SURGICAL GENERATOR WITH IMPROVED DRIVING OF ULTRASONIC SURGICAL INSTRUMENT

Abstract

A surgical generator configured to output a high-frequency alternating voltage to a surgical ultrasound instrument. An oscillator generates a driving oscillation for an inverter generating high-frequency voltage being for the surgical instrument. A matching-coil emulation device includes a correction device acting on the driving oscillation. The correction device includes a mixing unit and a feedback circuit, modifying the driving oscillation supplied to the inverter. An estimator calculates a virtual current which would flow in the emulated matching-coil if it were present, based on this and a measured output voltage an artificial phase shift is determined for steering of the oscillator. Thereby, the transfer function is reshaped mimicking that of a physical matching coil. Accordingly, a bulky matching coil that must be precisely tuned to the ultrasound instrument and restricts use of newer and different ultrasound instruments is no longer needed.

Claims

1. A surgical generator configured to output a high-frequency alternating voltage to a surgical ultrasound instrument, comprising a main control unit, an oscillator generating a driving oscillation and an inverter generating high-frequency alternating voltage dependent on the driving oscillation, the high frequency alternating voltage being supplied via a filter and a matching circuit to an output socket for connection of the surgical instrument, wherein a matching circuit is provided for matching power output of the inverter to the surgical instrument, wherein, the matching circuit is formed by a matching-coil emulation device configured to emulate a matching coil comprising a correction device acting on the driving oscillation, the correction device comprising a mixing unit and a feedback circuit whose input is connected to the output socket, wherein the feedback circuit calculates a correction signal supplied as an input to the mixing unit whose other input receives the driving oscillation, an output of the mixing unit being supplied to the inverter; and an artificial phase generator configured to provide an artificial phase signal as an input to the oscillator, the artificial phase generator comprising an estimator for a virtual current in consideration of the emulated matching-coil and being configured to determine a phase shift between the virtual current and the measured output voltage, the artificial phase being different from a measured phase shift between output voltage and current.

2. The surgical generator of claim 1, wherein the feedback circuit is configured as a state feedback.

3. The surgical generator of claim 1, wherein a signal representative for measured output voltage and/or output current is supplied at an input to the feedback circuit.

4. The surgical ultrasound generator of claim 1, wherein the feedback circuit is configured as a negative feedback and comprises a preselectable amplification factor.

5. The surgical ultrasound generator of claim 4, wherein the amplification factor is determined according to a ratio of filter inductivity to inductivity of a matching coil matched to the surgical instrument.

6. The surgical ultrasound generator of claim 1, wherein the feedback circuit, is set automatically according to a type of the surgical instrument.

7. The surgical ultrasound generator of claim 1, wherein the mixing unit is configured to output a wave signal having the same frequency as the driving oscillation but different amplitude and/or phase than the driving oscillation.

8. The surgical generator of claim 1, wherein the oscillator comprises a frequency following circuit configured to follow a frequency of the voltage at the output socket.

9. The surgical generator of claim 8, wherein the frequency following unit comprises a phased-locked-loop circuit.

10. The surgical generator of claim 8, wherein the frequency following unit is controlled by the phase signal generated by the artificial phase generator.

11. The surgical generator of claim 1, wherein the estimator for the virtual current comprises a parameter representative of an inductivity of the matching coil to be emulated.

12. The surgical generator of claim 11, wherein the parameter representative for the inductivity is preselectable.

13. The surgical generator of claim 12, wherein the main control unit is configured to set the parameter representative for the inductivity depending on a type of the surgical instrument connected to the output socket.

14. The surgical generator of claim 1, wherein the main control unit is configured to determine the type of the surgical instrument by means of a user input device and/or automatically by reading out instrument data of the surgical instrument.

15. The surgical ultrasound generator of claim 1, wherein the amplification factor thereof, is set automatically according to a type of the surgical instrument.

