WO2016163473A1 - Battery assembly for medical device, and medical device unit - Google Patents

Abstract

This battery assembly for a medical device comprises: a battery that has a battery body into which an electrolyte solution or an electrolyte polymer has been introduced, said battery generating electrical energy via the electrolyte solution or the electrolyte polymer; a wall portion that houses the battery; and a deforming portion that is provided to the wall portion, and deforms in response to the expansion of the battery body caused by internal pressure inside the battery body.

Description

Battery assembly for medical device and medical device unit

The present invention relates to a medical device battery assembly and a medical device unit.

Generally, a rechargeable battery (battery) may gradually generate gas due to repeated use or aging. Since the inside and outside of the battery body are shut off closely, the battery body is filled with gas and the internal pressure increases. Thus, when the internal pressure in the battery body increases, the battery body is deformed so as to expand from its original state, the volume inside the battery body is increased, and the internal pressure is lowered.

For example, US 2006/041666 A1 discloses a battery assembly including a rechargeable battery and an exterior case having a wall surface having a suppressing portion that suppresses deformation of the battery body in a state in which the rechargeable battery is accommodated. .

The battery assembly of US 2006/041666 A1 suppresses deformation of the outer case due to an increase in internal pressure even when gas is generated in the battery body of the rechargeable battery, so an excessive load is applied to a part of the battery body. It can be applied. If such a rechargeable battery is continuously used, the battery body may be damaged by the internal pressure. It is difficult to use a battery assembly with a medical device that can be damaged.

The present invention relates to a medical device battery assembly and a medical device unit that can be used together with a medical device because it is difficult to place a load on the medical device even if the internal pressure of the battery body increases due to gas generated due to repeated use or aging. The purpose is to provide.

A battery assembly for a medical device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a battery body in which an electrolyte solution or an electrolyte polymer is placed, a battery that generates electric energy by the electrolyte solution or the electrolyte polymer, and a wall portion that houses the battery And a deformation portion that is provided on the wall portion and deforms in accordance with expansion of the battery body due to internal pressure in the battery body.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a medical device unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an end effector of a medical device main body (medical device) of the medical device unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic front view showing a battery assembly (medical device) of the medical device unit according to the first embodiment. 4A is a schematic longitudinal sectional view taken along line 4A-4A in FIG. 3 in a state where the battery assembly (medical device) of the medical device unit according to the first embodiment is new. 4B is a schematic longitudinal sectional view taken along line 4A-4A in FIG. 3 in a state after the battery assembly (medical device) of the medical device unit according to the first embodiment is repeatedly used. FIG. 5A is a schematic longitudinal sectional view taken along line 4A-4A in FIG. 3 in a state where the battery assembly (medical device) of the medical device unit according to the first embodiment is new. FIG. 5B is a schematic longitudinal sectional view taken along line 4A-4A in FIG. 3 in a state after the battery assembly (medical device) of the medical device unit according to the first embodiment is repeatedly used. FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a medical device unit according to a modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a battery of a battery assembly (medical device) according to a modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the state after the battery assembly (medical device) of the medical device unit according to the second embodiment is repeatedly used as seen from the same state as in FIGS. 4B and 5B. . FIG. 9 is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the state after the battery assembly (medical device) of the medical device unit according to the third embodiment is repeatedly used, as seen from the state similar to FIGS. 4B, 5B, and 8. FIG. FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing a medical device unit according to the fourth embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, a medical device unit 10 according to this embodiment includes a medical device body (medical device) 12 and a medical device battery assembly (medical device) 14.

Here, a cordless ultrasonic treatment instrument will be described as an example of the medical device body 12 as an example. It goes without saying that the battery assembly 14 can be attached to or incorporated in a medical device main body 12 different from an ultrasonic treatment instrument such as a cordless high-frequency treatment instrument or a cordless endoscope. The medical device body 12 is not limited to a cordless device, and it is needless to say that the battery assembly 14 can be used as a backup power source.

The medical device body 12 is supplied with electric power from the battery assembly 14 by appropriate electrical connection (for example, contact power supply between the contacts 16a and 18a, for example, contact power supply between the contacts 16b and 18b). The medical device main body 12 is also preferably supplied with electric power from the battery assembly 14 by non-contact power feeding. As a non-contact power feeding method, a known electromagnetic resonance method or electromagnetic induction method can be appropriately selected and used. When performing non-contact power feeding, the medical device main body 12 and the battery assembly 14 each have a coil (not shown) that transmits and receives power.

The medical device body 12 includes a housing 22, a switch 24, an energy conversion unit (ultrasonic transducer) 26, and an end effector 28 that treats living tissue using energy converted by the energy conversion unit 26. In this embodiment, the energy conversion unit 26 will be described as an ultrasonic transducer.

The housing 22 includes a housing body 32, a grip 34 integrated with the housing body 32, and a movable handle 36. For example, the grip 34 is formed with a slot 38 into which the battery assembly 14 is attached and detached. Of course, the slot 38 is preferably formed in the housing body 32 instead of the grip 34. Of course, the slot 38 is preferably formed across the housing body 32 and the grip 34.

