JP2020006225A - Surgical instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a power source assembly for surgical instrument.SOLUTION: A power source assembly 2006 for surgical instrument comprises: a power source for supplying power to a motor; and a power source management controller 2016 for communicating with the power source. The power source management controller is configured to receive an input signal corresponding to the power request, and modulate power output of the power source to the motor to make the power output match the power request. The power source is a charging type battery 2007 and further comprises a drainage circuit for drainage of the battery. By activating the drainage circuit, drainage of the battery can be performed. A shaft assembly controller 2022 transmits a drainage circuit non-activation signal which is generated by modulating power transmission from the battery, to the power source management controller 2016, and the power source management controller reacts to the drainage circuit non-activation signal, then deactivates the drainage circuit, thereby preventing drainage of the battery by the drainage circuit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 36

Description

  The present invention relates to surgical instruments, and to surgical stapling and cutting instruments and staple cartridges thereof designed to stap and cut tissue in various situations.

The features and advantages of the present invention, and the manner of achieving them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be more fully understood by referring to the following description of embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Will.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a surgical instrument with an interchangeable shaft assembly operably connected. FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing the replaceable shaft assembly and the surgical instrument of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is another exploded view showing portions of the interchangeable shaft assembly and surgical instrument of FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a portion of the surgical instrument of FIGS. 1-3. FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view showing a portion of the surgical instrument of FIG. 4 with the firing trigger in a fully activated position. FIG. 6 is another cross-sectional view showing a portion of the surgical instrument of FIG. 5 with the firing trigger in an inoperative position. FIG. 4 is an exploded view showing one form of the replaceable shaft assembly. FIG. 8 is another exploded view showing a portion of the replaceable shaft assembly of FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is another exploded view showing a portion of the replaceable shaft assembly of FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a portion of the interchangeable shaft assembly of FIGS. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a portion of the shaft assembly of FIGS. 7-10 with the switch drum omitted for clarity. FIG. 13 is another perspective view showing a portion of the replaceable shaft assembly of FIG. 11 with the switch drum mounted. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a portion of the interchangeable shaft assembly of FIG. 11 operatively connected to a portion of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 shown with the closure trigger in an inoperative position. FIG. 14 is a right side view showing the replaceable shaft assembly and the surgical instrument of FIG. 13. FIG. 15 is a left side view showing the interchangeable shaft assembly and the surgical instrument of FIGS. 13 and 14. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a portion of the interchangeable shaft assembly of FIG. 11 operatively coupled to a portion of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 shown with the closure trigger in the activated position and the firing trigger in the deactivated position. It is. FIG. 17 is a right side view showing the replaceable shaft assembly and the surgical instrument of FIG. 16. FIG. 18 is a left side view showing the interchangeable shaft assembly and the surgical instrument of FIGS. 16 and 17. FIG. 12 is a right side view of the interchangeable shaft assembly of FIG. 11 operatively connected to a portion of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 with the closure trigger in the operative position and the firing trigger in the operative position. . FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of a replaceable shaft assembly showing an electrical coupler configuration. FIG. 20 is an exploded view showing a part of the replaceable shaft assembly and the electric coupler of FIG. 19. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a circuit trace assembly. FIG. 22 is a plan view showing a portion of the circuit trace assembly of FIG. 21. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a portion of another interchangeable shaft assembly showing another electrical coupler configuration. FIG. 24 is an exploded view showing parts of the replaceable shaft assembly and the electric coupler of FIG. 23. FIG. 25 is an exploded view showing the slip ring assembly of the electric coupler of FIGS. 23 and 24. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a portion of another interchangeable shaft assembly showing another electrical coupler configuration. FIG. 27 is an exploded view showing parts of the replaceable shaft assembly and the electric coupler of FIG. 26. FIG. 28 is a front perspective view showing a portion of a slip ring assembly of the electrical coupler of FIGS. 26 and 27. FIG. 29 is an exploded view showing a part of the slip ring assembly of FIG. 28. FIG. 30 is a rear perspective view showing a portion of the slip ring assembly of FIGS. 28 and 29. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a surgical instrument including a power supply assembly, a handle assembly, and a replaceable shaft assembly. FIG. 32 is a perspective view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 31 with the replaceable shaft assembly separated from the handle assembly. FIG. 32 is a circuit diagram of the surgical instrument of FIG. 31. FIG. 32 is a circuit diagram of the surgical instrument of FIG. 31. FIG. 32 is a block diagram of a replaceable shaft assembly for use with the surgical instrument of FIG. 31. FIG. 32 is a perspective view showing the power supply assembly of the surgical instrument of FIG. 31 separated from the handle assembly. FIG. 32 is a block diagram of the surgical instrument of FIG. 31 showing the interface between the handle assembly and the power supply assembly and between the handle assembly and the replaceable shaft assembly. FIG. 32 illustrates a power management module of the surgical instrument of FIG. 31. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a surgical instrument including a power supply assembly and a replaceable actuation assembly associated with the power supply assembly. FIG. 39 is a block diagram of the surgical instrument of FIG. 38 showing the interface between the replaceable actuation assembly and the power supply assembly. FIG. 39 is a block diagram of a module of the surgical instrument of FIG. 38. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a surgical instrument including a power supply assembly and a replaceable actuation assembly associated with the power supply assembly. FIG. 42 is a circuit diagram of an exemplary power supply assembly of the surgical instrument of FIG. 41. FIG. 42 is a circuit diagram of an exemplary power supply assembly of the surgical instrument of FIG. 41. FIG. 42 is a circuit diagram of an exemplary interchangeable actuation assembly of the surgical instrument of FIG. 41. FIG. 42 is a circuit diagram of an exemplary interchangeable actuation assembly of the surgical instrument of FIG. 41. FIG. 42 is a block diagram of an exemplary module of the surgical instrument of FIG. 41. FIG. 42 is a schematic diagram illustrating exemplary communication signals generated by an actuation assembly controller of the replaceable actuation assembly of the surgical instrument of FIG. 41, as detected by a voltage monitoring mechanism. FIG. 42 is a schematic diagram illustrating exemplary communication signals generated by an actuation assembly controller of the replaceable actuation assembly of the surgical instrument of FIG. 41 as detected by a current monitoring mechanism. FIG. 47B is a schematic diagram illustrating the effective motor displacement of the motor of the replaceable actuation assembly of FIG. 41 in response to a communication signal generated by the actuation assembly controller of FIG. 47A. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a surgical instrument including a handle assembly and a shaft assembly including an end effector. FIG. 49 is a perspective view showing a shaft assembly of the surgical instrument of FIG. 48. FIG. 49 is an exploded view showing the handle assembly of the surgical instrument of FIG. 48. FIG. 49 is a schematic diagram illustrating the escape feedback system of the surgical instrument of FIG. 48. FIG. 52 is a block diagram of a module used in the escape feedback system of FIG. 51. FIG. 52 is a block diagram of a module used in the escape feedback system of FIG. 51. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a power supply assembly including a utilization cycle circuit configured to generate a utilization cycle count of a battery back. It is a figure showing an example of a utilization cycle circuit provided with a resistance capacity timer. It is a figure which shows an example of the utilization cycle circuit provided with a timer and a rechargeable battery. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a combination sterilization and charging system configured to simultaneously sterilize and charge a power supply assembly. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a combined sterilization and charging system configured to sterilize and charge a power supply assembly in which a battery charger is integrally formed. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system for powering down an electrical connector of a surgical instrument handle when a shaft assembly is not connected. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of adjusting a speed of a firing element according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of adjusting a speed of a firing element according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view illustrating an end effector and a fastener cartridge according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view illustrating an end effector and a fastener cartridge according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. 1 is a front cross-sectional view illustrating an end effector and a fastener cartridge according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. 1 is a front cross-sectional view illustrating an end effector and a fastener cartridge according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view illustrating a partially removed end effector and fastener cartridge according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view illustrating a partially removed end effector and fastener cartridge according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an integrated circuit according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a magnetoresistive circuit according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. 5 is a table listing various specifications of a magnetoresistive sensor according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

The applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications filed on March 1, 2013, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:
-U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 782,295, entitled "ARTICULABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH CONDUCTIVE PATHWAYS FOR SIGNAL COMMUNICATION";
-U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 782,323, entitled "ROTARY POWERED ARTICULATION JOINTS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS";
-U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 782,338, entitled "THUMWHEEL SWITCH ARRANGEMENTS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS";
-U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 782,499, entitled "ELECTROMECHANICAL SURGICAL DEVICE WITH SIGNAL RELAY ARRANGEMENT";
-U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 782,460, entitled "MULTIPLE PROCESSOR MOTOR CONTROL FOR MODULAR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS";
-U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 782,358, entitled "JOYSTICK SWITCH ASSEMBLYES FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS";
-U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 782,481, entitled "SENSOR STRAIGHTened END EFFECTOR DURING REMOVAL THROUGH TROCAR";
-U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 782,518, entitled "CONTROL METALDS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH REMOVABLE IMPLEMENT PORTIONS";
-U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 782,375, entitled "ROTARY POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH MULTIPLE DEGREES OF FREEDOM"; and-U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 782,536, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT" Is incorporated herein in its entirety.

The applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications filed on March 14, 2013, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:
-U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 803,097, entitled "ARTICULABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A FIRING DRIVE";
-U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 803,193, entitled "CONTROL ARRANGEMENTS FOR A DRIVE MEMBER OF A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT";
-U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 803,053, entitled "INTERCHANGEABLE SHAFT ASSEMBLYES FOR US WITH A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT";
-U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 803,086, entitled "ARTICULABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING AN ARTICULATION LOCK";
-U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 803,210, entitled "SENSOR ARRANGEMENTS FOR ABSOLUTE POSITIONING SYSTEM FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS";
-U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 803,148, entitled "MULTI-FUNCTION MOTOR FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT";
-U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 803,066, entitled "DRIVE SYSTEM LOCKOUT ARRANGEMENTS FOR MODULAR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS";
-U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 803,117, entitled "ARTICULATION CONTROL SYSTEM FOR ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS";
-U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 803,130, entitled "DRIVE TRAIN CONTROL ARRANGEMENTS FOR MODULAR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS"; and-U.S. patent application Ser.

Applicants also own the following patent applications filed on even date herewith, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:
U.S. Patent Application No. _____________, Name "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A SENSOR SYSTEM", Attorney Docket No. END7386USNP / 130458;
U.S. Patent Application No. ____________, Name "STERIZATION VERIFICATION CIRCUIT", Attorney Docket No. END7388USNP / 130460;
U.S. Patent Application No. _____________, Name "VERIFICATION OF NUMBER OF BATTERY EXCHANGES / PROCEDURE COUNT", Attorney Docket Number END7389USNP / 130461;
U.S. Patent Application No. _____________, Name "POWER MANAGEMENT THROUGH SLEEP OPTIONS OF SEGMENTED CIRCUIT AND WAKE UP CONTROL", Attorney Docket No. END7390USNP / 130462;
U.S. Patent Application No. ____________, entitled "MODULAR POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH DETACHABLE SHAFT ASSEMBLIES", Attorney Docket No. END 7391 USNP / 130463;
U.S. Patent Application No. ____________, entitled "FEEDBACK ALGORITHMS FOR MANUAL BAILOUT SYSTEMS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS", Attorney Docket No. END7392USNP / 130464;
U.S. Patent Application No. _____________, Name "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT UTILIZING SENSOR ADAPTATION," Attorney Docket No. END 7393 USNP / 130465;
U.S. Patent Application No. ______________, under the name "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT CONTROL CIRCUIT HAVING A SAFETY PROCESSOR", Attorney Docket No. END7394USNP / 130466;
U.S. Patent Application No. _____________, Named "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING INTERACTIVE SYSTEMS," Attorney Docket No. END 7395 USNP / 130467;
U.S. Patent Application No. ____________, Named "INTERFACE SYSTEMS FOR USE WITH SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS", Attorney Docket No. END7396USNP / 130468;
U.S. Patent Application No. ____________, Name "MODULAR SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SYSTEM", Attorney Docket No. END7397USNP / 130469;
U.S. Patent Application No. ____________, entitled "SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONTROL A SEGMENTED CIRCUIT", Attorney Docket No. END7399USNP / 130471;
U.S. Patent Application No. ____________, under the name "POWER MANAGEMENT THROUGH SEGMENTED CIRCUIT AND VARIABLE VOLTAGE PROTECTION", Attorney Docket No. END7400USNP / 130472;
U.S. Patent Application No. _____________, Name "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT SYSTEM", Attorney Docket Number END7401USNP / 130473; and U.S. Patent Application No.

  Certain exemplary embodiments are described below for a comprehensive understanding of the principles of structure, function, manufacture, and use of the devices and methods disclosed herein. One or more examples of these embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will understand that the devices and methods specifically described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting exemplary embodiments. Features illustrated or described in connection with one exemplary embodiment may be combined with features of other embodiments. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

  Throughout this specification, reference to “a variety of embodiments,” “some embodiments,” “one embodiment,” or “an embodiment” refers to a particular feature described in the context of that embodiment. A feature, structure, or characteristic is meant to be included in at least one embodiment. Thus, throughout the specification, phrases such as “in various embodiments”, “in some embodiments”, “in one embodiment”, or “in one embodiment” may appear in various places, They do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Thus, a particular feature, structure, or characteristic illustrated or described in connection with one embodiment, in whole or in part, may include the features, structures, or characteristics of one or more other embodiments. They may be combined without limitation. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

  The terms "proximal" and "distal" are used herein with reference to a clinician operating the handle portion of a surgical instrument. The term "proximal" refers to the portion closest to the clinician, and the term "distal" refers to the portion remote from the clinician. For convenience and clarity, it will further be appreciated that spatial terms such as "vertical", "horizontal", "above", and "below" may be used herein with respect to the drawings. There will be. However, surgical instruments are used in many orientations and positions, and these terms are not intended to be limiting and / or absolute.

  Various exemplary devices and methods are provided for performing laparoscopic and minimally invasive surgical procedures. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the various methods and devices disclosed herein can be used in a number of surgical procedures and applications, including, for example, open surgical procedures. As the present Detailed Description is read, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate the variety of devices disclosed herein, such as through natural orifices, through incisions or punctures made in tissue. May be inserted into the body in any manner. The working or end effector portion of the instrument can be inserted directly into the patient's body or through an access device that has a working channel through which the end effector and elongate shaft of the surgical instrument can be advanced. Can be inserted.

  1-6 illustrate a motor-driven surgical cutting and fastening instrument 10 that may or may not be reused. In the illustrated embodiment, device 10 includes a housing 12 with a handle 14 configured to be gripped, manipulated, and actuated by a clinician. The housing 12 is adapted to operably attach to a replaceable shaft assembly 200 to which a surgical end effector 300 is operably coupled to perform one or more surgical tasks or procedures. It is configured. As this "Detailed Description of the Invention" is read, various unique and novel configurations of the various forms of interchangeable shaft assemblies disclosed herein are also associated with the robotically controlled surgical system. It will be appreciated that it may be used effectively. Accordingly, the term "housing" is also configured to generate and apply at least one control motion that can be used to operate the interchangeable shaft assemblies disclosed herein and their respective equivalents. May include a housing or similar part of a robotic system that houses or otherwise operatively supports at least one drive system. The term "frame" may refer to a portion of a hand-held surgical instrument. The term "frame" may also refer to a portion of a robotically controlled surgical instrument and / or a portion of a robotic system that may be used to operatively control the surgical instrument. For example, the interchangeable shaft assembly disclosed herein is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 118,241, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS WITH ROTABLE STAPLE DEPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS", now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0298719. And may be used with various robotic systems, instruments, components, and methods described. U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 118,241, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS WITH ROTABLE STAPLE DEPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS", and current U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0298719 are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

  The housing 12 shown in FIGS. 1-3 is shown connected to a replaceable shaft assembly 200, which is configured to operatively support a surgical staple cartridge 304 therein. An end effector 300 with a surgical cutting and fastening device. The housing 12 includes, for example, an end effector adapted to support various sizes and types of staple cartridges, and interfaces with an interchangeable shaft assembly having various shaft lengths, sizes, and types. It may be configured for use. In addition, the housing 12 may also be adapted to use other forms of motion and energy, such as radio frequency (RF) energy, ultrasonic energy and / or motion, in connection with various surgical applications and procedures. And may be effectively used with various other interchangeable shaft assemblies, including assemblies configured for application to end effector devices. Further, the end effector, shaft assembly, handle, surgical instrument, and / or surgical instrument system can utilize any suitable fastener to fasten tissue. For example, a fastener cartridge having a plurality of fasteners removably stored therein may be removably inserted and / or attached to an end effector of a shaft assembly.

  FIG. 1 shows a surgical instrument 10 with an interchangeable shaft assembly 200 operably connected. 2 and 3 show the attachment of the replaceable shaft assembly 200 to the housing 12 or handle 14. As seen in FIG. 4, handle 14 may include a pair of interconnectable handle housing segments 16 and 18, which may be interconnected by screws, snap mechanisms, adhesives, and the like. In the arrangement shown, the handle housing segments 16, 18 cooperate to form a pistol grip portion 19 that can be grasped and manipulated by a clinician. As will be discussed in further detail below, handle 14 is configured therein to generate and apply various control movements to corresponding portions of an interchangeable shaft assembly operably mounted on the handle. Operably support a plurality of drive systems.

  Referring now to FIG. 4, handle 14 may further include a frame 20 operably supporting a plurality of drive systems. For example, the frame 20 may be used to apply closing and opening movements to an interchangeable shaft assembly 200 that is operably mounted or coupled, the "first", generally designated 30, That is, the closed drive system can be operably supported. In at least one form, the closure drive system 30 may include an actuator in the form of a closure trigger 32 pivotally supported by the frame 20. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the closure trigger 32 is pivotally connected to the housing 14 by a pin 33. Such an arrangement allows the clinician to operate the closure trigger 32 so that when the clinician grips the pistol grip portion 19 of the handle 14, the closure trigger 32 is moved from the starting, or "inactive", position. It can be easily pivoted to the "actuated" position, and more particularly to the fully compressed or fully activated position. The closure trigger 32 may be deflected to a non-actuated position by a spring or other deflecting device (not shown). In various forms, the closure drive system 30 further includes a closure linkage assembly 34 that is pivotally connected to the closure trigger 32. As can be seen in FIG. 4, closure linkage assembly 34 may include a first closure link 36 and a second closure link 38 that are pivotally connected to closure trigger 32 by pins 35. The second closure link 38 may also be referred to herein as a “mounting member” and may include a transverse mounting pin 37.

  Still referring to FIG. 4, the first closure link 36 has a locking wall or end 39 that is configured to cooperate with a closure release assembly 60 that is pivotally connected to the frame 20. It can also be observed that good. In at least one form, closure release assembly 60 may include a release button assembly 62 having a distally projecting locking pawl 64 formed therein. Release button assembly 62 may be pivoted counterclockwise by a release spring (not shown). As the clinician depresses the closure trigger 32 from its inactive position toward the pistol grip portion 19 of the handle 14, the locking pawl 64 falls down and retains engagement with the locking wall 39 on the first closure link 36. To that point, the first closure link 36 pivots upward, thereby preventing the closure trigger 32 from returning to the inactive position. See FIG. 18 for this. Thus, the closure release assembly 60 serves to lock the closure trigger 32 in the fully activated position. If the clinician wants to unlock the closure trigger 32 and deflect it to the inactive position, the clinician may move the locking pawl 64 into contact with the locking wall 39 on the first closure link 36. The closure release button assembly 62 is simply pivoted to disengage. When the locking pawl 64 moves out of engagement with the first closing link 36, the closing trigger 32 can pivot back to the inactive position. Other closure trigger lock and release devices may also be used.

  In addition to the above, FIGS. 13-15 are in an inactive position associated with an open, or non-gripping, configuration of the shaft assembly 200 that allows tissue to be positioned between the jaws of the shaft assembly 200. The closure trigger 32 is shown. 16-18 show the closure trigger 32 in the closed configuration of the shaft assembly 200, i.e., the activated position associated with the gripping configuration, wherein tissue is gripped between the jaws of the shaft assembly 200. FIG. 14 and 17, when the closing trigger 32 is moved from the inoperative position (FIG. 14) to the operating position (FIG. 17), the closing release button 62 is moved between the first position (FIG. 14) and the second position. The reader will recognize pivoting to and from (FIG. 17). The rotation of the close release button 62 may be referred to as an upward rotation, but at least a portion of the close release button 62 is rotating toward the circuit board 100. Referring to FIG. 4, the closure release button 62 can include an arm 61 extending therefrom and a magnetic element 63, such as a permanent magnet, attached to the arm 61, for example. Rotating the release button 62 from its first position to its second position allows the magnetic element 63 to move toward the circuit board 100. Circuit board 100 may include at least one sensor configured to detect movement of magnetic element 63. In at least one embodiment, for example, a Hall effect sensor 65 can be mounted on the underside of the circuit board 100. The Hall effect sensor 65 can be configured to detect a change in a magnetic field surrounding the Hall effect sensor 65 caused by the movement of the magnetic element 63. The Hall effect sensor 65 can be in signal communication with a microcontroller 7004 (FIG. 59), for example, where the closure release button 62 is associated with the inactive position of the closure trigger 32 and the open configuration of the end effector. Whether in the first position, the actuated position of the closure trigger 32 and the second position associated with the closing configuration of the end effector, and / or any position between the first and second positions. You can judge.

  In at least one form, the handle 14 and the frame 20 are configured to apply a firing motion to a corresponding portion of an interchangeable shaft assembly mounted thereto, referred to herein as a firing drive system 80. May be operably supported. Launch drive system 80 may also be referred to herein as a "second drive system." The firing drive system 80 may use an electric motor 82 located on the pistol grip portion 19 of the handle 14. In various embodiments, the motor 82 may be a brushed DC drive motor having a maximum speed of, for example, about 25,000 RPM. In other configurations, the motor may include a brushless motor, a cordless motor, a synchronous motor, a stepper motor, or any other suitable electric motor. The motor 82 may be powered by a power supply 90, which in one form may include a removable power pack 92. As seen in FIG. 4, for example, power pack 92 may include a proximal housing portion 94 configured to attach to a distal housing portion 96. Proximal housing portion 94 and distal housing portion 96 are configured to operably support a plurality of batteries 98 therein. The batteries 98 may each include, for example, lithium ion ("LI") or other suitable batteries. Distal housing portion 96 is configured to be removably and operably attached to control circuit board assembly 100, which is also operably coupled to motor 82. A number of batteries 98 connected in series may be used as a power source for the surgical instrument 10. In addition, power supply 90 may be replaceable and / or rechargeable.

  As outlined above in connection with various other configurations, the electric motor 82 is mounted in mating engagement with a set of drive teeth 122 on a longitudinally movable drive member 120, i.e., a rack. , May include a rotating shaft (not shown) operatively interfaced with the gear reducer assembly 84. In use, the voltage polarity provided by the power supply 90 allows the electric motor 82 to operate clockwise, and in order to operate the electric motor 82 counterclockwise, the voltage polarity applied to the electric motor by the battery Can be reversed. When the electric motor 82 is rotated in one direction, the drive member 120 is driven axially in the distal direction "DD". When motor 82 is driven in the opposite rotational direction, drive member 120 is driven axially in the proximal direction "PD". Handle 14 can include a switch that can be configured to reverse the polarity applied to electric motor 82 by power supply 90. As with the other configurations described herein, handle 14 may also include a sensor configured to detect the position of drive member 120 and / or the direction in which drive member 120 is being moved. it can.

  Operation of the motor 82 can be controlled by a firing trigger 130 pivotally supported on the handle 14. The firing trigger 130 may pivot between an inactive position and an active position. The firing trigger 130 may be deflected to a non-actuated position by a spring 132 or other deflecting device such that upon release of the firing trigger 130 by the clinician, the spring 132 or deflecting device pivots to the non-actuated position. It may be moved or otherwise returned there. In at least one form, the firing trigger 130 can be positioned "outside" the closure trigger 32 as described above. In at least one form, the firing trigger safety button 134 may be pivotally mounted to the closure trigger 32 by a pin 35. Safety button 134 may have a pivot arm 136 positioned between and protruding from firing trigger 130 and closure trigger 32. See FIG. 4 for this. When the closure trigger 32 is in the inactive position, the safety button 134 is housed in the handle 14 and is not easily accessible to the clinician, causing the firing trigger 130 to fire and a safety position to prevent activation of the firing trigger 130. It cannot be moved to or from a launch position where it can. As the clinician depresses the closure trigger 32, the safety button 134 and the firing trigger 130 pivot downward, thereby allowing the clinician to operate.

  As described above, handle 14 may include closure trigger 32 and firing trigger 130. Referring to FIGS. 14-18A, the firing trigger 130 can be pivotally mounted to the closure trigger 32. The closure trigger 32 may include an arm 31 extending therefrom, and the firing trigger 130 may be pivotally mounted to the arm 31 about a pivot pin 33. Moving the closure trigger 32 from its inactive position (FIG. 14) to its active position (FIG. 17) allows the firing trigger 130 to descend downward as outlined above. After the safety button 134 has moved to its firing position, referring primarily to FIG. 18A, the firing trigger 130 can be depressed to operate the motor of the surgical instrument firing system. In various examples, handle 14 can include a tracking system, such as system 800, configured to determine the position of closure trigger 32 and / or the position of firing trigger 130, for example. Referring primarily to FIGS. 14, 17, and 18A, the tracking system 800 can include a magnetic element mounted on an arm 801 that extends from the firing trigger 130, such as a permanent magnet 802, for example. The tracking system 800 comprises one or more sensors that can be configured to track the position of the magnet 802, such as, for example, a first Hall effect sensor 803 and a second Hall effect sensor 804. Can be. 14 and 17, when the closing trigger 32 is moved from the inactive position to the active position, the magnet 802 moves the first position adjacent to the first Hall effect sensor 803 and the second Hall effect sensor 804. Will be able to move to and from a second position adjacent to. 17 and 18A, it can be seen that moving the firing trigger 130 from the unfired position (FIG. 17) to the fired position (FIG. 18A) allows the magnet 802 to move relative to the second Hall effect sensor 804. Will further recognize. Sensors 803 and 804 can track the movement of magnet 802 and can be in signal communication with a microcontroller on circuit board 100. Using data from the first sensor 803 and / or the second sensor 804, the microcontroller can determine the position of the magnet 802 along a defined path, and based on that position, the microcontroller , The closure trigger 32 can be determined in its inactive position, its active position, or a position in between. Similarly, using the first sensor 803 and / or the second sensor 804, the microcontroller can determine the position of the magnet 802 along a defined path, and based on that position, the microcontroller , The firing trigger 130 can be determined at its unfired position, the fully fired position, or a position in between.

