Articulation actuators for surgical instruments

Abstract

The present invention discloses a surgical instrument, comprising: a handle; a shaft, the shaft being rotatable relative to the handle; and an end effector, the end effector being capable of performing joint motion relative to the shaft around a joint motion joint. The shaft comprises a grip and at least one joint motion control member located on the grip.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 840,715, filed on April 30, 2019, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING ANADAPTIVE CONTROL SYSTEM,” the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0003] The present invention relates to surgical instruments and, in various arrangements, to surgical stapling and cutting instruments designed to stapling and cutting tissue and staple cartridges for use therewith. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] The various features of the embodiments described herein, together with their advantages, may be understood from the following description in conjunction with the following drawings:

[0005] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment;

[0006] Figure 1B yes Figure 1 A left side elevation view of a surgical instrument;

[0007] Figure 1C yes Figure 1 a right side elevation view of a surgical instrument;

[0008] Figure 1D yes Figure 1 A front elevation view of a surgical instrument;

[0009] Figure 1E yes Figure 1 a rear elevation view of a surgical instrument;

[0010] Figure 1F yes Figure 1 A plan view of surgical instruments;

[0011] Figure 1G yes Figure 1 A bottom view of a surgical instrument;

[0012] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A partial perspective view of a surgical instrument;

[0013] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A partial perspective view of a shaft of a surgical instrument;

[0014] Figure 4 yes Figure 3A perspective view of the nozzle of the shaft;

[0015] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 A front view of an orientation switch for a surgical instrument;

[0016] Figure 6 is a partial perspective view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment, the surgical instrument including a handle having an orientation sensor and a shaft having a magnetic element detectable by the orientation sensor;

[0017] Figure 7 is a partial elevation view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment, the surgical instrument comprising a handle and articulation actuators on opposite sides of the handle;

[0018] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 A partial plan view of a surgical instrument;

[0019] Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment, the surgical instrument comprising a handle and a rotatable shaft including articulation actuators on opposite sides of the shaft;

[0020] Fig.10 yes Fig. 9 An end view of the shaft;

[0021] Fig.11 is a perspective view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment, the surgical instrument comprising a handle and a rotatable shaft including two articulation actuators on opposite sides of the shaft;

[0022] Fig.12 yes Fig.11 An end view of the shaft;

[0023] Fig.13 is a perspective view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment, the surgical instrument comprising a slidable articulation actuator including two positions and a stop between the two positions;

[0024] Fig.14 A capacitive switch is shown, the capacitive switch comprising a first side and a second side, a first light in the first side that illuminates when the first side is contacted, and a second light in the second side that illuminates when the second side is contacted;

[0025] Fig.15 A two-stage rocker switch for articulating an end effector of a surgical instrument is shown according to at least one embodiment;

[0026] Fig.16is a partial top view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment, the surgical instrument including an end effector and lights positioned on opposite sides of the end effector that are illuminated to indicate the direction in which the end effector is being articulated;

[0027] Fig.17 yes Fig.16 A partial front view of a surgical instrument;

[0028] Fig.18 is a partial front view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment, the surgical instrument including a direction indicator that is illuminated to indicate the direction in which the end effector is being articulated;

[0029] Fig.19 is a perspective view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment, the surgical instrument including a slidable articulation switch including three positions—an articulation left position, an articulation right position, and a center or home position;

[0030] Fig. 20 is an elevational view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment, the surgical instrument comprising an articulation lever actuatable along a longitudinal axis;

[0031] Fig.21 is an elevational view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment, the surgical instrument comprising an end effector and an articulation lever actuatable to articulate the end effector about more than one axis;

[0032] Fig.22A is a front elevation view of a surgical instrument including a plurality of articulation controls according to at least one embodiment;

[0033] Fig. 22B yes Fig.22A A partial side elevation view of a surgical instrument;

[0034] Fig.23 is a front view of a surgical instrument including a 4-way haptic articulation control according to at least one embodiment;

[0035] Fig.24 is a partial front view of a surgical instrument including a 4-way haptic articulation control including a center actuator or a home actuator according to at least one embodiment;

[0036] Fig.25 is a front view of a surgical instrument including a 4-way capacitive surface according to at least one embodiment;

[0037] Fig.26AA surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment is shown, the surgical instrument including an end effector and lights positioned on opposite sides of the end effector that are illuminated to indicate the direction in which the end effector is being articulated;

[0038] Fig.26B yes Fig.26A A perspective view of a surgical instrument;

[0039] Fig. 27 A surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment is shown, the surgical instrument comprising an articulation joint, an end effector capable of articulation about the articulation joint, and a translatable articulation actuator configured to rotate the end effector about the articulation joint;

[0040] Fig.28 is a partial perspective view of an articulatable end effector, an articulation actuator configured to enable rotation of the end effector about an articulation joint, and a demarcation line on the articulation actuator indicating the direction in which the end effector is articulated and / or is being articulated;

[0041] Fig.29 is a perspective view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment, the surgical instrument comprising a handle, a rotatable shaft extending from the handle, and a rotatable actuator on the handle configured to rotate the shaft about a longitudinal axis;

[0042] Fig.30 yes Fig.29 A perspective view of a surgical instrument showing the shaft in a rotated position;

[0043] Fig.31 yes Fig.29 A perspective view of a surgical instrument showing a portion of a handle housing removed;

[0044] Fig.32 yes Figure 1 A partial detail view of an articulation joint of a surgical instrument, showing some parts removed;

[0045] Fig.33 is according to at least one alternative embodiment Figure 1 A detailed view of a joint for use with a surgical instrument;

[0046] Fig.34 is from Fig.33 A partial perspective view of an articulation drive pin extending from a frame of an end effector of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Fig.35 yes Fig.33A partial detail view of an embodiment of , showing the end effector in an articulated position;

[0048] Fig.36 yes Fig.33 A partial detail view of an embodiment of , showing the end effector in another articulated position;

[0049] Fig.37 yes Fig.33 A partial detail view of an embodiment of , showing the end effector in another articulated position;

[0050] Fig.38 yes Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of an end effector of a surgical instrument shown in an open configuration;

[0051] Fig.39 yes Figure 1 A partial cross-sectional view of an end effector of a surgical instrument showing a tissue stop of the end effector;

[0052] Fig.40 yes Figure 1 A partial cross-sectional view of an end effector of a surgical instrument showing a pivot joint between a staple cartridge jaw and an anvil jaw of the end effector;

[0053] Fig.41 yes Fig.40 A partial plan view of a staple cartridge jaw, wherein the staple cartridge is not positioned in the staple cartridge jaw;

[0054] Fig.42 yes Fig.40 A partial perspective view of anvil jaws;

[0055] Fig.43 yes Fig.40 A partial top view of a pivot joint of;

[0056] Fig.44 is a partial cross-sectional view of a staple cartridge jaw of an end effector according to at least one embodiment, shown without a staple cartridge in the staple cartridge jaw;

[0057] Fig.45A is in open configuration Fig.44 A partial cross-sectional view of an end effector;

[0058] Fig.45B is in a closed configuration Fig.44 A partial cross-sectional view of an end effector;

[0059] Fig.46 yes Figure 1 A partial cross-sectional view of an end effector of a surgical instrument showing a firing member in an unfired position;

[0060] Fig.47 yes Figure 1 A partial cross-sectional view of an end effector of a surgical instrument, showing a cartridge stopper on an anvil jaw, the cartridge stopper being configured to prevent a staple cartridge from being inserted proximally into the staple cartridge jaw;

[0061] Fig.48 yes Figure 1 A partial perspective view of an anvil jaw of a surgical instrument of the type shown configured to engage the end effector when the end effector is in an open configuration. Fig.46 The firing member is positioned to control the surface of the firing member in its non-firing position;

[0062] Fig.49 yes Figure 1 A partial front view of a surgical instrument;

[0063] Fig.50 yes Figure 1 A partial perspective view of a surgical instrument;

[0064] Fig.51 is a partial front view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment;

[0065] Fig.52 yes Fig.51 A partial perspective view of a surgical instrument;

[0066] Fig.53 is a partial front view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment;

[0067] Fig.54 yes Fig.53 A partial perspective view of a surgical instrument;

[0068] Fig.55 yes Figure 1 A perspective view of a surgical instrument;

[0069] Fig.56 is a partial perspective view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment;

[0070] Fig.57 yes Fig.56 A partial perspective view of a shaft of a surgical instrument;

[0071] Fig.58 Is Fig.56 Control algorithms implemented in surgical instruments;

[0072] Fig.59 is a partial perspective view of a shaft of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment;

[0073] Fig.60 is a partial perspective view of a shaft of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment;

[0074] Fig.61 is a partial perspective view of a shaft of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment;

[0075] Fig.62 is a partial perspective view of a shaft of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment;

[0076] Fig.63 is a perspective view of a slip ring assembly of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment;

[0077] Fig.64 yes Fig.63 Another perspective view of the slip ring assembly;

[0078] Fig.65 yes Fig.63 A perspective view of a shaft component of a surgical instrument;

[0079] Fig.66 yes Fig.63 A partial perspective view of a surgical instrument;

[0080] Fig.67 is a diagram depicting an axis-oriented sensor array according to at least one embodiment;

[0081] Fig.68 is a partial elevational view of an end effector including an anvil jaw and a cartridge jaw, wherein the anvil jaw includes a distal portion rotatable between a first operative orientation and a second operative orientation different from the first operative orientation, and wherein the distal portion of the anvil jaw is shown in the first operative orientation;

[0082] Fig.69 yes Fig.68 a partial perspective view of an anvil jaw of , wherein a distal portion of the anvil jaw is shown in a partially rotated orientation;

[0083] Fig.69A Depicts keeping the distal portion in place Fig.68 A connector for anvil jaws;

[0084] Fig.70 yes Fig.68 A partial front view of an end effector of , wherein a distal portion of the anvil jaw is shown in a second operative orientation;

[0085] Fig.71 yes Fig.68 A partial perspective view of an end effector of , wherein a distal portion of an anvil jaw is shown in a second operative orientation;

[0086] Fig.72 is a perspective view of a distal end of a proximal articulation rod according to at least one embodiment;

[0087] Fig.73 is a perspective view of a joint between a proximal articulation rod and a distal articulation rod of an articulation driver according to at least one embodiment;

[0088] Fig.73A yes Fig.73 A detailed view of the interface between the proximal articulation rod and the articulation lock;

[0089] Fig.74 yes Fig.72 The proximal articulation bar and Fig.73 a perspective view of a joint between distal articulation rods;

[0090] Fig.74A yes Fig.72 The proximal articulation bar and Fig.73A Detailed view of the joint between the articulation locks;

[0091] Fig.75 yes Fig.73A A perspective view of an articulation lock;

[0092] Fig.76 yes Fig.73A Another perspective view of the articulation lock;

[0093] Fig.77 Shows Fig.73 The distal articulation range of motion of the motion bar;

[0094] Fig.78 It is an algorithm used by the control system to evaluate and obtain the position of the joint motion system;

[0095] Fig.79 Depicted Figure 1 A velocity diagram algorithm for an end effector of a surgical instrument and a staple firing system during a staple firing stroke;

[0096] Fig.80 Describes a method according to at least one embodiment Figure 1 A velocity diagram algorithm for an end effector of a surgical instrument and a nail firing system;

[0097] Fig.81 Depicted Figure 1 A velocity diagram algorithm for an end effector of a surgical instrument and a staple firing system during a staple firing stroke;

[0098] Fig.82A Depicted Figure 1 A graph of the duty cycle and firing force experienced by a staple firing system of a surgical instrument during three staple firing strokes;

[0099] Fig.82B Describes the Fig.82A During the firing stroke of three nails at a higher firing speed, Figure 1 A graph of the duty cycle and firing force experienced by a staple firing system of a surgical instrument;

[0100] Fig.83A Depicted Figure 1 A graph of the duty cycle, firing force, and firing speed experienced by the staple firing system of the surgical instrument during a staple firing stroke through 1.35 mm thick jejunal tissue;

[0101] Fig.83B Depicted Figure 1 A graph of the duty cycle, firing force, and firing speed experienced by the staple firing system of the surgical instrument during a staple firing stroke through 4 mm thick gastric tissue;

[0102] Fig.84A and Fig.84B depicts a graph comparing the firing force through tissue to the firing force of a tissue analog;

[0103] Fig.85A and Fig.85B Depicted display Figure 1 A graph of the duty cycle and firing speed experienced by a staple firing system of a surgical instrument during a number of staple firing strokes;

[0104] Fig.86A Depicted Figure 1 A graph of a duty cycle of a staple firing system of a surgical instrument during a staple firing stroke through thin jejunal tissue;

[0105] Fig.86B Depicted Figure 1 A graph of the duty cycle of a staple firing system of a surgical instrument during a staple firing stroke through thick jejunal tissue;

[0106] Fig.86C Depicted Figure 1 a graph of a duty cycle of a staple firing system of a surgical instrument during a staple firing stroke through gastric tissue;

[0107] Fig.87 Depicted Figure 1 A graph of a duty cycle of a staple firing system of a surgical instrument during a staple firing stroke, wherein the control system increases the speed of the staple firing stroke;

[0108] Fig.88 Depicted Figure 1 A graph of a duty cycle of a staple firing system of a surgical instrument during a staple firing stroke, wherein the control system maintains substantially the same speed throughout the staple firing stroke; and

[0109] Fig.89 Depicted Figure 1 A graph of the duty cycle of a staple firing system of a surgical instrument during a staple firing stroke, wherein the control system reduces the speed of the staple firing stroke.

[0110] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.The exemplification described herein illustrates various embodiments of the invention in one form, and such exemplification should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any way. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0111] The applicant of the present application also owns the following U.S. patent applications filed on the same date as the present application and each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0112] - U.S. Patent Application Titled “METHOD FOR OPERATING A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT”; Attorney Docket No. END9169USNP1 / 190177-1M;

[0113] - U.S. Patent Application Titled “ARTICULATION DIRECTIONAL LIGHTS ON ASURGICAL INSTRUMENT”; Attorney Docket No. END9169USNP3 / 190177-3;

[0114] - U.S. Patent Application Titled “SHAFT ROTATION ACTUATOR ON A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT”; Attorney Docket No. END9169USNP4 / 190177-4;

[0115] - U.S. Patent Application Titled “ARTICULATION CONTROL MAPPING FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT”; Attorney Docket No. END9169USNP5 / 190177-5;

[0116] - U.S. Patent Application Titled “INTELLIGENT FIRING ASSOCIATED WITH A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT”; Attorney Docket No. END9169USNP6 / 190177-6;

[0117] - U.S. Patent Application Titled “INTELLIGENT FIRING ASSOCIATED WITH A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT”; Attorney Docket No. END9169USNP7 / 190177-7;

[0118] - U.S. Patent Application Titled “ROTATABLE JAW TIP FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT”; Attorney Docket No. END9169USNP8 / 190177-8;

[0119] - U.S. Patent Application Titled “TISSUE STOP FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT”; Attorney Docket No. END9169USNP9 / 190177-9; and

[0120] -U.S. Patent Application Titled “ARTICULATION PIN FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT”; Attorney Docket No. END9169USNP10 / 190177-10.

[0121] The applicant of this application owns the following U.S. patent applications filed on February 21, 2019, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0122] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 281,658, entitled “METHODS FOR CONTROLLING A POWERED SURGICAL STAPLER THAT HASSEPARATE ROTARY CLOSURE AND FIRING SYSTEMS”;

[0123] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 281,670, entitled "STAPLE CARTRIDGE COMPRISING A LOCKOUT KEY CONFIGURED TO LIFTA FIRING MEMBER";

[0124] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 281,675, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLERS WITH ARRANGEMENTS FOR MAINTAINING A FIREMEMBER THEREOF IN A LOCKED CONFIGURATION UNLESS A COMPATIBLE CARTRIDGE HASBEEN INSTALLED THEREIN";

[0125] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 281,685, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING CO-OPERATING LOCKOUT FEATURES”;

[0126] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 281,693, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A LOCKOUT AND AN EXTERIOR ACCESS ORIFICE TO PERMIT ARTIFICIAL UNLOCKING OF THE LOCKOUT”;

[0127] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 281,704, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING DEVICES WITH FEATURES FOR BLOCKING ADVANCEMENT OF A CAMMING ASSEMBLY OF AN INCOMPATIBLE CARTRIDGE INSTALLED THEREIN";

[0128] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 281,707, entitled “STAPLING INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A DEACTIVATABLE LOCKOUT”;

[0129] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 281,741, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A JAW CLOSURE LOCKOUT”;

[0130] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 281,762, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING DEVICES WITH CARTRIDGE COMPATIBLE CLOSURE AND FIRING LOCKOUT ARRANGEMENTS”;

[0131] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 281,666, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING DEVICES WITH IMPROVED ROTARY DRIVEN CLOSURE SYSTEMS”;

[0132] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 281,672, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING DEVICES WITH ASYMMETRIC CLOSURE FEATURES”;

[0133] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 281,678, entitled “ROTARY DRIVEN FIRING MEMBERS WITH DIFFERENT ANVIL AND CHANNELENGAGEMENT FEATURES”; and

[0134] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 281,682 entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING DEVICE WITH SEPARATE ROTARY DRIVEN CLOSUREAND FIRING SYSTEMS AND FIRING MEMBER THAT ENGAGES BOTH JAWS WHILE FIRING."

[0135] The applicant of this application owns the following U.S. Provisional Patent Applications filed on February 19, 2019, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0136] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 807,310, entitled “METHODS FOR CONTROLLING A POWERED SURGICAL STAPLER THAT HASSEPARATE ROTARY CLOSURE AND FIRING SYSTEMS”;

[0137] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 807,319, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING DEVICES WITH IMPROVED LOCKOUT SYSTEMS”;

[0138] as well as

[0139] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 807,309, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING DEVICES WITH IMPROVED ROTARY DRIVEN CLOSURE SYSTEMS."

[0140] The applicant of the present patent application owns the following U.S. provisional patent applications filed on March 28, 2018, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0141] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,302, entitled “INTERACTIVE SURGICAL SYSTEMS WITH ENCRYPTED COMMUNICATION CAPABILITIES”;

[0142] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,294, entitled “DATA STRIPPING METHOD TO INTERROGATE PATIENT RECORDS AND CREATE ANONYMIZED RECORD”;

[0143] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,300, entitled “SURGICAL HUB SITUATIONAL AWARENESS”;

[0144] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,309, entitled “SURGICAL HUB SPATIAL AWARENESS TO DETERMINE DEVICES INOPERATING THEATER”;

[0145] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,310, entitled “COMPUTER IMPLEMENTED INTERACTIVE SURGICAL SYSTEMS”;

[0146] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,291, entitled “USE OF LASER LIGHT AND RED-GREEN-BLUE COLORATION TO DETERMINE PROPERTIES OF BACK SCATTERED LIGHT”;

[0147] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,296, entitled “ADAPTIVE CONTROL PROGRAM UPDATES FOR SURGICAL DEVICES”;

[0148] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,333, entitled “CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS FOR CUSTOMIZATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO A USER”;

[0149] U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,327, entitled “CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS FOR SECURITY AND AUTHENTICATION TRENDS AND REACTIVE MEASURES”;

[0150] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,315, entitled “DATA HANDLING AND PRIORITIZATION IN A CLOUD ANALYTICS NETWORK”;

[0151] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,313, entitled “CLOUD INTERFACE FOR COUPLED SURGICAL DEVICES”;

[0152] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,320, entitled “DRIVE ARRANGEMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS”;

[0153] -Named "AUTOMATIC TOOL ADJUSTMENTS FOR ROBOT-

[0154] U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,307 for "ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS"; and

[0155] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,323, entitled “SENSING ARRANGEMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS.”

[0156] The applicant of this application owns the following U.S. provisional patent application filed on March 30, 2018, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0157] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 650,887, entitled "SURGICAL SYSTEMS WITH OPTIMIZED SENSING CAPABILITIES."

[0158] The applicant of this application owns the following U.S. patent application filed on December 4, 2018, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0159] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 209,423 entitled "METHOD OF COMPRESSING TISSUE WITHIN A STAPLING DEVICE AND SIMULTANEOUSLY DISPLAYING THE LOCATION OF THE TISSUE WITHIN THE JAWS."

