Abstract: A method for operating a first light source of a surgical instrument includes selectively supplying from the first light source, illumination light to the surgical instrument via a light guide, supplying, from a light source-side of the light guide and separate from the illumination light, a safety light via the light guide, determining, at a computing device, whether the safety light is received at the light source-side of the light guide from an instrument-side of the light guide, and, in response to the determining, controlling the first light source to selectively deactivate or reduce an intensity of the illumination light.

Abstract: Inferring state of an inductive powered load. At least one example embodiment is a method including: applying (502), by a controller (200) within a camera head (102), an identification signal to a primary winding (212) of a transformer (218) within the camera head (102) for an endoscopic system (100), the identification signal having a swept frequency; measuring (504), by the controller, power as a function of frequency (300, 302, 304) of the identification signal during application of the identification signal; and determining (506) by the controller whether the camera head (102) is mechanically coupled to an endoscope (104) based on the power as a function of frequency of the identification signal (300, 302, 304).