Control method and control apparatus for surgical stapler, and surgical stapler and medium

Abstract

A surgical stapler and a control method for the surgical stapler. The surgical stapler comprises: an electric drive system, which comprises an electric motor; a movable member, which is drivingly connected to the electric drive system; an end effector, which executes a target action under the drive of the movable member; and a controller, which is electrically connected to the electric motor to execute a control method. The control method comprises: on the basis of an instruction, sending a start signal to an electric motor, so as to drive an end effector to execute a target action; monitoring operating parameters of an electric drive system; on the basis of the operating parameters, determining whether the electric motor has experienced a locked-rotor condition; and in response to the electric motor having experienced a locked-rotor condition, controlling a surgical stapler to enter a protection state or controlling the surgical stapler to raise an alarm. In this way, the safety of a surgical stapler can be improved.

Description

Control method and control device of surgical stapler, surgical stapler and medium TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of medical devices, and in particular to a control method of a surgical stapler, a control device of a surgical stapler, a surgical stapler and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] A surgical stapler realizes fast cutting and stapling of patient tissue through a precise mechanical structure. The surgical stapler includes a stapler platform assembly and an end effector, which can include a cartridge assembly and an anvil assembly. After completing one firing, the staple in the cartridge assembly of the cartridge assembly is stapled on the patient's tissue, and the doctor needs to replace the cartridge to perform the next firing.

[0003] However, due to the negligence of the doctor, the situation of performing the next operation without replacing the fired cartridge (also known as secondary firing) may occur, which will cause the doctor to perform the cutting operation on the human tissue without performing the stapling operation, thereby causing a serious medical accident. At present, the surgical stapler adopts a secondary safety mechanism to prevent unintended secondary firing, thereby protecting the patient from possible injury. The secondary safety mechanism can not affect the movement of the firing mechanism under normal circumstances, and can block the movement of the firing mechanism when the firing is completed and the cartridge is not replaced, thereby effectively avoiding the secondary firing of the stapler.

[0004] An electrically powered stapler uses a motor to drive the firing mechanism to perform cutting and stapling actions. Although the secondary safety mechanism greatly improves the safety of the operation, in the actual operation of the electrically powered stapler, there are still cases where secondary firing cannot be avoided due to damage or failure of the secondary safety structure, thereby causing a serious medical accident. SUMMARY

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure provides a control method of a surgical stapler, a control device of a surgical stapler, a surgical stapler and a non-transitory computer storage medium to improve the safety of the surgical stapler.

[0006] In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a control method of a surgical stapler. The surgical stapler includes an electric drive system, a moving part in transmission connection with the electric drive system, and an end effector that performs a target action under the driving of the moving part, and the electric drive system includes a motor. The control method includes: sending a start signal to the motor according to an instruction to drive the end effector to perform the target action through the moving part; monitoring the operating parameters of the electric drive system; and determining whether the motor has stalled based on the operating parameters; in response to the motor stalling, controlling the surgical stapler to enter a protection state or controlling the surgical stapler to alarm.

[0007] In one possible implementation, the operating parameter includes at least one of a rotational speed of the motor, an operating direction of the motor, a current of the motor, and a voltage drop of a battery of the surgical stapler.

[0008] In one possible implementation, in a case where the operating parameter includes the rotational speed of the motor, determining, based on the operating parameter, whether the motor is stalled includes determining that the motor is stalled in response to the rotational speed unexpectedly dropping below or equal to a rotational speed threshold.

[0009] In one possible implementation, in a case where the operating parameter includes the operating direction of the motor, determining, based on the operating parameter, whether the motor is stalled includes determining that the motor is stalled in a case where the operating direction unexpectedly reverses.

[0010] In one possible implementation, in a case where the operating parameter includes the current of the motor, determining, based on the operating parameter, whether the motor is stalled includes determining that the motor is stalled in a case where the current unexpectedly rises above a current threshold.

[0011] In one possible implementation, in a case where the operating parameter includes the voltage drop of the battery of the stapler, determining, based on the operating parameter, whether the motor in the electric drive system is stalled includes determining that the motor is stalled in a case where the voltage drop is greater than a voltage drop threshold.

[0012] In one possible implementation, determining, based on the operating parameter, whether the motor is stalled includes determining that the motor is stalled in response to at least two of the determination conditions being satisfied. The determination conditions include that the rotational speed of the motor unexpectedly drops below or equal to a rotational speed threshold, that the operating direction of the motor unexpectedly reverses, that the current of the motor unexpectedly rises above a current threshold, and that the voltage drop of the battery unexpectedly is greater than a voltage drop threshold.

[0013] In one possible implementation, controlling the surgical stapler to enter the protection state includes controlling, in the protection state, an operating state of the electric drive system to control the moving member to stop, to reduce a moving speed, or to change a moving direction.

[0014] In one possible implementation, controlling the surgical stapler to enter the protection state includes at least partially disabling, in the protection state, a trigger of the surgical stapler. The trigger of the surgical stapler is configured to be manipulated by a user to control the moving member to move.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the target action includes end effector closure, end effector firing, or end effector articulation.

