ROTARY ACTUATABLE CLOSURE ARRANGEMENT FOR SURGICAL END EFFECTOR

• US 20140005676A1
• Filed: 06/28/2012
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cilag Gmbh International (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Shelton, Frederick E. IV, Baxter, Chester O. III, Yates, David C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,119,657 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/130
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/062 Needle manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/29 Forceps for use in minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1445 at the distal end of a shaft, e.g. forceps or scissors at the end of a rigid rod
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00353 one mechanical instrument performing multiple functions, e.g. cutting and grasping channel for multiple instruments A61B2017/3445; instrument channel A61B2017/22072; replaceable heads A61B2017/2931; suction A61M1/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00477 Coupling A61B2017/0046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2903 transferring rotary motion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2929 with a head rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2933 camming or guiding means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2939 Details of linkages or pivot points
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2943 Toothed members, e.g. rack and pinion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320032 Details of the rotating or oscillating shaft, e.g. using a flexible shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1455 having a moving blade for cutting tissue grasped by the jaws
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/306 Wrists with multiple vertebrae
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots

Abstract

A surgical instrument may include an end effector, an input drive shaft, a closure drive, and/or a firing drive. The end effector may comprise a jaw assembly including a first jaw member and a second jaw member. The end effector may comprise an I-beam member axially translated between a proximal position and a distal position within the end effector. In one embodiment, the input drive shaft may selectively engage the firing drive and/or the closure drive. In one configuration, the closure drive is threadedly engaged with the firing drive allowing the input drive shaft, during a firing stroke, to simultaneously move the closure drive and the firing drive until the closure drive is disengaged from the firing drive. On a reverse stroke, the closure drive may be reengaged with the firing drive.

Claims

1. A surgical tool, comprising:

an end effector, comprising;

a first jaw member;

a second jaw member; and

a closure mechanism configured to move the first jaw member relative to the second jaw member between an open position and a closed position;

a shaft assembly proximal to the surgical end effector, wherein the surgical end effector is configured to rotate relative to the shaft assembly; and

a rotary drive shaft configured to transmit rotary motions, the rotary drive shaft selectively movable axially between a first position and a second position relative to the shaft assembly,

wherein the rotary drive shaft is configured to apply the rotary motions to the closure mechanism when in the first axial position, and

wherein the rotary drive shaft is configured to apply the rotary motions to the end effector when in the second axial position.

2. The surgical tool of claim 1, wherein the closure mechanism comprises an I-beam member configured to translate in an axial direction to cam the first jaw member toward to the second jaw member, the I-beam member connected to a threaded rotary drive member coupled to a rotary drive nut, wherein the rotary drive shaft is configured to engage with the rotary drive nut to transmit rotary motions to the rotary drive nut, and wherein rotary motions of the rotary drive nut actuate translation of the threaded rotary drive member and the I-beam in the axial direction.

3. The surgical tool of claim 1, wherein the shaft assembly comprises an articulation joint configured to independently articulate the end effector in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction.

4. The surgical tool of claim 1, further comprising a locking mechanism configured to mechanically prevent rotary motions of the end effector when the rotary drive shaft is in the first axial position.

5. A surgical tool, comprising:

an end effector, comprising;

a first jaw member;

a second jaw member; and

a first actuation mechanism configured to move the first jaw member relative to the second jaw member between an open position and a closed position;

a shaft assembly proximal to the surgical end effector; and

a rotary drive shaft configured to transmit rotary motions, the rotary drive shaft being selectively moveable between a first position and a second position relative to the shaft assembly, wherein the rotary drive shaft is configured to engage and selectively transmit the rotary motions to the first actuation mechanism when in the first position, and wherein the rotary drive shaft is configured to disengage from the actuation mechanism when in the second position.

6. The surgical tool of claim 5, wherein the first actuation mechanism comprises an I-beam member configured to translate in an axial direction to cam the first jaw member toward to the second jaw member, the I-beam member connected to a threaded rotary drive member coupled to a rotary drive nut, wherein the rotary drive shaft is configured to engage with the rotary drive nut to transmit rotary motions to the rotary drive nut, and wherein rotary motions of the rotary drive nut actuate translation of the threaded rotary drive member and the I-beam in the axial direction.