  As described above, in at least one form, the longitudinally movable drive member 120 includes a rack of teeth 122 formed thereon for meshing engagement with a corresponding drive gear 86 of the gear reducer assembly 84. Have. The at least one configuration is also configured to allow the clinician to manually retract the longitudinally movable drive member 120 in the event that the motor 82 becomes unavailable. "Escape" assembly 140. Escape assembly 140 may include a lever or escape handle assembly 142 that is manually pivoted to also be in ratchet engagement with teeth 124 provided within drive member 120. Accordingly, the clinician can manually retract the drive member 120 by ratcheting the drive member 120 in the proximal direction "PD" using the escape handle assembly 142. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0089970 discloses escape devices, as well as other components, devices, and systems that may be used with the various instruments disclosed herein. U.S. Patent Application No. 12 / 249,117, entitled POWERED SURGICAL CUTTING AND STAPLING APPARATUS WITH MANUALLY RETRACTABLE FIRING SYSTEM, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

  Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 7, the interchangeable shaft assembly 200 includes a surgical end effector 300 that includes an elongated channel 302 configured to operably support a staple cartridge 304 therein. End effector 300 may further include an anvil 306 that is pivotally supported with respect to staple cartridge 302. The replaceable shaft assembly 200 further includes an articulation joint 270 and an articulation lock 350 (FIG. 8) that can be configured to releasably hold the end effector 300 at a desired position relative to the shaft axis SA-SA. May be. Details regarding the structure and operation of the end effector 300, articulation joint 270, and articulation lock 350 can be found in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 803,086, filed March 14, 2013, entitled "ARTICULABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING AN ARTICULATION LOCK". Described. The entire disclosure of US Patent Application No. 13 / 803,086, filed March 14, 2013, entitled "ARTICULABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING AN ARTICULATION LOCK" is hereby incorporated by reference. As can be seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, the replaceable shaft assembly 200 can further include a proximal housing or nozzle 201 comprised of nozzle portions 202 and 203. The replaceable shaft assembly 200 can further include a closure tube 260 that can be utilized to close and / or open the anvil 306 of the end effector 300. Referring now primarily to FIGS. 8 and 9, the shaft assembly 200 can include a spine 210 that can be configured to fixedly support the shaft frame portion 212 of the articulation lock 350. See FIG. 8 for this. Spine 210 may be configured to (1) slidably support firing member 220 and (2) slidably support closure tube 260 extending around spine 210. Spine 210 may also be configured to slidably support proximal joint driver 230. The joint driver 230 has a distal end 231 that is configured to operatively engage the joint lock 350. The articulation lock 350 interfaces with an articulation frame 352 that is adapted to operably engage a drive pin (not shown) on an end effector frame (not shown). As discussed above, further details regarding the operation of the articulation lock 350 and articulation frame can be found in US patent application Ser. No. 13 / 803,086. In various situations, the spine 210 can include a proximal end 211 that is rotatably supported within the chassis 240. In one arrangement, for example, the proximal end 211 of the spine 210 has a thread 214 that is threadedly formed into a spine bearing 216 configured to be supported within the chassis 240. See FIG. 7 for this. Such an arrangement facilitates the rotatable attachment of the spine 210 to the chassis 240, so that the spine 210 can be selectively rotated relative to the chassis 240 about the shaft axis SA-SA.

  Referring primarily to FIG. 7, the replaceable shaft assembly 200 includes a closure shuttle 250 slidably supported within the chassis 240 so that it may be moved axially relative to the chassis 240. As can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 7, the closure shuttle 250 is configured to attach to a pair of attachment pins 37 that are attached to the second closure link 38, as discussed in more detail below. Includes a hook 252 projecting proximally. The proximal end 261 of the closure tube 260 is connected to the closure shuttle 250 for relative rotation. For example, a U-shaped connector 263 is inserted into an annular slot 262 at the proximal end 261 of the closure tube 260 and is retained within a vertical slot 253 of the closure shuttle 250. See FIG. 7 for this. Such an arrangement attaches the closure tube 260 to the closure shuttle 250 for axial movement with the closure shuttle 250 while allowing the closure tube 260 to rotate relative to the closure shuttle 250 about the shaft axis SA-SA. Work on. Closure spring 268 is journaled on closure tube 260 and serves to deflect closure tube 260 in a proximal direction “PD”, which is when the shaft assembly is operatively coupled to handle 14. , Can act to pivot the closure trigger to the inoperative position.

  In at least one form, the replaceable shaft assembly 200 may further include an articulation joint 270. However, other interchangeable shaft assemblies need not be articulatable. As seen in FIG. 7, for example, the joint 270 includes a biaxial closure sleeve assembly 271. According to various aspects, the biaxial closure sleeve assembly 271 includes an end effector closure sleeve assembly 272 having upper and lower distally projecting tongues 273,274. The end effector closure sleeve assembly 272 may be mounted on the anvil 306 in a variety of ways as described in U.S. patent application Ser. Including a horseshoe-shaped aperture 275 and a tab 276 that engage the open tabs. As described in further detail in that application, the horseshoe aperture 275 and tab 276 engage the tab on the anvil when the anvil 306 is open. The upper biaxial link 277 engages the upper distal pinhole of the upper proximal protruding tongue 273 on the closure tube 260 with the upper proximal pinhole of the upper distal protruding tongue 264, respectively. Includes upwardly projecting distal and proximal pivot pins. The lower biaxial link 278 is adapted to engage a lower distal pinhole of the lower proximal protruding tongue 274 and a lower proximal pinhole of the lower distal protruding tongue 265, respectively, to downwardly project distally. Includes lateral and proximal pivot pins. In this regard, see also FIG.

  In use, the anvil 306 is closed by translating the closure tube 260 in a distal direction (direction “DD”), for example, in response to actuation of the closure trigger 32. The anvil 306 is closed by translating the closure tube 260 in a distal direction, so that the shaft closure sleeve assembly 272 is provided in the manner described in the above referenced US patent application Ser. No. 13 / 803,086. Collides with the proximal surface on the anvil 360. As also described in detail in that reference, the anvil 306 has been opened by translating the closure tube 260 and the shaft closure sleeve assembly 272 proximally to allow the tab 276 and the horseshoe-shaped aperture 275 to communicate with the anvil tab. The anvil 306 is lifted by touching and pushing it. In the anvil open position, shaft closure sleeve assembly 260 is moved to its proximal position.

  As mentioned above, the surgical instrument 10 is described in further detail in U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 803,086, which can be configured and operated to selectively lock the end effector 300 in place. It may further include an articulation lock 350 of any type and configuration. Such an arrangement allows the end effector 300 to rotate, ie, articulate, with respect to the shaft closure tube 260 when the articulation lock 350 is in its unlocked state. In such an unlocked state, positioning and pressing the end effector 300 against, for example, soft tissue and / or bone surrounding a surgical site within the patient to articulate the end effector 300 against the closure tube 260. Can be. End effector 300 may also be articulated to closure tube 260 by articulation driver 230.

  As also described above, the replaceable shaft assembly 200 further includes a firing member 220 that is supported for axial movement within the shaft spine 210. The firing member 220 includes an intermediate firing shaft portion 222 that is configured to attach to a distal cutting portion or knife bar 280. The firing member 220 may also be referred to herein as a “second shaft” and / or “second shaft assembly”. As can be seen in FIGS. 8 and 9, the intermediate firing shaft portion 222 has a longitudinal slot 223 at its distal end that can be configured to receive a tab 284 at the proximal end 282 of the distal knife bar 280. May be included. The longitudinal slot 223 and the proximal end 282 can be sized and configured to allow relative movement therebetween, and can include a slip joint 286. The slip joint 286 can move the intermediate firing shaft portion 222 of the firing drive 220 to move the end effector 300 without moving, or at least substantially moving, the knife bar 280. When the end effector 300 is properly oriented, the intermediate firing shaft portion 222 advances the knife bar 280 and fires the proximal side wall of the longitudinal slot 223 with a tab to fire the staple cartridge positioned in the channel 302. It can be advanced distally until it contacts 284. As further seen in FIGS. 8 and 9, the shaft spine 210 has an elongated opening or window 213 that facilitates the combined insertion of the intermediate firing shaft portion 222 into the shaft frame 210. When the intermediate firing shaft portion 222 is inserted, the top frame segment 215 can be engaged with the shaft frame 212 to encapsulate the intermediate firing shaft portion 222 and the knife bar 280 therein. Further description of the operation of firing member 220 can be found in US patent application Ser. No. 13 / 803,086.

  In addition to the above, the shaft assembly 200 can include a clutch assembly 400 that can be configured to selectively and releasably couple the joint driver 230 to the firing member 220. In one form, the clutch assembly 400 includes a locking collar or sleeve 402 positioned about the firing member 220, wherein the locking sleeve 402 has an engagement position where the locking sleeve 402 connects the articulated driver 360 to the firing member 220. And the joint driver 360 can be rotated between a disengaged position where the firing member 200 is not operatively connected to the firing member 200. When the locking sleeve 402 is in the engaged position, the firing member 220 can be moved distally to move the articulation driver 360 distally and correspondingly, the firing member 220 can be moved proximally. By moving to the side, the joint driver 230 can be moved to the proximal side. When the lock sleeve 402 is in the disengaged position, the movement of the firing member 220 is not transmitted to the joint driver 230, so that the firing member 220 can move independently of the joint driver 230. In various situations, the joint driver 230 can be held in place by the joint lock 350 when the joint driver 230 has not been moved proximally or distally by the firing member 220.

  Referring primarily to FIG. 9, the locking sleeve 402 can include a cylindrical or at least substantially cylindrical body defining a longitudinal aperture 403 configured to receive the firing member 220. . The lock sleeve 402 can include a diagonally opposed, inwardly facing lock projection 404 and an outwardly facing lock member 406. Lock projection 404 can be configured to be selectively engaged with firing member 220. More specifically, when the locking sleeve 402 is in the engaged position, the locking protrusion 404 can be positioned within the drive notch 224 defined in the firing member 220, thereby providing distal pushing and / or force. Alternatively, proximal pulling force can be transmitted from firing member 220 to locking sleeve 402. When the locking sleeve 402 is in the engaged position, the second locking member 406 is received within the drive notch 230 defined in the articulated driver 232 and applies a distal pushing force and / or applied to the locking sleeve 402. Alternatively, the proximal pulling force can be transmitted to the joint driver 230. In effect, the firing member 220, the lock sleeve 402, and the joint driver 230 move together when the lock sleeve 402 is in the engaged position. On the other hand, when the lock sleeve 402 is in the disengaged position, the lock protrusion 404 is not positioned within the drive notch 224 of the firing member 220, resulting in a distal push and / or a proximal push. No pulling force is transmitted from firing member 220 to lock sleeve 402. Accordingly, no distal push and / or proximal pull is transmitted to the joint driver 230. In such a situation, the firing member 220 can be slid proximally and / or distally with respect to the locking sleeve 402 and the joint driver 230.

  As seen in FIGS. 8-12, the shaft assembly 200 further includes a switch drum 500 rotatably received on the closure tube 260. The switch drum 500 includes a hollow shaft segment 502 having a shaft boss 504 formed thereon for receiving an outwardly projecting actuation pin 410. In various situations, the actuation pin 410 extends through the slot 267 and into a longitudinal slot 408 provided in the lock sleeve 402 so that the axis when the lock sleeve 402 is engaged with the joint driver 230. Facilitates movement in directions. The rotary torsion spring 420 is configured to engage the boss 504 on the switch drum 500 and a part of the nozzle housing 203 to apply a biasing force to the switch drum 500 as shown in FIG. The switch drum 500 may further define at least partially a circumferential opening 506 that, with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, a circle extending from the nozzle halves 202, 203. It can be configured to receive the circumferential mounts 204, 205 and allow relative rotation between the switch drum 500 and the proximal nozzle 201 but not translation. As can be seen from those figures, mounts 204 and 205 also extend through openings 266 in closure tube 260 housed in recesses 211 of shaft spine 210. However, when the nozzle 201 rotates to the point where the mounts 204, 205 reach the ends of the respective slots 506 in the switch drum 500, the switch drum 500 rotates about the shaft axis SA-SA. The rotation of the switch drum 500 eventually causes the actuation pin 410 and the lock sleeve 402 to rotate between their engaged and disengaged positions. Thus, in essence, the nozzle 201 operably engages and disengages the articulation drive system with the firing drive system in various manners as described in further detail in U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 803,086. It may be used to

  As also shown in FIGS. 8-12, the shaft assembly 200 is configured to conduct power to and / or communicate signals to and from the end effector 300, for example. A slip ring assembly 600 can be provided. The slip ring assembly 600 includes a proximal connector flange 604 mounted on a chassis flange 242 extending from the chassis 240 and a distal connector flange 601 positioned within slots defined in the shaft housings 202, 203. Can be provided. The proximal connector flange 604 can include a first surface, and the distal connector flange 601 has a second surface that is positioned adjacent to and movable relative to the first surface. Can be prepared. Distal connector flange 601 can rotate relative to proximal connector flange 604 about shaft axis SA-SA. Proximal connector flange 604 can include a plurality of concentric or at least substantially concentric conductors 602 defined on a first surface thereof. Connector 607 may be mounted on the proximal surface of connector flange 601 and may have a plurality of contacts (not shown), each contact corresponding to one of conductors 602 and in electrical contact therewith. . Such an arrangement allows for relative rotation of the proximal connector flange 604 and the distal connector flange 601 while maintaining electrical contact therebetween. The proximal connector flange 604 can include, for example, an electrical connector 606 that can place a conductor 602 in signal communication with a shaft circuit board 610 mounted to the shaft chassis 240. In at least one example, a wiring harness including a plurality of conductors can extend between the electrical connector 606 and the shaft circuit board 610. Electrical connector 606 may extend proximally through connector opening 243 defined in chassis mounting flange 242. See FIG. 7 for this. US patent application Ser. No. 13 / 800,067, entitled "STAPLE CARTRIDGE TISSUE THICKNESS SENSOR SYSTEM", filed Mar. 13, 2013, is incorporated by reference in its entirety. U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 800,025, entitled "STAPLE CARTRIDGE TISSUE THICKNESS SENSOR SYSTEM", filed March 13, 2013, is incorporated by reference in its entirety. Further details regarding slip ring assembly 600 can be found in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 803,086.

  As described above, the shaft assembly 200 can include a proximal portion that is fixedly attached to the handle 14 and a distal portion that is rotatable about a longitudinal axis. The rotatable distal shaft portion can be rotated relative to the proximal portion about slip ring assembly 600, as described above. The distal connector flange 601 of the slip ring assembly 600 can be positioned within the rotatable distal shaft portion. Further, in addition to the above, the switch drum 500 can also be positioned within the rotatable distal shaft portion. Rotating the rotatable distal shaft portion allows the distal connector flange 601 and the switch drum 500 to rotate simultaneously with each other. In addition, the switch drum 500 can be rotated between a first position and a second position with respect to the distal connector flange 601. When the switch drum 500 is in its first position, the articulation drive system may be operatively disengaged from the firing drive system, such that operation of the firing drive system causes the end effector 300 of the shaft assembly 200 to articulate. You don't have to. When the switch drum 500 is in its second position, the articulation system may be operably engaged with the firing drive system, such that operation of the firing drive system causes the end effector 300 of the shaft assembly 200 to articulate. You may. When the switch drum 500 is moved between its first position and the second position, the switch drum 500 moves with respect to the distal connector flange 601. In various examples, the shaft assembly 200 can include at least one sensor configured to detect a position of the switch drum 500. 11 and 12, the distal connector flange 601 can include a Hall effect sensor 605, for example, and the switch drum 500 can include a magnetic element, such as a permanent magnet 505, for example. The Hall effect sensor 605 can be configured to detect the position of the permanent magnet 505. When the switch drum 500 is rotated between its first and second positions, the permanent magnet 505 can move relative to the Hall effect sensor 605. In various examples, the Hall effect sensor 605 can detect a change in a magnetic field that occurs when the permanent magnet 505 is moved. The Hall effect sensor 605 can be in signal communication with, for example, the shaft circuit board 610 and / or the handle circuit board 100. Based on the signal from the Hall effect sensor 605, the microcontroller on the shaft circuit board 610 and / or the handle circuit board 100 may have the articulation system engaged or disengaged from the firing drive system. Can be determined.

  Referring again to FIGS. 3 and 7, the chassis 240 includes at least one, and preferably two, tapered mounting portions 244 formed thereon, the tapered mounting portion 244 being a distal mounting flange portion of the frame 20. It is adapted to be received in a corresponding dovetail slot 702 formed in 700. Each dovetail slot 702 may be tapered or, in other words, somewhat V-shaped to receive the mounting portion 244 therein. A shaft mounting lug 226 is formed at the proximal end of the intermediate firing shaft 222, as further seen in FIGS. As will be discussed in further detail below, when the replaceable shaft assembly 200 is connected to the handle 14, the shaft mounting lugs 226 are mounted on the firing shaft mounting cradle 126 formed at the distal end 125 of the longitudinal drive member 120. Accepted. See FIG. 3 and FIG. 6 for this.

  Various shaft assembly embodiments use a latch system 710 to removably couple the shaft assembly 200 to the housing 12, and more specifically to the frame 20. As seen in FIG. 7, for example, in at least one form, latch system 710 includes a locking member or lock yoke 712 movably coupled to chassis 240. In the illustrated embodiment, for example, the lock yoke 712 has a U-shape with two spaced downwardly extending legs 714. The legs 714 each have a pivot lug 716 formed thereon and are adapted to be received in corresponding holes 245 formed in the chassis 240. Such an arrangement facilitates pivotally attaching lock yoke 712 to chassis 240. Lock yoke 712 includes two proximally projecting lock lugs 714 configured to releasably engage corresponding lock detents or grooves 704 on distal mounting flange 700 of frame 20. May be included. See FIG. 3 for this. In various configurations, the lock yoke 712 is biased proximally by a spring or biasing member (not shown). Actuation of the lock yoke 712 may be performed by a latch button 722 slidably mounted on a latch actuator assembly 720 mounted on the chassis 240. Latch button 722 may be biased proximally with respect to lock yoke 712. As discussed in further detail below, the lock yoke 712 may be moved to the unlocked position by deflecting the latch button in a distal direction, thereby also pivoting the lock yoke 712 to the frame The retaining engagement of the 20 with the distal mounting flange 700 is released. When the locking yoke 712 is in a “retaining engagement” with the distal mounting flange 700 of the frame 20, the locking lugs 716 are retained in corresponding locking detents or grooves 704 on the distal mounting flange 700. .

  With an interchangeable shaft assembly, including end effectors of the type described herein, as well as other types of end effectors, adapted to cut and fasten tissue, during operation of the end effector, It may be desirable to prevent the inadvertent detachment of the replaceable shaft assembly from the housing. For example, in use, the clinician may actuate the closure trigger 32 to grasp and manipulate the target tissue to a desired location. Once the target tissue is positioned in the desired orientation within the end effector 300, the clinician can then fully actuate the closure trigger 32 to close the anvil 306 and cut the target tissue in position for cutting and stapling. You may hold it. In that case, the first drive system 30 is fully operational. It may be desirable to prevent the shaft assembly 200 from being unintentionally detached from the housing 12 after the target tissue has been grasped by the end effector 300. One form of latch system 710 is configured to prevent such unintended separation.

  7, the locking yoke 712 includes at least one, and preferably two, locking hooks 718 adapted to contact corresponding locking lug portions 256 formed on the closure shuttle 250. Including. Referring to FIGS. 13-15, when the closure shuttle 250 is in the inactive position (i.e., the first drive system 30 is inactive and the anvil 306 is open), the lock yoke 712 is moved in the distal direction. May be pivoted to unlock the replaceable shaft assembly 200 from the housing 12. When in that position, lock hook 718 is not in contact with lock lug portion 256 on closure shuttle 250. However, when closing shuttle 250 is moved to the operative position (ie, first drive system 30 is activated and anvil 306 is in the closed position), locking yoke 712 pivots to the unlocked position. Is prevented. In this regard, please refer to FIGS. In other words, if the clinician attempts to pivot lock yoke 712 to the unlocked position, or unintentionally, for example, lock yoke 712 may be otherwise pivoted distally. If so, the lock hook 718 on the lock yoke 712 contacts the lock lug 256 on the closure shuttle 250 and prevents the lock yoke 712 from moving to the unlocked position.

  Attachment of the replaceable shaft assembly 200 to the handle 14 will now be described with reference to FIG. To begin the coupling process, the clinician may move the chassis 240 of the replaceable shaft assembly 200 into the frame 20 such that the tapered mounting portion 244 formed on the chassis 240 is aligned with the dovetail slot 702 in the frame 20. It may be positioned above or adjacent to distal mounting flange 700. The clinician then moves the shaft assembly 200 along the installation axis IA perpendicular to the shaft axis SA-SA, with the mounting portion 244 "operably engaged" with the corresponding dovetail receiving slot 702. May be stored. In doing so, the shaft mounting lug 226 on the intermediate firing shaft 222 is also housed in the cradle 126 of the longitudinally movable drive member 120 and the portion of the pin 37 on the second closing link 38 corresponds to the closing yoke 250 In the hook 252. As used herein, the term "operable engagement" in reference to two components refers to the two components being sufficiently engaged with each other to apply an actuating movement to the components. Means that those components can perform the desired operations, functions, and / or procedures.

  As described above, at least five systems of the interchangeable shaft assembly 200 can be operatively coupled with at least five corresponding systems of the handle 14. The first system can include a frame system that connects and / or aligns a frame or spine of the shaft assembly 200 with the frame 20 of the handle 14. Another system can include a closure drive system 30 that can operably connect the closure trigger 32 of the handle 14, the closure tube 260, and the anvil 306 of the shaft assembly 200. As outlined above, the closure tube mounting yoke 250 of the shaft assembly 200 can engage the pin 37 on the second closure link 38. Another system can include a firing drive system 80 that can operatively connect the firing trigger 130 of the handle 14 with the intermediate firing shaft 222 of the shaft assembly 200. As outlined above, the shaft mounting lug 226 can be operatively connected to the cradle 126 of the longitudinal drive member 120. Another system can signal to a controller in the handle 14, such as a microcontroller, for example, that a shaft assembly, such as the shaft assembly 200, is operatively engaged with the handle 14, and / or (2) An electrical system that can conduct power and / or communication signals between the shaft assembly 200 and the handle 14 can be included. For example, the shaft assembly 200 can include an electrical connector 4010 operably mounted on the shaft circuit board 610. The electrical connector 4010 is configured to mate with a corresponding electrical connector 4000 on the handle control board 100. Further details regarding circuitry and control systems can be found in US Patent Application No. 13 / 803,086, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The fifth system may be configured with a latch system that releasably locks shaft assembly 200 to handle 14.

  Referring again to FIGS. 2 and 3, handle 14 may include an electrical connector 4000 having a plurality of electrical contacts. Referring now to FIG. 59, the electrical connector 4000 includes, for example, a first contact 4001a, a second contact 4001b, a third contact 4001c, a fourth contact 4001d, a fifth contact 4001e, And a sixth contact 4001f. Although the illustrated embodiment utilizes six contacts, other embodiments are contemplated that may utilize more or less than six contacts. As shown in FIG. 59, first contact 4001a can be in electrical communication with transistor 4008, contacts 4001b-4001e can be in electrical communication with microcontroller 7004, and sixth contact 4001f can be in electrical communication with ground. be able to. In certain situations, when handle 1042 is in a powered state, one or more of electrical contacts 4001b-4001e may be in electrical communication with one or more output channels of microcontroller 7004; It can also be energized or have a potential applied thereto. In some situations, one or more of electrical contacts 4001b-4001e may be in electrical communication with one or more input channels of microcontroller 7004, and handle 14 is powered. At that time, the microcontroller 7004 can be configured to detect when a potential is applied to such an electrical contact. For example, when a shaft assembly, such as shaft assembly 200, is assembled to handle 14, electrical contacts 4001a-4001f may not communicate with one another. However, if the shaft assembly is not assembled to handle 14, electrical contacts 4001a-4001f of electrical connector 4000 may be exposed, and in some situations, one or more of contacts 4001a-4001f may be exposed. May be accidentally placed in electrical communication with each other. Such a situation may occur, for example, when one or more of the contacts 4001a-4001f contacts a conductive material. When this occurs, for example, microcontroller 7004 may receive an erroneous input and / or shaft assembly 200 may receive an erroneous output. To address this problem, in various situations, the handle 14 may not be powered when a shaft assembly, such as the shaft assembly 200, is not attached to the handle 14. In other situations, the handle 1042 can be powered when a shaft assembly, such as the shaft assembly 200, is attached to the handle 1042. In such a situation, the microcontroller 7004 is disregarded until the shaft assembly is attached to the handle 14 so as to ignore the input or potential applied to the microcontroller 7004, i.e., for example, the contacts in electrical communication with the contacts 4001b-4001e. Can be configured. The microcontroller 7004 may be powered to operate other functions of the handle 14 in such situations, but the handle 14 may be powered down. In a sense, the electrical connector 4000 may be in a power down state because the potential applied to the electrical contacts 4001b-4001e may not affect the operation of the handle 14. The reader will recognize that although contacts 4001b-4001e may be in a powered down state, electrical contacts 4001a and 4001f that are not in electrical communication with microcontroller 7004 may or may not be in a powered down state. Would. For example, sixth contact 4001f may remain in electrical communication with ground regardless of whether handle 14 is powered up or powered down. Further, transistor 4008 and / or any other suitable transistor device, such as transistor 4010, and / or a switch may be provided regardless of whether handle 14 is powered up or powered down, for example, handle The power supply 4004 such as the battery 90 in the power supply 14 may be configured to control supply of power to the first electrical contact 4001a. In various situations, the shaft assembly 200 can be configured to change the state of the transistor 4008, for example, when the shaft assembly 200 is engaged with the handle 14. In certain situations, the Hall effect sensor 4002 can be configured to switch the state of the transistor 4010, in addition to the following, which causes the transistor 4010 to switch the state of the transistor 4008 and ultimately switch from the power supply 4004 to the first Power can be supplied to the contact 4001a. In this way, both the power and signal circuits up to connector 4000 can be powered down when the shaft assembly is not installed on handle 14 and powered up when the shaft assembly is installed on handle 14.