In this embodiment, the battery assembly 14 is attached from the proximal end of the grip 34 to, for example, a slot 38 of the grip 34 held by an operator of the medical device body 12. For this reason, the battery assembly 14 is formed as a part of the grip 34 held by the operator.
The battery assembly 14 may be disposed at a position in the medical device body 12 that is not gripped by the operator of the medical device body 12. That is, it is also preferable that the battery assembly 14 is incorporated in the medical device main body 12. For example, when a lid (not shown) is formed in the slot 38, the battery assembly 14 is used by being incorporated inside the medical device main body 12 and is not directly gripped by the operator.

The ultrasonic transducer 26 is disposed inside the housing body 32. The ultrasonic transducer 26 may be detachable from the housing body 32. The switch 24 is disposed in the housing 22 at a position where the operator can operate it while holding the grip 34. The switch 24 is electrically connected to a controller 52 described later in a state where the battery assembly 14 is attached to the medical device main body 12. When the switch 24 is pressed, the controller 52 supplies appropriate power to the ultrasonic transducer 26 from a battery 54 described later.

The ultrasonic transducer 26 converts electric power into ultrasonic vibration. The ultrasonic vibration generated in the ultrasonic transducer 26 is transmitted from the proximal end of the ultrasonic probe 42 connected to the ultrasonic transducer 26 toward the distal end.

As shown in FIG. 2, as an example of the end effector 28, the treatment portion 42 a at the distal end portion of the probe 42 to which the ultrasonic vibration generated by the ultrasonic transducer 26 is transmitted and the probe 42 according to the operation of the movable handle 36. And a jaw 44 that opens and closes between the distal end treatment portion 42a.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 4A, and 5A, the battery assembly 14 includes a controller 52, batteries 54 (here, a plurality (four) of batteries 54a to 54d), a battery 54, and the like. An exterior case 56 for storing the battery and deformed portions 58a and 58b provided in the exterior case 56. A controller 52 is disposed in the outer case 56 in a state where the battery 54 is disposed. That is, here, an example in which the battery assembly 14 includes the controller 52 will be described. However, as illustrated in FIG. 6, it is also preferable that the medical device main body 12 include the controller 52. As shown in FIG. 1, the medical device main body 12 and the controller 52 of the battery assembly 14 may be configured to be electrically detachably connected by contacts 16a, 18a, 16b, 18b. As shown in FIG. 2, the medical device main body 12 and the controller 52 that controls the battery assembly 14 may be electrically connected at all times. The controller 52 includes a processor including a CPU or ASIC.

As shown in FIG. 1, the contacts 18a and 18b of the controller 52 of the battery assembly 14 according to this embodiment are electrically connected to the contacts 16a and 16b of the medical device body 12. Specifically, when the battery assembly 14 shown in FIGS. 3, 4A, and 5A is attached to the slot 38 of the medical device body 12, the switch 24 and the controller 52 are electrically connected by contact between the contacts 16a and 18a. Connected. Similarly, when the battery assembly 14 is attached to the medical device body 12, the ultrasonic transducer 26 and the controller 52 are electrically connected by contact between the contacts 16b and 18b. Therefore, for example, when the surgeon operates the switch 24 and inputs a signal to the controller 52, the controller 52 supplies power to the ultrasonic transducer 26 from the battery 54 through the controller 52. The ultrasonic transducer 26 converts electric power into ultrasonic vibration, and the ultrasonic vibration is transmitted from the ultrasonic transducer 26 to the probe 42.

The controller 52 optimizes, for example, charging of the battery 54 of the battery assembly 14 when charging, and appropriately controls the electrical energy (electric power) supplied to the ultrasonic transducer 26 when supplying electrical energy. The controller 52 stores the number of times the battery assembly 14 is used with respect to the medical device main body 12 and the state of use in a memory (not shown) of the controller 52 and also checks the voltage value (electromotive force) of each battery 54a-54d. Can be used. That is, the controller 52 can measure the degree of deterioration of the battery 54 of the battery assembly 14. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 5A, when there are a plurality of batteries 54 (54a-54d), the controller 52 can measure the degree of deterioration of each battery 54.

The battery 54 includes, for example, a body 62 that stores an electrolyte solution or an electrolyte polymer, and a contact 64 that is electrically connected to the controller 52. As the internal structure of the battery 54, a known appropriate one is used.

The body (battery body) 62 of the battery 54 is preferably formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, for example. Thus, when the body 62 of the battery 54 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, it is easy to arrange a plurality of batteries 54a to 54d side by side. Each of the rectangular parallelepiped bodies 62 has a pair of a first body surface 62a, a second body surface 62b, and a third body surface 62c.

