GB2470607A

GB2470607A - Electrosurgical System

Info

Publication number: GB2470607A
Application number: GB0909322A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kelvin John Varney
Original assignee: Gyrus Medical Ltd
Current assignee: Gyrus Medical Ltd
Priority date: 2009-05-29
Filing date: 2009-05-29
Publication date: 2010-12-01
Also published as: GB0909322D0; DE102010029459A1; GB2470640B; GB2470640A; US20100305563A1; GB201008207D0

Abstract

An electrosurgical system includes a first component (11) and a second component (7) detachably connected one to the other. The first component (11) is provided with a socket (33) including a plurality of contacts (34 to 40), and the second component (7) is provided with a plug (17) including one or more pins (19). The arrangement is such that. when the plug (17) is received within the socket (33), the one or more pins (19) make electrical contact with a particular combination of the plurality of contacts (34 to 40), The electrosurgical system is provided with means for identifying the second component (7) by determining the combination of contacts (34 to 40) with which the one or more pins (19) are in electrical contact.

Description

Electrosurgical System This invention relates to an electrosurgical system for use in the treatment of tissue. Such systems are used in endoscopic or "keyhole" surgery, as well as in more traditional "open" surgery.

Many electrosurgical systems have some form of identification system, such that when an electrosurgical instrument is connected to an electrosurgical generator, the generator is able to detect which type of instrument is present, and even use settings such as power and voltage settings which are appropriate for that particular instrument or type of instrument. Our US patent 6,074,386 is one example of such an identification system, although other types are also known. The present invention attempts to* provide an improved alternative identification system, capable of identifying different electro surgical instruments to the generator.

Accordingly, an electrosurgical system is provided comprising a first component and a second component detachably connected one to the other, the first component being provided with a socket including a plurality of contacts, and the second component being provided with a plug including one or more pins, the arrangement being such that, when the plug is received within the socket, the one or more pins make electrical contact with a particular combination of the plurality of contacts, the electrosurgical system being provided with means for identifying the second component by determining the combination of contacts in which the one or more pins are in electrical contact.

The one' or more pins of the plug are designed to make electrical contact with a predetermined combination of the contacts on the socket, which combination can be determined to identify the instrument being utilised. By providing plugs which make contact with different combinations of contacts, different types of instrument can be easily recognised by the generator.

In a first convenient arrangement, the plug includes a plurality of pins.

Each pin within the plug is conveniently either provided with a first condition such that it makes electrical contact with a respective contact within the socket, or a second condition such that it does not make electrical contact with said respective contact within the socket. For example, in one arrangement the first and second conditions are constituted by the pins having different lengths. Long pins make contact with the contacts within the socket, whereas other shorter pins do not. By varying the combination of short and long pins, different instruments can be identified.

Alternatively, the first and second conditions are constituted by providing the pin with either an electrically-conductive or electrically-non-conductive contact portion. For example, some pins can have conductive end portions, while other pins have non-conductive end portions, or end portions that are masked with an electrically-insulating material. By varying the pins that are non-conductive, once again different instruments can be identified.

Each pin can conceivably have two portions, one designed to make contact with a first set of contacts within the socket, and the other designed to make contact with a second set of contacts within the socket. For example, the first set of contacts can be used for supplying electrosurgical voltage signals, data or other signals, while the second set of contacts can be used for identifying the electrosurgical instrument.

This way, all of the pins are utilised, even though not all make contact with the second set of contacts. Alternatively, a relatively large number of pins can be provided, such that all of the functions of the electrosurgical system can be performed even though selected pins are not utilised.

In a preferred alternative system, the plug includes a single pin provided with different longitudinal portions. A single pin is typically used in many electrosurgical instruments, where an electrode or electrode assembly is attached to a handpiece or other instrument such as a resectoscope. Preferably, each longitudinal portion along the pin is either provided with a first condition such that it makes electrical contact with a respective contact within the socket, or a second condition such that it does not make electrical contact with said respective contact within the socket.

In one convenient arrangement, the first and second conditions are constituted by different positions for the longitudinal portions. In this way, some of the longitudinal portions are in alignment with their corresponding socket contacts, while others are deliberately out of alignment.

