Control system for surgical apparatus

Claim 1

SURGICAL APPARATUS FOR OPERATING AN TISSUE WHICH IS CONDUCTIVELY COUPLED TO A POINT OF REFERENCE POTENTIAL, COMPRISING A PROBE INCLUDING A SURGICAL ELECTRODE PROTRUDING THEREFROM, MEANS FOR APPLYING HIGH FREQUENCY ENERGY BETWEEN SAID ELECTRODE AND SAID REFERENCE POINT, CONDUCTIVE COUPLING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID ELECTRODE SAID COUPLING MEANS PRESENTING A HIGH IMPEDANCE AT SAID HIGH FREQUENCY, CONTROL MEANS INCLUDING A RELAY, HAVING A COIL AND AT LEAST ONE SET OF CONTACTS, A RELAY CONTROL CIRCUIT AND A VOLTAGE SOURCE, BOTH SAID RELAY CONTROL CIRCUIT AND SAID VOLTAGE SOURCE BEING CONNECTED TO SAID POINT OF REFERENCE POTENTIAL, SWITCHING MEANS HAVING A PAIR OF CONTACTS DISPOSED ON SAID PROBE, MEANS CONNECTING ONE CONTACT OF SAID SWITCHING MEANS TO SAID COUPLING MEANS AND MEANS CONNECTING THE OTHER CONTACT OF SAID SWITCHING MEANS TO SAID RELAY CONTROL CIRCUIT, THE CONTACTS OF SAID RELAY BEING NORMALLY OPEN AND BEING CONNECTED SO AS TO INTERRUPT THE APPLICATION OF HIGH FREQUENCY ENERGY TO SAID ELECTRODE WHEN SAID RELAY CONTACTS ARE OPEN, MEANS CONNECTING SAID RELAY CONTROL CIRCUIT BETWEEN THE COIL OF SAID RELAY AND SAID VOLTAGE SOURCE, SAID CONTROL CIRCUIT CAUSING ENERGIZATION OF SAID RELAY COIL WHEN SAID SWITCHING MEANS IS CLOSED AND SAID ELECTRODE IS IN CONTACT WITH SAID TISSUE.