[0160] The applicant of this application owns the following U.S. patent applications filed on August 20, 2018, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0161] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 105,101, entitled “METHOD FOR FABRICATING SURGICAL STAPLER ANVILS”;

[0162] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 105,183, entitled “REINFORCED DEFORMABLE ANVIL TIP FOR SURGICAL STAPLER ANVIL”;

[0163] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 105,150, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLER ANVILS WITH STAPLE DIRECTING PROTRUSIONS AND TISSUE STABILITY FEATURES”;

[0164] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 105,098, entitled “FABRICATING TECHNIQUES FOR SURGICAL STAPLER ANVILS”;

[0165] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 105,140, ​​entitled "SURGICAL STAPLER ANVILS WITH TISSUE STOP FEATURES CONFIGURED TO AVOID TISSUE PINCH";

[0166] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 105,081, entitled “METHOD FOR OPERATING A POWERED ARTICULATABLE SURGICALINSTRUMENT”;

[0167] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 105,094, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH PROGRESSIVE JAW CLOSUREARRANGEMENTS”;

[0168] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 105,097, entitled “POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH CLUTCHING ARRANGEMENTS TO CONVERT LINEAR DRIVE MOTIONS TO ROTARY DRIVE MOTIONS”;

[0169] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 105,104, entitled "POWERED ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH CLUTCHING AND LOCKING ARRANGEMENTS FOR LINKING AN ARTICULATION DRIVE SYSTEM TO A FIRING DRIVE SYSTEM";

[0170] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 105,119, entitled "ARTICULATABLE MOTOR POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH DEDICATED ARTICULATION MOTOR ARRANGEMENTS";

[0171] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 105,160, entitled “SWITCHING ARRANGEMENTS FOR MOTOR POWERED ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS”; and

[0172] - U.S. Design Patent Application Serial No. 29 / 660,252, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLER ANVILS."

[0173] The applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. patent applications and U.S. patents, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0174] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 386,185, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168642, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS AND REPLACEABLE TOOL ASSEMBLY HEREFORM”;

[0175] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 386,230, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168649, entitled “ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS”;

[0176] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 386,221, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168646, entitled “LOCKOUT ARRANGEMENTS FOR SURGICAL END EFFECTORS”;

[0177] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 386,209, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168645, entitled “SURGICAL END EFFECTORS AND FIRING MEMBERS THEREOF”;

[0178] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 386,198, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168644, entitled “LOCKOUT ARRANGEMENTS FOR SURGICAL END EFFECTORS AND REPLACEABLE TOOL ASSEMBLIES”;

[0179] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 386,240, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168651, entitled “SURGICAL END EFFECTORS AND ADAPTABLE FIRING MEMBERS THEREFOR”;

[0180] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,939, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168629, entitled “STAPLE CARTRIDGES AND ARRANGEMENTS OF STAPLES AND STAPLECAVITIES THEREIN”;

[0181] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,941, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168630, entitled “SURGICAL TOOL ASSEMBLIES WITH CLUTCHING ARRANGEMENTS FORSHIFTING BETWEEN CLOSURE SYSTEMS WITH CLOSURE STROKE REDUCTION FEATURES AND ARTICULATION AND FIRING SYSTEMS”;

[0182] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,943, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168631, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS AND STAPLE-FORMING ANVILS”;

[0183] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,950, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168635, entitled “SURGICAL TOOL ASSEMBLIES WITH CLOSURE STROKE REDUCTION FEATURES”;

[0184] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,945, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168632, entitled “STAPLE CARTRIDGES AND ARRANGEMENTS OF STAPLES AND STAPLECAVITIES THEREIN”;

[0185] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,946, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168633, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS AND STAPLE-FORMING ANVILS”;

[0186] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,951, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168636, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH JAW OPENING FEATURES FOR INCREASING A JAW OPENING DISTANCE”;

[0187] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,953, entitled “METHODS OF STAPLING TISSUE,” now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168637;

[0188] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,954, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168638, entitled “FIRING MEMBERS WITH NON-PARALLEL JAW ENGAGEMENT FEATURES FOR SURGICAL END EFFECTORS”;

[0189] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,955, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168639, entitled “SURGICAL END EFFECTORS WITH EXPANDABLE TISSUE STOPARRANGEMENTS”;

[0190] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,948, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168584, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS AND STAPLE-FORMING ANVILS”;

[0191] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,956, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168640, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH POSITIVE JAW OPENING FEATURES”;

[0192] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,958, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168641, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH LOCKOUT ARRANGEMENTS FOR PREVENTING FIRING SYSTEM ACTUATION UNLESS AN UNSPENT STAPLE CARTRIDGE ISPRESENT”;

[0193] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,947, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168634, entitled “STAPLE CARTRIDGES AND ARRANGEMENTS OF STAPLES AND STAPLECAVITIES THEREIN”;

[0194] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,896, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168597, entitled “METHOD FOR RESETTING A FUSE OF A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SHAFT”;

[0195] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,898, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168599, entitled “STAPLE-FORMING POCKET ARRANGEMENT TO ACCOMMODATE DIFFERENTTYPES OF STAPLES”;

[0196] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,899, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168600, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING IMPROVED JAW CONTROL”;

[0197] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,901, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168602, entitled “STAPLE CARTRIDGE AND STAPLE CARTRIDGE CHANNEL COMPRISING WINDOWS DEFINED THEREIN”;

[0198] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,902, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168603, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A CUTTING MEMBER”;

[0199] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,904, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168605, entitled “STAPLE FIRING MEMBER COMPRISING A MISSING CARTRIDGE AND / ORSPENT CARTRIDGE LOCKOUT”;

[0200] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,905, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168606, entitled “FIRING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A LOCKOUT”;

[0201] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,907, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168608, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SYSTEM COMPRISING AN END EFFECTOR LOCKOUTAND A FIRING ASSEMBLY LOCKOUT”;

[0202] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,908, entitled “FIRING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A FUSE,” now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168609;

[0203] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,909, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168610, entitled “FIRING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A MULTIPLE FAILED-STATE FUSE”;

[0204] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,920, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168620, entitled “STAPLE-FORMING POCKET ARRANGEMENTS”;

[0205] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,913, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168614, entitled “ANVIL ARRANGEMENTS FOR SURGICAL STAPLERS”;

[0206] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,914, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168615, entitled “METHOD OF DEFORMING STAPLES FROM TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF STAPLE CARTRIDGES WITH THE SAME SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT”;

[0207] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,893, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168594, entitled “BILATERALLY ASYMMETRIC STAPLE-FORMING POCKET PAIRS”;

[0208] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,929, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168626, entitled “CLOSURE MEMBERS WITH CAM SURFACE ARRANGEMENTS FOR SURGICALINSTRUMENTS WITH SEPARATE AND DISTINCT CLOSURE AND FIRING SYSTEMS”;

[0209] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,911, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168612, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLERS WITH INDEPENDENTLY ACTUATABLE CLOSING AND FIRING SYSTEMS”;

[0210] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,927, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168625, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS WITH SMART STAPLE CARTRIDGES”;

[0211] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,917, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168617, entitled “STAPLE CARTRIDGE COMPRISING STAPLES WITH DIFFERENT CLAMPING BREADTHS”;

[0212] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,900, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168601, entitled “STAPLE-FORMING POCKET ARRANGEMENTS COMPRISING PRIMARYSIDEWALLS AND POCKETSIDEWALLS”;

[0213] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,931, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168627, entitled “NO-CARTRIDGE AND SPENT CARTRIDGE LOCKOUT ARRANGEMENTS FOR SURGICAL STAPLERS”;

[0214] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,915, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168616, entitled “FIRING MEMBER PIN ANGLE”;

[0215] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,897, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168598, entitled “STAPLE-FORMING POCKET ARRANGEMENTS COMPRISING ZONED FORMING SURFACE GROOVES”;

[0216] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,922, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168622, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH MULTIPLE FAILURE RESPONSE MODES”;

[0217] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,924, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168624, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH PRIMARY AND SAFETY PROCESSORS”;

[0218] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,910, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168611, entitled “ANVIL HAVING A KNIFE SLOT WIDTH”;

[0219] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,903, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168604, entitled “CLOSURE MEMBER ARRANGEMENTS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS”;

[0220] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,906, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168607, entitled “FIRING MEMBER PIN CONFIGURATIONS”;

[0221] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 386,188, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168585, entitled “STEPPED STAPLE CARTRIDGE WITH ASYMMETRICAL STAPLES”;

[0222] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 386,192, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168643, entitled “STEPPED STAPLE CARTRIDGE WITH TISSUE RETENTION AND GAPSETTING FEATURES”;

[0223] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 386,206, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168586, entitled “STAPLE CARTRIDGE WITH DEFORMABLE DRIVER RETENTION FEATURES”;

[0224] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 386,226, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168648, entitled “DURABILITY FEATURES FOR END EFFECTORS AND FIRING ASSEMBLIES OF SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS”;

[0225] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 386,222, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168647, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS HAVING END EFFECTORS WITH POSITIVE OPENING FEATURES”;

[0226] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 386,236, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168650, entitled “CONNECTION PORTIONS FOR DEPOSABLE LOADING UNITS FOR SURGICALSTAPLING INSTRUMENTS”;

[0227] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,887, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168589, entitled “METHOD FOR ATTACHING A SHAFT ASSEMBLY TO A SURGICALINSTRUMENT AND, ALTERNATIVELY, TO A SURGICAL ROBOT”;

[0228] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,889, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168590, entitled “SHAFT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A MANUALLY-OPERABLE RETRACTION SYSTEM FOR USE WITH A MOTORIZED SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SYSTEM”;

[0229] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,890, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168591, entitled “SHAFT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING SEPARATELY ACTUATABLE ANDRETRACTABLE SYSTEMS”;

[0230] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,891, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168592, entitled “SHAFT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A CLUTCH CONFIGURED TO ADAPT THE OUTPUT OF A ROTARY FIRING MEMBER TO TWO DIFFERENT SYSTEMS”;

[0231] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,892, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168593, entitled “SURGICAL SYSTEM COMPRISING A FIRING MEMBER ROTATABLE INTO ANARTICULATION STATE TO ARTICULATE AN END EFFECTOR OF THE SURGICAL SYSTEM”;

[0232] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,894, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168595, entitled “SHAFT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A LOCKOUT”;

[0233] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,895, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168596, entitled “SHAFT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND ARTICULATION LOCKOUTS”;

[0234] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,916, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168575, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEMS”;

[0235] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,918, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168618, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEMS”;

[0236] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,919, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168619, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEMS”;

[0237] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,921, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168621, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLE CARTRIDGE WITH MOVABLE CAMMING MEMBER CONFIGURED TO DISENGAGE FIRING MEMBER LOCKOUT FEATURES”;

[0238] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,923, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168623, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEMS”;

[0239] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,925, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168576, entitled “JAW ACTUATED LOCK ARRANGEMENTS FOR PREVENTING ADVANCEMENT OFA FIRING MEMBER IN A SURGICAL END EFFECTOR UNLESS AN UNFIRED CARTRIDGE ISINSTALLED IN THE END EFFECTOR”;

[0240] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,926, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168577, entitled “AXIALLY MOVABLE CLOSURE SYSTEM ARRANGEMENTS FOR APPLYING CLOSURE MOTIONS TO JAWS OF SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS”;

[0241] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,928, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168578, entitled “PROTECTIVE COVER ARRANGEMENTS FOR A JOINT INTERFACE BETWEEN A MOVABLE JAW AND ACTUATOR SHAFT OF A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT”;

[0242] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,930, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168579, entitled “SURGICAL END EFFECTOR WITH TWO SEPARATE COOPERATING OPENING FEATURES FOR OPENING AND CLOSING END EFFECTOR JAWS”;

[0243] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,932, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168628, entitled “ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL END EFFECTOR WITH ASYMMETRIC SHAFTARRANGEMENT”;

[0244] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,933, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168580, entitled “ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH INDEPENDENT PIVOTABLE LINKAGE DISTAL OF AN ARTICULATION LOCK”;

[0245] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,934, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168581, entitled “ARTICULATION LOCK ARRANGEMENTS FOR LOCKING AN END EFFECTOR IN AN ARTICULATED POSITION IN RESPONSE TO ACTUATION OF A JAW CLOSURE SYSTEM”;

[0246] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,935, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168582, entitled “LATERALLY ACTUATABLE ARTICULATION LOCK ARRANGEMENTS FOR LOCKING AN END EFFECTOR OF A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT IN AN ARTICULATED CONFIGURATION”;

[0247] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 385,936, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168583, entitled “ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH ARTICULATION STROKEAMPLIFICATION FEATURES”;

[0248] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 318,996, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0297228, entitled “FASTENER CARTRIDGES INCLUDING EXTENSIONS HAVING DIFFERENT CONFIGURATIONS”;

[0249] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 319,006, entitled “FASTENER CARTRIDGE COMPRISING FASTENER CAVITIES INCLUDINGFASTENER CONTROL FEATURES,” now U.S. Patent No. 10,010,324;

[0250] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 318,991, entitled “SURGICAL FASTENER CARTRIDGES WITH DRIVER STABILIZING ARRANGEMENTS,” now U.S. Patent No. 9,833,241;

[0251] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 319,004, now U.S. Patent No. 9,844,369, entitled “SURGICAL END EFFECTORS WITH FIRING ELEMENT MONITORING ARRANGEMENTS”;

[0252] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 319,008, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0297232, entitled “FASTENER CARTRIDGE COMPRISING NON-UNIFORM FASTENERS”;

[0253] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 318,997, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0297229, entitled “FASTENER CARTRIDGE COMPRISING DEPLOYABLE TISSUE ENGAGING MEMBERS”;

[0254] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 319,002, entitled “FASTENER CARTRIDGE COMPRISING TISSUE CONTROL FEATURES,” now U.S. Patent No. 9,877,721;

[0255] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 319,013, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0297233, entitled “FASTENER CARTRIDGE ASSEMBLIES AND STAPLE RETAINER COVERARRANGEMENTS”; and

[0256] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 319,016, entitled “FASTENER CARTRIDGE INCLUDING A LAYER ATTACHED THERETO,” now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0297235.

[0257] The applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. patent applications filed on June 24, 2016, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0258] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 191,775, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0367695, entitled “STAPLE CARTRIDGE COMPRISING WIRE STAPLES AND STAMPED STAPLES”;

[0259] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 191,807, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0367696, entitled “STAPLING SYSTEM FOR USE WITH WIRE STAPLES AND STAMPED STAPLES”;

[0260] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 191,834, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0367699, entitled “STAMPED STAPLES AND STAPLE CARTRIDGES USING THE SAME”;

[0261] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 191,788, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0367698, entitled “STAPLE CARTRIDGE COMPRISING OVERDRIVEN STAPLES”; and

[0262] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 191,818, entitled “STAPLE CARTRIDGE COMPRISING OFFSET LONGITUDINAL STAPLE ROWS,” now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0367697.

[0263] The applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. patent applications filed on June 24, 2016, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0264] - U.S. Design Patent Application Serial No. 29 / 569,218, now U.S. Design Patent D826,405, entitled “SURGICAL FASTENER”;

[0265] - U.S. Design Patent Application Serial No. 29 / 569,227, now U.S. Design Patent D822,206, entitled “SURGICAL FASTENER”;

[0266] - U.S. Design Patent Application Serial No. 29 / 569,259, entitled “SURGICAL FASTENER CARTRIDGE”; and

[0267] - U.S. Design Patent Application Serial No. 29 / 569,264, entitled "SURGICAL FASTENER CARTRIDGE."

[0268] The applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications filed on April 1, 2016 and each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0269] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 089,325, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281171, entitled “METHOD FOR OPERATING A SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM”;

[0270] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 089,321, entitled “MODULAR SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A DISPLAY,” now U.S. Patent No. 10,271,851;

[0271] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 089,326, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281172, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A DISPLAY INCLUDING A RE-ORIENTABLE DISPLAY FIELD”;

[0272] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 089,263, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281165, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENT HANDLE ASSEMBLY WITH RECONFIGURABLE GRIPPORTION”;

[0273] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 089,262, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281161, entitled “ROTARY POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH MANUALLY ACTUATABLE BAILOUT SYSTEM”;

[0274] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 089,277, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281166, entitled “SURGICAL CUTTING AND STAPLING END EFFECTOR WITH ANVILCONCENTRIC DRIVE MEMBER”;

[0275] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 089,296, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281168, entitled “INTERCHANGEABLE SURGICAL TOOL ASSEMBLY WITH A SURGICAL ENDEFFECTOR THAT IS SELECTIVELY ROTATABLE ABOUT A SHAFT AXIS”;

[0276] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 089,258, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281178, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A SHIFTABLE TRANSMISSION”;

[0277] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 089,278, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281162, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM CONFIGURED TO PROVIDE SELECTIVE CUTTING OF TISSUE”;

[0278] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 089,284, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281186, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A CONTOURABLE SHAFT”;

[0279] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 089,295, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281187, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A TISSUE COMPRESSION LOCKOUT”;

[0280] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 089,300, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281179, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING AN UNCLAMPING LOCKOUT”;

[0281] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 089,196, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281183, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A JAW CLOSURE LOCKOUT”;

[0282] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 089,203, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281184, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A JAW ATTACHMENT LOCKOUT”;

[0283] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 089,210, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281185, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A SPENT CARTRIDGE LOCKOUT”;

[0284] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 089,324, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281170, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A SHIFTING MECHANISM”;

[0285] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 089,335, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281155, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT COMPRISING MULTIPLE LOCKOUTS”;

[0286] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 089,339, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281173, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT”;

[0287] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 089,253, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281177, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM CONFIGURED TO APPLY ANNULAR ROWS OF STAPLES HAVING DIFFERENT HEIGHTS”;

[0288] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 089,304, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281188, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A GROOVED FORMING POCKET”;

[0289] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 089,331, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281180, entitled “ANVIL MODIFICATION MEMBERS FOR SURGICAL STAPLERS”;

[0290] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 089,336, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281164, entitled “STAPLE CARTRIDGES WITH ATRAUMATIC FEATURES”;

[0291] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 089,312, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281189, entitled “CIRCULAR STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING AN INCISABLE TISSUESUPPORT”;

[0292] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 089,309, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281169, entitled “CIRCULAR STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING ROTARY FIRING SYSTEM”; and

[0293] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 089,349, entitled “CIRCULAR STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING LOAD CONTROL,” now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281174.

[0294] The applicant of the present application also owns the following U.S. patent applications filed on December 30, 2015, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0295] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 984,488, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0189018, entitled “MECHANISMS FOR COMPENSATING FOR BATTERY PACK FAILURE INPOWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS”;

[0296] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 984,525, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0189019, entitled “MECHANISMS FOR COMPENSATING FOR DRIVETRAIN FAILURE IN POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS”; and

[0297] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 984,552, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH SEPARABLE MOTORS AND MOTOR CONTROLCIRCUITS,” now U.S. Patent No. 10,265,068.

[0298] The applicant of the present application also owns the following U.S. patent applications filed on February 9, 2016, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0299] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 019,220, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH ARTICULATING AND AXIALLYTRANSLATABLE END EFFECTOR,” now U.S. Patent No. 10,245,029;

[0300] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 019,228, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0224342, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH MULTIPLE LINK ARTICULATION ARRANGEMENTS”;

[0301] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 019,196, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0224330, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENT ARTICULATION MECHANISM WITH SLOTTED SECONDARY CONSTRAINT”;

[0302] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 019,206, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0224331, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH AN END EFFECTOR THAT IS HIGHLYARTICULATABLE RELATIVE TO AN ELONGATE SHAFT ASSEMBLY”;

[0303] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 019,215, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0224332, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH NON-SYMMETRICAL ARTICULATION ARRANGEMENTS”;

[0304] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 019,227, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0224334, entitled “ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH SINGLE ARTICULATIONLINK ARRANGEMENTS”;

[0305] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 019,235, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH TENSIONING ARRANGEMENTS FOR CABLEDRIVEN ARTICULATION SYSTEMS,” now U.S. Patent No. 10,245,030;

[0306] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 019,230, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0224335, entitled “ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH OFF-AXIS FIRING BEAMARRANGEMENTS”; and

[0307] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 019,245, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH CLOSURE STROKE REDUCTION ARRANGEMENTS,” now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0224343.

[0308] The applicant of the present application also owns the following U.S. patent applications filed on February 12, 2016, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0309] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 043,254, entitled “MECHANISMS FOR COMPENSATING FOR DRIVETRAIN FAILURE IN POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS,” now U.S. Patent No. 10,258,331;

[0310] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 043,259, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0231626, entitled “MECHANISMS FOR COMPENSATING FOR DRIVETRAIN FAILURE IN POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS”;

[0311] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 043,275, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0231627, entitled “MECHANISMS FOR COMPENSATING FOR DRIVETRAIN FAILURE IN POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS”; and

[0312] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 043,289, entitled “MECHANISMS FOR COMPENSATING FOR DRIVETRAIN FAILURE IN POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS,” now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0231628.

