Allocation of Surgical Foot Switches for Modular Energy Systems

Abstract

Disclosed herein are devices, systems, and methods for assigning a footswitch to control a specific port of a modular energy system. In some aspects, the modular energy system may include an energy module and a display screen. The energy module may include a plurality of ports. The display screen may be configured to display a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI may be configured to display a plurality of widgets corresponding to the ports and to display an object indicating that a footswitch is available to be assigned to one of the ports. The GUI may be further configured to allow a user to drag and drop an object onto one of the widgets. Dragging and dropping the object onto one of the widgets may cause the modular energy system to assign the footswitch to the port corresponding to the widget.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to various surgical systems, including modular electrosurgical and / or ultrasonic energy systems. [Background technology]

[0002] The modular energy system may include a variety of different combinations of energy modules, each having a variety of different ports for delivering energy modalities to the surgical instrument connected thereto. Additionally, a variety of foot switches may be connected to the modular energy system and used to control the activation of the ports. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] Because of the different combinations of modules, ports, and foot switches that may be implemented, there is a need for devices, systems, and methods for assigning foot switches to control specific ports of a modular energy system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] In various aspects, a method for assigning a footswitch to control a port of a modular energy system is disclosed. The modular energy system may include an energy module and a display screen configured to display a graphical user interface (GUI). The energy module may include a port configured to deliver an energy modality to a surgical instrument coupled thereto. The method may include displaying, by the GUI, a plurality of widgets corresponding to the ports, detecting, by the modular energy system, that a footswitch is available to be assigned to one of the ports, and, based on the detection of the footswitch, displaying, by the GUI, an object indicating that the footswitch is available to be assigned to one of the ports. The method may further include identifying, by the modular energy system, one or more of the ports available to be controlled by the footswitch, and displaying, by the GUI, an icon in the widget corresponding to the one or more ports identified as available to be controlled by the footswitch, the icon indicating that the port is available to be controlled by the footswitch. The method may further include assigning, by the modular energy system, a footswitch to one of the ports based on a user interacting with the GUI to drag and drop an object onto one of the widgets having an icon indicating that the port is available to be controlled by the footswitch.

[0005] In various aspects, a modular energy system for use in a surgical environment is disclosed. The modular energy system may include one or more energy modules, each of the one or more energy modules having a port, each of the ports configured to deliver an energy modality to a surgical instrument connected thereto. The system may further include a footswitch configured to control activation of at least one of the ports and a header module having a display screen configured to display a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI may be configured to display a plurality of widgets, each widget corresponding to one of the ports, display an object indicating that a footswitch is available to be assigned to one of the ports, display an icon in the widget corresponding to the port available to be controlled by the footswitch, and allow a user to drag and drop an object onto one of the widgets having the icon. Dragging and dropping an object onto one of the widgets having the icon can cause the header module to assign the footswitch to the port corresponding to the widget. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] The various aspects described herein, both as to organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computer-implemented interactive surgical system according to at least one aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 is a surgical system used to perform a surgical procedure in an operating room, according to at least one aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 1 is a surgical hub paired with a visualization system, a robotic system, and an intelligent instrument, according to at least one aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 4]1 is a surgical system including a generator and various surgical instruments usable with the generator, according to at least one aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 illustrates various modules and other components that can be combined to customize a modular energy system, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6A] 1 illustrates a first exemplary modular energy system configuration including a header module and a display screen displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) for relaying information about modules connected to the header module, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6B] 6B is a modular energy system shown in FIG. 6A mounted on a cart, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 1 is a second exemplary modular energy system configuration including a header module, a display screen, an energy module, and an extended energy module connected together and mounted on a cart, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a header module of a modular energy system including a user interface, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a stand-alone hub configuration of a modular energy system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a hub configuration of a modular energy system integrated with a surgical control system, according to at least one aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a modular energy system stack showing a power backplane, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a modular energy system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 13]10 is an exemplary graphical user interface screen for assigning a foot switch to control a specific port of a modular energy system, according to some aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] 10 is an exemplary graphical user interface screen for assigning a foot switch to control a specific port of a modular energy system, according to some aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] 10 is an exemplary graphical user interface screen for assigning a foot switch to control a specific port of a modular energy system, according to some aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] 10 is an exemplary graphical user interface screen for assigning a foot switch to control a specific port of a modular energy system, according to some aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] 10 is an exemplary graphical user interface screen for assigning a foot switch to control a specific port of a modular energy system, according to some aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 18] 1 is a flowchart of a method for assigning a foot switch to control a port of a modular energy system according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0007] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set forth herein illustrate various disclosed embodiments in one form only, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope in any way. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. patent applications, filed concurrently with this application, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties: - U.S. Patent Application No. END9453USNP2 / 220230-2, entitled "PROFILES FOR MODULAR ENERGY SYSTEM."

[0009] The applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. patent applications, filed on March 30, 2021, the disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety: U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 217,394, entitled "METHOD FOR MECHANICAL PACKAGING FOR MODULAR ENERGY SYSTEM"; U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 217,424, entitled "METHOD FOR ENERGY DELIVERY FOR MODULAR ENERGY SYSTEM"; U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 217,385, entitled "METHOD FOR INTELLIGENT INSTRUMENTS FOR MODULAR ENERGY SYSTEM," and - U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 217,405, entitled "METHOD FOR SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE FOR MODULAR ENERGY SYSTEM."

[0010] The applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. patent applications, filed on September 5, 2019, the disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety: U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,144, entitled "METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A MODULAR ENERGY SYSTEM USER INTERFACE" (currently U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0078106); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,151, entitled "PASSIVE HEADER MODULE FOR A MODULAR ENERGY SYSTEM" (currently U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0078110); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,157, entitled "CONSOLIDATED USER INTERFACE FOR MODULAR ENERGY SYSTEM" (currently U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0081585); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,159, entitled "AUDIO TONE CONSTRUCTION FOR AN ENERGY MODULE OF A MODULAR ENERGY SYSTEM" (currently U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0314569); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,163, entitled "ADAPTABLY CONNECTABLE AND REASSIGNABLE SYSTEM ACCESSORIES FOR MODULAR ENERGY SYSTEM" (currently U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0078111); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,123, entitled "METHOD FOR CONSTRUCTING AND USING A MODULAR SURGICAL ENERGY SYSTEM WITH MULTIPLE DEVICES" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0100830); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,135, entitled "METHOD FOR CONTROLLING AN ENERGY MODULE OUTPUT" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0078076); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,180, entitled "ENERGY MODULE FOR DRIVING MULTIPLE ENERGY MODALITIES" (currently U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0078080); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,184, entitled "GROUNDING ARRANGEMENT OF ENERGY MODULES" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0078081); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,188, entitled "BACKPLANE CONNECTOR DESIGN TO CONNECT STACKED ENERGY MODULES" (currently U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0078116); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,195, entitled "ENERGY MODULE FOR DRIVING MULTIPLE ENERGY MODALITIES THROUGH A PORT" (currently U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0078117); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,202, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT UTILIZING DRIVE SIGNAL TO POWER SECONDARY FUNCTION" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0078082); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,142, entitled "METHOD FOR ENERGY DISTRIBUTION IN A SURGICAL MODULAR ENERGY SYSTEM" (currently U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0078070); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,169, entitled "SURGICAL MODULAR ENERGY SYSTEM WITH A SEGMENTED BACKPLANE" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0078112); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,185, entitled "SURGICAL MODULAR ENERGY SYSTEM WITH FOOTER MODULE" (currently U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0078115); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,203, entitled "POWER AND COMMUNICATION MITIGATION ARRANGEMENT FOR MODULAR SURGICAL ENERGY SYSTEM" (currently U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0078118); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,212, entitled "MODULAR SURGICAL ENERGY SYSTEM WITH MODULE POSITIONAL AWARENESS SENSING WITH VOLTAGE DETECTION" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0078119); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,234, entitled "MODULAR SURGICAL ENERGY SYSTEM WITH MODULE POSITIONAL AWARENESS SENSING WITH TIME COUNTER" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0305945); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,243, entitled "MODULAR SURGICAL ENERGY SYSTEM WITH MODULE POSITIONAL AWARENESS WITH DIGITAL LOGIC" (currently U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0078120); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,125, entitled "METHOD FOR COMMUNICATING BETWEEN MODULES AND DEVICES IN A MODULAR SURGICAL SYSTEM" (currently U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0100825); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,137, entitled "FLEXIBLE HAND-SWITCH CIRCUIT" (currently U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0106220); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,143, entitled "FIRST AND SECOND COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL ARRANGEMENT FOR DRIVING PRIMARY AND SECONDARY DEVICES THROUGH A SINGLE PORT" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0090808); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,148, entitled "FLEXIBLE NEUTRAL ELECTRODE" (currently U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0078077); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,154, entitled "SMART RETURN PAD SENSING THROUGH MODULATION OF NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATION AND CONTACT QUALITY MONITORING SIGNALS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0078089); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,162, entitled "AUTOMATIC ULTRASONIC ENERGY ACTIVATION CIRCUIT DESIGN FOR MODULAR SURGICAL SYSTEMS" (currently U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0305924); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,167, entitled "COORDINATED ENERGY OUTPUTS OF SEPARATE BUT CONNECTED MODULES" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0078078); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,170, entitled "MANAGING SIMULTANEOUS MONOPOLAR OUTPUTS USING DUTY CYCLE AND SYNCHRONIZATION" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0078079); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,172, entitled "PORT PRESENCE DETECTION SYSTEM FOR MODULAR ENERGY SYSTEM" (currently U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0078113); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,175, entitled "INSTRUMENT TRACKING ARRANGEMENT BASED ON REAL TIME CLOCK INFORMATION" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0078071); U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 562,177, entitled "REGIONAL LOCATION TRACKING OF COMPONENTS OF A MODULAR ENERGY SYSTEM" (currently U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0078114); · U.S. Design Patent Application No. 29 / 704,610, entitled "ENERGY MODULE"; U.S. Design Patent Application No. 29 / 704,614, entitled "ENERGY MODULE MONOPOLAR PORT WITH FOURTH SOCKET AMONG THREE OTHER SOCKETS"; U.S. Design Patent Application No. 29 / 704,616, entitled "BACKPLANE CONNECTOR FOR ENERGY MODULE," and · U.S. Design Patent Application No. 29 / 704,617, entitled "ALERT SCREEN FOR ENERGY MODULE."

[0011] The applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. provisional patent applications, filed on March 29, 2019, the disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety: · U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 826,584, entitled "MODULAR SURGICAL PLATFORM ELECTRICAL ARCHITECTURE"; · U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 826,587, entitled "MODULAR ENERGY SYSTEM CONNECTIVITY"; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 826,588, entitled "MODULAR ENERGY SYSTEM INSTRUMENT COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES," and · U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 826,592, entitled "MODULAR ENERGY DELIVERY SYSTEM."

[0012] The applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. provisional patent applications, filed on September 7, 2018, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties: · U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 728,480, entitled "MODULAR ENERGY SYSTEM AND USER INTERFACE."

[0013] Before describing various aspects of the surgical device and generator in detail, it should be noted that the illustrative embodiments are not limited in application or use to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings and description. The illustrative embodiments may be implemented in or incorporated into other aspects, variations, and modifications, and may be practiced or carried out in various ways. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the terms and phrases used herein have been chosen for the convenience of the reader for the purpose of describing the illustrative embodiments, and not for the purpose of limiting them. Furthermore, it should be understood that one or more of the aspects, aspect expressions, and / or examples described below can be combined with any one or more of the other aspects, aspect expressions, and / or examples described below.

[0014] Various aspects are directed to improved ultrasonic surgical devices, electrosurgical devices, and generators for use therewith. Aspects of ultrasonic surgical devices can be configured, for example, to transect and / or coagulate tissue during a surgical procedure. Aspects of electrosurgical devices can be configured, for example, to transect, coagulate, scale, weld, and / or desiccate tissue during a surgical procedure.

[0015] Surgical System Hardware 1 , a computer-implemented interactive surgical system 100 includes one or more surgical systems 102 and a cloud-based system (e.g., a cloud 104 that may include a remote server 113 coupled to a storage device 105). Each surgical system 102 includes at least one surgical hub 106 in communication with the cloud 104, which may include the remote server 113. In one example, as shown in FIG. 1 , a surgical system 102 includes a visualization system 108, a robotic system 110, and a handheld intelligent surgical instrument 112, which are configured to communicate with each other and / or with the hub 106. In some embodiments, a surgical system 102 may include M hubs 106, N visualization systems 108, O robotic systems 110, and P handheld intelligent surgical instruments 112, where M, N, O, and P are integers greater than or equal to 1.

[0016] FIG. 2 shows an example of a surgical system 102 being used to perform a surgical procedure on a patient lying on an operating table 114 in an operating room 116. A robotic system 110 is used as part of the surgical system 102 in the surgical procedure. The robotic system 110 includes a surgeon's console 118, a patient side cart 120 (surgical robot), and a surgical robot hub 122. While the surgeon views the surgical site through the surgeon's console 118, the patient side cart 120 can manipulate at least one detachably coupled surgical tool 117 through a minimally invasive incision within the patient's body. Images of the surgical site can be acquired by a medical imaging device 124, and the orientation of the imaging device 124 can be manipulated by the patient side cart 120. The robotic hub 122 can be used to process the images of the surgical site and then display them to the surgeon through the surgeon's console 118.