It is preferable that the pair of first body surfaces 62a are parallel to each other and have the same surface area, and the normal lines N1 extending from the surface to the outside are opposite to each other. Note that the pair of first body surfaces 62a are not necessarily formed as flat surfaces, and need not be parallel. That is, it is also preferable that the pair of first body surfaces 62a be formed as curved surfaces, for example.

The pair of second body surfaces 62b are preferably parallel to each other and have the same surface area, and the normals from the surface to the outside are opposite to each other. The third body surfaces 62c are preferably parallel to each other and have the same surface area, and normals extending outward from the surface are opposite to each other.

The surface area of the body 62 decreases in the order of the first body surface 62a, the second body surface 62b, and the third body surface 62c. Of these, the first body surface 62a is preferably formed to be several times larger than the second body surface 62b, for example, and several times larger than the third body surface 62c. It is also preferable that the second body surface 62b and the third body surface 62c have the same surface area. For this reason, when the first body surface 62a to the third body surface 62c are formed of the same material and with the same thickness, the internal pressure increases due to the gas generated as the battery 54 deteriorates over time, and the battery 54 expands. At this time, it can be easily recognized that the probability that the first body surface 62a swells is much higher than the probability that the other parts swell. The body 62 is not made of a material that is brittlely broken by internal pressure, but is made of a material that exhibits appropriate ductility and is appropriately deformed and expanded. Due to the internal pressure in the battery body 62, the expansion amount of the first body surface 62a is larger than the expansion amount of the second body surface 62b, and the expansion amount of the first body surface 62a is larger than the expansion amount of the third body surface 62c. Become.

In addition, as an example of the battery 54 having an electrolyte solution or an electrolyte polymer, a known battery such as a lithium ion battery, a sodium ion battery, or an alkaline ion battery can be appropriately used.

The outer case 56 is made of, for example, a metal material such as a stainless steel material or a plastic material. The exterior case 56 is also preferably made of the same material as that used to form the housing 22 of the medical device body 12, that is, the exterior.

One or a plurality of batteries 54 are disposed inside the outer case 56 (a storage unit 76 described later). Here, an example will be described in which four batteries 54a-54d are arranged inside the outer case 56 to form the battery assembly 14.

As shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 5A, batteries 54a-54d are arranged in the outer case 56 with their directions aligned. In the state shown in FIGS. 4A and 5A, the first body surfaces 62a are opposed to each other, but the second body surfaces 62b are not opposed to each other, and the third body surfaces 62c are not also opposed to each other. A gap C is formed between the batteries 54a and 54b, between the batteries 54b and 54c, and between the batteries 54c and 54d. That is, a gap C is formed between the first body surfaces 62a. The gap C is formed smaller than the allowable expansion amount of the first body surface 62a of the battery 54. For example, the gap C is preferably smaller than 0.5 mm, for example. The first body surface 62a of the battery 54 has a length (height) of about 50 mm and a width of about 40 mm, for example. The second body surface 62b of the battery 54 has, for example, a length (height) of about 50 mm and a width of about 10 mm. The maximum bulge amount of the first body surface 62a within a range in which the battery 54 can continue to be used is formed larger than the gap C.

The exterior case 56 includes a bottom surface portion 72 and a wall portion 74 extending in one direction from the outer edge of the bottom surface portion 72 toward the normal direction of the bottom surface portion 72. The bottom surface portion 72 and the wall portion 74 form a storage portion 76 in which the battery 54 is stored. Here, the description will be made assuming that the wall portion 74 is formed of four planes (a pair of first and second case surfaces 82 and 84, respectively).

The first case surface 82 of the exterior case 56 faces the first body surface 62a of the battery 54. The second case surface 84 of the exterior case 56 faces the second body surface 62 b of the battery 54.

In this embodiment, the first case surface 82 has an opening 82a. The first case surface 82 is provided with sheet-like deformed portions 58a and 58b so as to close the opening 82a. The deformable portions 58a and 58b may be disposed on the entire first case surface 82, or may be formed so as to cover only the opening 82a. The deformable portions 58 a and 58 b are arranged at positions facing the expansion position of the battery body 62. As will be described later, it is particularly preferable that the deforming portions 58a and 58b are disposed at positions facing the first body surface 62a.

The deformed portions 58a and 58b are fixed to the inner wall, the outer wall of the first case surface 82 or the edge of the opening 82a. The deforming portions 58a and 58b are preferably formed of a material that is elastically deformed so that the extended state returns to the original state, but is also preferably formed of a material that maintains the extended state. When the deformable portions 58a and 58b touch the first body surface 62a of the battery 54 disposed inside the outer case 56 inside the outer case 56, the deformation of the deformable portions 58a and 58b is caused by the deformation of the deformable portions 58a and 58b. It is preferable to use a material that can be easily recognized on the outer peripheral surface (outside of the outer case 56). The deformable portions 58a and 58b are preferably formed of a material that can be easily deformed, such as a thin plate-like or thin-film rubber material or silicone material.