  In various situations, referring again to FIG. 59, the handle 14 can detect a shaft element such as a magnetic element 4007 (FIG. 3) on a shaft assembly such as the shaft assembly 200 when the shaft assembly is coupled to the handle 14. It can include, for example, a Hall effect sensor 4002, which can be configured to detect various elements. The Hall effect sensor 4002 may, in effect, amplify the detection signal of the Hall effect sensor 4002 and communicate with the input channel of the microcontroller 7004 via the circuit shown in FIG. Power can be supplied. When the microcontroller 7004 receives an input indicating that the shaft assembly is at least partially coupled to the handle 14 and consequently the electrical contacts 4001a-4001f are no longer exposed, the microcontroller 7004 A normal, ie powered up, operating state can be entered. In such an operating state, the microcontroller 7004, during its normal use, evaluates signals transmitted from the shaft assembly to one or more of the contacts 4001b-4001e and / or one of the contacts 4001b-4001e. Or transmitting a signal to the shaft assembly through more than one. In various situations, the shaft assembly 1200 may need to be completely contained before the Hall effect sensor 4002 can detect the magnetic element 4007. The Hall effect sensor 4002 can be used to detect the presence of the shaft assembly 200, for example, any of the sensors and / or switches to detect whether the shaft assembly is mounted on the handle 14. Can be used. Thus, in addition to the above, both the power and signal circuits up to the connector 4000 are powered down when the shaft assembly is not installed on the handle 14 and powered up when the shaft assembly is installed on the handle 14. can do.

  In various embodiments, for example, any number of magnetic sensing elements may be used to detect whether a shaft assembly is assembled to handle 14. For example, techniques used for magnetic field sensing include probe coils, fluxgates, optical pumping, nuclear precession, SQUID, Hall effect, anisotropic magnetoresistance, giant magnetoresistance, magnetic tunnel junctions, among others. , Giant magnetoimpedance, magnetostrictive / piezoelectric composites, magnetic diodes, magnetic transistors, optical fibers, magneto-optics, and magnetic sensors based on microelectromechanical systems.

  Referring to FIG. 59, microcontroller 7004 may generally include a microprocessor ("processor") and one or more memory units operatively coupled to the processor. By executing the instruction codes stored in the memory, the processor may control various components of the surgical instrument, for example, a motor, various drive systems, and / or a user display. Microcontroller 7004 may be implemented using integrated and / or discrete hardware components, software components, and / or a combination of both. Examples of integrated hardware elements include processors, microprocessors, microcontrollers, integrated circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) ), Logic gates, registers, semiconductor devices, chips, microchips, chipset, microcontrollers, system-on-chip (SoC), and / or system-in-package (SIP). Examples of discrete hardware elements can include circuits and / or circuit elements, such as logic gates, field effect transistors, bipolar transistors, resistors, capacitors, inductors, and / or relays. In certain examples, microcontroller 7004 may include a hybrid circuit, for example, comprising discrete and integrated circuit elements or components on one or more substrates.

  Referring to FIG. 59, the microcontroller 7004 may be, for example, an LM 4F230H5QR available from Texas Instruments. In a specific example, Texas Instruments' LM 4F230H5QR offers on-chip memory of up to 40 MHz, 256 KB of single-cycle flash memory or other non-volatile memory, among other readily available features, and performance above 40 MHz. Prefetch buffer for improvement, 32 KB single cycle serial random access memory (SRAM), internal read only memory (ROM) with StellarisWare® software, and 2 KB electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), one or more pulse width modulation (PWM) modules, one or more quadrature encoder input (QEI) analogs, and one or two with 12 analog input channels Less than ARM Cortex-M4F processor core with upper 12-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC). Other microcontrollers may be readily substituted for use in the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure should not be limited to this context.

  As described above, the handle 14 and / or the shaft assembly 200 may be connected to the handle electrical connector 4000 and / or the shaft electrical connector when the shaft assembly 200 is not assembled to the handle 14 or is not fully assembled. The system and arrangements may be configured to prevent, or at least reduce the likelihood, of the contacts of 4010. Referring to FIG. 3, the handle electrical connector 4000 can be at least partially embedded within a cavity 4009 defined in the handle frame 20. The six contacts 4001 a-4001 f of the electrical connector 4000 can be completely embedded in the cavity 4009. Such an arrangement can reduce the likelihood that an object will accidentally contact one or more of the contacts 4001a-4001f. Similarly, the shaft electrical connector 4010 can be positioned in a recess defined in the shaft chassis 240, such that an object may accidentally contact one or more of the contacts 4011a-4011f of the shaft electrical connector 4010. The possibility of doing this can be reduced. For the particular embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the shaft contacts 4011a-4011f can include male contacts. In at least one embodiment, each shaft contact 4011a-4011f can include a flexible protrusion extending therefrom, which protrusions are configured to engage, for example, a corresponding handle contact 4001a-4001f. can do. Handle contacts 4001a-4001f can include female contacts. In at least one embodiment, each handle contact 4001a-4001f comprises a flat surface against which, for example, male shaft contacts 4001a-4001f can wipe, ie, slide, with a conductive interface therebetween. Can be maintained. In various examples, the direction in which the shaft assembly 200 is assembled to the handle 14 can be parallel or at least substantially parallel to the handle contacts 4001a-4001f, such that the shaft assembly 200 is When assembled, the shaft contacts 4011a to 4011f slide with respect to the handle contacts 4001a to 4001f. In various alternative embodiments, handle contacts 4001a-4001f may include male contacts and shaft contacts 4011a-4011f may include female contacts. In certain alternative embodiments, handle contacts 4001a-4001f and shaft contacts 4011a-4011f can include any suitable contact arrangement.

  In various examples, handle 14 may include a connector guard configured to at least partially cover handle electrical connector 4000 and / or a connector guard configured to at least partially cover shaft electrical connector 4010. Can be. The connector guard may prevent, or at least reduce the likelihood, that an object will accidentally touch the contacts of the electrical connector when the shaft assembly is not assembled or only partially assembled to the handle. it can. The connector guard can be movable. For example, the connector guard can be moved between a guard position that at least partially guards the connector and a non-guard position that does not guard the connector or at least has less guarded parts. In at least one embodiment, the connector guard can be displaced as the shaft assembly is assembled to the handle. For example, if the handle includes a handle connector guard, the shaft assembly can contact and displace the handle connector guard as the shaft assembly is assembled to the handle. Similarly, if the shaft assembly includes a shaft connector guard, the handle can contact and displace the shaft connector guard as the shaft assembly is assembled to the handle. In various examples, the connector guard may include, for example, a door. In at least one example, the door can include a ramp that can facilitate displacing the door in a particular direction when the handle or shaft contacts. In various examples, the connector guard can be translated and / or rotated, for example. In certain examples, the connector guard can include at least one film that covers the contacts of the electrical connector. Once the shaft assembly is assembled to the handle, the film can be torn. In at least one example, the male contacts of the connector can penetrate the film before engaging the corresponding contacts located below the film.

  As noted above, the surgical instrument can include a system that can selectively power up, or activate, the contacts of an electrical connector, such as electrical connector 4000, for example. In various examples, the contacts can transition between a deactivated state and an activated state. In certain examples, a contact may transition between a monitored state, a deactivated state, and an activated state. For example, microcontroller 7004 may have monitored contacts 4001a-4001f, for example, when the shaft assembly was not assembled to handle 14, and one or more of contacts 4001a-4001f may have been short-circuited. Can be determined. The microcontroller 7004 can be configured to apply a low potential to each of the contacts 4001a-4001f and evaluate whether only a minimum resistance is present at each of the contacts. Such operating states can include monitoring states. If the resistance detected at a contact is high, ie, above a threshold resistance, microcontroller 7004 may deactivate the contact, more than one contact, or all contacts. Such an operating state may include an inactive state. If the shaft assembly is assembled to the handle 14, and as described above, it is detected by the microcontroller 7004, the microcontroller 7004 can increase the potential for the contacts 4001a-4001f. Such an operating state can include an activated state.

  The various shaft assemblies disclosed herein may use sensors and various other components that require electrical communication with a controller in the housing. These shaft assemblies are generally configured to be rotatable relative to the housing and require a connection that facilitates such electrical communication between two or more components that may rotate relative to each other. . When using an end effector of the type disclosed herein, the connector device must be relatively rugged in nature, but is also somewhat compact so as to mate with the connector portion of the shaft assembly.

  FIGS. 19-22 illustrate an electrical coupler or slip ring connector 1600 that may be used, for example, with an interchangeable shaft assembly 1200 or in various other applications requiring electrical connections between components that rotate relative to each other. Is shown. The shaft assembly 1200 may be similar to the shaft assembly 200 described herein, including a closed tube or outer shaft 1260 and a proximal nozzle 1201 (with the upper half of the nozzle 1201 omitted for clarity). May be included). In the illustrated example, outer shaft 1260 may be mounted on shaft spine 1210 and outer tube 1260 may be selectively axially movable thereon. The proximal ends of shaft spine 1210 and outer tube 1260 may be rotatably coupled thereto for rotation with respect to chassis 1240 about shaft axis SA-SA. As described above, the proximal nozzle 1201 projects inward from the nozzle portion and extends through a corresponding opening 1266 in the outer tube 1260 housed in a corresponding recess 1211 of the shaft spine 1210. A mount or mounting lug 1204 (FIG. 20) may be included. Thus, to rotate the outer shaft 1260 and spine shaft 1210, and possibly the end effector (not shown) coupled thereto, relative to the chassis 1240 about the shaft axis SA-SA, the clinician simply The nozzle 1201 is rotated as represented by the arrow “R” in FIG.

  If sensors are used at the end effector, or for example at a location in or on the shaft assembly, conductors such as wires and / or traces (not shown) may be received or mounted within the outer tube 1260, Or even further, it can be routed along the outer tube 1260 from the sensor to the distal electrical component 1800 mounted in the nozzle 1201. Accordingly, the distal electrical component 1800 is rotatable with the nozzle 1201 about the shaft axis SA-SA. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 20, electrical components 1800 include connectors, batteries, etc., including contacts 1802, 1804, 1806, and 1808 laterally displaced from one another.

  Slip ring connector 1600 further includes a mounting member 1610 that includes a cylindrical body portion 1612 that defines an annular mounting surface 1613. A distal flange 1614 may be formed on at least one end of the cylindrical body portion 1612. Body portion 1612 of mounting member 1610 is sized to be non-rotatably mounted on mounting hub 1241 of chassis 1240. In the embodiment shown, one distal flange 1614 is provided at one end of body portion 1612. The second flange 1243 is mounted on the chassis 1240 such that the second flange 1243 abuts the proximal end of the body portion 1612 when the body portion 1612 is fixedly (non-rotatably) mounted thereon. Is formed.

  Slip ring connector 1600 also employs a unique and novel annular circuit trace assembly 1620 that is wrapped around annular mounting surface 1613 of body portion 1612 so as to be received between first and second flanges 1614 and 1243. Referring now to FIGS. 21 and 22, circuit trace assembly 1620 includes an adhesive-backed flexible substrate 1622 that may be wrapped around body portion 1612 (ie, annular mounting surface 1613). You may. Before being wrapped around body portion 1612, flexible substrate 1622 may have a “T” with first annular portion 1624 and lead portion 1626. As can also be seen in FIGS. 19-21, circuit trace assembly 1620 may further include circuit traces 1630, 1640, 1650, 1660, which may include, for example, conductive gold plated traces. However, other conductive materials may be used. Each conductive circuit trace includes an "annular portion" that forms an annulus of the trace when the substrate is wrapped around the body portion 1612, and another "lead portion" extending transversely from the annular portion or vertically from the annular portion. "including. More specifically, referring to FIG. 22, the first conductive circuit trace 1630 has a first annular portion 1632 and a first lead portion 1634. Second conductive circuit trace 1640 has a second annular portion 1642 and a second lead portion 1644 extending transversely or vertically therefrom. Third conductive circuit trace 1650 has a third annular portion 1652 and a third lead portion 1654 extending transversely or vertically therefrom. The fourth conductive circuit trace has a fourth annular portion 1662 and a fourth lead portion 1664 extending transversely or vertically therefrom. The conductive circuit traces 1630, 1640, 1650, 1660 can be flexed using conventional manufacturing techniques with the substrate in a planar orientation (ie, before being wound onto the annular body portion 1612 of the mounting member 1610). May be applied to the conductive substrate 1622. As can be seen in FIG. 22, the annular portions 1632, 1642, 1652, 1662 are laterally displaced from one another. Similarly, lead portions 1634, 1644, 1654, 1664 are laterally displaced from one another.

  When the circuit trace assembly 1620 is wrapped around the annular mounting surface 1613 and attached thereto by adhesive, double-sided tape, etc., the ends of the portions of the substrate including the annular portions 1632, 1642, 1652, 1664 abut each other, thereby forming an annular Portions 1632, 1642, 1652, 1664 form discrete, continuous annular conductive paths 1636, 1646, 1656, 1666, each extending around shaft axis SA-SA. Thus, the conductive paths 1636, 1646, 1656, and 1666 are laterally or axially displaced from one another along the shaft axis SA-SA. Lead portion 1626 may extend through slot 1245 of flange 1243 and may be electrically coupled to a circuit board (see, for example, circuit board 610 in FIG. 7) or other suitable electrical component. Good.

  In the illustrated embodiment, for example, the electrical component 1800 is mounted within the nozzle 1261 so as to rotate about the mounting member 1610, such that the contact 1802 is always electrically connected to the first annular conductive path 1636. , Contact 1804 is always in electrical contact with second annular conductive path 1646, contact 1806 is always in electrical contact with third annular conductive path 1656, and contact 1808 Are always in electrical contact with the fourth conductive path 1666. However, various advantages of the slip ring connector 1600 include applications where the mounting member 1610 is supported for rotation about the shaft axis SA-SA and the electrical component 1800 is fixedly mounted thereto. It will be appreciated that examples may also be obtained. The slip ring connector 1600 may be effectively used in connection with a variety of different components and applications outside the field of surgery, where it provides an electrical connection between components that rotate with respect to each other. It will be further appreciated that this is desirable.

  Slip ring connector 1600 includes a radial slip ring that provides conductive contact means for transferring signals and power to and from any radial position after shaft rotation. In applications where the electrical component comprises a battery contact, the battery contact location can be mounted on the mounting member such that the stacking of tolerances between those components is minimized. The coupling configuration may represent a low cost coupling configuration that can be assembled with minimal manufacturing costs. Gold plated traces may also minimize the potential for corrosion. The unique new contact configuration facilitates full clockwise and counterclockwise rotation about the shaft axis SA-SA while still in electrical contact with the corresponding annular conductive path.

  Figures 23-25 illustrate an electrical coupler or slip ring connector that may be used, for example, with a replaceable shaft assembly 1200 ', or with various other applications requiring electrical connections between components that rotate with respect to each other. 1600 'is shown. Shaft assembly 1200 'may be similar to shaft assembly 1200 described herein, and may include a closed tube or outer shaft 1260 and a proximal nozzle 1201 (no upper half of nozzle 1201 for clarity). May be included). In the illustrated example, outer shaft 1260 may be mounted on shaft spine 1210 and outer tube 1260 may be selectively axially movable thereon. The proximal ends of shaft spine 1210 and outer tube 1260 may be rotatably coupled thereto for rotation with respect to chassis 1240 'about shaft axis SA-SA. As described above, the proximal nozzle 1201 protrudes inward from the nozzle portion and extends through a corresponding opening 1266 of the outer tube 1260 that is received in a corresponding recess 1211 of the shaft spine 1210. Or it may include a mounting lug. Thus, to rotate the outer shaft 1260 and spine shaft 1210, and possibly the end effector (not shown) connected thereto, relative to the chassis 1240 'about the shaft axis SA-SA, the clinician simply The nozzle 1201 is rotated as represented by the arrow “R” in FIG.

  If sensors are used at the end effector, or for example at a location in or on the shaft assembly, conductors such as wires and / or traces (not shown) may be received or mounted within the outer tube 1260, Or even further, it can be routed along the outer tube 1260 from the sensor to the distal electrical component 1800 ′ mounted within the nozzle 1201. Accordingly, the distal electrical component 1800 'is rotatable with the nozzle 1201 and the wires / traces attached thereto. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 23, electrical components 1800 include connectors, batteries, etc., including contacts 1802 ', 1804', 1806 ', and 1808', which are laterally displaced from one another.

  Slip ring connector 1600 'further includes a laminated slip ring assembly 1610' made from a plurality of conductive rings stacked together. More specifically, referring to FIG. 25, one form of slip ring assembly 1610 'may include a first non-conductive flange 1670 that forms the distal end of slip ring assembly 1610'. Flange 1670 may be made, for example, from a high heat resistant material. First conductive ring 1680 is positioned adjacent and intermediate first flange 1670. First conductive ring 1680 may include a first copper ring 1681 having a first gold plating 1682 thereon. Second non-conductive ring 1672 is adjacent to first conductive ring 1680. Second conductive ring 1684 is adjacent to second non-conductive ring 1672. Second conductive ring 1684 may include a second copper ring 1685 having a second gold plating 1686 thereon. Third non-conductive ring 1674 is adjacent to second conductive ring 1684. Third conductive ring 1688 is adjacent to third non-conductive ring 1674. Third conductive ring 1688 may include a third copper ring 1689 having a third gold plating 1690 thereon. Fourth non-conductive ring 1676 is adjacent to third conductive ring 1688. Fourth conductive ring 1692 is adjacent to fourth non-conductive ring 1676. Fourth conductive ring 1692 is adjacent to fourth non-conductive ring 1676. Fifth non-conductive ring 1678 is adjacent to fourth conductive ring 1692 and forms the proximal end of mounting member 1610 '. Non-conductive rings 1670, 1672, 1674, 1676, and 1678 may be made from the same material. First conductive ring 1680 forms a first annular conductive path 1700. Second conductive ring 1682 forms a second annular conductive path 1702 that is laterally or axially spaced from first annular conductive path 1700. Third conductive ring 1688 forms a third annular conductive path 1704 that is laterally or axially spaced from second annular conductive path 1702. Fourth conductive ring 1692 forms a fourth annular conductive path 1706 that is laterally or axially spaced from third annular conductive path 1704. The slip ring assembly 1610 'includes a single piece, high temperature resistant, non-conductive material that is molded in a channel for electromagnetically molding (EMF magnetically) a copper ring.

  As can be seen in FIG. 24, the slip ring connector 1600 'is inserted into an axially aligned notch 1710 in each of the rings 1670, 1680, 1672, 1684, 1674, 1688, 1676, 1692, and 1678. Further comprising a non-conductive transverse mounting member 1720 adapted to be. Transverse mounting member 1720 is adapted to be in electrical contact with first annular conductive path 1700 when transverse mounting member 1672 is mounted in notch 1710 thereon. It has a circuit trace 1722. Similarly, a second circuit trace 1724 is printed on the transverse mounting member 1720 and is configured to make electrical contact with the second annular conductive via 1702. Third circuit trace 1726 is printed on transverse mounting member 1720 and is configured to make electrical contact with third annular conductive path 1704. Fourth circuit trace 1728 is printed on transverse mounting member 1720 and is configured to make electrical contact with fourth annular conductive path 1706.

  In the arrangement shown in FIGS. 23-25, slip ring assembly 1610 'is configured to be fixedly (non-rotatably) received on mounting hub 1241' on chassis 1240 '. The transverse mounting member 1720 is received in a groove 1243 'formed in the mounting hub 1241', the mounting hub 1241 'acting as a keyway for the transverse mounting member 1720 and a slip ring assembly 1610'. To prevent rotation with respect to the mounting hub 1241 '.

  In the illustrated embodiment, for example, the electrical component 1800 'is mounted within the nozzle 1201 for rotation about a slip ring assembly 1610' so that the contact 1802 'is in the first annular conductive path. The contact 1804 'is always in electrical contact with the second annular conductive path 1702, and the contact 1806' is always in electrical contact with the third annular conductive path 1704. The contact 1808 ′ is in constant electrical contact with the fourth conductive path 1706. However, various advantages of the slip ring connector 1600 'are that the slip ring assembly 1610' is supported for rotation about the shaft axis SA-SA, and the electrical component 1800 'is fixedly mounted thereto. It will be appreciated that the application described may also be obtained. The slip ring connector 1600 'may be effectively used in connection with a variety of different components and applications outside the field of surgery, where it provides an electrical connection between components that rotate with respect to each other. It will be further appreciated that this is desirable.

  Slip ring connector 1600 'comprises a radial slip ring that provides conductive contact means for transferring signals and power to and from any radial position after shaft rotation. In applications where the electrical component comprises a battery contact, the battery contact location can be mounted on the mounting member such that the stacking of tolerances between those components is minimized. The slip ring connector 1600 'represents a low cost coupling configuration that can be assembled with minimal manufacturing costs. Gold plated traces may also minimize the potential for corrosion. The unique new contact configuration facilitates full clockwise and counterclockwise rotation about the shaft axis while still in electrical contact with the corresponding annular conductive path.

  FIGS. 26-30 illustrate electrical couplers or slips that may be used, for example, with interchangeable shaft assemblies 1200 ″ or in a variety of other applications requiring electrical connections between components that rotate relative to each other. Another embodiment of the ring connector 1600 '' is shown. Shaft assembly 1200 '' may be similar to shaft assemblies 1200 and / or 1200 'described herein, except for the differences noted below. Shaft assembly 1200 '' may include a closure tube or outer shaft 1260 and a proximal nozzle 1201 (the upper half of nozzle 1201 has been omitted for clarity). In the illustrated example, outer shaft 1260 may be mounted on shaft spine 1210 and outer tube 1260 may be selectively axially movable thereon. The proximal ends of shaft spine 1210 and outer tube 1260 may be rotatably coupled thereto such that they rotate about chassis axis SA-SA relative to chassis 1240 ″. As described above, the proximal nozzle 1201 protrudes inward from the nozzle portion and extends through a corresponding opening 1266 of the outer tube 1260 that is received in a corresponding recess 1211 of the shaft spine 1210. Or it may include a mounting lug. Thus, to rotate the outer shaft 1260 and spine shaft 1210, and possibly the end effector (not shown) coupled thereto, relative to the chassis 1240 '' about the shaft axis SA-SA, the clinician simply The nozzle 1201 is rotated.

  If sensors are used at the end effector, or for example at a location in or on the shaft assembly, conductors such as wires and / or traces (not shown) may be received or mounted within the outer tube 1260, Or even further, it can be routed along the outer tube 1260 from the sensor to the distal electrical component 1800 ″ mounted within the nozzle 1201. In the illustrated embodiment, for example, the electrical component 1800 '' is mounted within the nozzle 1201 such that it is substantially aligned with the shaft axis SA-SA. The distal electrical component 1800 '' is rotatable about the shaft axis SA-SA with the nozzle 1201 and the wires / traces attached thereto. The electrical component 1800 "may include connectors, batteries, etc., including four contacts 1802", 1804 ", 1806", and 1808 "that are laterally displaced from one another.

  The slip ring connector 1600 "further includes a slip ring assembly 1610" which is made of a non-conductive material and includes a base ring 1900 having a central mounting bore 1902 therethrough. The mounting bore 1902 has a flat surface 1904 and is configured to non-rotatably mount to a mounting flange assembly 1930 supported at the distal end of the chassis 1240 ''. Distal side 1905 of base ring 1900 has a series of concentric conductive rings 1906, 1908, 1910, and 1912 attached or laminated thereto. Rings 1906, 1908, 1910, and 1912 may be attached to base ring 1900 by any suitable method.

  Base ring 1900 may further include circuit traces extending therethrough coupled to conductive rings 1906, 1908, 1910, and 1912, respectively. Referring now to FIGS. 28-30, a first circuit trace 1922 extends through a first hole 1920 of the base ring 1900 and is coupled to a first conductive ring 1906. First circuit trace 1922 terminates in a first proximal contact portion 1924 on proximal side 1907 of base ring 1900. See FIG. 30 for this. Similarly, a second circuit trace 1928 extends through a second hole 1926 in the base ring 1900 and is coupled to a second conductive ring 1908. The second circuit trace 1928 terminates at a second proximal contact 1930 on the proximal side 1907 of the base ring 1900. A third circuit trace 1934 extends through a third hole 1932 in the base ring and is attached to a third conductive ring 1910. Third circuit trace 1934 terminates at a third proximal contact 1936 on the proximal side 1907 of the base ring. Fourth circuit trace 1940 extends through fourth hole 1938 of base ring 1900 and is attached to fourth conductive ring 1912. Fourth circuit trace 1940 terminates at a fourth proximal contact portion 1942 on proximal side 1907 of base ring 1900.