Alternatively, the first and second conditions are constituted by a different dimension for the longitudinal portions. For example, the length of one or more conductive portions can be varied between different instruments, and detected in order to identify those instruments. Alternatively, the first and second conditions are conceivably constituted by the longitudinal portions having different radiuses. In this way, relatively wide portions do make contact with the corresponding contacts within the socket, whereas other relatively narrow portions do not. By varying the combination of the wide and narrow portions, different instruments can be easily distinguished from one another. The different dimension need not necessarily be the radius of the pin, for the pin need not be of circular cross-section. As an alternative example of a different dimension, the pin may be provided with recessed or cut-out portions, so as to provide some areas in contact with respective socket contacts, and other areas not in contact.

Alternatively, the first and second conditions are constituted by providing each longitudinal portion with either an electrically-conductive or electrically-non-conductive contact portion. In this arrangement, the size or radius of the portions along the pin is the same, but some portions are conductive and others non-conductive. For example, some portions can either be formed from electrically-insulating material, or some of the conductive portions can be masked with non-conducting material. By varying the combination of portions with non-conductive properties, different instruments can be identified.

Conveniently, some or all of the plurality of contacts within the socket are connected to an identification component. This identification component is conceivably a circuit adapted to generate an identifiable characteristic signal. An example of such a circuit is a memory device such as a digital memory device.

Additionally, or alternatively, the identification component is conveniently a passive electrical identification component having a parameter of a finite non-zero value.

Where the identification component is a passive identification component with a non-zero value, the identifying means conveniently identifies the second component by determining the total value of the passive electrical identification components for those contacts within the socket with which the one or more pins are in electrical contact. In one arrangement, the passive identification components are each of the same value, and the total value determines how many identification components are in electrical connection. However, in a preferred alternative arrangement, the passive identification components each have different values. In this way, the permitted total values for the identification components can be set as predetermined discrete total values, thereby distinguishing between a correct authorised total and a false total caused by an incorrect or shorted connection between the contacts.

In one typical arrangement, the passive electrical identification component is a resistor and the parameter is resistance. The identifying means totals the resistances attached to all those contacts within the socket that are in electrical contact with the one or more pins to establish a total resistance, which is then used to identify the instrument concerned. Different types of instrument have different pins, with different combinations in contact with the contacts within the socket. Thus, for these different types of instrument, the total resistance established by the identifying means will be a different value, thereby distinguishing the instrument as belonging to a different category. As the vast majority of electrosurgical systems use alternating current power supplies, for the avoidance of doubt, the term "resistance" includes the resistive component of any ac circuit, forming part of the overall impedance.

In an alternative arrangement, the passive electrical identification component is a capacitor and the parameter is capacitance. As with the example given above, the identifying means totals the capacitors attached to all those contacts within the socket that are in electrical contact with the one or more pins to establish a total capacitance, which is then used to identify the instrument concerned. As in our previous patent US 6,074,386, one way in which the total capacitance can be established is by setting up a resonant circuit, the frequency of which provides an indication of the total capacitance, and hence the identity of the instrument concerned.

As before, for the avoidance of doubt, the term "capacitance" includes the capacitive component of any ac circuit, forming part of the overall impedance.

The present invention can be used in electrosurgical systems employing different arrangements. Electrosurgical systems differ in that some have a unitary handpiece, while others have a separate handpiece and electrosurgical assembly. Some handpieces have unitary cables, while others have detachable cables. Conveniently, the first component is selected from the group comprising an electrosurgical generator, a cable, and an electrosurgical handpiece, while the second component is selected from the group comprising a cable, an electrosurgical handpiece, and an electrode assembly.

Thus, it can be seen that the plug-and-socket arrangement described herein can be used to connect a cable to an electrosurgical generator, a cable to an electrosurgical handpiece, or an electrode assembly to an electrosurgical handpiece. Whichever arrangement is used, the combination of contacts identifies the second component to the first component, thereby establishing which type of electrosurgical instrument is being utilised in combination with the electrosurgical generator.

The present invention offers the advantage that, if an identifying component (such as a resistor, capacitor or digital memory) is present, it does not necessarily need to be physically associated with the element being identified. For example, where a treatment electrode is the element to be identified, there is often limited physical space to allow for a resistor, a capacitor or a digital memory chip to be associated with the electrode. One solution is to locate these components in another part of the system, such as a cable or a connector, but this means that in effect it is the cable or the connector, rather than the electrode, which is being identified by the system. This means that there is the possibility that the "wrong" electrode can be employed with the cable or connector, and be incorrectly identified by means of the identifying components located in the cable or the connector. In contrast, the present invention allows for identifying components to be located elsewhere in the system, and yet it is the combination provided by the plug or pin(s) directly associated with the treatment electrode that provides the identification. Thus, the electrode is identified by means of the contacts associated with the electrode, even if the identification components (resistors, capacitors or digital memory chips) are located elsewhere in the system.