[0017] Other types of robotic systems can be readily adapted for use with surgical system 102. Various examples of robotic systems and surgical tools suitable for use with the present disclosure are described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 611,339, filed December 28, 2017, entitled "ROBOT ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORM," the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0018] Various examples of cloud-based analytical methods implemented by cloud 104 and suitable for use with the present disclosure are described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 611,340, entitled "CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS," filed December 28, 2017, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0019] In various embodiments, the imaging device 124 includes at least one image sensor and one or more optical components. Suitable image sensors include, but are not limited to, charge-coupled device (CCD) sensors and complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensors.

[0020] The optical components of the imaging device 124 may include one or more illumination sources and / or one or more lenses. The one or more illumination sources may be directed to illuminate portions of the surgical field. The one or more image sensors may receive light reflected or refracted from the surgical field, including light reflected or refracted from tissue and / or surgical instruments.

[0021] The one or more illumination sources may be configured to emit electromagnetic energy in the visible spectrum as well as the invisible spectrum. The visible spectrum, sometimes referred to as the optical spectrum or luminous spectrum, is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to (i.e., detectable by) the human eye and is sometimes referred to as visible light or simply light. The typical human eye responds to wavelengths in air between about 380 nm and about 750 nm.

[0022] The invisible spectrum (i.e., non-radiative spectrum) is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum located below and above the visible spectrum (i.e., wavelengths less than about 380 nm and greater than about 750 nm). The invisible spectrum is not detectable by the human eye. Wavelengths greater than about 750 nm are longer than the red visible spectrum, which constitutes invisible infrared (IR), microwave, and radio electromagnetic radiation. Wavelengths less than about 380 nm are shorter than the violet spectrum, which constitutes invisible ultraviolet, x-ray, and gamma-ray electromagnetic radiation.

[0023] In various aspects, imaging device 124 is configured for use in minimally invasive procedures. Examples of imaging devices suitable for use with the present disclosure include, but are not limited to, arthroscopes, angioscopes, bronchoscopes, cholangioscopes, colonoscopes, cystoscopes, duodenoscopes, enteroscopes, esophagogastroduodenoscopes (gastroscopes), endoscopes, laryngoscopes, nasopharyngological-nephroscopes, sigmoidoscopes, thoracoscopes, and ureteroscopes.

[0024] In one aspect, the imaging device employs multispectral monitoring to distinguish between topography and underlying structures. Multispectral imaging captures image data within specific wavelength ranges across the electromagnetic spectrum. Wavelengths can be separated by filters or by using instruments sensitive to specific wavelengths, including frequencies beyond the visible light range, e.g., IR and UV light. Spectral imaging can extract additional information that cannot be captured by the red, green, and blue receptors of the human eye. The use of multispectral imaging is described in detail in the "Advanced Imaging Acquisition Module" section of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 611,341, entitled "INTERACTIVE SURGICAL PLATFORM," filed December 28, 2017, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Multispectral monitoring can be a useful tool for repositioning the surgical field after the completion of a surgical task to perform one or more of the above-mentioned tests on the treated tissue.

[0025] It is self-evident that rigorous sterilization of the operating room and surgical equipment is necessary during any surgical procedure. The strict hygienic and sterile conditions required in an "operating room," i.e., an operating room or procedure room, require the highest possible sterility of all medical devices and equipment. Part of the sterilization process is the need to sterilize everything that comes into contact with the patient or enters the sterile field, including the imaging device 124 and its accessories and components. It will be understood that the sterile field may be considered a specific area deemed free of microorganisms, such as in a tray or on a sterile towel, or the sterile field may be considered the area immediately surrounding the patient who has been prepared for surgery. The sterile field may include properly clothed and cleansed team members, as well as all supplies and fixtures within the area.

[0026] In various aspects, the visualization system 108 includes one or more imaging sensors strategically positioned relative to the sterile field, one or more image processing units, one or more storage arrays, and one or more displays, as shown in Figure 2. In one aspect, the visualization system 108 includes interfaces for HL7, PACS, and EMR. The various components of the visualization system 108 are described in the "Advanced Imaging Acquisition Module" section of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 611,341, entitled "INTERACTIVE SURGICAL PLATFORM," filed December 28, 2017, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2 , primary display 119 is positioned in the sterile field so as to be visible to the operator of operating table 114. In addition, visualization tower 111 is positioned outside the sterile field. Visualization tower 111 includes first non-sterile display 107 and second non-sterile display 109 facing opposite each other. Visualization system 108, guided by hub 106, is configured to utilize displays 107, 109, and 119 to coordinate information flow to operators inside and outside the sterile field. For example, hub 106 can cause visualization system 108 to display snapshots of the surgical site recorded by imaging device 124 on non-sterile display 107 or 109 while maintaining a live video of the surgical site on primary display 119. The snapshots on non-sterile display 107 or 109 can, for example, enable a non-sterile operator to perform diagnostic steps related to the surgical procedure.

[0028] In one aspect, the hub 106 is also configured to send diagnostic input or feedback entered by the non-sterile operator at the visualization tower 111 to the primary display 119 in the sterile field for viewing by the sterile operator at the operating table. In one example, the input can be in the form of modifications to a snapshot displayed on the non-sterile display 107 or 109 that can be sent by the hub 106 to the primary display 119.

[0029] 2, a surgical instrument 112 is used as part of the surgical system 102 in a surgical procedure. The hub 106 is also configured to coordinate information flow to the display of the surgical instrument 112, for example, in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 611,341, filed December 28, 2017, entitled "INTERACTIVE SURGICAL PLATFORM," the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Diagnostic input or feedback entered by a non-sterile operator at the visualization tower 111 can be sent by the hub 106 to a surgical instrument display 115 in the sterile field, where it can be viewed by the operator of the surgical instrument 112. Exemplary surgical instruments suitable for use with the surgical system 102 are described, for example, in the section entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT HARDWARE" and in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 611,341, filed December 28, 2017, entitled "INTERACTIVE SURGICAL PLATFORM," the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0030] Referring now to FIG. 3 , a hub 106 is shown in communication with a visualization system 108, a robotic system 110, and a handheld intelligent surgical instrument 112. In some embodiments, the visualization system 108 may be a separable device. In alternative embodiments, the visualization system 108 may be included within the hub 106 as a functional module. The hub 106 includes a hub display 135, an imaging module 138, a generator module 140, a communications module 130, a processor module 132, a storage array 134, and an operating room mapping module 133. In certain embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3 , the hub 106 further includes a smoke evacuation module 126, a suction / irrigation module 128, and / or an insufflation module 129. In certain embodiments, any of the modules within the hub 106 may be combined with one another into a single module.

[0031] During surgery, the application of energy to tissue for sealing and / or cutting is commonly associated with smoke evacuation, aspiration of excess fluid, and / or irrigation of tissue. Fluid, power, and / or data lines from different sources often become tangled during surgery. Addressing this issue can result in valuable time being lost during surgery. Untangling the lines may require unplugging them from their corresponding modules, which may require resetting the modules. The hub modular enclosure 136 provides a unified environment for managing power, data, and fluid lines, reducing the frequency of such line tangles.

[0032] Aspects of the present disclosure present a surgical hub for use in a surgical procedure involving the application of energy to tissue at a surgical site. The surgical hub includes a hub enclosure and a combination generator module slidably receivable within a docking station of the hub enclosure. The docking station includes data and power contacts. The combination generator module includes one or more of an ultrasonic energy generator component, a bipolar RF energy generator component, and a monopolar RF energy generator component housed within a single unit. In one aspect, the combination generator module also includes a smoke evacuation component, at least one energy delivery cable for connecting the combination generator module to a surgical instrument, at least one smoke evacuation component configured to evacuate smoke, fluid, and / or particulates generated by the application of therapeutic energy to tissue, and a fluid line extending from the remote surgical site to the smoke evacuation component.

[0033] In one aspect, the fluid line is a first fluid line and a second fluid line extends from the remote surgical site to an aspiration and irrigation module slidably received within the hub enclosure. In one aspect, the hub enclosure includes a fluid interface.

[0034] Certain surgical procedures may require the application of two or more energy types to tissue. One energy type may be more beneficial for cutting tissue, while another, different energy type may be more beneficial for sealing tissue. For example, a bipolar generator may be used to seal tissue, while an ultrasonic generator may be used to cut the sealed tissue. Aspects of the present disclosure present a solution in which the hub modular enclosure 136 is configured to house various generators and facilitate interactive communication between them. One advantage of the hub modular enclosure 136 is that it allows for quick removal and / or replacement of various modules.

[0035] Aspects of the present disclosure provide a modular surgical enclosure for use in a surgical procedure involving the application of energy to tissue. The modular surgical enclosure includes a first energy generator module configured to generate a first energy for application to tissue and a first docking station including a first docking port including first data and power contacts. In one aspect, the first energy generator module is slidably movable into electrical engagement with the power and data contacts, and the first energy generator module is slidably movable out of electrical engagement with the first power and data contacts. In an alternative aspect, the first energy generator module is stackably movable into electrical engagement with the power and data contacts, and the first energy generator module is stackably movable out of electrical engagement with the first power and data contacts.

[0036] Further to the above, the modular surgical enclosure also includes a second energy generator module configured to generate a second energy, the second energy being the same or different from the first energy, for application to tissue, and a second docking station including a second docking port including second data and power contacts. In one aspect, the second energy generator module is slidably movable into electrical engagement with the power and data contacts, and the second energy generator module is slidably movable out of electrical engagement with the second power and data contacts. In an alternative aspect, the second energy generator module is stackably movable into electrical engagement with the power and data contacts, and the second energy generator module is stackably movable out of electrical engagement with the second power and data contacts.

[0037] In addition, the modular surgical enclosure also includes a communication bus between the first docking port and the second docking port configured to facilitate communication between the first energy generator module and the second energy generator module.

[0038] Referring to FIG. 3 , an aspect of the disclosure is presented regarding a hub modular enclosure 136 that allows for modular integration of a generator module 140, a smoke evacuation module 126, a suction / irrigation module 128, and an insufflation module 129. The hub modular enclosure 136 further facilitates interactive communication between the modules 140, 126, 128, and 129. The generator module 140 may be a generator module that includes integrated monopolar, bipolar, and ultrasonic components supported within a single housing unit that is slidably insertable into the hub modular enclosure 136. The generator module 140 may be configured to connect to a monopolar device 142, a bipolar device 144, and an ultrasonic device 148. Alternatively, the generator module 140 may include a series of monopolar, bipolar, and / or ultrasonic generator modules that interact via the hub modular enclosure 136. The hub modular enclosure 136 may be configured to facilitate the insertion of multiple generators and interactive communication between the generators docked to the hub modular enclosure 136 so that the multiple generators function as a single generator.

[0039] In one aspect, the hub's modular enclosure 136 includes a modular power and communication backplane 149 with external and wireless communication headers to allow removable attachment of and interactive communication between the modules 140, 126, 128, 129.

[0040] Generator Hardware As used throughout this specification, the term "wireless" and its derivatives may be used to describe circuits, devices, systems, methods, techniques, communication channels, etc. that may communicate data through the use of modulated electromagnetic radiation over a non-solid medium. This term does not imply that the associated devices do not include any wires, although in some aspects they may not be present. A communication module may implement any of a number of wireless or wired communication standards or protocols, including, but not limited to, Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 family), WiMAX (IEEE 802.16 family), IEEE 802.20, Long Term Evolution (LTE), Ev-DO, HSPA+, HSDPA+, HSUPA+, EDGE, GSM, GPRS, CDMA, TDMA, DECT, Bluetooth, Ethernet derivatives thereof, as well as any other wireless and wired protocols designated 3G, 4G, 5G, and beyond. A computing module may include multiple communication modules. For example, the first communication module may be dedicated to short-range wireless communication such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and the second communication module may be dedicated to long-range wireless communication such as GPS, EDGE, GPRS, CDMA, WiMAX, LTE, and Ev-DO.

[0041] As used herein, a processor or processing unit is an electronic circuit that performs operations on some external data source (usually memory) or some other data stream. The term is used herein to refer to a system that combines many specialized "processors" or the central processor (central processing unit) within a computer system (especially a system on a chip (SoC)).

[0042] As used herein, a system on a chip (SoC or SOC) is an integrated circuit (also known as an "IC" or "chip") that integrates all the components of a computer or other electronic system. It can include digital, analog, mixed-signal, and often high-frequency functions, all on a single substrate. An SoC integrates a microcontroller (or microprocessor) with modern peripherals such as a graphics processing unit (GPU), Wi-Fi module, or coprocessor. An SoC may or may not include built-in memory.

[0043] As used herein, a microcontroller or controller is a system that integrates a microprocessor with peripheral circuits and memory. A microcontroller (or MCU for microcontroller unit) may be implemented as a small computer on a single integrated circuit. This may be similar to an SoC, which may include a microcontroller as one of its components. A microcontroller may house one or more core processing units (CPUs) along with memory and programmable input / output peripherals. Program memory and a small amount of RAM in the form of ferroelectric RAM, NOR flash, or OTP ROM are also often included on the chip. Microcontrollers may be used for embedded applications, as opposed to microprocessors used in personal computers or other general-purpose applications, which are made up of various individual chips.

[0044] As used herein, the term controller or microcontroller may be a standalone IC or chip device that interfaces with a peripheral device, or it may be the link between two parts: a computer or controller on an external device that manages the operation of (and connections with) that device.