  27, the base ring 1900 is configured to be non-rotatably supported within the nozzle 1201 by a mounting flange 1950 non-rotatably coupled to a mounting hub portion 1241 '' of the chassis 1240 ''. Have been. The mounting hub portion 1241 ″ may be, for example, a circuit board or other corresponding electrical device supported on the chassis in various ways and arrangements as described herein and in US patent application Ser. No. 13 / 803,086. It may be formed with a flat surface 1243 ″ supporting a transverse mounting member of the type described above, for example, including a plurality (preferably four) of leads that may be coupled to the component. The transverse support members have been omitted in FIGS. 26 and 27 for clarity. However, as can be seen in FIGS. 26 and 27, mounting flange 1950 has a notch 1952 therein adapted to engage a portion of flat surface 1243 '' on mounting hub portion 1241 ''. Have. As can be seen in FIG. 27, the mounting flange 1950 may further include a flange hub portion 1954 with a series of spring tabs 1956 that serve to securely attach the base ring 1900 to the mounting flange 1950. It will be appreciated that the closure tube 1260 and spine 1210 extend through the flange hub 1954 and are rotatable with the nozzle 1201 therewith.

  In the illustrated embodiment, for example, the electrical component 1800 '' is mounted within the nozzle 1201 for rotation about a slip ring assembly 1610 '', thus moving the nozzle 1201 relative to the chassis 1240 ''. For example, when rotated, contact 1802 ″ of component 1800 ″ is always in electrical contact with ring 1906, contact 1804 ″ is in contact with ring 1908, and contact 1806 ″ Is in contact with ring 1910 and contact 1808 ″ is in contact with ring 1912. However, various advantages of the slip ring connector 1600 "are that the slip ring assembly 1610" is supported for rotation about the shaft axis SA-SA, and the electrical component 1800 "is fixed thereto. It will be appreciated that the application may also be obtained in a specifically mounted application. The slip ring connector 1600 '' may be effectively used in connection with a variety of different components and applications outside the field of surgery, where it provides an electrical connection between components that rotate with respect to each other. It will further be appreciated that it is desirable to

  Slip ring connector 1600 '' comprises a radial slip ring that provides conductive contact means for transferring signals and power to and from any radial position after shaft rotation. In applications where the electrical component comprises a battery contact, the battery contact location can be mounted on the mounting member such that the stacking of tolerances between those components is minimized. Slip ring connector 1600 "represents a low cost coupling configuration that can be assembled with minimal manufacturing costs. The unique new contact configuration facilitates full clockwise and counterclockwise rotation about the shaft axis while still in electrical contact with the corresponding annular conductive ring.

  FIGS. 31-36 show the entire motor driven surgical fastening and cutting instrument 2000. As shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, the surgical instrument 2000 may include a handle assembly 2002, a shaft assembly 2004, and a power supply assembly 2006 (or "power supply" or "power pack"). The shaft assembly 2004 may include an end effector 2008, which may be configured to act as an end cutter for grasping, cutting, and / or stapling tissue in certain situations, but in other examples. For example, end effectors for other types of surgical devices, grasping forceps, cutters, staplers, clip appliers, access devices, drug / gene therapy devices, ultrasound devices, RF devices, and / or laser devices, etc. , Different types of end effectors may be used. Some RF devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,312, entitled "ELECTROSURGICAL HEMOSTATIC DEVICE", issued April 4, 1995, and U.S. Pat. INSTRUMENT HAVING RF ELECTRODES ", filed February 14, 2008. U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,312, entitled "Electrosurgical Hemostatic Device", issued April 4, 1995, and U.S. Pat. The entire disclosure of the February 14, 2008 application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

  Referring primarily to FIGS. 32 and 33, handle assembly 2002 can be used with a plurality of interchangeable shaft assemblies, such as, for example, shaft assembly 2004. Such replaceable shaft assemblies may include a surgical end effector, such as end effector 2008, which may be configured to perform one or more surgical tasks or procedures, for example. An example of a suitable replaceable shaft assembly is disclosed in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 782,866, entitled "CONTROL SYSTEM OF A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT," filed March 14, 2013. The entire disclosure of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 782,866, entitled "CONTROL SYSTEM OF A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT," filed March 14, 2013, is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

  Referring primarily to FIG. 32, handle assembly 2002 may include a housing 2010 consisting of a handle 2012 that may be configured to be grasped, manipulated, and actuated by a clinician. However, it is understood that various unique and novel arrangements of the various forms of interchangeable shaft assemblies disclosed herein may also be effectively used in connection with robotic controlled surgical systems. Will. Thus, the term "housing" is also used to generate and apply at least one control motion that can be utilized to operate the interchangeable shaft assemblies disclosed herein and their respective equivalents. It may include a housing or similar part of the robotic system configured to accommodate or otherwise operatively support at least one drive system. For example, the interchangeable shaft assembly disclosed herein is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 118,241, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS WITH ROTABLE STAPLE DEPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS", now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0298719. May be used with the various robot systems, instruments, components, and methods described. U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 118,241, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS WITH ROTABLE STAPLE DEPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS", and current U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0298719 are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

  Referring again to FIG. 32, the handle assembly 2002 can be configured to generate and apply various control movements to corresponding portions of an operably mounted interchangeable shaft assembly. The system may be operably supported. For example, the handle assembly 2002 may be used to apply an opening and closing motion to the shaft assembly 2004 while operatively attached or coupled to the handle assembly 2002, a first or closed drive system. Can be operably supported. In at least one form, the handle assembly 2002 also operably supports a firing drive system that can be configured to apply a firing motion to a corresponding portion of the replaceable shaft assembly attached thereto. Good.

  Referring primarily to FIG. 33, the handle assembly 2002 may include a motor 2014 that can be controlled by a motor driver 2015 and can be used by the firing system of the surgical instrument 2000. In various forms, the motor 2014 may be a brushed DC drive motor having a maximum speed of, for example, about 25,000 RPM. In other configurations, motor 2014 may include a brushless motor, a cordless motor, a synchronous motor, a stepper motor, or any other suitable electric motor. In certain situations, motor driver 2015 may include an H-bridge FET 2019, for example, as shown in FIG. The motor 2014 can be powered by a power supply assembly 2006 (FIG. 35), which can be releasably mounted to the handle assembly 2002, and the power supply assembly 2006 is configured to provide control power to the surgical instrument 2000. ing. The power supply assembly 2006 may include a battery 2007 (FIG. 36), which may include a number of battery cells connected in series, which may be used as a power source to power the surgical instrument 2000. In such a configuration, power supply assembly 2006 may be referred to as a battery pack. In certain situations, the battery cells of power supply assembly 2006 may be replaceable and / or rechargeable. In at least one example, the battery cells can be lithium-ion batteries, which can be separably connectable to power supply assembly 2006.

  An example of a drive system and closure system suitable for use with the surgical instrument 2000 is described in US Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 782,866, entitled "CONTROL SYSTEM OF A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT," filed March 14, 2013. It is disclosed and its entire disclosure is incorporated herein by reference. For example, the electric motor 2014 may be operatively interfaced with a gear reducer assembly that can be mounted in meshing engagement with a set of drive teeth, or racks, of a longitudinally movable drive member. A rotating shaft (not shown) may be included. In use, the voltage polarity provided by the battery 2007 (FIG. 36) can operate the electric motor 2014 to drive a longitudinally movable drive member to implement the end effector 2008. For example, the motor 2014 may, for example, advance a firing mechanism to fire staples from a staple cartridge associated with the end effector 2008 and drive the staples into tissue captured by the end effector 2008, and / or The cutting member 2011 (FIG. 34) can be advanced and configured to drive a longitudinally movable drive member to cut tissue captured by the end effector 2008.

  In certain situations, the surgical instrument 2000 may include a lockout mechanism that prevents a user from coupling the incompatible handle and power assemblies. For example, as shown in FIG. 35, the power supply assembly 2006 may include a mating element 2011. In certain situations, the mating element 2011 can be a tab extending from the power supply assembly 2006. In certain examples, handle assembly 2002 may include a corresponding mating element (not shown) that mates with mating element 2011. Such an arrangement may be useful to prevent a user from coupling an incompatible handle assembly and power supply assembly.

  The reader will appreciate that different interchangeable shaft assemblies may have different power requirements. The power required to advance the cutting member and / or fire staples through the end effector depends on, for example, the distance the cutting member travels, the staple cartridge used, and / or the type of tissue being treated. Sometimes. Nevertheless, the power supply assembly 2006 can be configured to meet the power requirements of various interchangeable shaft assemblies. For example, as shown in FIG. 34, the cutting member 2011 of the shaft assembly 2004 can be configured to move a distance D1 along the end effector 2008. On the other hand, another replaceable shaft assembly 2004 'can be configured to travel a distance D2 different from distance D1 along the end effector 2008' of the replaceable shaft assembly 2004 ', the cutting member 2011'. May be included. The power supply assembly 2006 includes a first power output sufficient to power the motor 2014 to advance the cutting member 2011 a distance D1, for example, with the replaceable shaft assembly 2004 coupled to the handle assembly 2002. And power motor 2014 to advance cutting member 2011 ′ by distance D2, for example, with replaceable shaft assembly 2004 ′ coupled to handle assembly 2002. May be configured to provide a second power output different from the first power output that is sufficient for the first power output. As shown in FIG. 33 and as described in further detail below, for example, power supply assembly 2006 may be used to advance cutting member 2011 a distance D1 with interchangeable shaft assembly 2004 coupled to handle assembly 2002. To power the motor 2014, and to advance the cutting member 2011 ′ by a distance D2 with the replaceable shaft assembly 2004 ′ connected to the handle assembly 2002. A power management controller 2016 (FIG. 36), which may be configured to modulate the power output of the power supply assembly 2006 to deliver a second power output to power 2014. Such modulation may be beneficial to avoid transmitting too much power to the motor 2014 beyond the requirements of the interchangeable shaft assembly coupled to the handle assembly 2002.

  Referring again to FIGS. 32-36, handle assembly 2002 can be releasably connected or attached to a replaceable shaft assembly, such as, for example, shaft assembly 2004. In certain examples, handle assembly 2002 can be releasably connected or attached to power supply assembly 2006. Various connection means may be utilized to releasably connect the handle assembly 2002 to the shaft assembly 2004 and / or the power supply assembly 2006. An exemplary coupling mechanism is described in US Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 782,866, entitled "CONTROL SYSTEM OF A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT," filed March 14, 2013. For example, the shaft assembly 2004 may include a shaft mounting module 2018 (FIG. 32), which may further include a latch actuator assembly, which may be configured to cooperate with a lock yoke, wherein the latch yoke is attached to the shaft mounting module 2018. The lock yoke is releasably coupled to a corresponding lock detent or groove formed in the hand assembly mounting module 2020 of the handle assembly 2002 by being pivotally coupled thereto for selective pivotal movement therewith. It may include a proximally projecting locking lug configured to engage.

  Referring now primarily to FIGS. 33-36, the shaft assembly 2004 may include a shaft assembly controller 2022 that can communicate with a power management controller 2016 through an interface 2024, wherein the shaft assembly 2004 and the power supply assembly 2006 include a handle. It is connected to the assembly 2002. For example, the interface 2024 may include one or more electrical connectors 2026 in mating engagement with a corresponding shaft assembly electrical connector 2028, and may be coupled to the first interface portion 2025 and the power assembly electrical connector 2032. A second interface portion 2027, which may include one or more corresponding electrical connectors 2030 to engage, while the shaft assembly 2004 and the power supply assembly 2006 are coupled to the handle assembly 2002. Electrical communication between the shaft assembly controller 2022 and the power management controller 2016 may be enabled. One or more communication signals may be transmitted through the interface 2024 to communicate one or more of the power requirements of the attached replaceable shaft assembly 2004 to the power management controller 2016. In response, the power management controller may modulate the power output of the battery 2007 of the power supply assembly 2006 according to the power requirements of the attached shaft assembly 2004, as described in further detail below. In certain situations, one or more of electrical connectors 2026, 2028, 2030, and / or 2032 may be activated after mechanically engaging handle assembly 2002 with shaft assembly 2004 and / or power supply assembly 2006. A switch may be provided, which enables electrical communication between the shaft assembly controller 2022 and the power management controller 2016.

  In certain situations, interface 2024 may provide power management of such communication signals, for example, by routing one or more communication signals through main controller 2017 (FIG. 33) resident in handle assembly 2002. Transmission between the controller 2016 and the shaft assembly controller 2022 can be facilitated. In other situations, interface 2024 facilitates direct communication lines between power management controller 2016 and shaft assembly controller 2022 through handle assembly 2002 while shaft assembly 2004 and power supply assembly 2006 are coupled to handle assembly 2002. can do.

  In one example, main microcontroller 2017 may be any single-core or multi-core processor, such as the one known under the trade name ARM Cortex by Texas Instruments. In one example, the surgical instrument 2000 includes a power supply, such as a secure microcontroller platform that includes two microcontroller-based systems, such as TMS570 and RM4x, also known under the trade name Hercules ARM Cortex R4 by Texas Instruments. A management controller 2016 may be provided. Nevertheless, other suitable substitutes for microcontrollers and safety processors may be used without limitation. In one example, the safety processor 1004 is specifically designed for IEC 61508 and ISO 26262 safety critical applications to provide highly integrated safety features while providing scalable performance, connectivity, and memory options. It may be configured in a typical manner.

  In certain situations, microcontroller 2017 may be, for example, an LM 4F230H5QR available from Texas Instruments. In at least one example, Texas Instruments' LM4F230H5QR has, among other features readily available from product datasheets, up to 40 MHz, 256 KB of single cycle flash memory or other non-volatile memory on-chip memory, and 40 MHz. Prefetch buffer to improve ultra performance, 32KB single cycle serial random access memory (SRAM), internal read only memory (ROM) with StellarisWare® software, 2KB electrically erasable Programmable read only memory (EEPROM), one or more pulse width modulation (PWM) modules, one or more quadrature encoder input (QEI) analogs, and 12 analog inputs Comprising one or more 12-bit analog-to-digital converter comprising a Yaneru a (ADC), an ARM Cortex-M4F processor core. The present disclosure should not be limited to this context.

  Referring now primarily to FIGS. 36 and 37, the power supply assembly 2006 may include a power management circuit 2034, which may include a power management controller 2016, a power modulator 2038, and a current sense circuit 2036. The power management circuit 2034 can be configured to modulate the power output of the battery 2007 based on the power demand of the shaft assembly 2004 while the shaft assembly 2004 and the power assembly 2006 are coupled to the handle assembly 2002. For example, the power management controller 2016 can be programmed to control the power modulator 2038 of the power output of the power assembly 2006, and the current sense circuit 2036 monitors the power output of the power assembly 2006 and 37 can be used to provide feedback regarding the power output of the battery 2007 so that the power management controller 2016 can control the power of the power supply assembly 2006 to maintain the desired output, as shown in FIG. The output may be adjusted.

  It should be noted that each of the power management controller 2016 and / or the shaft assembly controller 2022 may include one or more processors and / or memory units, which may store multiple software modules. . Although particular modules and / or blocks of the surgical instrument 2000 may be described by way of example, it can be appreciated that more or fewer modules and / or blocks may be used. Furthermore, various examples may be described in terms of modules and / or blocks for ease of description, wherein such modules and / or blocks may include one or more hardware components, such as a processor. Digital signal processor (DSP), programmable logic device (PLD), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), circuit, register, and / or software component, eg, program, subroutine, logic, and / or hardware and software component And may be implemented by a combination of

  In certain examples, surgical instrument 2000 may include an output device 2042, which may include one or more devices that provide sensory feedback to a user. Such devices may include, for example, visual feedback devices (eg, LCD display screens, LED indicators), audio feedback devices (eg, speakers, buzzers), or haptic feedback devices (eg, haptic actuators). In certain situations, the output device 2042 may include a display 2043 that may be included in the handle assembly 2002, as shown in FIG. The shaft assembly controller 2022 and / or the power management controller 2016 can provide feedback to a user of the surgical instrument 2000 via the output device 2042. The interface 2024 can be configured to connect the shaft assembly controller 2022 and / or the power management controller 2016 to the output device 2042. Alternatively, the reader will recognize that output device 2042 may be integrated with power supply assembly 2006. In such a situation, communication between the output device 2042 and the shaft assembly controller 2022 may be accomplished through the interface 2024 while the shaft assembly 2004 is connected to the handle assembly 2002.

  Referring to FIGS. 38-39, a surgical instrument 2050 is shown. Surgical instrument 2050 is similar in many respects to surgical fastening and cutting instrument 2000 (FIG. 31). For example, surgical instrument 2050 may include an end effector 2052 that is similar in many respects to end effector 2008. For example, the end effector 2052 can be configured to act as an end cutter for grasping, cutting, and / or stapling tissue.

  In addition to the above, a surgical instrument 2050 may include a handle assembly 2053 and a shaft 2055 extending between the handle assembly 2053 and the end effector 2052, as shown in FIG. 2054. In certain situations, surgical instrument 2050 may include a power supply assembly 2056 that can be used with a plurality of replaceable actuation assemblies, such as, for example, replaceable actuation assembly 2054. Such exchangeable actuation assemblies may include, for example, a surgical end effector, such as end effector 2052, that may be configured to perform one or more surgical tasks or procedures. In certain situations, handle assembly 2053 and shaft 2055 may be integrated into a single unit. In other situations, handle assembly 2053 and shaft 2055 may be releasably connectable to each other.

  Similar to surgical instrument 2000, surgical instrument 2050 operatively supports a plurality of drive systems that can be powered by power supply assembly 2056 while power supply assembly 2056 is coupled to replaceable actuation assembly 2054. May be. For example, the replaceable actuation assembly 2054 can operably support a closed drive system, which may be used to apply an opening and closing motion to the end effector 2052. In at least one form, the interchangeable actuation assembly 2054 may operatively support a firing drive system that can be configured to apply a firing motion to the end effector 2052. An example of a drive system suitable for use with the surgical instrument 2050 is described in US Provisional Patent Application Ser. And its entire disclosure is incorporated herein by reference.

  Referring to FIG. 39, the power supply assembly 2056 of the surgical instrument 2050 can be releasably coupled to a replaceable actuation assembly, such as, for example, the replaceable actuation assembly 2054. Various coupling means may be utilized to releasably couple the power supply assembly 2056 to the replaceable actuation assembly 2054. An exemplary coupling mechanism is described herein and in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 782,866, entitled "CONTROL SYSTEM OF A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT," filed March 14, 2013, The entire disclosure is incorporated herein by reference.

  Still referring to FIG. 39, the power supply assembly 2056 may include, for example, a power supply 2058, such as a battery, that can be configured to power the replaceable actuation assembly 2054 when coupled to the power supply assembly 2056. . In certain examples, power supply assembly 2056 may include, for example, the state of charge of battery 2058, the number of treatment cycles performed using battery 2058, and / or replacement coupled to power supply assembly 2056 during the life of battery 2058. A memory 2060 may be included that may be configured to receive and store information regarding the battery 2058 and / or the replaceable actuation assembly 2054, such as identification information for the actuated actuation assembly. In addition to the above, replaceable actuation assembly 2054 may include a controller 2062, which may be configured to provide such information to memory 2060 regarding battery 2058 and / or replaceable actuation assembly 2054.

  Still referring to FIG. 39, the power supply assembly 2056 provides an electrical connection between the memory 2060 of the power supply assembly 2056 and a controller of a replaceable actuation assembly coupled to the power supply assembly 2056, such as, for example, the controller 2062 of the replaceable actuation assembly 2054. An interface 2064, which may be configured to facilitate communication, may be included. For example, interface 2064 mates with a corresponding actuation assembly connector 2068 to enable electrical communication between controller 2062 and memory 2060 while replaceable actuation assembly 2054 is coupled to power supply assembly 2056. One or more connectors 2066 may be provided. In certain circumstances, one or more of the electrical connectors 2066 and / or 2068 may be activated after mating engagement between the replaceable actuation assembly 2054 and the power supply assembly 2056 to provide an electrical connection between the controller 2062 and the memory 2060. A switch may be provided that can enable communication.

  Still referring to FIG. 39, the power supply assembly 2056 may include a charge state monitoring circuit 2070. In certain situations, state of charge monitoring circuit 2070 may include a coulomb counter. The controller 2062 can communicate with the charge status monitoring circuit 2070 while the replaceable actuation assembly 2054 is coupled to the power supply assembly 2056. The state-of-charge monitoring circuit 2070 may be operable to accurately monitor the state of charge of the battery 2058.

  FIG. 40 illustrates an example module 2072 for use with a controller of a replaceable actuation assembly, such as a controller 2062 of a replaceable actuation assembly 2054, coupled to a power supply assembly 2056. For example, controller 2062 may include one or more processors and / or memory units that may store a number of software modules, such as module 2072, for example. Although particular modules and / or blocks of surgical instrument 2050 may be described by way of example, it can be appreciated that more or fewer modules and / or blocks may be used. Furthermore, various examples may be described in terms of modules and / or blocks for ease of description, wherein such modules and / or blocks may include one or more hardware components, such as a processor. , DSPs, PLDs, ASICs, circuits, registers, and / or software components, such as programs, subroutines, logic, and / or combinations of hardware and software components.

  In any case, when coupling the replaceable actuation assembly 2054 to the power supply assembly 2056, the interface 2064 requires the controller 2062 and the memory 2060 and / or the charge state monitoring circuit 2070 to execute the module 2072 as shown in FIG. May be facilitated. For example, controller 2062 of replaceable actuation assembly 2054 may utilize state of charge monitoring circuit 2070 to measure the state of charge of battery 2058. Controller 2062 may then access memory 2060 to determine whether the previous value of the state of charge of battery 2058 is stored in memory 2060. When a past value is detected, the controller 2060 may compare the measured value to a previously stored value. If the measured value is different from a previously stored value, the controller 2060 may update the previously stored value. If the value has not been recorded in the past, the controller 2060 may store the measured value in the memory 2060. In certain situations, the controller 2060 may provide visual feedback to a user of the surgical instrument 2050 regarding the measured state of charge of the battery 2058. For example, the controller 2060 may display a measurement of the state of charge of the battery 2058 on an LCD display screen, which may be integrated into the replaceable actuation assembly 2054 in some situations.

  In addition to the above, module 2072 may be executed by another controller in coupling the replaceable actuation assembly of the other controller to power supply assembly 2056. For example, a user may disconnect the replaceable actuation assembly 2054 from the power supply assembly 2056. The user may then connect another replaceable actuation assembly with another controller to power supply assembly 2056. Such a controller may then utilize the Coulomb counting circuit 2070 to measure the state of charge of the battery 2058 and then access the memory 2060, for example, where the replaceable actuation assembly 2054 was coupled to the power supply assembly 2056. It may be determined whether a past value of the state of charge of the battery 2058, such as a value input by the controller 2060 during that time, is stored in the memory 2060. When a past value is detected, the controller may compare the measured value to a previously stored value. If the measured value is different from a previously stored value, the controller may update the previously stored value.

  FIG. 41 illustrates a surgical instrument 2090 that is similar in many respects to surgical instrument 2000 (FIG. 31) and / or surgical instrument 2050 (FIG. 38). For example, surgical instrument 2090 may include an end effector 2092 that is similar in many respects to end effector 2008 and / or end effector 2052. For example, the end effector 2092 can be configured to act as an end cutter for grasping, cutting, and / or stapling tissue.

  In addition to the above, the surgical instrument 2090 may include a replaceable actuation assembly 2094, which may include a handle assembly 2093 and a shaft 2095 that may extend between the handle assembly 2093 and the end effector 2092. . In certain situations, the surgical instrument 2090 may include a power supply assembly 2096 that can be used with a plurality of replaceable actuation assemblies, such as, for example, a replaceable actuation assembly 2094. Such exchangeable work assemblies may include, for example, a surgical end effector, such as end effector 2092, that may be configured to perform one or more surgical tasks or procedures. In certain situations, handle assembly 2093 and shaft 2095 may be integrated into a single unit. In other situations, handle assembly 2093 and shaft 2095 may be releasably connectable to each other.

  Further, power supply assembly 2096 of surgical instrument 2090 can be releasably connectable to a replaceable actuation assembly, such as, for example, replaceable actuation assembly 2094. Various coupling means may be utilized to releasably couple the power supply assembly 2096 to the replaceable actuation assembly 2094. Similar to surgical instrument 2050 and / or surgical instrument 2000, surgical instrument 2090 can be powered by power supply assembly 2096 while power supply assembly 2096 is coupled to replaceable actuation assembly 2094. Alternatively, two or more drive systems may be operably supported. For example, the interchangeable actuation assembly 2094 may operably support a closed drive system that may be used to apply closing and / or opening movement to the end effector 2092. In at least one form, the replaceable actuation assembly 2094 may operably support a firing drive system that can be configured to apply a firing motion to the end effector 2092. An exemplary drive system and coupling mechanism for use with the surgical instrument 2090 is described in further detail in US Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 782,866, entitled "CONTROL SYSTEM OF A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT," filed March 14, 2013. And its entire disclosure is incorporated herein by reference.

  Referring to FIGS. 41-45, the replaceable actuation assembly 2094 can be used, for example, to guide a closed drive system and / or a launch drive system of the replaceable actuation assembly 2094, such as a motor 2014 (FIG. 44). And a motor driver such as the motor driver 2015 (FIG. 44). Motor 2014 may be powered by a battery 2098 (FIG. 42), which may reside in power supply assembly 2096. As shown in FIGS. 42 and 43, the battery 2098 may include a number of battery cells connected in series that can be used as a power source to power the motor 2014. In certain examples, the battery cells of power supply assembly 2096 may be replaceable and / or rechargeable. The battery cell can be, for example, a lithium-ion battery, which can be separably connectable to a power supply assembly 2096. In use, the voltage polarity provided by the power supply assembly 2096 can operate the motor 2014 to drive the longitudinally movable drive member to implement the end effector 2092. For example, motor 2014 may staple a staple cartridge associated with end effector 2092, for example, by advancing a cutting member to cut tissue captured by end effector 2092 and / or by advancing a firing mechanism. Can be configured to drive a drive member that is movable in the longitudinal direction so as to fire The staples can be fired, for example, into the tissue captured by the end effector 2092.

