Medical instrument with programmable torque control
US5543695A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 5, 1995 |
| Grant date | Aug 6, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 5, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S388/93
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A powered medical instrument includes a manually operable foot switch coupled to a motor control unit which in turn is coupled to an autoclavable handpiece containing a brushless sensorless electric motor driving a tool. The motor control arrangement includes a control panel through which a user can select a maximum torque value for the motor, and includes a torque limit circuit which limits the motor torque to the torque limit value selected by the user. The control panel also provides a digital display of actual motor speed and allows the user to digitally specify a maximum motor speed. The output of the foot switch is adjusted by a transfer function and then used to control motor speed, and the transfer function is adjusted as necessary to precisely conform the actual motor speed and thus the displayed speed to the selected maximum speed. The feedback path for the actual motor speed is entirely digital, so that a highly accurate value of actual speed is available for display and for adjustment of the transfer function.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.