Adapter assembly with planetary gear drive for interconnecting electromechanical surgical devices and surgical loading units, and surgical systems thereof
AssigneeCovidien LP
InventorDavid Nicholas
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to adapter assemblies for use with and to electrically and mechanically interconnect electromechanical surgical devices and surgical loading units, and to surgical systems including handheld electromechanical surgical devices and adapter assemblies for connecting surgical loading units to the handheld electromechanical surgical devices.
Claims19
An adapter assembly for selectively interconnecting a surgical loading unit that is configured to perform a function and a surgical device that is configured to actuate the surgical loading unit, the surgical loading unit including an axially translatable drive member, and the surgical device including a plurality of rotatable drive shafts, the adapter assembly comprising:
- a housing configured and adapted for connection with the surgical device;
- an outer tube extending distally from the housing to a distal end portion configured and adapted for connection with the surgical loading unit, the distal end portion of the outer tube including a switch having a tab extending distally from a distal end of the switch and an extension extending inwardly toward a center of the outer tube;
- and
- a firing assembly supported within the housing and the outer tube, the firing assembly including:
- a firing shaft including a proximal end configured for operative engagement with a rotatable drive shaft of the plurality of rotatable drive shafts of the surgical device;
- a bevel gear assembly including a proximal end in mechanical engagement with a distal end portion of the firing shaft;
- a ring gear disposed within the distal end portion of the outer tube;
- a sun gear disposed at a distal end of the bevel gear assembly within the ring gear;
- a plurality of planetary gears disposed around and meshingly engaged with teeth of the sun gear and teeth of the ring gear;
- a spider plate operably coupled to the plurality of planetary gears;
- a spider gear operably coupled to the spider plate and disposed proximal of the ring gear;
- and
- a distal gear disposed on a shaft extending distally from the spider plate, the distal gear being operatively engageable with the axially translatable drive member of the surgical loading unit,
- the switch being movable between a proximal position in which the tab is disengaged from the ring gear and the extension is engaged with the spider gear such that the spider plate is held stationary to allow the plurality of planetary gears to rotate the distal end portion of the outer tube, and a distal position in which the tab is engaged with the ring gear and the extension is disengaged from the spider gear such that the ring gear is held stationary to allow the plurality of planetary gears to effect a function of the surgical loading unit.
An adapter assembly for selectively interconnecting a surgical loading unit that is configured to perform a function and a surgical device that is configured to actuate the surgical loading unit, the surgical loading unit including an axially translatable drive member, and the surgical device including a plurality of rotatable drive shafts, the adapter assembly comprising:
- a housing configured and adapted for connection with the surgical device;
- an outer tube extending distally from the housing to a distal end portion configured and adapted for connection with the surgical loading unit, the distal end portion of the outer tube including an articulation joint;
- a firing assembly supported within the housing and the outer tube, the firing assembly including:
- a firing shaft including a proximal end configured for operative engagement with a rotatable drive shaft of the plurality of rotatable drive shafts of the surgical device;
- a bevel gear assembly including a proximal end in mechanical engagement with a distal end portion of the firing shaft;
- a ring gear disposed within the distal end portion of the outer tube;
- a sun gear disposed at a distal end of the bevel gear assembly within the ring gear;
- a plurality of planetary gears disposed around and meshingly engaged with teeth of the sun gear and teeth of the ring gear;
- a spider plate operably coupled to the plurality of planetary gears;
- and
- a distal gear disposed on a shaft extending distally from the spider plate, the distal gear being operatively engageable with the axially translatable drive member of the surgical loading unit;
- and
- an articulation assembly including:
- a worm gear assembly including a first worm drive and a second worm drive disposed within the housing;
- a rotation cable operably connected to and extending distally from the first worm drive of the worm gear assembly through the outer tube to the ring gear which is disposed distal to the articulation joint such that rotation of the first worm drive results in rotation of the distal end portion of the outer tube;
- and
- an articulation cable operably connected to and extending distally from the second worm drive of the worm gear assembly to retaining members disposed within the outer tube distal to the articulation joint such that rotation of the second worm drive results in articulation of the distal end portion of the outer tube about the articulation joint.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.