  Referring now to FIGS. 41-45, the replaceable actuation assembly 2094 may include an actuation assembly controller 2102 (FIGS. 44 and 45), and the power supply assembly 2096 includes a power supply assembly controller 2100 (FIGS. 42 and 43). May be. Activation assembly controller 2102 may be configured to generate one or more signals to communicate with power supply assembly controller 2100. In certain examples, actuation assembly controller 2102 may provide one or two by modulating power transmission from power supply assembly 2096 to replaceable actuation assembly 2094 with power supply assembly 2096 coupled to replaceable actuation assembly 2094. One or more signals may be generated to communicate with the power supply assembly controller 2100.

  Further, power supply assembly controller 2100 can be configured to perform one or more functions in response to receiving one or more signals generated by actuation assembly controller 2102. For example, replaceable actuation assembly 2094 may include a power request, and actuation assembly controller 2102 instructs power supply assembly controller 2100 to select the power output of battery 2098 according to the power requirement of replaceable actuation assembly 2094. And the signal modulates power transmission from the power supply assembly 2096 to the replaceable actuation assembly 2094 with the power supply assembly 2096 coupled to the replaceable actuation assembly 2094, as described above. Can be generated. In response to receiving the signal, power supply assembly controller 2100 may set the power output of battery 2098 to accommodate the power requirements of replaceable actuation assembly 2094. The reader will appreciate that a variety of interchangeable actuation assemblies may be utilized with the power supply assembly 2096. The various replaceable actuation assemblies may have different power demands, and while they are in mating engagement with the power supply assembly 2096, generate a unique signal for those power demands to generate their power requirements. The power supply assembly controller 2100 may be alerted to set the power output of the battery 2098 according to the request.

  42 and 43, power supply assembly 2096 may include, for example, one or more field effect transistors (FETs), Darlington arrays, adjustable amplifiers, and / or other It may include a power modulator control unit 2106, which may include an arbitrary power modulator. The power supply assembly controller 2100 operates the power modulator controller 2106 in response to a signal generated by the activation assembly controller 2102 while the exchangeable activation assembly 2094 is connected to the power supply assembly 2096, and The power output of the battery 2098 may be set according to the power demand of the 2094.

  Still referring primarily to FIGS. 42 and 43, the power supply assembly controller 2100 may include one or more generated by the actuation assembly controller 2102 of the replaceable actuation assembly 2094 while the replaceable actuation assembly 2094 is coupled to the power supply assembly 2096. The power transmission from the power supply assembly 2096 to the replaceable actuation assembly 2094 for two or more signals can be configured to be monitored. As shown in FIG. 42, the power supply assembly controller 2100 monitors the voltage across the battery 2098 using, for example, a voltage monitoring mechanism to generate one or more of the ones generated by the actuation assembly controller 2102. The signal may be detected. In a particular example, a voltage regulator may be used to scale the voltage of the battery 2098 readable by an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) of the power supply assembly controller 2100. As shown in FIG. 42, the voltage regulator can produce a reference voltage or low voltage signal proportional to the voltage of the battery 2098 that can be measured and reported to the power supply assembly controller 2100 through the ADC, for example. A voltage divider 2108 may be provided.

  In other situations, as shown in FIG. 43, the power supply assembly 2096 monitors the current transmitted to the replaceable actuation assembly 2094 and, for example, one or more of the ones generated by the actuation assembly controller 2102. A current monitoring mechanism for detecting a signal may be provided. In certain examples, power supply assembly 2096 may include a current sensor 2110 that can be used to monitor current transmitted to replaceable actuation assembly 2094. The monitored current can be reported to the power supply assembly controller 2100 via, for example, an ADC. In other situations, the power supply assembly controller 2100 simultaneously monitors both the current transmitted to the replaceable actuation assembly 2094 and the corresponding voltage across the battery 2098 to generate the one generated by the actuation assembly controller 2102. It may be configured to detect one or more signals. The reader will recognize that various other mechanisms for monitoring current and / or voltage may be utilized by power supply assembly controller 2100 to detect one or more signals generated by actuation assembly controller 2102. However, all such mechanisms are contemplated by the present disclosure.

  As shown in FIG. 44, the actuation assembly controller 2102 communicates with the power supply assembly controller 2100 by enabling the motor driver 2015 to modulate the power transmitted from the battery 2098 to the motor 2014 to one or more. Can be generated. As a result, the voltage across battery 2098, and / or the current drawn from battery 2098 to power motor 2014, forms a discrete pattern or waveform representing one or more signals. Is also good. As described above, the power supply assembly controller 2100 monitors the voltage across the battery 2098 and / or the current drawn from the battery 2098 for one or more signals generated by the actuation assembly controller 2102. Can be configured.

  Upon detecting a signal, power supply assembly controller 2100 may be configured to perform one or more functions corresponding to the detected signal. In at least one example, upon detecting the first signal, the power supply assembly controller 2100 activates the power modulator control 2106 to configure the power output of the battery 2098 for the first duty cycle. Can be. In at least one example, upon detecting the second signal, power supply assembly controller 2100 activates power modulator control 2106 to change the power output of battery 2098 for a second duty cycle different from the first duty cycle. Can be set.

  In certain circumstances, as shown in FIG. 45, the replaceable actuation assembly 2094 can be controlled by an actuation assembly controller 2102 to generate one or more signals or waveforms that can be recognized by the power supply assembly controller 2100. It may include a power modulation circuit 2012, which may include two or more field effect transistors (FETs). For example, in certain situations, the activation assembly controller 2102 may, for example, operate the power modulation circuit 2012 to amplify the voltage above the voltage of the battery 2098 to trigger a new power mode of the power supply assembly 2096. .

  Referring now primarily to FIGS. 42 and 43, the power supply assembly 2096 may include a switch 2104, which may be switchable between an open position and a closed position. Switch 2104 can be transitioned from an open position to a closed position, for example, when power supply assembly 2096 is coupled to replaceable actuation assembly 2094. In certain instances, switch 2104 may be manually transitioned from an open position to a closed position, for example, after power supply assembly 2096 is coupled with replaceable actuation assembly 2094. While switch 2104 is in the open position, the components of power supply assembly 2096 may draw less or no power to maintain the capacity of battery 2098 for clinical use. Switch 2104 can be a mechanical switch mechanism, a reed switch mechanism, a hall switch mechanism, or any other suitable switching mechanism. Further, in certain situations, power supply assembly 2096 may include an optional power supply 2105 that may be configured to provide sufficient power to various components of power supply assembly 2096 during use of battery 2098. . Similarly, replaceable actuation assembly 2094 may also include an optional power source 2107 that can be configured to provide sufficient power to various components of replaceable actuation assembly 2094.

  In use, as shown in FIG. 46, the power supply assembly 2096 can be coupled to a replaceable actuation assembly 2094. In certain examples, switch 2104 can be transitioned to a closed configuration to electrically connect replaceable actuation assembly 2094 to power supply assembly 2096, as described above. In response, the replaceable actuation assembly 2094 may power up and draw a relatively low current from the battery 2098, at least initially. For example, replaceable actuation assembly 2094 draws less than 1 amp to power various components of replaceable actuation assembly 2094. In certain examples, power supply assembly 2096 may also power up when switch 2014 is moved to a closed position. In response, power supply assembly controller 2100 may, for example, monitor the voltage across battery 2098 and / or the current transfer from battery 2098 to replaceable actuation assembly 2094, as described in further detail above. The current draw from the replaceable actuation assembly 2094 can begin to be monitored.

  To generate a communication signal and transmit it to the power supply assembly controller 2100 via power modulation, for example, the actuation assembly controller 2102 may use the motor drive 2015 to apply pulsed power to the motor 2014 in the form of a power spike pattern or waveform. May be supplied. In certain situations, the actuation assembly controller 2102 communicates with the motor driver 2015 to quickly switch the voltage polarity across the windings of the motor 2014 to limit the effective current transfer to the motor 2014 caused by power spikes. Thereby, the movement direction of the motor 2014 can be quickly switched. As a result, as shown in FIG. 47C, the effective motor displacement caused by the power spike is reduced to minimize the effective displacement of the drive system of the surgical instrument 2090 coupled to the motor 2014 in response to the power spike. Can be minimized.

  In addition to the above, actuation assembly controller 2102 is arranged in predetermined packets or groups that can be repeated over a predetermined period of time to form a pattern detectable by power supply assembly controller 2100 using motor driver 2015. The power may be communicated with the power supply assembly controller 2100 by drawing power from the battery 2098 in the form of spikes. For example, as shown in FIGS. 47A and 47B, the power supply assembly controller 2100 may include a predetermined voltage pattern, such as, for example, a voltage pattern 2103 (FIG. 47A), and / or a predetermined current, such as, for example, a current pattern 2109 (FIG. 47B). With respect to the pattern, the voltage and / or current monitoring mechanism as described in more detail above may be used to monitor the voltage across the battery 2100. Further, power supply assembly controller 2100 can be configured to perform one or more functions in detecting a pattern. It is noted that communication between power supply assembly controller 2100 and actuation assembly controller 2102 via power transmission modulation may reduce the number of communication lines required between replaceable actuation assembly 2094 and power supply assembly 2096. Will recognize.

  In certain situations, the power supply assembly 2096 can be used with multiple generations of various replaceable actuation assemblies that may have different power requirements. Some of the various interchangeable actuation assemblies may include a communication system as described above, and others may lack such a communication system. For example, the power supply assembly 2096 can be utilized with a first generation replaceable actuation assembly that lacks the communication system described above. Alternatively, the power supply assembly 2096 can be utilized with a second generation replaceable actuation assembly, such as, for example, a replaceable actuation assembly 2094 comprising a communication system as described above.

  In addition to the above, the first generation interchangeable actuation assembly may include a first power requirement, and the second generation interchangeable actuation assembly may include a second power requirement that may be different from the first power requirement. A request may be provided. For example, the first power requirement may be lower than the second power requirement. The power supply assembly 2096 is used with a first generation interchangeable actuation assembly to accommodate the first power requirements of the first generation interchangeable actuation assembly and the second power requirements of the second generation interchangeable actuation assembly. A first power mode and a second power mode for use with a second generation interchangeable actuation assembly may be provided. In a particular example, the power supply assembly 2096 can be configured to operate in a default first power mode corresponding to the power requirements of the first generation interchangeable actuation assembly. Thus, when the first generation replaceable actuation assembly is connected to the power supply assembly 2096, the default first power mode of the power supply assembly 2096 adapts to the first power requirement of the first generation replaceable actuation assembly. You may. However, when a second generation replaceable actuation assembly, such as, for example, replaceable actuation assembly 2094, is connected to power supply assembly 2096, actuation assembly controller 2102 of replaceable actuation assembly 2094 causes power supply assembly 2096 to operate as described above. In communication with the assembly controller 2100, the power supply assembly 2096 may be switched to a second power mode to accommodate the second power requirement of the replaceable actuation assembly 2094. Power supply assembly 2096 remains in the default first power mode while connected to the first generation replaceable actuation assembly because the first generation replaceable actuation assembly lacks the ability to generate communication signals. The reader will recognize that.

  As mentioned above, the battery 2098 can be rechargeable. In certain circumstances, it may be desirable to drain battery 2098 prior to shipping power supply assembly 2096. When preparing to carry the power supply assembly 2096, a dedicated drain circuit can be activated to drain the battery 2098. Upon reaching its final destination, the battery 2098 can be charged for use during a surgical procedure. However, the drain circuit may continue to consume energy from the battery 2098 during clinical use. In certain situations, the replaceable actuation assembly controller 2102 transmits the drain circuit deactivation signal to the power supply assembly controller 2100 by modulating the transmission of power from the battery 2098 to the motor 2014, as described in further detail above. It can be configured as follows. The power supply assembly controller 2100 can be programmed to, for example, reactivate the drain circuit deactivation signal to deactivate the drain circuit and prevent the drain circuit from draining the battery 2098. The reader will recognize that while the power supply assembly 2096 is coupled to the replaceable actuation assembly 2094, various communication signals may be generated by the actuation assembly controller 2102 to instruct the power supply assembly controller 2100 to perform various functions. Will.

  Referring again to FIGS. 42-45, the power supply assembly controller 2100 and / or the activation assembly controller 2102 comprise one or more processors and / or memory units that may store multiple software modules. Is also good. Although particular modules and / or blocks of surgical instrument 2050 may be described by way of example, it can be appreciated that more or fewer modules and / or blocks may be used. Furthermore, various examples may be described in terms of modules and / or blocks for ease of description, wherein such modules and / or blocks may include one or more hardware components, such as a processor. , DSPs, PLDs, ASICs, circuits, registers, and / or software components, such as programs, subroutines, logic, and / or combinations of hardware and software components.

  FIG. 48 generally illustrates a motor-driven surgical instrument 2200. In certain situations, the surgical instrument 2200 may include a handle assembly 2202, a shaft assembly 2204, and a power supply assembly 2206 (or "power supply" or "power pack"). The shaft assembly 2204 may include an end effector 2208, which may be configured to act as an end cutter for grasping, cutting, and / or stapling tissue in certain situations, but in other situations. And other types of surgical devices, grasping forceps, cutters, staplers, clip appliers, access devices, drug / gene therapy devices, ultrasound devices, RF devices, and / or end effectors for laser devices, etc. A type of end effector may be used. Some RF devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,312, entitled "ELECTROSURGICAL HEMOSTATIC DEVICE", issued April 4, 1995, and U.S. Pat. INSTRUMENT HAVING RF ELECTRODES ", filed February 14, 2008.

  In certain situations, handle assembly 2202 may be individually connectable to shaft assembly 2204, for example. In such a situation, handle assembly 2202 may include a plurality of surgical end effectors, such as end effector 2208, which may be configured to perform one or more surgical tasks or procedures, for example. Can be used with interchangeable shaft assemblies. For example, one or more of the interchangeable shaft assemblies may use end effectors adapted to support different sizes and types of staple cartridges, having different shaft lengths, sizes, types, and the like. . An example of a suitable interchangeable shaft assembly is disclosed in US Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 782,866, entitled "CONTROL SYSTEM OF A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT," filed March 14, 2013, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. Is incorporated herein.

  Still referring to FIG. 48, the handle assembly 2202 may include a housing 2210 consisting of a handle 2212 that may be configured to be grasped, manipulated, and / or actuated by a clinician. However, it will be appreciated that various unique novel arrangements of the housing 2210 may also be effectively used in connection with a robot-controlled surgical system. Accordingly, the term “housing” is also configured to generate and apply at least one control motion that can be used to operate the shaft assemblies 2204 and their respective equivalents disclosed herein. May include a housing or similar part of a robotic system that houses or otherwise operably supports at least one drive system. For example, housing 2210 disclosed herein is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 118,241, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS WITH ROTABLE STAPLE DEPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS", now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0298719. May be used with any of a variety of robotic systems, instruments, components, and methods, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

  In at least one form, surgical instrument 2200 may be a surgical fastening and cutting instrument. Further, housing 2210 may operably support one or more drive systems. For example, as shown in FIG. 50, housing 2210 may support a drive system, referred to herein as fire drive system 2214, that is configured to apply a firing motion to end effector 2208. The firing drive system 2214 may use an electric motor 2216, which may be located within the handle 2212, for example. In various forms, the motor 2216 may be a brushed DC drive motor having a maximum speed of, for example, about 25,000 RPM. In other configurations, the motor may include a brushless motor, a cordless motor, a synchronous motor, a stepper motor, or any other suitable electric motor. A battery 2218 (eg, a “power supply” or “power pack”), for example, a lithium ion battery, may be coupled to the handle 2212 to power the control circuit board assembly 2220 and ultimately the motor 2216.

  In certain situations, and still referring to FIG. 50, an electric motor 2216 may be mounted in mesh with a set of drive teeth 2224 of a longitudinally movable drive member 2226, ie, a rack, gear reduction. A rotating shaft (not shown), which may be operatively interfaced with the machine assembly 2222, may be included. In use, the voltage polarity provided by the battery 2218 allows the electric motor 2216 to operate clockwise, and the voltage polarity applied to the electric motor by the battery 2218 to operate the electric motor 2216 counterclockwise. Can be reversed. When the electric motor 2216 is rotated in one direction, the drive member 2226 is driven axially, for example, in the distal direction "D", and when the motor 2216 is driven in the opposite rotation direction, the drive member 2226 is shown in FIG. Driven in an axial direction, for example, in the proximal direction "P". Handle 2212 can include a switch that can be configured to reverse the polarity applied to electric motor 2216 by battery 2218. As with the other configurations described herein, handle 2212 may also include a sensor configured to detect the position of drive member 2226 and / or the direction in which drive member 2226 is being moved. Can be.

  As described above, in at least one form, the longitudinally movable drive member 2226 may include a rack of drive teeth 2224 formed thereon for meshing engagement with the gear reducer assembly 2222. In certain situations, as shown in FIG. 50, the surgical instrument 2200 may cause the motor 2216 to malfunction during operation of the surgical instrument 2200, causing the tissue captured by the end effector 2208 to become immobile. A manually actuated “escape” can be configured to allow the clinician to manually retract the longitudinally movable drive member 2226 when an escape error is detected, such as when there is a An assembly 2228.

  In addition to the above, as shown in FIG. 50, the escape assembly 2228 includes a lever or escape handle 2230 configured to be manually moved or pivoted into ratchet engagement with the teeth 2224 of the drive member 2226. May be included. In such a situation, the clinician may manually retract the drive member 2226 by ratcheting the drive member 2226, for example, in the proximal direction "P" using the escape handle 2230, for example, to remove captured tissue. It can be released from the end effector 2208. An exemplary escape configuration, as well as other components, configurations, and systems that may be used with the various instruments disclosed herein, are described in U.S. Patent Application No. 12 / 249,117, entitled "POWERED SURGICAL CUTTING AND STAPLING." APPARATUS WITH MANUALLY RETRACTABLE FIRING SYSTEM, current US Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0089970, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

  In addition to the foregoing, and now referring primarily to FIGS. 48 and 50, the escape handle 2230 of the escape assembly 2228 may reside within the housing 2210 of the handle assembly 2202. In certain situations, access to the escape handle 2230 can be controlled by the escape door 2232. Exit door 2232 may be releasably locked to housing 2210 to control access to exit handle 2230. As shown in FIG. 48, the exit door 2232 may include, for example, a locking mechanism such as a snap lock mechanism 2234 that locks with the housing 2210. Other locking mechanisms for locking the exit door 2232 to the housing 2210 are contemplated by the present disclosure. In use, the clinician may gain access to escape handle 2230 by unlocking lock mechanism 2234 and opening escape door 2232. In at least one example, the exit door 2232 can be separately coupled to the housing 2232, for example, and can be separate from the housing 2210 to provide access to the exit handle 2230. In another example, exit door 2232 can be pivotally connected to housing 2210 via a hinge (not shown), for example, pivoted relative to housing 2210 to provide access to exit handle 2230. Can be provided. In yet another example, exit door 2232 can be a sliding door, which can be slidably movable with respect to housing 2210 to provide access to exit handle 2230.

  Referring now to FIG. 51, the surgical instrument 2200 may guide the clinician and / or provide feedback to the clinician through various steps utilizing the escape assembly 2228, as described in further detail below. May include an escape feedback system 2236, which may be configured as In certain examples, escape feedback system 2236 may include microcontroller 2238 and / or one or more escape feedback elements. Escape feedback system 2236 and / or electrical and electronic circuit elements associated with the escape feedback element may be supported, for example, by control circuit board assembly 2220. Microcontroller 2238 may generally include a memory 2240 and a microprocessor 2242 (“processor”) operatively coupled to memory 2240. Processor 2242 may control the circuitry of motor driver 2244, which is commonly used to control the position and speed of motor 2216. In certain examples, processor 2242 may send a signal to motor driver 2244 to stop and / or disable motor 2216, as described in further detail below. In certain examples, processor 2242 may include a motor override switch that can stop and / or disable motor 2216 during operation of surgical instrument 2200 in response to an override signal from processor 2242. , A separate motor override circuit may be controlled. The term processor, as used herein, refers to the functions of any suitable microprocessor, microcontroller, or computer central processing unit (CPU) on one integrated circuit, or on up to several integrated circuits. It should be understood that other basic computing devices are incorporated into the device. A processor is a versatile programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and provides the result as an output. Sequential digital logic is one example, because it has internal memory. Processors operate on numbers and symbols represented in a binary system.

  In one example, processor 2242 may be any single-core or multi-core processor, such as the one known under the trade name ARM Cortex by Texas Instruments. In one example, the surgical instrument 2200 is a secure microcontroller platform that includes two microcontroller-based systems, for example, TMS570 and RM4x, also known under the trade name Hercules ARM Cortex R4 by Texas Instruments. A processor may be provided. Nevertheless, other suitable substitutes for microcontrollers and safety processors may be used without limitation. In one example, the safety processor 1004 is specifically designed for IEC 61508 and ISO 26262 safety critical applications to provide highly integrated safety features while providing scalable performance, connectivity, and memory options. It may be configured in a typical manner.

  In certain situations, microcontroller 2238 may be, for example, an LM 4F230H5QR available from Texas Instruments. In at least one example, Texas Instruments' LM4F230H5QR includes on-chip memory 2240 of up to 40 MHz, 256 KB of single cycle flash memory or other non-volatile memory, among other features readily available from product data sheets; Prefetch buffer to improve performance above 40 MHz, 32 KB single cycle serial random access memory (SRAM), internal read only memory (ROM) with StellarisWare® software, and 2 KB electrical erase Possible programmable read only memory (EEPROM), one or more pulse width modulation (PWM) modules, one or more quadrature encoder input (QEI) analogs, and 12 Comprising one or more 12-bit analog-to-digital converter with a grayed input channels and (ADC), an ARM Cortex-M4F processor core. Other microcontrollers may be readily substituted for use with escape feedback system 2236. Therefore, the present disclosure should not be limited to this context.

  Referring again to FIG. 51, the exit feedback system 2236 may include, for example, an exit door feedback element 2246. In certain examples, exit door feedback element 2246 can be configured to alert processor 2242 that locking mechanism 2234 is unlocked. In at least one example, escape door feedback element 2246 may include a switch circuit (not shown) operatively coupled to processor 2242, such as when lock mechanism 2234 is unlocked by a clinician. May be configured to transition to an open configuration and / or to a closed configuration when locking mechanism 2234 is locked by a clinician. In at least one example, escape door feedback element 2246 may include at least one sensor (not shown) operably coupled to processor 2242, such as, for example, when locking mechanism 2234 is unlocked by a clinician. And / or may be configured to be triggered upon transition to a locked configuration. The reader will appreciate that exit door feedback element 2246 may include other means of detecting locking and / or unlocking of locking mechanism 2234 by a clinician.

  In a particular example, exit door feedback element 2246 may include a switch circuit (not shown) operatively coupled to processor 2242, which opens, for example, when exit door 2232 is removed or opened. Configuration and / or may be configured to transition to a closed configuration upon exit door 2232 being installed or closed, for example. In at least one example, the exit door feedback element 2246 may include at least one sensor (not shown) operably coupled to the processor 2242, for example, the exit door 2232 is removed or opened. And / or may be configured to be triggered, for example, when exit door 2232 is closed or installed. The reader recognizes that exit door feedback element 2246 may include clinician locking and / or unlocking locking mechanism 2234 and / or other means of detecting opening and / or closing of exit door 2232. Will do.

  In certain examples, as shown in FIG. 51, escape feedback system 2236 may include one or more additional switch circuits and / or sensors that may be in operative communication with processor 2242. And additional switch circuits and / or sensors may be used by processor 2242 to measure other parameters associated with escape feedback system 2236. In certain examples, escape feedback system 2236 may include one or more interfaces that may include one or more devices that provide sensory feedback to a user. For example, such a device may include a visual feedback device, such as a display screen and / or LED indicators. In certain instances, such devices may include audio feedback devices, such as, for example, speakers and / or buzzers. In certain instances, such devices may include a haptic feedback device, such as a haptic actuator. In certain examples, such a device may comprise a combination of a visual feedback device, an audio feedback device, and / or a haptic feedback device. In certain situations, as shown in FIG. 48, one or more interfaces may include a display 2250, which may be included in, for example, handle assembly 2202. In certain examples, processor 2242 alerts, guides, and / or provides feedback to a user of surgical instrument 2200 regarding performing manual escape of surgical instrument 2200 using escape assembly 2228. Therefore, the display 2250 may be used.

  In certain examples, escape feedback system 2236 may include one or more embedded applications implemented as firmware, software, hardware, or any combination thereof. In certain examples, escape feedback system 2236 may include various executable modules, such as, for example, software, programs, data, drivers, and / or application program interfaces (APIs). FIG. 52 illustrates an example module 2252 that may be stored in memory 2240, for example. The module 2252 may include a processor for alerting, guiding, and / or providing feedback to a user of the surgical instrument 2200 with respect to performing manual escape of the surgical instrument 2200 using the escape assembly 2228. 2242.

  As shown in FIG. 52, module 2252 is executed by processor 2242 to provide instructions to a user on how to access and / or use escape assembly 2228, for example, to perform manual escape of surgical instrument 2200. May be done. In various examples, module 2252 may include one or more decision-making steps, such as, for example, decision-making step 2254 for detecting one or more errors requiring manual escape of surgical instrument 2200. Good.