Where space is an issue, and yet sophisticated identification is still required, a two-part system can be used. In this, a first identification element (such as a resistor or a capacitor) is provided on the electrode assembly, and a second identification element (such as a digital memory chip) is provided elsewhere on the system, such as in a cable or a connector. The first identification element is sufficiently small so as to be carried on the electrode assembly, and provides basic identification (manufacturer, or type of electrode, etc). The second identification element does not need to be directly carried on the electrode assembly, and can provide more sophisticated identification, such as specific electrode identification, or parameters for the energy to be supplied by the generator etc. The second identification element can even update the generator in respect of the parameters for the energy to be supplied to electrode assemblies other than the one currently identified, i.e. other instruments in the range.

According to a further aspect of the invention, an electrosurgical system is provided comprising a first component and a plurality of second components each capable of being individually connected to the first component, the first component being provided with a socket including a plurality of contacts, and the second component being provided with a plug including one or more pins, the arrangement being such that when the plug is received within the socket the one or more pins of a particular second component make electrical contact with a particular combination of the plurality of contacts, the electrosurgical system being provided with means for identifying the second component by determining the combination of contacts in which the one or more pins are in electrical contact.

According to a still further aspect of the present invention, an electrosurgical system is provided comprising a first component and a plurality of second components each capable of being individually connected to the first component, the second components being provided in a plurality of different types, the first component being provided with a socket including a plurality of contacts, and the second component being provided with a plug including one or more pins, the arrangement being such that when the plug is received within the socket the one or more pins of a particular type of second component make electrical contact with a particular combination of the plurality of contacts, the electrosurgical system being provided with means for identifying the type of the second component by determining the combination of contacts in which the one or more pins are in electrical contact.

The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an electrosurgical system constructed in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a side view of particular components making up the instrument which is a part of the system of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view of other particular components making up the instrument which is a part of the system of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a plug-and-socket arrangement connecting two of the components of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of an alternative embodiment of a plug-and-socket arrangement connecting two of the components of Figure 3; and Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a further alternative embodiment of a plug-and-socket arrangement connecting two of the components of Figure 3.

Referring to Figure 1, an electrosurgical generator 10 has an output socket los providing a radio frequency (RF) output for an instrument 12 via a connection cord 14. Activation of the generator 1 may be performed from the instrument 12 via a lead in the cord 14, or by means of a footswitch unit 16, as shown, connected to the rear of the generator by a footswitch connection cord 18. In the illustrated embodiment, the footswitch unit 16 has two footswitches 1 6A and 1 6B for selecting a coagulation mode and a cutting mode of the generator respectively. The generator front panel has push buttons 20 and 22 for respectively setting coagulation and cutting power levels, which are indicated in a display 24. Push buttons 26 are provided as a means for selection between alternative coagulation and cutting waveforms.

Figures 2 and 3 show an embodiment of the instrument 12 in more detail.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the instrument 12 is in the form of a resectoscope consisting of several main components, an inner sheath 1, namely an outer sheath 2, a rod lens telescope/light source assembly 3, a working element 11, and a bipolar electrode assembly 7. The sheaths 1 and 2 provide for the supply and aspiration of an operating site with a fluid medium via a connector 3a. The outer sheath 2 locks over the inner sheath 1, forming a watertight seal. Typically, the inner sheath 1 has a diameter of 24 Fr, and the outer sheath 2 has a diameter of 27 Fr. The telescope assembly 3 provides the means of illuminating and viewing the operative site via a light source (not shown) connected thereto by a connector 4. The viewing angle of the telescope assembly 3 is generally at 300 to its axis.

The working element 11 may be either passive or active, that is to say the cutting stroke of the electrode assembly 7 may be as the result of a spring bias or against the force of a spring bias. The telescope assembly 3 is received within the working element 11 by means of a telescope connector 5 at its proximal end. The telescope assembly 3 passes through a sealing block 6 having an aperture 13 therein, the inner sheath 1 also being connected to the sealing block. Both of these interfaces are watertight. A support guide 80 is provided on the distal side of the sealing block 6.

Two spring-loaded links 8 and an insulation block 9, located between the sealing block 6 and the telescope connector 5, make up the mechanism. The mechanism is arranged so that the spring-loaded links 8 assist the forwards stroke, while, in the passive version the links aid the backwards stroke. In general, the range of travel is about 25 mm.