In a new state, the wall portion 74 and the deformed portion 58a of the outer case 56 and the first body surface 62a of the first battery 54a, the wall portion 74 and the deformed portion 58b of the outer case 56, and the first battery 54d. A gap C is formed between each body surface 62a. The gap C is formed smaller than the allowable expansion amount of the first body surface 62a of the battery 54. For example, the gap C is preferably smaller than 0.5 mm, for example.

Here, the battery assembly 14 is subjected to cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization (for example, autoclave sterilization and / or plasma sterilization) after the use of the medical device unit 10. For this reason, the battery assembly 14 is airtight and watertight. That is, the space between the outer case 56 and the deformed portions 58a and 58b is sealed.

The contact 64 between the controller 52 and the batteries 54a-54d is preferably formed as large as possible. When any one of the plurality of batteries 54a-54d expands and presses the adjacent batteries 54a-54d, the positions of the batteries 54a-54d with respect to the outer case 56 gradually shift in the direction of the normal line N1 of the first body surface 62a. Go. For this reason, the contact 64 of the controller 52 with respect to the battery 54 is formed in a size that takes into account the maximum positional deviation amount of the battery 54. That is, the contact 64 is formed so that the first body surface 62a of the first battery 54a swells as the battery assembly 14 is used from the state in which the battery assembly 14 is new, and the first body surface 62a of the adjacent second battery 54b is expanded. Even if the second battery 54b is displaced by being pressed, it is formed large enough to ensure electrical connection.

Next, the operation of the medical device unit 10 according to this embodiment will be described.
The battery assembly 14 according to this embodiment is used by being connected to the medical device body 12. Specifically, when the battery assembly 14 is disposed in the slot 38 of the medical device main body 12, the switch 24 and the controller 52 are electrically connected, and the ultrasonic transducer 26 and the controller 52 are electrically connected. Connected to.

When the switch 24 is pressed, the controller 52 supplies power to the ultrasonic transducer 26 from the battery 54 through the controller 52. The ultrasonic transducer 26 converts electric power into ultrasonic vibration, and the ultrasonic vibration is transmitted from the ultrasonic transducer 26 to the probe 42. In the treatment portion 42 a formed at the distal end portion of the ultrasonic probe 42, for example, a treatment for incising a living tissue sandwiched between the jaws 44 is performed with heat generated by ultrasonic vibration.

After the treatment is finished, the battery assembly 14 is removed from the slot 38 of the medical device main body 12. The medical device body 12 and the battery assembly 14 are reused after being cleaned, disinfected, and sterilized, respectively. If the charger (not shown) for the battery assembly 14 is not sterilized, the battery assembly is used if the charger is sterilized before the battery assembly 14 is cleaned, disinfected, or sterilized. After the cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization processes of 14, the batteries 54a-54d of the battery assembly 14 are charged.

As the sterilization treatment, an appropriate sterilization treatment method such as plasma sterilization or autoclave sterilization is used. The method of sterilizing the battery assembly 14 is appropriately selected according to the allowable temperature of the battery 54 and the structure of the battery assembly 14. If the battery assembly 14 has a low heat insulation property, for example, plasma sterilization processed at about 50 ° C. is used. If the battery assembly 14 has a high heat insulation property, autoclave sterilization processed at about 100 ° C. is used.

In this embodiment, when the battery assembly 14 is new or is used in a small number, the space between the wall 74 and the deformed portions 58a and 58b of the outer case 56 and the first body surface 62a of the battery 54 is, for example, 0.5 mm. A gap C of a certain degree exists. Further, a gap C of about 0.5 mm exists between the first body surfaces 62a of the battery 54, for example. When the battery assembly 14 is new, the first body surface 62a of the battery 54 is substantially flat.

The battery assembly 14 is repeatedly used, and the internal pressure in the body 62 is increased by the gas generated in the body 62 of the battery 54 as the number of uses increases or as the aging deteriorates. The battery 54 has a larger surface area on the first body surface 62a than on the second and third body surfaces 62b and 62c. At this time, in order to increase the volume in the body 62 and reduce the gas pressure, for example, the pair of first body surfaces 62a having the largest area among the first batteries 54a swell. The pair of first body surfaces 62a may swell substantially symmetrically or may swell asymmetrically. The batteries 54a-54d have individual differences. Therefore, which battery 54a-54d first body surface 62a swells first differs for each battery assembly 14.

First, a case where the pair of first body surfaces 62a of the body 62 of the first battery 54a adjacent to the wall portion 74 and the deformed portion 58a of the outer case 56 swell will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B.
As the pair of first body surfaces 62a of the first battery 54a swells, the gap C between the wall portion 74 and the deformed portion 58a of the outer case 56 and the first body surface 62a of the first battery 54a decreases. When the gap C disappears, the inner peripheral surface of the deformable portion 58a is pressed toward the outside of the outer case 56 with the first body surface 62a of the first battery 54a or the lead wire disposed along the first body surface 62a. To do. At this time, with the deformation of the first body surface 62a of the first battery 54a, the deforming portion 58a of the outer case 56 is pressed and deformed. Specifically, the deforming portion 58a is extended as the first body surface 62a of the first battery 54a swells. For this reason, the 1st battery 54a is hold | maintained at the exterior case 56 in the state which is hard to apply an excessive load to the body 62 of the 1st battery 54a.