[0313] The applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications filed on June 18, 2015 and each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0314] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 742,925, entitled “SURGICAL END EFFECTORS WITH POSITIVE JAW OPENING ARRANGEMENTS,” now U.S. Patent No. 10,182,818;

[0315] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 742,941, entitled “SURGICAL END EFFECTORS WITH DUAL CAM ACTUATED JAW CLOSING FEATURES,” now U.S. Patent No. 10,052,102;

[0316] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 742,933, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS WITH LOCKOUT ARRANGEMENTS FORPREVENTING FIRING SYSTEM ACTUATION WHEN A CARTRIDGE IS SPENT OR MISSING,” now U.S. Patent No. 10,154,841;

[0317] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 742,914, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0367255, entitled “MOVABLE FIRING BEAM SUPPORT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS”;

[0318] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 742,900, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0367254, entitled “ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH COMPOSITE FIRING BEAMSTRUCTURES WITH CENTER FIRING SUPPORT MEMBER FOR ARTICULATION SUPPORT”;

[0319] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 742,885, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0367246, entitled “DUAL ARTICULATION DRIVE SYSTEM ARRANGEMENTS FOR ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS”; and

[0320] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 742,876, entitled "PUSH / PULL ARTICULATION DRIVE SYSTEMS FOR ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS," now U.S. Patent No. 10,178,992.

[0321] The applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications filed on March 6, 2015 and each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0322] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 640,746, entitled “POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENT,” now U.S. Patent No. 9,808,246;

[0323] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 640,795, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 02561185, entitled “MULTIPLE LEVEL THRESHOLDS TO MODIFY OPERATION OF POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS”;

[0324] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 640,832, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0256154, entitled “ADAPTIVE TISSUE COMPRESSION TECHNIQUES TO ADJUST CLOSURE RATES FOR MULTIPLE TISSUE TYPES”;

[0325] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 640,935, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0256071, entitled “OVERLAID MULTI SENSOR RADIO FREQUENCY (RF) ELECTRODE SYSTEM TOOMEASURE TISSUE COMPRESSION”;

[0326] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 640,831, entitled “MONITORING SPEED CONTROL AND PRECISION INCREMENTING OF MOTOR FOR POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS,” now U.S. Patent No. 9,895,148;

[0327] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 640,859, entitled “TIME DEPENDENT EVALUATION OF SENSOR DATA TO DETERMINESTABILITY, CREEP, AND VISCOELASTIC ELEMENTS OF MEASURES,” now U.S. Patent No. 10,052,044;

[0328] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 640,817, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 9,924,961, entitled “INTERACTIVE FEEDBACK SYSTEM FOR POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS”;

[0329] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 640,844, entitled “CONTROL TECHNIQUES AND SUB-PROCESSOR CONTAINED WITHIN MODULARSHAFT WITH SELECTCONTROL PROCESSING FROM HANDLE,” now U.S. Patent No. 10,045,776;

[0330] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 640,837, now U.S. Patent No. 9,993,248, entitled “SMART SENSORS WITH LOCAL SIGNAL PROCESSING”;

[0331] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 640,765, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0256160, entitled “SYSTEM FOR DETECTING THE MIS-INSERTION OF A STAPLE CARTRIDGEINTO A SURGICAL STAPLER”;

[0332] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 640,799, now U.S. Patent No. 9,901,342, entitled “SIGNAL AND POWER COMMUNICATION SYSTEM POSITIONED ON AROTATABLE SHAFT”; and

[0333] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 640,780, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A LOCKABLE BATTERY HOUSING," now U.S. Patent No. 10,245,033.

[0334] The applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications filed on February 27, 2015, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0335] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 633,576, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SYSTEM COMPRISING AN INSPECTION STATION,” now U.S. Patent No. 10,045,779;

[0336] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 633,546, entitled “SURGICAL APPARATUS CONFIGURED TO ASSESS WHETHER A PERFORMANCE PARAMETER OF THE SURGICAL APPARATUS IS WITHIN AN ACCEPTABLE PERFORMANCE BAND,” now U.S. Patent No. 10,180,463;

[0337] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 633,560, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0249910, entitled “SURGICAL CHARGING SYSTEM THAT CHARGES AND / OR CONDITIONS ONE OR MORE BATTERIES”;

[0338] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 633,566, entitled “CHARGING SYSTEM THAT ENABLES EMERGENCY RESOLUTIONS FOR CHARGING A BATTERY,” now U.S. Patent No. 10,182,816;

[0339] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 633,555, entitled “SYSTEM FOR MONITORING WHETHER A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT NEEDS TOBE SERVICED,” now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0249916;

[0340] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 633,542, entitled “REINFORCED BATTERY FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT,” now U.S. Patent No. 9,931,118;

[0341] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 633,548, entitled “POWER ADAPTER FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT,” now U.S. Patent No. 10,245,028;

[0342] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 633,526, entitled “ADAPTABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT HANDLE,” now U.S. Patent No. 9,993,258;

[0343] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 633,541, now U.S. Patent No. 10,226,250, entitled “MODULAR STAPLING ASSEMBLY”; and

[0344] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 633,562, entitled “SURGICAL APPARATUS CONFIGURED TO TRACK AN END-OF-LIFEPARAMETER,” now U.S. Patent No. 10,159,483.

[0345] The applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications filed on December 18, 2014 and each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0346] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 574,478, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SYSTEMS COMPRISING AN ARTICULATABLE ENDEFFECTOR AND MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE FIRING STROKE OF A FIRING MEMBER," now U.S. Patent No. 9,844,374;

[0347] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 574,483, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING LOCKABLE SYSTEMS,” now U.S. Patent No. 10,188,385;

[0348] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 575,139, entitled “DRIVE ARRANGEMENTS FOR ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS,” now U.S. Patent No. 9,844,375;

[0349] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 575,148, entitled “LOCKING ARRANGEMENTS FOR DETACHABLE SHAFT ASSEMBLIES WITH ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL END EFFECTORS,” now U.S. Patent No. 10,085,748;

[0350] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 575,130, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH AN ANVIL THAT IS SELECTIVELY MOVABLEABOUT A DISCRETE NON-MOVABLE AXIS RELATIVE TO A STAPLE CARTRIDGE," now U.S. Patent No. 10,245,027;

[0351] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 575,143, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH IMPROVED CLOSURE ARRANGEMENTS,” now U.S. Patent No. 10,004,501;

[0352] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 575,117, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH ARTICULATABLE END EFFECTORS AND MOVABLE FIRING BEAM SUPPORT ARRANGEMENTS,” now U.S. Patent No. 9,943,309;

[0353] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 575,154, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH ARTICULATABLE END EFFECTORS AND IMPROVED FIRING BEAM SUPPORT ARRANGEMENTS,” now U.S. Patent No. 9,968,355;

[0354] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 574,493, now U.S. Patent No. 9,987,000, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A FLEXIBLEARTICULATION SYSTEM”; and

[0355] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 574,500, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A LOCKABLE ARTICULATION SYSTEM," now U.S. Patent No. 10,117,649.

[0356] The applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications filed on March 1, 2013 and each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0357] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 782,295, now U.S. Patent No. 9,700,309, entitled “ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH CONDUCTIVE PATHWAYS FOR SIGNAL COMMUNICATION”;

[0358] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 782,323, entitled “ROTARY POWERED ARTICULATION JOINTS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS,” now U.S. Patent No. 9,782,169;

[0359] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 782,338, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0249557, entitled “THUMBWHEEL SWITCH ARRANGEMENTS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS”;

[0360] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 782,499, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 9,358,003, entitled “ELECTROMECHANICAL SURGICAL DEVICE WITH SIGNAL RELAYARRANGEMENT”;

[0361] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 782,460, now U.S. Patent No. 9,554,794, entitled “MULTIPLE PROCESSOR MOTOR CONTROL FOR MODULAR SURGICALINSTRUMENTS”;

[0362] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 782,358, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 9,326,767, entitled “JOYSTICK SWITCH ASSEMBLIES FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS”;

[0363] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 782,481, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 9,468,438, entitled “SENSOR STRAIGHTENED END EFFECTOR DURING REMOVAL THROUGH TROCAR”;

[0364] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 782,518, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0246475, entitled “CONTROL METHODS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH REMOVABLEIMPLEMENT PORTIONS”;

[0365] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 782,375, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 9,398,911, entitled "ROTARY POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH MULTIPLE DEGREES OFFREEDOM"; and

[0366] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 782,536, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SOFT STOP," now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 9,307,986.

[0367] The applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications filed on March 14, 2013 and each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0368] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 803,097, entitled “ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A FIRING DRIVE,” now U.S. Patent No. 9,687,230;

[0369] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 803,193, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 9,332,987, entitled “CONTROL ARRANGEMENTS FOR A DRIVE MEMBER OF A SURGICALINSTRUMENT”;

[0370] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 803,053, now U.S. Patent No. 9,883,860, entitled "INTERCHANGEABLE SHAFT ASSEMBLIES FOR USE WITH A SURGICALINSTRUMENT";

[0371] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 803,086, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0263541, entitled “ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING AN ARTICULATION LOCK”;

[0372] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 803,210, entitled “SENSOR ARRANGEMENTS FOR ABSOLUTE POSITIONING SYSTEM FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS,” now U.S. Patent No. 9,808,244;

[0373] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 803,148, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0263554, entitled “MULTI-FUNCTION MOTOR FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT”;

[0374] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 803,066, entitled “DRIVE SYSTEM LOCKOUT ARRANGEMENTS FOR MODULAR SURGICALINSTRUMENTS,” now U.S. Patent No. 9,629,623;

[0375] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 803,117, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 9,351,726, entitled “ARTICULATION CONTROL SYSTEM FOR ARTICULATABLE SURGICALINSTRUMENTS”;

[0376] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 803,130, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 9,351,727, entitled “DRIVE TRAIN CONTROL ARRANGEMENTS FOR MODULAR SURGICALINSTRUMENTS”; and

[0377] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 803,159, entitled "METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR OPERATING A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT," now U.S. Patent No. 9,888,919.

[0378] The applicant of the present application also owns the following patent application filed on March 7, 2014 and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0379] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 200,111, entitled “CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS,” now U.S. Patent No. 9,629,629.

[0380] The applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications filed on March 26, 2014, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0381] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 226,106, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0272582, entitled “POWER MANAGEMENT CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS”;

[0382] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 226,099, now U.S. Patent No. 9,826,977, entitled “STERILIZATION VERIFICATION CIRCUIT”;

[0383] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 226,094, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0272580, entitled “VERIFICATION OF NUMBER OF BATTERY EXCHANGES / PROCEDURE COUNT”;

[0384] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 226,117, entitled “POWER MANAGEMENT THROUGH SLEEP OPTIONS OF SEGMENTED CIRCUIT AND WAKE UP CONTROL,” now U.S. Patent No. 10,013,049;

[0385] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 226,075, now U.S. Patent No. 9,743,929, entitled “MODULAR POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH DETACHABLE SHAFT ASSEMBLIES”;

[0386] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 226,093, entitled “FEEDBACK ALGORITHMS FOR MANUAL BAILOUT SYSTEMS FOR SURGICALINSTRUMENTS,” now U.S. Patent No. 10,028,761;

[0387] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 226,116, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0272571, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENT UTILIZING SENSOR ADAPTATION”;

[0388] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 226,071, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENT CONTROL CIRCUIT HAVING A SAFETY PROCESSOR,” now U.S. Patent No. 9,690,362;

[0389] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 226,097, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING INTERACTIVE SYSTEMS,” now U.S. Patent No. 9,820,738;

[0390] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 226,126, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 10,004,497, entitled “INTERFACE SYSTEMS FOR USE WITH SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS”;

[0391] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 226,133, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0272557, entitled “MODULAR SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SYSTEM”;

[0392] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 226,081, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING A SEGMENTED CIRCUIT,” now U.S. Patent No. 9,804,618;

[0393] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 226,076, entitled “POWER MANAGEMENT THROUGH SEGMENTED CIRCUIT AND VARIABLEVOLTAGE PROTECTION,” now U.S. Patent No. 9,733,663;

[0394] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 226,111, now U.S. Patent No. 9,750,499, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT SYSTEM”; and

[0395] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 226,125, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A ROTATABLE SHAFT," now U.S. Patent No. 10,201,364.

[0396] The applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications filed on September 5, 2014 and each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0397] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 479,103, entitled “CIRCUITRY AND SENSORS FOR POWERED MEDICAL DEVICE,” now U.S. Patent No. 10,111,679;

[0398] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 479,119, entitled “ADJUNCT WITH INTEGRATED SENSORS TO QUANTIFY TISSUE COMPRESSION,” now U.S. Patent No. 9,724,094;

[0399] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 478,908, entitled “MONITORING DEVICE DEGRADATION BASED ON COMPONENT EVALUATION,” now U.S. Patent No. 9,737,301;

[0400] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 478,895, entitled "MULTIPLE SENSORS WITH ONE SENSOR AFFECTING A SECOND SENSOR'S OUTPUT OR INTERPRETATION," now U.S. Patent No. 9,757,128;

[0401] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 479,110, entitled “POLARITY OF HALL MAGNET TO IDENTIFY CARTRIDGE TYPE,” now U.S. Patent No. 10,016,199;

[0402] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 479,098, entitled “SMART CARTRIDGE WAKE UP OPERATION AND DATA RETENTION,” now U.S. Patent No. 10,135,242;

[0403] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 479,115, now U.S. Patent No. 9,788,836, entitled “MULTIPLE MOTOR CONTROL FOR POWERED MEDICAL DEVICE”; and

[0404] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 479,108, entitled “LOCAL DISPLAY OF TISSUE PARAMETER STABILIZATION,” now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0066913.

[0405] The applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications filed on April 9, 2014 and each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0406] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 248,590, entitled “MOTOR DRIVEN SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH LOCKABLE DUAL DRIVESHAFTS,” now U.S. Patent No. 9,826,976;

[0407] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 248,581, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A CLOSING DRIVE AND A FIRINGDRIVE OPERATED FROM THE SAME ROTATABLE OUTPUT,” now U.S. Patent No. 9,649,110;

[0408] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 248,595, entitled “SURGICAL SYSTEM COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND DRIVE SYSTEMS,” now U.S. Patent No. 9,844,368;

[0409] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 248,588, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0309666, entitled “POWERED LINEAR SURGICAL STAPLER”;

[0410] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 248,591, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A GAP SETTING SYSTEM,” now U.S. Patent No. 10,149,680;

[0411] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 248,584, entitled "MODULAR MOTOR DRIVEN SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH ALIGNMENT FEATURES FOR ALIGNING ROTARY DRIVE SHAFTS WITH SURGICAL END EFFECTOR SHAFTS," now U.S. Patent No. 9,801,626;

[0412] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 248,587, now U.S. Patent No. 9,867,612, entitled “POWERED SURGICAL STAPLER”;

[0413] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 248,586, now U.S. Patent No. 10,136,887, entitled “DRIVE SYSTEM DECOUPLING ARRANGEMENT FOR A SURGICALINSTRUMENT”; and

[0414] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 248,607, entitled "MODULAR MOTOR DRIVEN SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH STATUS INDICATION ARRANGEMENTS," now U.S. Patent No. 9,814,460.

[0415] The applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications filed on April 16, 2013, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0416] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61 / 812,365, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS PERFORMED BY ASINGLE MOTOR”;

[0417] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61 / 812,376, entitled “LINEAR CUTTER WITH POWER”;

[0418] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61 / 812,382, entitled “LINEAR CUTTER WITH MOTOR AND PISTOL GRIP”;

[0419] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61 / 812,385, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT HANDLE WITH MULTIPLE ACTUATION MOTORS AND MOTOR CONTROL"; and

[0420] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61 / 812,372, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS PERFORMED BY ASINGLE MOTOR."

[0421] The applicant of the present patent application owns the following U.S. provisional patent applications filed on December 28, 2017, the disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety:

[0422] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 611,341, entitled “INTERACTIVE SURGICAL PLATFORM”;

[0423] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 611,340, entitled “CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS”; and

[0424] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 611,339, entitled "ROBOT ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORM."

[0425] The applicant of the present patent application owns the following U.S. provisional patent applications filed on March 28, 2018, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0426] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,302, entitled “INTERACTIVE SURGICAL SYSTEMS WITH ENCRYPTED COMMUNICATION CAPABILITIES”;

[0427] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,294, entitled “DATA STRIPPING METHOD TO INTERROGATE PATIENT RECORDS AND CREATE ANONYMIZED RECORD”;

[0428] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,300, entitled “SURGICAL HUB SITUATIONAL AWARENESS”;

[0429] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,309, entitled “SURGICAL HUB SPATIAL AWARENESS TO DETERMINE DEVICES INOPERATING THEATER”;

[0430] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,310, entitled “COMPUTER IMPLEMENTED INTERACTIVE SURGICAL SYSTEMS”;

[0431] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,291, entitled “USE OF LASER LIGHT AND RED-GREEN-BLUE COLORATION TO DETERMINE PROPERTIES OF BACK SCATTERED LIGHT”;

[0432] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,296, entitled “ADAPTIVE CONTROL PROGRAM UPDATES FOR SURGICAL DEVICES”;

[0433] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,333, entitled “CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS FOR CUSTOMIZATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO A USER”;

[0434] U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,327, entitled “CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS FOR SECURITY AND AUTHENTICATION TRENDS AND REACTIVE MEASURES”;

[0435] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,315, entitled “DATA HANDLING AND PRIORITIZATION IN A CLOUD ANALYTICS NETWORK”;

[0436] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,313, entitled “CLOUD INTERFACE FOR COUPLED SURGICAL DEVICES”;

[0437] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,320, entitled “DRIVE ARRANGEMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS”;

[0438] U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,307, entitled “AUTOMATIC TOOL ADJUSTMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICALPLATFORMS”; and

[0439] - U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 649,323, entitled “SENSING ARRANGEMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS.”

[0440] The applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. patent applications filed on March 29, 2018, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0441] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,641, entitled “INTERACTIVE SURGICAL SYSTEMS WITH ENCRYPTED COMMUNICATION CAPABILITIES”;

[0442] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,648, entitled “INTERACTIVE SURGICAL SYSTEMS WITH CONDITION HANDLING OF DEVICES AND DATA CAPABILITIES”;

[0443] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,656, entitled “SURGICAL HUB COORDINATION OF CONTROL AND COMMUNICATION OF OPERATING ROOM DEVICES”;

[0444] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,666, entitled “SPATIAL AWARENESS OF SURGICAL HUBS IN OPERATING ROOMS”;

[0445] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,670, entitled “COOPERATIVE UTILIZATION OF DATA DERIVED FROM SECONDARY SOURCES BY INTELLIGENT SURGICAL HUBS”;

[0446] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,677, entitled “SURGICAL HUB CONTROL ARRANGEMENTS”;

[0447] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,632, entitled “DATA STRIPPING METHOD TO INTERROGATE PATIENT RECORDS AND CREATE ANONYMIZED RECORD”;

[0448] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,640, entitled "COMMUNICATION HUB AND STORAGE DEVICE FOR STORING PARAMETERS AND STATUS OF A SURGICAL DEVICE TO BE SHARED WITH CLOUD BASED ANALYTICS SYSTEMS";

[0449] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,645, entitled "SELF DESCRIBING DATA PACKETS GENERATED AT AN ISSUING INSTRUMENT";

[0450] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,649, entitled "DATA PAIRING TO INTERCONNECT A DEVICE MEASURED PARAMETER WITH AN OUTCOME";

[0451] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,654, entitled “SURGICAL HUB SITUATIONAL AWARENESS”;

[0452] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,663, entitled “SURGICAL SYSTEM DISTRIBUTED PROCESSING”;

[0453] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,668, entitled “AGGREGATION AND REPORTING OF SURGICAL HUB DATA”;

[0454] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,671, entitled “SURGICAL HUB SPATIAL AWARENESS TO DETERMINE DEVICES INOPERATING THEATER”;

[0455] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,686, entitled "DISPLAY OF ALIGNMENT OF STAPLE CARTRIDGE TO PRIOR LINEAR STAPLE LINE";

[0456] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,700, entitled “STERILE FIELD INTERACTIVE CONTROL DISPLAYS”;

[0457] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,629, entitled “COMPUTER IMPLEMENTED INTERACTIVE SURGICAL SYSTEMS”;

[0458] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,704, entitled "USE OF LASER LIGHT AND RED-GREEN-BLUE COLORATION TO DETERMINE PROPERTIES OF BACK SCATTERED LIGHT";

[0459] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,722, entitled "CHARACTERIZATION OF TISSUE IRREGULARITIES THROUGH THE USE OF MONO-CHROMATIC LIGHT REFRACTIVITY"; and

[0460] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,742, entitled "DUAL CMOS ARRAY IMAGING."

