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US 2022/0031313 A1Published application
Surgical instruments with torsion spine drive arrangements
AssigneeCilag GmbH International
InventorsGregory J. Bakos, Darryl A. Parks, Spencer J. Witte
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Surgical instruments with articulatable surgical end effectors and rotary driven flexible drive members.
Claims20
A surgical instrument, comprising:
- an elongate shaft;
- a surgical end effector coupled to said elongate shaft by an articulation joint, wherein said articulation joint is configured to facilitate selective articulation of said surgical end effector relative to said elongate shaft, and wherein said surgical end effector comprises:
- a first jaw;
- a second jaw, wherein said second jaw is configured to move relative to said first jaw between an open position and a closed position;
- and
- a firing member supported for axial travel within said surgical end effector between a starting position and an ending position, and wherein said surgical instrument further comprises:
- an upper flexible spine assembly attached to a top portion of said firing member;
- a lower flexible spine assembly attached to a bottom portion of said firing member;
- and
- a rotary drive member, wherein said rotary drive member operably interfaces with said upper flexible spine assembly at an upper location, wherein said rotary drive member operably interfaces with said lower flexible spine assembly at a lower location, wherein said upper location and said lower location are distal to said articulation joint, and wherein said rotary drive member causes said upper flexible spine assembly and said lower flexible spine assembly to apply axial drive motions to said firing member to move said firing member between said starting position and said ending position.
7 more elements
A surgical instrument, comprising:
- an elongate shaft;
- a surgical end effector coupled to said elongate shaft by an articulation joint, wherein said articulation joint is configured to facilitate selective articulation of said surgical end effector relative to said elongate shaft, and wherein said surgical end effector comprises a firing member supported for axial travel within said surgical end effector between a starting position and an ending position;
- a rotary drive member rotatably supported distal to said articulation joint;
- an upper longitudinally-segmented nut assembly attached to a top portion of said firing member, wherein said upper longitudinally-segmented nut assembly is in threaded engagement with said rotary drive member at an upper location that is distal to said articulation joint such that rotation of said rotary drive member causes said upper longitudinally-segmented nut assembly to apply an upper axial drive motion to said firing member, and wherein said upper longitudinally-segmented nut assembly is flexible to accommodate said articulation of said surgical end effector;
- and
- a lower longitudinally-segmented nut assembly attached to a bottom portion of said firing member, wherein said lower longitudinally-segmented nut assembly is in threaded engagement with said rotary drive member at a lower location that is distal to said articulation joint such that rotation of said rotary drive member causes said lower longitudinally-segmented nut assembly to apply a lower axial drive motion to said firing member, and wherein said lower longitudinally-segmented nut assembly is flexible to accommodate said articulation of said surgical end effector.
3 more elements
A surgical instrument, comprising:
- an elongate shaft;
- a surgical end effector coupled to said elongate shaft by an articulation joint, wherein said articulation joint is configured to facilitate selective articulation of said surgical end effector relative to said elongate shaft, and wherein said surgical end effector comprises a firing member supported for axial travel within said surgical end effector between a starting position and an ending position;
- a rotary drive member rotatably supported distal to said articulation joint;
- and
- a flexible drive assembly supported by said elongate shaft, wherein said flexible drive assembly axially traverses said articulation joint and is configured to accommodate articulation of said surgical end effector about said articulation joint, and wherein said flexible drive assembly is in threaded engagement with said rotary drive member at a drive location that is distal to said articulation joint such that rotation of said rotary drive member causes said flexible drive assembly to apply an axial drive motion to said firing member.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.