Method and system for detecting jaw state of ultrasonic surgical instrument
By using infrared thermal imaging technology to detect the force distribution of ultrasonic surgical instrument jaws, the problems of high cost and short lifespan in existing technologies are solved, enabling rapid and accurate online detection that is suitable for industrial production lines.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202511556571.8
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-10-29
- Publication Date
- 2025-12-19
AI Technical Summary
Existing ultrasonic surgical instrument jaw force distribution detection technology is costly and has a short lifespan, failing to meet the online detection needs of industrial production lines.
Using non-contact infrared thermal imaging technology, the clamp jaws are excited by an ultrasonic host to generate a thermal response, an infrared thermal image sequence is acquired, the error value between the temperature distribution feature vector and the qualified standard model is calculated, and the qualification of the clamp force distribution is determined.
It enables rapid, high-precision, and non-destructive quantitative assessment of jaw force distribution, ensuring long-term stability and low cost of testing, and is suitable for industrial production lines.
Smart Images
Figure CN121163735A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of medical device manufacturing and quality control technology, and in particular to a method and system for detecting the jaw status of ultrasonic surgical instruments. Background Technology
[0002] The cutting and coagulation performance of ultrasonic surgical instruments is closely related to the uniformity of the pressure distribution applied to the tissue by the jaws when closed. During manufacturing, due to variations in component tolerances and assembly differences, the jaw force distribution of each ultrasonic scalpel may differ. Therefore, accurate quality testing of the jaw force distribution before product shipment is a crucial step in ensuring consistent product performance.
[0003] Currently, methods for accurately measuring jaw force distribution mainly rely on multi-channel thin-film pressure sensors. However, this type of contact sensor has drawbacks: 1) High cost: The sensor itself and the accompanying data acquisition equipment are expensive; 2) Limited lifespan: Under repeated compression conditions, the sensor film is prone to performance degradation or physical damage, leading to inaccurate measurement data and requiring frequent replacement, resulting in high maintenance costs. These drawbacks limit this technology to the laboratory research and development stage and make it unsuitable for industrial production lines that require high efficiency and low cost.
[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for an online inspection solution on industrial production lines that requires no physical contact with sensors, has a fast detection speed, provides stable and reliable results, and is cost-effective, in order to achieve effective quality control of the jaw force distribution of each product. Summary of the Invention
[0005] This invention provides a method and system for detecting the jaw state of ultrasonic surgical instruments. By using a non-contact detection method, it solves the problems of high cost, short lifespan, and inability to meet the online detection needs of production lines in existing jaw force distribution detection technologies.
[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a method for detecting the jaw status of ultrasonic surgical instruments, comprising: S1. Control the ultrasound host to apply a preset excitation to the ultrasound surgical instrument to be tested with the jaws in a closed state, so that the jaws generate a thermal response. S2. Simultaneously acquire the infrared thermal image sequence of the jaws using a non-contact detection device; S3. Process the acquired infrared thermal image sequence to obtain the temperature distribution feature vector characterizing the jaw force distribution; S4. Calculate the error value between the temperature distribution feature vector and a preset qualified standard model, and determine whether the jaw force distribution of the ultrasonic surgical instrument to be tested is qualified based on the error value.
[0007] Optionally, the preset excitation in S1 includes an excitation signal with a preset energy level and a preset duration.
[0008] Optionally, the preset energy level is 5% to 30% of the rated maximum power of the ultrasound surgical instrument under test.
[0009] Optionally, the preset duration is 1 to 5 seconds.
[0010] Optionally, S3 includes: The jaw region was identified from the infrared thermal image sequence using an image processing algorithm; The jaw region is divided into several segmented sub-regions along its length. Calculate at least one characteristic temperature parameter for each segmented sub-region to obtain a temperature distribution feature vector characterizing the jaw force distribution.
[0011] Optionally, the characteristic temperature parameters include: peak temperature, average temperature, or heating rate within a preset time period in the segmented region.