[0016] In another aspect, the present disclosure also provides a surgical anastomat. The surgical anastomat comprises an electric drive system including an electric motor, a moving member in driving connection with the electric drive system, and an end effector for performing a target action under the driving of the moving member; a controller electrically connected with the electric motor and configured to perform the control method provided in the above aspect.

[0017] In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a computer program for performing the control method.

[0018] In the above technical scheme of the present disclosure, after sending a start signal to the electric motor in the electric drive system according to an instruction to drive the end effector to perform a target action, the running parameters of the electric drive system are monitored to determine whether the electric motor of the electric drive system is stalled, and when it is determined according to the running parameters that the electric motor is stalled, the anastomat is controlled to enter a protection state or alarm in time. Since the surgical anastomat with a secondary safety mechanism will prevent the moving member from moving when the secondary firing is performed, thereby preventing the electric motor from rotating, the stalling of the electric motor indicates that the doctor has issued a secondary firing instruction, so the controller can control the anastomat to enter a protection state or alarm in time when the secondary firing is performed, thus avoiding the secondary safety mechanism of the anastomat from being damaged by repeated impact, thereby improving the safety of the anastomat.

[0019] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical schemes of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some of the embodiments of the present disclosure, not all the embodiments, and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope. It should also be understood that the same or corresponding reference signs are used to represent the same or corresponding elements (members or parts) in the drawings. It should also be understood that the drawings are only schematic, and the size and proportion of the elements (members or parts) in the drawings are not necessarily accurate.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a surgical anastomat according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a surgical anastomat according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the action of a secondary safety structure of the surgical anastomat of the embodiment of FIG. 2.

[0024] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the action of a secondary safety structure of the surgical anastomat of the embodiment of FIG. 2.

[0025] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the action of a secondary safety structure of the surgical anastomat of the embodiment of FIG. 2.

[0026] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a surgical stapler according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 7 is a schematic flowchart of a control method of a surgical stapler according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 8 is a schematic flowchart of a control method of a surgical stapler according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 9 is a schematic flowchart of a control method of a surgical stapler according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] For the electrically powered stapler with the secondary safety mechanism, after the physician performs a primary firing with the electrically powered stapler, the secondary safety mechanism will prevent the firing mechanism from operating so as to prevent the electrically powered stapler from performing a secondary firing. It has been found that, during a surgery, if the physician mistakenly triggers a secondary firing instruction, the secondary safety mechanism can be damaged by repeated impacts and thus fail, which can cause the surgical stapler to perform an unintended secondary firing. This not only prolongs the surgery time and increases the complexity of the surgery, but also can cause serious harm to the patient.

[0031] In view of this, the present disclosure provides a surgical stapler, a control method of a surgical stapler, a control device of a surgical stapler, and a non-transitory computer storage medium to reduce or eliminate the risk of damage and failure of the secondary safety mechanism due to repeated impacts, thereby improving the safety of the surgical stapler.

[0032] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described herein below with reference to the drawings. It should be understood that the implementation of the present disclosure can be various, and should not be interpreted as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein, which are merely intended to provide a more thorough and complete understanding of the present disclosure.

[0033] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a surgical stapler according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] Referring to FIG. 1, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a surgical stapler 10. For example, the surgical stapler 10 can be a laparoscopic stapler. In particular, the surgical stapler 10 can be a laparoscopic linear cutting stapler. It can be understood that, in other embodiments, the surgical stapler according to the present disclosure can also be of other types.

[0035] Referring to FIG. 1, the surgical stapler 10 can include an end effector 11 and a platform assembly 12. In one example, the platform assembly 12 can include an elongated body 13. For example, the elongated body 13 can be tubular. The elongated body 13 can extend distally from a main body portion of the platform assembly 12. The end effector 11 can be attached to a distal end of the elongated body 13.

[0036] It should be noted that, in this disclosure, the term "far" can refer to the end of the surgical stapler that is furthest from the surgeon (or surgical robot). Conversely, the term "near" can refer to the end of the surgical stapler that is closest to the surgeon (or surgical robot).

[0037] The end effector 11 includes a pair of clamps 111 and 112. The end effector 11 is capable of performing a closing action to switch the pair of clamps 111 and 112 from an open state to a closed state. In the closed state, the pair of clamps 111 and 112 can hold tissue between them. In the open state, the pair of clamps 111 and 112 separate from each other to release the tissue. In Figure 1, the end effector 11 is in the open state.

[0038] Clamp 111 can be an anvil assembly 111. Clamp 112 can be a staple cartridge assembly 112 and includes a staple cartridge for storing anastomotic staples. When the end effector 11 performs a firing action, the anastomotic staples are ejected from the staple cartridge assembly 112 and shaped under the guidance of the anvil assembly 111 to achieve tissue suturing. In particular, in some embodiments, the end effector 11 may also include a cutter (not shown in FIG. 1). When the end effector 11 performs a firing action, the cutter extends and the anastomotic staples are ejected, thereby simultaneously cutting and suturing the tissue.

[0039] Platform component 12 also includes a trigger 14. By operating the trigger 14, the end effector 11 can be caused to perform a target action. The target action may include a closing action, a firing action, and a jointing action. A jointing action may refer to the oscillation of the end effector 11 relative to the axis of the elongated body 13.