[0461] The applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. patent applications filed on March 29, 2018, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0462] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,636, entitled “ADAPTIVE CONTROL PROGRAM UPDATES FOR SURGICAL DEVICES”;

[0463] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,653, entitled “ADAPTIVE CONTROL PROGRAM UPDATES FOR SURGICAL HUBS”;

[0464] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,660, entitled “CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS FOR CUSTOMIZATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO A USER”;

[0465] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,679, entitled "CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS FOR LINKING OF LOCAL USAGETRENDS WITH THE RESOURCE ACQUISITION BEHAVIORS OF LARGER DATA SET";

[0466] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,694, entitled “CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS FOR MEDICAL FACILITY SEGMENTED INDIVIDUALIZATION OF INSTRUMENT FUNCTION”;

[0467] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,634, entitled “CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS FOR SECURITY AND AUTHENTICATION TRENDS AND REACTIVE MEASURES”;

[0468] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,706, entitled “DATA HANDLING AND PRIORITIZATION IN A CLOUD ANALYTICS NETWORK”; and

[0469] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,675, entitled "CLOUD INTERFACE FOR COUPLED SURGICAL DEVICES."

[0470] The applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. patent applications filed on March 29, 2018, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

[0471] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,627, entitled “DRIVE ARRANGEMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS”;

[0472] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,637, entitled “COMMUNICATION ARRANGEMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICALPLATFORMS”;

[0473] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,642, entitled “CONTROLS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS”;

[0474] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,676, entitled “AUTOMATIC TOOL ADJUSTMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICALPLATFORMS”;

[0475] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,680, entitled “CONTROLLERS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS”;

[0476] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,683, entitled “COOPERATIVE SURGICAL ACTIONS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICALPLATFORMS”;

[0477] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,690, entitled “DISPLAY ARRANGEMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS”; and

[0478] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 940,711, entitled "SENSING ARRANGEMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS."

[0479] Many specific details are listed herein to provide a thorough understanding of the overall structure, function, manufacture, and use of the embodiments described in the specification and shown in the drawings. Well-known operations, parts, and elements are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the embodiments described in the specification. The reader will understand that the embodiments described and shown herein are non-limiting examples, so that it can be recognized that the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein can be representative and illustrative. These embodiments can be modified and changed without departing from the scope of the claims.

[0480] The terms "comprise" (and any form of "comprise", such as "comprises" and "comprising"), "have" (and any form of "have", such as "has" and "having"), "include" (and any form of "include", such as "includes" and "including"), and "contain" (and any form of "contain", such as "contains" and "containing") are open-ended linking verbs. Thus, a surgical system, device, or apparatus that "comprises," "has," "includes," or "contains" one or more elements has those one or more elements, but is not limited to having only those one or more elements. Likewise, an element of a system, device, or apparatus that "comprises," "has," "includes," or "contains" one or more features has those one or more features, but is not limited to having only those one or more features.

[0481] The terms "proximal" and "distal" are used herein relative to a clinician manipulating 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 positioned away from the clinician. It should also be understood that for brevity and clarity, spatial terms such as "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," and "lower" may be used herein in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, surgical instruments are used in many orientations and positions, and these terms are not intended to be limiting and / or absolute.

[0482] Various exemplary devices and methods are provided for performing laparoscopic and minimally invasive surgical procedures. However, the reader will readily appreciate that the various methods and devices disclosed herein can be used in a variety of surgical procedures and applications, including, for example, in conjunction with open surgical procedures. Continuing to refer to this detailed description, the reader will further appreciate that the various instruments disclosed herein can be inserted into the body in any manner, such as through a natural cavity, through an incision or puncture formed in the tissue, etc. The working portion or end effector portion of the instrument can be inserted directly into the patient's body or can be inserted through an access device having a working channel through which the end effector and elongated shaft of the surgical instrument can be advanced.

[0483] The surgical stapling system may include an axis and an end effector extending from the axis. The end effector includes a first jaw and a second jaw. The first jaw includes a staple cartridge. The staple cartridge can be inserted into the first jaw and can be removed from the first jaw; however, other embodiments are envisioned in which the staple cartridge cannot be removed from the first jaw or can at least be easily replaced from the first jaw. The second jaw includes an anvil configured to deform the staples ejected from the staple cartridge. The second jaw can pivot relative to the first jaw about a closed axis; however, other embodiments are envisioned in which the first jaw can pivot relative to the second jaw. The surgical stapling system also includes an articulated joint configured to allow the end effector to rotate or articulate relative to the axis. The end effector can rotate around an articulated axis extending through the articulated joint. Other embodiments are envisioned that do not include an articulated joint.

[0484] The staple cartridge comprises a cartridge body. The cartridge body comprises a proximal end, a distal end and a platform extending between the proximal end and the distal end. In use, the staple cartridge is positioned on a first side of a tissue to be sutured, and the anvil is positioned on a second side of the tissue. The anvil moves toward the staple cartridge to compress the tissue and clamp it against the platform. The staples removably stored in the cartridge body can then be deployed into the tissue. The cartridge body comprises a staple cavity defined in the cartridge body, wherein the staples are removably stored in the staple cavity. The staple cavities are arranged in six longitudinal rows. Three rows of staple cavities are positioned on a first side of the longitudinal slot and three rows of staple cavities are positioned on a second side of the longitudinal slot. Other arrangements of staple cavities and staples are also possible.

[0485] The nail is supported by a nail driver in the magazine body. The driver can move between a first or non-firing position and a second or firing position to eject the nail from the nail magazine. The driver is retained in the magazine body by a retainer, which extends around the bottom of the magazine body and includes a resilient member configured to grip the magazine body and retain the retainer to the magazine body. The driver can move between its non-firing position and its firing position by a slide. The slide can move between a proximal position adjacent to the proximal end and a distal position adjacent to the distal end. The slide includes a plurality of ramp surfaces that are configured to slide under the driver toward the anvil and lift the driver, and the nail is supported on the driver.

[0486] In addition to the above, the slider can also move distally through the firing member. The firing member is configured to contact the slider and push the slider toward the distal end. The longitudinal slot defined in the magazine body is configured to receive the firing member. The anvil also includes a slot configured to receive the firing member. The firing member also includes a first cam engaging the first jaw and a second cam engaging the second jaw. As the firing member advances distally, the first cam and the second cam can control the distance or tissue gap between the platform of the nail magazine and the anvil. The firing member also includes a knife configured to cut into the tissue captured between the nail magazine and the anvil. It is desired that the knife is positioned at least partially close to the ramp surface so that the nail is ejected before the knife.

[0487] Surgical instrument 10000 is shown in Figure 1 . The surgical instrument 10000 includes a handle 10100, a shaft 10200 extending from the handle 10100, and an end effector 10400. The end effector 10400 includes a first jaw 10410 configured to receive a staple cartridge and a second jaw 10420 movable relative to the first jaw 10410. The second jaw 10420 includes an anvil including a staple forming recess defined therein. The surgical instrument 10000 also includes a closing actuator 10140 configured to drive a closing system of the surgical instrument 10000 and move the second jaw 10420 between an unclamped position and a clamped position. Reference Figure 3 , the closing actuator 10140 is operably connected to the closing tube 10240, and when the closing actuator 10140 is closed, the closing tube is advanced toward the distal side. In such cases, the closing tube 10240 contacts the second jaw and cams and / or pushes the second jaw 10420 downward into its clamped position. The second jaw 10420 is pivotally connected to the first jaw around a pivot axis. That is, in an alternative embodiment, the second jaw can translate and rotate as it moves to its clamped position. In addition, in various alternative embodiments, the surgical instrument includes a staple cartridge jaw that can move between an unclamped position and a clamped position relative to the anvil jaw. In any case, the handle 10100 includes a lock that is configured to releasably hold the closing actuator 10140 in its clamped position. The handle 10100 also includes release actuators 10180a, 10180b, which, when either release actuator is actuated, unlock the closure actuator 10140 so that the end effector can be reopened. In various alternative embodiments, the handle 10100 includes an electric motor that is configured to move the closure tube 10240 proximally and / or distally when actuated by a clinician.

[0488] The end effector 10400 is attached to the shaft 10200 about an articulation joint 10500 and is capable of rotating in a plane about the articulation axis. The shaft 10200 defines a longitudinal axis, and the end effector 10400 is capable of articulating between a position in which the end effector 10400 is aligned with the longitudinal axis and a position in which the end effector 10400 extends at a transverse angle relative to the longitudinal axis. The handle 10100 includes an electric motor and a control system configured to control the operation of the electric motor. The electric motor includes a brushless DC motor; however, the electric motor may include any suitable motor, such as a brushed DC motor. The entire disclosure of U.S. Patent No. 10,149,683, entitled “POWERED SURGICAL CUTTING AND STAPLING APPARATUSWITH MANUALLY RETRACTABLE FIRING SYSTEM,” published on December 11, 2018, is incorporated herein by reference. The entire disclosure of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0125481, entitled "MOTOR-DRIVEN SURGICAL CUTTING INSTRUMENT," published on May 10, 2018, is incorporated herein by reference. The handle 10100 also includes a replaceable and / or rechargeable battery 10300 that can be attached to the handle housing, which can power the surgical instrument 10000. The entire disclosure of U.S. Patent No. 8,632,525, entitled "POWER CONTROLARRANGEMENTS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS AND BATTERIES," published on January 21, 2014, is incorporated herein by reference. The electric motor is operably coupled to the firing drive 10250 of the surgical instrument 10000 and is configured to drive the firing member of the firing drive 10250 through the nail firing stroke. The electric motor includes a rotatable output member including a gear that engages with a translatable rack of the firing drive 10250. The electric motor operates in a first direction to drive the firing member through the nail firing stroke, and operates in a second direction or the opposite direction to retract the firing member and / or reset the firing drive 10250. The surgical instrument 10000 also includes an actuator 10150 in communication with the motor control system, which, when actuated or rotated, signals the motor control system to operate the electric motor in the first direction and start the nail firing stroke. If the actuator 10150 is released, the motor control system stops the electric motor. When the actuator 10150 is re-actuated, the motor control system again operates the electric motor in the first direction to continue the nail firing stroke. When the firing member reaches the end of the nail firing stroke, the control system stops the electric motor and waits for the input of the clinician.When the clinician releases the actuator 10150 at this time, the control system reverses the operation of the electric motor to retract the firing member back to its unfired position. The handle 10100 also includes a retraction actuator in communication with the motor control system that, when actuated by the clinician, reverses the direction of the electric motor to retract the firing drive. When the retraction actuator is depressed, the nail firing stroke is terminated regardless of whether the firing member has reached the end of the nail firing stroke.

[0489] The electric motor of the surgical instrument 10000 is also used to selectively drive the articulation drive system to articulate the end effector 10400. More specifically, the articulation drive system includes an articulation drive that can be selectively engaged with the firing drive, and when the articulation drive is engaged with the firing drive, the articulation drive can be moved proximally and distally by the operation of the electric motor to articulate the end effector 10400. When the electric motor is operated in its first direction, in such cases, the end effector 10400 is articulated in the first direction to push the articulation drive distally. Similarly, when the electric motor is operated in its second direction, the end effector 10400 is articulated in the second direction to pull the articulation drive proximally. When the articulation drive is not engaged with the firing drive, the operation of the electric motor does not articulate the end effector 10400. Instead, in such cases, the electric motor only moves the firing drive. That is, it should be understood that the movement of the firing drive to articulate the end effector 10400 does not result in the execution of the nail firing stroke. The range of motion required to articulate the end effector 10400 is smaller than the range of motion of the nail firing stroke and occurs near the beginning of the nail firing stroke so that the nail is not ejected and the tissue is not cut when the end effector 10400 is articulated. The surgical instrument 10000 also includes an articulation lock that is unlocked when the articulation driver is longitudinally moved by the firing drive and then locks the end effector 10400 in place when the articulation driver is not driven by the firing drive. The entire disclosure of U.S. Patent 9,629,629, entitled "CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" published on April 25, 2017 is incorporated herein by reference. As described above, in addition to the firing motor for driving the articulation drive system, the surgical instrument may also include a separate articulation motor.

[0490] In addition to the above, refer to Figure 2, the handle 10100 includes a frame 10110, a housing 10120, and an articulation actuator 10160. The articulation actuator 10160 includes, for example, a rocker switch oriented vertically on the housing 10120 and in communication with the motor control system. The rocker switch is capable of rotating upward and downward about an axis to articulate the end effector 10400. The clinician pushes the upper portion of the articulation actuator 10160 to articulate the end effector 10400 to the left, and pushes the lower portion of the articulation actuator 10160 to articulate the end effector 10400 to the right. This arrangement provides an intuitive interface for the clinician; however, any other suitable arrangement may be used. The handle 10100 also includes a homing actuator 10170 in communication with the motor control system. When the homing actuator 10170 is actuated by the clinician, the motor control system operates the electric motor to realign the end effector 10400 along the longitudinal axis of the shaft 10200 of the surgical instrument 10000. To this end, the control system is configured to be able to track the position of the end effector so that when the homing actuator 10170 is actuated, the control system operates the electric motor in the correct direction to articulate the end effector 10400 in the correct direction and by the correct amount. In various circumstances, the surgical instrument 10000 includes a linear encoder that is configured, for example, to be able to track the position of the articulation drive so that when the homing actuator 10170 is actuated, the control system can properly center the end effector 10400.

[0491] In addition to the above, the shaft 10200 is rotatable relative to the handle 10100. The shaft 10200 includes a frame 10210 attached to the frame 10110 of the handle 10100. In embodiments where the shaft 10200 is easily removable from the handle 10100, the shaft frame 10210 may be detachable from the handle frame 10110. In embodiments where the shaft 10200 is not removable from the handle 10100, the shaft frame 10210 and the handle frame 10110 may be integrally formed. In any case, the shaft 10200 includes a nozzle or grip 10220 fixedly mounted to the closure tube 10240 of the shaft 10200. The grip 10220 includes finger grooves 10222 defined therein and ridges 10224 extending between the finger grooves 10222 which provide walls against which the clinician can push their fingers and assist the clinician in rotating the shaft 10200 about its longitudinal axis.

[0492] It is noteworthy that, in addition to the above, when the shaft 10200 rotates about its longitudinal axis, the end effector 10400 rotates with the shaft 10200. Therefore, the end effector 10400 rotates clockwise when the shaft 10200 is rotated clockwise by the clinician, and rotates counterclockwise when the shaft 10200 is rotated counterclockwise by the clinician. In various alternative embodiments, the surgical instrument 10000 includes an electric motor configured to rotate the shaft 10200 about its longitudinal axis. In either case, the shaft 10200 can be rotated from the top dead center (TDC) position to any other suitable position within the full 360-degree position range, in which the anvil 10420 is positioned directly above the nail magazine jaws 10410. For example, the shaft 10200 can be rotated to a right 90 degree position, in which the anvil 10420 faces the right side of the handle 10100, or a left 90 degree position, in which the anvil 10420 faces the left side of the handle 10100. The shaft 10200 can also be rotated to a bottom dead center (BDC) position, in which the staple cartridge jaw 10410 is positioned directly above the anvil 10420.

[0493] As described above, the end effector 10400 is capable of both articulating about the articulation joint 10500 and rotating with the shaft 10200. As described above, when the end effector 10400 is in its TDC position, the articulation control 10160 is intuitive to the user when the end effector 10400 is rotated in a plane - push up to articulate to the left, and push down to articulate to the right. This arrangement is intuitive even after the shaft 10200 and the end effector 10400 have been rotated 90 degrees to the right or left. However, when the shaft 10200 and the end effector 10400 have been rotated past 90 degrees in either direction, the articulation control 10160 may become counter-intuitive to the clinician. In fact, the articulation control 10160 may appear to be backwards. Accordingly, the control system of the surgical instrument 10000 is configured to be able to flip the manner in which the surgical instrument responds to the articulation control 10160 when the shaft 10200 and the end effector 10400 have been rotated through 90 degrees in either direction. In such a case, the control becomes: push up to articulate to the right, and push down to articulate to the left. To this end, as described in more detail below, the surgical instrument 10000 is configured to be able to detect the orientation of the shaft 10200 relative to the handle 10100, that is, the surgical instrument is configured to be able to detect whether the end effector 10400 is at least partially inverted relative to the handle 10100, and then enter an alternative operating control mode in which the responsiveness of the surgical instrument 10000 to the articulation control 10160 has been reversed. This arrangement can make the surgical instrument 10000 easier to use in a variety of situations.

[0494] refer to Figures 2 to 5 , the surgical instrument 10000 includes a switch 10130 mounted to the handle 10100 and connected to a control system, the control system being configured to detect rotation of the shaft 10200 relative to the handle 10100. The switch 10130 includes a switch body 10132 fixedly mounted to the handle frame 10110 and three electrical contacts 10133, which are part of a switch circuit connected to the control system. The switch 10000 also includes a switch arm 10134 rotatably connected to the switch body 10132 and an electrical contact 10136 positioned on the switch body 10132. The switch arm 10134 is made of a conductive material (such as brass), and when the switch arm 10134 contacts the electrical contact 10136, the switch arm closes the switch circuit. When the shaft 10200 rotates past a 90 degree position to the left or right, the switch arm 10134 is in an open position ( Figure 5) and a closed position. More specifically, the grip or nozzle 10220 includes a cam 10230 defined thereon that pushes the switch arm 10134 into its closed position when the shaft 10200 and the end effector 10400 are at least partially inverted. When the shaft 10200 is rotated upward past the 90 degree position, the cam 10230 allows the switch arm 10134 to resiliently move back to its open position and open the switch circuit. The switch arm 10134 includes a roller 10135 mounted thereto to facilitate relative rotation between the switch arm 10134 and the grip 10220.

[0495] Surgical instrument 11000 is shown in Figure 6 . The surgical instrument 11000 is similar in many respects to the surgical instrument 10000. The surgical instrument 11000 includes a handle 11100 and a shaft 11200 extending from the handle 11100. The handle 11100 includes a frame 11110, and the shaft 11200 includes a frame 11210 attached to the handle frame 11110. The shaft 11200 includes a grip or nozzle 11220, a first magnetic element 11230s positioned on one side of the grip 11220, and a second magnetic element 11230n positioned on an opposite side of the grip 11220. In other words, the first magnetic element 11230s and the second magnetic element 11230n are mounted 180 degrees apart. The handle 11100 also includes a control system including at least one sensor 11130, such as a Hall effect sensor, mounted to the handle frame 11110, the at least one sensor being configured to sense the position of the magnetic elements 11230s and 11230n and utilize this information to determine the orientation of the shaft 11200 relative to the handle 11100. Notably, the first magnetic element 11230s includes a permanent magnet having a south pole facing the handle 11100 and a north pole facing away from the handle 11100, and the second magnetic element 11230n includes a permanent magnet having a north pole facing the handle 11100 and a south pole facing away from the handle 11100. The magnetic elements 11230s and 11230n interfere with the magnetic field emitted by the Hall effect sensor, and when the shaft 11200 is at least partially inverted, the interference associated with such orientation of the shaft 11200 is detected by the control system of the surgical instrument 11000 via the sensing circuit including the sensor 11130. In such circumstances, similar to the above, the control system enters its second mode of operation which reverses the responsiveness of the surgical instrument 11000 to the articulation control 10160 as described above.

[0496] Surgical instrument 12000 is shown in Figure 7 and Figure 8. Surgical instrument 12000 is similar in many respects to surgical instrument 10000. Surgical instrument 12000 includes a handle 12100 and a shaft 12200 extending from handle 12100. Handle 12100 includes a housing, a first articulation control 12160a positioned on a first side of the handle housing, and a second articulation control 12160b positioned on a second or opposite side of the handle housing. The first articulation control 12160a is in communication with a control system of surgical instrument 12000 via a first control circuit, and the second articulation control 12160b is in communication with the control system via a second control circuit. The control system is configured to operate the electric motor of the nail firing drive in a first direction to articulate the end effector of the shaft 12200 in the first direction when the first articulation control 12160a is actuated, and to operate the electric motor of the nail firing drive in a second direction or the opposite direction to articulate the end effector in the second direction or the opposite direction when the second articulation control 12160b is actuated. The handle 12100 also includes a centering actuator or homing actuator 10170a positioned on a first side of the handle 12100 and a second centering actuator or second homing actuator 10170b positioned on a second side of the handle 12100. Similar to the above, the actuators 10170a and 10170b are in communication with a control system that is configured such that actuation of either of the centering actuators 10170a or 10170b causes the control system to operate the electric motor to re-center the end effector.

[0497] Surgical instrument 13000 is shown in Fig. 9 and Fig.10. Surgical instrument 13000 is similar in many respects to surgical instrument 10000. Surgical instrument 13000 includes a handle 13100 and a shaft 13200 extending from handle 13100. Shaft 13200 includes a housing, a first articulation control 13260a positioned on a first side of the shaft housing, and a second articulation control 13260b positioned on a second or opposite side of the shaft housing. The first articulation control 13260a communicates with a control system of surgical instrument 13000 via a first control circuit, and the second articulation control 13260b communicates with the control system via a second control circuit. The control system is configured to operate the electric motor of the nail firing drive in a first direction to articulate the end effector 10400 of the shaft 13200 when the first articulation control 13260a is actuated, and to operate the electric motor of the nail firing drive in a second direction or the opposite direction to articulate the end effector 10400 in the second direction or the opposite direction when the second articulation control 13260b is actuated. In other words, the end effector 10400 articulates in the direction of the actuated articulation control. The first articulation control 13260a is positioned on a first finger ridge defined on a grip or nozzle 13220 of the shaft 13200, and the second articulation control 13260b is positioned on a second finger ridge defined on the grip 13220. Notably, the articulation controls 13260a and 13260b are positioned 180 degrees apart. Alternatively, the articulation controls 13260a and 13260b may be positioned in finger grooves defined in the grip 13220, but any suitable arrangement may be used. This arrangement provides the advantage of placing the articulation controls in a location that is easily accessible to the clinician's hands during use, and therefore, they may be used in an intuitive manner because the relative arrangement and articulation direction of the articulation controls 13260a and 13260b are fixed.