  In various examples, processor 2242 may be configured to detect an escape error, for example, in response to one or more intervening events occurring during normal operation of surgical instrument 2200. Good. In a particular example, the processor 2242 may be configured to detect an escape error when one or more escape error signals are received by the processor 2242, wherein the escape error signal may include, for example, a surgical error signal. Other processors and / or sensors of the instrument 2200 can communicate to the processor 2242. In certain examples, an escape error may be detected by processor 2242, for example, when the temperature of surgical instrument 2200 detected by a sensor (not shown) exceeds a threshold. In certain examples, surgical instrument 2200 may include a positioning system (not shown) that senses and records the position of longitudinally movable drive member 2226 during the firing stroke of firing drive system 2214. In at least one example, processor 2242 may detect an exit error when, for example, one or more of the recorded positions of longitudinally movable drive member 2226 does not match a predetermined threshold. Can be configured.

  In any case, referring again to FIG. 52, when processor 2242 detects an exit error at decision step 2254, processor 2242 may respond, for example, by stopping and / or disabling motor 2216. . In addition, in certain examples, processor 2242 may also store in memory 2240 the escaped state following detection of an escape error, as shown in FIG. In other words, the processor 2242 may store a state indicating that the escape error has been detected in the memory 2240. As described above, memory 2240 may be a non-volatile memory that may store a stored state that an escape error has been detected, for example, when surgical instrument 2200 is reset by a user. .

  In various examples, the motor 2216 can be stopped and / or disabled, for example, by disconnecting the battery 2218 from the motor 2216. In various examples, processor 2242 may use driver 2244 to stop and / or disable motor 2216. In a particular example, if a motor override circuit is utilized, the processor 2242 may use the motor override circuit to stop and / or disable the motor 2216. In certain instances, stopping and / or disabling motor 2216 may prevent a user of surgical instrument 2200 from using motor 2216, for example, at least until a manual escape occurs. Stopping and / or disabling the motor 2216 in response to detecting a prolapse error may be advantageous for protecting tissue captured by the surgical instrument 2200.

  In addition to the above, still referring to FIG. 52, the module 2252 may include a decision step 2256 to detect whether the exit door 2232 has been removed. As described above, the processor 2242 can be operatively coupled to an exit door feedback element 2246, which can be configured to alert the processor 2242 as to whether the exit door 2232 has been removed. In a specific example, the processor 2242 can be programmed to detect that the exit door 2232 has been removed, for example, when the exit door feedback element 2246 reports that the locking mechanism 2234 has been unlocked. In a specific example, the processor 2242 can be programmed to detect that the exit door 2232 has been removed, for example, when the exit door feedback element 2246 reports that the exit door 2232 has been opened. In a particular example, the processor 2242 may detect that the exit door 2232 has been removed, for example, when the exit door feedback element 2246 reports that the lock mechanism 2234 has been unlocked and the exit door 2232 has been opened. Can be programmed.

  In various examples, still referring to FIG. 52, if processor 2242 did not detect an exit error at decision step 2254 and did not detect that exit door 2232 was removed at decision step 2256, the processor The 2242 may not interrupt normal operation of the surgical instrument 2200 and may proceed with various clinical algorithms. In certain examples, if processor 2242 does not detect an exit error at decision step 2254, but detects that exit door 2232 has been removed at decision step 2256, then processor 2242 may operate motor 2216 as described above. May be stopped and / or disabled. In addition, in certain instances, processor 2242 may also provide instructions to the user to reinstall exit door 2232, as described in further detail below. In a specific example, if the processor 2242 detects that the escape door 2232 has been reinstalled, but has not detected an escape error, it reconnects power to the motor 2216 and allows the user to connect as shown in FIG. The processor 2242 can be configured to continue the various clinical algorithms.

  In a particular example, if the user does not reinstall exit door 2232, processor 2242 may not reconnect power to motor 2216 and may continue to provide the user with instructions to reinstall exit door 2232. . In a particular example, if the user does not reinstall the exit door 2232, the processor 2242 provides the user with notice that the exit door 2232 needs to be reinstalled in order to continue normal operation of the surgical instrument 2200. May be. In certain examples, the surgical instrument 2200 may be equipped with an override mechanism (not shown) to allow a user to reconnect power to the motor 2216 even when the escape door 2216 is not installed. Good.

  In various examples, processor 2242 may be configured to provide sensory feedback to a user when processor 2242 detects that exit door 2232 has been removed. In various examples, processor 2242 may be configured to provide sensory feedback to a user when processor 2242 detects that exit door 2232 has been reinstalled. Processor 2242 can provide sensory feedback to a user using a variety of devices. For example, such a device may include a visual feedback device, such as a display screen and / or LED indicators. In certain instances, such devices may include audio feedback devices, such as, for example, speakers and / or buzzers. In certain instances, such devices may include a haptic feedback device, such as a haptic actuator. In certain examples, such a device may comprise a combination of a visual feedback device, an audio feedback device, and / or a haptic feedback device. In certain examples, processor 2242 may use display 2250 to instruct the user to reinstall exit door 2232. For example, the processor 2242 may present a warning symbol next to the image of the escape door 2232 to the user, for example, through the display 2250. In certain examples, processor 2242 may present, for example, an animated image where escape door 2232 is installed. Other images, symbols, and / or words may be displayed through the display 2250 to alert the user of the surgical instrument 2200 to reinstall the escape door 2232.

  Referring again to FIG. 52, when an escape error is detected, the processor 2242 may signal the user of the surgical instrument 2200 to perform a manual escape using the escape handle 2230. In various examples, processor 2242 may signal a user to perform a manual exit, for example, by providing visual, audio, and / or tactile feedback to the user. In a particular example, as shown in FIG. 52, the processor 2242 can signal the user of the surgical instrument 2200 to perform a manual escape by flashing the backlight of the display 2250. In any case, processor 2242 may then provide instructions to the user to perform a manual exit. In various examples, as shown in FIG. 52, the instruction may depend on whether an escape door 2232 is installed and the decision making step 2258 determines the type of instruction provided to the user. May be. In certain examples, when processor 2242 detects that escape door 2232 is installed, processor 2242 may provide a user with, for example, instructions to remove escape door 2232 and operate escape handle 2230. Good. However, if the processor 2242 detects that the escape door 2232 has been removed, the processor 2242 may, for example, provide the user with an instruction to operate the escape handle 2230 but not provide an instruction to remove the escape door 2232. Is also good.

  Referring again to FIG. 52, in various examples, the instructions provided to the user by the processor 2242 to remove the escape door 2232 and / or operate the escape handle 2230 include one or more instructions. And the steps may be presented to the user in chronological order. In certain examples, steps may include actions performed by a user. In such an example, the user may proceed through the entire manual exit step by performing the action presented at each of the steps. In certain examples, the actions required in one or more of the steps can be presented to the user, for example, in the form of an animated image displayed on display 2250. In certain examples, one or more of the steps may be presented to the user as a message that may include words, symbols, and / or images that guide the user to manual escape. In certain examples, one or more of the steps of performing a manual exit can be combined with, for example, one or more messages. In certain instances, for example, each message may include a separate step.

  In certain examples, the steps and / or messages providing instructions for manual exit are presented to the user at predetermined time intervals, for example, to provide the user with sufficient time to respond to the presented steps and / or messages. can do. In certain examples, processor 2242 may be programmed to continue presenting steps and / or messages until feedback that a step has been performed is received by processor 2242. In certain examples, feedback can be provided to processor 2242 by, for example, exit door feedback element 2246. Other mechanisms and / or sensors may be used by processor 2242 to obtain feedback that a step has been completed. In at least one example, a user can be instructed to alert processor 2242 when a step is completed, for example, by pressing an alert button. In certain examples, display 2250 may include a capacitive screen that may provide an interface to a user to alert processor 2242 when a step is completed. For example, the user may press the capacitive screen to complete the current step and move on to the next step of the manual exit instruction.

  In a specific example, as shown in FIG. 52, after detecting that the escape door 2232 is installed, the processor 2242 uses the display 2250 to draw a hand moving toward the escape door 2232. It can be configured to present an animated image 2260. Processor 2242 may, for example, continue to display animated image 2260 for a time interval sufficient for the user to engage escape door 2232. In certain examples, processor 2242 may then replace animated image 2260 with, for example, animated image 2262 depicting a finger engaging escape door lock mechanism 2234. Processor 2242 may, for example, continue to display animated image 2262 for a time interval sufficient for the user to unlock locking mechanism 2234. In certain examples, processor 2242 may continue to display animated image 2262, for example, until exit door feedback element 2246 reports that locking mechanism 2234 has been unlocked. In certain examples, processor 2242 may continue to display animated image 2262 until the user alerts processor 2242 that the step of unlocking locking mechanism 2234 has been completed.

  In either case, processor 2242 may then replace animation image 2262 with, for example, animation image 2264 depicting a finger removing escape door 2232. Processor 2242 may, for example, continue to display animated image 2264 for a time interval sufficient for the user to remove escape door 2232. In certain examples, processor 2242 may continue to display animated image 2264, for example, until exit door feedback element 2246 reports that exit door 2232 has been removed. In certain examples, processor 2242 may continue to display animated image 2264, for example, until a user alerts processor 2242 that the step of removing escape door 2232 has been removed. In particular examples, processor 2242 continues to repeatedly display animation images 2260, 2262, and 2246 in that order, for example, when processor 2242 continues to detect that an escape door has been installed at decision step 2258. It can be configured as follows.

  In addition to the above, after detecting that the escape door 2232 has been removed, the processor 2242 may guide the user to operate the escape handle 2230. In certain examples, processor 2242 may replace animated image 2264 with, for example, animated image 2266 that lifts escape handle 2230 and draws a finger that ratchets into teeth 2224 of drive member 2226, as described above. Good. The processor 2242 may, for example, continue to display the animated image 2266 for a time interval sufficient for the user to lift the escape handle 2230. In certain examples, processor 2242 may continue to display animated image 2266 until the processor receives feedback that escape handle 2230 has been raised. For example, processor 2242 may continue to display animated image 2266 until the user alerts processor 2242 that the step of lifting escape handle 2230 has been removed.

  In certain examples, as described above, the user manually retracts the drive member 2226 by ratcheting the drive member 2226, for example, in the proximal direction "P" using the escape handle 2230, e.g., The tissue captured by the end effector 2208 can be released. In such an example, processor 2242 may replace animated image 2266 with, for example, animated image 2268 that repeatedly pulls and then pushes escape handle 2230 to draw a finger simulating ratcheting of escape handle 2230. Good. Processor 2242 may, for example, continue to display animated image 2268 for a time interval sufficient for the user to ratchet drive member 2226 to a default position. In certain examples, processor 2242 may continue to display animated image 2268 until processor 2242 receives feedback that drive member 2226 has been retracted.

  FIG. 53 shows a module 2270 that is similar in many respects to module 2258. For example, module 2252 may also store in memory 2240 regarding performing manual escape of surgical instrument 2200, for example, to alert, guide, and / or provide feedback to a user of surgical instrument 2200. And / or by the processor 2242. In certain instances, surgical instrument 2200 may not include an exit door. In such a situation, module 2270 may be used by processor 2242 to provide instructions to a user regarding, for example, how to operate escape handle 2230.

  Referring also to module 2270, also shown in FIG. 53, if processor 2242 did not detect an escape error in decision step 2254 of module 2270, processor 2242 may not interrupt normal operation of surgical instrument 2200. And various clinical algorithms may proceed. However, if processor 2242 detects an exit error at decision step 2254 of module 2270, processor 2242 may react, for example, by stopping and / or disabling motor 2216. In addition, in certain examples, processor 2242 may also store the exited state after detection of the exit error in memory 2240, as shown in FIG. If there is no escape door, processor 2242 may signal the user of surgical instrument 2200 to perform a manual escape, for example, by flashing the backlight of display 2250, and processor 2242 then proceeds to As described above, the user may proceed directly to provide a command to operate the escape handle 2230 to the user.

  The reader will recognize that the steps shown in FIGS. 52 and / or 53 are illustrative of the instructions that can be provided to a user of surgical instrument 2200 to perform a manual escape. Modules 2252 and / or 2270 may be configured to provide more or fewer steps than shown in FIGS. 52 and 53. The reader will also appreciate that modules 2252 and / or 2270 are exemplary modules, but various other modules are executed by processor 2242 to provide a user of surgical instrument 2200 with instructions to perform a manual escape. can do.

  In various examples, as described above, the processor 2242 can be configured to present a step and / or a message to the user of the surgical instrument 2200 to perform a manual exit at predetermined time intervals. Such time intervals may be the same, or may vary, for example, depending on the complexity of the task performed by the user. In a particular example, such a time interval can be any time interval ranging, for example, from about 1 second, for example, to about 10 minutes. In a particular example, such a time interval can be any time interval, for example, from about 1 second to about 1 minute, for example. Other time intervals are contemplated by the present disclosure.

  In some examples, a power supply assembly, such as, for example, power supply assembly 2006 shown in FIGS. It is configured. Power supply assembly 2006 maintains a utilization cycle count corresponding to the number of uses. Power supply assembly 2006 and / or surgical instrument 2000 perform one or more operations based on the utilization cycle count. For example, in some examples, if the usage cycle count exceeds a predetermined usage limit, power supply assembly 2006 and / or surgical instrument 2000 disables power supply assembly 2006, disables surgical instrument 2000, and re-enables. An adjustment and / or service cycle may be indicated, a usage cycle count may be provided to an operator and / or a remote system, and / or any other suitable action may be taken. The utilization cycle count is determined by any suitable system, such as, for example, a mechanical limiter, a utilization cycle circuit, and / or any other suitable system coupled to the battery 2006 and / or the surgical instrument 2000.

  FIG. 54 illustrates an example of a power supply assembly 2400 that includes a utilization cycle circuit 2402 configured to monitor a utilization cycle count of the power supply assembly 2400. Power supply assembly 2400 may be coupled to surgical instrument 2410. The use cycle circuit 2402 includes a processor 2404 and a use indicator 2406. Usage indicator 2406 is configured to provide a signal to processor 2404 indicating use of battery back 2400 and / or surgical instrument 2410 coupled to power supply assembly 2400. “Use” includes, for example, changing the modular components of the surgical instrument 2410, deploying or firing a disposable component coupled to the surgical instrument 2410, delivering electrosurgical energy from the surgical instrument 2410. Re-adjusting surgical instrument 2410 and / or power supply assembly 2400, replacing power supply assembly 2400, charging power supply assembly 2400, and / or safety margin of surgical instrument 2410 and / or battery back 2400. May be included, including any suitable operations, conditions, and / or parameters.

  In some examples, the utilization cycle, or usage, is defined by one or more parameters of the power supply assembly 2400. For example, in one example, the utilization cycle includes using more than 5% of the total energy available from power supply assembly 2400 when power supply assembly 2400 is at a full charge level. In another example, the utilization cycle includes a continuous energy drain from power supply assembly 2400 that exceeds a predetermined time limit. For example, a utilization cycle may correspond to a continuous and / or total energy withdrawal from power supply assembly 2400 for five minutes. In some examples, power supply assembly 2400 is a continuous power draw that maintains one or more components of utilization cycle circuit 2402, such as, for example, active usage indicator 2406 and / or counter 2408. Is provided.

  Processor 2404 maintains a utilization cycle count. The utilization cycle count indicates the number of uses detected by the use indicator 2406 for the power supply assembly 2400 and / or the surgical instrument 2410. Processor 2404 may increment and / or decrement the usage cycle count based on input from usage indicator 2406. The utilization cycle count is used to control the operation of one or more of power supply assembly 2400 and / or surgical instrument 2410. For example, in some examples, if the utilization cycle count exceeds a predetermined utilization limit, power supply assembly 2400 is disabled. Although the example discussed herein discusses incrementing the usage cycle count above a predetermined usage limit, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the usage cycle count may start at a predetermined amount and the processor It will be appreciated that it may be decremented by 2404. In this example, processor 2404 initiates and / or prevents one or more operations of power supply assembly 2400 when the utilization cycle count falls below a predetermined utilization limit.

  The utilization cycle count is maintained by a counter 2408. Counter 2408 comprises any suitable circuit, such as, for example, a memory module, an analog counter, and / or any circuit configured to maintain a utilization cycle count. In some examples, counter 2408 is formed integrally with processor 2404. In another example, counter 2408 comprises a separate component, such as a solid state memory module. In some examples, the usage cycle count is provided to a remote system, for example, a centralized database. The utilization cycle count is transmitted by communication module 2412 to the remote system. Communication module 2412 is configured to use any suitable communication medium, such as, for example, wired and / or wireless communication. In some examples, communication module 2412 is configured to receive one or more instructions from a remote system, such as, for example, a control signal when a usage cycle count exceeds a predetermined usage limit. .

  In some examples, usage indicator 2406 is configured to monitor the number of modular components for use with surgical instrument 2410 coupled to power supply assembly 2400. Modular components may include, for example, modular shafts, modular end effectors, and / or any other modular components. In some examples, the usage indicator 2406 monitors the use of one or more disposable components, such as, for example, inserting and / or deploying a staple cartridge into an end effector coupled to a surgical instrument 2410. I do. Usage indicator 2406 comprises one or more sensors that detect the replacement of one or more modular and / or disposable components of surgical instrument 2410.

  In some examples, usage indicator 2406 is configured to monitor a single patient surgical procedure performed with power supply assembly 2400 installed. For example, the usage indicator 2406 may be configured to monitor firing of the surgical instrument 2410 while the power supply assembly 2400 is connected to the surgical instrument 2410. The firing may correspond to deployment of a staple cartridge, application of electrosurgical energy, and / or any other suitable surgical event. Usage indicator 2406 may include one or more circuits that measure the number of firings while power supply assembly 2400 is installed. Usage indicator 2406 provides a signal to processor 2404 when a single patient procedure has been performed, and processor 2404 increments the usage cycle count.

  In some examples, usage indicator 2406 comprises a circuit configured to monitor one or more parameters of power supply 2414, such as, for example, drawing current from power supply 2414. One or more parameters of power supply 2414 correspond to one or more operations that can be performed by surgical instrument 2410, such as, for example, a cutting and sealing operation. The usage indicator 2406 provides one or more parameters to the processor 2404 so that the usage cycle count is incremented when the one or more parameters indicate that a treatment has been taken.

  In some examples, usage indicator 2406 comprises a timing circuit configured to increment a usage cycle count after a predetermined period. The predetermined period corresponds to, for example, a single patient procedure time, which is the time required for an operator to perform a cutting and sealing procedure. When power supply assembly 2400 is coupled to surgical instrument 2410, processor 2404 polls usage indicator 2406 to determine when a single patient treatment time has elapsed. After a predetermined period of time, processor 2404 increments the utilization cycle count. After incrementing the usage cycle count, processor 2404 resets the timing circuit of usage indicator 2406.

  In some examples, usage indicator 2406 includes a time constant that approximates a single patient treatment time. FIG. 55 illustrates one example of a power supply assembly 2500 including a utilization cycle circuit 2502 having a resistive capacitance (RC) timing circuit 2506. RC timing circuit 2506 includes a time constant defined by a resistance-capacitance pair. The time constant is defined by the value of resistor 2516 and capacitor 2518. When power supply assembly 2500 is installed on a surgical instrument, processor 2504 polls RC timing circuit 2506. If one or more parameters of the RC timing circuit 2506 are below a predetermined threshold, the processor 2504 increments the utilization cycle count. For example, the processor 2504 may poll the resistance capacitance versus the voltage of the capacitor 2518 of the 2506. If the voltage on capacitor 2518 falls below a predetermined threshold, processor 2504 increments the utilization cycle count. Processor 2504 may be coupled to RC timing circuit 2506, for example, by A / D 2520. After incrementing the utilization cycle count, processor 2504 turns on transistor 2522, connects RC timing circuit 2506 to power supply 2514, and charges capacitor 2518 of RC timing circuit 2506. When the capacitor 2518 is fully charged, the transistor 2522 is opened, allowing the RC timing circuit 2506 to discharge, as determined by the time constant, indicating a subsequent single patient procedure.

  FIG. 56 shows an example of a power supply assembly 2550 comprising a use cycle circuit 2552 having a rechargeable battery 2564 and a clock 2560. When power supply assembly 2550 is installed on the surgical instrument, rechargeable battery 2564 is charged by power supply 2558. Rechargeable battery 2564 includes sufficient power to run clock 2560 for at least a single patient procedure time. Clock 2560 may include a real-time clock, a processor configured to implement a time function, or any other suitable timing circuit. Processor 2554 receives the signal from clock 2560 and increments the utilization cycle count when clock 2560 indicates that a single patient treatment time has been exceeded. Processor 2554 resets clock 2560 after incrementing the utilization cycle count. For example, in one example, the processor 2554 closes the transistor 2562 and recharges the rechargeable battery 2564. When rechargeable battery 2564 is fully charged, processor 2554 opens transistor 2562, allowing clock 2560 to run while rechargeable battery 2564 is discharging.

  Referring again to FIG. 54, in some examples, the usage indicator 2406 comprises a sensor configured to monitor one or more environmental conditions experienced by the power supply assembly 2400. For example, usage indicator 2406 may include an accelerometer. The accelerometer is configured to monitor acceleration of power supply assembly 2400. Power supply assembly 2400 includes a maximum allowable acceleration. An acceleration above a predetermined threshold indicates, for example, that the power supply assembly 2400 has a voltage drop. When the usage indicator 2406 detects an acceleration above the maximum allowable acceleration, the processor 2404 increments the usage cycle count. In some examples, usage indicator 2406 comprises a moisture sensor. The moisture sensor is configured to indicate when the power supply assembly 2400 is exposed to moisture. The moisture sensor is, for example, an immersion sensor configured to indicate when the power supply assembly 2400 is completely immersed in the cleaning fluid, indicating when moisture is in contact with the power supply assembly 2400 during use. And / or any other suitable moisture sensor.

  In some examples, usage indicator 2406 includes a chemical exposure sensor. The chemical exposure sensor is configured to indicate when the power supply assembly 2400 is in contact with a harmful and / or hazardous chemical. For example, during a sterilization procedure, inappropriate chemicals may be used that lead to the degradation of the power supply assembly 2400. Processor 2404 increments the usage cycle count when usage indicator 2406 detects an inappropriate chemical.

  In some examples, utilization cycle circuit 2402 is configured to monitor the number of recondition cycles experienced by power supply assembly 2400. A readjustment cycle may include, for example, a wash cycle, a sterilization cycle, a charge cycle, periodic and / or preventative maintenance, and / or any other suitable readjustment cycle. Usage indicator 2406 is configured to detect a readjustment cycle. For example, usage indicator 2406 may include a moisture sensor that detects a wash and / or sterilization cycle. In some examples, utilization cycle circuit 2402 monitors the number of reconditioning cycles experienced by power supply assembly 2400 and disables power supply assembly 2400 after the number of reconditioning cycles exceeds a predetermined threshold.

  Utilization cycle circuit 2402 may be configured to monitor the number of times power supply assembly 2400 has been replaced. The utilization cycle circuit 2402 increments the utilization cycle count each time the power supply assembly 2400 is replaced. When the maximum number of replacements is exceeded, the utilization cycle circuit 2402 locks out the power supply assembly 2400 and / or the surgical instrument 2410. In some examples, when power supply assembly 2400 is coupled to surgical instrument 2410, utilization cycle circuit 2402 identifies the serial number of power supply assembly 2400 and power supply assembly 2400 can be used with surgical instrument 2410 only. As such, the power supply assembly 2400 is locked. In some examples, the usage cycle circuit 2402 increments the usage cycle each time the power supply assembly 2400 is removed from the surgical instrument 2410 and / or each time it is connected to the surgical instrument 2410.

  In some examples, the utilization cycle count corresponds to sterilization of power supply assembly 2400. Usage indicator 2406 comprises a sensor configured to detect one or more parameters of the sterilization cycle, such as, for example, a temperature parameter, a chemical parameter, a moisture parameter, and / or any other suitable parameter. . Processor 2404 increments the utilization cycle count when a sterilization parameter is detected. The utilization cycle circuit 2402 disables the power supply assembly 2400 after a predetermined number of sterilizations. In some examples, during the sterilization cycle, the utilization cycle circuit 2402, the voltage sensor that detects the charging cycle, and / or any suitable sensors are reset. Processor 2404 increments the utilization cycle count when a readjustment cycle is detected. The utilization cycle circuit 2402 is disabled when a sterilization cycle is detected. Utilization cycle circuit 2402 is restarted and / or reset when power supply assembly 2400 is coupled to surgical instrument 2410. In some examples, the usage indicators include a zero power indicator. The zero power indicator changes state during the sterilization cycle and is checked by the processor 2404 when the power supply assembly 2400 is connected to the surgical instrument 2410. When the zero power indicator indicates that a sterilization cycle is occurring, processor 2404 increments the utilization cycle count.

  Counter 2408 maintains a utilization cycle count. In some examples, counter 2408 includes a non-volatile memory module. Processor 2404 increments the usage cycle count stored in the non-volatile memory module each time a usage cycle is detected. The memory module may be accessed by the processor 2404 and / or the control circuit, such as the control circuit 1100, for example. If the utilization cycle count exceeds a predetermined threshold, the processor 2404 disables the power supply assembly 2400. In some examples, the utilization cycle count is maintained by a plurality of circuit components. For example, in one example, counter 2408 comprises a resistor (or fuse) pack. After each use of the power supply assembly 2400, the resistor (or fuse) burns into the open position and the resistance of the resistor pack changes. Power supply assembly 2400 and / or surgical instrument 2410 reads the remaining resistance. When the last resistor in the resistor pack burns out, the resistor pack has a predetermined resistance, such as an infinite resistance corresponding to an open circuit, indicating that the power supply assembly 2400 has reached its utilization limit. In some examples, the resistance of the resistor pack is used to derive the remaining number of uses.