[0045] Any of the processors or microcontrollers described herein may be implemented by any single-core or multi-core processor, such as those known by the trade name ARM Cortex manufactured by Texas Instruments. In one aspect, the processor may be, for example, an LM4F230H5QR ARM Cortex-M4F processor core available from Texas Instruments. This processor core includes 256 KB of on-chip memory of single-cycle flash memory or other non-volatile memory up to 40 MHz, a prefetch buffer to improve performance above 40 MHz, 32 KB of single-cycle serial random access memory (SRAM), internal read-only memory (ROM) loaded with StellarisWare® software, 2 KB of electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), one or more pulse width modulation (PWM) modules, one or more quadrature encoder input (QEI) analogs, and one or more 12-bit analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) with 12 analog input channels. More details are available in the product datasheet.

[0046] In one aspect, the processor may include a safety controller, including two controller-based families such as the TMS570 and RM4x, also known under the trade name Hercules ARM Cortex R4, manufactured by Texas Instruments. The safety controller may be specifically configured for IEC 61508 and ISO 26262 safety limit applications, among others, to provide advanced integrated safety mechanisms while offering scalable performance, connectivity, and memory options.

[0047] Modular devices include modules receivable within a surgical hub (e.g., as described in connection with FIG. 3 ) and surgical devices or instruments that can be connected to various modules to connect or pair with corresponding surgical hubs. Modular devices include, for example, intelligent surgical instruments, medical imaging devices, suction / irrigation devices, smoke evacuators, energy generators, ventilators, aspirators, and displays. The modular devices described herein can be controlled by a control algorithm. The control algorithm may execute on the modular device itself, on the surgical hub to which a particular modular device is paired, or on both the modular device and the surgical hub (e.g., via a distributed computing architecture). In some examples, the modular device's control algorithm controls the device based on data sensed by the modular device itself (i.e., by sensors within, on, or connected to the modular device). This data may be related to the patient during surgery (e.g., tissue characteristics or insufflation pressure) or to the modular device itself (e.g., advancing knife speed, motor current, or energy level). For example, a control algorithm for a surgical stapling and severing instrument may control the speed at which the instrument's motor drives the knife through tissue based on the resistance offered by the knife as it advances.

[0048] 4 illustrates one form of a surgical system 2200 including a modular energy system 2000 and various surgical instruments 2204, 2206, 2208 usable therewith, where the surgical instrument 2204 is an ultrasonic surgical instrument, the surgical instrument 2206 is an RF electrosurgical instrument, and the multifunction surgical instrument 2208 is a combination ultrasonic / RF electrosurgical instrument. The modular energy system 2000 is configurable for use with a variety of surgical instruments. According to various forms, the modular energy system 2000 may be configurable for use with a variety of different types of surgical devices including, for example, the ultrasonic surgical instrument 2204, the RF electrosurgical instrument 2206, and the multifunction surgical instrument 2208 that integrates RF energy and ultrasonic energy delivered individually or simultaneously from the modular energy system 2000. 4, the modular energy system 2000 is shown separate from the surgical instruments 2204, 2206, 2208, however, in one form the modular energy system 2000 may be integrally formed with any of the surgical instruments 2204, 2206, 2208 to form an integrated surgical system. The modular energy system 2000 may be configured for wired or wireless communication.

[0049] The modular energy system 2000 is configured to drive multiple surgical instruments 2204, 2206, 2208. The first surgical instrument is an ultrasonic surgical instrument 2204 and includes a handpiece 2205 (HP), an ultrasonic transducer 2220, a shaft 2226, and an end effector 2222. The end effector 2222 includes an ultrasonic blade 2228 acoustically coupled to the ultrasonic transducer 2220 and a clamp arm 2240. The handpiece 2205 includes a trigger 2243 that operates the clamp arm 2240 and a combination of toggle buttons 2234a, 2234b, 2234c that energize and activate the ultrasonic blade 2228 or other functions. The toggle buttons 2234a, 2234b, 2234c can be configured to energize the ultrasonic transducer 2220 using the modular energy system 2000.

[0050] The modular energy system 2000 is also configured to drive a second surgical instrument 2206. The second surgical instrument 2206 is an RF electrosurgical instrument and includes a handpiece 2207 (HP), a shaft 2227, and an end effector 2224. The end effector 2224 includes electrodes in clamp arms 2242 a, 2242 b and return through an electrical conductor portion of the shaft 2227. The electrodes are coupled to and energized by a bipolar energy source in the modular energy system 2000. The handpiece 2207 includes a trigger 2245 for operating the clamp arms 2242 a, 2242 b and an energy button 2235 for actuating an energy switch to supply energy to the electrodes in the end effector 2224.

[0051] The modular energy system 2000 is also configured to power a multifunction surgical instrument 2208. The multifunction surgical instrument 2208 includes a handpiece 2209 (HP), a shaft 2229, and an end effector 2225. The end effector 2225 includes an ultrasonic blade 2249 and a clamp arm 2246. The ultrasonic blade 2249 is acoustically coupled to an ultrasonic transducer 2220. The ultrasonic transducer 2220 may be separable from or integrated into the handpiece 2209. The handpiece 2209 includes a trigger 2247 that operates the clamp arm 2246 and a combination of toggle buttons 2237a, 2237b, 2237c for energizing and driving the ultrasonic blade 2249 or other functions. The toggle buttons 2237a, 2237b, 2237c can be configured to energize the ultrasonic transducer 2220 using the modular energy system 2000 and to energize the ultrasonic blade 2249 using a bipolar energy source also housed within the modular energy system 2000.

[0052] The modular energy system 2000 is configurable for use with a variety of surgical instruments. According to various embodiments, the modular energy system 2000 may be configurable for use with a variety of different types of surgical devices including, for example, an ultrasonic surgical instrument 2204, an RF electrosurgical instrument 2206, and a multifunction surgical instrument 2208 that integrates RF and ultrasonic energy delivered individually or simultaneously from the modular energy system 2000. In the embodiment of FIG. 4 , the modular energy system 2000 is shown separate from the surgical instruments 2204, 2206, 2208; however, in other embodiments, the modular energy system 2000 may be integrally formed with any of the surgical instruments 2204, 2206, 2208 to form an integrated surgical system. Further aspects of generators and surgical instruments that digitally generate electrical signal waveforms are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0086914, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0053] Modular Energy Systems Due to the amount of equipment required to perform surgical procedures, ORs worldwide have become a tangled web of cords, devices, and personnel. Surgical capital equipment tends to be a major source of this problem, as most surgical capital equipment performs a single, specialized task. Due to their specialized nature, surgeons may need to utilize multiple different types of equipment during the course of a single surgical procedure, forcing operating rooms to stockpile two or even more pieces of surgical capital equipment, such as energy generators. Each piece of these surgical capital equipment must be individually plugged into a power source and may be connected to one or more other devices that are passed between personnel in the operating room, resulting in a tangle of cords that may require routing. Another problem faced in modern operating rooms is that each of these specialized pieces of surgical capital equipment must have its own user interface and must be controlled independently from other pieces of equipment in the operating room. This complicates connecting and properly controlling multiple different devices, requiring users to train on and memorize different types of user interfaces (which may further change based on the task or surgical procedure being performed, in addition to changing between each piece of capital equipment). This cumbersome and complex process may require even more individuals to be present in the operating room and may create danger if multiple devices are not properly controlled with each other. Therefore, integrating surgical capital equipment technology into a single system that can flexibly accommodate surgeons' needs to reduce the footprint of surgical capital equipment in the operating room would simplify the user experience, reduce clutter in the operating room, and prevent the difficulties and dangers associated with simultaneously controlling multiple pieces of capital equipment. Furthermore, making such a system extensible or customizable would allow new technology to be conveniently incorporated into existing surgical systems, eliminating the need to replace the entire surgical system or require operating room personnel to learn new user interfaces or equipment controls with each new piece of technology.

[0054] As described in FIGS. 1-3 , the surgical hub 106 can be configured to interchangeably receive a variety of modules, which can interface with surgical devices (e.g., surgical instruments or smoke evacuators) or provide a variety of other functions (e.g., communications). In one aspect, the surgical hub 106 can be embodied as a modular energy system 2000, as shown in connection with FIGS. 5-8 . The modular energy system 2000 can include a variety of different modules 2001 that are connectable to one another in a stacked configuration. In one aspect, the modules 2001 can be physically and communicatively coupled when stacked or otherwise connected together into a single assembly. Furthermore, the modules 2001 can be interchangeably connectable to one another in different combinations or arrangements. In one aspect, each of the modules 2001 can include a consistent or universal array of connectors disposed along their top and bottom surfaces, thereby allowing any module 2001 to be connected to another module 2001 in any arrangement (although in some aspects, a particular module type, such as a header module 2002, can be configured to function as the top-most module in a stack, for example). In an alternative aspect, the modular energy system 2000 can include a housing configured to receive and hold the module 2001, as shown in FIG. 3. The modular energy system 2000 can also include a variety of different components or accessories that can be connected to or otherwise associated with the module 2001. In another aspect, the modular energy system 2000 can be embodied as a generator module 140 of the surgical hub 106 (FIG. 3). In yet another aspect, the modular energy system 2000 can be a system separate from the surgical hub 106. In such an embodiment, the modular energy system 2000 may be communicatively coupleable to the surgical hub 206 for transmitting and / or receiving data therebetween.

[0055] Modular energy system 2000 can be assembled from a variety of different modules 2001, some examples of which are shown in FIG. 5 . Each of the different types of modules 2001 can provide different functions, thereby allowing modular energy systems 2000 to be assembled into different configurations to customize the functionality and capabilities of the modular energy system 2000 by customizing the modules 2001 included in each modular energy system 2000. The modules 2001 of modular energy system 2000 can include, for example, a header module 2002 (which can include a display screen 2006), an energy module 2004, a technology module 2040, and a visualization module 2042. In the illustrated embodiment, the header module 2002 is configured to function as the top or uppermost module in the modular energy system stack and therefore may lack connectors along its top surface. In another embodiment, the header module 2002 can be configured to be positioned at the bottom or to be the bottom module in the modular energy system stack and therefore may lack connectors along its bottom surface. In yet another aspect, the header module 2002 can be configured to be positioned in an intermediate position within the modular energy system stack and, therefore, can include connectors along both its bottom and top surfaces. The header module 2002 can be configured to control system-wide settings for each module 2001 and their connected components through physical controls 2011 on the header module 2002 and / or through a graphical user interface (GUI) 2008 displayed on the display screen 2006. Such settings can include activation of the modular energy system 2000, alarm volume settings, footswitch settings, settings icons, user interface appearance or configuration, surgeon profile logged into the modular energy system 2000, and / or the type of surgical procedure being performed.The header module 2002 may also be configured to provide communication, processing, and / or power for the modules 2001 connected to the header module 2002. The energy module 2004, which may also be referred to as the generator module 140 (FIG. 3), may be configured to generate one or more energy modalities for driving electrosurgical and / or ultrasonic surgical instruments. The technology module 2040 may be configured to provide additional or extended control algorithms (e.g., electrosurgical or ultrasonic control algorithms for controlling the energy output of the energy module 2004). The visualization module 2042 may be configured to interface with a visualization device (i.e., a scope) and therefore may provide enhanced visualization capabilities.

[0056] The modular energy system 2000 may further include various accessories 2029 connectable to the module 2001 to control the functionality of the module 2001 or otherwise configured to function in conjunction with the modular energy system 2000. The accessories 2029 may include, for example, a single pedal footswitch 2032, a dual pedal footswitch 2034, and a cart 2030 for supporting the modular energy system 2000 thereon. The footswitches 2032, 2034 may be configured, for example, to control the activation or function of a particular energy modality output by the energy module 2004.

[0057] By utilizing modular components, the illustrated modular energy system 2000 provides a surgical platform that grows with technology availability and is customizable to fit the needs of the facility and / or surgeon. Additionally, the modular energy system 2000 supports combo devices (e.g., electrosurgical and ultrasonic energy dual generators) and software-driven algorithms for customized effects on tissue. Still further, the surgical system architecture reduces the capital equipment footprint by combining multiple technologies critical to surgical procedures into a single system.

[0058] The various modular components available in association with the modular energy system 2000 can include a monopolar energy generator, a bipolar energy generator, a dual electrosurgical / ultrasonic energy generator, a display screen, and various other modules and / or components, some of which are also described above in association with FIGS. 1-3.

[0059] 6A , the header module 2002, in some embodiments, may include a display screen 2006 that displays a GUI 2008 for relaying information regarding the modules 2001 connected to the header module 2002. In some embodiments, the GUI 2008 of the display screen 2006 may provide a unified point of control for all of the modules 2001 that make up a particular configuration of the modular energy system 2000. Various embodiments of the GUI 2008 are discussed in more detail below in connection with FIG. 8. In alternative embodiments, the header module 2002 may lack the display screen 2006, or the display screen 2006 may be removably connected to the housing 2010 of the header module 2002. In such embodiments, the header module 2002 may be communicatively coupleable to an external system configured to display information generated by the modules 2001 of the modular energy system 2000. For example, in a robotic surgical application, the modular energy system 2000 may be communicatively coupled to a robotic cart or robotic control console configured to display information generated by the modular energy system 2000 to an operator of the robotic surgical system. As another example, the modular energy system 2000 may be communicatively coupled to a mobile display carried by or attached to surgical personnel to enable viewing of information via the mobile display. In embodiments utilizing a user interface that is separate or otherwise distinct from the modular energy system 2000, the user interface may be wirelessly connectable with the entire modular energy system 2000, or with one or more of the modules 2001 thereof, such that the user interface can display information from the connected modules 2001.