[0012] Optionally, in step S4, determining whether the jaw force distribution is qualified based on the error value includes: If the error value is less than or equal to the preset error threshold, the jaw force distribution of the ultrasonic surgical instrument to be tested is deemed to be qualified. If the error value is greater than the preset error threshold, the jaw force distribution of the ultrasonic surgical instrument to be tested is determined to be unqualified.
[0013] Secondly, the present invention provides a detection system for ultrasonic surgical instrument jaws, comprising: The drive unit is used to apply a preset excitation to the ultrasonic surgical instrument to be tested when the jaws are in a closed state, so that the jaws generate a thermal response. A non-contact detection device for acquiring infrared thermal image sequences of the jaws; A control device is used to process the acquired infrared thermal image sequence to obtain a temperature distribution feature vector characterizing the jaw force distribution, and to calculate the error value between the temperature distribution feature vector and a preset qualified standard model, and to determine whether the jaw force distribution of the ultrasonic surgical instrument to be tested is qualified based on the error value.
[0014] Optionally, a test fixture may also be included for positioning and holding the ultrasound surgical instrument to be tested.
[0015] Optionally, the control device is also used to output the test results to the production line actuator so that the production line actuator can automatically mark or sort the unqualified ultrasonic surgical instruments.
[0016] This invention uses an ultrasonic generator to excite a surgical instrument under test with its jaws closed. Then, a non-contact detection device simultaneously acquires a sequence of infrared thermal images of the jaws. The acquired infrared thermal images are processed to obtain a temperature distribution feature vector characterizing the jaw force distribution. The error value between this temperature distribution feature vector and a preset pass / fail standard model is calculated. Based on this error value, the pass / fail status of the jaw force distribution of the surgical instrument under test is determined. This invention achieves rapid, high-precision, and non-destructive quantitative assessment of jaw force distribution using non-contact thermal imaging technology, avoiding sensor wear and lifespan issues associated with physical contact, and ensuring long-term stability and low cost. Attached Figure Description
[0017] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of an ultrasonic surgical instrument jaw state detection system provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 A flowchart of a method for detecting the jaw state of ultrasonic surgical instruments provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of clamp jaw infrared thermal image analysis provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of feature vector comparison provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0018] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and not intended to limit it. Furthermore, it should be noted that, for ease of description, the accompanying drawings show only the parts relevant to the present invention, and not all of the structures. Example
[0019] This invention provides a method and system for detecting the jaw status of ultrasonic surgical instruments. First, see... Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an ultrasonic surgical instrument jaw status detection system provided by the present invention. The system mainly includes: The test fixture 20 is used to accurately position and stably hold the ultrasonic surgical instrument 10 under test, ensuring the consistency of posture for each measurement, and has a certain vibration isolation function.
[0020] The ultrasonic host 30 is used to apply a preset excitation to the ultrasonic surgical instrument to be tested when the jaws are in a closed state, so that the jaws 11 generate a thermal response.
[0021] Non-contact detection device 40, in this embodiment, is a thermal imager. The device has high resolution (e.g., resolution ≥ 320x240 pixels) and high frame rate (e.g., frame rate ≥ 30Hz) to capture minute transient temperature changes on the jaw surface.
[0022] The control device 50, typically an industrial computer (IPC) or embedded system equipped with dedicated analysis software, communicates with the ultrasonic main unit, thermal imager, and production line PLC via interfaces (such as I / O cards or Ethernet) to execute the complete inspection process. The software platform can be developed based on LabVIEW or Python (combined with libraries such as OpenCV). This system has a simple structure and can be easily integrated into existing automated production lines to improve their automation and intelligence levels.
[0023] Before performing jaw status detection, a communication connection is established between the control device and the ultrasound host and thermal imager. The control device is then used to control the ultrasound host and thermal imager.
[0024] See further Figure 2 The present invention provides a method for detecting the jaw status of ultrasonic surgical instruments, which specifically includes the following steps: S1. Control the ultrasound host to apply a preset excitation to the ultrasound surgical instrument to be tested with the jaws in a closed state, so that the jaws generate a thermal response.
