CN-113040846-B - Surgical instrument including sensor assembly

Abstract

An adapter assembly includes a knob housing, an outer tube, an end effector, an articulation link, and a sensor assembly. The end effector is movable from a first position in which the end effector is aligned with a longitudinal axis defined by the outer tube to a second position in which the end effector is disposed at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis. Longitudinal translation of the articulation link relative to the outer tube moves the end effector from its first position to its second position. A sensor assembly includes a first portion disposed in mechanical engagement with the articulation link and a second portion disposed at least partially within the outer tube. The sensor assembly is configured to determine an actual articulation amount of the end effector based on a distance the articulation link moves longitudinally relative to the outer tube.

Inventors

• NICHOLAS DAVID
• ANTHONY CALDERONI
• PRIBANIC RUSSELL
• ZEICHNER DAVID
• JOHN PANTAZIS

Assignees

• 柯惠LP公司
• 柯惠LP公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260421

Application Date

20201221

Priority Date

20201124

Claims (20)

1. 1. An adapter assembly configured to mechanically engage a surgical instrument, the adapter assembly comprising: A knob housing; An outer tube extending distally from the knob housing and defining a longitudinal axis; An end effector extending distally from the outer tube, the end effector being movable from a first position in which the end effector is aligned with the longitudinal axis to a second position in which the end effector is disposed at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis; an articulation link extending through at least a portion of the outer tube and configured to mechanically mate with the end effector; A ring gear disposed at least partially within the knob housing, wherein rotation of the ring gear about the longitudinal axis longitudinally translates the articulation link relative to the outer tube, which moves the end effector from its first position to its second position, and A sensor assembly including a first portion disposed in mechanical engagement with the articulation link and a second portion disposed at least partially within the outer tube, the sensor assembly configured to determine an actual articulation amount of the end effector based on a distance the articulation link moves longitudinally relative to the outer tube.
2. 2. The adapter assembly of claim 1, wherein the sensor assembly is configured to communicate with software, and wherein the software compares the actual articulation of the end effector with a desired articulation of the end effector.
3. 3. The adapter assembly of claim 2, wherein the software is disposed on a printed circuit board disposed at least partially within the knob housing.
4. 4. The adapter assembly of claim 1, wherein one of the first portion or the second portion of the sensor assembly is a magnet, and wherein the other of the first portion or the second portion of the sensor assembly is a magnetoresistive sensor.
5. 5. The adapter assembly of claim 1, wherein one of the first portion or the second portion of the sensor assembly is a leaf spring, and wherein the other of the first portion or the second portion of the sensor assembly is a canister-type resistive sensor.
6. 6. The adapter assembly of claim 2, further comprising a second sensor assembly disposed at least partially within the knob housing, the second sensor assembly configured to detect manual rotation of the knob housing relative to the outer tube.
7. 7. The adapter assembly of claim 6, wherein the second sensor assembly includes at least one sensor and at least one magnet.
8. 8. The adapter assembly of claim 7, wherein the at least one sensor of the second sensor assembly includes at least two hall effect sensors.
9. 9. The adapter assembly of claim 8, wherein the at least one magnet of the second sensor assembly comprises a refrigerator-type magnet.
10. 10. The adapter assembly of claim 9, wherein the software is disposed on a printed circuit board disposed at least partially within the knob housing, and wherein the at least two hall effect sensors are disposed on the printed circuit board.
11. 11. A surgical instrument, comprising: a handle assembly including a first drive member, and An adapter assembly configured to selectively engage the handle assembly, the adapter assembly comprising: A knob housing; An outer tube extending distally from the knob housing and defining a longitudinal axis; An end effector extending distally from the outer tube, the end effector being movable from a first position in which the end effector is aligned with the longitudinal axis to a second position in which the end effector is disposed at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis; An articulation link extending through at least a portion of the outer tube and configured to mechanically cooperate with the end effector, wherein longitudinal translation of the articulation link relative to the outer tube moves the end effector from its first position to its second position; A ring gear disposed at least partially within the knob housing and mechanically engaged with the first drive member when the adapter assembly is engaged with the handle assembly, wherein rotation of the first drive member rotates the ring gear about the longitudinal axis, which longitudinally translates the articulation link, and A sensor assembly including a first portion disposed in mechanical engagement with the articulation link and a second portion disposed at least partially within the outer tube, the sensor assembly configured to determine an actual articulation amount of the end effector based on a distance the articulation link moves longitudinally relative to the outer tube.
12. 12. The surgical instrument of claim 11, wherein manual rotation of the knob housing relative to the outer tube undesirably articulates the end effector.
13. 13. The surgical instrument of claim 12, wherein the sensor assembly is configured to communicate with software, and wherein the software compares the actual articulation of the end effector to a desired articulation of the end effector.
14. 14. The surgical instrument of claim 13, wherein the software is configured to instruct the first drive member of the surgical instrument to move the articulation link such that the actual articulation of the end effector is equal to the desired articulation of the end effector.
15. 15. The surgical instrument of claim 12, further comprising a second sensor assembly disposed at least partially within the knob housing, the second sensor assembly configured to detect manual rotation of the knob housing relative to the outer tube.
16. 16. The surgical instrument of claim 15, wherein the second sensor assembly includes at least one sensor and at least one magnet.
17. 17. The surgical instrument of claim 16, wherein the at least one sensor of the second sensor assembly comprises at least two hall effect sensors.
18. 18. The surgical instrument of claim 17, wherein the at least one magnet of the second sensor assembly comprises a refrigerator-type magnet.
19. 19. The surgical instrument of claim 11, wherein one of the first portion or the second portion of the sensor assembly is a magnet, and wherein the other of the first portion or the second portion of the sensor assembly is a magnetoresistive sensor.
20. 20. The surgical instrument of claim 11, wherein one of the first portion or the second portion of the sensor assembly is a leaf spring, and wherein the other of the first portion or the second portion of the sensor assembly is a canister-type resistive sensor.