  In some examples, utilization cycle circuit 2402 prevents further use of power supply assembly 2400 and / or surgical instrument 2410 when the utilization cycle count exceeds a predetermined utilization limit. In one example, utilization cycle counts associated with power supply assembly 2400 are provided to an operator, for example, utilizing a screen formed integrally with surgical instrument 2410. The surgical instrument 2410 provides an indication to the operator that the utilization cycle count has exceeded a predetermined limit for the power supply assembly 2400 and prevents further operation of the surgical instrument 2410.

  In some examples, the utilization cycle circuit 2402 is configured to physically prevent operation when a predetermined utilization limit is reached. For example, power supply assembly 2400 may include a shield configured to deploy over the contacts of power supply assembly 2400 when the usage cycle count exceeds a predetermined usage limit. The shield prevents recharging and use of the power supply assembly 2400 by covering the electrical connections of the power supply assembly 2400.

  In some examples, the usage cycle circuit 2402 is at least partially disposed within the surgical instrument 2410 and is configured to maintain a usage cycle count for the surgical instrument 2410. FIG. 54 shows one or more components of the utilization cycle circuit 2402 within the surgical instrument 2410 in phantom lines, indicating an alternative positioning of the utilization cycle circuit 2402. When a predetermined utilization limit for the surgical instrument 2410 is exceeded, the utilization cycle circuit 2402 disables the surgical instrument 2410 and / or prevents its operation. The utilization cycle count is based on one or more motor parameters of the surgical instrument 2410 in response to system diagnostics indicating that one or more predetermined thresholds have been met. When the usage indicator 2406 detects a particular event and / or request, and / or any other suitable request, such as, for example, firing of the surgical instrument 2410, a predetermined time period corresponding to a single patient procedure time, and the like, Incremented by cycle circuit 2402. As described above, in some examples, the usage indicator 2406 comprises a timing circuit corresponding to a single patient treatment time. In other examples, usage indicator 2406 comprises one or more sensors configured to detect a particular event and / or condition of surgical instrument 2410.

  In some examples, utilization cycle circuit 2402 is configured to prevent operation of surgical instrument 2410 after a predetermined utilization limit has been reached. In some examples, the surgical instrument 2410 includes a visual indicator to indicate when a predetermined utilization limit has been reached and / or exceeded. For example, a flag, such as a red flag, may pop out of the surgical instrument 2410, such as from a handle, to provide a visual indication to the operator that the surgical instrument 2410 has exceeded a predetermined usage limit. Good. As another example, utilization cycle circuit 2402 may be coupled to a display integrally formed with surgical instrument 2410. The usage cycle circuit 2402 displays a message indicating that a predetermined usage limit has been exceeded. The surgical instrument 2410 may provide an audible indication to the operator that a predetermined usage limit has been exceeded. For example, in one example, the surgical instrument 2410 emits an audible sound if a predetermined usage limit is exceeded, and the power supply assembly 2400 is removed from the surgical instrument 2410. The audible tone indicates the last use of the surgical instrument 2410 and indicates that the surgical instrument 2410 should be discarded or reconditioned.

  In some examples, the usage cycle circuit 2402 is configured to transmit the usage cycle count of the surgical instrument 2410 to a remote location, such as a centralized database. Utilization cycle circuit 2402 includes a communication module 2412 configured to transmit a utilization cycle count to a remote location. Communication module 2412 may utilize any suitable communication system, such as, for example, a wired or wireless communication system. The remote location may include a centralized database configured to maintain usage information. In some examples, when power supply assembly 2400 is coupled to surgical instrument 2410, power supply assembly 2400 records the serial number of surgical instrument 2410. The serial number is transmitted to a centralized database when the power supply assembly 2400 is connected to the charger, for example. In some examples, the centralized database maintains a count corresponding to each use of the surgical instrument 2410. For example, a barcode associated with surgical instrument 2410 may be scanned each time surgical instrument 2410 is used. If the usage count exceeds a predetermined usage limit, the centralized database provides a signal to the surgical instrument 2410 indicating that the surgical instrument 2410 should be disposed of.

  The surgical instrument 2410 may be configured to lock and / or prevent operation of the surgical instrument 2410 when the usage cycle count exceeds a predetermined usage limit. In some examples, the surgical instrument 2410 includes a disposable instrument and is disposed of after the usage cycle count exceeds a predetermined usage limit. In another example, the surgical instrument 2410 includes a reusable surgical instrument that may be readjusted after the usage cycle count exceeds a predetermined usage limit. Surgical instrument 2410 initiates a reversible lockout after a predetermined utilization limit has been reached. The technician uses a dedicated technician key configured to reset the use cycle circuit 2402, for example, to readjust the surgical instrument 2410 and release the lockout.

  In some examples, the power supply assembly 2400 is simultaneously charged and sterilized prior to use. FIG. 57 illustrates an example of a combined sterilization and charging system 2600 configured to simultaneously charge and sterilize a battery 2602. The combined sterilization and charging system 2600 includes a sterilization chamber 2604. Battery 2602 is located within sterilization chamber 2604. In some examples, battery 2602 is coupled to a surgical instrument. The charging cable 2606 is mounted through the wall 2608 of the sterilization chamber 2604. Wall 2608 is sealed around charging cable 2606 to maintain a sterile environment within sterilization chamber 2604 during sterilization. The charging cable 2606 has a first end configured to couple to a power supply assembly 2602 in the sterilization chamber 2604 and a second end coupled to a battery charger 2610 located outside the sterilization chamber 2604. Is provided. Since the charging cable 2606 passes through the wall 2608 of the sterilization chamber 2604 while maintaining the sterilization environment in the sterilization chamber 2604, the power supply assembly 2602 may be charged and sterilized simultaneously.

The charging profile applied by the battery charger 2610 is configured to match the sterilization cycle of the sterilization chamber 2604. For example, in one example, the sterilization procedure time is about 28-38 minutes. Battery charger 2610 is configured to provide a charging profile that charges the battery during the sterilization procedure time. In some examples, the charging profile may extend over a cooling period following the sterilization procedure. The charging profile may be adjusted by battery charger 2610 based on feedback from power supply assembly 2602 and / or sterilization chamber 2604. For example, in one example, sensor 2612 is located within sterilization chamber 2604. Sensor 2612 may include one or more characteristics of sterilization chamber 2604, such as, for example, chemicals present in sterilization chamber 2604, temperature of sterilization chamber 2604, and / or any other suitable characteristics of sterilization chamber 2604. Is configured to monitor. Sensor 2612 is connected to battery charger 2610 by cable 2614 extending through wall 2608 of sterilization chamber 2604. Cable 2614 is sealed so that sterilization chamber 2604 can maintain a sterile environment. Battery charger 2610 adjusts the charging profile based on feedback from sensor 2614. For example, in one example, battery charger 2610 receives temperature data from sensor 2612 and adjusts the charging profile when the temperature of sterilization chamber 2604 and / or power supply assembly 2602 exceeds a predetermined temperature. As another example, battery charger 2610 receives chemical composition information from sensor 2612 and prevents charging of power supply assembly 2602 as chemicals, such as, for example, H ₂ O ₂ , approach explosive limits.

  FIG. 58 shows an example of a combined sterilization and charging system 2650 configured for a power supply assembly 2652 with a battery charger 2660 integrally formed. An alternating current (AC) source 2666 is located outside the sterilization chamber 2654 and is connected to the battery charger 2660 by an AC cable 2656 mounted through the wall 2658 of the sterilization chamber 2654. Wall 2658 is sealed around AC cable 2656. Battery charger 2660 operates similarly to battery charger 2610 shown in FIG. In some examples, battery charger 2660 receives feedback from sensor 2662 located within sterilization chamber 2654 and coupled to battery charger 2660 by cable 2664.

  In various examples, a surgical system can include a magnet and a sensor. The magnet and sensor cooperate in combination to determine, for example, the presence of a fastener cartridge in the end effector of the surgical instrument, the type of fastener cartridge loaded in the end effector, and / or the type of fastener cartridge loaded. Detect various fastener cartridge conditions, such as firing state. Referring now to FIG. 62, the jaw 902 of the end effector 900 can include, for example, a magnet 910, and the fastener cartridge 920 can include, for example, a sensor 930. In various examples, a magnet 910 can be positioned at a distal end 906 of an elongate channel 904 sized and configured to receive a fastener cartridge 920. Further, sensor 930 can be at least partially embedded or retained at, for example, distal end 926 of nose 924 of fastener cartridge 920. In various examples, the sensors 924 can be in signal communication with a microcontroller of the surgical instrument.

  In various situations, the sensor 930 can detect the presence of the magnet 910 when the fastener cartridge 920 is positioned in the elongated channel 904 of the jaw 902. Sensor 930 can detect, for example, when fastener cartridge 920 is improperly positioned within elongate channel 904 and / or when it is not loaded into elongate channel 904, for example, a surgical The cartridge loading status can be communicated to the microcontroller of the application system. In certain examples, magnet 910 can be positioned, for example, in fastener cartridge 920 and sensor 930 can be positioned, for example, in end effector 900. In various examples, sensor 930 can detect the type of fastener cartridge 920 loaded in end effector 900. For example, different types of fastener cartridges can have different magnetic arrangements, for example, different arrangements, different polarities, and / or different magnetic strengths with respect to the cartridge body or other cartridge components. In such an example, sensor 930 detects the type of cartridge, eg, cartridge length, number of fasteners, and / or fastener height, positioned within jaw 902 based on the detected magnetic signal. be able to. Additionally or alternatively, sensor 930 can detect whether fastener cartridge 920 is properly housed in end effector 900. For example, the end effector 900 and the fastener cartridge 920 can include multiple magnets and / or multiple sensors, and in certain instances, the sensors can include fasteners based on, for example, the position of the multiple magnets relative to the sensor. Whether the cartridge 920 is properly positioned and / or aligned can be detected.

  Referring now to FIG. 63, in certain examples, the end effector 3000 can include multiple magnets and multiple sensors. For example, jaw 3002 can include a plurality of magnets 3010, 3012 positioned at its distal end 3006. Further, fastener cartridge 3020 can include a plurality of sensors 3030, 3032, for example, positioned at distal end 3026 of nose 3024. In certain examples, sensors 3030, 3032 can detect the presence of fastener cartridge 3020 in elongated channel 3004 of jaw 3002. In various examples, sensors 3030, 3032 can include, for example, Hall effect sensors. Various sensors are described in U.S. Patent No. 8,210,411, filed September 23, 2008, entitled "MOTOR-DRIVE SURGICAL CUTTING INSTRUMENT". U.S. Patent No. 8,210,411, filed September 23, 2008, entitled "MOTOR-DRIVEN SURGICAL CUTTING INSTRUMENT", is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The addition of one or more additional sensors provides a wider bandwidth signal that can, for example, provide more and / or improved information to a surgical instrument microcontroller. can do. Additionally or alternatively, additional sensors can determine, for example, whether the fastener cartridge 3020 is properly housed in the elongated channel of the jaw 3002.

  In various examples, the magnet can be positioned on a movable component of the fastener cartridge. For example, the magnet can be positioned on a component of the fastener cartridge that moves during the firing stroke. In such an example, a sensor in the end effector can detect the firing state of the fastener cartridge. For example, referring now to FIG. 64, a magnet 3130 can be positioned on a sled 3122 of a fastener cartridge 3120. Further, sensor 1110 can be positioned within jaw 3102 of end effector 3100. In various situations, the sled 3122 can translate during the firing stroke. Further, in certain instances, sled 3120 may remain at the distal end of fastener cartridge 3120 after the firing stroke. In other words, after the cartridge has been fired, the sled 3120 can remain at the distal end of the fastener cartridge 3120. Accordingly, the sensor 3110 can detect the position of the magnet 3130 and the corresponding sled 3120 to determine the firing state of the fastener cartridge 3120. For example, if sensor 3110 detects the proximal position of magnet 3130, for example, fastener cartridge 3120 may be unfired and ready to fire, and if sensor 3110 detects the distal position of magnet 3130, for example, , The fastener cartridge 3120 can be used. Referring now to FIG. 65, in various examples, the jaw 3202 of the end effector 3200 can include a plurality of sensors 3210, 3212. For example, the proximal sensor 3212 can be positioned at a proximal position of the jaw 3202, and the distal sensor 3210 can be positioned at a distal position of the jaw 3202, for example. In such an example, the sensors 3210, 3212 may detect the position of the sled 3122, for example, as the sled 3122 moves during the firing stroke. In various examples, sensors 3210, 3212 can include, for example, Hall effect sensors.

  Additionally or alternatively, the end effector can include a plurality of electrical contacts that can detect the presence and / or firing condition of the fastener cartridge. Referring now to FIG. 66, the end effector 3300 can include a jaw 3302 that defines a channel 3304 configured to receive a fastener cartridge 3320. In various examples, jaws 3302 and fastener cartridge 3320 can include electrical contacts. For example, elongate channel 3304 can define bottom surface 3306 and electrical contact 3310 can be positioned on bottom surface 3306. In various examples, a plurality of electrical contacts 3310 can be defined in the elongated channel 3304. Electrical contact 3310 can form part of firing status circuit 3340, which can be in signal communication with the microcontroller of the surgical system. For example, electrical contact 3310 can be electrically coupled to and / or in communication with a power source, and can form, for example, an electrically active end of an open circuit. In some examples, one of the electrical contacts 3310 may be powered such that a potential is created midway between the electrical contacts 3310. In a particular example, one of the contacts can be coupled to an output channel of a microprocessor, for example, where a potential can be applied to the contacts. Another contact can be coupled, for example, to an input channel of a microprocessor. In certain examples, the electrical contacts 3310 can be insulated from the frame 3306 of the jaw 3302. Still referring to FIG. 66, the fastener cartridge 3320 can also include electrical contacts 3330, or multiple electrical contacts. In various examples, electrical contacts 3330 can be positioned on a movable element of fastener cartridge 3320. For example, electrical contacts 3330 can be positioned on threads 3322 of fastener cartridge 3320 so that electrical contacts 3330 can move within fastener cartridge 3320 during the firing stroke.

  In various examples, the electrical contacts 3330 can comprise, for example, a metal bar or plate on the sled 3320. The electrical contacts 3330 of the fastener cartridge 3320 can cooperate, for example, with one or more electrical contacts 3310 of the end effector 3300. In certain situations, the electrical contacts 3330 can contact one or more electrical contacts 3310 when the sled 3322 is positioned at a particular location or range of locations within the fastener cartridge 3320. For example, electrical contact 3330 can contact electrical contact 3310 when sled 3322 is unfired, and thus is positioned at a proximal position of fastener cartridge 3320. In such a situation, electrical contact 3330 may, for example, close the circuit between electrical contacts 3310. Further, the firing status circuit 3340 can communicate a closed circuit, ie, an indication of an unfired cartridge, to the microcontroller of the surgical system. In such an example, when sled 3322 is fired distally during the firing stroke, electrical contact 3330 may be out of electrical contact with, for example, electrical contact 3310. Thus, the firing status circuit 3340 can communicate an open circuit, ie, an indication of the fired cartridge, to the microcontroller of the surgical system. In certain circumstances, the microcontroller may, for example, initiate the firing stroke only when an unused cartridge is indicated by the firing status circuit 3340. In various examples, electrical contacts 3330 can comprise electromechanical fuses. In such an example, the fuse may break or short circuit, for example, when the sled 3322 is fired through the firing stroke.

  Additionally or alternatively, referring now to FIG. 67, the end effector 3400 can include a jaw 3402 and a cartridge presence circuit 3440. In various examples, jaw 3402 can include electrical contact 3410, or a plurality of electrical contacts 3410, for example, in its elongate channel 3404. Further, the fastener cartridge 3420 can include an electrical contact 3430, or a plurality of electrical contacts 3430, on an outer surface of the fastener cartridge 3420. In various examples, electrical contacts 3430 can be positioned and / or mounted to fixed or stationary components of fastener cartridge 3420, for example. In various situations, electrical contacts 3430 of fastener cartridge 3420 can contact electrical contacts 3410 of end effector 3400, for example, when fastener cartridge 3420 is loaded over elongated channel 3404. Before being placed in the elongated channel 3404 of the fastener cartridge 3420, for example, the cartridge present circuit 3440 can be an open circuit. When the fastener cartridge 3420 is properly seated in the jaw 3402, the electrical contacts 3410 and 3430 can form a closed cartridge presence circuit 3440. If jaw 3402 and / or fastener cartridge 3420 comprises a plurality of electrical contacts 3410, 3430, cartridge presence circuit 3440 may comprise a plurality of circuits. Further, in certain examples, cartridge presence circuit 3440 may be based on, for example, the number and / or arrangement of electrical contacts 3430 on fastener cartridge 3420 and, for example, the corresponding open and / or closed circuit of cartridge presence circuit 3440. Thus, the type of the cartridge loaded in the jaw 3402 can be identified.

  Further, electrical contacts 3410 on jaw 3402 can be in signal communication with a microcontroller of the surgical system. Electrical contacts 3410 can be hardwired to a power source, for example, and / or can communicate with a microcontroller, for example, via a wired and / or wireless connection. In various examples, the cartridge presence circuit 3440 can communicate the presence or absence of a cartridge to a microcontroller of a surgical system. In various examples, the firing stroke may be prevented, for example, if the cartridge presence circuit 3440 indicates that there is no fastener cartridge in the jaw 3402 of the end effector. Further, the firing stroke may be permitted if the cartridge presence circuit 3440 indicates that the fastener cartridge 3420 is present within the jaw 3402 of the end effector.

  As described throughout this disclosure, various sensors, programs, and circuits detect numerous properties of surgical instruments and / or components thereof, surgical uses or operations, and / or tissues and / or surgical sites. Can be measured. For example, tissue thickness, surgical component identification, utilization and feedback data from surgical functions, and an indication of an error or failure can be detected by the surgical instrument. In certain examples, the fastener cartridge may include, for example, a non-volatile memory unit that may be embedded or removably coupled to the fastener cartridge. Such non-volatile memory units can be in signal communication with the microcontroller via hardware such as electrical contacts, radio frequency, or any other suitable data transmission form described herein. In such an example, the microcontroller can communicate data and feedback to a non-volatile memory unit in the fastener cartridge, and thus the fastener cartridge can store information. In various examples, information can be stored securely and access to it can be suitably and appropriately restricted to circumstances.

  In certain examples, the non-volatile memory unit may include information regarding the characteristics of the fastener cartridge and / or its suitability for various other components of the modular surgical system. For example, when the fastener cartridge is loaded into the end effector, the non-volatile memory unit can provide compatibility information to a surgical system microcontroller. In such an example, the microcontroller can verify the validity or suitability of the modular assembly. For example, the microcontroller can, for example, verify that the handle component can fire the fastener cartridge and / or that the fastener cartridge properly mates with the end effector. In certain situations, the microcontroller may communicate the suitability or lack thereof to the operator of the surgical system and / or prevent surgical functionality, for example, if a modular component is incompatible May be.

  As described herein, a surgical instrument can include a sensor that can cooperate with a magnet to detect various properties, operations, and surgical sites of the surgical instrument. In certain examples, the sensor can include a Hall effect sensor, and in other examples, the sensor can include, for example, a magnetoresistive sensor as shown in FIGS. 68A-68C. As described in further detail herein, the surgical end effector can include a first jaw that can be configured to receive a fastener cartridge and a second jaw. The first jaw and / or the fastener cartridge can comprise a magnetic element, such as a permanent magnet, and the second jaw can comprise, for example, a magnetoresistive sensor. In another example, the first jaw and / or the fastener cartridge can include, for example, a magnetoresistive sensor, and the second jaw can include a magnetic element. A magnetoresistive sensor may have, for example, various characteristics listed in the table of FIG. 68C and / or, for example, similar specifications. In certain examples, the change in resistance caused by the movement of the magnetic element relative to the magnetoresistive sensor may affect and / or alter the properties of the magnetic circuit, for example, as shown in FIG. 68B. it can.

  In various examples, a magnetoresistive sensor can detect the position of a magnetic element and, thus, for example, detect the thickness of tissue gripped between opposing first and second jaws. Can be. The magnetoresistive sensor can be in signal communication with a microcontroller, and the magnetoresistive sensor can wirelessly transmit data to, for example, an antenna in signal communication with the microcontroller. In various examples, the passive circuit can include a magneto-resistive sensor. Further, the antenna can be positioned within the end effector, for example, to detect wireless signals from a magnetoresistive sensor and / or a microprocessor operatively coupled thereto. In such a situation, an exposed electrical connection, for example between an end effector with an antenna and a fastener cartridge with a magnetoresistive sensor, for example, can be avoided. Further, in various examples, the antenna can communicate with the microcontroller of the surgical instrument in a wired and / or wireless manner.

  The tissue may include a fluid, and as the tissue is compressed, the fluid may be forced out of the compressed tissue. For example, when tissue is being grasped between opposing jaws of a surgical end effector, fluid may flow from and / or displace from the grasped tissue. Fluid flow or displacement within the grasped tissue can be attributed to various characteristics of the tissue, such as the thickness and / or type of the tissue, and various surgical operations, such as, for example, desired tissue compression and / or elapsed grasping time. May be determined depending on the characteristics. In various examples, displacement of fluid between opposing jaws of an end effector may contribute to a malformation of staples formed between opposing jaws. For example, displacement of the fluid during and / or after staple formation may cause bending and / or other uncontrolled movement of the staple to depart from its desired or desired formation. Thus, in various instances, it may be desirable to control the firing stroke, e.g., control the firing speed, in relation to the detected fluid flow or lack thereof midway between the opposing jaws of the surgical end effector. There is.

  In various examples, the displacement of the fluid within the grasped tissue can be determined or estimated by various measurable and / or detectable tissue properties. For example, the degree of tissue compression may correspond to the degree of fluid displacement within grasped tissue. In various examples, a higher degree of tissue compression may correspond to, for example, more fluid flow, and a lower degree of tissue compression may correspond to, for example, less fluid flow. There is. In various situations, sensors positioned within the jaw of the end effector can detect the force exerted on the jaw by the compressed tissue. Additionally or alternatively, a sensor on, or operatively associated with, the cutting element reduces the resistance to the cutting element when the cutting element is advanced through the grasped tissue and transected therethrough. Can be detected. In such a situation, the detected cutting and / or firing resistance may correspond to a degree of tissue compression. For example, if the tissue compression is high, the resistance of the cutting element may be high, and if, for example, the tissue compression is low, the resistance of the cutting element may be reduced. Correspondingly, the resistance of the cutting element can indicate the amount of displacement of the fluid.

  In certain instances, the displacement of the fluid within the grasped tissue can be determined or estimated by the force required to fire the cutting element, i.e., the firing force. The firing force can correspond, for example, to the resistance of the cutting element. Further, the firing force can be measured or estimated by a microcontroller in signal communication with an electric motor driving the cutting element. For example, if the resistance of the cutting element is high, the electric motor may require more current to drive the cutting element through tissue. Similarly, if the resistance of the cutting element is low, the electric motor may require less current to drive the cutting element through the tissue. In such an example, the microcontroller can detect the amount of current drawn by the electric motor during the firing stroke. For example, a microcontroller can include a current sensor that can detect a current used to fire a cutting element through tissue, for example.

  Referring now to FIG. 60, a surgical instrument assembly or system can be configured to detect a compressive force on grasped tissue. For example, in various examples, an electric motor can drive the firing element and a microcontroller can be in signal communication with the electric motor. When the electric motor drives the firing element, the microcontroller can, for example, determine the current drawn by the electric motor. In such an example, the firing force may correspond to the current drawn by the electric motor throughout the firing stroke, as described above. Still referring to FIG. 60, at step 3501, the microcontroller of the surgical instrument can determine whether the current drawn by the electric motor increases during the firing stroke, and then determine the rate of increase of the current. Can be calculated.

  In various examples, the microcontroller can compare the increase in current draw during the firing stroke to a predetermined threshold. For example, the predetermined threshold can be, for example, 5%, 10%, 25%, 50%, and / or 100%, and the microcontroller compares the increase in current during the firing stroke to a predetermined threshold. be able to. In other examples, the threshold increase may be a value between 5% and 100% or a value in the range, and in still other examples, the threshold increase is, for example, less than 5% or more than 100%. be able to. For example, if the prescribed threshold is 50%, the microcontroller can, for example, compare the rate of change of the current draw with 50%. In certain examples, the microcontroller may determine whether the current drawn by the electric motor during the firing stroke exceeds a percentage of a maximum current or a baseline value. For example, the microcontroller can determine if the current exceeds 5%, 10%, 25%, 50%, and / or 100% of the maximum motor current. In another example, the microcontroller can, for example, compare the current drawn from the electric motor during the firing stroke to a defined baseline value.

  In various examples, the microcontroller can utilize an algorithm to determine the change in current drawn by the electric motor during the firing stroke. For example, a current sensor may detect current drawn by an electric motor at various times and / or intervals during a firing stroke. The current sensor can continuously detect the current drawn by the electric motor and / or intermittently detect the current drawn by the electric motor. In various examples, the algorithm may, for example, compare a recent current reading with a current reading immediately following it. Additionally or alternatively, the algorithm can compare the sample readings within period X with past current readings. For example, the algorithm may compare the sample reading with a previous sample reading within a past period X, such as, for example, the immediately following period X. In another example, the algorithm may calculate a trend average of the current drawn by the motor. The algorithm can, for example, calculate an average current draw during period X, including the most recent current reading, and compare the average current draw with, for example, the average current draw during the immediately following period X. Can be.

