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EP-4007537-B1 - SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH TORSION SPINE DRIVE ARRANGEMENTS

EP4007537B1EP 4007537 B1EP4007537 B1EP 4007537B1EP-4007537-B1

Inventors

  • BAKOS, GREGORY J.
  • PARKS, Darryl A.
  • WITTE, Spencer J.
  • DICKERSON, BENJAMIN D.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20210727

Claims (4)

  1. A surgical stapling and cutting instrument (10), comprising an elongate shaft; a surgical end effector (1000) coupled to said elongate shaft by an articulation joint (2200), wherein said articulation joint is configured to facilitate selective articulation of said surgical end effector relative to said elongate shaft, and wherein said surgical end effector comprises a firing member (2310) supported for axial travel within said surgical end effector between a starting position and an ending position; and a rotary drive member (2700) rotatably supported distal to said articulation joint; characterized in that the surgical instrument further comprises: an upper longitudinally-segmented nut assembly (2400) attached to a top portion of said firing member, wherein said upper longitudinally-segmented nut assembly is in threaded engagement with said rotary drive member at an upper location that is distal to said articulation joint such that rotation of said rotary drive member causes said upper longitudinally-segmented nut assembly to apply an upper axial drive motion to said firing member, and wherein said upper longitudinally-segmented nut assembly is flexible to accommodate said articulation of said surgical end effector; and a lower longitudinally-segmented nut assembly (2500) attached to a bottom portion of said firing member, wherein said lower longitudinally-segmented nut assembly is in threaded engagement with said rotary drive member at a lower location that is distal to said articulation joint such that rotation of said rotary drive member causes said lower longitudinally-segmented nut assembly to apply a lower axial drive motion to said firing member, and wherein said lower longitudinally-segmented nut assembly is flexible to accommodate said articulation of said surgical end effector.
  2. The surgical instrument of Claim 1, wherein said upper longitudinally-segmented nut assembly comprises an upper series (2410) of upper vertebra members (2420), wherein said upper vertebra members are movably supported relative to each other by an upper flexible coupler member (2402) that is coupled to said top portion of said firing member (2310) and extends through each said upper vertebra member, and wherein said lower longitudinally-segmented nut assembly comprises a lower series (2510) of lower vertebra members (2520), wherein said lower vertebra members are movably supported relative to each other by a lower flexible coupler member (2502) that is coupled to said bottom portion of said firing member and extends through each lower vertebra member.
  3. The surgical instrument of Claims 1 or 2, wherein said rotary drive member (2700) comprises a helical thread comprising at least two different pitches (2713, 2715).
  4. The surgical instrument of Claims 2 or 3, further comprising means for permitting said upper vertebra members (2420) and said lower vertebra members (2520) traversing said articulation joint (2200) to move out of axial alignment while facilitating serial threaded engagement with said rotary drive member (2700).

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS BACKGROUND The present invention relates to surgical instruments and, in various arrangements, to surgical stapling and cutting instruments and staple cartridges for use therewith that are designed to staple and cut tissue. The surgical instruments may be configured for use in open surgical procedures, but have applications in other types of surgery, such as laparoscopic, endoscopic, and robotic-assisted procedures and may include end effectors that are articulatable relative to a shaft portion of the instrument to facilitate precise positioning within a patient. EP 1 839 596 A1 discloses a power surgical apparatus for applying surgical fasteners to body tissue. EP 2 036 505 A1 discloses a surgical apparatus. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention provides a surgical instrument according to claim 1. Further embodiments are provided in the dependent claims. Surgical methods disclosed herein, whilst not encompassed by the wording of the claims, are considered as useful for understanding the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The novel features of the various aspects are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The described aspects, however, both as to organization and methods of operation, may be best understood by reference to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a surgical end effector portion of a surgical instrument in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure;FIG. 2 is a side view of the surgical end effector portion instrument of FIG. 1 in a closed orientation;FIG. 3 is an end view of the surgical end effector of FIG. 2;FIG. 4 is a top view of the surgical end effector of FIG. 2;FIG. 5 is an exploded assembly view of a portion of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1;FIG. 6 is an exploded assembly view of an elongate shaft assembly of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1;FIG. 7 is another exploded assembly view of the elongate shaft assembly of FIG. 6;FIG. 8 is an exploded assembly view of a firing system and a rotary drive system according to at least one aspect of the present disclosure;FIG. 9 is a side view of a firing member and upper and lower flexible spine assemblies of the firing system in engagement with a rotary drive screw of the rotary drive system of FIG. 8;FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the firing member and upper and lower flexible spine assemblies of FIG. 9;FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of the firing member and upper and lower flexible spine assemblies in engagement with the rotary drive screw of FIG. 9;FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional end view of the surgical end effector of FIG. 4 taken along line 12-12 in FIG. 4;FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of two adjacent upper vertebra members of the upper flexible spine assembly of FIG. 10;FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of two adjacent lower vertebra members of the lower flexible spine assembly of FIG. 10;FIG. 15 is a top view of a firing member and upper and lower flexible spine assemblies in engagement with the rotary drive screw of FIG. 9;FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a CV drive shaft assembly of the rotary drive system of FIG. 8 in an articulated orientation;FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the firing system of FIG. 8 in driving engagement with the CV drive shaft assembly of FIG. 16 in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure;FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a drive joint of the CV drive shaft assembly of FIG. 16;FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the surgical instrument of FIG. 4 taken along line 19-19 in FIG. 4;FIG. 20 is a partial perspective view of a proximal end portion of the surgical end effector and portions of the firing system and the rotary drive system of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1;FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the rotary drive system of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 in driving engagement with the firing system thereof in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure;FIG. 22 is an exploded perspective view of the rotary drive screw and thrust bearing arrangement of the firing system of FIG. 21;FIG. 23 is a side view of the rotary drive screw of FIG. 22;FIG. 24 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a portion of the lower flexible spine assembly and a portion of the firing member of FIG. 21 in driving engagement with a portion of the rotary drive screw;FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the firing member in a home or starting position within the surgical end effector of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1;FIG. 26 is a side view illustrating the upper flexible spine assembly and the lower flexible spine assembly of FIG. 21 in driving engagement with the rotary drive screw after the firing member has been driven distally from a home or starting position;FIG. 27 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of a portion of the surgical end effector, firing system and rotary drive syste