Bausch & Lomb Surgical, Inc.

American Cyanamid Company

Storz Instrument Co.

Peter Francis Appelbaum

James Taylor Perkins

John A Painter

John Alan Ritter

Paul George Conley

Kevin P Kepley

Daniel L Williams, Jr

Michael E Bisch

Christopher Michael Eberhardt

Bruce Robert Cochran

Jeffery Alan Knight

James T Perkins

Michael Evremonde Bisch

A system for controlling a plurality of ophthalmic microsurgical instruments connected thereto. The microsurgical instruments are for use by a user such as a surgeon in performing ophthalmic surgical procedures. The system includes a data communications bus and a user interface connected to the data communications bus. The user interface provides information to the user and receives information from the user which is representative of operating parameters of the microsurgical instruments. The system also includes surgical modules connected to and controlling the microsurgical instruments as a function of at least one of the operating parameters. The surgical modules are also connected to the data communications bus. The data communications bus provides communication of data representative of the operating parameters between the user interface and the surgical modules. Other features are also disclosed including a main control, an endo-illuminator system, a phacoemulsification handpiece, surgical scissors, a vitrectomy cutter, a surgical foot control, a remote control, a cart.

Ophthalmic microsurgical system employing surgical module employing flash EEPROM and reprogrammable modules

Surgical module with independent microprocessor-based communication

A system for controlling a plurality of ophthalmic microsurgical instruments is disclosed. Particularly, to such a system using a color sensor for differentiating between various disposable cassettes for use during the various ophthalmic surgical procedures.

Ophthalmic microsurgical system having color sensor for cassette

Detection of ophthalmic surgical handpiece using shorting bar

Vitrectomy timing device with microcontroller with programmable timers

An apparatus to detect the presence of a surgical handpiece is provided. The handpiece is electrically isolated from its source of electric power by a transformer having two primary windings and one secondary winding. The first winding provides power to the handpiece and the second winding is used in the handpiece detection apparatus. The handpiece detection apparatus includes a detection circuit and a comparator that compares the electrical signal input to a standard to determine the presence of the handpiece.

Detection of ophthalmic surgical handpiece by injecting current signal

The invention is a method of identifying whether a particular fluid collection cassette is designated to have a particular use, such as posterior surgery or anterior surgery. A reflux bulb attached to a fluid collection cassette has a material disposed on or in said reflux bulb in a predetermined location. When the reflux bulb is disposed on the fluid collection cassette, and the fluid collection cassette inserted into a housing, a sensor attached to the housing senses the existence, or non-existence of the material and sends a signal conveying the information to a main controller.

Fluid collection cassette identification scheme

A pneumatic control system for providing pressurized air and vacuum to ophthalmic microsurgical instruments. The pneumatic system is constructed in a drawer assembly to allow it to be readily inserted into or removed from a modularly construct ed cabinet of a microsurgical control console. In addition, the pneumatic system improves upon existing pneumatic control systems by providing a third mode of microscissors operation from a single pneumatic port. The third mode is made possible by a high speed three-way solenoid control valve which provides rapid pulses of air to the pneumatic port. A second improvement involves the use of a pneumatic pressure transducer to monitor pneumatic pressure being supplied to the pneumatic system in order to recognize non-hazardous transient drops in air pressure which can occur under certain normal operating conditions, A third improvement relates to the use of an intraocular pressure accumulator downstream from a final solenoid-operated pinch valve, which reduces fluctuations in air pressure and has other advantages.

Pneumatic controls for ophthalmic surgical system

An aspiration control system includes a proportional control valve and a motor, for driving a vacuum pump, which are controlled by a system controller in accordance with input commands to provide a precise, continuously variable vacuum or negative pressure within a vacuum chamber and surgical handpiece. A pressure transducer samples the vacuum output and produces a signal which is fed to the system controller. The signal is compared with an input command, and the motor speed and valve orifice size are coordinated to control the vacuum level.

Aspiration control system

A pneumatic control system for providing pressurized air and vacuum to ophthalmic microsurgical instruments. The pneumatic system is constructed in a drawer assembly to allow it to be readily inserted into or removed from a modularly constructed cabinet of a microsurgical control console. In addition, the pneumatic system improves upon existing pneumatic control systems by providing a third mode of microscissors operation from a single-pneumatic port. The third mode is made possible by a high speed three-way solenoid control valve which provides rapid pulses of air to the pneumatic port. A second improvement involves the use of a pneumatic pressure transducer to monitor pneumatic pressure being supplied to the pneumatic system in order to recognize non-hazardous transient drops in air pressure which can occur under certain normal operating conditions. A third improvement relates to the use of an intraocular pressure accumulator downstream from a final solenoid-operated pinch valve, which reduces fluctuations in air pressure and has other advantages.

An aspiration control system includes a motor and vacuum pump which are controlled by a system controller, in accordance with input commands to provide a precise, continuously variable vacuum or negative pressure within a vacuum chamber and surgical handpiece. The resulting vacuum is proportional to the control signal sent from the system controller to the motor. A transducer samples the vacuum output and produces a signal fed system controller. The signal is compared with a variable input signal set by a potentiometer or other signal source activated by the input commands so that the transducer signal tracks the voltage source signal. Therefore, the vacuum output of the vacuum pump and motor relates directly and predictably to the input commands. In one embodiment the motor is a brushless DC motor. The system may also include a pinch valve provided on a fluid aspiration conduit communicating between the surgical handpiece and vacuum chamber so that the fluid aspiration at the handpiece may be controlled independently from the negative pressure level created in the vacuum chamber.

Growing community of inventors

Ballwin, MO, United States of America

Peter Francis Appelbaum