Tip protector for a surgical instrument, assembly and method

A surgical instrument and tip protector assembly comprising:

• a tip protector;
• and
• a surgical instrument having a shaft extending along a longitudinal direction and an articulated instrument tip at a distal portion of the shaft, wherein the articulated instrument tip is articulated with respect to the shaft defining at least one degree of freedom;
• wherein said tip protector comprises:
• a tip housing for releasably receiving the articulated instrument tip
• a clamp system, suitable for gripping a portion of the shaft to position the tip protector;
• and
• a distal through opening at or near the distal end of the tip housing;
• wherein:
• said distal through opening has an adjustable opening size, so that said distal through opening can be adjusted in such way to become a through opening for at least the instrument tip, thereby making the tip protector repositionable at various location along the shaft;
• said tip protector is fitted on the shaft of the surgical instrument;
• and
• said tip housing comprises at least one tip abutment surface, suitable for abut against the articulated instrument tip from opposite sides thereof for exerting a constraining action on the articulated instrument tip at least in a direction, which is transversal to the longitudinal direction of the shaft, with the purpose to block at least one of the degrees of freedom of said articulated instrument tip, so that in a position where said articulated instrument tip is housed within the tip housing of the tip protector said at least one abutment surface abuts against the articulated instrument tip from opposite sides thereof, exerting a constraining action on the articulated instrument tip, said constraining action blocks at least one degree of freedom of the articulated instrument tip.