The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 25, 2000
Filed:
Jul. 22, 1997
Jean-Pierre Heinrichs, Bretten-Diedelsheim, DE;
Ehrenfried Bitrolf, Knittlingen-Kleinvillars, DE;
Martin Dolt, Knittlingen, DE;
Richard Wolf GmbH, Knittlingen, DE;
Abstract
The invention relates to a method and apparatus for the automatic identification of components of medical apparatus systems, in particular, components of endoscopy systems. There is provided a unit which is separate from at least one of the components (30a, 30b) to be identified, this unit includes a write-read head. This unit may for example be one of the system components such as a camera head (18) in a video endoscope system. Each component to be identified includes a writable and readable data carrier which stores data signals indicating component parameters. Contents of the data carrier can be read in by transmission of the data to the write-read head from the separate unit and may here be registered and where appropriate, activate control and/or regulation procedures. According to the invention, the employed data transmission system is a touch-free system, with which the energy for reading out or registering the data into the data carrier of the components is transmitted by induction from the write-read head of the separate unit to the component. The separate component further contains a modulation-demodulation device with which the signals to be transmitted to the component are modulated and the data signals received by the component are demodulated. A video camera (15a) connected to the camera head (18) may, on account of the data read out by the components (30a, 30b), be automatically adapted to their specifications.