[0040] Platform component 12 may also include an electric drive system. The electric drive system may include an electric motor, a battery, a switch, and a controller. The switch is connected between the battery and the electric motor, and the controller controls the start and stop of the electric motor by controlling the switch to execute control logic for firing and protecting the surgical stapler.

[0041] In addition, the surgical stapler can further comprise a secondary safety mechanism (not shown in FIG. 1) which can be arranged in the platform assembly or in the end effector 11 for prohibiting the movement of the moving member in the case that the normal firing is completed and the staple cartridge is not replaced, for example, the secondary safety mechanism can be a stopper arranged on the connecting member between the clamping jaws 111, 112 in the end effector 11. The stopper has a first position and a second position. When the stopper is in the second position, the stopper is in the path of the movement of the moving member to the distal end of the surgical stapler, thereby blocking the movement of the moving member to the distal end, so that the moving member cannot cause the end effector 11 to perform the firing action. When the stopper is in the first position, the stopper is out of the path of the movement of the moving member to the distal end of the surgical stapler, so that the moving member can move to the distal end under the drive of the motor, thereby causing the end effector 11 to perform the firing action. In an example, the stopper is rotatably connected with the connecting member, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto, and the stopper can also be slidably connected with the connecting member.

[0042] If the impact on the secondary safety mechanism can be monitored in time and the surgical stapler can be stopped in time, the repeated impact on the secondary safety mechanism can be avoided. Since the working principle of the secondary safety mechanism is to prevent the movement of the moving member and thus prevent the movement of the motor to avoid the occurrence of secondary firing, and the operating parameters of the electric drive system of the surgical stapler will be abnormal when the movement of the motor is blocked, for example, the voltage of the battery will decrease obviously, the current of the battery will increase obviously, the rotation of the motor will slow down or stop, and the motor can even appear reverse rotation, etc., therefore, if these operating parameters can be monitored and the movement of the moving member can be prohibited in time when these operating parameters are abnormal, the repeated impact on the secondary safety mechanism can be avoided to damage the secondary safety mechanism, thereby improving the safety of the surgical stapler.

[0043] Next, it is described in detail how to avoid the repeated impact on the secondary safety mechanism by the control logic of the controller in the surgical stapler with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0044] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the structure of a surgical stapler according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the surgical stapler 200 in FIG. 2 can be the same surgical stapler as the surgical stapler 10 in FIG. 1, and in this case, the end effector 230 in FIG. 2 can be the same as the end effector 11 in FIG. 1. For the purpose of brevity, the working principle of the end effector 230 is not described herein.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 2, the surgical stapler 200 includes an electric drive system 210 including an electric motor 211, a moving member 220 in driving connection with the electric drive system 210, and an end effector 230 for performing a target action under the driving of the moving member 220, a controller 240 electrically connected with the electric motor 211 and configured to send a start signal to the electric motor 211 according to an instruction to drive the end effector 230 to perform the target action, monitor an operating parameter of the electric drive system 210, and determine whether the electric motor 211 is stalled based on the operating parameter, and in response to the electric motor 211 being stalled, control the surgical stapler 200 to enter a protection state or control the surgical stapler 200 to alarm.

[0046] Specifically, the electric drive system 210 includes the electric motor 211. For example, the electric motor 211 can be a direct current brush motor. The direct current brush motor has the characteristics of cost-effectiveness and simple control, and is very suitable for performing basic action control of the stapler, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and other types of electric motors can also be used, for example, a direct current brushless motor can also be used. As an example, the rotating shaft of the electric motor 211 can be directly connected with the moving member 220. As another example, the electric drive system 210 can further include a transmission member such as a gear, and the rotating shaft of the electric motor 211 can also be in driving connection with the moving member 220 through the transmission member.

[0047] The operating parameter of the electric drive system 210 can be used to represent whether the electric motor 211 is stalled. Specifically, the operating parameter includes at least one of the rotating speed of the electric motor 211, the operating direction of the electric motor 211, the current of the electric motor 211, and the voltage drop of the battery of the surgical stapler 200. As an example, the electric drive system 210 can include a monitoring module 212 which can be used to monitor the operating parameter of the electric drive system. The stall of the electric motor 211 means that the load of the electric motor 211 is too large, in which case the above-mentioned operating parameter will exhibit an abnormality, so by monitoring at least one of the operating parameters and judging whether the operating parameters are abnormal, it can be determined whether the electric motor 211 is stalled.

[0048] In one example, the electric motor 211 can be determined to be stalled only when multiple operating parameters are abnormal at the same time, which improves the accuracy of the surgical stapler in determining whether the electric motor 211 is stalled. In another example, the electric motor 211 can be determined to be stalled when any one of the multiple operating parameters is abnormal, which improves the sensitivity of the surgical stapler in determining whether the electric motor 211 is stalled.

[0049] The end effector 230 and the moving member 220 are similar to the end effector 11 and the moving member of FIG. 1, respectively, and will not be described here again.