The deformed portion 58a is deformed and inflated by the bulge of the first body surface 62a of the first battery 54a. The touch of the medical staff (assistant) or the battery assembly 14 in the slot 38 of the medical device main body 12 Recognizable when entering. For this reason, an operator or a medical worker can cancel the use of the battery assembly 14 in which the deformable portion 58a is deformed. That is, when the deforming portion 58a is deformed, the operator and / or medical staff can recognize the disposal time of the battery assembly 14.

Further, the controller 52 can inspect the electromotive force of each battery 54a-54d. When the controller 52 recognizes that the electromotive force of the first battery 54a, which has deteriorated due to, for example, the first body surface 62a expanding, does not reach a predetermined value, the controller 52 does not output the power to the energy conversion unit 26. Control.

When the first body surface 62a of the first battery 54a swells, the second to fourth batteries 54b, 54c, 54d are sequentially pressed toward the right side in FIGS. 4A and 4B. For this reason, the gap C between the second and third batteries 54b and 54c and the gap C between the third and fourth batteries 54c and 54d are reduced, and the gap may vary depending on the amount of swelling of the first body surface 62a of the first battery 54a. C disappears. Then, not only the deforming portion 58a close to the first battery 54a but also the deforming portion 58b close to the fourth battery 54d is deformed.

Next, the case where the pair of first body surfaces 62a of the body 62 of the second battery 54b sandwiched between the first battery 54a and the third battery 54c swell will be described with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B.
As the first body surface 62a of the second battery 54b swells, the gap C between the adjacent first battery surfaces 62a of the first batteries 54a decreases. When the gap C disappears, the adjacent first battery 54a is pressed toward the outside of the outer case 56 by a lead wire or the like disposed on the first body surface 62a of the second battery 54b or along the first body surface 62a. To do. At this time, the adjacent first battery 54a is displaced as the first body surface 62a of the second battery 54b is deformed. Since the size of the contact 64 of the controller 52 is determined in consideration of the positional deviation of the battery 54, the battery 54 is maintained in a state of being electrically connected to the contact 64 of the controller 52. And the swelling of the 1st body surface 62a of the 2nd battery 54b exceeds the magnitude | size of the clearance gap C, and also the clearance gap C between the deformation | transformation part 58a and the 1st body surface 62a of the body 62 of the 1st battery 54a is lose | eliminated. And the 1st battery 54a presses the deformation | transformation part 58a. For this reason, the battery 54 is held by the outer case 56 in a state in which an excessive load is hardly applied to the body 62 of the second battery 54b.

Note that, as the first body surface 62a of the second battery 54b swells, the gap C between the first body surface 62a of the adjacent third battery 54c decreases. When the gap C disappears, the adjacent third battery 54c is pressed toward the fourth battery 54d with a lead wire or the like arranged on the first body surface 62a of the second battery 54b or along the first body surface 62a. .

As described above, when the battery assembly 14 is used, the first body surface 62a of at least one of the plurality of batteries 54a-54d arranged in parallel expands. When the first body surface 62a of the battery 54 sandwiched between the plurality of batteries 54 swells, the adjacent batteries 54 are pressed following the swell of the first body surface 62a. Here, the adjacent battery 54 is not limited to being directly pressed by the first body surfaces 62a being abutted against each other, but, for example, the first body surfaces 62a are indirectly pressed via a lead wire or the like. It can happen. When the first body surface 62a of the battery 54 adjacent to only one battery 54 swells, the deforming portions 58a and 58b facing the first body surface 62a deform so as to follow and swell. As described above, the deformed portions 58a and 58b of the outer case 56 are allowed to swell in accordance with the internal pressure of the battery 54. Therefore, as the internal pressure of the battery 54 increases, the volume in the battery 54 increases and the internal pressure increases. It is suppressed. This prevents an excessive load from being applied to the battery 54.

The surgeon or medical worker can cancel the use of the battery assembly 14 in which one of the deformed portions 58a and 58b is deformed. That is, when one or both of the deforming portions 58a and 58b are deformed, the operator and / or medical staff can recognize the performance deterioration of the battery assembly 14, that is, can recognize the disposal time.

The controller 52 can inspect the electromotive force of each of the batteries 54a-54d. When the controller 52 recognizes that the electromotive force of the second battery 54b, which has deteriorated due to, for example, the first body surface 62a expanding, is less than a predetermined value, the power for treatment in the end effector 28 is It controls so that it may not output to the energy conversion part 26. FIG.