[0498] Surgical instrument 14000 is shown in Fig.11 and Fig.12. The surgical instrument 14000 is similar in many respects to the surgical instrument 13000. The surgical instrument 14000 includes a handle 13100 and a shaft 14200 extending from the handle 13100. The shaft 14200 includes a housing, a first articulation control 14260a positioned on a first side of the shaft housing, and a second articulation control 14260b positioned on a second side of the shaft housing. The first articulation control 14260a is in communication with a control system of the surgical instrument 14000 via a first control circuit, and the second articulation control 14260b is in communication with the control system via a second control circuit. The control system is configured to operate the electric motor of the nail firing drive in a first direction to articulate the end effector 10400 of the shaft 14200 when the first articulation control 14260a is actuated, and to operate the electric motor of the nail firing drive in a second direction or the opposite direction to articulate the end effector 10400 in the second direction or the opposite direction when the second articulation control 14260b is actuated. The first articulation control 14260a is positioned in a first finger groove defined in a grip or nozzle 14220 of the shaft 14200, and the second articulation control 14260b is positioned in a second finger groove defined in the grip 14220, but any suitable arrangement may be used.

[0499] In addition to the above, the shaft 14200 also includes a third articulation control 14260c positioned on the second side of the shaft housing and a fourth articulation control 14260d positioned on the first side of the shaft housing. The third articulation control 14260c is in communication with the control system of the surgical instrument 14000 via a third control circuit, and the fourth articulation control 14260b is in communication with the control system via a fourth control circuit. The control system is configured to operate the electric motor of the nail firing drive in the second direction to articulate the end effector of the shaft 14200 in the second direction when the third articulation control 14260c is actuated, and to operate the electric motor of the nail firing drive in the first direction to articulate the end effector in the first direction when the fourth articulation control 14260d is actuated. The third articulation control 14260c is positioned in a third finger groove defined in the grip 14220 of the shaft 14200 and the fourth articulation control 14260d is positioned in a fourth finger groove defined in the grip 14220, although any suitable arrangement may be used.

[0500] Surgical instrument 15000 is shown in Fig.1310200. The surgical instrument 15000 is similar in many respects to the surgical instrument 10000. The surgical instrument 15000 includes a handle 15100 and a shaft 10200 extending from the handle 15100. The handle 15100 includes an articulation actuator 15160 in communication with a control system of the surgical instrument 15000. The articulation actuator 15160 is arranged horizontally, as opposed to the vertically arranged articulation actuator 10160. The articulation actuator 15160 includes a rotatable element that is rotatable in a plane that is parallel or at least substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 10200. The rotatable element is rotatable distally to articulate the end effector 10400 to the right side of the handle 15100, and is rotatable proximally to articulate the end effector 10400 to the left side of the handle 15100. This is true whether the end effector 10400 is rotated up or down, because the control responsiveness flips when the end effector 10400 is rotated through 90 degrees in either direction from its TDC position. That is, the control member of the articulation actuator 15160 can be reversed as described above. The articulation actuator 15160 includes a distal contact as part of a first articulation control circuit and a proximal contact as part of a second articulation control circuit. When the rotatable element is in its distal position, the rotatable element engages the distal contact and closes the first articulation control circuit. When the rotatable element is in its distal position, the rotatable element does not contact the proximal contact, and thus the second articulation control circuit is disconnected. Similarly, when the rotatable element is in its proximal position, the rotatable element engages the proximal contact and closes the second articulation control circuit. Correspondingly, when the rotatable element is in its proximal position, the rotatable element does not contact the distal contact, and thus the first articulation control circuit is disconnected.

[0501] In addition to the above, the articulation actuator 15160 includes a stopper located in the middle of the range of motion of the rotatable element. The stopper is configured to resist the movement of the rotatable element when the rotatable element moves from one side of the articulation actuator 15160 to the other side. This resistance to the movement of the rotatable element can signal the clinician that once the clinician moves the rotatable element past this point, they will cause the end effector 10400 to articulate in the opposite direction. In addition, such a stopper provides a position to stop the rotatable element so that the end effector 10400 does not articulate in either direction. The rotatable element includes a ridge that can be aligned with its center position or stop position, and the clinician can push and pull the ridge to move the rotatable element. Such a ridge provides the clinician with a sense of the direction in which the rotatable element rotates, and therefore provides a sense of the direction in which the end effector 10400 articulates.

[0502] As described above, various embodiments are envisioned in which the flipping of the control responsiveness of the surgical instrument can be prevented. In at least one case, the handle of the surgical instrument includes an actuator connected to the control system, which causes the control system not to enter its second operating mode or flip operating mode when actuated. In at least one such case, the handle also includes an indicator, such as a light emitting diode (LED), which is lit to indicate the state of the surgical instrument, that is, whether the joint motion control member will flip when the end effector rotates through 90 degrees from its TDC position. In some cases, the surgical instrument includes an input screen connected to the microprocessor of the control system, which can receive input to prevent the control system from entering its second operating mode or flip operating mode. In addition to or in lieu of the above, the flip point of the surgical instrument entering its second operating mode can be adjusted. In at least one such embodiment, the clinician can, for example, modify the flip point to 85 degrees in either direction from the TDC position of the end effector. Any suitable number (such as 80 degrees, 95 degrees or 100 degrees) can be used to adapt to the clinician's preferences. In at least one embodiment, the surgical instrument includes an input screen in communication with a microprocessor of the control system, the input screen being configured to receive input from a clinician to adjust the articulation control flip point.

[0503] During use, when the clinician is using the articulation control, it is expected that the articulation control will not accidentally flip. When the clinician begins to articulate the end effector, the control system maintains the articulation control mode until the clinician releases the articulation control, even if the end effector and the shaft rotate through the flip point during the articulation. Once the articulation has stopped, the control system can redirect the articulation control, or if the end effector and the shaft are still in an inverted position, switch to the flipped articulation control mode. In certain embodiments, the control system does not flip the articulation control immediately. Instead, the control system includes a timer circuit and / or the microprocessor of the control system is programmed to wait for a certain amount of time before flipping the control. In at least one case, the control system waits for, for example, 5 seconds from the last time the articulation control was used before flipping the articulation control. Alternatively, the control system can wait for, for example, 2 seconds or 10 seconds. Such an arrangement can help prevent confusion with the user of the surgical instrument. In various embodiments, the surgical instrument includes a tactile feedback generator communicated with the control system, which is activated by the control system when the articulation control is flipped. Feedback, for example, motor noise, light, sound, and / or vibration may be used. In some embodiments, the shaft and / or handle includes a mechanical switch that audibly clicks when the shaft is rotated past its flip point in either direction.

[0504] Fig.56 and Fig.57A surgical instrument 32000 is shown, which includes a handle 32100 and a shaft 32200. The handle 32100 includes an articulation control 32160 and an articulation flip switch 32130 that are in communication with the control system of the surgical instrument 32000. The articulation flip switch 32130 is mounted to a control board, such as a printed control board (PCB), which includes the hardware and software for the control system of the surgical instrument 32000. When the shaft 32200 rotates through its 90 degree left position or right position, the shaft 32200 contacts the articulation flip switch 32130, which is detected by the control system. At this time, the control system follows an algorithm for deciding when or whether to flip the articulation control. The algorithm 32900 is used in Fig.58 , which can control this, but any suitable algorithm can be used. Similar to the above, the shaft 32200 includes a cam 32230 that is configured to contact the joint motion tumbler switch 32130. For the reasons described above, the joint motion tumbler switch 32130 is disconnected or "turned off" when the shaft 32200 rotates 180 degrees, and is closed or "turned on" when the shaft 32200 rotates another 180 degrees. The cam 32230 is molded into the shield of the shaft 32200, but may include any suitable arrangement. As described above, the stroke of the cam 32230 is designed so that any lateral float or eccentricity in the rotation of the shaft 32200 or cam 32230 will not accidentally close or disconnect the joint motion tumbler switch 32130. To this end, the shaft 32200 includes a fixed bearing for controlling the rotation of the shaft 32200 and the cam 32230. It is worth noting that the joint motion tumbler switch 32130 is sealed to prevent fluid ingress.

[0505] In various cases, the surgical instrument includes an input member configured to allow a clinician to select whether the articulation control member is operated in its normal articulation control mode or in its flipped articulation control mode. In at least one case, the handle of the surgical instrument includes an input switch connected to the control system of the surgical instrument. For example, when the input switch is disconnected, the algorithm controls the orientation of the articulation control member according to a set of predetermined criteria. When the input switch is closed by the clinician, the algorithm does not use the set of predetermined criteria to control the orientation of the articulation control member. Instead, the algorithm uses the orientation of the articulation control member selected by the clinician. In at least one case, the handle includes three input switches connected to the control system: a first switch, which instructs the control system to use an "anvil up" articulation control member; a second switch, which instructs the control system to use an "anvil down" articulation control member; and a third switch, which instructs the control system to use an automatic control member. In some embodiments, the surgical instrument does not have the automatic flip control member described herein, and may only include a first switch input member and a second switch input member. Such an arrangement can greatly reduce the cost and / or complexity of the surgical instrument.

[0506] In various cases, in addition to the above, the flip point can be a specific point in the rotation of the shaft 10200. In some cases, reference Fig.55, the gray zone may exist around the flip point. For example, the gray zone may include, for example, 20 degrees on either side of the flip point. When the shaft 10200 is in the gray zone, the algorithm of the control system is configured to be able to not flip the joint motion control member, even if the shaft 10200 may have rotated through the flip point. Such an arrangement allows the shaft 10200 to rotate back and forth in the gray zone without repeatedly flipping the joint motion control member. However, once the shaft 10200 rotates out of the gray zone, the control system algorithm flips the joint motion control member, which depends on any other criteria required for flipping the joint motion control member. In various cases, there is a joint between the range of the "anvil up" orientation and the range of the "anvil down" orientation. For an axis that can rotate 360 ​​degrees, there are two such joints spaced 180 degrees apart from each other. Each of these joints is positioned within a transition range of orientation, which extends within the "anvil up" orientation range and the "anvil down" orientation range. When the shaft 10200 is rotated from the "anvil up" orientation into the transition range, the control system does not flip the joint motion control member, but further rotating the shaft 10200 out of the transition range into the "anvil down" orientation will cause the joint motion control member to flip. Similarly, when the shaft 10200 is rotated from the "anvil down" orientation into the transition range, the control system does not flip the joint motion control member, but further rotating the shaft 10200 out of the transition range into the "anvil up" orientation will cause the joint motion control member to flip. In at least one case, each transition zone includes, for example, a 5-degree orientation from the "anvil up" range and a 5-degree orientation from the "anvil down" range. In other embodiments, for example, each transition zone includes a 10-degree orientation from the "anvil up" range and a 10-degree orientation from the "anvil down" range.

[0507] In various embodiments, in addition to the above, the upward orientation and downward orientation of the shaft 10200 are measured relative to the handle and / or housing that rotatably supports the shaft. In such cases, the handle includes a top and a bottom (regardless of its gravitational orientation), and the upward orientation of the shaft 10200 is associated with the top of the handle, while the downward orientation of the shaft 10200 is associated with the bottom of the handle. In at least one such embodiment, the shaft 10200 includes a gravity sensor, such as an accelerometer and / or a gyroscope, and the handle includes a gravity sensor. In such embodiments, the shaft gravity sensor and the handle gravity sensor are in communication with a control system that is configured to be able to use data from the gravity sensor to evaluate the relative orientation between the shaft and the handle. In other embodiments, the upward orientation and downward orientation of the shaft 10200 are measured relative to gravity, regardless of the gravitational orientation of the handle. In at least one such embodiment, the shaft 10200 includes a gravity sensor in communication with the control system, and an upward orientation of the shaft 10200 is associated with a vertically upward position, while a downward orientation of the shaft 10200 is associated with a vertically downward position.

[0508] Fig.14 16160. The articulation control 16160 includes a first capacitive switch 16162 and a second capacitive switch 16164. The first capacitive switch 16162 and the second capacitive switch 16164 are positioned on opposite sides of an axis 16167. The first capacitive switch 16162 is part of a first articulation control circuit that is in communication with a control system of the surgical instrument, and the second capacitive switch 16164 is part of a second articulation control circuit that is in communication with the control system. When the clinician places their finger on the first capacitive switch 16162, the capacitance of the first capacitive switch 16162 changes, which is detected by the control system, and in response to the change, the control system causes the end effector of the surgical instrument to articulate to the right. When the clinician places their finger on the second capacitive switch 16164, the capacitance of the second capacitive switch 16164 changes, which is detected by the control system, and in response to the change, the control system causes the end effector of the surgical instrument to articulate to the left. In various cases, axis 16167 includes a dead zone, and if the clinician touches the dead zone, the touch may not detectably or substantially change the capacitance of the first capacitive switch 16162 or the second capacitive switch 16164.

[0509] Fig.15 17160 is shown in the figure. When the switch 17160 is pressed into its first stage, the first joint motion control circuit is closed. The first joint motion control circuit is in communication with the control system of the surgical instrument. When the control system detects that the first joint motion control circuit is closed, the control system operates the joint motion drive motor in the first direction to make the end effector of the surgical instrument perform joint motion in the first direction. When the switch 17160 is pressed into its second stage, the second joint motion control circuit is closed. In various cases, the first stage includes a first stopper and the second stage includes a second stopper. In at least one such case, the switch 17160 includes a double stopper switch that can be pressed to two different depths, for example. In any case, the second joint motion control circuit is in communication with the control system of the surgical instrument. When the control system detects that the second joint motion control circuit is closed, the control system operates the joint motion drive motor in the second direction to make the end effector of the surgical instrument perform joint motion in the second direction. In addition to the above, the second joint motion control circuit is disconnected when the first joint motion control circuit is closed, and similarly, the first joint motion control circuit is disconnected when the second joint motion control circuit is closed. As described above, in alternative embodiments, the articulation control circuit may be disconnected when the articulation control circuit is in its respective stage of operating the articulation motor.

[0510] In addition to the above, many clinicians prefer to look at the patient when performing open surgery and / or look at the endoscopic monitor when performing laparoscopic surgery. Therefore, clinicians often do not look at the surgical instrument they are holding, but rely on the tactile feel and / or intuitive design of the surgical instrument to operate the surgical instrument. In other words, clinicians may not like to look down at the handle of the instrument they are holding to verify the direction in which they are articulating the instrument. That is, referring to Fig.16 and Fig.17 , the surgical instrument may include a shaft 18200 including an indicator light configured to indicate the direction of articulation of an end effector, such as end effector 18400. The articulation indicator light is visible to the clinician when the clinician is looking at the end effector 18400 of the surgical instrument directly or through an endoscopic system monitor. In various cases, the endoscopic system includes an elongated flexible shaft including a camera, a light, and / or any other suitable optical device in communication with a control hub including a control system and / or a video monitor configured to display the output of the camera. In such cases, the end effector 18400 and the indicator light are visible on the video monitor.

[0511] In addition to the above, refer again Fig.16 and Fig.17 , the shaft 18200 includes a first indicator light 18260a positioned on the right side of the end effector 18400, which is in communication with the control system of the surgical instrument via a first circuit. When the control system receives an input to articulate the end effector 18400 to the right, the control system operates the articulation drive motor in a direction to articulate the end effector 18400 to the right, and also illuminates the first indicator light 18260a. When the control system no longer receives the input, the control system deactivates the articulation drive motor and the first indicator light 18260a. Similarly, the shaft 18200 includes a second indicator light 18260b positioned on the left side of the end effector 18400, which is in communication with the control system of the surgical instrument via a second circuit. When the control system receives an input to articulate the end effector 18400 to the left, the control system operates the articulation drive motor in a direction to articulate the end effector 18400 to the left, and also illuminates the second indicator light 18260b. When the control system no longer receives this input, the control system deactivates the articulation drive motor and the second indicator light 18260b.

[0512] As described above, the first indicator light 18260a and the second indicator light 18260b are positioned at a location on the end effector 18400 that can be easily observed by the clinician when the clinician is looking at the end effector 18400. The indicator lights 18260a and 18260b are positioned distally relative to the articulation joint 10500; however, in alternative embodiments, the indicator lights 18260a and 18260b are positioned proximally of the articulation joint 10500. In various embodiments, the surgical instrument includes more than one set of indicator lights. In at least one such embodiment, the first set of indicator lights 18260a, 18260b are positioned distally relative to the articulation joint 10500, and the second set of indicator lights 18260a, 18260b are positioned proximally relative to the articulation joint 10500. An alternative embodiment including indicator lights 18260a' and 18260b' on the shaft 18200' is Fig.18 . Indicator light 18260a' includes an LED in the shape of a right arrow, while indicator light 18260b' includes an LED in the shape of a left arrow. The right arrow 18260a' points to the right side of the end effector, but due to the possible rotation of shaft 18200', it does not necessarily point to the right side of the surgical instrument handle and / or the clinician. Similarly, the left arrow 18260b' points to the left side of the end effector, but due to the possible rotation of shaft 18200', it does not necessarily point to the left side of the surgical instrument handle and / or the clinician. In other words, the arrow points to the direction in which the end effector is undergoing joint motion when it is lit. For example, assuming that the arrow is observable with the end effector on the endoscopic monitor, when the arrow is lit when the joint motion actuator is actuated, the clinician will have a sense of the direction in which the end effector is moving. If the clinician observes that the arrow that is lit is opposite to what they expected when actuating the joint motion actuator, the clinician can react quickly and re-actuate the joint motion actuator in the correct direction. In various alternative embodiments, arrows 18260a' and 18260b' may change color when the articulation actuator is actuated. For example, arrow 18260a' is illuminated red when the end effector is not articulated to the right, and illuminated green when the end effector is articulated to the right. Similarly, arrow 18260b' is illuminated red when the end effector is not articulated to the left, and illuminated green when the end effector is articulated to the left.

[0513] In various embodiments, in addition to the above, the joint motion indicator light may be embedded in and / or positioned on the housing of the shaft. In certain embodiments, the indicator light is positioned inside the shaft, but can be observed from the outside of the shaft, for example, through a window and / or opening defined in the shaft.

[0514] Fig.26A and Fig.26B 26000 is shown in FIG. The surgical instrument 26000 includes a handle 26100 and a shaft 12200 extending from the handle 26100. The shaft 12200 includes an end effector 26400, which includes a staple cartridge jaw 26410 and an anvil jaw 10420. The end effector 26400 also includes a first joint motion indicator light 26460a positioned on a first side of the end effector 26400 and a second joint motion indicator light 26460b positioned on a second side of the end effector 26400. Similar to the above, when the end effector 26400 is articulated in a first direction, the control system of the surgical instrument 26000 illuminates the first joint motion indicator light 26460a. In such a case, the control system does not illuminate the second joint motion indicator light 26460b. Correspondingly, when the end effector 26400 is articulated in the second direction, the control system of the surgical instrument 26000 illuminates the second articulation indicator light 26460b. In such cases, the control system does not illuminate the first articulation indicator light 26460a. The indicator lights 26460a and 26460b are mounted to and / or embedded in the frame of the staple cartridge jaw 26410. That is, the indicator lights 26460a and 26460b can be mounted to and / or embedded in the staple cartridge positioned in the staple cartridge jaw 26410. In such cases, the staple cartridge jaw 26410 includes a circuit in communication with the control system of the surgical instrument, which is placed to communicate with the circuit in the staple cartridge when the staple cartridge is seated in the staple cartridge jaw 26410.

[0515] As described above, the articulation system of a surgical instrument may include an articulation driver that is movable proximally to articulate an end effector in a first direction and movable distally to articulate the end effector in a second direction. Fig. 27, the surgical instrument may include a handle 26100, a shaft 12200 extending from the handle 26100, and an end effector 10400 rotatably connected to the shaft 12200 around an articulation joint 10500. The shaft 12200 includes an articulation driver 10260, which includes a proximal end operably coupled to the articulation drive system and a distal end coupled to the end effector 10400. To this end, the articulation driver 10260 extends distally through the articulation joint 10500 and, in this embodiment, is partially visible to a clinician holding the surgical instrument. The clinician-visible portion of the articulation driver 10260 can also be seen by the clinician through an endoscopic monitor. In fact, the clinician is able to observe the movement of the articulation driver 10260 through the endoscopic monitor. The visible portion of the articulation driver 10260 includes markings thereon, such as markings 24640a' and markings 24640b', which correlate movement of the articulation driver 10260 with movement of the end effector 10400. In at least one instance, the markings may include a first set of markings including an arrow 24640a' pointing distally and a circular arrow indicating the direction the end effector 10400 would rotate if the articulation driver 10260 were moved distally. The markings may also include a second set of markings including an arrow 24640b' pointing proximally and a circular arrow in the opposite direction indicating the direction the end effector 10400 would rotate if the articulation driver 10260 were moved proximally. Alternative articulation drivers 10260' may be configured to have a plurality of proximal and proximal ends. Fig.28 , the joint motion driver includes a lateral extension that can be easily seen by a clinician. In such cases, the above-mentioned markings are positioned on the lateral extension.