[0050] The surgical stapler further comprises a secondary safety mechanism 250, which comprises a first stopper and a second stopper. The first stopper can be arranged on the body or housing of the surgical stapler, and the second stopper can be correspondingly arranged on the moving member 220. For example, the first stopper is arranged on the connecting member of the end effector and is rotatably connected with the connecting member. The first stopper has a protrusion, which can be rotated or moved in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the surgical stapler. The second stopper is arranged on the surface of the distal end of the moving member 220, and has a groove matched with the protrusion on the first stopper. When the primary firing is completed, the first stopper is rotated or moved, so that the protrusion on the first stopper is rotated or moved towards the second stopper and abuts or engages with the groove on the second stopper. In this way, the protrusion of the first stopper is located on the path of the moving member 220 moving from the proximal end to the distal end along the axis of the stapler, thereby blocking the moving member 220 from moving in the distal direction. At this time, if the doctor mistakenly issues a secondary firing instruction, the motor 211 will be unable to rotate due to the blocking of the moving member 220 by the first stopper after starting, thereby causing the abnormality of the above-mentioned operating parameters.

[0051] The controller can be a master control unit (MCU) for example, which is the core of the system, can adopt a high-performance microprocessor or microcontroller, is responsible for integrating data from the monitoring module 212, executing control logic, and running advanced software algorithms to accurately control the firing and protection of the stapler. The MCU makes decisions based on real-time operating parameters, adjusts the behavior of the stapler to adapt to various operating conditions and abnormal states.

[0052] The above-mentioned instruction can be a normal firing instruction, or a secondary firing instruction mistakenly issued by the doctor after completing the normal firing action. The above-mentioned target action includes end effector closure, end effector firing or end effector performing articulation. Since the above-mentioned target actions are all realized by rotation of the motor, in combination with the instruction corresponding to the target action to determine whether the motor is stalled can avoid the case that the operating parameters are abnormal due to the motor not being stalled, thereby being able to more accurately determine whether the motor is stalled.

[0053] The control system is configured to control the operating state of the electric drive system in the protection state to control the moving member to stop, reduce the moving speed, or change the moving direction. For example, when the motor 211 is stalled and the operating parameters (such as the current, the rotating speed, the allowed direction, etc. of the motor 211) are abnormal, the control system will immediately stop the moving member 220 from moving to prevent further mechanical damage or safety risks. For example, when the current of the motor 211 instantaneously exceeds the abnormal current threshold, or when the rotating speed of the motor 211 drops to 0 or close to 0, the moving member 220 can be stopped from moving. For example, when a slight abnormality is detected but not enough to cause serious consequences, the control system will reduce the speed of the moving member 220 so that the doctor has enough time to intervene and adjust. For example, when the operating parameters indicate that there is a load exceeding the system-determined upper limit, the control system will stop the motor 211 from running and prohibit the operation of the trigger (for example, pressing the close / firing button) to make the motor 211 advance; at this time, the doctor can only press the back / open button to make the motor 211 back, and change the moving direction of the moving member 220.

[0054] According to the surgical anastomat of the embodiment, after sending the start signal to the motor in the electric drive system according to the instruction to drive the end effector to perform the target action, the operating parameters of the electric drive system are monitored to determine whether the motor in the electric drive system is stalled, and when it is determined according to the operating parameters that the motor is stalled, the anastomat is timely controlled to enter the protection state or alarm. Since the surgical anastomat with the secondary safety mechanism prevents the moving member from moving when the secondary firing is performed, thereby preventing the motor from rotating, the stalling of the motor indicates that the doctor has issued a secondary firing instruction, so the controller can timely control the anastomat to enter the protection state or alarm when the secondary firing is performed, thereby avoiding the secondary safety mechanism of the anastomat from being damaged by repeated impacts, and improving the safety of the anastomat.

[0055] Optionally, as another embodiment, the surgical anastomat further comprises an alarm, the alarm is electrically connected with the control system, and the control system is configured to control the alarm to alarm in response to the motor being stalled.

[0056] For example, the alarm can be a buzzer or a voice reminder, which reminds the doctor that a misoperation has occurred, so that the doctor can be timely stopped from issuing the firing instruction again from the root cause.

[0057] Optionally, as another embodiment, the surgical anastomat further comprises a trigger, the trigger is configured to be manipulated by a user to control the moving member to move, and the control system is configured to at least partially disable the trigger in the protection state.

[0058] For example, the trigger can be a button or a trigger of a surgical stapler. In the case that the trigger is a button, the control system can disconnect the circuit in which the button is located in the protection state, so that the surgeon cannot issue a firing instruction through the button. In the case that the trigger is a trigger, a locking device can be provided, and the control system can control the locking device to lock the trigger in the protection state, so that the surgeon cannot issue a firing instruction through the trigger. In this way, when the surgical stapler enters the protection state, the trigger is forcibly disabled to avoid the surgeon issuing a firing instruction again in time.

[0059] The action process of the secondary safety mechanism will be described in detail below in combination with FIGS. 2-5.

[0060] In order to avoid the problem of secondary firing in the case of completing a primary firing and not replacing the cartridge, the surgical stapler can be provided with a secondary safety mechanism, and configured such that, in the case of completing a primary firing and not replacing the cartridge, the secondary safety mechanism will be in the second position to prevent the movement of the moving piece, and in the case of replacing the cartridge, the secondary safety mechanism will be in the first position to not limit the movement of the moving piece in the next normal firing.

