127949 results about "Control circuit" patented technology

A surgical instrument for being endoscopically or laparoscopically inserted into a surgical site for simultaneous stapling and severing of tissue includes load sensing pressure transducers strategically placed for closed loop control and monitoring. Load sensing within a staple applying assembly (end effector) may provide feedback for preventing firing with insufficient or too much tissue, or to sense appropriate presence buttress material, to deploy buttress material after firing is sensed.

An apparatus for controlling the speed of an AC motor comprising a switch adapted to be coupled in parallel with power terminals for the AC motor; a capacitor coupled in series with the parallel combination of the switch and the motor; the capacitor adapted to provide an AC supply voltage from an AC source to the parallel circuit comprising the motor and the switch; and a control circuit for controlling the conduction time of the switch in order to vary the speed of the motor. The switch is preferably pulse-width modulated at a frequency twice the line frequency of the AC supply voltage, and the switch is turned on when the voltage across the AC motor is zero volts. The apparatus is operable to provide for continuously variable control of the motor speed while minimizing acoustic noise in the motor.

A reduced area imaging device is provided for use in medical or dental instruments such as an endoscope. In a first embodiment of the endoscope, connections between imaging device elements and between a video display is achieved by hard-wired connections. In a second embodiment of the endoscope, wireless transmission is used for communications between imaging device components, and / or for transferring video ready signals to a video display. In one configuration of the imaging device, the image sensor is placed remote from the remaining circuitry. In another configuration, all of the circuitry to include the image sensor is placed in a stacked fashion at the same location. The entire imaging device can be placed at the distal tip of an endoscope. Alternatively, the image sensor can be placed remote from the remaining circuitry according to the first configuration, and control box is used which communicates with the image sensor and is placed remotely from the endoscope. Further alternatively, the imaging device can be incorporated in the housing of a standard medical camera which is adapted for use with traditional rod lens endoscopes. In any of the configurations or arrangements, the image sensor may be placed alone on a first circuit board, or timing and control circuits may be included on the first circuit board containing the image sensor. The timing and control circuits and one or more video processing boards can be placed adjacent the image sensor in a tubular portion of the endoscope, in other areas within the endoscope, in the control box, or in combinations of these location.

A battery assembly for use with a surgical device having a battery terminal and operational parameters includes a housing having a shape formed to removably connect with the terminal. The housing contains a modular battery operable to supply power to the device at the terminal and has a control circuit with a microprocessor, a memory, and a real-time clock. The control circuit is communicatively coupled to the battery and is operable to detect an identity of the surgical device, to determine at least one piece of information pertaining to at least one of the operational parameters of the surgical device based upon the detected identity, to record the piece of information at least in the memory, and to selectively allow or prevent the battery from supplying power to the surgical device dependent upon the piece of information.

A dermatological treatment apparatus is disclosed that is cordless and sufficiently compact as to be hand-held. A self-contained housing is configured for gripping by a person's hand for cordless manipulation in a dermatologic treatment procedure. A light source and electrical circuit are contained within the housing. The circuit includes one or more batteries and an electronic control circuit for energizing the light source to produce output light pulses. A light path is within the housing including an aperture through which the output light pulses are propagated out of the housing having properties sufficient for providing efficacious treatment.

A battery-powered, modular surgical device comprising an electrically powered surgical instrument that requires a pre-determined minimum amount of electrical energy to complete a surgical procedure, and a power module assembly that has a battery that powers the surgical instrument and has a current state of electrical charge, and a control circuit that is electrically coupled to the battery and the surgical instrument and has a memory and a microprocessor. The microprocessor determines the current state of electrical charge of the battery, compares the current state of electrical charge to the pre-determined minimum amount of electrical energy, permits the battery to discharge if the current state of electrical charge is above the pre-determined minimum amount of electrical energy, and maintains the battery in a non-discharge state if the current state of electrical charge is below the pre-determined minimum amount of electrical energy.

A battery pack which includes a battery pack electronic control circuit adapted to control an attached power tool and / or an attached charger. The battery pack includes additional protection circuits, methodologies and devices to protect against fault conditions within the pack, as the pack is operatively attached to and providing power to the power tool, and / or as the pack is operatively attached to and being charged by the charger.

A redundant temperature monitoring system and method for an electrosurgical system are provided. The temperature monitoring circuit includes at least one temperature sensor for sensing a temperature at a measuring point, a first temperature measurement circuit coupled to the at least one temperature sensor for generating a first temperature value, a second temperature measurement circuit coupled to the at least one temperature sensor for generating a second temperature value, and a control circuit for determining a difference between the first and second temperature values and for comparing the difference to a first predetermined threshold. If the difference is greater than the first predetermined threshold, the control circuit generates a warning signal. If the difference is greater than a second predetermined threshold, the control circuit generates an alarm signal and / or shuts down a power source of the electrosurgical system.

An automatic control system for an electrosurgical generator is herein disclosed. The automatic control system includes voltage and current sensing circuits, a processing circuit, an output determining circuit, and a control circuit. Samples of the voltage and current outputs are supplied to the processing circuit and the output determining circuit to generate an output signal. The output signal is compared to a reference signal to generate a feedback signal for controlling a drive circuit.

A battery and control module to which a powered surgical tool is releasably attached. Internal to the module there is: a cell for energizing the tool; a sensor for monitoring an operational state of the tool; a sensor for monitoring a trigger external to the module; and a control circuit. Based on the signals output by the sensors, the control circuit selectively applies energization signals from the cell to the power generating unit internal to the surgical tool. In some versions of the invention, the trigger is attached to the module.

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a method of reducing imprint of a memory cell. The method comprises adding an inversion condition bit operably associated with one or more memory cells storing a memory word. The inversion condition bit indicates whether the memory word represents an actual payload or an inversion of the actual payload. The inversion condition bit and memory word are selectively toggled by a control circuitry. Inversion is performed by reading the inversion condition bit and memory word and rewriting the memory word back to the one or more memory cells in an inverted or non-inverted state, depending on an inversion condition bit. The inversion condition bit is then written to the inversion status bit value. The memory address is incremented, and the inversion status data state is toggled once the address counter addresses the entire memory array. Other methods and circuits are also disclosed.

A semiconductor memory device includes a memory string coupled to a bit line, a page buffer configured to sense a sensing current of the bit line in an erase verification operation or a program verification operation, and a sensing control circuit configured to differently set a level of the sensing current in the erase verification operation and the program verification operation in order to sense the threshold voltage level of a selected memory cell of the memory string.

A mounted display assembly comprises a flexible substrate that supports both display elements and control circuits. The display assembly generally comprises: an electrical connection formed on the flexible substrate, the electrical connection having first and second contact pads; a display element in electrical communication with the first contact pad; and a control circuit mounted on the flexible substrate and in electrical communication with the second contact pad. In a preferred embodiment, the display element comprises a microencapsulated electrophoretic display medium. In another preferred embodiment, printing processes are employed in manufacturing methods for the display assembly.