Surgical instruments with segmented flexible drive arrangements

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 drive conversion member supported distal to said articulation joint;
• and
• a flexible drive assembly supported by said elongate shaft and axially traversing said articulation joint, wherein said flexible drive assembly is configured to accommodate said articulation of said surgical end effector, and wherein said flexible drive assembly is in operable engagement with said drive conversion member such that when said drive conversion member is actuated, said drive conversion member converts a portion of said flexible drive assembly into an axially rigid drive member segment, wherein said drive conversion member axially drives said axially rigid drive member segment distally to apply axial drive motions to said firing member to move said firing member between said starting position and said ending position.

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 loosed-linked drive member operably supported by said elongate shaft and traversing said articulation joint, wherein said loose-linked drive member is configured to accommodate said articulation of said surgical end effector relative to said elongate shaft;
• and
• means for converting a portion of said loose-linked drive member that is distal to said articulation joint into a rigid drive member configured to apply axial drive motions to said firing member to drive said firing member between said starting position and said ending position.