The aperture 13 in the sealing block 6 allows the telescope assembly 3 to be passed from the proximal to the distal end of the working element 11, within the bore of the inner sheath 1. The aperture 13 is offset, so that the telescope assembly 3 is located in the upper quadrant of the support guide 80 to make room for the electrode assembly 7.

The electrode assembly 7 can be inserted down the support guide 80 from the distal end thereof, and through a second aperture 15 in the sealing block 6. A plug portion 17 is provided at the proximal end of the electrode assembly 7, and this plug portion is received within a socket located within the aperture 15, to be described below in further detail with reference to Figure 4. A telescope clip 81, provided on the electrode assembly 7, ensures radial alignment of the electrode assembly with respect to the working element 11, and this may be enhanced with other features such as a beveled end face (not shown) which may be present on the plug portion 17. Other features, such as detents or other locking mechanisms (not shown) may be present between the plug portion 17 and the socket located within the aperture 15, in order to ensure longitudinal alignment and complete engagement therebetween.

As can be seen in Figure 4, the plug portion 17 consists of a single pin 19 including a plurality of contacts, as follows. An active electrode contact 21 is provided at the end of the pin 19, and a return electrode contact 23 is provided at one opposite end of the pin. Between the contacts 21 and 23 is an identification contact section 25 including identification contacts 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31. The contacts 27 to 31 are separated one from another by bands of insulating material 32.

The plug portion 17 is received within a generally cylindrical socket 33, including contacts 34 to 40 adapted to make electrical contact with the contacts 21, 23 and 27 to 31 on the pin 19, when the pin is received within the socket. The active electrode contact 21 on the pin 19 is adapted to mate with the contact 34 of the socket 33, while the return electrode contact 23 is adapted to mate with the contact 35 of the socket. Similarly, the identification contacts 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31 on the pin are adapted to mate respectively with the contacts 36, 37, 38, 39 and 40 of the socket 33.

The contacts 34 and 35 of the socket 33 are connected respectively by leads 41 and 42 to the active and return outputs of the electrosurgical generator 10. The contacts 36 to of the socket 33 are connected by means of leads 43 to 47 to the identification input of the generator 10, each one of those leads also including a capacitor 48 to 52, the capacitors each being of a different non-zero value.

The operation of the identification system is as follows. When the electrode assembly 7 is inserted into the resectoscope 11, the pin 19 is received within the socket 33. This means that the contacts 21 and 23 make electrical contact with the contacts 34 and 35 to provide an electrical pathway for the active and return electrodes of the bipolar electrode assembly 7. In addition, the contacts 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31 in the identification section 25 of the pin 19 try to mate with the corresponding contacts 36 to 40 of the socket 33. However, depending on the type of electrode assembly 7 being used, one or more of the contacts in the identification section 25 are masked with an electrically insulating covering 53, in this case the contacts 27 and 29. As an alternative to masking contacts 27 and 29 as described above, the contacts 27 and 29 may be omitted entirely. Whichever method is employed, this means that, for this particular example, the identification contacts 28, 30 and 31 will make electrical contact with the socket contacts 37, 39 and 40, but identification contacts 27 and 29 will not make electrical contact with the socket contacts 36 and 38. This means that, when the generator 10 sends a signal to initiate the identification of the electrode assembly 7, the capacitors 49, 51 and 52 will be sensed as being present, while the capacitors 48 and 50 will not. The total capacitance of the capacitors 49, 51 and 52 is determined by the generator 10, and this serves to identify the electrode assembly 7 as being of a particular type ("Type A").

An electrode assembly of a different type to that of electrode assembly 7 ("Type B") will have a different combination of contacts omitted or masked with electrically insulating covering 53, say the contacts 28 and 30. In this case, the generator 10 will sense the capacitors 48, 50 and 52, but not the capacitors 49 and 51.

The total capacitance of the capacitors 48, 50 and 52 will give a different value to that of the capacitors 49, 51 and 52, thereby identifying the electrode assembly 7 as being a Type B assembly as opposed to a Type A assembly. By masking different combinations of the identification contacts, many different types of electrode assembly 7 can be identified by the generator 10, and distinguished one from another, so that the appropriate settings can be employed for each appropriate electrode type, and inappropriate electrode types can be rejected.

