US 11,701,163 B2
Electrosurgical output stage with integrated DC regulator
Duane W. Marion, Scottsdale, AZ (US)
Assigned to Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Appl. No. 16/616,717
Filed by Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
PCT Filed May 31, 2018, PCT No. PCT/US2018/035444
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 25, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/222903, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 6, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/513,287, filed on May 31, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2021/0282833 A1, Sep. 16, 2021
Int. Cl. A61B 18/12 (2006.01); H02M 3/158 (2006.01); A61B 18/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 18/1206 (2013.01) [H02M 3/158 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00767 (2013.01); A61B 2018/1266 (2013.01)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A DC-to-DC voltage regulator circuit comprising:
an output node;
a pull-up switch having a closed switch state to couple a DC pull-up voltage to the output node and having an open switch state to uncouple the DC pull-up voltage from the output node;
a pull-down switch having a closed switch state to couple the output node to a ground voltage and having an open switch state to uncouple the output node from the ground voltage;
a reactive circuit element coupled to store energy at a voltage level based upon voltage at the output node;
a pull-up setting voltage divider circuit coupled to provide a pull-up setting voltage at a pull-up setting divider node that is a function of a voltage at the output node;
a pull-down setting voltage divider circuit coupled to provide a pull-down setting voltage at a pull-down setting divider node that is a function of the voltage at the output node;
a control circuit to produce a control voltage having a value that is a function of an impedance at an end effector of a surgical instrument;
a first comparator coupled to cause the pull-up switch to transition between open switch state and its closed switch state based upon a comparison of the pull-up setting voltage and the control voltage; and
a second comparator coupled to cause the pull-down switch to transition between its open switch state and its closed switch state based upon a comparison of the pull-down setting voltage and the control voltage.