[0516] Surgical instruments 19000 are shown in Fig.19. Surgical instrument 19000 is similar in many respects to surgical instrument 15000. Surgical instrument 19000 includes a handle 19100 and a shaft 10200 extending from handle 19100. Handle 19100 includes an articulation actuator 19160 that communicates with a control system of surgical instrument 19000. In contrast to vertically arranged articulation actuator 10160, articulation actuator 19160 is arranged horizontally. Articulation actuator 19160 includes a slidable element 19162 that is capable of sliding along an axis that is parallel or at least substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of shaft 10200. In at least one embodiment, the axis of articulation actuator 19160 is aligned with the longitudinal axis of shaft 10200. Slidable element 19162 is positioned within a slot 19164 on handle 19100 of surgical instrument 19000. The slidable element 19162 can slide distally to articulate the end effector 10400 to the right side of the handle 19100, and can slide proximally to articulate the end effector 10400 to the left side of the handle 19100. This is true whether the end effector 10400 is rotated up or down because the control responsiveness flips when the end effector 10400 is rotated past 90 degrees in either direction from its TDC position. That is, the control of the articulation actuator 19160 can be reversed as described above.

[0517] The articulation actuator 19160 includes a distal contact as part of a first articulation control circuit and a proximal contact as part of a second articulation control circuit. When the slidable element 19162 is in its distal position, the slidable element 19162 engages the distal contact and closes the first articulation control circuit. When the slidable element 19162 is in its distal position, the slidable element 19162 does not contact the proximal contact, and thus the second articulation control circuit is disconnected. Similarly, when the slidable element 19162 is in its proximal position, the slidable element 19162 engages the proximal contact and closes the second articulation control circuit. Correspondingly, when the slidable element 19162 is in its proximal position, the slidable element 19162 does not contact the distal contact, and thus the first articulation control circuit is disconnected. In any case, the articulation actuator 19160 includes a stopper 19163 located in the middle of the range of motion of the slidable element 19162. The stop 19163 is configured to resist the movement of the slidable element 19162 as it moves from one side of the articulation actuator 19160 to the other. This resistance to the movement of the slidable element 19162 can signal to the clinician that once the clinician moves the slidable element 19162 past this point, they will be articulating the end effector 10400 in the opposite direction. Additionally, such a stop 19163 provides a location to stop the slidable element 19162 so that the end effector 10400 does not articulate in either direction.

[0518] Surgical instruments 20000 shown in Fig. 20. Surgical instrument 20000 is similar in many respects to surgical instrument 10000. Surgical instrument 20000 includes a handle 20100 and a shaft 12200 extending from the handle 20100. The handle 20100 includes an articulation actuator 20160 in communication with a control system of the surgical instrument 20000. The articulation actuator 20160 includes a two-dimensional joystick that is movable in a plane that is aligned with, parallel to, or at least substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the shaft 12200. The joystick is movable distally to articulate the end effector 10400 to the right side of the handle 20100, and is movable proximally to articulate the end effector 10400 to the left side of the handle 20100. In at least one embodiment, the joystick includes a handle having an inner end that is positioned in a sensor seat in communication with the control system of the surgical instrument 20000. When the clinician manipulates the outer end of the joystick handle, the clinician can cause the joystick to pivot within the sensor seat. Such movement of the joystick can be detected by the control system, which operates the articulation system in response to input from the sensor seat. The articulation actuator 20160 includes one or more biasing mechanisms, such as springs, configured to bias the joystick handle to a centered position, or at least a substantially centered position, in the sensor seat, wherein the control system does not articulate the end effector 10400.

[0519] As described above, the end effector 10400 is capable of articulation within a plane. In an alternative embodiment, the surgical instrument includes a second articulation joint. In such embodiments, the end effector 10400 is capable of rotation within more than one plane. In various embodiments, the surgical instrument includes an articulation joint that allows the end effector 10400 to rotate within a three-dimensional spherical range of positions. Fig.21, the surgical instrument 21000 includes a shaft 21200 including an articulation joint 21500 that allows the end effector 10400 to perform such articulation. The surgical instrument 21000 also includes a handle 21100 including an articulation actuator 21160 that communicates with the control system of the surgical instrument 21000. The articulation actuator 21160 includes a three-dimensional joystick that can be moved proximally, distally, upwardly, downwardly, and in a composite direction. The joystick can be moved distally to articulate the end effector to the right side of the handle 20100, and can be moved proximally to articulate the end effector to the left side of the handle 21100. The joystick can be moved, for example, upwardly to articulate the end effector upwardly, and downwardly to articulate the end effector downwardly. The joystick can also be moved in both the upward and distal directions to move the end effector in both the upward and right directions, for example. The joystick can also be moved in both a downward and proximal direction to move the end effector in, for example, both a downward and a left direction. In at least one embodiment, the joystick includes a handle having an inner end that is positioned in a sensor seat that is connected to a control system of the surgical instrument 21000. When the clinician manipulates the outer end of the handle, the clinician can move the joystick along a track within the sensor seat. Such movement of the joystick can be detected by the control system, which operates the articulation system in response to input from the sensor seat. The articulation actuator 21160 includes one or more biasing mechanisms, such as springs, that are configured to bias the joystick handle to a centered position or at least a substantially centered position in the sensor seat, wherein the control system does not articulate the end effector 10400.

[0520] Fig.22A and Fig. 22B 2000. Surgical instrument 22000 is similar in many respects to surgical instrument 21000. Surgical instrument 22000 includes a handle 22100 and a shaft 21200 extending from handle 22100. Handle 22100 includes an articulation actuator 21160 positioned on a side of handle 22100 and additionally includes an articulation actuator 22160 positioned on a front portion of handle 22100. Similar to articulation actuator 21160, articulation actuator 22160 includes a three-dimensional joystick that communicates with a control system of surgical instrument 21000 and is capable of articulating an end effector of surgical instrument 21000 in a three-dimensional field. Front articulation actuator 22160 is easily accessible by the index finger of a clinician holding the pistol grip of handle 22100. Alternative embodiments are contemplated that include the articulation actuator 22160 , but do not include the articulation actuator 22160 .

[0521] refer to Fig.23 , the surgical instrument 23000 includes a shaft 21200 including an articulation joint 21500 that allows three-dimensional articulation of the end effector 10400. The surgical instrument 23000 also includes a handle 23100 that includes a housing 23120 and additionally includes an articulation actuator 23160 that communicates with a control system of the surgical instrument 23000. The articulation actuator 23160 includes a four-way tactile control that is movable proximally, distally, upwardly, downwardly, and in a composite direction. The four-way tactile control is movable distally to articulate the end effector to the right side of the handle 23100 and is movable proximally to articulate the end effector to the left side of the handle 23100. The four-way tactile control is movable upwardly to articulate the end effector upwardly and is movable downwardly to articulate the end effector downwardly. For example, the four-way tactile control can also be moved in a composite direction of both upward and distal to move the end effector in both upward and rightward directions. For example, the four-way tactile control can also be moved in a composite direction of both downward and proximal to move the end effector in both downward and leftward directions. In at least one embodiment, the four-way tactile control includes four depressible actuators, one depressible actuator for each direction to the right, left, upward, and downward, and each depressible actuator is part of a control circuit that communicates with a control system of the surgical instrument 23000. Movement of the four-way tactile control can be detected by a control system that operates the articulation system in three dimensions in response to input from the articulation actuator 23160. The articulation actuator 23160 includes one or more biasing mechanisms, such as springs, configured to bias the four-way tactile control to a centered position, or at least a substantially centered position, in which the control system does not articulate the end effector 10400.

[0522] Surgical instruments 24000 are shown in Fig.24. Surgical instrument 24000 is similar to surgical instrument 23000 in many respects. Surgical instrument 24000 includes a handle 24100 that includes an articulation actuator 24160. Similar to articulation actuator 23160, articulation actuator 24160 includes a four-way tactile control. That is, articulation actuator 24160 includes an integral re-centering feature. More specifically, articulation actuator 24160 includes a depressible actuator positioned in the middle of articulation actuator 24160 that is in communication with a control system of surgical instrument 24000. When the center actuator is depressed, the control system operates to realign end effector 10400 with the longitudinal axis of shaft 10200, much like the actuation of actuator 10170 discussed above. For the reasons discussed above, the re-centering actuator is positioned in the middle of the four-way actuator, resulting in a compact and intuitive arrangement.

[0523] Surgical Instrument 25000 is shown in Fig.25. Surgical instrument 25000 is similar in many respects to surgical instrument 24000. Surgical instrument 25000 includes a handle 25100 that includes an articulation actuator 25160. Similar to articulation actuator 23160, articulation actuator 25160 includes a four-way control that is in communication with a control system of surgical instrument 25000. That is, the four-way control includes a capacitive surface that allows a clinician to tap and / or drag their finger on the surface of articulation actuator 25160 to control the articulation of the end effector in three dimensions. In at least one embodiment, the articulation actuator includes a touch screen and a capacitive sensor array positioned below the touch screen, the capacitive sensor array being configured to, for example, detect the presence and / or movement of a clinician's finger. In use, for example, tapping the top of the capacitive surface articulates the end effector 10400 upward, tapping the bottom of the capacitive surface articulates the end effector 10400 downward, tapping the distal end of the capacitive surface articulates the end effector 10400 to the right, and tapping the proximal end of the capacitive surface articulates the end effector 10400 to the left. Tapping the center of the articulation screen re-centers the end effector 10400 along the longitudinal axis of the shaft 21200. When a rotational motion is made on the surface of the articulation actuator 25160, the control system rotates the end effector 10400 in the direction and / or speed indicated by the rotational motion. In various embodiments, the control system of the surgical instrument 25000 includes a pulse width modulation (PWM) control circuit for controlling the speed of the electric motor used to drive the articulation system of the surgical instrument 25000. In at least one embodiment, the control system includes a frequency modulation (FM) control circuit in addition to or in lieu of a PWM control circuit for controlling the speed of the articulation motor.

[0524] As described above, the end effector of the surgical instrument can rotate in more than one direction and / or plane. To achieve this, in various embodiments, the surgical instrument includes a first motor drive system for moving the end effector in a left-to-right manner and a second motor drive system for moving the end effector in a top-to-bottom manner. The two motor drive systems are in communication with the control system of the surgical instrument and can be driven sequentially and / or simultaneously by the control system to position the end effector in a direction indicated by input from one or more articulation actuators.

[0525] Many of the surgical instruments described above include a grip that is configured to be grasped by a clinician to rotate the shaft about a longitudinal axis. In various cases, the clinician can grasp the grip with one hand and can extend, for example, their index finger from that hand to grasp the grip and rotate the shaft. However, this arrangement requires the clinician to have a somewhat large hand. Although such surgical instruments can be operated with one hand, in some cases, the Fig.29 and Fig.30 The surgical instrument 27000 shown in FIG. 27 may be easier to use. The surgical instrument 27000 includes a handle 27100 and a shaft 27200 extending from the handle 27100 and capable of rotating about a longitudinal axis. The handle 27100 includes a handle frame 27110 and a housing that rotatably supports the shaft 27200. The handle 27100 also includes an actuator 27220 positioned on the front side of the handle housing 27110 that rotates the shaft 27200 about its longitudinal axis L when rotated by the clinician. The actuator 27220 is rotatably mounted to the handle housing 27110 and is capable of rotating about an axis A that is parallel to, or at least substantially parallel to, the longitudinal axis of the shaft 27200. The actuator 27220 includes a gear ring extending around its periphery that is operably engaged with a gear ring extending around the periphery of the shaft 27200 via a drive gear 27225, such that when the actuator 27220 is rotated about its axis, the shaft 27200 is rotated about its longitudinal axis. That is, the gear teeth of the actuator 27220 are not directly engaged with the gear teeth of the shaft 27200; instead, an intermediate gear 27225 rotatably mounted in the handle 27100 is directly engaged with the gear teeth of the actuator 27220 and the shaft 27200. This arrangement synchronizes the motion of the actuator 27220 and the shaft 27200, i.e., rotating the actuator 27220 to the right rotates the shaft 27200 to the right and rotating the actuator 27220 to the left rotates the shaft 27200 to the left. Without the introduction of the intermediate gear 27225, the shaft 27200 would rotate in the opposite direction, but this arrangement provides a torque balance that promotes instrument stability.

[0526] In addition to the above, embodiments in which the rotation of the shaft 27200 is driven by an electric motor are envisioned. In various embodiments, the actuator 27220 operates the electric motor to rotate the shaft 27200 in the first direction when rotating in the first direction. Similarly, when the actuator 27220 rotates in the second direction, the electric motor rotates the shaft 27200 in the second direction. In at least one embodiment, the output shaft of the electric motor includes a pinion that is operably meshed with a gear ring around the shaft 27200. In addition, in at least one embodiment, the actuator 27220 includes one or more sensors configured to detect the direction and degree of rotation of the actuator 27220, and the one or more sensors are communicated with the control system of the surgical instrument. Using this data, the control system is configured to be able to control the direction and speed of the electric motor. In the case where the actuator 27220 rotates a small amount, for example, in the first direction, the shaft 27220 rotates slowly in the first direction, and when the actuator 27220 rotates a large amount in the first direction, the shaft 27220 rotates quickly in the first direction.

[0527] In addition to the above, the actuator 27220 includes a rod having a first end and a second end. The orientation of the rod is synchronized with the orientation of the shaft 27200. When the first end of the rod is directly above the second end, that is, when the first end is closest to the shaft 27200, the shaft 27200 is in its top dead center (TDC) position. Correspondingly, when the second end of the rod is directly above the first end, that is, when the second end is closest to the shaft 27200, the shaft 27200 is in its bottom dead center (BDC) position. As a result of this arrangement, the user of the surgical instrument has an intuitive sense of the orientation of the shaft 27200 based on the orientation of the actuator 27220.

[0528] Surgical instruments 30000 are shown in Fig.51 and Fig.52 The surgical instrument is similar in many respects to surgical instrument 10000. The handle of surgical instrument 30000 includes a horizontal articulation actuator 30160, as opposed to vertical articulation actuator 10160. Horizontal articulation actuator 30160 includes a rocker switch that can be rocked distally to rotate the end effector to the right and proximally to rotate the end effector to the left. Surgical instrument 31000 is shown in Fig.53 and Fig.54The surgical instrument is similar in many respects to surgical instrument 10000. The handle of surgical instrument 31000 includes an articulation actuator 31160, as opposed to vertical articulation actuator 10160. Articulation actuator 31160 includes a multi-axis rocker switch that can be rocked from proximal to distal to articulate the end effector in one plane and from top to bottom to articulate the end effector in another plane. In various embodiments, the articulation planes are orthogonal to each other, but can be arranged in any suitable manner.

[0529] As described above, the control system of the surgical instrument may include an algorithm that, in some cases, flips and / or otherwise redirects the controls of the surgical instrument based on predetermined criteria. In various cases, also as described above, the algorithm may be configured to flip the articulation controls of the surgical instrument based on the rotation of the shaft relative to the handle. Fig.59 The surgical instrument includes a handle including a Hall effect sensor 33130 and / or any other suitable sensor in communication with a control system of the surgical instrument and further includes a shaft 33200, the shaft including an array of magnets 33230 arranged in a circular or annular pattern around a shield or grip 10220 of the shaft 33200. Each magnet 33230 includes a north pole (N) and a south pole (S), and the magnets 33230 are arranged in a circular or annular pattern. Fig.59 The magnets 33230 are arranged in the manner shown - some of the magnets have their N poles facing the handle and some have their S poles facing the handle. This arrangement of magnets 33230 allows the control system to track the position of the shaft 33200 and understand the orientation or rotation of the shaft 33200 relative to the handle as the shaft 33200 rotates relative to the handle. Within any three consecutive magnets 33230, for example, the pattern of magnets 33230 produces a unique identifiable mark for a given rotational direction. That is, any suitable number and / or arrangement of discrete magnets may be used. Although twelve magnets 33230 are used, fewer than twelve magnets may be used, such as six magnets. In addition, more than twelve magnets may be used.

[0530] refer to Fig.60, the surgical instrument includes a handle and further includes a shaft 34200, the handle including a Hall effect sensor 34130 and / or any other suitable sensor in communication with a control system of the surgical instrument, the shaft including a continuous annular magnet 34230 attached to a shield or grip 10220 of the shaft 34200. In various cases, the annular magnet 34230 includes a disk or ring embedded with a magnetic microstructure that can be detected by the Hall effect sensor. The annular magnet 34230 includes a continuous but changing magnetic pattern around its periphery that provides a trackable pattern for the control system to assess the orientation or rotation of the shaft 34200. In other embodiments, the annular magnet 34230 includes an intermittent magnetic pattern around its periphery that can be tracked by the control system.

[0531] refer to Fig.61 , the surgical instrument includes a handle and further includes a shaft 35200, the handle including an RFID reader 35130 in communication with the control system of the surgical instrument, the shaft including a circular or annular array of RFID chips 35230 surrounding a shield or grip 10220 of the shaft 35200. Each RFID chip includes a unique identification that can be detected by the RFID reader 35130, and using this information, the control system can assess the orientation or rotation of the shaft 35200 relative to the handle. Notably, the RFID reader 35130 has a limited range for reading the RFID chips 35230, and therefore may only be able to read the most adjacent RFID chips 35230. In some cases, the RFID reader 35130 may have sufficient range for reading the two most adjacent RFID chips 35230. The shaft 35200 includes four RFID chips 35230, but may include any suitable number of RFID chips 35230. That is, in various cases, more RFID chips may be utilized to improve the accuracy or resolution of the assessment made by the control system.

[0532] refer to Fig.62, the surgical instrument includes a handle and further includes a shaft 36200, the handle including a Hall effect sensor 36130a and / or any other suitable sensor in communication with the control system of the surgical instrument, the shaft including an array of magnets 36230a arranged in a circular or annular pattern around the shield of the shaft 36200. The handle also includes an RFID reader 36130b in communication with the control system of the surgical instrument, and further includes a circular or annular array of RFID chips 36230b around the shield of the shaft 36200. The control system is configured to be able to use data from the Hall effect sensor 36130a and the RFID reader 36130b to evaluate the orientation of the shaft 36200 relative to the handle. Notably, the RFID chip 36230b is positioned in the middle of the magnets 36230a, which provides the control system with detectable resolution between adjacent magnets 36230a. Similarly, the magnet 36230a is positioned in the middle of the RFID chips 36230b, which provides the control system with detectable resolution between the RFID chips 36230b.

[0533] Surgical instruments 37000 shown in Figure 63 to Figure 66 The surgical instrument 37000 includes a handle 37100 and a shaft 37200 extending from the handle 37100. The surgical instrument 37000 also includes a sliding joint 37900 located between the handle 37100 and the shaft 37200. The sliding joint 37900 includes an electrical interface between the handle 37100 and the shaft 37200. The sliding joint 37900 includes an annular ring 37930 installed in the shaft 37200. Fig.63 and Fig.64 37900, but the sliding joint may include any suitable number of rings. The sliding joint 37900 also includes electrical contacts 37130 in the handle 37100. For example, the sliding joint 37900 includes a first electrical contact 37130 engaged with a first annular ring 37930 and a second electrical contact 37130 engaged with a second annular ring 37930. That is, the sliding joint 37900 may include any suitable number of electrical contacts to maintain power and / or signal communication between the handle and the shaft. The electrical contacts 37130 remain in electrical contact with their corresponding annular ring 37930 throughout the rotation of the shaft 37200, that is, throughout the full 360 degrees of rotation. In various cases, each electrical contact 37130 includes a spring element that is configured to bias the electrical contact toward its corresponding annular ring 37930. The electrical contacts 37130 communicate with the control system of the surgical instrument 37000 via a separate circuit so that the control system can evaluate the resistance of the circuit and / or any other electrical characteristic of the circuit between the control system and the sliding joint 37900. That is, the electrical contacts and rings of the sliding joint 37900 can be part of any suitable circuit arrangement.

