Patent ID: 11925792
Assignee: nan
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A  H | IPC A  H

Claim 9:
10. An apparatus for destroying needles and sharp objects comprising:
an incineration port, said incineration port comprising a first electrode and a second electrode, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are operable to receive a needle or a sharp object;
a power source in communication with said incineration port, wherein the power source is operable to provide electrical power to the first electrode and the second electrode;
a plurality of sensors comprising a current sensor;
a microcontroller unit comprising a processor, wherein the microcontroller unit is in communication with the plurality of sensors, and wherein the processor is operable to interface with the power source, the first electrode, and the second electrode; and
a transistor,
wherein the current sensor is in communication with the microcontroller unit, and the current sensor is operable to detect current being delivered to the first electrode and the second electrode by the power source, and
wherein the microcontroller unit is operable to: infer a size of the needle or the sharp object inserted into the incineration port based on an output of the current sensor, to drive the transistor using a pulse-width modulated signal, and to modify the pulse-width modulated signal based on the inferred size of the needle or the sharp object, thereby controlling a flow of power from the power source to the first electrode and the second electrode in a manner that minimizes sparking.