[0061] Referring to FIG. 2, in the case of completing a primary firing action and not replacing the cartridge, the secondary safety mechanism 250 is in the first position, i.e., the first stopper cooperates with the second stopper to block the moving piece 220 from moving distally. Referring to FIG. 3, in the case of completing a primary firing action and replacing the cartridge, in the next firing action, the secondary safety mechanism 250 is in the second position, i.e., the first stopper is disengaged from the second stopper, and the secondary safety mechanism 250 will no longer be able to block the moving piece 220 from moving distally. Referring to FIG. 4, the moving piece 220 moves distally to make the end effector 230 perform a firing action. Referring to FIG. 5, when the moving piece 220 returns proximally to complete the firing action, the secondary safety mechanism 250 will again be in the first position, thereby blocking the moving piece 220 from moving distally.

[0062] How to determine whether the motor is stalled according to the operating parameters of the electric drive system will be described in detail below in combination with FIG. 6.

[0063] The surgical stapler 600 of FIG. 6 is an example of the surgical stapler 200 of FIG. 2, and the electric drive system 610, the moving piece 620, the end effector 630, the controller 640, the secondary safety mechanism 650, the motor 611, and the monitoring module 612 can be the same as the electric drive system 210, the moving piece 220, the end effector 230, the controller 240, the secondary safety mechanism 250, the motor 211, and the monitoring module 212 in FIG. 2, and will not be described here again.

[0064] Referring to FIG. 6, the electric drive system 610 can further include at least one monitoring module 612, a battery 613, and a switch 614. The battery 613 is configured to provide electric power for the rotation of the motor 611. The controller 640 is configured to start or stop the motor 611 by controlling the switch 614. The monitoring module 612 is configured to monitor the operating parameters of the electric drive system 610, which can be the operating parameters of the motor 611 or the operating parameters of the battery. The operating parameters of the motor 611 can include, for example, the rotation speed of the motor, the rotation direction of the motor, the current of the motor, and the like. The operating parameters of the battery can include, for example, the voltage drop of the battery. These operating parameters can be used to determine whether the motor 611 is stalled. In the case where the surgical stapler is provided with a secondary safety mechanism, the stalling of the motor means that the surgical stapler has received the secondary firing instruction from the surgeon and started the motor.

[0065] As an example, in the case where the operating parameters include the rotation speed of the motor, the control system is configured to determine that the motor is stalled in response to the unexpected decrease of the rotation speed to be lower than or equal to a rotation speed threshold.

[0066] The surgical stapler can monitor the rotation speed of the motor in real time to identify the case where the rotation speed abnormally decreases to be lower than or equal to a preset threshold, for example, the rotation speed can decrease to 0 when the stapler encounters abnormal resistance or impact. Therefore, the preset threshold can be set to 0 or close to 0. Further, the preset threshold can be set as large as possible according to the actual situation, so that the surgical stapler can more sensitively monitor the abnormality of the motor rotation speed. The rotation speed monitoring can be used as an independent triggering condition to start the corresponding protection measures, such as stopping the motor, to protect the equipment from further damage.

[0067] For example, the rotation speed of the motor can be detected by at least one of the following detection methods: a Hall monitoring module detection, which is suitable for the case where the rotation speed is relatively low; a back electromotive force detection, which is suitable for the case where the cost is relatively low; and an encoder detection, which is suitable for the case where the accuracy requirement is relatively high.

[0068] In addition, the combination of the DC brush motor and the Hall monitoring module can realize accurate monitoring of the rotation direction and stroke of the motor, ensuring the movement accuracy and stability of the surgical stapler under various working conditions.

[0069] As another example, in the case where the operating parameters include the rotation direction of the motor, the control system is configured to determine that the motor is stalled in response to the unexpected reversal of the rotation direction.

[0070] Real-time monitoring of the motor direction is intended to identify any unintended reverse motion, which can indicate a problem in operation or a potential impact event. For example, when the stopper is in a state of blocking the movement of the moving part, if the doctor mistakenly issues a secondary firing instruction, the rotation of the motor will encounter resistance, the load of the motor will increase, causing the electromagnetic field of the motor to change, thereby generating an induced electromotive force. The induced electromotive force generates a reverse current in the circuit, which in turn causes the motor to change direction. Therefore, if the direction of the motor is reversed after the secondary firing instruction is issued, it can be determined that the motor has stalled. The present disclosure also sets up a separate trigger condition for direction monitoring, and when an unintended direction change is detected, the corresponding protection measures are started, such as stopping the motor, to protect the device from further damage.

[0071] For example, a Hall monitoring module can be used to detect whether the running direction of the motor is reversed. Two Hall monitoring modules can be provided: a first Hall monitoring module for measuring the rotation speed, and a second Hall monitoring module for measuring the running direction. The first Hall monitoring module is triggered by the rising edge, and when the first Hall monitoring module triggers an interrupt, the potential of the second Hall monitoring module is checked. If the second Hall monitoring module is at a low potential, it is determined to be clockwise; if the second Hall monitoring module is at a high potential when the first Hall monitoring module triggers an interrupt, it is determined to be counterclockwise.