[0534] In addition to the above, the sliding joint 37900 can be used as an absolute position sensor of the shaft 37200 relative to the handle 37100. More specifically, the control system can use the intermediate annular ring 37930 (i.e., the annular ring 37930 between the first ring 37930 and the second ring 37930) to evaluate the orientation of the shaft 37200. To this end, the sliding joint 37900 includes an intermediate electrical contact 37130 that is electrically connected to the intermediate annular ring 37930 and the control system as part of an intermediate circuit. Compared to the first and second annular rings 37930, the intermediate annular ring 37930 is composed of a high resistance material and provides, for example, 10,000 ohms of resistance. The intermediate annular ring 37930 has a first portion electrically connected to the first annular ring 37930, a second annular portion electrically connected to the second annular ring 37930, and a small break between the first portion and the second annular portion. As the shaft 37200 rotates relative to the handle 37100, the intermediate electrical contact 37130 slides along the intermediate annular ring 37930, and the resistance and voltage of the intermediate circuit changes in a manner detectable by the control system due to the closing and opening of the break by the intermediate contact 37130. The signal from the intermediate circuit is digitized by an analog-to-digital converter of the control system, and the data from the analog-to-digital converter can be used by the control system to evaluate the orientation of the shaft 37200. In various circumstances, any suitable number of gaps in the intermediate annular ring 37930 and / or the intermediate contact 37130 can be used to provide a signal with sufficient resolution to determine the orientation or rotation of the shaft 37200 relative to the handle 37100.

[0535] In various embodiments, a resistive material is embedded in the shaft of the surgical instrument, which is part of an electrical circuit that passes through a slip ring. When the shaft rotates, the resistance in the circuit changes, which can be detected by the control system of the surgical instrument to assess the angular orientation of the shaft relative to the handle.

[0536] The representation of surgical instrument 38000 is shown in Fig.67 The surgical instrument 38000 includes a handle 38100 and a shaft 38200 extending from the handle 38100. The handle 38100 includes an annular array of Hall effect sensors 38130 attached to a frame and / or housing of the handle 38100. The Hall effect sensors 38130 are positioned along a circumference in the handle 38100, such as Fig.6738100. The Hall effect sensor 38130 is in communication with the control system via an electrical circuit. The shaft 38200 includes a magnet 38230 mounted to a shield of the shaft 38200 that is aligned or at least substantially aligned with the circumference of the Hall effect sensor 38130. When the shaft 38200 rotates about its longitudinal axis, the magnet 38230 moves along the sensor circumference. The sensors 38130 are positioned and arranged so that one or more of the sensors 38130 can detect the position of the magnet 38230, and thus the control system can determine the orientation of the shaft 38200 relative to the handle 38100 based on which Hall effect sensor 38130 has detected the magnetic field distortion produced by the magnet 38230 and the intensity of the distortion.

[0537] In various embodiments, the surgical instrument may include one or more optical sensors configured to detect the orientation of the shaft relative to the handle. In at least one embodiment, the handle of the surgical instrument includes a light emitter and a light detector that are connected to the control system of the surgical instrument. The shaft includes a reflective surface that rotates with the shaft. The light emitter emits light onto the reflective surface, and the light is reflected back into the light detector. The reflective surface includes different portions with different reflectivities, which produces a pattern in the light reflected back to the light detector. Using this information, the control system can evaluate the orientation of the shaft relative to the handle. In various cases, the reflective surface includes openings and solid areas to produce, for example, a binary off-on or low-high reflective response signal.

[0538] In various embodiments, the surgical instrument includes an electromechanical transducer, such as a linear variable differential transducer, used in conjunction with a mechanical cam to measure the depth of the cam and relate the depth to the rotation angle of the shaft. In various embodiments, the handle of the surgical instrument includes a magnetometer in communication with the control system, and the shaft also includes a magnet that can be detected by the magnetometer.

[0539] In various embodiments, the shaft of the surgical instrument includes a gyro sensor located in the shaft, which is used by the control system to evaluate the orientation of the shaft relative to the handle. In at least one such embodiment, the handle also includes a gyro sensor that is in communication with the control system so that the relative orientation of the handle and the shaft can be evaluated. In various embodiments, the shaft of the surgical instrument includes a tilt sensor that is used by the control system to evaluate the orientation of the shaft relative to the handle. In at least one embodiment, a SQ-MIN-200 sensor can be used. The SQ-MIN-200 sensor acts like a normally closed sensor that flutters open and closed when tilted or vibrated. That is, any suitable omnidirectional sensor, for example, can be used.

[0540] In various embodiments, the detectable element may be positioned on the fixture drive or closing tube of the shaft. When the shaft rotates, the closing tube rotates with the shaft. Therefore, one or more sensors of the handle can detect the orientation of the shaft relative to the handle via the detectable element on the shaft. When the closing tube translates to close the end actuator, as described herein, the detectable element moves relative to one or more sensors. This translation of the detectable element can also be used to verify the closure of the end actuator. In at least one case, a Hall effect sensor can be used to detect the rotation and translation of the detectable element. In various cases, the control system of the surgical instrument is configured to prevent the end actuator from performing articulation when the end actuator is closed. This arrangement provides feedback to the control system to determine not only the responsiveness of the articulation control member, but also whether the control system should fully respond to the input from the articulation control member.

[0541] In various embodiments, again referring to Fig. 27 and Fig.28 , the distal end of the articulation actuator 10260 of the surgical instrument 10000 is attached to the end effector 10400 such that proximal and distal translation of the articulation actuator 10260 causes the end effector 10400 to rotate about the articulation joint 10500. Fig.32 , the shaft 10200 of the surgical instrument 10000 includes a shaft frame 10210 that slidably supports an articulation actuator 10260. Although Fig.32 10210. The end effector 10400 also includes an articulation pin 10260 extending from the frame 10210. The end effector 10400 also includes an articulation pin 10215 extending from the frame 10210. The articulation pin 10215 is tightly received within a pivot aperture 10415 defined in the staple cartridge jaw 10410 of the end effector 10400, which defines an articulation axis AA of the articulation joint 10500. The articulation driver 10260 includes a distal end including an aperture 10262 defined therein, and the end effector 10400 also includes an articulation pin 10460 extending from the proximal end of the staple cartridge jaw 10410 into the aperture 10262. When the articulation actuator 10260 is translated, as described above, the sidewalls of the aperture 10262 engage the articulation pin 10460 and push or pull the articulation pin 10460 depending on the direction in which the articulation actuator 10260 is translated. The entire disclosure of U.S. Patent No. 9,101,358, entitled “ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A FIRING DRIVE”, issued on August 11, 2015, is incorporated herein by reference. The entire disclosure of U.S. Patent No. 5,865,361, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING APPARATUS”, issued on February 2, 2019, is incorporated herein by reference.

[0542] In addition to the above, the end effector 10400 defines an end effector axis EA and the shaft 10200 defines a longitudinal shaft axis LSA. When the end effector 10400 is in the non-articulated position, the end effector axis EA is aligned or at least substantially aligned with the longitudinal shaft axis LSA. When the end effector 10400 is in the articulated position, such as Fig.32 460. As shown, the end effector axis EA is transverse to the longitudinal shaft axis LSA. The aperture 10262 is elongated to accommodate relative movement between the articulation pin 10460 and the articulation driver 10260; however, for larger articulation angles, the articulation driver 10260 may bind and / or flex, which may cause the articulation driver 10260 to disengage from the articulation pin 10460 without further movement. Accordingly, the end effector 10400 also includes a retaining plate 10600 that is configured to retain the articulation driver 10260 in engagement with the articulation pin 10460. The retaining plate 10600 includes a planar, or at least substantially planar, portion that extends over the distal end of the articulation driver 10260 and includes an aperture 10660 defined therein, the sidewalls of which engage the articulation pin 10460. Thus, the articulation driver 10260 is captured between the staple cartridge jaw 10410 and the retaining plate 10600 such that the articulation driver 10260 cannot be inadvertently disengaged from the staple cartridge jaw 10410. The retaining plate 10600 is fixedly mounted to the staple cartridge jaw 10410 such that there is little, if any, relative movement between the retaining plate 10600 and the staple cartridge jaw 10410. The staple cartridge jaw 10410 includes retaining lugs 10430, and the retaining plate 10600 includes an aperture 10630 defined therein, the sidewalls of which engage the retaining lugs 10430 to retain the retaining plate 10600 to the staple cartridge jaw 10410. In various circumstances, the retaining plate 10600 can include a spring and / or biasing member.

[0543] Reference now Fig.33, in addition to or in lieu of a retaining plate 10600, the surgical instrument 10000' includes an end effector 10400' and an articulation joint 10500' that rotatably connects the end effector to the shaft 10200'. In addition to the above, the articulation joint 10500' includes a pin 10560' extending from the shaft frame 10210' of the shaft 10200', the pin being closely received within an aperture defined in the staple cartridge jaw 10410', the aperture defining an articulation axis AA of the articulation joint 10500'. The surgical instrument 10000' also includes an articulation driver 10260' that includes a distal end 10264' that includes a slot 10262' defined therein. Similar to the above, the staple cartridge jaw 10410' includes an articulation pin 10460' extending from the staple cartridge jaw 10410', the articulation pin extending into the slot 10262' of the distal end 10264', and the interaction between the sidewalls of the slot 10262' and the articulation pin 10460' drives the end effector 10400' about the articulation joint 10500'. Notably, the pin 10560' of the articulation joint 10500' includes a gap release portion 10564' defined therein to provide clearance for longitudinal movement of the articulation driver 10260'. The staple cartridge jaw 10410' also includes a gap release portion 10414' defined therein to allow clearance for rotation of the staple cartridge jaw 10410' about the articulation joint 10500'. In order to prevent the articulation driver 10260' from disengaging from the staple cartridge jaw 10410', reference is made to the Figure 34 to Figure 37 , the articulation pin 10460' includes a retaining shoulder 10464' extending from the cylindrical portion 10462'. The retaining shoulder 10464' extends over a portion of the distal end 10264' of the articulation driver 10260' throughout the articulation of the end effector 10400'. Thus, regardless of whether the end effector 10400' is articulated to the left ( Fig.35 ) or continue to move the joint to the right ( Fig.37 ) or to any position therebetween, the retaining shoulder 10464' prevents, or at least limits, the possibility of the articulation driver 10260' being disengaged from the staple cartridge jaw 10410'.

[0544] In various embodiments, further to the above, the clearance relief 10414' includes a retaining shoulder or lip that prevents the articulation driver 10260' from disengaging from the articulation pin 10460'. The retaining shoulder 10464' of the articulation pin 10460' is sized and configured such that the width of the retaining shoulder 10464' is wider than the width of the slot 10262'. That is, the slot 10262' includes a length that is greater than its width, which allows the retaining shoulder 10464' to be inserted through the slot 10262' so that the articulation driver 10260' can be assembled into the articulation pin 10460'. The width of the slot 10262' is defined along an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft, while the length of the slot 10262' is defined along an axis orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the shaft. Such an arrangement allows the end effector to articulate relative to the shaft while minimizing coupling between the end effector and the articulation driver 10260'. That is, the articulation driver 10260' is constructed of a flexible material that allows the articulation driver 10260' to resiliently flex to accommodate articulation of the end of the end effector.

[0545] As described above, the end effector 10400 includes a staple cartridge jaw 10410 configured to receive a replaceable staple cartridge, such as the staple cartridge 10430, and an anvil jaw 10420 configured to deform staples ejected from the staple cartridge 10430. The staple cartridge jaw 10410 includes a channel including a bottom support and two lateral sidewalls extending upward, the two lateral sidewalls being configured to receive the staple cartridge 10430. The staple cartridge 10430 includes a proximal end 10432, a distal end 10434, and a platform 10433 extending between the proximal end 10432 and the distal end 10434. When the staple cartridge 10430 is inserted into the staple cartridge jaw 10410, the proximal end 10432 is guided to a position between the staple cartridge jaw 10410 and the anvil jaw 10420, and then is seated in the staple cartridge jaw 10410. The anvil jaw 10420 includes a proximal end 10422, a distal end 10424, a tissue compression surface 10423 extending between the proximal end 10422 and the distal end 10424, and a pivot 10421 that rotatably connects the anvil jaw 10420 to the staple cartridge jaw 10410. Fig.44 , the anvil jaw 10420 includes a lateral pin extending into the aperture 10411 defined in the staple cartridge jaw 10410. As described above, the anvil jaw 10420 can be rotated to a closed position or a clamped position by a closing drive of the stapling instrument 10000. When the closing drive is retracted, the anvil jaw 10420 opens. Figures 38 to 43, the stapling instrument 10000 also includes one or more biasing members or springs 10446, which are configured to open the anvil jaw 10420 when the closed drive device is retracted. The surgical instrument 10000 includes two opening springs 10446, but may include any suitable number of biasing members. In any case, each spring 10446 is positioned in a recess 10416 defined in the staple cartridge jaw 10410. The recess 10416 tightly receives the spring 10446 so that the spring 10446 does not buckle under a compressive load; however, the size and configuration of the recess 10416 are configured to accommodate any lateral extension of the spring 10446 when the anvil jaw 10420 is closed.

[0546] Main references Fig.42 , the anvil jaw 10420 includes a lateral tab 10426 adjacent to the proximal end 10422 of the anvil 10420 that contacts the spring 10446. When the anvil jaw 10420 is closed, the spring 10446 is compressed between the lateral tab 10426 and the bottom of the recess 10416. When the closure system is retracted, the spring 10446 elastically extends again and pushes the lateral tab 10426 upward to rotate the anvil jaw 10420 to its open position or unclamped position. It is worth noting that the main reference Fig.40 , the staple cartridge jaw 10410 has a stop portion 10419 defined thereon, which is contacted by the proximal end 10422 of the anvil 10420 when the anvil 10420 reaches its fully open position. The anvil 10420 includes a proximal stop surface 10429 that contacts the stop portion 10419 of the staple cartridge jaw 10410. In such a case, the anvil jaw 10420 cannot be opened further. For the reasons described above, the spring 10446 holds the anvil jaw 10420 against the stop portion 10419 of the staple cartridge jaw 10410 until the anvil jaw 10420 is closed again.

[0547] When the anvil jaw 10420 is in its open position, the staple cartridge jaw 10410 is positioned on one side of the tissue to be stapled, and the anvil jaw 10420 is positioned on the opposite side. In such circumstances, the end effector 10400 is moved relative to the tissue until the tissue is properly positioned between the staple cartridge jaw 10410 and the anvil jaw 10420. The anvil jaw 10420 includes a lateral tissue stop 10427 that extends downwardly in parallel with the staple cartridge jaw 10410 and is configured to ensure that the tissue positioned within the end effector 10400 is positioned above the staple cavity in the staple cartridge 10430. Primary Reference Fig.39, the tissue stop 10427 extends distally relative to the proximal staple cavity 10440. In at least one instance, the tissue stop 10427 extends distally relative to at least one staple cavity 10440 in each longitudinal row of staple cavities 10440. Thus, the tissue stop 10427 ensures that tissue captured in the end effector 10400 is not cut by the tissue cutting knife without being stapled. When the anvil jaws 10420 are closed, the tissue stop 10427 moves relative to the staple cartridge jaws 10410. The size and configuration of the tissue stop 10427 are configured so that tissue is not accidentally squeezed between the tissue stop 10427 and the lateral sides of the staple cartridge jaws 10410. More specifically, the bottom edge 10428 of the tissue stop 10427 is configured such that the bottom edge extends side by side with the lateral sides of the staple cartridge jaw 10410 even when the anvil jaw 10420 is in its fully open position. Fig.39 Notably, the lateral sides 10415 of the staple cartridge jaws 10410 extend upwardly above the platforms 10433 to ensure that throughout the range of motion of the anvil jaws 10420, there is overlap between the tissue stops 10427 and the lateral sides 10415 of the staple cartridge jaws 10410 when viewed from the side.

[0548] In various embodiments, in addition to the above, the distal edge of the tissue stop 10427 extends below the platform 10433 throughout the range of motion of the anvil jaw 10420. Thus, when the anvil jaw 10420 is in its fully open position and its fully clamped position, the distal edge of the tissue stop 10427 extends below the top surface of the platform 10433. This arrangement reduces the likelihood of tissue being squeezed as the anvil jaw 10420 moves. In certain embodiments, the staple cartridge includes a tissue stop extending upward from the platform 10433 in parallel with the tissue stop 10427. Similar to the above, the distal edge of the tissue stop 10427 extends below the cartridge tissue stop through the entire range of motion of the anvil jaw 10420. This arrangement also reduces the likelihood of tissue being squeezed as the anvil jaw 10420 moves. Additionally, these arrangements will be useful in embodiments where the staple cartridge jaw 10410 moves relative to the anvil jaw 10420.

[0549] As discussed above and primarily with reference to Fig.44 , Fig.45A and Fig.45B, the end effector 10400 includes a staple cartridge jaw 10410 including a spring recess 10416 defined therein, the spring recess including a wider top opening 10416'. The spring recess 10416 still supports the spring 10446 and prevents the spring from buckling, but when the anvil jaw 10420 is in its closed position, the wider top opening 10416' of the spring recess 10416 provides clearance for the lateral tabs 10426. In such an arrangement, the lateral tabs 10426 can move into the staple cartridge jaw 10410 to compress the spring 10446. In such a case, the spring 10446 can be highly compressed by the anvil jaw 10420, thereby ensuring a strong opening force from the spring 10446 when the anvil jaw 10420 is released by the closing drive. As described above, embodiments without a wider top opening 10416' are contemplated. In such an embodiment, the spring is tightly received by the spring recess 10416 along the length of the spring 10446.

[0550] The tissue cutting member 10251 of the firing drive device of the suturing instrument 10000 is Fig.46 and Fig.47 , the tissue cutting member includes a body including a distal nose 10258 and a tissue cutting edge 10259 that passes through the end effector 10400 during the nail firing stroke. The tissue cutting member 10251 also includes a top cam member 10255 configured to engage the anvil jaw 10420 and a bottom cam member 10256 configured to engage the staple cartridge jaw 10410 during the nail firing stroke. Fig.46 10425 in the longitudinal slot of the anvil jaw 10420, which is engaged by the top cam member 10255 during the nail firing stroke. The nail magazine jaw 10410 also has a longitudinal cam surface 10419 engaged by the bottom cam member 10256. The cam members 10255 and 10256 position the jaws 10410 and 10420 relative to each other during the nail firing stroke and maintain the jaws 10410 and 10420 in their closed configuration throughout the nail firing stroke. The cam members 10255 and 10256 also set the nail forming gap between the nail drivers in the nail magazine and the forming pockets defined in the anvil jaw 10420.

[0551] It is worth noting that Fig.46 and Fig.47The anvil jaw 10420 is shown in its open position and the tissue cutting member 10251 is in its non-firing position (i.e., the position before the staple firing stroke has begun). The anvil jaw 10420 includes a clearance recess 10450 defined therein, which is aligned with the top cam member 10255 of the tissue cutting member 10251 when the tissue cutting member 10251 is in its non-firing position. This configuration allows the tissue cutting member 10251 to stop just proximal to the longitudinal cam surface 10425 in the anvil jaw 10420 and the corresponding cam surface in the staple cartridge jaw 10410 when the tissue cutting member 10251 is in its non-firing position. This arrangement provides a shorter and more maneuverable end effector for a given staple line length. In addition, the tissue cutting member 10251 includes a tissue cutting edge 10259, which is positioned proximally relative to the staple cavity defined in the staple cartridge and proximally relative to the distal edge of the tissue stop when the tissue cutting member is in its unfired position. Therefore, tissue inserted into the end effector is unlikely to be cut by the tissue cutting edge 10259 until the tissue cutting member 10251 is advanced distally from its unfired position during the firing stroke.

[0552] In addition to the above, it is desirable that the tissue cutting member 10251 be in its unfired position at the beginning of the staple firing stroke. If the tissue cutting member 10251 is not in its unfired position at the beginning of the staple firing stroke, a missing cartridge / used cartridge lockout of the stapling instrument 10000 may be accidentally bypassed. Fig.41 , the lockout of the stapling instrument 10000 includes a shoulder 10417 defined in the bottom of the staple cartridge jaw 10410. If a suitable unused staple cartridge is seated in the staple cartridge jaw 10410 at the beginning of the staple firing stroke, and the tissue cutting member 10251 is in its unfired position at the beginning of the staple firing stroke, the tissue cutting member 10251 will be lifted over the lockout shoulder 10417. More specifically, referring to Fig.46, the nose 10258 of the tissue cutting member 10251 will be supported by the staple drive sled in the staple cartridge such that the lockout tab 10257 of the firing member 10251 and / or any other portion of the firing member 10251 do not contact the lockout shoulder 10417. However, if a staple cartridge is not seated in the staple cartridge jaws 10410, a staple cartridge is seated in the staple cartridge jaws 10410 but has been previously used, or an incorrect staple cartridge is seated in the staple cartridge jaws 10410, the sled will not support the nose 10258 of the tissue cutting member 10251 and the lockout tab 10257 will contact the lockout shoulder 10417 at the start of the staple firing stroke, thereby preventing the staple firing stroke. However, if the tissue cutting member 10251 were somehow positioned distally relative to the lockout shoulder 10417 at the beginning of the staple firing stroke, the advantages provided by the lockout of the surgical instrument 10000 would be lost.