  Still referring to FIG. 60, if the microcontroller detects a change in the threshold or an increase in current greater than the value, the microcontroller can proceed to step 3503 and reduce the firing speed of the firing element. For example, the microcontroller can communicate with the electric motor to slow the firing speed of the firing element. For example, the firing rate can be reduced in defined steps and / or in defined rates. In various examples, the microcontroller can include a speed control module that can affect a change in cutting element speed and / or maintain cutting element speed. The speed control module can include, for example, a resistor, a variable resistor, a pulse width modulation circuit, and / or a frequency modulation circuit. Still referring to FIG. 60, if the current increase is less than the threshold, the microcontroller can proceed to step 3505, for example, maintaining the firing speed of the firing element. In various situations, the microcontroller may continue to monitor the current drawn by the electric motor and changes thereto during at least a portion of the firing stroke. Further, the microcontroller and / or its speed control module can adjust the firing element speed according to the detected current draw throughout the firing stroke. In such an example, for example, by controlling the firing rate based on the estimated fluid flow or displacement in the grasped tissue, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of abnormal staple formation in the grasped tissue. it can.

  Referring now to FIG. 61, in various examples, the microcontroller can adjust the firing element by pausing the firing element for a predetermined period of time. For example, similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 60, if, in step 3511, the microcontroller detects that the current draw exceeds a specified threshold, the microcontroller can proceed to step 3513 and temporarily disable the firing element. Can be stopped. For example, the microcontroller can suspend movement and / or translation of the firing element for one second if the current increase measured by the microcontroller exceeds a threshold. In other examples, the firing stroke may be paused, for example, for a fraction of a second and / or more than a second. Similar to the process described above, if the current draw is less than the threshold, the microcontroller can proceed to step 3515, where the firing element continues to advance through the firing stroke without adjusting the speed of the firing element. it can. In certain examples, the microcontroller can be configured to pause and slow down the firing element during the firing stroke. For example, the firing element can be paused for a first increase in current draw, and the speed of the fire element can be reduced for a second, different increase in current draw. In still other situations, the microcontroller can command an increase in the speed of the firing element, for example, if the current draw falls below a threshold.

All of the following disclosures are incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Patent No. 5,403,312, issued April 4, 1995, entitled "ELECTROSURGICAL HEMOSTATIC DEVICE";
U.S. Patent No. 7,000,818, issued February 21, 2006, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT HAVING SEPARATE DISTING CLOSING AND FIRING SYSTEMS";
U.S. Patent No. 7,422,139 issued September 9, 2008, entitled "MOTOR-DRIVEN SURGICAL CUTTING AND FASTENING INSTRUMENT WITH TACTILE POSITION FEEDBACK";
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U.S. Patent No. 7,753,245 issued July 13, 2010, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS";
U.S. Patent No. 8,393,514 issued March 12, 2013, entitled "SELECTIVELY ORIENTABLE IMPLANTABLE FASTENER CARTRIDGE";
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  According to various embodiments, the surgical instruments described herein may include one or more processors (eg, microprocessors, microcontrollers) coupled to various sensors. In addition, storage (with operating logic) and communication interfaces are coupled to each other for the processor.

  The processor may be configured to execute the operation logic. The processor may be any one of a number of single or multi-core processors known in the art. The storage device may include volatile and non-volatile storage media configured to store permanent and temporary (working) copies of the operating logic.

  In various embodiments, the operational logic may be configured to process the collected biostatistics associated with the user's athletic data, as described above. In various embodiments, the operational logic may be configured to perform the initial processing and transmit the data to the computer hosting the application to determine and generate the instructions. For these embodiments, the operating logic may be further configured to receive information from the host computer and provide feedback to the host computer. In alternative embodiments, the operational logic may be configured to play a greater role in receiving information and determining feedback. In either case, whether determined by itself or in response to commands from the host computer, the operational logic may be further configured to control and provide feedback to the user.

  In various embodiments, the operating logic may be implemented in instructions supported by the instruction set architecture (ISA) of the processor, or in a high-level language, and compiled and implemented in a supported ISA. Operational logic may include one or more logical units or modules. Behavioral logic may be implemented in an object-oriented manner. The operational logic may be configured to execute in a multitasking and / or multithreaded manner. In other embodiments, the operational logic may be implemented in hardware, such as a gate array.

  In various embodiments, the communication interface may be configured to facilitate communication between the peripheral device and the computing system. The communication may include transmitting collected biometric data associated with the position, posture, and / or motion data of the user's body part to the host computer, and transmitting data associated with haptic feedback from the host computer to the peripheral device. May be included. In various embodiments, the communication interface may be a wired or wireless communication interface. An example of a wired communication interface may include, but is not limited to, a universal serial bus (USB) interface. An example of the wireless communication interface can include, but is not limited to, a Bluetooth interface.

  For various embodiments, the processor may be packaged with the operational logic. In various embodiments, a processor may be packaged with operational logic to form a system-in-package (SiP). In various embodiments, the processor may be integrated on the same die as the operational logic. In various embodiments, a processor may be packaged with operational logic to form a system-on-a-chip (SoC).

  Various embodiments may be described herein in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as software, program modules, and / or engines being executed by a processor. Generally, software, program modules, and / or engines include any software element that is configured to perform a particular operation or implement a particular abstract data type. Software, program modules, and / or engines may include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Software, program modules, and / or engine components and technology implementations may be stored and / or transmitted over some form of computer readable media. In this regard, computer readable media can be any available media that can be used to store information and that can be accessed by a computing device. Some embodiments may also be implemented in a distributed computing environment where operations are performed by one or more remote processing devices linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, software, program modules and / or engines may be located on both local and remote computer storage media including memory storage devices. Memory, such as random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage, may be used to store information and instructions to be executed by the processor. The memory may also be used to store temporary variables or other intermediate information while executing instructions by the processor.

  Although some embodiments may be illustrated and described as including functional components, software, engines, and / or modules that perform various operations, such components or modules may include one or more than one. It can be appreciated that it may be implemented by hardware components, software components, and / or combinations thereof. Functional components, software, engines, and / or modules may be implemented, for example, by logic (eg, instructions, data, and / or code) executed by a logic device (eg, a processor). Such logic may be stored internally or externally to the logic device on one or more types of computer-readable storage media. In other embodiments, the functional components such as software, engines, and / or modules are processors, microprocessors, circuits, circuit elements (eg, transistors, resistors, capacitors, inductors, etc.), integrated circuits, application specific integrations. Hardware, which may include circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), logic gates, registers, semiconductor devices, chips, microchips, chipset, etc. May be implemented by elements.

  Examples of software, engines, and / or modules include software components, programs, applications, computer programs, application programs, system programs, machine programs, operating system software, middleware, firmware, software modules, routines, subroutines, functions, and methods. , Procedures, software interfaces, application program interfaces (APIs), instruction sets, computing code, computer code, code segments, computer code segments, words, values, symbols, or any combination thereof. Determining whether an embodiment is implemented using hardware and / or software components depends on the desired computation rate, power level, heat resistance, processing cycle budget, input data rate, output data rate, memory It can vary due to any number of factors, such as resources, data bus speed, and other design or performance limitations.

  One or more of the modules described herein may include one or more embedded applications implemented as firmware, software, hardware, or any combination thereof. One or more of the modules described herein may include various executable modules, such as software, programs, data, drivers, application program interfaces (APIs), and the like. The firmware may be stored in the memory of the controller 2016 and / or the controller 2022, which may include a non-volatile memory (NVM), such as a bit-masked read-only memory (ROM) or flash memory. In various implementations, flash memory may be protected by storing firmware in ROM. Non-volatile memory (NVM) is, for example, a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), or a dynamic RAM (DRAM), a double data rate DRAM (DDRAM), And / or other types of memory, including battery-backed random access memory (RAM), such as synchronous DRAM (SDRAM).

  In some cases, various embodiments may be implemented as a product. The product may include a computer-readable storage medium configured to store logic, instructions, and / or data for performing various operations of one or more embodiments. In various embodiments, for example, an article of manufacture may comprise a magnetic disk, optical disk, flash memory, or firmware containing computer program instructions suitable for execution by a general purpose or special purpose processor. However, embodiments are not limited in this context.

  The functions of the various functional elements, logic blocks, modules, and circuit elements described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented by software, control modules, logic, and / or logic modules executed by a processing device. And so on, in the general context of computer-executable instructions. Generally, software, control modules, logic, and / or logic modules include any software components that are configured to perform specific operations. Software, control modules, logic, and / or logic modules may include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The software, control modules, logic and / or logic modules, and technology implementations may be stored on and / or transmitted via some form of computer readable media. In this regard, computer readable media can be any available media that can be used to store information and that can be accessed by a computing device. Some embodiments may also be implemented in a distributed computing environment where operations are performed by one or more remote processing devices linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, software, control modules, logic, and / or logic modules may be located on both local and remote computer storage media including memory storage devices.

  In addition, the embodiments described herein are illustrative of implementations, and the functional elements, logic blocks, modules, and circuit elements may have various other features in harmony with the described embodiments. It will be clear that this can be realized in a manner. Further, the operations performed by such functional elements, logic blocks, modules, and circuit elements may be combined and / or separated for a given implementation, and may include more or fewer components or modules. It may be performed by. As will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon reading this disclosure, each of the individual embodiments described and illustrated herein can readily be incorporated in some other aspects without departing from the scope of the disclosure. It has separate components and features that may be separated from or combined with any of the features. Any of the described methods can be performed in the order of the described events or in any other order that is logically possible.

  Any reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. It should be noted. The appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" or "in one aspect" in this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

  Unless otherwise specified, terms such as "processing," "computing," "calculating," and "determining" refer to registers and / or memories. Manipulating and / or converting data represented as physical quantities (eg, electronic) into memory, registers, or other such data, also represented as physical quantities in information storage, transmission or display devices; A general purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any of these, designed to perform the functions described herein. Computer or computing system, or similar electronic computing device, such as a combination of Of would be refer to the action and / or processes are recognized.

  It should be noted that some embodiments may be described using the expressions “connected” and “connected” along with their derivatives. These terms are not intended as synonyms for each other. For example, some embodiments use the terms “connected” and / or “coupled” to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. May be described. However, the term "coupled" may also mean that two or more elements do not directly contact each other, but yet cooperate or interact with each other. For example, with respect to software elements, the term "coupled" may refer to interfaces, message interfaces, application program interfaces (APIs), exchange messages, and so on.

  Any patents, publications, or other disclosure material that is stated to be incorporated herein by reference may be incorporated, in whole or in part, into materials whose existing definitions, descriptions, or other materials indicated in this disclosure. To the extent that it is not inconsistent with the disclosure material of the present application. As such, and to the extent necessary, the disclosure as explicitly set forth herein supersedes any conflicting material incorporated herein by reference. Any material or portion thereof which is stated to be incorporated herein by reference, but which conflicts with the existing definitions, descriptions, or other disclosure material set forth in this disclosure, is incorporated by reference into the incorporated material and existing disclosure. Included only to the extent that there is no conflict with the material.

  The disclosed embodiments have applicability in conventional endoscopes and open surgical instruments, as well as in robot-assisted surgery.

  Embodiments of the devices disclosed herein can be designed to be disposed of after a single use, or they can be designed to be used multiple times. The embodiments may in any case be reconditioned for reuse after at least one use. Reconditioning may include any combination of the steps of disassembly of the device, followed by cleaning or replacement of certain parts, and subsequent reassembly steps. In particular, embodiments of the device may be disassembled, and any number of specific pieces or parts of the device may be selectively replaced or removed in any combination. Upon cleaning and / or replacement of certain parts, embodiments of the device may be reassembled for later use at a reconditioning facility or by a surgical team immediately prior to a surgical procedure. Those skilled in the art will recognize that reconditioning of the device may utilize various techniques for disassembly, cleaning / replacement, and reassembly. Use of such techniques, and the resulting reconditioned device, are all within the scope of the present application.

  By way of example only, the embodiments described herein may be processed before surgery. First, a new or used instrument may be obtained and, if necessary, cleaned. The instrument may then be sterilized. In one sterilization technique, the instrument is placed in a closed and sealed container, such as a plastic or TYVEK bag. The containers and instruments may then be placed in a radiation field, such as gamma radiation, X-rays, or high energy electrons, that can penetrate the containers. The radiation may kill bacteria on the instrument and in the container. The sterilized instrument may then be stored in a sterile container. The sealed container may keep the instrument sterile until it is opened at the medical facility. The device may also be sterilized using any other technique known in the art, including but not limited to beta or gamma radiation, ethylene oxide, or water vapor.

  Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the components (e.g., operations), devices, objects, and accompanying discussions described herein are used as examples for clarity, and that various variations are possible. It will be appreciated that configuration changes are contemplated. As a result, the specific examples described and the accompanying discussions as used herein are intended to be representative of a more general class. In general, the use of particular representations is intended to be representative of the type, and excluding certain components (eg, operations), devices, and objectives is limiting. Should not be considered.

  With respect to the use of substantially any plural and / or singular terms herein, those skilled in the art will appreciate that plural to singular and / or as appropriate to the context and / or application. Can be replaced by singular to plural. The various singular / plural permutations are not explicitly described herein for the sake of brevity.

  The subject matter described herein indicates different components, sometimes contained within or connected to other different components. It is to be understood that the architecture so depicted is merely an example, and in practice many other architectures achieving the same functionality may be implemented. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components that achieve the same functionality is effectively "associated" to achieve the desired functionality. Thus, any two components combined herein to achieve a particular functionality, regardless of architecture or intermediate components, are "associated" with each other to achieve the desired functionality. Can be considered to be. Similarly, any two components so associated may also be viewed as “operably connected” or “operably linked” to one another to achieve a desired functionality. Also, any two components that can be so associated can also be viewed as being “operably connectable” to one another to achieve a desired functionality. Particular examples that are operably connectable include physically mateable and / or physically interacting components, and / or wirelessly interacting and / or wirelessly interacting. Components and / or components that interact logically and / or can interact logically.

  Some aspects may be described using the expressions “connected” and “connected,” along with their derivatives. It should be understood that these terms are not intended as synonyms for each other. For example, some aspects may be described using the term "connected" to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. In another example, some aspects may be described using the term "coupled" to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact. . However, the term "coupled" may also mean that two or more elements do not directly contact each other, but yet cooperate or interact with each other.

  In some examples, one or more components herein are “configured to”, “configurable to”, “operate to”. May be referred to as "capable / operating", "adapted / adaptable", "capable of", "adaptable / adapted to", and the like. is there. One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that “configured to” generally includes an active component and / or an inactive component and / or unless the context otherwise requires. Or, a standby component may be included.

  While certain aspects of the subject matter of the invention described herein have been illustrated and described, modifications may be made in accordance with the teachings herein without departing from the subject matter described herein and its broad aspects. Accordingly, it is intended that the appended claims cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true scope of the subject matter described herein. Will be apparent to those skilled in the art. In general, terms used herein, and particularly in the appended claims (eg, the text of the appended claims), are generally intended as “open” terms (eg, The term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to" and the term "having" means "having at least (Having at least), the term "includes" should be interpreted as "includes but is not limited to", etc. ) Will be understood by those skilled in the art. Furthermore, if a specific number is intended in an introduced claim recitation, such an intention is clearly stated in the claim, and in the absence of such a statement, there is no such intention. It will be understood by the trader. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may be interpreted as "at least one" and "one or more" in order to introduce a claim. ) "). However, the use of such a phrase would imply that if the claim description was introduced by the indefinite article "a" or "an", the same claim would have an introductory phrase such as "one or more" or "at least one" And that any particular claim, including an indefinite article such as "a" or "an", is limited to a claim containing only one such entry, including such introduced claim description. (Eg, “a” and / or “an” are generally taken to mean “at least one” or “one or more”). The same is true when introducing statements that use definite articles. The same applies when using the definite article to introduce a claim statement.

  In addition, even if a specific number is explicitly stated in the claim claim introduced, such statement should generally be construed to mean at least the stated number. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that (eg, if there are no other modifiers and there is only a statement “two entries”, generally at least two entries or two or more entries Means the description). Furthermore, where notations similar to "at least one of A, B, and C" are used, generally, such syntax is intended to have the meaning of those skilled in the art would understand the notation (e.g., " A system having at least one of A, B, and C "includes, but is not limited to, only A, only B, only C, both A and B, both A and C, both B and C, and / or Or a system having all of A, B and C, etc.). Where a notation is used that is similar to "at least one, such as A, B, or C," such syntax is generally intended to have a meaning that the skilled artisan would understand the notation (e.g., "A, B, or C"). A system having at least one of B or C "includes, but is not limited to, A only, B only, C only, both A and B, both A and C, both B and C, and / or A And systems having all of B and C, etc.). Generally, disjunctive words and / or phrases that represent two or more alternative terms, whether in the specification, claims, or drawings, unless otherwise indicated by context, include one of the terms It will be further understood by those skilled in the art that it is intended to include the possibility of including either, or both terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" will generally be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B."

  With respect to the appended claims, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the acts recited herein may generally be performed in any order. Also, while various operational flows have been presented in a sequence, it should be understood that the various operations may be performed in an order other than that illustrated or may be performed simultaneously. Examples of such alternative ordering include duplication, interleaving, interruption, reordering, incremental, preliminary, complementary, simultaneous, retrograde, or other different ordering, unless the context indicates otherwise. be able to. Furthermore, terms such as "in response to," "in relation to," or other adjectives of the past tense, generally exclude such variants unless otherwise indicated in the context. Is not intended.

  In brief, a number of benefits have been described that result from using the concepts described herein. The foregoing description of one or more embodiments has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the precise form disclosed. Modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. One or more embodiments to illustrate the principles and practical applications so that those skilled in the art can utilize the various embodiments, with various modifications, as appropriate for the particular use contemplated. Was selected and described. The overall scope is to be defined by the claims appended hereto.

(Embodiment)
(1) A surgical instrument,
An interchangeable shaft assembly,
An elongated shaft,
An interchangeable shaft assembly comprising: an end effector extending distally from the elongate shaft;
A handle assembly releasably connectable to the interchangeable shaft assembly, the handle assembly configured to perform at least one movement in the end effector with the handle assembly coupled to the interchangeable shaft assembly. A handle assembly including a motor
A power supply assembly detachably connectable to the handle assembly, wherein the power supply assembly comprises:
A power supply configured to power the motor with the power supply assembly coupled to the handle assembly;
A power management controller in communication with the power supply, wherein the power management controller has the handle assembly connected to the replaceable shaft assembly and the handle assembly connected to the power supply assembly. Wherein the power management controller is configured to receive an input signal corresponding to at least one power request of the replaceable shaft assembly, wherein the power management controller modulates a power output of the power supply to the motor to provide the power output. A power management controller configured to match the at least one power requirement of the replaceable shaft assembly;
A surgical instrument comprising:
The surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein the replaceable shaft assembly comprises a shaft assembly controller.
The surgical instrument according to claim 2, wherein the handle assembly comprises an interface between the replaceable shaft assembly and the power supply assembly.
The surgical instrument according to claim 3, wherein the interface comprises a shaft assembly connector and a power supply assembly connector.
The surgical instrument according to claim 3, wherein the interface is configured to allow communication between the shaft assembly controller and the power management controller.

The surgical instrument according to claim 3, wherein the input signal is configured to move through the interface.
(7) The surgical instrument according to embodiment 1, wherein the power source includes a battery.
(8) The surgical instrument according to embodiment 7, wherein the battery is rechargeable.
(9) the end effector comprises a cutting member slidably movable a distance along the end effector for cutting tissue captured by the end effector, wherein the at least one power request is The surgical instrument of claim 1, wherein the surgical instrument varies with the distance.
(10) It further comprises a lockout mechanism, wherein the lockout mechanism comprises:
A first mating element on the power supply assembly;
A second mating element on the handle assembly for mating engagement with the first mating element when the power supply assembly is coupled to the handle assembly;
The surgical instrument according to embodiment 1, comprising:

(11) A power supply assembly for use with a plurality of replaceable surgical instruments, wherein each of the plurality of replaceable surgical instruments comprises a controller, the power supply assembly comprising:
An interface for releasably connecting the power supply assembly to the plurality of replaceable surgical instruments;
A power source configured to power the coupled exchangeable surgical instrument;
A memory configured to store a value of at least one of the at least one parameter of the power source, wherein the interface between the memory and the controller of the coupled replaceable surgical instrument. The memory configured to facilitate telecommunications, the memory retrieving the value of the at least one of the at least one parameter of the power supply from the controller of the coupled exchangeable surgical instrument from the controller. A memory configured to receive through
A power supply assembly comprising:
(12) The plurality of replaceable surgical instruments include a first surgical instrument including a first controller, and a second surgical instrument including a second controller, wherein the memory includes the power supply assembly. Is configured to receive a first update of the value of the at least one of the at least one parameter from the first controller while coupled to the first surgical instrument; A memory receives a second update of the at least one value of the at least one parameter from the second controller while the power supply assembly is coupled to the second surgical instrument. 12. The power supply assembly of embodiment 11, wherein the power supply assembly is configured.
(13) The first update is based on a first input received by the first controller while the power supply assembly is coupled to the first surgical instrument. 13. The power supply assembly according to embodiment 12, comprising:
(14) wherein the second update is based on a second input received by the second controller while the power supply assembly is coupled to the second surgical instrument. 14. The power supply assembly according to embodiment 13, comprising:
The power supply assembly of claim 11, wherein the at least one parameter of the power supply is a state of charge of the power supply.

The power supply assembly of claim 15, further comprising a coulomb counter configured to measure the state of charge of the power supply.
(17) A surgical instrument used for a surgical procedure,
An actuating assembly,
An end effector,
An actuation assembly, comprising: an actuation assembly controller;
A power assembly detachably connectable to the actuation assembly;
Power and
A power assembly controller, wherein the actuation assembly controller is configured to generate a signal for communicating with the power assembly controller by modulating power transmission from the power source to the actuation assembly. A controller,
A surgical instrument comprising:
18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the activation assembly controller is configured to generate the signal to communicate with the power supply assembly controller by modulating a current drawn from the power supply to the activation assembly. A surgical instrument according to claim 1.
The surgical instrument according to claim 17, wherein the actuation assembly comprises a motor, the motor configured to perform at least one movement in the end effector.
20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the actuation assembly controller is configured to generate the signal to communicate with the power supply assembly controller by modulating power transmission from the power supply to the motor. Surgical instruments.

21. The surgical instrument of claim 17, wherein the power supply assembly controller is configured to perform a function in response to the signal from the activation assembly controller.
(22) The surgical instrument of embodiment 21, wherein the function includes specifying a power supply characteristic.
23. The surgical instrument according to claim 22, wherein the power supply characteristics include a maximum power output of the power supply.
(24) A communication system for use with a surgical instrument comprising an actuation assembly and a power supply assembly detachably connectable to the actuation assembly,
A first communication portion associated with the actuation assembly and comprising a first controller;
A second communication portion associated with the power supply assembly and comprising a second controller, wherein the first controller is electrically connectable to the second controller, wherein the first controller comprises: A second communication portion configured to generate and transmit signals for communicating with the second controller by modulating power transmission from the power supply assembly to the actuation assembly;
A communication system comprising:

Claims (7)

A surgical instrument,
An interchangeable shaft assembly,
An elongated shaft,
An interchangeable shaft assembly comprising: an end effector extending distally from the elongate shaft;
A handle assembly releasably connectable to the interchangeable shaft assembly, the handle assembly configured to perform at least one movement in the end effector with the handle assembly coupled to the interchangeable shaft assembly. A handle assembly including a motor
A power supply assembly detachably connectable to the handle assembly, wherein the power supply assembly comprises:
A power supply configured to power the motor with the power supply assembly coupled to the handle assembly;
A power management controller in communication with the power supply, wherein the power management controller has the handle assembly connected to the replaceable shaft assembly and the handle assembly connected to the power supply assembly. Wherein the power management controller is configured to receive an input signal corresponding to at least one power request of the replaceable shaft assembly, wherein the power management controller modulates a power output of the power supply to the motor to provide the power output. A power management controller configured to match the at least one power requirement of the replaceable shaft assembly;
With
Further, a second replaceable shaft assembly,
A second elongated shaft;
A second end effector extending distally from the second elongate shaft.
The second replaceable shaft assembly is releasably connectable to the handle assembly;
The motor performs at least one second movement in the second end effector with the handle assembly coupled to the second interchangeable shaft assembly;
The power management controller is configured to control the second replaceable shaft assembly with the handle assembly connected to the second replaceable shaft assembly and the handle assembly connected to the power supply assembly. The power management controller is configured to receive a second input signal corresponding to at least one second power request, and wherein the power management controller modulates a second power output of the power supply to the motor to generate the second power signal. A second power output configured to match the at least one second power requirement of the second replaceable shaft assembly;
The power output is different from the second power output;
The power supply is a rechargeable battery,
A drain circuit for draining the battery,
The discharge circuit is activated, and the battery can be discharged,
The replaceable shaft assembly comprises a shaft assembly controller;
The shaft assembly controller transmits a drainage circuit deactivation signal generated by modulating power transmission from the battery to the power management controller, and the power management controller transmits the drainage circuit deactivation signal to the drainage circuit deactivation signal. A surgical instrument that reacts and deactivates the drain circuit, thereby preventing drainage of the battery by the drain circuit.   The surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein the handle assembly comprises an interface between the replaceable shaft assembly and the power supply assembly.   The surgical instrument according to claim 2, wherein the interface comprises a shaft assembly connector and a power supply assembly connector.   The surgical instrument according to claim 2, wherein the interface is configured to allow communication between the shaft assembly controller and the power management controller.   The surgical instrument according to claim 2, wherein the input signal is configured to move through the interface.   The end effector comprises a cutting member slidably movable a distance along the end effector for cutting tissue captured by the end effector, wherein the at least one power request is reduced to the distance. The surgical instrument according to claim 1, which varies accordingly. Further comprising a lockout mechanism, wherein the lockout mechanism comprises:
A first mating element on the power supply assembly;
A second mating element on the handle assembly for mating engagement with the first mating element when the power supply assembly is coupled to the handle assembly;
The surgical instrument according to claim 1, comprising:

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