Patent Application
20200352674
The present invention relates to a surgical light device and a lighthead for a surgical light device.
Surgical light devices are used in medical environments such as operation theatres, as well as in treatment rooms in medical practices to provide localized illumination at a high intensity on a patient during an operation or treatment. For this, the known surgical light devices comprise a light source providing illumination at a high intensity that is suspended from a support structure such as a ceiling or a wall via a pivotable support system in order to adjust the position of the light source relative to the patient during the operation or treatment.
An example for a known surgical light device is described in EP 2 760 257 A1. It comprises a lighthead with a lighting arrangement comprising light emitting diodes (LEDs) which is connected by way of a deflectable spring arm to an operating theatre ceiling.
The known surgical light devices exhibit a variety of disadvantages. The equipment mounted in the lighthead, including the light sources and corresponding power supply, as well as accompanying optical elements are costly. Furthermore, the equipment installed in the lighthead yields a high weight of the lighthead, so that the handling of the surgical light device becomes burdensome. The larger weight of the known lightheads also requires the support system to provide sufficient sturdiness, so that the materials used for the support system usually require metal constructions.
The electronics installed in the lighthead generate magnetic fields. In combination with the metal construction of the support system, the known surgical light devices are rendered illsuited for the usage with applications that are sensitive to magnetic field disturbances, such as magnetic resonance therapy or the like. In addition, if the light source and its accompanying power source are to be upgraded or replaced, the configuration of the lighthead has to be modified or the lighthead has to be replaced, which yields an increased constructional effort. Furthermore, the electronics mounted in the lighthead act as heat source, which is undesirable in an operating environment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,295 describes a high illumination level lighting system. Therein, it is suggested that various sub-components of the lighthead may be made of plastic or other lightweight material. The use of magnetic materials is not excluded. In this regard, the provision of magnetic strips on the inside surface of the casing is described.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide illumination means that allows to overcome the disadvantages of known surgical light devices described above.
The above object is solved by a surgical light device according to the subject-matter of claim 1 and by a lighthead according to the subject-matter of claim 9. Preferred embodiments of the invention are indicated by the subject-matter of the dependent claims.
Specifically, the present invention provides a surgical light device comprising a light source and an illumination unit comprising a lighthead that is connected to a mount for the mounting illumination unit to a supporting structure by one or more support arms that are pivotally connected through joint units, wherein the light source is disposed remote from the lighthead, in particular not mounted on the lighthead, and is coupled to the lighthead via light conductors. Accordingly, the invention provides a surgical light device comprising a light source and an illumination unit, a mount for mounting the illumination unit and at least one supporting structure, wherein the supporting structure comprises one or more support arms that are pivotally connected through joint units. For the surgical light device, the light source is physically separate from the illumination unit comprising the lighthead. The illumination unit comprising the lighthead is disposed preferably at the distal end of the most distal support arm. The light source is preferably arranged within the support section mounted to the mount or within the most proximal support arm. According to the above, the illumination unit may comprise the mount configured for mounting the illumination unit to a supporting structure, the one or more support arms and/or the joint units in addition to the lighthead.
It is a core aspect of the present invention that the light source (including its power supply) is physically and spatially separated from the lighthead. The light emitted from the light source is coupled into a light conductor that is coupled to the lighthead. Light conductors are assemblies similar to an electrical cable, but used to carry light. As light conductors, fiber optic cables or fiber optic bundles may be used. Optical fibers comprise a transparent core and a cladding layer surrounding the core, wherein the difference in refractive index between the two is chosen such that light travelling in the core is subject to total internal reflection at the interface between the core and the cladding. Light conductors provide a reliable optical connection between the light source and the lighthead at low cost.
It should be noted that the light conductors used in the context of this invention for the transport of light from the light source to the light head are required to withstand a high light intensity without damage. Light conductors that are typically used for the transmission of data signals are not suitable in this context, since their core diameter usually is smaller than 1 mm. Small core diameters are required for the achievement of high data rates, but are not suitable to transmit light of high intensity. Therefore, the light conductors used in the surgical light device according to this invention typically have a core diameter of more than 1 mm, preferably a core diameter of 0.5 cm or more or of 1 cm or more.
The light source may be a LED light source, preferably a high-power LED source or a conventional halogen light source that is equipped with suitable optical components to couple the emitted light into the light conductors.
The equipment mounted in the lighthead can thus be reduced to optical components that are required to manipulate the light intensity distribution in a suitable manner. Thereby, it is possible to design low-cost lightheads.