In FIG. 4B, the first body surface 62a of one of the four first batteries 54a expands to simplify the description, and in FIG. 5B, the first body surface of one of the four second batteries 54b. An example in which 62a expands has been described. Of course, the first body surfaces 62a of the plurality of batteries 54 may expand at the same time (see FIGS. 8 and 9). In this case, the first body surface 62a of each battery 54a-54d may expand uniformly, but may expand unevenly.

Therefore, according to the battery assembly (medical device) 14 according to this embodiment, it is possible to allow the battery 54 to be deformed as the internal pressure of the battery 54 increases. For this reason, an increase in the internal pressure of the battery 54 can be suppressed. And since the deformation | transformation part 58a, 58b provided in the wall part 74 of the exterior case 56 can be deform | transformed, the load of the pressure to the battery 54 can be reduced. The battery assembly 14 can recognize any deterioration of the internal batteries 54a-54b due to use as deformation of the deforming portions 58a, 58b by tactile sensation, visual sense or the like. Therefore, the medical staff can recognize the deterioration of the batteries 54a to 54d in the battery assembly 14. In the battery assembly 14 according to this embodiment, the first body surface 62a expands, but is prevented from being suddenly destroyed. Therefore, the battery assembly (medical device) 14 can be used together with the medical device body (medical device) 12.

Here, an example in which the battery assembly 14 can be attached to and detached from the medical device body 12 has been described. It is also preferable that the battery assembly 14 is incorporated into the medical device body 12 and is not attachable / detachable. In this case, the medical device main body 12 in which the battery assembly 14 is incorporated may be charged.

Here, an example in which an ultrasonic transducer that converts electric power into ultrasonic vibration is used as the energy conversion unit 26 has been described. As another example of the energy conversion unit 26, a heater that converts electric power into heat energy or a high-frequency energy output body (electrode) that converts electric power into high-frequency energy can be used. In this case, the structure of the end effector 28 is changed as appropriate.

As shown in FIG. 7, the body 62 of each battery 54 is preferably covered with a stretchable material M such as a resin material. In particular, the first body surface 62a and the second body surface 62b are preferably covered. When the first body surface 62a of the battery 54 swells, the material M that can be expanded and contracted swells. Even if the battery 54 is covered with the stretchable material M in this way, an excessive load is not applied to the battery 54. In addition, even if the seal of the battery 54 is broken, the contents of the battery 54 can be prevented from being scattered by the stretchable material M.

Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment, and the same members as those described in the first embodiment or members having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 8, the battery assembly 14 according to this embodiment includes an outer case 156 and deformed portions 158a and 158b. In this embodiment, an example in which the plurality of batteries 54a to 54d are all expanded in the same manner is illustrated, but one or a plurality of the batteries 54a to 54d can be appropriately expanded.

The exterior case 156 according to this embodiment includes a bottom surface portion 72 and a wall portion 174 extending in one direction from the outer edge of the bottom surface portion 72 toward the normal direction of the bottom surface portion 72. The bottom surface portion 72 and the wall portion 174 form a storage portion 176 in which the battery 54 is stored. Unlike the wall portion 74 (see FIGS. 3 to 5B) of the exterior case 56 having the opening 82a described in the first embodiment, the wall portion 174 does not need to have an opening. Here, the wall portion 174 is formed of four planes (a pair of first and second case surfaces 182 and 184, respectively). The first case surface 182 and the second case surface 184 are formed as inner peripheral surfaces of the exterior case 156.

At least the first case surface 182 of the inner peripheral surface of the wall portion 174 of the exterior case 156 is formed with recesses 182a and 182b facing each other. The concave portion 182a is provided with a deformed portion 158a, and the concave portion 182b is provided with a deformed portion 158b. The deformable portions 158a and 158b are disposed inside the outer case 156 so as to face each other. The deformable portions 158a and 158b may be integrated with the outer case 156 or may be separate. Of course, the deformable portions 158a and 158b may be on the second case surface 184. When the deformation | transformation part 158a, 158b is provided in the 2nd case surface 184, the heat insulation between the inside of the exterior case 156 and the exterior can be improved.

It is preferable that the deformed portions 158a and 158b are formed of a heat insulating material. For the deformable portions 158a and 158b, a foam material made of foamed plastic such as polystyrene foam is used to improve heat insulation. The material of the deformed portions 158a and 158b as heat insulating materials is appropriately selected and used in accordance with the battery 54 for which the maximum temperature is specified. When there is a problem with the heat resistance of the deformed portions 158a and 158b, a material having low thermal conductivity is used for the wall portion 174 of the outer case 156, or PTFE or the like is used in a portion near the wall portion 174 in the deformed portions 158a and 158b. A heat resistant resin material may be disposed.

The deformed portions 158a and 158b have moderate softness. Since the deformable portions 158a and 158b have, for example, foaming properties, they are deformed to be compressible when pressed. The deformable portions 158a and 158b are preferably provided at positions facing the first body surface 62a of the battery 54. For this reason, it deform | transforms, if the deformation | transformation part 158a, 158b is pushed with expansion | swelling of the 1st body surface 62a of the battery 54. FIG.