[0060] 6A , the energy module 2004 may include a port assembly 2012 that includes a number of different ports configured to deliver different energy modalities to corresponding surgical instruments connectable thereto. In the particular embodiment shown in FIGS. 5-8 , the port assembly 2012 includes a bipolar port 2014, a first monopolar port 2016 a, a second monopolar port 2016 b, a neutral port 2018 (to which a monopolar return pad is connectable), and a combination energy port 2020. However, this particular combination of ports is provided merely for illustrative purposes, and alternative combinations of ports and / or energy modalities may be possible for the port assembly 2012.

[0061] As described above, the modular energy system 2000 can be assembled into different configurations. Furthermore, different configurations of the modular energy system 2000 may also be usable for different surgical procedure types and / or different tasks. For example, FIGS. 6A and 6B show a first exemplary configuration of the modular energy system 2000 including a header module 2002 (including a display screen 2006) and an energy module 2004 connected together. Such a configuration may be suitable for, for example, laparoscopic and open surgical procedures.

[0062] 7 illustrates a second exemplary configuration of the modular energy system 2000 including a header module 2002 (including a display screen 2006), a first energy module 2004a, and a second energy module 2004b connected together. By stacking the two energy modules 2004a, 2004b, the modular energy system 2000 can provide a pair of port assemblies 2012a, 2012b for expanding the array of energy modalities deliverable by the modular energy system 2000 from the first configuration. Thus, the second configuration of the modular energy system 2000 can accommodate two or more bipolar / monopolar electrosurgical instruments, three or more bipolar / monopolar electrosurgical instruments, etc. Such a configuration may be particularly suitable for complex laparoscopic and open surgical procedures.

[0063] It should be noted that the configurations shown in Figures 6A-7 and described above are provided merely to illustrate various concepts of modular energy system 2000 and should not be construed as limiting modular energy system 2000 to the particular aforementioned configurations.

[0064] 8 , in some aspects, the header module 2002 may include or support a display 2006 configured to display a GUI 2008, as described above. The display screen 2006 may include a touch screen for receiving input from a user in addition to displaying information. The controls displayed on the GUI 2008 may correspond to the modules 2001 connected to the header module 2002. In some aspects, different portions or regions of the GUI 2008 may correspond to particular modules 2001. For example, a first portion or region of the GUI 2008 may correspond to a first module, and a second portion or region of the GUI 2008 may correspond to a second module. As different and / or additional modules 2001 are connected to the modular energy system stack, the GUI 2008 may adjust to correspond to different and / or additional controls for each newly added module 2001 or to remove controls for each removed module 2001. Each portion of the display corresponding to a particular module connected to the header module 2002 may display controls, data, user prompts, and / or other information corresponding to that module. For example, in FIG. 12 , the first or upper portion 2052 of the illustrated GUI 2008 displays controls and data associated with the energy module 2004 connected to the header module 2002. Specifically, the first portion 2052 of the GUI 2008 for the energy module 2004 provides a first widget 2056 a corresponding to the bipolar port 2014, a second widget 2056 b corresponding to the first monopolar port 2016 a, a third widget 2056 c corresponding to the second monopolar port 2016 b, and a fourth widget 2056 d corresponding to the combination energy port 2020. Each of these widgets 2056a-d provides data associated with the widget's corresponding port in the port assembly 2012, as well as controls for controlling the mode and other features of the energy modality delivered by the energy module 2004 through the respective port in the port assembly 2012.For example, widgets 2056a-d may be configured to display the power level of a surgical instrument connected to their respective ports, change the operating mode of a surgical instrument connected to their respective ports (e.g., change a surgical instrument from a first power level to a second power level and / or change a monopolar surgical instrument from a "spray" mode to a "blend" mode), and the like.

[0065] In one aspect, the header module 2002 may include various physical controls 2011 in addition to or instead of the GUI 2008. Such physical controls 2011 may include, for example, a power button that controls the application of power to each module 2001 connected to the header module 2002 in the modular energy system 2000. Alternatively, the power button may be displayed as part of the GUI 2008. Thus, the header module 2002 may act as a single point of contact, eliminating the need to individually activate and deactivate each individual module 2001 from which the modular energy system 2000 is built.

[0066] In one aspect, the header module 2002 can display still images, video, animation, and / or information associated with the surgical module 2001 on which the modular energy system 2000 is constructed or a surgical device communicatively coupled to the modular energy system 2000. The still images and / or video displayed by the header module 2002 can be received from an endoscope or another visualization device communicatively coupled to the modular energy system 2000. The animation and / or information in the GUI 2008 can be overlaid on or displayed adjacent to the image or video feed.

[0067] In one aspect, modules 2001 other than header module 2002 can be configured to relay information to a user as well. For example, energy module 2004 can include light assemblies 2015 disposed around each of the ports of port assembly 2012. The light assemblies 2015 can be configured to relay information about the port to a user according to their color or state (e.g., blinking). For example, light assemblies 2015 can change from a first color to a second color when a plug is fully seated in its respective port. In one aspect, the color or state of light assemblies 2015 can be controlled by header module 2002. For example, header module 2002 can cause the light assembly 2015 of each port to display a color corresponding to the color indication of the port on GUI 2008.

[0068] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a standalone hub configuration of a modular energy system 3000, and FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a hub configuration of a modular energy system 3000 integrated with a surgical control system 3010, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the modular energy system 3000 may be utilized as a standalone unit or may be integrated with a surgical control system 3010 to control and / or receive data from one or more surgical hub units. In the example shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the integrated header / UI module 3002 of the modular energy system 3000 includes a header module and a UI module integrated together as a single module. In other embodiments, the header module and UI module may be provided as separate components communicatively coupled via a data bus 3008.

[0069] 9 , an example of a standalone modular energy system 3000 includes an integrated header module / user interface (UI) module 3002 coupled to an energy module 3004. Power and data are transmitted between the integrated header / UI module 3002 and the energy module 3004 through a power interface 3006 and a data interface 3008. For example, the integrated header / UI module 3002 can transmit various commands to the energy module 3004 through the data interface 3008. Such commands can be based on user input from the UI. As a further example, power may be transmitted to the energy module 3004 through the power interface 3006.

[0070] 10 , the surgical hub configuration includes a modular energy system 3000 integrated with a control system 3010 and an interface system 3022 for managing, among other things, data and power transfer to and / or from the modular energy system 3000. The modular energy system shown in FIG. 10 includes an integrated header module / UI module 3002, a first energy module 3004, and a second energy module 3012. In one embodiment, a data transmission path is established between a system control unit 3024 of the control system 3010 and the second energy module 3012 (through the first energy module 3004) and the header / UI module 3002 (through the data interface 3008). Additionally, a power path extends between the integrated header / UI module 3002 and the second energy module 3012 through the power interface 3006 and through the first energy module 3004. In other words, in one aspect, the first energy module 3004 is configured to function as a power and data interface between the second energy module 3012 and the integrated header / UI module 3002 through the power interface 3006 and the data interface 3008. This configuration allows the modular energy system 3000 to be expanded by seamlessly connecting additional energy modules 3004, 3012 already connected to the integrated header / UI module 3002 without requiring dedicated power and energy interfaces within the integrated header / UI module 3002.

[0071] A system control unit 3024, which may be referred to herein as a control circuit, control logic, microprocessor, microcontroller, logic, or FPGA, or various combinations thereof, is coupled to a system interface 3022 via an energy interface 3026 and an appliance communication interface 3028. The system interface 3022 is coupled to a first energy module 3004 via a first energy interface 3014 and a first appliance communication interface 3016. The system interface 3022 is coupled to a second energy module 3012 via a second energy interface 3018 and a second appliance communication interface 3020. When additional modules, such as additional energy modules, are stacked within the modular energy system 3000, additional energy and communication interfaces are provided between the system interface 3022 and the additional modules.

[0072] The energy modules 3004, 3012 are connectable to the hub and can be configured to generate electrosurgical energy (e.g., bipolar or monopolar), ultrasonic energy, or combinations thereof (referred to herein as "advanced energy" modules) for various energy surgical instruments. Generally, the energy modules 3004, 3012 include a hardware / software interface, an ultrasonic controller, an advanced energy RF controller, a bipolar RF controller, and control algorithms executed by a controller that receives outputs from the controller and controls the operation of the various energy modules 3004, 3012 accordingly. In various aspects of the present disclosure, the controllers described herein may be implemented as control circuitry, control logic, microprocessors, microcontrollers, logic, or FPGAs, or various combinations thereof.

[0073] 9 and 10, the modules of the modular energy system 3000 may include an optical link that allows high-speed communication (10-50 Mb / s) across the patient isolation boundary. This link carries device communications, mitigation signals (such as watchdogs), and low-bandwidth runtime data. In some embodiments, the optical link(s) do not include real-time sampling data that can be done on the non-isolated side.

[0074] 9 and 10, a module of the modular energy system 3000 may include a multi-function circuit block that can (i) read presence resistance via an A / D and current source, (ii) communicate with legacy instruments via a hand switch Q protocol, (iii) communicate with instruments via a local bus 1-Wire protocol, and (iv) communicate with CAN FD enabled surgical instruments. Once a surgical instrument is properly identified by the energy generator module, the associated pin functions and communication circuitry are enabled, while other unused functions are disabled or disconnected and set to a high impedance state.

[0075] In one embodiment, referring to FIGS. 9 and 10 , a module of the modular energy system 3000 can include a pulse / stim / aux amplifier. This is a flexible amplifier based on a full-bridge output and incorporates functional isolation, allowing its differential output to be referenced to any output connection on the applied part (except, in some embodiments, the unipolar active electrode). The amplifier output can be either small signal linear (pulse / stim) with waveform drive provided by a DAC or square wave drive, with moderate output power for DC applications such as DC motors, lighting, and FET drives. The output voltage and current are sensed with functionally isolated voltage and current feedback to provide accurate impedance and power measurements to an FPGA. Paired with a CAN FD-enabled instrument, this output can provide motor / motion control drive, while position or velocity feedback is provided by the CAN FD interface for closed-loop control.

[0076] As described in more detail herein, the modular energy system includes a header module and one or more functional or surgical modules. In various examples, the modular energy system is a modular energy system. In various examples, the surgical module includes an energy module, a communications module, and a user interface module, although it is contemplated that the surgical module may be any suitable type of functional or surgical module for use with the modular energy system.

[0077] Modular energy systems offer many advantages in surgical procedures, as described above in connection with modular energy systems 2000 (FIGS. 5-8) and 3000 (FIGS. 9-10). However, cable management and setup / teardown time can be a significant deterrent. Various aspects of the present disclosure provide a modular energy system with a single power cable and a single current switch to control the startup and shutdown of the entire modular energy system, thereby eliminating the need to individually start and stop each individual module from which the modular energy system is constructed. Additionally, various aspects of the present disclosure provide a modular energy system with a power management scheme that promotes safety and, in some cases, simultaneous delivery of power to the modules of the modular energy system.

[0078] In various aspects, as shown in Figure 11, modular energy system 6000 is similar in many respects to modular energy systems 2000 (Figures 5-8), 3000 (Figures 9-10). For the sake of brevity, various details of modular energy system 6000 that are similar to modular energy system 2000 and / or modular energy system 3000 will not be repeated herein.

[0079] The modular energy system 6000 includes a header module 6002 and "N" surgical modules 6004, where "N" is an integer greater than or equal to 1. In various embodiments, the modular energy system 6000 includes a UI module, such as UI module 3030, and / or a communications module, such as communications module 3032. Additionally, pass-through hub connectors couple the individual modules to one another in a stacked configuration. In the embodiment of FIG. 11 , the header module 6002 is coupled to the surgical module 6004 via pass-through hub connectors 6005, 6006.

[0080] The modular energy system 6000 comprises an exemplary power architecture consisting of a single AC / DC power supply 6003 that provides power to all of the surgical modules in the stack. The AC / DC power supply 6003 is housed in a header module 6002 and utilizes a power backplane 6008 to distribute power to each module in the stack. The example of Figure 11 shows three separate power domains on the power backplane 6008: a primary power domain 6009, a standby power domain 6010, and an Ethernet switch power domain 6013.

[0081] 11 , the power backplane 6008 extends from the header module 6002 through multiple middle modules 6004 to the bottom or furthest module in the stack. In various aspects, the power backplane 6008 is configured to deliver power to the surgical module 6004 through one or more other surgical modules 6004 that precede it in the stack. The surgical module 6004 that receives power from the header module 6002 can be coupled to a surgical instrument or tool configured to deliver therapeutic energy to a patient.

[0082] The primary power domain 6009 is the primary power source for the functional module specific circuits 6013, 6014, 6015 of modules 6002, 6004. It consists of a single voltage rail provided to all modules. In at least one embodiment, the 60V nominal voltage can be selected to be higher than the local rails required by any module, so that the modules can exclusively implement step-down regulation, which is generally more efficient than step-up regulation.

[0083] In various aspects, the primary power domain 6009 is controlled by the header module 6002. In particular examples, a local power switch 6018 is located on the header module 6002, as shown in FIG. 11 . In particular examples, the remote on / off interface 6016 can be configured to control, for example, a system power control 6017 on the header module 6002. In at least one embodiment, the remote on / off interface 6016 is configured to transmit pulsed individual commands (separate commands for on and off) and power status telemetry signals. In various examples, the primary power domain 6009 is configured to distribute power to all modules in a stacked configuration after a user-initiated power-on.

