Abstract: A smoke evacuator system for by-products of laser surgery including an inline construction of a motor and a filter assembly mounted on opposite sides of a mounting plate. The filter fits in a filter duct and the temperature of the flow between the filter and the vacuum chamber of the vacuum pump can be monitored to determine the clog condition of the filter. The system includes electronic circuitry to activate an alarm device to indicate to the user that the filter is clogged and further circuitry is provided to shutoff the motor after a long period of operation with a clogged filter to prevent damage to the system by overheating.

Abstract: A laser surgery smoke evacuator system is disposed within a small, thermally and acoustically insulated casing. The system includes a filter, a vacuum pump disposed downstream of the filter, an alternating current motor driven by an AC power source, a DC power supply energized by the AC source, an AC phase controller to vary the motor speed, a capacitor circuit to isolate the phase control from electromotive interference and a filter clog circuit. The DC power supply powers the phase controller and the capacitor and filter clog circuits. The AC phase controller is mounted next to an air intake in the casing for cooling the motor. The motor drives the vacuum pump which evacuates smoke from a laser surgery site, draws such smoke through the filter and exhausts clean air from the casing.