By making the active electrode contact 21 at one end of the pin 19, and the return electrode contact 23 at the opposite end of the pin, this ensures that power is only supplied to the electrode assembly 7 when the pin 19 has been fully and correctly inserted within the socket 33. The generator 10 can check that both the active contact 21 has made electrical contact with its associated contact 34, and that the return contact 23 has made electrical contact with its associated contact 35, before the identification process is carried out. This ensures that no false identifications are made by the pin 19 being only partially inserted within the socket 33. It is only when the pin has been determined as being fully inserted, and the identification process has been successfully completed that power is supplied to the electrode assembly 7. The identification process can be frequently repeated by the generator 10, to ensure that the status has not changed during use.

Figure 5 shows an alternative arrangement in which, instead of some of the identification contacts 27 to 31 being masked or omitted, the pin 19 is contoured such that some of the identification contacts mate with their respective socket contacts, and others do not. As shown in Figure 5, the pin 19 has a first radius along most of its length, but a reduced radius in the region of contacts 27 and 29. This means that the pin contacts 27 and 29 do not mate with their respective socket contacts 36 and 38, in similar fashion to the masking described above. As before, this means that the capacitors 48 and 50 will not be sensed by the generator 10 when the electrode assembly 7 is being identified, thereby identifying the electrode assembly as being of a particular type.

In both Figures 4 and 5, the socket contacts 34 to 40 are shown as being provided along only one side of the socket 33. However, it is equally feasible to provide the socket contacts 34 to 40 along both sides of the socket 33, in order to save space with the socket design. Either the socket contacts on one side are staggered with respect to the contacts on the other side, or the socket contacts are located opposite one another. For each pair of oppositely located socket contacts, the pin contacts can be designed to contact either the contact on one side or the other, to contact both simultaneously, or to contact neither depending on the shape or layout of the pin contacts. In this way a large number of different combinations can be provided within a very small space.

Figure 6 shows an alternative design of plug-and-socket, in which the plug 17 has a plurality of pins. The plug 17 is provided with five pins, 60 to 64, which pins are received in channels 65 to 69 provided in the socket 33. Each channel has a respective contact 70 to 74, the contacts being located only at the far end of each channel. As can be seen in Figure 6, most of the pins 60 to 64 are sufficiently long so as to make contact with the contacts 70 to 74, the pin 60 and the contact 70 being the connection to the active electrode of the electrode assembly 7, and the pin 64 and the contact 74 being the connection to the return electrode of the electrode assembly. The pins 61, 62 and 63 are identification pins, and one or more of these pins (in this case the pin 62) is of a shorter length, so as to deliberately fall short of making contact with its respective channel contact (in this case the contact 72). As before, the contacts 70 to 74 are connected to the generator 10 by way of leads with capacitors attached thereto (omitted in Figure 6 to promote clarity of other features). In this way, the generator 10 can determine which identification pins 60 to 64 are in contact with their respective channel contacts 70 to 74, and hence identify the type of electrode assembly attached to the resectoscope.

If more pins are provided, an even larger number of different combinations can be identified, allowing an even larger number of different components to be distinguished. As before, as an alternative to providing one or more pins shorter than the others, the pins can all be of the same length (sufficient to reach the contacts 70 to 74), but the ends of one or more pins can be masked with an electrically-insulating covering so as to prevent electrical connection between that particular pin and its associated socket contact.

In the embodiment of Figure 6, the pin 62 is effectively redundant. If it is preferred that each of the pins 60 to 64 still performs some function (such as connecting at least one of the electrodes of the electrode assembly 7 to the electrosurgical generator 10), each pin can be provided with at least two conductive sections, say a first proximal section and a second distal section. These two sections are separated by an insulating middle section, and each section is provided with its own lead. Correspondingly, each socket channel 65 to 69 is provided with two sets of contacts, a proximal set of contacts (for connecting with the proximal section of each pin) and a distal set of contacts (for connecting with the distal section of each pin). In this way, for example, the distal contacts can be used for identifying the instrument, and the proximal contacts can be used for supplying electrosurgical voltages or data between the electrode assembly 7 and the generator 10. In this way, each of the pins 60 to 64 is still functional, even if it only makes contact with one of the two sets of contacts in each channel. Alternatively, a system can be envisaged consisting of a combination of Figures 5 and 6, in which multiple pins are provided, each with multiple contacts as described. This provides a large number of available contacts, both for identification purposes and also for power supply to the electrode assembly 7.