[0084] In various aspects, as shown in FIG. 11 , modules of the modular energy system 6000 can be communicatively coupled to the header module 6002 and / or each other via a communication (serial bus / Ethernet) interface 6040, such that data or other information is shared by and among the modules that make up the modular energy system. The Ethernet switch domain 6013 can be derived, for example, from the primary power domain 6009. The Ethernet switch power domain 6013 is separated into separate power domains configured to provide power to the Ethernet switches within each of the modules in the stacked configuration, such that the primary communication interface 6040 remains live when local power to the module is removed. In at least one embodiment, the primary communication interface 6040 comprises a 1000BASE-T Ethernet network, with each module representing a node on the network, and each module downstream of the header module 6002 including a three-port Ethernet switch for routing traffic to the local module or for passing data upstream or downstream as appropriate.

[0085] Additionally, in certain embodiments, the modular energy system 6000 includes a secondary, low-speed, communication interface between modules for critical power-related functions, including module power sequencing and module power status. The secondary communication interface may be, for example, a multi-drop Local Interconnect Network (LIN) where the header module is the master and all downstream modules are slaves.

[0086] 11 , the standby power domain 6010 is a separate output from the AC / DC power supply 6003 that is always running when the source is connected to mains power 6020. The standby power domain 6010 is used by all modules in the system to power the circuitry for the relaxed communication interface and to control the local power to each module. Additionally, the standby power domain 6010 is configured to provide power to circuitry that is important in standby mode, such as on / off command detection, status LEDs, a secondary communication bus, etc.

[0087] 11 , the individual surgical modules 6004 lack an independent power source and therefore rely on the header module 6002 to provide power in a stacked configuration. Only the header module 6002 is directly connected to the mains power 6020. The surgical modules 6004 lack a direct connection to the mains power 6020 and can only receive power in a stacked configuration. This arrangement improves the safety of the individual surgical modules 6004 and reduces the overall footprint of the modular energy system 6000. This arrangement further reduces the number of cords required for proper operation of the modular energy system 6000, thereby reducing clutter and footprint in the operating room.

[0088] Thus, in a stacked configuration, a surgical instrument connected to a surgical module 6004 of the modular energy system 6000 receives energy for tissue treatment generated by the surgical module 6004 from power delivered to the surgical module 6004 from the AC / DC power supply 6003 of the header module 6002.

[0089] In at least one embodiment, while the header module 6002 is assembled with the first surgical module 6004' in a stacked configuration, energy can flow from the AC / DC power supply 6003 to the first surgical module 6004'. Furthermore, while the header module 6002 is assembled with the first surgical module 6004' (connected to the header module 6002) and the second surgical module 6004'' (connected to the first surgical module 6004) in a stacked configuration, energy can flow from the AC / DC power supply 6003 through the first surgical module 6004' to the second surgical module 6004''.

[0090] Energy generated by the AC / DC power supply 6003 of the header module 6002 is transmitted through a segmented power backplane 6008 defined through the modular energy system 6000. In the example of FIG. 11 , the header module 6002 houses a power backplane segment 6008′, the first surgical module 6004′ houses a power backplane segment 6008″, and the second surgical module 6004″ houses a power backplane segment 6008′′. The power backplane segment 6008′ is removably coupled to the power backplane segment 6008″ in the stacked configuration. Furthermore, the power backplane 6008″ is removably coupled to the power backplane segment 6008′′ in the stacked configuration. Thus, energy flows from the AC / DC power supply 6003 to the power backplane segment 6008′, then to the power backplane segment 6008″, then to the power backplane segment 6008′″.

[0091] In the example of FIG. 11 , the power backplane segment 6008′ is removably connected to the power backplane segment 6008″ via pass-through hub connectors 6005, 6006 in the stacked configuration. Additionally, the power backplane segment 6008″ is removably connected to the power backplane segment 6008′″ via pass-through hub connectors 6025, 6056 in the stacked configuration. In certain examples, removing a surgical module from the stacked configuration disconnects its connection to the power source 6003. For example, separating the second surgical module 6004″ from the first surgical module 6004′ disconnects the power backplane segment 6008″ from the power backplane segment 6008′″. However, as long as the header module 6002 and the first surgical module 6004′ remain in the stacked configuration, the connection between the power backplane segment 6008″ and the power backplane segment 6008′″ remains intact. Thus, energy can still flow to the first surgical module 6004' through the connection between the header module 6002 and the first surgical module 6004' after disconnecting the second surgical module 6004". Separating the connected modules can, in certain instances, be accomplished by simply pulling the surgical modules 6004 apart.

[0092] 11 , each of the modules 6002, 6004 includes a relaxed module controller 6023. The relaxed module controller 6023 is coupled to a corresponding local power adjustment module 6024 configured to adjust power based on input from the relaxed module controller 6023. In certain aspects, the relaxed module controller 6023 enables the header module 6002 to independently control the local power adjustment module 6024.

[0093] The modular energy system 6000 further includes a relaxed communication interface 6021 including a segmented communication backplane 6027 extending between the relaxed module controls 6023. The segmented communication backplane 6027 is similar in many respects to the segmented power backplane 6008. Relaxed communication between the relaxed module controls 6023 of the header module 6002 and the surgical module 6004 can be achieved through the segmented communication backplane 6027 defined through the modular energy system 6000. In the example of FIG. 11 , the header module 6002 houses a communication backplane segment 6027′, the first surgical module 6004′ houses a communication backplane segment 6027″, and the second surgical module 6004″ houses a communication backplane segment 6027′′. Communications backplane segment 6027' is removably coupled to communications backplane segment 6027'' in a stacked configuration via pass-through hub connectors 6005, 6006. Further, communications backplane 6027'' is removably coupled to communications backplane segment 6027'' in a stacked configuration via pass-through hub connectors 6025, 6026.

[0094] The example of FIG. 11 illustrates, but is not limited to, a modular energy system 6000 including a header module 6002 and two surgical modules 6004′, 6004″. Modular energy systems having more or fewer surgical modules are contemplated by the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the modular energy system 6000 includes other modules, such as, for example, a communications module. In some embodiments, the header module 6502 supports a display screen, such as, for example, display 2006 (FIG. 6A), that displays a GUI, such as, for example, GUI 2008, for relaying information about the modules connected to the header module 6002. The GUI 2008 of the display screen 2006 can provide a unified control point for all of the modules that make up a particular configuration of the modular energy system.

[0095] FIG. 12 shows a simplified schematic diagram of the modular energy system 6000 illustrating a primary communication interface 6040 between the header module 6002 and the surgical module 6004. The primary communication interface 6040 communicatively connects the module processors 6041, 6041′, 6041″ of the header module 6002 to the surgical module 6004. Commands generated by the module processor 6041 of the header module are transmitted to the downstream surgical module of the desired function via the primary communication interface 6040. In certain examples, the primary communication interface 6040 is configured to establish a bidirectional communication path between adjacent modules. In other examples, the primary communication interface 6040 is configured to establish a unidirectional communication path between adjacent modules.

[0096] Additionally, the primary communication interface 6040 includes a segmented communication backplane 6031 that is similar in many respects to the segmented power backplane 6008. Communication between the header module 6002 and the surgical modules 6004 may be achieved via the segmented communication backplane 6031 defined through the modular energy system 6000. In the example of FIG. 12 , the header module 6002 houses a communication backplane segment 6031′, the first surgical module 6004′ houses a communication backplane segment 6031″, and the second surgical module 6004″ houses a communication backplane segment 6031′″. The communication backplane segment 6031′ is removably coupled to the communication backplane segment 6031″ in the stacked configuration via pass-through hub connectors 6005, 6006. Additionally, the communications backplane 6031'' is removably coupled to the communications backplane segments 6031'' in the stacked configuration via pass-through hub connectors 6025, 6026.

[0097] In at least one embodiment, the primary communication interface 6040 is implemented using the DDS framework running on a Gigabit Ethernet interface, as shown in Figure 12. The module processors 6041, 6041', 6041" are connected to Gigabit Ethernet Phys 6044 and Gigabit Ethernet switches 6042', 6042". In the embodiment of Figure 16, a segmented communication backplane 6031 connects the Gigabit Ethernet Phys 6044 and Gigabit Ethernet switches 6042 of adjacent modules.

[0098] 12, the header module 6002 includes a separate Gigabit Ethernet Phy 6045 for external communication interface 6043 with a processor module 6041 of the header module 6002. In at least one embodiment, the processor module 6041 of the header module 6002 handles firewall and information routing.

[0099] 11 , the AC / DC power supply 6003 may provide an AC status signal 6011 indicating loss of AC power supplied by the AC / DC power supply 6003. The AC status signal 6011 is provided to all modules of the modular energy system 6000 via the segmented power backplane 6008 to allow each module as much time as possible for graceful shutdown before primary output power is lost. The AC status signal 6011 may be received, for example, by module specific circuits 6013, 6014, 6015. In various embodiments, the system power controller 6017 may be configured to detect AC power loss. In at least one embodiment, AC power loss is detected via one or more suitable sensors.

[0100] 11 and 12 , the primary power inputs to all modules can be fused or similar methods used (electronic fuses, circuit breakers, etc.) to limit current so that a local power failure of one of the modules of the modular energy system 6000 does not disable the entire power bus. Additionally, the Ethernet switch power is segregated into separate power domains 6013 so that the primary communication interface 6040 remains operational when local power to a module is removed. In other words, primary power can be removed and / or shunted from a surgical module without losing its ability to communicate with other surgical modules 6004 and / or the header module 6002.

[0101] Assigning Footswitches Using the Graphical User Interface Having described general implementations of modular energy systems 2000, 3000, 6000 and graphical user interface (GUI) 2008, the present disclosure now describes various implementations of other modular energy systems and GUIs. The other modular energy systems are substantially similar to modular energy system 2000, modular energy system 3000, and / or modular energy system 6000. Similarly, the other GUIs are substantially similar to GUI 2008. For the sake of brevity, various details of the other modular energy systems and GUIs described in the following sections will not be repeated here. All aspects of the other modular energy systems and GUIs described below can be carried over to modular energy system 2000, modular energy system 3000, modular energy system 6000, and GUI 2008.

[0102] As described above, the modular energy system may include one or more energy modules, each configured to generate one or more energy modalities for powering an electrosurgical instrument and / or ultrasonic surgical instrument connected thereto. For example, referring again to FIG. 7 , modular energy system 2000 is shown as having two energy modules (energy modules 2004a and 2004b), each having a port assembly (port assembly 2012a or 2012b), each port assembly having a number of different ports configured to deliver different energy modalities to a corresponding surgical instrument connectable thereto. In other aspects, modular energy system 2000 may include three or more energy modules, each having a port assembly each having a different port.

[0103] As also described above, the modular energy system may include various accessories connectable to the modules to control its functionality. These accessories may include footswitches configured to control the activation or functionality of the energy modalities produced by the modules. For example, referring again to FIG. 5 , footswitches used with the modular energy system may include single-pedal footswitches (e.g., single-pedal footswitch 2032) and dual-pedal footswitches (e.g., dual-pedal footswitch 2034). In some embodiments, each footswitch is configured to control only one port of the modular energy system at a time. In other embodiments, the footswitches may be communicatively coupled to the modular energy system via a wired connection. In still other embodiments, the footswitches may be coupled to the modular energy system via a wireless connection. Any number and combination of footswitches of the same and / or different types may be connected to a single modular energy system to control various ports.

[0104] Thus, not only are there a variety of different energy module and port configurations that can be used to implement the modular energy systems described herein, but there are also a variety of different footswitch configurations that can be used to control the energy modalities associated with the ports. Given the various combinations of energy modules, energy modalities, ports, and footswitches that can be implemented in a particular modular energy system, there is a need for devices, systems, and methods for easily assigning a footswitch to control a specific port of a modular energy system. Additionally, because some footswitches can be wirelessly connected to a modular energy system, there is a need for devices, systems, and methods for wirelessly pairing a footswitch to a modular energy system and assigning the footswitch to control a specific port. The present disclosure provides devices, systems, and methods for assigning a footswitch to control a specific port of a modular energy system using a graphical user interface (GUI). The present disclosure also provides devices, systems, and methods for wirelessly pairing a footswitch to a modular energy system and assigning the footswitch to control that specific port using a GUI.

[0105] 13-17 illustrate an exemplary sequence of GUI screens 7000A-E (collectively GUI 7000) for assigning a footswitch to a particular port of a modular energy system, according to certain non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure. GUI 7000 may be displayed by a display screen of the modular energy system. For example, similar to GUI 2008, GUI 7000 may be displayed by display screen 2006 of modular energy system 2000 described above with respect to FIGS. 5-8. While FIGS. 13-17 illustrate GUIs displayed by a modular energy system having a particular configuration of footswitches, modules, and ports, one skilled in the art will understand that the embodiments disclosed below with respect to FIGS. 13-17 may be applied to modular energy systems having a variety of different footswitch, module, and port configurations.

[0106] 13, a GUI screen 7000A is shown displaying data and controls associated with an exemplary modular energy system configured with a first energy module and a second energy module (e.g., similar to modular energy system 2000 of FIG. 7, including first energy module 2004a and second energy module 2004b). Specifically, GUI screen 7000A includes a first portion 7010 corresponding to the first energy module and a second portion 7020 corresponding to the second energy module. The first portion 7010 of the GUI screen 7000A includes a first widget 7012A, a second widget 7012B, a third widget 7012C, and a fourth widget 7012D, each displaying data and controls corresponding to the bipolar port, the first monopolar port, the second monopolar port, and the combination energy port of the first energy module (e.g., the bipolar port 2014, the first monopolar port 2016a, the second monopolar port 2016b, and the combination energy port 2020 of the energy module 2004 of FIG. 6A). Similarly, the second portion 7020 of the GUI screen 7000A includes a first widget 7022A, a second widget 7022B, a third widget 7022C, and a fourth widget 7022D, each displaying data and controls corresponding to the bipolar port, the first monopolar port, the second monopolar port, and the combination energy port of the second energy module, respectively. Each widget 7012A-D, 7022A-D of the GUI screen 7000A includes an icon 7014A-D, 7024A-D indicating that the corresponding port is available for control by a footswitch, but that no footswitch has been assigned to that port. As described above, as different and / or additional modules are connected to the modular energy system stack, the GUI 7000 may adjust to accommodate different and / or additional controls for the updated modular energy system configuration.