[0025] Since the jaws of the ultrasonic scalpel are open in their natural state, a preparation step is included before step S1, which involves fixing the ultrasonic surgical instrument to be tested to the test fixture so that its jaws are in a naturally closed state.
[0026] The aforementioned ultrasound host excites the ultrasound surgical instrument to be tested, which is in a closed state, according to a preset energy level and a preset duration.
[0027] For example, the preset energy level of the ultrasound host can be 5% to 30% of the rated maximum power of the ultrasound surgical instrument to be tested, and the preset duration can be 1 to 5 seconds.
[0028] This invention establishes a physical correlation between jaw contact pressure and transient temperature rise by employing short-duration, low-energy excitation. This ensures that the initial temperature rise distribution on the jaw surface can reflect the distribution of its contact stress to the greatest extent before the heat has been significantly conducted and diffused.
[0029] S2. Simultaneously acquire the infrared thermal image sequence of the jaws using a non-contact detection device.
[0030] In this embodiment, during the ultrasound host excitation and for a short period after excitation, the control device controls the thermal imager to continuously acquire infrared thermal image sequences of the jaw surface at a frame rate of not less than 30Hz. I ( x , y , t The original infrared thermal image acquired can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 3 The original infrared thermal image contains the jaws and the background, and the jaws should have uneven bright colors (indicating higher temperatures).
[0031] S3. Process the acquired infrared thermal image sequence to obtain the temperature distribution feature vector characterizing the jaw force distribution.
[0032] For the acquired infrared thermal image sequence, the jaw region is identified and located using an image processing algorithm. This region is then divided into multiple segments along its length, and one or more characteristic temperature parameters for each segment are calculated to form the feature vector.
[0033] Specifically, S3 above includes the following steps: Step 1, Image Preprocessing and Alignment: The infrared thermal image sequence is precisely registered using template matching or SIFT feature point matching algorithms to eliminate displacement caused by minute vibrations.
[0034] Step 2. Jaw region identification: Adaptive threshold segmentation or edge detection algorithms are used to accurately segment the jaw region from the background.
[0035] Step 3. Feature Extraction: Extract the jaw region R Divided along its length into N Each segmented area R i （i =1, 2, ..., N See also Figure 3 The jaw image can be divided along its length using dashed lines. N A rectangular area of equal width, labeled as R 1 , R 2 , ..., R N .
[0036] For each sub-region R i Calculate one or more characteristic temperature parameters. For example, calculate the temperature of this region at the excitation end time t. f peak temperature Or the region at time t f average temperature vi :
[0037] in, A ( R i ) is a sub-region R i The area. The average heating rate during excitation. These parameters can also be used as characteristic temperature parameters. Together, they constitute a representation of the current temperature distribution pattern. N 3D feature vector This embodiment transforms the "force distribution" of the jaws into a quantifiable temperature feature vector, facilitating data traceability and process optimization.
[0038] S4. Calculate the error value between the temperature distribution feature vector and a preset qualified standard model, and determine whether the jaw force distribution of the ultrasonic surgical instrument to be tested is qualified based on the error value.
[0039] This embodiment obtains the feature vector The jaw force distribution of the ultrasonic surgical instrument under test is compared with a pre-defined acceptance standard model to determine whether it meets the requirements. This pre-defined acceptance standard model is generated statistically based on test data from a large number of qualified samples and includes a standard feature vector. and a multidimensional error threshold .
[0040] Specifically, first calculate and Error distance between E For example, Euclidean distance, to comprehensively assess the deviation of the overall distribution. If the error... If the jaw force distribution of the ultrasonic surgical instrument under test is within acceptable limits, it is determined that the product conformity standard is met. If the error... If the jaw force distribution of the ultrasonic surgical instrument to be tested does not meet the product qualification standard, the judgment result will be output by the control equipment to the production line execution mechanism, and the production line execution mechanism will mark or sort the product to the rework area.