[0072] As another example, when the operating parameter includes the current of the motor, the control system is configured to determine that the motor has stalled in response to the current unexpectedly rising above a current threshold.

[0073] Specifically, when the motor stalls, the current of the motor can reach more than five times the normal working current, so the detected current of the motor is compared with the normal working current, and if the current is too large, it means that the motor has stalled. Therefore, the current threshold can be set as a multiple of the normal working current, and further, the current threshold can also be set as close to the normal working current as possible according to the actual situation, so that the surgical stapler can more sensitively monitor the abnormality of the motor speed. Similarly, the current can also be used as an independent trigger condition to start the corresponding protection measures, such as stopping the motor, to protect the device from further damage.

[0074] For example, a current transformer can be used to measure the current of the motor.

[0075] Alternatively, as another embodiment, when the above-mentioned operating parameter includes the operating parameter of the battery, the control system is configured to determine that the motor has stalled in response to the pressure drop being greater than a pressure drop threshold.

[0076] Specifically, the voltage change of the battery during the operation of the motor can be identified according to the real-time monitoring of the voltage drop of the battery, and the voltage change reflects the real-time load condition of the motor. For a normally operating motor, the voltage drop of the battery (i.e. the voltage drop on the internal resistance of the battery) is not large, but when the motor is stalled, the current is too large, causing the voltage drop on the internal resistance of the battery to also increase sharply. Therefore, the battery voltage drop is taken as an independent trigger condition, and when the battery voltage drop reaches a certain threshold, it indicates that the motor encounters high resistance, at which time the surgical stapler will automatically trigger the impact protection mechanism, such as stopping the motor, to protect the equipment from further damage.

[0077] For example, a voltage transformer can be used to measure the voltage of the battery, and the normal operating voltage of the battery is subtracted from the measured voltage to obtain the voltage drop of the battery.

[0078] Alternatively, as another embodiment, the control system is configured to determine that the motor is stalled based on at least two of the operating parameters.

[0079] For specific descriptions of determining whether the motor is stalled based on multiple operating parameters, see the embodiments of FIGS. 8 and 9, which are not described here in detail.

[0080] The control strategy based on multiple operating parameters of the present embodiment aims to improve the reliability and safety of the surgical stapler through advanced monitoring and control mechanisms. The control strategy realizes effective prevention of damage to the secondary safety mechanism by comprehensively considering multiple dimensions of operating parameters such as battery voltage monitoring results, motor speed monitoring results, motor current monitoring results, and motor direction monitoring results, etc., ensuring the stability and long-term durability of the electrically driven stapler in repeated impact events.

[0081] The above describes the structural embodiments of the surgical stapler, and the embodiments of the control method of the surgical stapler are described in detail below in conjunction with FIGS. 7, 8 and 9.

[0082] Referring to FIG. 7, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a control method of a surgical stapler. The surgical stapler of the present embodiment includes an electric drive system, a moving part in transmission connection with the electric drive system, and an end effector that performs a target action under the driving of the moving part. The electric drive system includes a motor. The control method is an example of the control method of FIG. 7, which can be performed by the surgical stapler of the above-mentioned embodiments, and the detailed description is omitted here. The control method includes the following contents:

[0083] 710, sending a start signal to the motor according to the instruction to drive the end effector to perform a target action through the moving part;

[0084] 720, monitoring the operating parameters of the electric drive system;

[0085] 730, based on the operating parameter, determine whether the motor is stalled;

[0086] 740, in response to the motor being stalled, control the surgical stapler to enter a protection state or control the surgical stapler to alarm.

[0087] The control method of the surgical stapler according to the present disclosure, after sending a start signal to the motor in the electric drive system according to the instruction to drive the end effector to perform the target action, monitors the operating parameter of the electric drive system to determine whether the motor in the electric drive system is stalled, and when it is determined that the motor is stalled according to the operating parameter, controls the stapler to enter a protection state or alarm in time, so that the secondary safety mechanism of the stapler can be prevented from being damaged by repeated impact, thereby improving the safety of the stapler.

[0088] As an example, the operating parameter includes an operating parameter of the motor.

[0089] For example, the operating parameter includes a rotational speed of the motor. In 730, in the case that the rotational speed is unexpectedly lowered to be lower than or equal to a rotational speed threshold, it is determined that the motor is stalled.

[0090] As another example, the operating parameter includes an operating direction of the motor. In 730, in the case that the operating direction is unexpectedly reversed, it is determined that the motor is stalled.

[0091] Optionally, as another embodiment, the operating parameter includes a current of the motor, and the determining, based on the operating parameter, whether the motor is stalled, includes: in the case that the current is unexpectedly raised to be higher than a current threshold, determining that the motor is stalled.

[0092] Optionally, as another embodiment, the electric drive system further includes a battery, and the operating parameter includes an operating parameter of the battery.

[0093] For example, the operating parameter includes a voltage drop of the battery, and in 730, in the case that the voltage drop is greater than a voltage drop threshold, it is determined that the motor is stalled.