[0107] Based on detecting that a footswitch has been connected to it, the modular energy system may display one or more GUI elements in GUI 7000 indicating that the connected footswitch is available for assignment to one of the ports. For example, referring now to FIG. 14 , GUI screen 7000B is shown displaying object 7030 based on the modular energy system detecting a connected footswitch. The connected footswitch may be a wired footswitch or a wireless footswitch. Thus, in one aspect, detecting the connected footswitch may include detecting that the footswitch has been plugged into one of the modules of the modular energy system via a wired connection. In another aspect, detecting the connected footswitch may include detecting that the footswitch has been wirelessly paired with the modular energy system.

[0108] Additionally or alternatively, the connected footswitch may be a single-pedal footswitch or a dual-pedal footswitch (e.g., single-pedal footswitch 2032 or dual-pedal footswitch 2034 in FIG. 5). Thus, in one embodiment, object 7030 may include an icon indicating whether the connected footswitch is a single-pedal footswitch or a dual-pedal footswitch. For example, in the non-limiting embodiment of FIG. 14, object 7030 includes an icon representing a single-pedal footswitch (indicating that a single-pedal footswitch is connected). Alternatively, if a dual-pedal footswitch is connected, object 7030 may include an icon representing a dual-pedal footswitch.

[0109] 14 , upon detection of a connected footswitch, the modular energy system may display a help balloon 7032 on GUI screen 7000B. The help balloon 7032 may include a notification identifying the connected footswitch and / or instructions for assigning the connected footswitch to an available port. For example, the help balloon 7032 may include the text "Footswitch A Connected" and "Drag Footswitch to Port to Assign." Thus, a user viewing GUI screen 7000B and the help balloon 7032 is notified that footswitch A is connected and may be assigned to a particular port by dragging object 7030 to one of the available widgets (e.g., 7012A, 7012D, 7022A, 7022D).

[0110] In various embodiments, upon detection of a connected footswitch, the GUI 7000 can display icons and / or text identifying ports to which the footswitch can be assigned. For example, still referring to FIG. 14 , GUI screen 7000B is shown displaying icons 7034A-D along with the text “Drag Here” in widgets 7012A, 7012D, 7022A, and 7022D, indicating that the object 7030 can be dragged to any of these widgets to assign the footswitch. In one embodiment, the modular energy system may determine ports to which the footswitch can be assigned based on whether the connected footswitch is a single-pedal or dual-pedal footswitch. For example, in the non-limiting embodiment of FIG. 14 , only the bipolar and combination energy ports of the modular energy system are configured to support single-pedal footswitches. Accordingly, widgets 7012A, 7012D, 7022A, and 7022D include icons 7034A-D indicating that a footswitch can be assigned to one of those ports. Conversely, widgets 7012B, 7012C, 7022B, and 7022C include text 7036A-D indicating that the connected footswitch is not compatible with the corresponding single-pole port and therefore cannot be assigned to it.

[0111] A user of the modular energy system may interact with GUI screen 7000B to pair a connected footswitch with one of the available ports. For example, following instructions provided by help balloon 7032 and / or icons 7034A-D, the user may press and drag object 7030 away from its original location. Transitioning from GUI screen 7000B of FIG. 15 to GUI screen 7000C and pressing and dragging object 7030 causes the object to move across GUI screen 7000C, thereby allowing the user to drag object 7030 to an available port (i.e., one of widgets 7012A, 7012D, 7022A, or 7022D displaying "Drag here" icons 7034A-D). Pressing and dragging object 7030 may also cause GUI screen 7000C to display icon 7034E containing the text "Drag here to dock." Rather than dragging object 7030 to one of the available ports (i.e., widgets), the user can drag object 7030 to its original location and release object 7030 to return to GUI screen 7000B. This action results in the footswitch remaining unassigned. In some aspects, if the user releases object 7030 without dragging it to any of the widgets with icons 7034A-E, the footswitch remains unassigned and GUI 7000 returns to GUI screen 7000B.

[0112] 16 , an object 7030 is shown hovering over widget 7012A as a result of a drag action performed by the user. In some aspects, when object 7030 is dragged over one of the available / compatible widgets, that widget is highlighted and / or has a dashed border. For example, GUI screen 7000D shows widget 7012A with a highlighted / dashed border based on the user dragging object 7030 over it. The highlighted / dashed border may indicate that widget 7012A (and the corresponding bipolar port) is compatible with a footswitch and / or that another footswitch has not yet been assigned to widget 7012A.

[0113] Once the user drags object 7030 over the desired widget, the user can release object 7030 to cause the modular energy system to assign the footswitch to the port associated with the widget. Transitioning from GUI screen 7000D to GUI screen 7000E of FIG. 17 , the user dragged and released object 7030 while it was positioned over widget 7012A, resulting in icon 7038 being shown inside widget 7012A. Icon 7038 includes a depiction of a single-pedal footswitch and the text "A." Thus, icon 7038 indicates that footswitch A, a single-pedal footswitch, has been assigned to a bipolar port of the first energy module of the modular energy system.

[0114] Returning to GUI screen 7000B of FIG. 14 , in some aspects, a user may not want to immediately assign a footswitch once connected. For example, a user may want to adjust another setting of the modular energy system using GUI 7000 before assigning the footswitch. Thus, a user may want to remove help balloon 7032 from the screen. In one aspect, help balloon 7032 may be removed from GUI screen 7000B by tapping anywhere on the screen. In another aspect, help balloon 7032 may be removed from GUI screen 7000B by tapping anywhere on the screen other than help balloon 7032 and / or object 7030. In another aspect, help balloon 7032 is automatically removed from GUI screen 7000B after a predetermined period of time.

[0115] With further reference to GUI screen 7000B of FIG. 14 , multiple footswitches may be connected to the modular energy system. In some embodiments, multiple footswitches may be connected to the modular energy system, with at least some of the connected footswitches not assigned to a port. For example, GUI screen 7000B shows that footswitch A is connected and unassigned. Before assigning footswitch A to a specific port, another footswitch may be connected to the modular energy system. If a second footswitch (e.g., footswitch B) is connected, GUI 7000 may update to display another draggable object (not shown in FIG. 14 ) for the second footswitch, similar to object 7030 for footswitch A. The draggable object for the second footswitch may include an icon representing a single-pedal footswitch or a dual-pedal footswitch, depending on the type of footswitch connected. GUI 7000 may also update to instead display a help balloon, similar to help balloon 7032 for footswitch A, indicating that a second footswitch has been connected (e.g., with the text “Footswitch B Connected”). Additional draggable objects may be generated for additional connected and unassigned footswitches (e.g., footswitch C, footswitch D, etc.) Thus, GUI 7000 may display multiple draggable objects similar to 7030, allowing a user to select and assign one of multiple connected footswitches to a particular port of the modular energy system.

[0116] As described above, various footswitches may be wirelessly connected to the modular energy system described herein. To connect a wireless footswitch to the modular energy system, the footswitch may first need to be detected by the modular energy system and then paired to the modular energy system based on user input (e.g., via a user interacting with a GUI of the modular energy system). After pairing, the user can assign the wireless footswitch to a specific port, as described above. However, it may be desirable to pair the wireless footswitch to the modular energy system and assign the footswitch to a specific port based on a single drag-and-drop action.

[0117] The GUI 7000 may display a sequence of screens similar to GUI screens 7000A-E of FIGS. 13-17, allowing a user to wirelessly pair a footswitch to a modular energy system and assign the footswitch to a port using a single action. For example, starting with GUI screen 7000A of FIG. 13 and transitioning to GUI screen 7000B of FIG. 14, the GUI 7000 may display an object 7030 and / or a help balloon 7032 indicating that a wireless footswitch has been detected and is available for use by the modular energy system. In this aspect, the help balloon 7032 may display text identifying the detected wireless footswitch (e.g., "Footswitch A detected"). The help balloon 7032 may also display text instructing the user how to pair and assign the wireless footswitch (e.g., "Drag footswitch to port to pair and assign"). Similar to the above, the GUI 7000 may display icons 7034A-D indicating which ports are compatible with the detected footswitch. Additionally, the GUI 7000 may implement screens similar to GUI screens 7000C-E described above with respect to Figures 15-17, allowing the user to perform a single drag-and-drop action to pair a detected footswitch to the modular energy system.

[0118] 18 illustrates a method 5000 for assigning a footswitch to control a port of a modular energy system according to certain non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure. Method 5000 may be performed by any combination of a surgical system, a modular energy system, an energy module, a header module, a footswitch, a port, a surgical instrument, any of their components, and any other devices and systems disclosed herein. For example, method 5000 may be performed by a modular energy system including an energy module and a display screen configured to display a graphical user interface (GUI). The energy module may include a port configured to deliver an energy modality to a surgical instrument coupled thereto.

[0119] According to method 5000, the GUI may display a plurality of widgets corresponding to ports (5002). The modular energy system may detect that a footswitch is available to be assigned to one of the ports (5004). Based on detecting the footswitch, the GUI may display an object indicating that a footswitch is available to be assigned to one of the ports (5006). The modular energy system may identify one or more of the ports available to be controlled by the footswitch (5008). Further, the GUI may display an icon in the widget corresponding to the one or more ports identified as available to be controlled by the footswitch (5010). In some aspects, the icon may indicate that the port is available to be controlled by the footswitch. Based on a user interacting with the GUI to drag and drop an object onto one of the widgets, the modular energy system may assign the footswitch to one of the ports (5012).

[0120] In one aspect of method 5000, detecting 5004 that the footswitch is available to be assigned to one of the ports may include detecting that the footswitch is connected to the modular energy system via a wired connection and / or detecting that the footswitch is wirelessly paired with the modular energy system. In another aspect of method 5000, detecting 5004 that the footswitch is available to be assigned to one of the ports may include detecting that the footswitch is available to be wirelessly paired with the modular energy system. In this aspect, method 5000 may further include wirelessly pairing the footswitch with the modular energy system based on a user interacting with the GUI to drag and drop an object onto one of the widgets having an icon. Thus, based on the same drag-and-drop interaction with the GUI by the user, the footswitch is both assigned to one of the ports and wirelessly paired with the modular energy system.

[0121] In one aspect of method 5000, detecting 5004 that a footswitch is available to be assigned to one of the ports may include determining that the footswitch is a single-pedal footswitch. Further, identifying 5008 that one or more of the ports are available to be controlled by the footswitch may include determining that one or more of the ports are compatible with a single-pedal footswitch. Further, in this aspect of method 5000, the GUI may display a single-pedal footswitch icon for the object based on the modular energy system's determination that the footswitch is a single-pedal footswitch.

[0122] In one aspect of method 5000, detecting 5004 that a footswitch is available to be assigned to one of the ports may include determining that the footswitch is a dual-pedal footswitch. Further, identifying 5008 that one or more of the ports are available to be controlled by the footswitch may include determining that one or more of the ports are compatible with a dual-pedal footswitch. Further, in this aspect of method 5000, the GUI may display a dual-pedal footswitch icon on the object based on the modular energy system's determination that the footswitch is a dual-pedal footswitch.

[0123] In one aspect of method 5000, identifying one or more of the ports that are available to be controlled by a footswitch (5008) may include determining that one or more of the ports does not already have a footswitch assigned to it. In another aspect, method 5000 may further include displaying, by the GUI, a footswitch icon in a widget that corresponds to the port to which the footswitch is assigned.

[0124] In one aspect of method 5000, the footswitch is a first footswitch and the object is a first object. Method 5000 may further include detecting, by the modular energy system, that a second footswitch is available to be assigned to one of the ports. Additionally, based on the detection of the second footswitch, the GUI may display a second object indicating that the second footswitch is available to be assigned to one of the ports. In another aspect, method 5000 may further include displaying, by the GUI, a help balloon including instructions for dragging and dropping objects to assign the footswitch (e.g., the first footswitch, the second footswitch) to one of the ports. [Example]

[0125] Various aspects of the devices, systems, and methods for assigning foot switches to ports of the modular energy systems described herein are described in the following examples.

[0126] Example 1: A method for assigning a footswitch to control a port of a modular energy system, the modular energy system comprising: an energy module; and a display screen configured to display a graphical user interface (GUI), the energy module comprising a port configured to deliver an energy modality to a surgical instrument coupled thereto, the method including: displaying, by the GUI, a plurality of widgets corresponding to the ports; detecting, by the modular energy system, that a footswitch is available to be assigned to one of the ports; based on the detecting of the footswitch, displaying, by the GUI, an object indicating that the footswitch is available to be assigned to one of the ports; identifying, by the modular energy system, one or more of the ports that are available to be controlled by the footswitch; displaying, by the GUI, an icon in a widget corresponding to the one or more ports identified as available to be controlled by the footswitch, the icon indicating that the port is available to be controlled by the footswitch; and based on a user interacting with the GUI to drag and drop an object to one of the widgets having the icon indicating that the port is available to be controlled by the footswitch, assigning, by the modular energy system, the footswitch to one of the ports.

