Patent ID: 9538994
Date: 2017-01-10
CPC Classifications: A61B

Claim:
1. A biopsy device comprising: (a) a handpiece; (b) a hollow cutter translatable relative to the handpiece and operable to sever tissue samples; (c) a vacuum source for providing vacuum within the hollow cutter; (d) a tissue sample receiving member associated with the handpiece and positioned for receiving tissue samples transported through the hollow cutter; (e) a vacuum sensor disposed within the handpiece and positioned to measure levels of vacuum in the tissue sample receiving member, wherein the vacuum sensor is configured to measure the levels of vacuum for a predetermined amount of time to take a plurality of vacuum level measurements as a function of a longitudinal position of the cutter; and (f) a controller, wherein the controller is communicatively coupled to the vacuum sensor, wherein the controller is operable to regulate the translation of the hollow cutter, wherein the controller is further operable to translate the hollow cutter through a predetermined operational cycle when the at least one of the plurality of vacuum level measurements fall within a predetermined range.