[0094] Optionally, as another embodiment, the electric drive system further includes a battery and a switch, the switch is connected between the battery and the motor, the controller is configured to control the start and stop of the motor by controlling the switch, and the operating parameter includes at least two of the following: an operating direction of the motor, a current of the motor, a rotational speed of the motor, a voltage drop of the battery, and the determining, based on the operating parameter, whether the motor is stalled, includes: in response to at least two of the operating parameters meeting the condition of the motor being stalled, determining that the motor is stalled.

[0095] As an example, in 740, the operating state of the electric drive system is controlled in the protection state to control the moving member to stop, reduce the moving speed, or change the moving direction.

[0096] Optionally, as another embodiment, the surgical stapler further comprises an alarm, and in 740, the alarm is controlled to alarm.

[0097] Optionally, as another embodiment, the surgical stapler further comprises a trigger configured to be manipulated by the user to control the moving member to move, and in 740, the trigger is at least partially disabled in the protection state.

[0098] As an example, the target action includes end effector closure, end effector firing, or end effector performing articulation.

[0099] Referring to FIG. 8, another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a control method of a surgical stapler, which is an example of the control method of FIG. 7 and can be performed by the surgical stapler of the above-mentioned embodiments, and detailed description is omitted here. The control method comprises the following contents:

[0100] 810, under the operation of the doctor, the end effector of the surgical stapler is controlled to complete a firing action.

[0101] For example, the doctor controls the motor to rotate by operating the button or the wrench of the surgical stapler, and drives the end effector to complete a firing action through the moving member coupled with the motor.

[0102] 820, in the case of completing a firing action, the secondary safety mechanism of the surgical stapler is driven to lock the moving member of the surgical stapler.

[0103] For example, the secondary safety mechanism locking the moving member of the surgical stapler can be achieved by the electric drive of the basic control logic, or can be achieved by the interlocking action of the driving member during the firing process.

[0104] 830, the operating parameters of the electric drive system of the surgical stapler are monitored.

[0105] After completing a firing action, the doctor may issue a firing instruction again due to negligence, in which case the operating parameters of the electric drive system will be abnormal.

[0106] 840, is the voltage of the battery in the electric drive system lower than or equal to a preset threshold value? If yes, step 870 is performed, and if no, step 810 is performed.

[0107] 850, is the rotation of the motor in the electric drive system reversed? If yes, step 870 is performed, and if no, step 810 is performed.

[0108] 860, is the rotation speed of the motor lower than or equal to a preset threshold value? If yes, step 870 is performed, and if no, step 810 is performed.

[0109] 870, control the surgical stapler to enter a protection state or control the surgical stapler to alarm.

[0110] According to the control method of the surgical stapler, after sending a start signal to the motor in the electric drive system according to the instruction to drive the end effector to perform a target action, a plurality of operating parameters of the electric drive system are monitored to determine whether the motor of the electric drive system is stalled, and when it is determined according to any one of the plurality of operating parameters that the motor is stalled, the stapler is controlled to enter a protection state or alarm, so that the stall of the motor can be determined more sensitively, and the secondary safety mechanism of the stapler is prevented from being damaged by repeated impact, thereby improving the safety of the stapler.

[0111] Referring to FIG. 9, another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a control method of a surgical stapler, which is an example of the control method of FIG. 7 and can be performed by the surgical stapler of the above-mentioned embodiments, and detailed descriptions are omitted here. The control method includes the following contents:

[0112] 910, under the operation of the doctor, control the end effector of the surgical stapler to complete a firing action.

[0113] For example, the doctor controls the rotation of the motor by operating the button or wrench of the surgical stapler, and drives the end effector to complete a firing action by the moving part coupled with the motor.

[0114] 920, in the case of completing a firing action, drive the secondary safety mechanism of the surgical stapler to lock the moving part of the stapler.

[0115] For example, the secondary safety mechanism locking the moving part of the surgical stapler can be achieved by driving the electric actuator through the basic control logic, or can be achieved by interlocking action of the driving part during the firing process.

[0116] 930, monitor the operating parameters of the electric drive system of the surgical stapler.

[0117] 940, is the voltage of the battery in the electric drive system lower than or equal to a preset threshold value? If yes, step 950 is performed, and if no, step 910 is performed.

[0118] 950, is the rotation of the motor in the electric drive system reversed? If yes, step 960 is performed, and if no, step 910 is performed.

[0119] 960, is the rotation speed of the motor lower than or equal to a preset threshold value? If yes, step 970 is performed, and if no, step 910 is performed.

[0120] 970, controlling the surgical stapler to enter a protection state or controlling the surgical stapler to alarm.

[0121] According to the control method of the surgical stapler, after sending a start signal to the motor in the electric driving system according to the instruction to drive the end effector to perform the target action, a plurality of running parameters of the electric driving system are monitored to determine whether the motor of the electric driving system is stalled, and only when it is determined according to the plurality of running parameters that the motor is stalled, the stapler is controlled to enter a protection state or alarm, so that it can be more accurately determined that the motor is stalled, effectively avoiding the secondary safety mechanism of the stapler from being damaged by repeated impact, thereby improving the safety of the stapler.