[0127] Example 2: The method of Example 1, wherein detecting, by the modular energy system, that a foot switch is available to be assigned to one of the ports includes at least one of detecting that the foot switch is connected to the modular energy system via a wired connection and detecting that the foot switch is wirelessly paired with the modular energy system.

[0128] Example 3: The method of Example 1 or 2, wherein detecting, by the modular energy system, that a foot switch is available to be assigned to one of the ports includes detecting that the foot switch is available to be wirelessly paired with the modular energy system, and the method further includes wirelessly pairing the foot switch with the modular energy system based on a user interacting with a GUI to drag and drop an object onto one of the widgets having an icon, wherein the foot switch is assigned to one of the ports and wirelessly paired with the modular energy system based on the same drag-and-drop interaction with the GUI screen by the user.

[0129] Example 4: The method of any of Examples 1-3, wherein detecting, by the modular energy system, that a footswitch is available to be assigned to one of the ports includes determining that the footswitch is a single-pedal footswitch, and identifying, by the modular energy system, one or more of the ports that are available to be controlled by the footswitch includes determining that one or more of the ports are compatible with a single-pedal footswitch.

[0130] Example 5: The method of any of Examples 1-4, further comprising, based on the modular energy system determining that the footswitch is a single-pedal footswitch, displaying, via the GUI, a single-pedal footswitch icon on the object.

[0131] Example 6: The method of any of Examples 1-5, wherein detecting, by the modular energy system, that the footswitch is available to be assigned includes determining that the footswitch is a dual-pedal footswitch, and identifying, by the modular energy system, one or more of the ports that are available to be controlled by the footswitch includes determining that one or more of the ports are compatible with the dual-pedal footswitch.

[0132] Example 7: The method of any of Examples 1-6, further comprising, based on the modular energy system determining that the footswitch is a dual-pedal footswitch, displaying, via the GUI, a dual-pedal footswitch icon on the object.

[0133] Example 8: The method of any of Examples 1-7, wherein identifying, by the modular energy system, one or more of the ports that are available to be controlled by a foot switch includes determining that one or more of the ports does not already have a foot switch assigned to it.

[0134] Example 9: The method of any of Examples 1-8, further comprising displaying, via the GUI, a footswitch icon in a widget corresponding to the port to which the footswitch is assigned.

[0135] Example 10: The method of any of Examples 1-9, wherein the footswitch is a first footswitch and the object is a first object, and the method further includes: detecting, by the modular energy system, that a second footswitch is available to be assigned to one of the ports; and based on the detection of the second footswitch, displaying, by the GUI, a second object indicating that the second footswitch is available to be assigned to one of the ports.

[0136] Example 11: The method of any of Examples 1 to 10, further comprising: displaying, via the GUI, a help balloon containing instructions for dragging and dropping an object to assign the footswitch to one of the ports.

[0137] Example 12: A modular energy system for use in a surgical environment, the modular energy system including: one or more energy modules, each of the one or more energy modules comprising a port, each of the ports configured to deliver an energy modality to a surgical instrument connected thereto; a footswitch configured to control activation of at least one of the ports; and a header module including a display screen, the display screen configured to display a graphical user interface (GUI), the GUI configured to: display a plurality of widgets, each widget corresponding to one of the ports; display an object indicating that a footswitch is available to be assigned to one of the ports; display an icon in the widget corresponding to the port available to be controlled by the footswitch; and allow a user to drag and drop an object onto one of the widgets having the icon, wherein dragging and dropping an object onto one of the widgets having the icon causes the header module to assign the footswitch to the port corresponding to the widget.

[0138] Example 13: The system of Example 12, wherein the foot switch is configured to wirelessly pair with the header module, and wherein dragging and dropping an object onto one of the widgets having an icon causes the header module to wirelessly pair with the foot switch.

[0139] Example 14: The system of Examples 12 or 13, wherein the foot switch is configured to communicatively connect to at least one of the header module and the one or more energy modules via a wired connection.

[0140] Example 15: The system of any of Examples 12-14, wherein the footswitch comprises a single pedal footswitch or a dual pedal footswitch.

[0141] Example 16: The system of any of Examples 12 to 15, wherein the GUI is configured to display icons only in widgets corresponding to ports controllable by the single-pedal footswitch when the footswitch includes a single-pedal footswitch, and wherein the GUI is configured to display icons only in widgets corresponding to ports controllable by the dual-pedal footswitch when the footswitch includes a dual-pedal footswitch.

[0142] Example 17: The system of any of Examples 12-16, wherein the GUI is configured to display a single-pedal footswitch icon on the object if the footswitch includes a single-pedal footswitch, and the GUI is configured to display a dual-pedal footswitch icon on the object if the footswitch includes a dual-pedal footswitch.

[0143] Example 18: The system of any of Examples 12-17, wherein when an object is dragged and dropped onto one of the widgets having an icon, the GUI displays the footswitch icon paired with the widget.

[0144] Example 19: The system of any of Examples 12-18, wherein the footswitch is a first footswitch, the object is a first object, the system further comprises a second footswitch, and the GUI is further configured to simultaneously display the first object and a second object indicating that the second footswitch is available to be assigned to one of the ports.

[0145] Example 20: The system of any of Examples 12 to 19, wherein the GUI is further configured to display a help balloon containing instructions for dragging and dropping an object to assign the foot switch to one of the ports.

[0146] While several embodiments have been shown and described, it is not the applicant's intention to restrict or limit the scope of the appended claims to such details. Numerous modifications, variations, changes, substitutions, combinations, and equivalents of these embodiments may be implemented and will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Moreover, the structure of each element associated with the described embodiments may alternatively be described as a means for providing the function performed by that element. Also, although materials are disclosed with respect to particular components, other materials may be used. It is therefore to be understood that the above description and appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications, combinations, and variations as fall within the scope of the disclosed embodiments. The appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications, variations, changes, substitutions, alterations, and equivalents.

[0147] The above detailed description has set forth various aspects of devices and / or processes via the use of block diagrams, flow diagrams, and / or examples. To the extent that such block diagrams, flow diagrams, and / or examples include one or more functions and / or operations, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that each function and / or operation included in such block diagrams, flow diagrams, and / or examples may be individually and / or collectively implemented by a variety of hardware, software, firmware, or virtually any combination thereof. Those skilled in the art will understand that all or a portion of some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein may be equivalently implemented on an integrated circuit as one or more computer programs running on one or more computers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computer systems), as one or more programs running on one or more processors (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors), as firmware, or virtually any combination thereof, and that designing circuitry and / or writing software and / or firmware code is within the skill of those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the subject matter described herein may be distributed as one or more program products in a variety of forms, and that the particular form of the subject matter described herein applies regardless of the particular type of signal-bearing medium used to actually effect the distribution.

[0148] The instructions used to program the logic to implement the various disclosed aspects may be stored in system memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), cache, flash memory, or other storage. Additionally, the instructions may be distributed over a network or by other computer-readable media. Thus, machine-readable media may include any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer), including, but not limited to, floppy diskettes, optical disks, compact disks, read-only memories (CD-ROMs), magneto-optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROMs), electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs), magnetic or optical cards, flash memory, or tangible machine-readable storage used for transmitting information via the Internet via electrical, optical, acoustical, or other forms of propagated signals (e.g., carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals, etc.). Thus, non-transitory computer-readable media includes any type of tangible machine-readable medium suitable for storing or transmitting electronic instructions or information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer).

[0149] As used in any aspect of this specification, the term "control circuit" may refer to, for example, hardwired circuitry, programmable circuitry (e.g., a computer processor including one or more individual instruction processing cores, a processing unit, a processor, a microcontroller, a microcontroller unit, a controller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a programmable logic device (PLD), a programmable logic array (PLA), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA)), a state machine circuit, firmware that stores instructions executed by the programmable circuit, and any combination thereof. Control circuitry may be embodied collectively or individually as circuits that form part of a larger system, such as, for example, an integrated circuit (IC), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on a chip (SoC), a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a server, a smartphone, etc.Thus, as used herein, "control circuitry" includes, but is not limited to, electrical circuitry having at least one discrete electrical circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one integrated circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one application-specific integrated circuit, electrical circuitry forming a general-purpose computing device configured by a computer program (e.g., a general-purpose computer configured by a computer program that at least partially executes the processes and / or devices described herein, or a microprocessor configured by a computer program that at least partially executes the processes and / or devices described herein), electrical circuitry forming a memory device (e.g., a form of random access memory) and / or electrical circuitry forming a communications device (e.g., a modem, a communications switch, or an optical-electrical facility). Those skilled in the art will recognize that the subject matter described herein may be implemented in analog or digital form, or some combination thereof.

[0150] As used in any aspect of this specification, the term "logic" may refer to an application, software, firmware, and / or circuitry configured to perform any of the operations described above. Software may be embodied as a software package, code, instructions, instruction sets, and / or data recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Firmware may be embodied as code, instructions, or instruction sets and / or hard-coded (e.g., non-volatile) data in a memory device.

[0151] When used in any aspect of this specification, the terms "component," "system," "module," etc. may refer to a computer-related entity that is either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution.

[0152] As used in any aspect of this specification, an "algorithm" refers to a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result, and the "steps" refer to manipulations of physical quantities and / or logical states, which may, but need not, take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It is common practice to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like. These and similar terms may be associated with the appropriate physical quantities or are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities and / or states.

[0153] The network may include a packet-switched network. The communication devices may be capable of communicating with each other using a selected packet-switched network communication protocol. One exemplary communication protocol may include an Ethernet communication protocol, which may enable communication using Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP). The Ethernet protocol may conform to or be compatible with the Ethernet standard published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), entitled "IEEE 802.3 Standard," published December 2008, and / or later versions of this standard. Alternatively or additionally, the communication devices may be capable of communicating with each other using an X.25 communication protocol. The X.25 communication protocol may conform to or be compatible with standards promulgated by the International Telecommunication Union-Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T). Alternatively or additionally, the communication devices may be capable of communicating with each other using a frame relay communication protocol. The frame relay communication protocol may conform to or be compatible with standards promulgated by the Consultative Committee for International Telegraph and Telephone (CCITT) and / or the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Alternatively or additionally, the transceivers may be able to communicate with each other using an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) communication protocol.The ATM communication protocol may conform to or be compatible with the ATM standard entitled "ATM-MPLS Network Interworking 2.0," published by the ATM Forum in August 2001, and / or later versions of this standard. Of course, different and / or later-developed connection-oriented network communication protocols are equally contemplated herein.

[0154] Unless expressly specified otherwise, as will be apparent from the foregoing disclosure, discussions throughout the foregoing disclosure using terms such as "processing," "computing," "calculating," "determining," "displaying," and the like will be understood to refer to the actions and processing of a computer system or similar electronic computing device that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities in the computer system's registers and memory into other data that are similarly represented as physical quantities in the computer system's memory or registers or other such information storage, transmission, or display device.

[0155] One or more components may be referred to herein as being "configured to," "configurable to," "operable / operative to," "adapted / adaptable," "capable to," "conformable / conformed to," etc. Those skilled in the art will understand that "configured to" may generally encompass active components and / or inactive components and / or standby components, unless the context requires otherwise.

[0156] The terms "proximal" and "distal" are used herein with reference to a clinician manipulating the handle portion of a surgical instrument. The term "proximal" refers to the portion closest to the clinician, and the term "distal" refers to the portion located away from the clinician. It will be further understood that for convenience and clarity, spatial terms such as "vertical," "horizontal," "up," and "down" may be used herein with respect to the drawings. However, surgical instruments are used in many orientations and positions, and these terms are not intended to be limiting and / or absolute.

[0157] Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms used herein generally, and in the appended claims in particular (e.g., the body of the appended claims), are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., that the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "includes" should be interpreted as "includes but is not limited to," etc.). Those skilled in the art will further understand that where a specific number is intended in an introduced claim recitation, such intention will be clearly recited in the claim, and that, in the absence of such recitation, no such intention exists. For example, as an aid to understanding, the appended claims below may include the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce the claim recitation. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed as suggesting that when a claim is introduced by the indefinite article "a" or "an," any particular claim containing such introduced claim language is limited to claims containing only one such statement, even if the same claim contains an introductory phrase such as "one or more" or "at least one" and the indefinite article "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and / or "an" should normally be construed to mean "at least one" or "one or more"). The same applies when a definite article is used to introduce a claim.

[0158] It should be noted that, even when a specific number is explicitly stated in an introduced claim, those skilled in the art will recognize that such a statement should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., a statement simply stating "two items," without any other modifiers, generally means at least two items, or two or more items). Furthermore, when a term similar to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, such syntax is generally intended to mean what a person skilled in the art would understand the term (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" includes, but is not limited to, systems having only A, only B, only C, both A and B, both A and C, both B and C, and / or all of A, B, and C, etc.). When notations similar to "at least one of A, B, or C, etc." are used, such syntax is generally intended in the sense that one of ordinary skill in the art would understand the notation (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" includes, but is not limited to, systems having only A, only B, only C, both A and B, both A and C, both B and C, and / or all of A, B, and C, etc.). Furthermore, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that any disjunctive word and / or phrase expressing two or more alternative terms should typically be understood, whether in the specification, claims, or drawings, to contemplate the possibility of including one of those terms, either of those terms, or both of those terms, unless the context requires otherwise. For example, the phrase "A or B" will typically be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B."