According to the battery assembly (medical device) 14 according to this embodiment, the deformable portions 158a and 158b are formed of a heat insulating material. For this reason, the battery assembly 14 can be sterilized so that the battery 54 inside the outer case 156 does not exceed the set temperature.

The battery assembly (medical device) 14 according to this embodiment can allow the battery 54 to be deformed as the internal pressure of the battery 54 increases. For this reason, an increase in the internal pressure of the battery 54 can be suppressed. And since the deformation | transformation part 158a, 158b provided in the wall part 174 can be deform | transformed, the load of the pressure to the battery 54 can be reduced.

Note that it is difficult to visually recognize that the first body surface 62a of any of the plurality of batteries 54 has swelled on the outer surface of the battery assembly 14 according to this embodiment. The controller 52 can inspect the electromotive force of each of the batteries 54a-54d. When the controller 52 recognizes that the electromotive force of the second battery 54b, which has deteriorated due to, for example, the first body surface 62a expanding, does not reach a predetermined value, the controller 52 does not output the power to the energy conversion unit 26. Control.

Since the deformable portions 158a and 158b absorb the expansion of the battery 54, the outer shape of the first case surface 182 may not change as a whole. Similarly, since the deformable portions 158a and 158b absorb the expansion of the battery 54, the outer shape of the second case surface 184 may not change as a whole. For this reason, in this embodiment, it is also preferable to use a hard material for the exterior case 156 that has low ductility.

Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment is a modification of the first and second embodiments, and the same members or members having the same functions as those described in the first and second embodiments are given the same reference numerals as much as possible. Detailed description is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 9, the outer case 256 of the battery assembly 14 is formed in two layers having an inner layer 256a and an outer layer 256b. The inner layer 256a wraps the plurality of batteries 54 and the deformable portions 158a and 158b together. Therefore, an internal unit 260 of the battery assembly 14 is formed in which the inner layer 256a, the deforming portions 158a and 158b, and the plurality of batteries 54 are integrated.

The inner layer 256a forms a wall portion 274. The wall portion 274 of the inner layer 256a is formed of four planes (a pair of first and second case surfaces 282 and 284, respectively). The first case surface 282 faces the first body surface 62 a of the battery 54. Second case surface 284 faces second body surface 62 b of battery 54.

Note that, as described in the first and second embodiments, the deformable portions 158a and 158b have a deformability that follows and deforms when the battery 54 expands. The deformable portions 158a and 158b preferably have heat insulation properties.

Since the deforming portions 158a and 158b absorb the expansion of the battery 54, the outer shape of the internal unit 260 may not change as a whole. For this reason, in this embodiment, it is also preferable to use a hard material with low ductility for the outer layer 256b.

The battery assembly (medical device) 14 according to this embodiment can allow the battery 54 to be deformed as the internal pressure of the battery 54 increases. For this reason, an increase in the internal pressure of the battery 54 can be suppressed. And since deformation | transformation part 158a, 158b has foamability (porous property), deformation | transformation part 158a, 158b itself has porosity, suppressing the deformation | transformation of the inner layer 256a of the exterior case 256 by deformation | transformation of the battery 54. As a result, the hollow region of the hole is deformed so as to be crushed. Therefore, deformation due to the internal pressure of the battery 54 is absorbed by the deforming portions 158a and 158b, so that the pressure load on the battery 54 can be reduced.

Since the outer case 256 has a two-layer structure, it is possible to improve the heat insulating property for the battery 54 included in the outer case 256. For this reason, it is easy to use autoclave sterilization using, for example, 100 ° C. steam for the battery 54 that is required not to have a temperature higher than 60 ° C., for example. Therefore, the choice of the sterilization method can be expanded by using the battery assembly 14 according to this embodiment.

Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment is a modification of the first to third embodiments, and the same members or members having the same functions as those described in the first to third embodiments are given the same reference numerals as much as possible. Detailed description is omitted. This embodiment will be described as a modification of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 10, the battery assembly 14 further includes a strain sensor 312 as a detection unit that detects expansion of the battery 54, and a notification unit 314. The strain sensor 312 and the notification unit 314 are each connected to the controller 52.

The strain sensor 312 can detect deformation of the deformed portions 58a and 58b before and after the first use of the battery assembly 14, for example. The strain sensor 312 only needs to be disposed in the deforming portions 58a and 58b, and does not need to be disposed in each of the batteries 54a to 54d.

The deformation portions 58a and 58b have a larger deformation amount near the center than the edge portion. For this reason, it is particularly preferable that the strain sensor 312 is disposed near the center of the deformable portions 58a and 58b.

The controller 52 is connected to a notification unit 314 that notifies the user when the detection data of the strain sensor 312 exceeds a predetermined value, that is, when the deformation of the deformation units 58a and 58b is detected. The notification unit 314 may be included in the medical device main body 12, may be included in the battery assembly 14, and may be disposed separately from the medical device main body 12 and the battery assembly 14. As the notification unit 314, visual means using screen display, LED light emission, and the like, and auditory means such as sound can be used as appropriate.