[0122] It should be understood that the execution order of steps 940, 950 and 960 can be arbitrarily changed. For example, it can also be that whether the rotation of the motor is reversed is judged first, whether the rotation speed of the motor is lower than or equal to the preset threshold is judged second, and whether the voltage of the battery is lower than or equal to the preset threshold is judged last, or whether the rotation speed of the motor is lower than or equal to the preset threshold is judged first, whether the voltage of the battery is lower than or equal to the preset threshold is judged second, and whether the rotation of the motor is reversed is judged last, and so on.

[0123] Embodiments of the present application also provide a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program for executing the control method described in the above embodiments.

[0124] The above describes some embodiments of the present disclosure by way of example. It can be understood that the implementation of the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments.

[0125] It should be understood that although the terms "first" or "second" and the like can be used in the present disclosure to describe various elements (such as a first position and a second position), these elements are not limited by these terms, and these terms are only used to distinguish one element from another.

[0126] It should be noted that each specific technical feature described in the above specific embodiments can be combined in any appropriate manner without contradiction, and in order to avoid unnecessary repetition, the present disclosure will not further describe various possible combinations.

[0127] The above describes specific embodiments of the present disclosure, but the protection scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed by the present disclosure, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of the present disclosure should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A control method of a surgical stapler, characterized by, The surgical stapler comprises an electric driving system, a moving part in driving connection with the electric driving system, and an end effector performing a target action under the driving of the moving part, the electric driving system comprises an electric motor, and the control method comprises: sending a start signal to the electric motor according to the instruction to drive the end effector to perform the target action through the moving part; monitoring an operating parameter of the electric driving system; determining whether the electric motor is stalled based on the operating parameter; and controlling the surgical stapler to enter a protection state or alarming the surgical stapler in response to the electric motor being stalled.

2. The control method according to claim 1, characterized by, The operating parameter comprises at least one of a rotating speed of the electric motor, a running direction of the electric motor, a current of the electric motor, and a voltage drop of a battery of the surgical stapler.

3. The control method according to claim 2, characterized by, In the case that the operating parameter comprises the rotating speed of the electric motor, the determining whether the electric motor is stalled based on the operating parameter comprises: determining that the electric motor is stalled in response to the rotating speed unexpectedly dropping to be lower than or equal to a rotating speed threshold.

4. The control method according to claim 3, characterized by, The rotating speed is detected by using a Hall monitoring module.

5. The control method according to claim 2, characterized by, In the case that the operating parameter comprises the running direction of the electric motor, the determining whether the electric motor is stalled based on the operating parameter comprises: determining that the electric motor is stalled in response to the running direction unexpectedly reversing.

6. The control method according to claim 5, characterized by The rotating speed is detected by using a first Hall detection module, and the running direction is detected by using a second Hall detection module; when the first Hall detection module triggers an interrupt and the second Hall detection module is at a low potential, it is determined that the running direction is a clockwise direction; when the first Hall detection module triggers an interrupt and the second Hall detection module is at a high potential, it is determined that the running direction is a counterclockwise direction.

7. The control method according to claim 2, characterized by, In the case that the operating parameter comprises the current of the electric motor, the determining whether the electric motor is stalled based on the operating parameter comprises: determining that the electric motor is stalled in response to the current unexpectedly rising to be higher than a current threshold.

8. The control method according to claim 7, characterized by The current is measured by using a current transformer.

9. The control method according to claim 2, characterized by, In the case that the operating parameter comprises the voltage drop of the battery, the determining whether the electric motor is stalled based on the operating parameter comprises: determining that the electric motor is stalled in response to the voltage drop being greater than a voltage drop threshold.

10. The control method according to claim 9, characterized by, A measured voltage of the battery is obtained by using a voltage transformer, and the voltage drop is obtained based on a difference between a normal working voltage of the battery and the measured voltage.

11. The control method according to claim 2, characterized by, The determining whether the electric motor is stalled based on the operating parameter comprises: determining that the electric motor is stalled in response to at least two of the following determination conditions being met, wherein the determination conditions comprise: the rotating speed of the electric motor unexpectedly dropping to be lower than or equal to the rotating speed threshold; the running direction of the electric motor unexpectedly reversing; the current of the electric motor unexpectedly rising to be higher than the current threshold; and the voltage drop of the battery unexpectedly being greater than the voltage drop threshold.

12. The control method according to any one of claims 1-11, characterized by, The controlling the surgical stapler to enter the protection state comprises: controlling a running state of the electric drive system in the protection state to control the moving member to stop, reduce a moving speed, or change a moving direction; or disabling at least partially a trigger of the surgical stapler in the protection state, wherein the trigger is configured to be manipulated by a user to control the moving member to move.

13. The control method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized by, The target action includes closing the end effector, firing the end effector, or performing articulation of the end effector.

14. A surgical stapler, characterized by, The control method comprises: an electric drive system comprising an electric motor; a moving member in driving connection with the electric motor; and an end effector configured to perform a target action under driving of the moving member; and a controller electrically connected with the electric motor and configured to perform the control method according to any one of claims 1 to 13. The non-transitory computer storage medium stores a computer program configured to perform the control method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. [R 91 amended 15.10.2025] A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The non-transitory computer storage medium stores a computer program configured to perform the control method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

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