Surgical instrument with digital data interface

US9131953B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Erbe Elektromedizin GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Thomas Baur · Rottenburg am Neckar, DE
• Marc Kegreiss · Lörrach, DE
• Peter Selig · Hechingen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 21, 2012
• Grant date: Sep 15, 2015
• Expiry date: Jan 27, 2034

Classification

• Technology area (CPC A): Human Necessities
• CPC primary: A61B2018/00916
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A surgical instrument that comprises at least one microcontroller arranged in the handle of the instrument and that communicates with the surgical apparatus—without the interposition of a radio link via the cable that already exists between the surgical apparatus and the surgical instrument. Safe data transmission is ensured not only in the high-interference environment of an active RF surgical apparatus, but also in, for example, water jet, argon plasma and cryosurgical apparatuses, endoscopes. A differential transmission technique is selected, wherein one or more conductor pairs (insulated conductors) are utilized, one of the conductors of said conductor pairs transmitting the signal and the other transmitting the inverted signal. By subtracting the two signals, the actual data signal is yielded on the receiver side. If feedback interferences from the environment act on the data transmission link, the subtractions performed on the respective receivers cancels out the interferences.