The invention refers to a generator for supply of medical instruments with a treatment voltage and a treatment current as well as a method for producing such a treatment voltage and a treatment current.
Electrosurgical instruments, probes and the like for use in the electrical surgery are typically supplied with radio frequency alternating current. The frequency of this alternating current or the applied alternating voltage is typically over 100 kHz in order to avoid neuromuscular irritations. The power of such generators is typically remarkably over 1 W and can reach multiple 100 W.
For producing electrosurgical voltages in the range of multiple 100 kHz externally controlled generators are typically used, as for example apparent from DE 10 2008 039 884 A1. Such a generator comprises at least one oscillation circuit that is made to oscillate by means of an active transistor circuit and from which electrosurgical energy is withdrawn in a transformer-type manner. Different concepts are known in order to modulate the generator voltage for achieving different tissue effects.
The variation of the oscillation in an oscillation circuit is subject to time restrictions, whereby also constraints are put on the type of modulation.
It is one object of the invention to provide a generator that allows extended creation possibilities with regard to the produced oscillation and voltage shapes.
This object is solved by means of a generator as well as a method as disclosed herein.
The generator according to the invention comprises a number of impulse generators that respectively have a control input and an impulse generator output. Preferably each impulse generator is configured such that it provides an output impulse upon receipt of a control impulse at its control input. Preferably the outputs of the impulse generators are connected with the output of the generator at which the output impulses arrive, which are produced by the impulse generators. A control device is connected with the control inputs of the impulse generators and coordinates their impulse output. In this manner impulse sequences having impulses of equal or different strength as well as periodically repeating impulses or also impulse sequences with different, changing time intervals can be produced. Thus, a large number of possible voltage and current shapes are possible at the output of the generator that cannot be created or can only be created with disproportionate efforts by means of a parallel oscillation circuit. Impulse sequences having symmetric impulse shapes, particularly however also impulse sequences with asymmetric impulse shapes can be created.
The concept according to the invention distributes the output power of the generator onto multiple impulse generators that contribute in this manner individually only for a power portion contribution respectively to the total power that is output by the generator. This minimizes the stress of the individual components in the impulse generators, particularly their power switches and reduces the cooling power need. In doing so, the power switches can be configured as integrated components, e.g. as transistor arrays.
Preferably the impulse generators are not systems that are able to oscillate on their own, i.e. they preferably do not comprise any resonance components, resonance circuits or the like that are connected with the impulse generator output (i.e. the output circuit is described with a differential equation, the order of which is less than 2, at least with reference to solutions with frequencies that are within the magnitude of the output frequency). For this reason, resonance effects fail to appear, which is why the impulse generators can output impulses in a controlled manner without post-pulse oscillation. Upon output of their impulses the impulse generators respectively output the entire stored power as output impulse.
This provides an improved control for the generator over the voltage shapes and the power output to the instrument and thus to the biological tissue.
Preferably the impulse generators are configured identically compared with each other. They are thus identical in construction and create output impulses of equal magnitude. Due to the timing of the impulse output of the individual impulse generators, the output impulse sequence can be designed. For example, impulse generators can fire (deliver output impulses) concurrently, such that the output impulses of the impulse generators are added at the generator output. Also impulse sequences can be created that contain individual impulses provided in a predefined time scheme. It is in addition possible to provide impulse generators that deliver output impulses having different magnitudes, e.g. in order to provide output impulses at the output of the generator having different magnitudes due to different combinations of output impulses of individual impulse generators.
The control device is preferably configured to output control impulses in selectable schemes that are assigned to different operating modes. For example, a mode can be provided in which at least two of the impulse generators' impulses are output in a time sequence. In this manner an impulse sequence can be produced at the output of the generator consisting of individual pulses. Additionally or alternatively, the control device can be configured to output control impulses to at least two of the impulse generators concurrently. Then these impulse generators also deliver output impulses at their outputs concurrently, such that they are added at the output of the generator. In an adjustment of the control device output impulses can be created at the output of the generator in this manner that are higher than the other output impulses. Impulse sequences having impulses of varying impulse height and/or varying impulse time gaps can be created.
The control device can be configured to output control impulses in regular time intervals in a selected operating mode. A regular output impulse sequence at the output of the generator is then produced. For creation of specific surgical effects the control device can also be configured to output control impulses after one or more predefined time patterns in other operating modes. For example, a sequence of multiple, e.g. six, individual impulses may be followed by a longer pause after which in turn a sequence of individual impulses is output.
The impulse generators of the generator comprise at least one energy storage respectively that can be configured particularly as inductor. The impulse generator output is preferably a coil coupling with the inductor in a transformer-type manner. The inductor is at least preferably not part of a system that is able to oscillate, particularly not part of a parallel oscillation circuit or of a series oscillation circuit. The impulse generator output is preferably formed by a coil coupling with the inductor in a transformer-type manner. The impulse generator is preferably configured as flyback converter. It comprises an electronic switch that selectively connects the inductor with a voltage source in order to store energy in the coil and then separates it from the voltage source in order to provide energy at the impulse generator output as impulse with high voltage.
