Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.

Duane W Marion

Jason W Hemphill

Thomas G Cooper

Alan Eton Loh

Eric J Earnst

Forrest R Lundstrom

Jignesh M Shah

A method is provided to seal and cut biological tissue. An alternating current (AC) scaling signal is imparted between a set of sealing electrodes. An AC cutting signal is imparted between a set of cutting electrodes in response to a biological tissue impedance between the sealing electrodes reaching a first impedance threshold value. The AC scaling signal is halted at an end of a time interval, beginning while the AC cutting signal is imparted between the cutting electrodes, in response to impedance of the biological tissue disposed between the set of sealing electrodes reaching a second impedance threshold value.

Simultaneous electrosurgical sealing and cutting

A DC-to-DC voltage regulator circuit comprising: an output node; a pull-up switch and a pull-down switch with an output node coupled between them; a reactive circuit element coupled to the output node; a pull-up setting voltage circuit coupled to provide a pull-up setting voltage that is a function of a voltage at the output node; a pull-down setting voltage circuit coupled to provide a pull-down setting voltage that is a function of the voltage at the output node; a first comparator coupled to cause the pull-up switch to transition between open switch state and its closed switch state based upon a comparison of the pull-up setting voltage and a control voltage; and a second comparator coupled to cause the pull-down switch to transition between its open switch state and its closed switch state.

Electrosurgical output stage with integrated DC regulator

An apparatus is provided to detect electrical contact between anatomical tissue and a shield conductor: a transformer; an alternating current (AC) reference frequency signal generator to inject a reference frequency signal to a primary winding of the transformer; a reactive impedance coupled in parallel with a secondary winding of the transformer between a first node and a second node; and a phase match detector circuit to detect a phase match between the reference frequency signal and a reflected reference frequency signal that is reflected from the secondary winding to the primary winding.

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Scottsdale, AZ, United States of America

Duane W Marion