Furthermore, spatial separation of the light source from the lighthead allows for drastic reduction of the weight of the lighthead. The invention facilitates the handling of the illumination unit when position and orientation of the lighthead are adjusted. Moreover, the reduced weight of the lighthead alleviates the requirements for the stability of the support arms and the mount, so that lighter and cheaper materials can be used for these elements. Altogether, the construction of the entire illumination unit comprising the lighthead, the support arms, the joint units and the mount may be envisaged by cheaper and lighter materials.
Since no electronics are required on the lighthead, virtually no heat is generated in the vicinity of the lighthead. Also, generation of stray magnetic fields in the lighthead is avoided, such that the application of the surgical light device in magnetically sensitive fields of applications, such as magnetic resonance therapy or imaging, is enabled.
Beyond that, physical separation of the light source from the lighthead greatly simplifies the maintenance or replacement of the light source, since no technical modifications of the sensitive lighthead have to be performed. The spatially separated provision of the light source positioned remotely from the lighthead also allows for operating multiple light sources in parallel, that are easily swapped by coupling different light sources to the lighthead via the light conductors. Thereby, reliability of the surgical light device is enhanced. It is also possible to use high power light sources that are not usable on conventional lightheads due to limitations with regard to size and weight.
The support structure to which the illumination unit is mountable may be a wall or a ceiling. The number of the support arms that pivotally connect the lighthead to the mount is not particularly limited. The surgical light device may comprise one support arm that is pivotally connected to the mount with one end, and pivotally connected to the lighthead with the other end. For increased flexibility, two or more (e.g. 3 or 4) support arms may be provided in a chain-like manner, with a first support arm being pivotally connected to the support with one end, and the most distant (distal) support arm being pivotally connected to the light source with one end, and the interposed support arms being pivotally connected to each other. The joint units that provide the pivotable connections may be realized by hinge joints which allow a pivoting of connected support arms only in a common plane, or by rotational joints, where the support arms are arranged in two essentially parallel planes and are rotatable along a rotation axis that is perpendicular to both planes. The joint units may also be realized by ball joints. It is conceivable to use only one type of joint unit in the medical light device, or to use different types of joint units for different pivotable connections in the medical light device.
The joint units may each be provided or configured to pivotally connect support arms with each other. In addition, a joint unit may also pivotally connect at least one of the support arms to the mount and/or to the lighthead. In particular, if only one support arm is provided, at least one joint unit may pivotally connect the single support arm to the mount or the lighthead. Accordingly, the joint units may pivotally connect support arms with each other, one of the support arms to the mount and/or one of the support to the lighthead. Depending on the design, the surgical light device may therefore also only comprise one single joint unit. Whenever “joint units” are mentioned herein, it is understood that also only one single joint unit may be meant.
By a preferred embodiment, the light source is provided as a component being completely separate from the illumination unit. Since the light generated by the light source is transmitted to the lighthead via the light conductors without significant losses, no limitations are imposed on the placement of the light source relative to the lighthead. The light source may, for example, be installed on the outside wall of a building, or in the same room as the surgical light device, or in a room adjacent thereto. Such an embodiment enables to further reduce the impact of heat and stray magnetic signals generated by the light source on the vicinity of the lighthead.
In another preferred embodiment, the light source is positioned inside one of the support arms or within the mount. Such an embodiment allows for a compact design of the surgical light device while providing sufficient spatial separation between the light source and the lighthead.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the light conductors are arranged inside the support arms. By arranging the light conductors inside the support arms, the handling of the surgical light device can be improved, since the light conductors are not interfering with the movement of the support arms.
It is further preferred that light couplers for transmitting light between the support arms are arranged inside the joint units. Such light couplers are advantageous in order to transfer the light from one support arm to an adjacent, pivotally connected support arm. If the joint units are hinge joints that allow pivoting of the connected support arms only in a common plane, or ball joints, the light couplers may simply be constituted by a section of the light conductor that is disposed inside the joint units, or the light conductor may pass through the joint unit. If the joint units are rotational joints, the light couplers may be realized by fiber optic rotary joints that provide a freely rotatable connection without generating torsional stress on the light conductor. The fiber optic rotary joints are preferably configured to be connectable to light conductors with a core diameter of 1 mm or more, preferably of 0.5 cm or more or more preferably with a core diameter of 1 cm or more.