7. The surgical tool of claim 5, wherein the shaft assembly comprises an articulation joint configured to independently articulate the end effector in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction.

8. The surgical tool of claim 5, wherein the rotary drive shaft is configured to engage and selectively transmit the rotary motions to the end effector when the rotary drive shaft is in the second position.

9. The surgical tool of claim 8, further comprising a locking mechanism configured to mechanically prevent rotary motions of the end effector when the rotary drive shaft is in the first position.

10. A surgical tool, comprising:

an end effector, comprising;

a first jaw member; and

a second jaw member;

wherein the first jaw member is movable relative to the second jaw member between an open position and a closed position;

first and second actuation mechanisms; and

a clutch member configured to selectively engage and transmit rotary motion to either the first or the second actuation mechanism.

11. The surgical tool of claim 10, wherein the clutch member comprises a rotary drive shaft selectively moveable between a distal position and a proximal position, the rotary drive shaft configured to transmit rotary motions to the first actuation mechanism when the rotary drive shaft is in the distal position, and the rotary drive shaft configured to transmit rotary motions to the second actuation mechanism when the rotary drive shaft is in the proximal position.

12. The surgical tool of claim 10, wherein the first actuation mechanism comprises an I-beam member configured to translate in an axial direction to cam the first jaw member toward the second jaw member, the I-beam member connected to a threaded rotary drive member coupled to a rotary drive nut, wherein the clutch member is configured to engage with the rotary drive nut to transmit rotary motions to the rotary drive nut, and wherein rotary motions of the rotary drive nut actuate translation of the threaded rotary drive member and the I-beam in the axial direction.

13. The surgical tool of claim 10, wherein the second actuation mechanism comprises a shaft member coupled to the end effector, wherein the clutch member is configured to engage with the shaft member to transmit rotary motions to the shaft member, and wherein rotary motions of the shaft member drive rotation of the end effector.

14. The surgical tool of claim 10, further comprising a shaft assembly proximal to the end effector, the shaft assembly removably coupled to the end effector.

15. The surgical tool of claim 14, wherein the shaft assembly comprises an articulation joint configured to independently articulate the end effector in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction.

16. The surgical tool of claim 13, further comprising a locking mechanism configured to mechanically prevent rotary motions of the end effector when the rotary drive shaft is in the first position.

17. The surgical tool of claim 10, further comprising:

an end effector drive housing removably coupled to the end effector;

an end effector connector tube rotatably coupled to the end effector drive housing; and

a locking mechanism configured to mechanically prevent rotation of the end effector drive housing relative to the end effector connector tube when the clutch member engages the first actuation mechanism.

18. The surgical tool of claim 17, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a spline lock connected to the clutch member, wherein the spline lock engages both the end effector drive housing and the end effector connector tube when the clutch member engages the first actuation mechanism, and wherein the spline lock disengages from the end effector drive housing when the clutch member engages the second actuation mechanism.

19. A surgical tool, comprising:

an end effector, comprising;

a first jaw member;

a second jaw member, and

a closure mechanism, wherein the closure mechanism is configured to move the first jaw member relative to the second jaw member between a first position and a second position;

a firing mechanism advanced during a firing stroke, wherein said closure mechanism is operably engageable and operably disengageable from the firing mechanism; and

a drive shaft configured to simultaneously drive the closure mechanism and the firing mechanism until the closure mechanism is operably disengaged from the drive shaft thereby allowing the firing mechanism to be driven by the drive shaft independently of the closure mechanism for a remainder of the firing stroke.

20. The surgical tool of claim 19, wherein the firing mechanism is independently retracted by the drive shaft until the closure mechanism is operably reengaged with the drive shaft thereby allowing the firing mechanism and the closure mechanism to be simultaneously retracted by the drive shaft.

21. The surgical tool of claim 20, wherein the closure mechanism comprises a cam member extending therefrom, wherein firing mechanism facilitates operable reengagement of the closure mechanism with the drive shaft by pushing on the cam member.

