US 12,011,393 B2
Occlusion sensing in ophthalmic laser probes
Gerald David Bacher, Carlsbad, CA (US); Nikki Koe, Irvine, CA (US); Bruno Lassalas, Foothill Ranch, CA (US); Alireza Mirsepassi, Irvine, CA (US); Dean Richardson, Aliso Viejo, CA (US); and Ronald T. Smith, Irvine, CA (US)
Assigned to Alcon Inc., Fribourg (CH)
Filed by Alcon Inc., Fribourg (CH)
Filed on Jan. 11, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/647,660.
Application 17/647,660 is a continuation of application No. 16/593,138, filed on Oct. 4, 2019, abandoned.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/742,075, filed on Oct. 5, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0125640 A1, Apr. 28, 2022
Int. Cl. A61F 9/008 (2006.01); A61B 18/22 (2006.01); G02B 27/10 (2006.01)
CPC A61F 9/00821 (2013.01) [A61B 18/22 (2013.01); G02B 27/10 (2013.01); A61B 2018/2266 (2013.01); A61F 2009/00863 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An ophthalmic surgical system for detecting occlusions in a surgical probe, comprising:
a connector configured to couple to the surgical probe comprising one or more optical elements;
a treatment laser source;
a probe laser source;
a function generator communicably coupled to the probe laser source, the function generator configured to generate a modulation signal to modulate a probe optical signal generated by the probe laser source;
a detector;
a set of optical elements configured to:
receive a treatment optical signal from the treatment laser source and direct the treatment optical signal along a first beam path toward the one or more optical elements of the surgical probe;
receive a modulated probe optical signal from the probe laser source and direct the modulated probe optical signal along a second beam path toward the one or more optical elements of the surgical probe; and
receive a reflection of the modulated probe optical signal caused by one or more of the optical elements in the surgical probe and direct the reflection of the modulated probe optical signal toward the detector; and
a control system comprising a processor and memory storing executable instructions, the control system communicably coupled to the detector;
a lock-in amplifier communicably coupled to the detector, the function generator, and the control system, the lock-in amplifier configured to extract, based on the modulation signal, electrical signals from the detector that are based on the reflected modulated probe optical signal, wherein the lock-in amplifier is further configured to provide the extracted electrical signals to the control system; and
wherein the control system executable instructions, when executed by the processor, causes the control system to:
determine a presence or an absence of an occlusion in the surgical probe based on the extracted electrical signals; and
disable the treatment laser source based on the determined presence of the occlusion.