a predetermined time after the first delay module receives the sequence signal from the start sequence module.
13. The modular surgical system of claim 12 , wherein:
the first counter module is configured to set a first final count corresponding to the increment of the first counter module after the first counter module is prevented from incrementing; and
the second counter module is configured to set a second final count corresponding to the increment of the second counter module after the second counter module is prevented from incrementing.
14. The modular surgical system of claim 13 , wherein:
the first final count corresponds to a physical position of the first surgical module relative to the control module; and
the second final count corresponds to a physical position of the second surgical module relative to the control module.
15. The module surgical system of claim 13 , wherein the first final count and the second final count are different.
16. The modular surgical system of claim 13 , further comprising a display, wherein the display is configured to visually represent a physical position of the first surgical module relative to the control module based on the first final count and visually represent a physical position of the second surgical module relative to the control module based on the second final count.
17. The modular surgical system of claim 16 , wherein the predetermined time is measured in a number of pulse signals.
18. The modular surgical system of claim 12 , wherein the first delay module comprises a logic latch or a logic flip-flop.
19. The module surgical system of claim 12 , wherein the first surgical module comprises an energy module comprising a port, wherein an electrosurgical surgical instrument is coupleable to the port.