US5038261A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Operating lamp with adjustable mounting
Assignee: WC HERAEUS A OF FED REP OF GERMANY GmbH LLC
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Filing: 1990-10-09
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Granted: 1991-08-06
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Expires: 2010-10-09
Abstract
Abstract An operating-room light fixture features a cardanic mounting connected to an overhead beam or other stationary support by joints or linkages which rotate about horizontal and vertical axes. After setting of the optimal illumination zone into the operating plane, that zone's coordinates, and the associated coordinates of the lamp housing, are stored as values in a computer. Upon intentional or unintentional spatial displacement of the lamp housing, angle sensors in the joints, and a distance sensor in the lamp housing, furnish data to the computer, which calculates a compensating adjustment and carries it out by applying control signals to positioning motors in the cardanic mounting, until the axis or axes of the light beam(s) again place the optimal illumination zone on the operating field.
Inventors
- 👤 Thomas Kloos
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 13:07
CPC Classifications
F; F21; F21V; F21V21/00; F21V21/14; F21V21/26; F21V21/28; A; A61; A61B; A61B90/00; A61B90/30; A61B90/35; F21S; F21S8/00; F21S8/04; F21S8/043; F21V23/00; F21W; F21W2131/00; F21W2131/20; F21W2131/205; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S362/00; Y10S362/804
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
243 words
A method of automatically aligning an operating room lamp, said lamp having a lamp housing (9) emitting at least one light beam Sept. 20, 1990 a cardanic mounting (1,2,3,4,5,6) supporting said housing and including a joint (2) Sept. 20, 1990 rotatable about a horizontal axis and at least one further joint (1) Sept. 20, 1990 rotatable about a vertical axis; at least one means for positioning an axis of said light beam onto an operating field to produce an illuminated zone, said means including a respective positioning motor at each of said joints (3,4); a distance sensor mounted on said housing (9) for sensing distance between said housing and said operating field, and connected to said positioning means for automatic feedback control, an angle sensor at each joint (1,2,3,4) of said cardanic mounting; and a computer, connected to outputs of said sensors and to control inputs of said motors; comprising the steps of reading distance and angle data from said sensor into said computer; calculating, based on said data, coordinates of said lamp housing and of said operating field; storing said coordinates in said computer; monitoring said distance and angle sensors and thereby detecting relative displacement between said lamp housing and said operating field; testing any detected displacement to determine whether such displacement exceeds predetermined limits; and, if so, applying control signals to at least one of said motors until a predetermined relationship between said lamp housing and said operating field is restored.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
243 words
A method of automatically aligning an operating room lamp, said lamp having a lamp housing (9) emitting at least one light beam Sept. 20, 1990 a cardanic mounting (1,2,3,4,5,6) supporting said housing and including a joint (2) Sept. 20, 1990 rotatable about a horizontal axis and at least one further joint (1) Sept. 20, 1990 rotatable about a vertical axis; at least one means for positioning an axis of said light beam onto an operating field to produce an illuminated zone, said means including a respective positioning motor at each of said joints (3,4); a distance sensor mounted on said housing (9) for sensing distance between said housing and said operating field, and connected to said positioning means for automatic feedback control, an angle sensor at each joint (1,2,3,4) of said cardanic mounting; and a computer, connected to outputs of said sensors and to control inputs of said motors; comprising the steps of reading distance and angle data from said sensor into said computer; calculating, based on said data, coordinates of said lamp housing and of said operating field; storing said coordinates in said computer; monitoring said distance and angle sensors and thereby detecting relative displacement between said lamp housing and said operating field; testing any detected displacement to determine whether such displacement exceeds predetermined limits; and, if so, applying control signals to at least one of said motors until a predetermined relationship between said lamp housing and said operating field is restored.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method according to claim 1, further comprising adjusting alignment of a light beam axis (10) as a function of distance between said lamp housing (9) and said operating field (8).
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method according to claim 1, further comprising aligning axes of a plurality of light beams so that said light beams overlap to form an intensely illuminated zone.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
53 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein said calculating step comprises translating said distance and angle data into Cartesian coordinates and, in the event of undesired deviation from previous coordinates, applying control signals to said positioning motors as a function of differences between previous coordinates and current coordinates of said lamp housing (9).
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
197 words
Operating room lamp having a lamp housing (9) emitting at least one light beam Sept. 20, 1990; a cardanic mounting (1,2,3,4,5,6) supporting said housing and including a joint (2) Sept. 20, 1990 rotatable about a horizontal axis and at least one further joint (1) Sept. 20, 1990 rotatable about a vertical axis; at least one means for positioning an axis of said light beam onto an operating field to produce an illuminated zone; and a distance sensor connected to said positioning means for automatic feedback control, wherein, in accordance with the invention, said positioning means includes a respective positioning motor at each of said joints (3,4); each joint (1,2,3,4) of said cardanic mounting is equipped with an angle sensor; said distance sensor (15) is mounted on said housing (9) for sensing distance between said housing and said operating field; a computer is provided, connected to outputs of said sensors and to control inputs of said motors, said computer processing output signals from said sensors to determine coordinates of said lamp housing and of said operating field, and generating control signals to said motors to automatically adjust lamp housing position and alignment with respect to said operating field.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
197 words
Operating room lamp having a lamp housing (9) emitting at least one light beam Sept. 20, 1990; a cardanic mounting (1,2,3,4,5,6) supporting said housing and including a joint (2) Sept. 20, 1990 rotatable about a horizontal axis and at least one further joint (1) Sept. 20, 1990 rotatable about a vertical axis; at least one means for positioning an axis of said light beam onto an operating field to produce an illuminated zone; and a distance sensor connected to said positioning means for automatic feedback control, wherein, in accordance with the invention, said positioning means includes a respective positioning motor at each of said joints (3,4); each joint (1,2,3,4) of said cardanic mounting is equipped with an angle sensor; said distance sensor (15) is mounted on said housing (9) for sensing distance between said housing and said operating field; a computer is provided, connected to outputs of said sensors and to control inputs of said motors, said computer processing output signals from said sensors to determine coordinates of said lamp housing and of said operating field, and generating control signals to said motors to automatically adjust lamp housing position and alignment with respect to said operating field.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
56 words
Operating room lamp according to claim 5, wherein at least two light beams are emitted by respective light sources (16) in the lamp housing (9), and means are provided for aligning optical axes of said beams with an operating field (8) so that said beams overlap to form a intensely illuminated zone in said operating field.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
16 words
Operating room lamp according to claim 5, wherein each angle sensor optically scans a coded surface.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
15 words
Operating room lamp according to claim 5, wherein each angle sensor comprises a Hall generator.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1994-08-05 | 1995-02-04 | 1995-08-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1998-08-05 | 1999-02-04 | 1999-08-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2002-08-05 | 2003-02-04 | 2003-08-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |