US 11,857,147 B2
Token-based electrosurgical instrument activation
Simon Schofield, Cambridge (GB); Paul Christopher Roberts, Cambridge (GB); and Gordon Thomas Deane, Cambridge (GB)
Assigned to CMR SURGICAL LIMITED, Cambridge (GB)
Filed by CMR Surgical Limited, Cambridge (GB)
Filed on Nov. 2, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/087,075.
Application 17/087,075 is a continuation of application No. 16/289,854, filed on Mar. 1, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 1803379 (GB), filed on Mar. 1, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0045804 A1, Feb. 18, 2021
Int. Cl. A61B 18/12 (2006.01); A61B 18/14 (2006.01); A61B 34/30 (2016.01); A61B 18/00 (2006.01); A61B 17/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 18/1482 (2013.01) [A61B 18/1206 (2013.01); A61B 18/1233 (2013.01); A61B 18/14 (2013.01); A61B 34/30 (2016.02); A61B 2017/00141 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00154 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00083 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00178 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00589 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00601 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00607 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00773 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00875 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00886 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00928 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00958 (2013.01); A61B 2034/302 (2016.02); A61B 2034/306 (2016.02)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of activating an electrosurgical instrument attached to a surgical robot arm, the method comprising:
periodically generating, at a surgical robot arm control unit, a token comprising information indicating a time at which the token was generated;
for each generated token:
transmitting the token from the surgical robot arm control unit to an external computing device;
receiving the token at the external computing device;
in response to the external computing device receiving input indicating that the electrosurgical instrument is to be activated, transmitting a modified version of the received token to the surgical robot arm control unit, the modified version of the token indicating that the electrosurgical instrument is to be activated; and
if the surgical robot arm control unit receives the modified version of the token within a threshold amount of time from when the token was generated, outputting one or more signals that cause the electrosurgical instrument to be activated.