[0041] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of feature vector comparison provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The horizontal axis in the diagram represents the jaw segment number (i), and the vertical axis represents the feature temperature value (v), such as the peak temperature or the heating rate.
[0042] The diagram contains three lines / areas: 1. Target feature vector (V_target): Represented by a solid line, it represents the temperature distribution curve of a standard qualified product.
[0043] 2. Current measurement vector (V_current): Represented by a dashed line or a solid line of different colors, it represents the temperature distribution curve of this measurement.
[0044] 3. Tolerance threshold range (ε): A shaded area is drawn above and below the target feature vector to represent the acceptable error range.
[0045] Figure 4 The display can show two scenarios: one is that the V_current curve falls entirely within the shaded area (qualified as acceptable); the other is that the V_current curve partially or entirely exceeds the shaded area (qualified as unacceptable).
[0046] Based on the above embodiments, the method further includes an output and recording step: the control device displays the test results ("qualified" / "unqualified") on the control interface, and stores key data such as feature vectors, judgment results, and product serial numbers into the database for quality traceability and process analysis.
[0047] Note that the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the technical principles employed. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, and various obvious changes, readjustments, and substitutions can be made without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, although the present invention has been described in detail through the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and may include many other equivalent embodiments without departing from the concept of the present invention, the scope of which is determined by the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A method for detecting the status of the jaws of an ultrasonic surgical instrument, comprising: The method comprises the following steps: S1, applying a preset excitation to an ultrasonic surgical instrument with closed jaws to be detected by a control host, so that the jaws generate a thermal response; S2, synchronously collecting an infrared thermal image sequence of the jaws by a non-contact detection device; S3, processing the collected infrared thermal image sequence to obtain a temperature distribution feature vector representing the jaw force distribution; S4, calculating the error value between the temperature distribution feature vector and a preset qualified standard model, and determining whether the jaw force distribution of the ultrasonic surgical instrument to be detected is qualified according to the error value.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The preset excitation in S1 includes a preset energy level and a preset duration of the excitation signal.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The preset energy level is 5% to 30% of the rated maximum power of the ultrasonic surgical instrument to be detected.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein, The preset duration is 1 second to 5 seconds.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein, S3 includes: Identifying the jaw area from the infrared thermal image sequence by an image processing algorithm; Dividing the jaw area into a plurality of segmented sub-areas along the length direction of the jaw area; Calculating at least one characteristic temperature parameter of each segmented sub-area to obtain a temperature distribution feature vector representing the jaw force distribution.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The characteristic temperature parameter includes the peak temperature, the average temperature or the temperature rise rate in a preset time period in the segmented area.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein, In S4, determining whether the jaw force distribution is qualified according to the error value includes: If the error value is less than or equal to a preset error threshold, it is determined that the jaw force distribution of the ultrasonic surgical instrument to be detected is qualified; If the error value is greater than the preset error threshold, it is determined that the jaw force distribution of the ultrasonic surgical instrument to be detected is unqualified.
8. An ultrasonic surgical instrument jaw detection system, comprising: The method comprises the following steps: A driving host is used to apply a preset excitation to an ultrasonic surgical instrument with closed jaws to be detected, so that the jaws generate a thermal response; A non-contact detection device is used to collect an infrared thermal image sequence of the jaws; A control device is used to process the collected infrared thermal image sequence to obtain a temperature distribution feature vector representing the jaw force distribution, and to calculate the error value between the temperature distribution feature vector and a preset qualified standard model, and to determine whether the jaw force distribution of the ultrasonic surgical instrument to be detected is qualified according to the error value.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein, A test fixture is further included for positioning and clamping the ultrasonic surgical instrument to be detected.
10. The system of claim 8, wherein, The control device is further used to output the detection result to a production line execution mechanism, so that the production line execution mechanism automatically marks or sorts the unqualified ultrasonic surgical instrument.