In a preferred embodiment of the generator the outputs of the impulse generators are connected in series and thus all of them are connected with the output of the generator. The coils forming the impulse generator output respectively are thereby preferably connected in series equidirectionally such that the impulses output from the individual impulse generators arrive at the generator output having the same polarity.
If required, it is however also possible to connect one or multiple of the coils in the opposite sense in series with the other coils in order to be able to provide positive as well as negative voltage impulses at the generator output. In this manner not only asymmetric, but also symmetric output impulse sequences can be produced at the output of the generator.
The method according to the invention is based on the production of a sequence of current impulses by means of multiple impulse generators that are connected with one another on the output side. By using multiple impulse generators that are respectively configured to only output one single output impulse upon receipt of a control impulse, the output voltage to be created as well as the provided current of the generator can be arbitrarily designed within wide limits, wherein no transient and post impulse oscillations of oscillation circuits have to be considered.
Details of the invention are apparent from embodiments that are explained in the following description with reference to a drawing comprising the following figures:
Each impulse generator G1 to Gn comprises an impulse generator output A1 to An that is respectively connected with the output 16 of generator 11. For this purpose the impulse generator outputs A1 to An are, for example, connected in series with each other as shown in
In addition, generator 11 comprises a control device 18 having control signal outputs that are connected with control signal inputs E1 to En of the impulse generators G1 to Gn. The control device 18 in turn comprises a control input S via which the control device 18 can receive an activation signal that can be created by means of an operating element, e.g. a foot switch, a hand switch or the like.
In figure the impulse generator G1 is described as representative for all other impulse generators G2 to Gn. The following description of impulse generator G1 applies to all other impulse generators G2 to Gn with regard to the structure of its configuration and its function accordingly.
The impulse generator G1 is preferably configured as flyback converter. It comprises an inductor L1, i.e., for example, a coil wound on a core having only a few windings or an air coil that is connected to the operating voltage Ub with one end and to an electronic switch T1 with its other end that connects the inductor L1 selectively with ground 17 or interrupts this connection. A protection capacitor C1 can be assigned to the electronic switch T1 that is connected parallel to the switchable path of the electronic switch. If the electronic switch T1 is a transistor, e.g. a field effect transistor, the switchable path is the drain-source-path.
A control circuit V1 is assigned to the electronic switch T1, the control circuit V1 being preferably effective between ground 17 and a control electrode 21 of electronic switch T1. The control circuit V1 can be an active or passive control circuit. It serves to open or block the controlled path of the electronic switch T1 by means of a respective provision of signals at the control electrode 21. The control circuit V1 comprises an input E1 that is connected with control device 18.
The operating voltage Ub is provided by a DC voltage source 22, preferably via a decoupling diode 23. Diodes 23 of the individual generators G1 to Gn decouple them from one another. The operating voltage Ub is stored in each impulse generator G1 to Gn preferably on a buffer capacitor 24.
The impulse generator G1 comprises an output A1 that is realized by the ends of a coil 26-1 that is coupled with the inductor L1 in a transformer-type manner. In the present embodiment inductor L1 and coil 26-1 have equidirectional polarities. However, they could also have reverse polarities.
The impulse generator G1 according to
As apparent from
The series connection of impulse generator outputs A1 . . . An can be connected with a generator output 16 via one or more coupling capacitors 27, 28. The coupling capacitors 27, 28 can also be arranged at another position of the series connection or can also be omitted alternatively. If they are provided, they eliminate the direct current component of the current output from the generator 11. If such a direct current component of the current shall be allowed, they can be omitted or can be provided with a controlled or non-controlled bridging circuit.
The generator 11 described so far operates as follows:
The control device 18 produces control impulses for the impulse generators G1 to Gn in a timely coordinated manner.
The control impulses I1 . . . In are blocking impulses for the electronic switches T1 . . . Tn. As control impulses, however, also all other signal shapes can be used that are suitable to cause the impulse generators G1 . . . Gn to output an output impulse or also a sequence of output impulses.
Another example for explanation of the flexibility of the signal configuration results from
As apparent due to the timing of control impulses I1 to I6, different output voltage shapes can be created that could not have been produced with a resonance generator. In doing so, the presented circuit principle provides the possibility of production of voltage shapes with physiological effects that could not have been created with previous generators. Apart from the modes illustrated explicitly here, additional modes can be produced, in that the timing of the control impulses I1 . . . In and thus of the output impulses A1 . . . An of impulse generators G1 . . . Gn and/or the number of impulse generators G1 . . . Gn and/or the plurality of the coils 26-1 . . . 26-n is varied.
A generator 11, according to the invention, comprises a number of impulse generators G1 to Gn that are individually controlled by means of a control device 18 in a timely flexible manner. The RF voltage required for supply of a surgical instrument 12 is thus composed of individual impulses. The same applies for the current flowing at the electrode 14 of the instrument 12. Due to omitting resonance effects in the impulse generators G1 to Gn and omitting of energy storage in a system that is able to oscillate (system of second order), the user has an increased degree of control of the wave forms of the voltage supplied to the instrument 12 and the current flowing to the instrument 12.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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21196607.2-1113 | Sep 2021 | EP | regional |
This application claims the benefit of European Patent Application No. 21196607.2-1113, filed Sep. 14, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference as if fully rewritten herein.