Further different arrangements will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in as an alternative to the capacitors described above, other components such as resistors or even digital memory devices can be used to identify the particular combination of the plug when it is engaged with the' socket. The identification components, whether they are resistors, capacitors or other components, can be provided associated with the electrode assembly 7, or alternatively present in a cable or other connector. Although the system described above is employing an electrode assembly connected to a resectoscope, the same arrangement can be employed to connect other electrosurgical instruments to an electrosurgical generator. For example, the plug-and-socket arrangement described above can be used to connect an electrosurgical instrument to an associated cable, the cable into a generator, or one part of a two-part instrument to the other (for example, where an instrument employs a single-use component with a re-usable handpiece).

Claims

Claims I. An electrosurgical system comprising a first component and a second component detachably connected one to the other, the first component being provided with a socket including a plurality of contacts, and the second component being provided with a plug including one or more pins, the arrangement being such that, when the plug is received within the socket, the one or more pins make electrical contact with a particular combination of the plurality of contacts, the electrosurgical system being provided with means for identifying the second component by determining the combination of contacts with which the one or more pins are in electrical contact.
2. An electrosurgical system according to claim 1, wherein the plug includes a plurality of pins.
3. An electrosurgical system according to claim 2, wherein each pin within the plug is either provided with a first condition such that it makes electrical contact with a respective contact within the socket, or a second condition such that it does not make electrical contact with said respective contact within the socket.
4. An electrosurgical system according to claim 3, wherein the first and second conditions are constituted by the pins having different lengths.
5. An electrosurgical system according to claim 3, wherein the first and second conditions are constituted by providing each pin with either an electrically-conductive or electrically-non-conductive contact portion.
6. An electrosurgical system according to claim 1, wherein the plug includes a single pin provided with different longitudinal portions.
7. An electrosurgical system according to claim 6, wherein each longitudinal portion along the pin is either provided with a first condition such that it makes electrical contact with a respective contact within the socket, or a second condition such that it does not make electrical contact with said respective contact within the socket.
8. An electrosurgical system according to claim 7, wherein the first and second conditions are constituted by different positions for the longitudinal portions.
9. An electrosurgical system according to claim 7, wherein the first and second conditions are constituted by a different dimension for the longitudinal portions.
10. An electrosurgical system according to claim 9, wherein the first and second conditions are constituted by the longitudinal portions having different radiuses.
11. An electrosurgical system according to claim 7, wherein the first and second conditions are constituted by providing each longitudinal portion with either an electrically-conductive or electrically-non-conductive contact portion.
12. An electrosurgical system according to any preceding claim, wherein some or all of the plurality of contacts within the socket are connected to an identification component.
13. An electrosurgical system according to claim 12, wherein the identification component is a circuit adapted to generate an identifiable characteristic signal.
14. An electrosurgical system according to claim 13, wherein the identification component is a memory device.
15. An electrosurgical system according to claim 14, wherein the memory device is a digital memory device.
16. An electrosurgical system according to claim 12, wherein the identification component is a passive electrical identification component having a parameter of a finite non-zero value.
17. An electrosurgical system according to claim 16, wherein the identifying means is such as to identify the second component by determining the total value of the passive electrical identification components for those contacts within the socket with which the one or more pins are in electrical contact.
18. An electrosurgical system according to claim 16 or claim 17, wherein the passive electrical identification component is a resistor and the parameter is resistance.
19. An electrosurgical system according to claim 16 or claim 17, wherein the passive electrical identification component is a capacitor and the parameter is capacitance.
20. An electrosurgical system according to any preceding claim, wherein the first component is selected from the group comprising an electrosurgical generator, a cable, and an electrosurgical handpiece.
21. An electrosurgical system according to any preceding claim, wherein the second component is selected from the group comprising a cable, an electrosurgical handpiece, and an electrode assembly.
22. An electrosurgical system comprising a first component and a plurality of second components each capable of being individually connected to the first component, the first component being provided with a socket including a plurality of contacts, and the second component being provided with a plug including one or more pins, the arrangement being such that, when the plug is received within the socket, the one or more pins of a particular second component make electrical contact with a particular combination of the plurality of contacts, the electrosurgical system being provided with means for identifying the second component by determining the combination of contacts with which the one or more pins are in electrical contact.
23. An electrosurgical system comprising a first component and a plurality of second components each capable of being individually connected to the first component, the second components being provided in a plurality of different types, the first component being provided with a socket including a plurality of contacts, and the second component being provided with a plug including one or more pins, the arrangement being such that, when the plug is received within the socket, the one or more pins of a particular type of second component make electrical contact with a particular combination of the plurality of contacts, the electrosurgical system being provided with means for identifying the type of second component by determining the combination of contacts with which the one or more pins are in electrical contact.