Description

Surgical instrument including sensor assembly Cross Reference to Related Applications The present application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/954,134 filed on 12/27 of 2019, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field The present disclosure relates generally to surgical instruments for endoscopic use, and more particularly, to surgical instruments that include an adapter assembly that articulates an attached surgical loading unit. Background Various types of surgical instruments for treating tissue by endoscopy are known in the art and are commonly used, for example, to close tissue or organs at transection, resection, anastomosis, to occlude organs in chest and abdominal procedures, and to electrically fuse or seal tissue. One example of such a surgical instrument is a surgical stapling instrument. In general, a surgical stapling instrument includes an end effector having an anvil assembly and a cartridge assembly for supporting an array of surgical staples, an approximation mechanism for approximating the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly, a rotation assembly for rotating the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly about an axis, and a firing mechanism for ejecting the surgical staples from the cartridge assembly. During laparoscopic or endoscopic surgery, access to the surgical site is achieved through a small incision or through a narrow cannula inserted through a small entry wound of the patient. Because of the limited area available for accessing a surgical site, many endoscopic instruments include mechanisms for articulating an instrument end effector relative to a body portion of the instrument to improve access to tissue to be treated. Some instruments include a motor or drive element for articulating the end effector, and also include a rotating assembly for rotating the end effector. It would be advantageous to provide an improved surgical instrument or adapter assembly that can detect and/or correct any undesired local articulation of an end effector. Disclosure of Invention The present disclosure relates to an adapter assembly configured to mechanically engage a surgical instrument. The adapter assembly includes a knob housing, an outer tube, an end effector, an articulation link, and a sensor assembly. An outer tube extends distally from the knob housing and defines a longitudinal axis. The end effector extends distally from the outer tube and is movable from a first position in which the end effector is aligned with the longitudinal axis to a second position in which the end effector is disposed at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis. An articulation link extends through at least a portion of the outer tube and is configured to mechanically mate with the end effector. Longitudinal translation of the articulation link relative to the outer tube moves the end effector from its first position to its second position. The sensor assembly includes a first portion configured to mechanically mate with the articulation link and a second portion at least partially disposed within the outer tube. The sensor assembly is configured to determine an actual articulation amount of the end effector based on a distance the articulation link moves longitudinally relative to the outer tube. In the disclosed embodiment, the sensor assembly is configured to communicate with software that compares the actual articulation of the end effector with the desired articulation of the end effector. The software is disclosed as being disposed on a printed circuit board disposed at least partially within the knob housing. It is also disclosed that one of the first or second portions of the sensor assembly is a magnet and the other of the first or second portions of the sensor assembly is a magnetoresistive sensor. It is also disclosed that one of the first or second portions of the sensor assembly is a leaf spring and the other of the first or second portions of the sensor assembly is a thin-can-type (thin-pot) resistive sensor. Additionally, an adapter assembly is disclosed that includes a second sensor assembly disposed at least partially within the knob housing. The second sensor assembly is configured to detect manual rotation of the knob housing relative to the outer tube. In an embodiment, the second sensor assembly comprises at least one sensor and at least one magnet, and the at least one sensor of the second sensor assembly comprises at least two hall effect sensors. It is also disclosed that at least one magnet of the second sensor assembly comprises a refrigerator type magnet. In further embodiments, the software is disposed on a printed circuit board disposed at least partially within the knob housing, and the at least two hall effect sensors are disposed on the printed circuit board. The present disclosure also relates to a surgical instrument comprising a handle assembly and an adapter assembly. The handle asse