Description

[0027] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to an advantageous exemplary embodiment. In the figures:

[0028] FIG. 1 shows a surgical generator according to an exemplary embodiment with an attached electrosurgical instrument;

[0029] FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the surgical generator shown in FIG. 1;

[0030] FIG. 3a, 3b transfer function showing gain and phase of the system for no matching coil, physical matching coil and emulated matching coil according to the invention;

[0031] FIG. 4a, 4b instrument output impedance for no matching coil, physical matching coil and emulated matching coil according to the invention;

[0032] FIG. 5 driving oscillation without and after modifying by a correction device; and

[0033] FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of a power section from an inverter to an ultrasound instrument connected at an output socket according to the prior art.

[0034] The invention will be explained with respect to an exemplary embodiment of a surgical generator according to the invention. This exemplary embodiment is a surgical ultrasound generator that is identified as a whole by reference sign 1. The surgical ultrasound generator 1 comprises a housing 11 provided with a general-purpose user interface 14, a power selector knob 12 and an instrument type selector knob 13 as well as an output socket 15 for an surgical ultrasound instrument 16. The surgical ultrasound instrument 16 is connected via a cable to the output socket 15 of the surgical ultrasound generator 1.

[0035] The ultrasound surgical generator 1 is supplied by a mains cable 21 which can be connected by means of plug 20 at its end to a public electricity grid (not shown) or other suitable means of electrical supply. Thereby, electrical power is supplied to the surgical ultrasound generator 1.

[0036] A schematic functional diagram of the electrosurgical generator 1 is illustrated in FIG. 2. It comprises in a housing 11 a power supply unit 22 that is supplied with electrical power by the mains connecting cable 21 (see FIG. 1). The power supply unit 22 comprises a rectifier and feeds a DC link 23 with direct voltage, the DC link 23 feeding an inverter 24. The inverter 24 is in the exemplified embodiment an amplifier, preferably of a class-D type. Based on a high-frequency driving oscillation 43 supplied by a driving oscillator 3 the inverter 24 amplifies the supplied high-frequency oscillation and generates an according high-frequency alternating voltage of about 10 to 100 Volt, typically about 50 Volt. The high-frequency is variable and in the ultrasound range which ranges between 20 and 60 kHz, typically in the range between 40 and 55 kHz.

[0037] The high-frequency voltage generated by the inverter 24 is fed to an output line 25. Subsequent to the inverter 24 a filter 26 is provided which is a filter of the LC type having an in-line inductivity 26* in either line of the output line 25 and a capacitor connecting both in-line inductivities. Subsequent to the filter 26 and an optional DC blocking capacitor 28 an isolation transformer 29 is arranged which provides for isolation and stepping up of the output voltage, the output trans-former having a transmission ratio of e.g. 11. The resulting output voltage and current are sensed by a current measuring device 17 and a voltage measuring device 18 and are routed to the output socket 15 into which the surgical ultrasound instrument 16 can be plugged. The configuration from the inverter 24 to the output socket 15 forms the power section of the surgical ultrasound generator 1.

[0038] Operation of the surgical ultrasound generator 1 is controlled by a main control unit 10. It is connected to the power supply unit 22 and the inverter 24 by means of signaling lines. Further, a power feedback circuit 19 is provided to which the current and voltage measuring devices 17, 18 are connected as inputs. The feedback device 19 determines output power based on these inputs and outputs a signal representing actual out-putted power to the main control unit 10, which in turn pro-vides control signals to the inverter 24 in accordance with functions and modes set by the user by a user interface 14 and/or power selection knob 12. It further controls initial frequency f of the driving oscillator 3. This configuration described hitherto is generally known in the art and will not be further explained for the sake of brevity.

[0039] Surgical ultrasound instruments 16 comprise an ultrasound transducer (not shown) that converts electrical energy into ultrasound energy. The electric impedance of the ultrasound instrument 16 corresponds to mechanical resonance modes of the surgical ultrasound instrument 16. This mechanical resonance is affected by the mechanical load to the ultrasound instrument which is variable, e.g. depends on the tissue to be worked on by the ultrasound instrument.