[0159] With respect to the appended claims, those skilled in the art will understand that the operations recited herein generally may be performed in any order. Also, while flow diagrams of various operations are shown in sequence(s), it will be understood that the various operations may be performed in orders other than those shown, or may be performed simultaneously. Examples of such alternative orderings may include overlapping, interleaved, interrupted, reordered, incremental, preliminary, additional, simultaneous, reverse, or other different orderings, unless the context requires otherwise. Furthermore, the terms "responsive to," "related to," or other past-tense adjectives are generally not intended to exclude such variations, unless the context requires otherwise.

[0160] It is worth noting that any reference to "one aspect," "an aspect," "an exemplification," "one exemplification," etc. means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that aspect is included in at least one aspect. Thus, the appearances of the phrases "in one aspect," "in an aspect," "in an exemplification," and "in one exemplification" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same aspect. Furthermore, particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more aspects.

[0161] Any patent application, patent, non-patent publication, or other disclosure material referenced herein and / or listed in any Application Data Sheet is incorporated herein by reference to the extent the incorporated material is not inconsistent with this specification. As such, and to the extent necessary, the disclosure explicitly set forth herein shall supersede any conflicting statement incorporated herein by reference. Any material, or portion thereof, that is said to be incorporated herein by reference but that conflicts with current definitions, views, or other disclosure material set forth herein shall be incorporated only to the extent that there is no conflict between the incorporated material and the current disclosure material.

[0162] In summary, many benefits have been described that result from using the concepts described herein. The foregoing description of one or more embodiments has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed. Modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The one or more embodiments were chosen and described to illustrate the principles and practical applications, thereby enabling those skilled in the art to utilize various embodiments, with various modifications, as suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the claims presented herewith define the overall scope.

[0163] [Embodiment] (1) A method for assigning a footswitch to control a port of a modular energy system, the modular energy system comprising an energy module and a display screen configured to display a graphical user interface (GUI), the energy module comprising a port configured to deliver an energy modality to a surgical instrument coupled thereto, the method comprising: displaying, by the GUI, a plurality of widgets corresponding to the ports; detecting, by the modular energy system, that a foot switch is available to be assigned to one of the ports; displaying, by the GUI, an object indicating that the footswitch is available for assignment to one of the ports based on the detection of the footswitch; identifying, by the modular energy system, one or more of the ports that are available to be controlled by the foot switch; displaying an icon in the widget corresponding to the one or more ports identified by the GUI as being available to be controlled by the footswitch, the icon indicating that the port is available to be controlled by the footswitch; and assigning, by the modular energy system, the footswitch to one of the ports based on a user interacting with the GUI to drag and drop the object onto one of the widgets having the icon indicating that the port is available to be controlled by the footswitch; A method comprising: (2) detecting, by the modular energy system, that a foot switch is available to be assigned to one of the ports; Detecting that the foot switch is connected to the modular energy system via a wired connection; Detecting that the foot switch is wirelessly paired with the modular energy system; 2. The method of embodiment 1, comprising at least one of: (3) detecting, by the modular energy system, that a foot switch is available to be assigned to one of the ports includes detecting that the foot switch is available to be wirelessly paired with the modular energy system, the method comprising: wirelessly pairing the footswitch with the modular energy system based on the user interacting with the GUI to drag and drop the object onto one of the widgets having the icon, wherein the footswitch is assigned to one of the ports and wirelessly paired with the modular energy system based on the same drag-and-drop interaction by the user with the GUI screen; 3. The method of embodiment 1 or 2, further comprising: (4) detecting, by the modular energy system, that a footswitch is available to be assigned to one of the ports includes determining that the footswitch is a single-pedal footswitch; A method as described in any one of embodiments 1 to 3, wherein identifying one or more of the ports that are available to be controlled by the foot switch by the modular energy system includes determining that one or more of the ports are compatible with a single-pedal foot switch. (5) displaying, via the GUI, a single-pedal footswitch icon for the object based on the modular energy system's determination that the footswitch is a single-pedal footswitch; 5. The method of embodiment 4, further comprising:

[0164] (6) detecting, by the modular energy system, that a footswitch is available for allocation includes determining that the footswitch is a dual-pedal footswitch; A method as described in any one of embodiments 1 to 5, wherein identifying one or more of the ports that are available to be controlled by the foot switch by the modular energy system includes determining that one or more of the ports are compatible with a dual-pedal foot switch. (7) displaying, via the GUI, a dual pedal footswitch icon for the object based on the modular energy system's determination that the footswitch is a dual pedal footswitch; 7. The method of embodiment 6, further comprising: (8) A method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein identifying one or more of the ports that are available to be controlled by the foot switch by the modular energy system includes determining that one or more of the ports does not already have a foot switch assigned to it. (9) displaying, by the GUI, a footswitch icon in the widget corresponding to the port to which the footswitch is assigned; 9. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 8, further comprising: (10) The foot switch is a first foot switch, the object is a first object, and the method further comprises: detecting, by the modular energy system, that a second foot switch is available to be assigned to one of the ports; displaying, by the GUI, a second object indicating that the second footswitch is available for assignment to one of the ports based on the detection of the second footswitch; 10. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 9, further comprising:

[0165] (11) displaying, via the GUI, a help balloon containing instructions for dragging and dropping the object to assign the footswitch to one of the ports; 11. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 10, further comprising: (12) A modular energy system for use in a surgical environment, comprising: one or more energy modules, each of the one or more energy modules comprising a port, each of the ports configured to deliver an energy modality to a surgical instrument connected thereto; a foot switch configured to control activation of at least one of the ports; a header module including a display screen configured to display a graphical user interface (GUI), the GUI comprising: displaying a plurality of widgets, each widget corresponding to one of the ports; displaying an object indicating that the footswitch is available to be assigned to one of the ports; displaying icons in the widget corresponding to the ports available to be controlled by the footswitch; allowing a user to drag and drop the object onto one of the widgets having the icon, wherein upon dragging and dropping the object onto one of the widgets having the icon, the header module assigns the footswitch to the port corresponding to the widget; a header module configured to: Modular energy systems, including: (13) The system of embodiment 12, wherein the foot switch is configured to wirelessly pair with the header module, and when the object is dragged and dropped onto one of the widgets having the icon, the header module wirelessly pairs with the foot switch. (14) The system of embodiment 12, wherein the foot switch is configured to communicatively connect to the header module and at least one of the one or more energy modules via a wired connection. (15) The system of any of embodiments 12 to 14, wherein the foot switch comprises a single-pedal foot switch or a dual-pedal foot switch.

[0166] (16) The system of embodiment 15, wherein the GUI is configured to display the icon only in widgets corresponding to ports controllable by a single-pedal footswitch when the footswitch includes a single-pedal footswitch, and the GUI is configured to display the icon only in widgets corresponding to ports controllable by a dual-pedal footswitch when the footswitch includes a dual-pedal footswitch. (17) The system described in embodiment 15 or 16, wherein the GUI is configured to display a single-pedal footswitch icon on the object if the footswitch includes a single-pedal footswitch, and the GUI is configured to display a dual-pedal footswitch icon on the object if the footswitch includes a dual-pedal footswitch. (18) A system according to any one of embodiments 12 to 17, wherein when the object is dragged and dropped onto one of the widgets having the icon, the GUI displays a footswitch icon on the widget. (19) A system described in any of embodiments 12 to 18, wherein the footswitch is a first footswitch, the object is a first object, the system further includes a second footswitch, and the GUI is further configured to simultaneously display the first object and a second object indicating that the second footswitch is available to be assigned to one of the ports. (20) A system described in any of embodiments 12 to 19, wherein the GUI is further configured to display a help balloon including instructions to drag and drop the object to assign the foot switch to one of the ports.

[0167] (21) A computer program or computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer, such as a modular energy system for use in a surgical environment, cause the computer to perform the steps of the method described in any one of embodiments 1 to 11. (22) A computer-readable medium or computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer, such as a modular energy system for use in a surgical environment, cause the computer to perform the steps of the method described in any one of embodiments 1 to 11.

Claims

1. 1. A modular energy system for use in a surgical environment, comprising: one or more energy modules, each of the one or more energy modules comprising a port, each of the ports configured to deliver an energy modality to a surgical instrument connected thereto; a footswitch configured to control activation of at least one of the ports; A header module including a display screen, the display screen configured to display a graphical user interface (GUI), the GUI comprising: displaying a plurality of widgets, each widget corresponding to one of the ports; displaying an object indicating that the footswitch is available to be assigned to one of the ports; displaying icons in the widget corresponding to the ports available to be controlled by the footswitch; allowing a user to drag and drop the object onto one of the widgets having the icon, wherein upon dragging and dropping the object onto one of the widgets having the icon, the header module assigns the footswitch to the port corresponding to the widget; a header module configured to: Modular energy systems, including:

2. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the footswitch is configured to wirelessly pair with the header module, and wherein dragging and dropping the object onto one of the widgets having the icon causes the header module to wirelessly pair with the footswitch.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the footswitch is configured to communicatively connect to at least one of the header module and the one or more energy modules via a wired connection.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the footswitch comprises a single-pedal footswitch or a dual-pedal footswitch.

5. 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the GUI is configured to display the icon only in widgets corresponding to ports controllable by a single-pedal footswitch when the footswitch includes a single-pedal footswitch, and wherein the GUI is configured to display the icon only in widgets corresponding to ports controllable by a dual-pedal footswitch when the footswitch includes a dual-pedal footswitch.

6. 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the GUI is configured to display a single-pedal footswitch icon on the object if the footswitch comprises a single-pedal footswitch, and wherein the GUI is configured to display a dual-pedal footswitch icon on the object if the footswitch comprises a dual-pedal footswitch.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein when the object is dragged and dropped onto one of the widgets having the icon, the GUI displays a footswitch icon on the widget.

8. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the footswitch is a first footswitch, the object is a first object, the system further comprises a second footswitch, and the GUI is further configured to simultaneously display the first object and a second object indicating that the second footswitch is available to be assigned to one of the ports.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the GUI is further configured to display a help balloon containing instructions for dragging and dropping the object to assign the footswitch to one of the ports.

10. 1. A method for assigning a footswitch to control a port of a modular energy system, the modular energy system comprising an energy module and a display screen configured to display a graphical user interface (GUI), the energy module comprising a port configured to deliver an energy modality to a surgical instrument coupled thereto, the method comprising: displaying, via the GUI, a plurality of widgets corresponding to the ports; detecting, by the modular energy system, that a foot switch is available to be assigned to one of the ports; displaying, via the GUI, an object indicating that the footswitch is available for assignment to one of the ports based on the detection of the footswitch; identifying, by the modular energy system, one or more of the ports that are available to be controlled by the foot switch; displaying an icon in the widget corresponding to the one or more ports identified by the GUI as being available to be controlled by the footswitch, the icon indicating that the port is available to be controlled by the footswitch; and assigning, by the modular energy system, the footswitch to one of the ports based on a user interacting with the GUI to drag and drop the object onto one of the widgets having the icon indicating that the port is available to be controlled by the footswitch; A method comprising:

11. Detecting, by the modular energy system, that a foot switch is available to be assigned to one of the ports includes: Detecting that the foot switch is connected to the modular energy system via a wired connection; Detecting that the foot switch is wirelessly paired with the modular energy system; The method of claim 10, comprising at least one of:

12. Detecting, by the modular energy system, that a foot switch is available to be assigned to one of the ports includes detecting that the foot switch is available to be wirelessly paired with the modular energy system, the method comprising: wirelessly pairing the footswitch with the modular energy system based on the user interacting with the GUI to drag and drop the object onto one of the widgets having the icon, wherein the footswitch is assigned to one of the ports and wirelessly paired with the modular energy system based on the same drag-and-drop interaction by the user with the GUI screen; 12. The method of claim 10 or 11, further comprising:

13. detecting, by the modular energy system, that a footswitch is available to be assigned to one of the ports includes determining that the footswitch is a single-pedal footswitch; 11. The method of claim 10, wherein identifying, by the modular energy system, one or more of the ports that are available to be controlled by the foot switch includes determining that one or more of the ports are compatible with a single-pedal foot switch.

14. displaying, by the GUI, a single pedal footswitch icon for the object based on the modular energy system's determination that the footswitch is a single pedal footswitch; 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

15. Detecting, by the modular energy system, that a footswitch is available for allocation includes determining that the footswitch is a dual-pedal footswitch; 11. The method of claim 10, wherein identifying, by the modular energy system, one or more of the ports that are available to be controlled by the foot switch includes determining that one or more of the ports are compatible with a dual-pedal foot switch.

16. displaying, by the GUI, a dual pedal footswitch icon on the object based on the modular energy system determining that the footswitch is a dual pedal footswitch; 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

17. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein identifying, by the modular energy system, one or more of the ports that are available to be controlled by the footswitch includes determining that one or more of the ports does not already have a footswitch assigned to it.

18. displaying, by the GUI, a footswitch icon in the widget corresponding to the port to which the footswitch is assigned; The method of claim 10 further comprising:

19. the footswitch is a first footswitch, the object is a first object, and the method comprises: detecting, by the modular energy system, that a second foot switch is available to be assigned to one of the ports; displaying, via the GUI, a second object indicating that the second footswitch is available for assignment to one of the ports based on the detection of the second footswitch; The method of claim 10 further comprising:

20. displaying, via the GUI, a help balloon containing instructions for dragging and dropping the object to assign the footswitch to one of the ports; The method of claim 10 further comprising:

21. 11. A computer program or computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer, such as a modular energy system for use in a surgical environment, cause the computer to perform the steps of the method of claim 10.

22. 11. A computer-readable medium or computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer, such as a modular energy system for use in a surgical environment, cause the computer to perform the steps of the method of claim 10.

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