It is further preferred that the illumination unit, particularly the lighthead and/or the support arms and/or the joint units and/or the mount, is/are composed of non-magnetic material, preferably one or more magnetic materials. For example, the lighthead may be composed of a different non-magnetic material than the support arms. The lighthead and/or the support arms and/or the joint units and/or the mount may each be composed of the same or different non-magnetic materials. E.g., any of those parts may have a different or the same non-magnetic material composition, wherein the material composition may comprise one or more non-magnetic materials. Since the weight of the lighthead is reduced by providing the light source separately therefrom, the requirements on the illumination unit with respect to its mechanical strength are significantly reduced, so that non-magnetic, light materials like plastic or the like may be used. Hereby, interference properties of the surgical light device with respect to magnetically sensitive environments are further reduced. Preferably, any additional parts, such as fixation and/or attachment means, for example clamps, screws and bolts, are also composed of non-magnetic materials. In this context, these additional parts may be considered to be part of the above-mentioned parts of the surgical light device to which they are attached or on which they are arranged.
Preferably, at least the lighthead, the support arms and the joint units are composed of one or more non-magnetic materials. Those parts are usually the parts of a surgical light device that are closest to the patient and/or other device that may be sensitive to a disturbance of the magnetic field. Accordingly, composing these parts from non-magnetic materials may already reduce magnetic field disturbance below an acceptable level.
Further preferably, the complete illumination unit and/or the complete surgical light device, in particular including the mount, is/are composed of one or more non-magnetic materials. With such a design, a very low degree of or even no magnetic field disturbance may be achieved.
The composition of non-magnetic materials is contrary to conventional design of surgical light devices and lightheads for surgical light devices. Commonly, especially in the medical field, surgical light devices and lightheads comprise an abundance of magnetic materials, such as regular screws and bolts, metallic handles, switches and/or cables. Further, metallic materials are usually utilized, regardless of their magnetic properties, due to their durability. In particular, magnetic metallic materials may be less expensive than non-magnetic materials with the same structural properties and thus be preferred. However, in the context of this invention it has been recognized that using non-metallic parts for the surgical light device together with remote light conductors offers benefits for certain medical applications. For example, conventional magnetic surgical light devices may not be used in conjunction with medical imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging.
It is also preferable that the lighthead comprises a light distributor for distributing light transmitted from the light source via the light conductors. The light distributor is optically coupled to an outer end of the light conductors that provides the light on the lighthead. Hereby, the light transmitted from the light source via the light conductors may be distributed over a predetermined area in order to achieve the desired illumination properties of the lighthead. The lighthead may further comprise optical elements to modify the light distribution of the light emitted from the lighthead, e.g., to focus the light to a predetermined spot size.
It is further preferable that the lighthead is configured to be detachable from the support arm. Preferably, the lighthead comprises an optical connector that is configured to be connectable to a light conductor that is connected to the light source. The light conductor that is connectable to the optical connector of the lighthead may be arranged in the support arm. Such a feature enables an easy replacement of the lighthead.
The object of the invention is also solved by a lighthead for a surgical light device comprising an optical connector that is configured to be connectable to a light conductor that is connected to a light source. By such a configuration, the light source does not have to be provided on the lighthead itself either. Rather, light generated by a light source that is provided separately from the lighthead may be coupled into the lighthead. Thus, a lighthead with low weight and without electrical components may be provided. Preferably, the lighthead is composed of one or more non-magnetic materials. Preferably, the optical connector is also composed of one or more non-magnetic materials. More preferably, the lighthead and/or the optical connector are exclusively composed of one or more non-magnetic materials.
It is preferred that the lighthead is attachable to and detachable from the support arm. Such an embodiment enables a mounting of the lighthead on a support structure that is commonly used for surgical light devices.
Preferably, the lighthead comprises a light distributor for distributing light transmitted to the lighthead via the optical connector. The light distributor is optically connected to the optical connector. This allows to distribute the light transmitted to the lighthead over a larger area, so that a larger area can be illuminated with constant intensity.