[0040] As a reference, in FIG. 6 a power section according to the prior art beginning at the amplifier acting as inverter 104 is shown in FIG. 6. Subsequently arranged are the LC filter 106, DC blocking capacitor 108, the isolation transformer 109, current and voltage measuring devices 117 and 118 as well as a matching coil 9 and finally the output socket 115 into which the surgical ultrasound instrument 16 is to be plugged. In order to drive the ultrasound instrument 16 properly, a matching circuit is required which consists of a parallel inductor termed “matching coil” and identified in FIG. 6 by reference numeral 9. Said matching coil is used to shape the impedance characteristic of the instrument 16 such that the desired mechanical resonance mode can be excited. The matching coil 9 which ordinarily is a part of the ultrasound surgical generator must thus be matched to the actual instrument 16. If another instrument 16 shall be connected to the ultrasound surgical generator, a second matching coil is required or the matching coil 9 must be a switchable matching coil enabled to be reconfigured such as to match said another instrument.

[0041] The invention aims at abolishing the matching coil 9. Consequently, the matching coil 9 is not existent in the exemplary embodiment as shown in the figures, and in particular in FIG. 2 the abolished matching coil 9 is shown in phantom lines. According to the invention, the abolished matching coil 9 is replaced by a matching coil emulation device that is configured to emulate the abolished matching coil 9. To this end, the matching coil emulation device comprises a correction device 4 configured to perform corrections on the driving oscillation formed by the oscillator 3 and an artificial phase generator 6 comprising an estimator 61 for a virtual current in consideration of the matching coil that is emulated.

[0042] The estimator 61 is configured to determine said virtual current as an output current, and based thereon the artificial phase generator 6 calculates a phase shift between said virtual current and the measured output voltage. To this end, the actual voltage as measured by voltage sensor 18 is supplied to a first input 62 of the estimator 61. Further, the actual current measured by current sensors 17 is supplied to a second input 63 of the estimator 61. Further, as an additional input a parameter 60 representing the inductivity value “L” of the nonexistent matching coil is set. Based on this, the estimator 61 is configured to determine the (complex) virtual current I.sub.virt. according to

[00001]$I_{\mathrm{virt}.}=I_{m\mathrm{eas}.}+\frac{U_{m\mathrm{eas}.}}{j\omega L}$

[0043] wherein I.sub.meas. is the current measured by the current sensors 17 and U.sub.meas. is the voltage measured by voltage sensor 18. The value of the virtual current I.sub.virt. is provided at output 64 and supplied to an input 67 of a phase shift calculator 65, and to another input 66 a measured voltage signal as measured by the voltage sensor 18 is supplied. Based on these inputs there, the phase shift calculator 65 determines a phase shift between voltage and current, namely measured voltage U.sub.meas. and the virtual current I.sub.virt.. A signal for this phase shift Δφ.sub.a is output at line 68 from the artificial phase generator 6. This signal for the artificial phase difference Δφ.sub.a is supplied to an input of a PLL 33 for frequency following of the oscillator 3.

[0044] It is worth to note that this phase shift calculated by the artificial phase generator 6—due to considering additionally the imaginary current through the emulated matching coil—is and must be different from the actual phase shift defined by actual voltage current and voltage as measured by current and voltage sensors 17, 18.

[0045] The oscillator 3 comprises a base generation unit 30 which is generating a sinewave oscillation in the depicted embodiment. The frequency of the generated oscillation is determined by the frequency following circuit 32 to which the control signal for an initial frequency f is supplied by the main control unit 10. Based on this initial frequency the oscillator 3 emits the driving oscillation at its output 34 which is supplied via a correction device 4 to the inverter 24 which acts as an amplifier. The frequency following circuit 32 further comprises said phased-locked-loop (PLL) circuit 33. It receives the phase difference signal difference Δφ.sub.a via the line 68 from the artificial phase generator 6. By virtue of this, the PLL circuit 33 keeps the oscillator 3 at a constant phase shift between the measured output voltage and current, and further the oscillator 3 tracks any changes in the resonance frequency as they are experienced in the course of using the surgical ultrasound instrument 16 due to varying load conditions.

[0046] Further, the transfer function of the power section beginning with the inverter 24 is amplifier is shaped by using the correction device 4. To this end, a feedback circuit 5 is provided having an input 50 to which a voltage signal V.sub.meas. as measured by the voltage sensors 18 is provided. Further, as an additional input 51 a parameter “k” is provided at the feedback circuit 5.