22. The surgical tool of claim 19, further comprising a biasing member configured to bias the closure mechanism such that the closure mechanism remains operably disengaged from the drive shaft as the firing member is independently driven by the drive shaft for the remainder of the firing stroke.

23. The surgical tool of claim 19, wherein the firing mechanism comprises an I-beam.

24. The surgical tool of claim 19, wherein the closure mechanism comprises a linkage arrangement.

25. The surgical tool of claim 19, further comprising a shaft assembly, wherein the end effector extends from the shaft assembly, and wherein the end effector is rotatable relative to the shaft assembly.

26. A surgical tool, comprising:

an end effector, comprising;

a first jaw member;

a second jaw member, and

a closure mechanism, wherein the closure mechanism is configured to move the first jaw member relative to the second jaw member between a first position and a second position;

a firing mechanism advanced during a first phase of operation and a second phase of operation; and

a drive shaft, wherein the drive shaft is configured to simultaneously drive the firing mechanism and the closure mechanism during the first phase of operation, and wherein the drive shaft is configured to drive the firing mechanism independently of the closure mechanism during the second phase of operation.

27. The surgical tool of claim 26, wherein the closure mechanism is operably disengaged from the drive shaft during the second phase of operation.

28. The surgical tool of claim 27, further comprising a biasing member configured to bias the closure mechanism such that the closure mechanism remains operably disengaged from the drive shaft during the second phase of operation.

29. The surgical tool of claim 27, wherein the firing mechanism is retracted during a third phase of operation and a fourth phase of operation, wherein the firing mechanism is retracted by the drive shaft independently of the closure mechanism during the third phase of operation, and wherein the firing mechanism and the closure mechanism are simultaneously retracted by the drive shaft during the fourth phase of operation.

30. The surgical tool of claim 29, wherein the closure mechanism is operably reengaged with the drive shaft during the fourth phase of operation.

31. The surgical tool of claim 30, wherein the closure mechanism comprises a cam, and wherein firing mechanism facilitates the operable reengagement of the closure mechanism with the drive shaft by pushing on the cam during the fourth phase of operation.

32. The surgical tool of claim 26, wherein the firing mechanism comprises an I-beam.

33. The surgical tool of claim 26, wherein the closure mechanism comprises a linkage arrangement.

34. The surgical tool of claim 26, further comprising a shaft assembly, wherein the end effector extends from the shaft assembly, and wherein the end effector is rotatable relative to the shaft assembly.

35. A surgical tool, comprising:

an end effector, comprising;

a first jaw member;

a second jaw member; and

a closure mechanism, wherein the closure mechanism is configured to move the first jaw member relative to the second jaw member between a first position and a second position;

a closure driver operably engaged to the closure mechanism;

a firing mechanism advanced during a firing stroke;

a firing driver operably engaged to the firing mechanism; and

a rotary drive shaft configured to transmit rotary motions to the closure driver and the firing driver, wherein the closure driver and the firing driver are advanced simultaneously for a first portion of the firing stroke, and wherein the firing driver is advanced without the closure driver for a second portion of the firing stroke.

36. The surgical tool of claim 35, wherein the closure driver is operably disengaged from the rotary drive shaft during the second portion of the firing stroke.

37. The surgical tool of claim 36, further comprising a biasing member configured to bias the closure driver such that the closure driver remains operably disengaged from the rotary drive shaft during the second portion of the firing stroke.

38. The surgical tool of claim 35, further comprising a shaft assembly, wherein the end effector extends from the shaft assembly, and wherein the end effector is rotatable relative to the shaft assembly.

39. A surgical tool, comprising:

an end effector, comprising;

a first jaw member;

a second jaw member; and

a closure mechanism, wherein the closure mechanism is configured to move the first jaw member relative to the second jaw member between a first position and a second position;

a closure driver operably engaged to the closure mechanism;

a firing mechanism advanced during a firing stroke;

a firing driver operably engaged to the firing mechanism; and

a rotary drive shaft configured to transmit rotary motions to the closure driver and the firing driver, wherein the rotary drive shaft is selectively movable axially to operably engage either the firing mechanism or the closure mechanism.