The strain sensor 312 is electrically connected to the controller 52. The controller 52 can notify the user that the battery 54 in the battery assembly 14 has expanded based on the numerical value of the strain sensor 312. Further, once the controller 52 acquires the ID of the strain sensor 312 and detects that one of the batteries 54 has expanded and the deformed portions 58a and 58b have been deformed, the controller 52 prevents the battery assembly 14 from being used. be able to. That is, the controller 52 stops outputting electric energy from the battery assembly 14 to the outside.

It should be noted that a strain sensor 312 is also preferably disposed on the first body surface 62a of each battery 54a-54d. The strain sensor 312 is formed, for example, so as to detect the extension near the center rather than near the end of the first body surface 62a. The strain sensor 312 is disposed in the vicinity of the center of the first body surface 62a because the deformation amount of the first body surface 62a is the largest in the vicinity of the center.

When the strain sensor 312 is disposed on the first body surface 62a of each battery 54a-54d, the strain sensor 312 detects the amount of deformation of the first body surface 62a from the start of use of the battery 54 to the present. can do. Then, the controller 52 makes it impossible to output from the battery 54 of the battery assembly 14 with a threshold value when the amount of deformation detected by the strain sensor 312 exceeds a predetermined value, and can stop the use of the battery assembly 14. . That is, the controller 52 is configured not to output electrical energy for treatment from the battery 54 based on the detection result of the detection unit. In particular, the electrical energy used for the treatment by the end effector 28 is not output.

Note that although the strain sensor 312 has been described as an example of the detection unit that detects the deformation of the deformation units 58a and 58b, a pressure sensor, a distance sensor, or the like can be appropriately used instead of the strain sensor 312. When the pressure sensor is used, the pressure applied to the deforming portions 58a and 58b of the battery assembly 14 is measured to detect the deformation of the deforming portions 58a and 58b. When the distance sensor is used, the distance between the deformed portions 58a and 58b of the battery assembly 14 and the body 62 of the battery 54 is measured to detect the deformation of the deformed portions 58a and 58b.

The strain sensor 312 is also preferably disposed in the deformable portions 158a and 158b described in the second and third embodiments. In this case, the strain sensor 312 can be used similarly to the case where the strain sensor 312 is disposed in the deforming portions 58a and 58b described in the first embodiment. Of course, it is preferable to use a pressure sensor or a distance sensor for the deformable portions 158a and 158b described in the second and third embodiments.

In the first to fourth embodiments, the example using the four batteries 54a, 54b, 54c, and 54d has been described. However, the plurality of batteries are appropriately changed to two, three, five or more. Further, the number of the batteries 54 is not limited to a plurality, and may be one.

Further, the battery assembly 14 according to the first to fourth embodiments has mainly been described with respect to the example having the controller 52 except for the example shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the controller 52 is provided as the medical device unit 10 when the battery assembly 14 is connected to the slot 38 of the medical device body 12.

It is also preferable that the charger (not shown) has a controller different from the controller 52 of the medical device main body 12 shown in FIG. In this case, the charger detects the number of times the battery assembly 14 is used, the usage state, the voltage value (electromotive force) of each battery 54 of the battery assembly 14, and the like.

Although several embodiments have been specifically described so far with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and all the embodiments performed without departing from the scope of the invention are not limited thereto. Including.

Claims (8)

A battery body including an electrolyte solution or an electrolyte polymer, and a battery that generates electric energy by the electrolyte solution or the electrolyte polymer;
A wall for storing the battery;
A battery assembly for a medical device, comprising: a deformable portion provided on the wall portion and deformed in response to expansion of the battery body due to an internal pressure in the battery body. The battery assembly according to claim 1, wherein the deforming portion is disposed at a position facing an expansion position of the battery body. The deforming portion is disposed between the wall portion and the battery;
The battery assembly according to claim 1, wherein the wall portion forms an exterior of the battery assembly. 4. The battery assembly according to claim 3, wherein the deformable portion is compressible by expansion of the battery body. The battery assembly according to claim 1, further comprising an exterior on the outside of the wall portion. The battery body is deformed by the first body surface, the second body surface that is less likely to be deformed by the internal pressure in the battery body than the first body surface, and the internal pressure in the battery body than the first body surface. An expansion amount of the first body surface is larger than an expansion amount of the second body surface due to an internal pressure in the battery body, and is larger than an expansion amount of the third body surface. The amount of expansion of the first body surface is increased,
The battery assembly according to claim 1, wherein the deformable portion is disposed at a position facing the first body surface of the battery body. A detection unit that detects deformation of the deformation unit according to expansion of the battery body;
A controller that prevents the battery from outputting the electrical energy used for the medical device treatment based on the detection result of the detection unit;
The battery assembly according to claim 1, comprising: A battery assembly for a medical device according to claim 1;
A medical device unit comprising: a medical device to which the battery assembly is attached or incorporated.

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