[0047] The “k” parameter can be determined by the reciprocal of an inductivity L the matching coil 9 would have if it were present times the in-line inductance 26* which is to be doubled in this case since in both lines such an in-line inductance 26* exists. Further, in consideration of the isolation trans-former 29 a ratio between the current in the in-line filter inductance 26* and the current flowing through the matching coil 9 (if it were present) can be determined and in the present case said ratio is N=11. Assuming that the inductivity L of the matching coil 9 would be 3.3 mH and the in-line inductance 26* has 6.25 pH each, the “k” parameter can be determined to be:

[00002]$k=\frac{2.Math.6.25\mu H}{3.3\mathrm{mH}}.Math.11\approx 0,042$

[0048] Based on this, the feedback circuit 5 determines a correction value according to

−k.Math.V.sub.meas.

[0049] at an output 52 of the feedback circuit 5. This is supplied to a second input 42 of a mixing unit 40 of the correction device 4. At the first input 43 of the mixing unit 40 the driving oscillation is supplied as output by the oscillator 3. Accordingly, the driving oscillation as outputted by the oscillator 3 is corrected by the output of the feedback circuit 5, and the resulting signal is supplied via line 44 to an input of the inverter 24 for amplification and outputting to output line 25.

[0050] Thus, as a result the transfer function is shaped by the correction device 4 and the phase shift between voltage and current at the output socket 15 is modified by the artificial phase generator 6. The resulting corrected oscillation supplied by line 44 is different in amplitude and phase from the original driving oscillation as outputted by the oscillator 3. This is shown in FIG. 5, where a dashed line represents the original driving oscillation and a solid line represents the corrected oscillation which is shaped according to the present invention and is supplied by line 44 to the inverter 24 for amplification.

[0051] The effect of the correction device 4 and the artificial phase generator 6 is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3a shows gain and FIG. 3b shows phase shift depending on frequency f at the output socket 15. The dashed line shows the transfer function of a power section according to the prior art with the physical matching coil 9 being present. By a mere deletion of the matching coil a transfer function will result as it is shown by the dotted line which is considerably different in terms of gain and even more in terms of phase. By providing a matching coil emulation device comprising the correction device 4 and the artificial phase generator 6 as described before, a transfer function will result as shown by the solid line. It can be readily appreciated, that the solid line closely tracks and to a large extent overlaps the dashed line of the physical matching coil.

[0052] Similarly, in FIGS. 4a and 4b magnitude and phase of the output impedance of the surgical ultrasound instrument 16 are shown. The output impedance with the physical matching coil 9 present according to the prior art is shown by a dashed line. A scenario in which the matching coil 9 is just removed is depicted by the dotted line. It can be readily appreciated that this line is much different and in particular provides a significant deviation in phase, leading to a second root at a frequency above the resonance frequency of 47 kHz, which is detrimental to stability. All this is cured by providing the matching coil emulation according to the present invention leading to an output impedance as shown by the solid line which is much closer to the dashed line in particular in vicinity of the critical resonance frequency around 47 kHz. Therefore, it can be readily appreciated that the matching coil emulation device produces excellent results in replacing the physical matching coil 9

[0053] Accordingly, by virtue of the combination of the correction device 4 with the artificial phase generator 6 the desired effect is achieved of emulating the (physically non-existent) matching coil 9 in order to properly drive the surgical ultrasound instrument 16.

[0054] Further, in order to be capable of driving properly other types of surgical ultrasound instruments 16 requiring a different matching coil 9 to be emulated, the parameter “L” can be preselected to a different value by means of the main control unit 10 by a line 69. The type of the surgical ultrasound instrument 16 used can be selected by the user by means of knob 13 attached to the main control unit 10. Optionally, the main control unit may be set up to read out the type directly from the surgical ultrasound instrument 16 by means of a communication interface (not shown) at the output socket 15. Either way, it is therefore achieved to readily adapt the ultrasound surgical generator 1 to different types of surgical ultrasound instruments 16, even such instruments being released after the ultrasound surgical generator has been manufactured. This greatly improves versatility.