Further embodiments and aspects of the invention are presented by the following items:
The above and further features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference signs designate like features, and in which:
The mount 3.1 comprises a mounting section 3.1.1 for attachment to a support structure and a support section 3.1.2 for connecting the mount 3.1 to support arm 3.3.1. Support section 3.1.2 may be pivotally attached to the mount 3.1 such that it may rotate or, alternatively, it may be fixed to the mount 3.1. The mount 3.1 shown in
The support arm 3.3.1 is pivotally attached to the support section 3.1.2 by a rotational joint (not shown) that allows the support arm 3.3.1 to be rotated around an axis defined by the support section 3.1.2. The support arm 3.3.1 that is attached to the support section 3.1.2 with one end is connected to a further support arm 3.3.2 at its other end via a joint unit 3.4. The support arm 3.3.2 is connected to a further support arm 3.3.3 by a further joint unit 3.4. The support arm 3.3.3 is connected to the lighthead 4. The connection between support arm 3.3.3 and the lighthead 4 may be rigid or, alternatively, be constituted by a further joint unit. The support arm 3.3.3 has a bent shape that facilitates adjusting the position and orientation of the lighthead 4.
The light source 1 comprises a power supply (not shown) and generates light that is coupled into a light conductor 2. The light conductor 2 is connected to the light source 1 via a suitable connector. The light conductor 2 may be realized by a fiber optic cable or by a fiber optic bundle composed of a plurality of optical fibers. As connector, a conventional fiber optical coupler may be employed. The light coupled into the light conductor 2 is transmitted through the light conductor 2 to the illumination unit.
In the illumination unit, an optical path is established by a continuous connection of light conductors 2 that is guided to the lighthead 4. The light conductors 2 are arranged inside the support arms 3.3 that are configured as hollow components. In the lighthead 4, the light is coupled into an optical light distributor 4.1 that is adapted to distribute the light over an extended area in the lighthead 4 so that an even illumination pattern can be achieved over a sufficiently large area.
The light conductors 2 in the individual support arms are connected by light couplers 2.1. The light couplers 2.1 provide an optical connection between the individual light conductors 2. The joint units 3.4 shown in
A pivoting motion of the support arms 3.3 around the axis of rotation of the joint unit 3.4 induces torsional strain in the optical connection, since the optical connection is positioned on the axis of rotation of the joint unit 3.4. If a section of light conductor 2 itself were used as optical connection in the rotation joint 3.4, the torsional strain would potentially lead to damage or breakage of the light conductor. For this reason, the light couplers 2.1 are provided as optical connection inside the joint units 3.4. The light couplers 2.1 are preferably configured as fiber optic rotary joints that provide an optical connection between the light conductors 2 in adjacent support arms 3.3 that remains unaffected by pivoting motions of the support arms 3.3.
The embodiment according to
According to the embodiment of
Joint units 3.4 shown in
In the embodiments described above, the surgical light device comprises one light source 1 that is positioned remotely from the lighthead 4 and coupled thereto by one optical path of serially connected light conductors 2. The surgical light device according to the present invention may also comprise a plurality of light sources 1, and/or a plurality of optical paths. The light emitted from multiple light sources may be coupled into a common optical path, or individual light sources may be provided with separate optical light sources that are guided to lighthead 4, respectively. Such configurations allow to increase the light intensity available in the lighthead 4.
It is also possible to provide light of various colors of the visible spectrum at the lighthead 4 by providing light sources that emit light of defined wavelengths. Light of distinct colors emitted from different light sources may be transmitted to the lighthead 4 via separate light conductors 2 or may be merged by coupling it into a common light conductor 2. By each of these configurations it is possible to provide a surgical light device with a lighthead 4 of low weight that requires no electronic components (but only passive components), which is suitable for use in a magnetically sensitive environment whilst providing light with high intensity of whatever desired color.
The connection between the lighthead 4 and its adjacent support arm 3.3.3 may be configured such that the lighthead 4 is detachable from the support arm 3.3.3.
The optical light distributor 4.1 that is configured to distribute the light transmitted to the lighthead via the optical connector 4.2 is illustrated as a circle with four straight connections in
The lighthead 4 may further comprise optical components (not shown) such as lenses and the like that may be used to manipulate the radiation pattern of the light emitted from the lighthead 4. The surface of the lighthead 4 on which the optical light distributor 4.1 is disposed may further comprise reflective material or whatever coating in order to increase the intensity of the emitted light.
Preferably, the lighthead (4), the support arms (3.3; 3.3.1, 3.3.2, 3.3.3) and the joint units (3.4) are exclusively composed of or contain one or more non-magnetic materials. Further preferably, the complete illumination unit and/or the complete surgical light device is exclusively composed of or contains one or more non-magnetic materials. In particular, it is preferred that any additional components, such as screws, bolts, switches or the like, are exclusively composed of one or more non-magnetic materials. For example, the optical connector (4.2) consist only of non-magnetic materials.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17207150.8 | Dec 2017 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2018/084837 | 12/13/2018 | WO | 00 |