[0553] The following U.S. patents are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety: U.S. Patent 7,143,923, issued on December 5, 2006, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT HAVING A FIRING LOCKOUT FOR AN UNCLOSED ANVIL”; U.S. Patent 7,044,352, issued on May 16, 2006, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT HAVING A SINGLE LOCKOUT MECHANISM FOR PREVENTION OF FIRING”; U.S. Patent 7,000,818, issued on February 21, 2006, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT HAVING SEPARATEDISTINCT CLOSING AND FIRING SYSTEMS”; U.S. Patent 7,000,818, issued on January 24, 2006, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT HAVING A SPENT CARTRIDGE and U.S. Patent 6,978,921, published on December 27, 2005, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT INCORPORATING AN E-BEAM FIRING MECHANISM.”

[0554] As mentioned above, reference Fig.48, the anvil jaw 10420 includes a shoulder or stop 10455 defined thereon, which is configured to contact the top cam member 10255 of the tissue cutting member 10251 when the anvil jaw 10420 moves to its open position. In such cases, the anvil jaw 10420 positions the tissue cutting member 10251 in its non-firing position even if the tissue cutting member 10251 has been accidentally moved distally or positioned too far. This arrangement is particularly useful after the surgical instrument 10000 has been used at least once and the nail firing system has been reset or retracted, because in some cases, the tissue cutting member 10251 may not have fully returned to its non-firing position after the last nail firing stroke. For the above reasons, the possibility of accidentally bypassing the lockout of the surgical instrument 10000 is reduced. It is noteworthy that the shoulder 10455 and the gap recess 10450 are positioned proximally relative to the distal edge of the tissue stop 10427, which ensures that the tissue cutting member 10251 is positioned proximally relative to the tissue captured within the end actuator so that the tissue is not accidentally cut against the tissue cutting member 10251.

[0555] As described above, the articulation driver 10260 is capable of translating proximally and distally to articulate the end effector 10400 about the articulation joint 10500. In other words, the articulation driver 10260 is actually the distal articulation driver of the articulation drive system. Fig.72 and Figure 74 to Figure 76, the articulation drive system also includes a translatable proximal articulation driver 10270 that moves the distal articulation driver 10260. The articulation drive system also includes an articulation lock 10280 positioned intermediate the proximal articulation driver 10270 and the distal articulation driver 10260, as described in more detail below. The proximal articulation driver 10270 includes an articulation rod 10272, a proximal push protrusion 10274 extending from the articulation rod 10272, and a distal pull protrusion 10276 extending from the articulation rod 10272. When the proximal articulation driver 10270 is pushed distally, the proximal push protrusion 10274 contacts the articulation lock 10280, unlocks the articulation lock 10280, and drives the distal articulation driver 10260 distally to articulate the end effector 10400. When the proximal articulation driver 10270 stops, the articulation lock 10280 automatically relocks and holds the end effector 10400 in place. When the proximal articulation driver 10270 is pulled proximally, the distal pull projection 10276 contacts the articulation lock 10280, unlocks the articulation lock 10280, and pulls the distal articulation driver 10260 proximally to articulate the end effector 10400. Similar to the above, when the proximal articulation driver 10270 stops, the articulation lock 10280 automatically relocks. When the articulation lock 10280 is locked, the end effector 10400 is prevented from being back-driven or inadvertently moved out of its position. When the articulation lock 10280 is unlocked, the end effector 10400 can be articulated to a new position.

[0556] In addition to the above, refer to Fig.72, a space 10275 is defined between the protrusions 10274 and 10276 of the proximal articulation driver 10270. The distal articulation driver 10260 includes a similar arrangement. More specifically, the distal articulation driver 10260 includes a proximal protrusion 10269 and a distal protrusion 10267, with a space defined between the proximal protrusion and the distal protrusion. The protrusions 10274 and 10276 of the proximal articulation driver 10270 are positioned in and move within the space defined between the protrusions 10267 and 10269 of the distal articulation driver 10260. The articulation lock 10280 includes a stationary rod 10282 extending through the distal articulation driver 10260 and a locking member 10284 rotatably and slidably mounted to the stationary rod 10282. The spring 10286 that positions the locking member 10284 between the two sets of locking members 10284 is biased into a locked position, which causes the locking member 10284 to snap into the stationary rod 10282. However, when the proximal articulation rod 10270 translates, the proximal articulation rod 10270 pushes the locking member 10284 to rotate the locking member out of its locked position so that the end effector 10400 can be articulated.

[0557] Further to the above, the protrusions 10274 and 10276 of the proximal articulation driver 10270 directly contact the locking member 10284. Fig.74A , the protrusions 10274 and 10276 each include a protrusion or bump 10277 extending therefrom that engages the locking member 10284. The bump 10277 provides a larger push area for the proximal joint motion driver 10270 to push the locking member 10284. By way of comparison, the proximal joint motion driver 10270' in Fig.73 and Fig.73A As shown in FIG. 1 , the proximal articulation driver does not have the bumps 10277 on the protrusions 10274 ′ and 10276 ′ thereof. Fig.73 and Fig.73A The arrangement of the proximal articulation driver 10270' is still useful, but the contact area between the proximal articulation driver 10270' and the locking member 10284 is less than the contact area between the proximal articulation driver 10270 and the locking member 10284. Due to the larger contact area with the locking member 10284, the stress and strain in the proximal articulation driver 10270 is less than the stress and strain in the proximal articulation driver 10270'. In addition, the arrangement of the bump 10277 can increase the torque arm between the proximal articulation driver 10270 and the locking member 10284, thereby reducing the force required to unlock the articulation lock 10280.

[0558] Various mechanisms and methods for determining the orientation of an axis relative to a handle are described herein. Many of these mechanisms are capable of evaluating the orientation of an axis in real time, regardless of one or more previous orientations of the axis. This arrangement is particularly useful, for example, when a surgical instrument loses power. For example, when the surgical instrument is re-energized, the control system can immediately evaluate the orientation of the axis and the appropriate responsiveness of the joint motion control member. In addition, the surgical instrument disclosed herein can be configured to immediately evaluate the joint motion angle of the end effector when the surgical instrument is re-energized. When re-energized, the control system will evaluate whether the end effector is in a closed configuration or in an open configuration. If the end effector is in a closed configuration when re-energized, the control system will determine that the surgical instrument loses power during the nail firing mode and prompts the clinician to retract the nail firing system. If the end effector is in an open configuration when recharging, or once the end effector is in an open position when recharging, the control system will attempt to ensure that the joint motion drive system is connected to the nail firing system so that the end effector can be straightened, or otherwise properly oriented by the clinician to remove the surgical instrument from the patient. Fig.78 An algorithm 39000 for controlling a control system to ensure that an articulation system is engaged with a staple firing drive is depicted. In the algorithm, the control system sweeps the staple firing drive between positions associated with the rightmost end effector position and its leftmost end effector position so that if the articulation drive is not already coupled to the firing drive, it will become coupled to the firing drive. These rightmost and leftmost orientations of the end effector correspond to the distal-most and proximal-most positions of the articulation drive 10260, as shown in FIG. Fig.77 As shown. These positions are also the distal-most position and the proximal-most position of the articulation driver 10270, respectively. The control system includes one or more non-volatile device memories for storing information about the distal-most (right-most orientation) position and the proximal-most (left-most orientation) position of the articulation drive system. Therefore, this information is available to the control system when power is re-applied, and the control system can limit its evaluation to this range. In various embodiments, the surgical instrument may include a sensor configured to be able to evaluate whether the articulation drive device is mechanically coupled to the nail firing drive device.

[0559] In addition to the above, the algorithm 39000 includes a step 39100, in which the control system evaluates whether the articulation button is pressed at the start-up or initialization of the surgical instrument. If it is determined at step 39100 that the articulation button is not pressed, the algorithm follows a logic path 39200. In the logic path 39200, the control system actuates the electric motor driving the articulation system at step 39300 to push the articulation driver 10260 distally, thereby causing the end effector to articulate to the right. The control system then waits for a predetermined amount of time at step 39400, and then proceeds to step 39600, in which the control system actuates the motor in the opposite direction to pull the articulation driver 10260 proximally and cause the end effector to articulate to the left. The control system then waits again for a predetermined amount of time at step 39700, and after that time, waits for an input command at step 39800. In various embodiments, the control system includes a timer circuit for counting an appropriate amount of time. On the other hand, if at step 39100 the control system detects that the left articulation control is actuated, the algorithm 39000 follows the logic path 39500 and articulates the end effector to the left. If at step 39100 the control system detects that the right articulation control is actuated, the algorithm 39000 follows the logic path to articulate the end effector to the right.

[0560] In addition to the above, during the nail firing stroke, the nails in the nail magazine are gradually ejected by the firing member. The firing member ejects the proximal nails in the nail magazine at the beginning of the nail firing stroke and ejects the distal nails at the end of the nail firing stroke. In the case where all the nails in the nail magazine properly contact the nail forming recesses in the anvil positioned relative to the nail magazine, the nails will be properly formed and the nail firing force will be low. In the case where some of the nails miss their nail forming recesses, such nails may be deformed, thereby increasing the force required to perform the nail firing stroke. Slowing down the nail firing stroke can improve nail formation and reduce the force required to perform the nail firing stroke. In various cases, detecting the force applied by the nail firing system can be directly detected, for example, by one or more force sensors and / or strain gauges. In other cases, the detection force can be achieved by, for example, a current sensor or an ammeter circuit that measures the current of the electric motor of the nail firing drive. The entire disclosure of U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 361,793, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING AN ADAPTIVE CONTROL SYSTEM” filed on March 22, 2019, is incorporated herein by reference. These methods can be applied to a variety of situations, but described below are embodiments and methods for evaluating the duty cycle of a nail firing system during a nail firing stroke.

[0561] In addition to the above, the control system of the surgical instrument 10000 includes a pulse width modulation (PWM) control circuit that is configured to control the speed of the firing drive electric motor. The PWM control circuit applies voltage pulses to the firing drive electric motor to perform the nail firing stroke. In various cases, the PWM control circuit increases the duration of the voltage pulses applied to the firing drive electric motor so as to increase the speed of the firing drive electric motor and correspondingly increase the speed of the nail firing stroke. In other cases, the PWM control circuit increases the duration of the voltage pulses applied to the firing drive electric motor so as to reduce the speed of the firing drive electric motor and correspondingly increase the speed of the nail firing stroke. In either case, the PWM control circuit can make these pulse length adjustments without substantially increasing or decreasing the magnitude of the voltage pulses applied to the motor. That is, embodiments in which the magnitude of the voltage pulses or certain voltage pulses can be changed are contemplated. In any case, as described in more detail below, the control system is configured to be able to drive the nail firing drive at a constant or near-constant speed by adjusting the duration of the pulses via the PWM circuit. The entire disclosure of U.S. Patent 8,499,992, entitled “DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING COMPRESSION OF TISSUE,” issued on August 6, 2013, is incorporated herein by reference.

[0562] The ratio of the time that the PWM circuit applies voltage to the electric motor (on time) divided by the total time (on time + off time) is the duty cycle of the nail firing drive motor. Therefore, the duty cycle can range between 0% (completely off) and 100% (completely on), that is, a constant voltage without periodic interruptions. The terms on and off represent non-zero voltage and zero voltage; however, the terms on and off include high voltage and low voltage, respectively. The term low or off includes zero voltage and a non-zero voltage whose magnitude is less than the high voltage or on voltage. In view of the above, another way to express the duty cycle of the electric motor of the firing drive device is the ratio of the time that the PWM circuit applies voltage to the electric motor (high time) divided by the total time (high time + low time).

[0563] The PWM control circuit applies voltage pulses to the firing drive motor at regular intervals; however, the control system may include a frequency modulation (FM) control circuit to vary the frequency of the voltage pulse intervals. In various cases, the FM control circuit reduces the intervals between the voltage pulses to increase the speed of the firing drive motor and the nail firing stroke. Correspondingly, the FM control circuit increases the intervals between the voltage pulses to decrease the speed of the firing drive motor and the nail firing stroke. In addition to or in lieu of the foregoing, the control system may increase the magnitude of the voltage it applies to the firing drive motor to increase the speed of the firing drive motor and the nail firing stroke, and / or decrease the magnitude of the voltage it applies to the firing drive motor to decrease the speed of the firing drive motor and the nail firing stroke.

[0564] The control system of surgical instrument 10000 includes an algorithm for controlling the speed of the staple firing member. Fig.79 , the control system includes an algorithm 50000 configured to drive the nail firing member at a low speed, a medium speed, and a high speed. The low speed is 6 mm / s, or about 6 mm / s. The medium speed is 12 mm / s, or about 12 mm / s. The high speed is 20 mm / s, or about 20 mm / s. That is, the control system can be configured to operate the nail firing drive at any suitable number of speeds and / or at any suitable speed. The control system is configured to monitor the speed of the nail firing drive via a motor speed sensor and adjust the length of the voltage pulse applied to the electric motor of the nail firing drive to bring the speed of the nail firing drive to a target speed. For example, if the target speed of the nail firing drive at a given point in the nail firing stroke is 12 mm / s and the actual speed is 11 mm / s, the control system increases the length of the voltage pulse applied to the electric motor to increase the speed of the nail firing drive. In other words, the control system increases the duty cycle of the firing drive electric motor to increase the speed of the nail firing drive. Correspondingly, the control system is configured to shorten the length of the voltage pulse applied to the firing drive electric motor if the speed of the nail firing drive exceeds the target speed until the speed of the nail firing drive reaches the target speed. In other words, the control system is configured to reduce the duty cycle of the firing drive electric motor to reduce the speed of the nail firing drive. It is worth noting that the target speed of the nail firing drive can be changed during the nail firing stroke, as described in more detail below.

[0565] As described above, the firing member of the staple firing drive moves distally during the staple firing stroke. Fig.47 and Fig.79, the firing member is advanced distally from its proximal non-firing position so that the top cam member 10255 of the firing member moves upward along the slope of the internal slot 10425 defined in the anvil 10420. The distance between the proximal non-firing position and the distal end of the internal slot slope is, for example, 15 mm or approximately 15 mm. If a suitable unused nail magazine is placed in the end actuator, this initial 15 mm movement of the firing member can be used to close the end actuator and / or cross the above-mentioned firing lockout. That is, during this range of motion, the control system moves the firing member distally at a medium speed of 12 mm / s, and evaluates the duty cycle required to drive the nail firing member at this speed. If the duty cycle is between 40% and 60% within this initial range, the control system continues to drive the nail firing drive device at a medium speed of 12 mm / s. If the duty cycle is greater than 60%, the control system reduces the target speed of the nail firing drive device to a low speed of 6 mm / s. This may occur when thick tissue is present between the anvil 10420 and the staple cartridge 10430. On the other hand, if the duty cycle is below 40% during this initial range, the control system increases the target speed to a high speed of 20 mm / s. This may occur when thin tissue is present between the anvil 10420 and the staple cartridge 10430. Fig.79 In the embodiment of the present invention, the end of the initial range is defined by point A, and it is noteworthy that the nail is not deployed or fired during the initial range. After point A, as the firing member is advanced distally, the firing member fires the nail until the firing member reaches the end of the nail firing stroke and / or the clinician stops the nail firing stroke by releasing the firing trigger.

[0566] refer to Fig.79 , it can be seen that for the first 15 mm, the nail firing member is driven at a medium speed of 12 mm / s, and for the remainder of the nail firing stroke, the nail firing member is driven at a high speed of 20 mm / s. As described above, this speed offset occurs because the control system measures a duty cycle of less than 40% during the first 15 mm of the nail firing stroke. However, if the firing member is blocked by the lockout within the first 15 mm, the duty cycle will immediately suddenly increase to 100%, and the control system is configured to be able to immediately stop the nail firing stroke in response to this asymptotic duty cycle sudden increase. Once the firing member has passed this initial 15 mm distance, in various cases, the remainder of the nail firing stroke includes, for example, approximately 30 mm, approximately 45 mm, or approximately 60 mm. These lengths represent different nail pattern lengths currently desired in many nail magazines, but any suitable nail pattern length may be used. In some embodiments, after the initial evaluation of the duty cycle of the firing drive, the control system does not re-evaluate the duty cycle of the nail firing drive to adjust the target speed of the firing member. However, Fig.79The control system of the embodiment of the present invention continues to evaluate the duty cycle of the nail firing drive throughout the nail firing stroke. At point C in the nail firing stroke, the control system makes another adjustment to the target speed or maintains the target speed based on the above criteria. Fig.79 As shown, the duty cycle of the nail firing drive is determined to be between 40% and 60% at point C, and therefore the control system maintains a target speed of 20 mm / s. Point C is located halfway between point A and the end of the nail firing stroke, i.e., halfway through the nail pattern. That is, point C can be at any suitable location. In addition, the control system can be configured to be able to adjust the target speed of the nail firing drive at any suitable number of points during the nail firing stroke. In at least one case, the control system can make a target speed adjustment every 15 mm during the nail firing stroke, for example. For a 30 mm nail magazine, the control system can make a total of two target speed adjustments, such as Fig.79 For example, for a 45 mm nail magazine, the control system may make a total of three target speed adjustments at intervals of 15 mm, and for a 60 mm nail magazine, the control system may make a total of four target speed adjustments at intervals of 15 mm.

[0567] For the example given above, the control system uses the same set of criteria to evaluate the duty cycle at each target speed regulation point. That is, reference Fig.80 , embodiments are contemplated in which the control system uses different sets of duty cycle criteria at different target speed regulation points. For example, the control system may use a first set of duty cycle criteria at a first target speed regulation point and a second set of duty cycle criteria at a second target speed regulation point. In at least one case, reference Fig.80 In algorithm 51000, if the duty cycle is below 45% at the first target speed adjustment point, the control system increases the target speed of the nail firing drive. That is, if the duty cycle is below 40%, the control system increases the target speed of the nail firing drive at the second target speed adjustment point. Any suitable threshold or thresholds may be used. Fig.80 In the illustrated embodiment, the upper duty cycle threshold of 60% is the same at both the first target speed adjustment point and the second target speed adjustment point in the algorithm 51000. If the duty cycle exceeds 60%, the control system shortens the voltage pulse to slow the nail firing system. In other embodiments, the upper duty cycle threshold may be different at the first target speed adjustment point and the second target speed adjustment point.

[0568] In addition to the above, refer to Fig.81, the algorithm of the control system increases the target speed from medium speed to high speed at point A, but then reduces the target speed from high speed to medium speed at point C. At point C, the control system determines that the duty cycle of the firing drive electric motor is above 60% and reduces the target speed by one level, that is, from high speed to medium speed. It is worth noting that the control system does not reduce the target speed from high speed to low speed at point C because the control system is configured to be able to increase or decrease the target speed by only one level at each checkpoint. In order for the target speed of the nail firing drive to be reduced from high speed to low speed, the duty cycle will have to exceed the upper duty cycle threshold at two checkpoints. These checkpoints can be continuous checkpoints or non-continuous checkpoints. That is, an embodiment is envisioned in which the control system includes a safe duty cycle threshold, which, if exceeded, will cause the control system to reduce the target speed of the nail firing drive to low speed regardless of the speed of the nail firing drive before the checkpoint.

[0569] Fig.82A Two graphs are depicted: a duty cycle graph (i) and a firing force graph (ii) of a nail firing drive. The duty cycle graph (i) and the firing force graph (ii) are correlated to show three different nail firing strokes. Fig.82A Two of the nail firing strokes in the nail firing stroke remain below the 40% duty cycle threshold. In such nail firing strokes, the control system increases the target speed of the nail firing system at each checkpoint according to the current algorithm, but other algorithms are also possible. Fig.82A One of the nail firing strokes in the process reaches 100% duty cycle because the firing force is higher. When the duty cycle exceeds 60% at the target speed adjustment point, the control system reduces the target speed of the nail firing system according to the current algorithm, but other algorithms are possible. It is worth noting that the duty cycle of this nail firing is not above the 60% threshold at the beginning of the nail firing stroke, and therefore if the duty cycle does not exceed the upper threshold of 60% until after one or more checkpoints, the control system may not actually reduce the target speed.

[0570] Fig.82B Two graphs are depicted: a duty cycle graph (i) and a firing force graph (ii) of a nail firing drive. The duty cycle graph (i) and the firing force graph (ii) are correlated to show three different nail firing strokes. Fig.82B The two nail firing strokes in the nail firing stroke remain between the 40% duty cycle threshold and the 60% duty cycle threshold because the firing force is relatively low. In such nail firing strokes, the control system does not change the target speed of the nail firing system according to the current algorithm, but other algorithms are also possible. However, Fig.82BOne of the nail firing strokes reaches 100% duty cycle because the firing force is higher. When the duty cycle exceeds 60% at the target speed adjustment point, the control system reduces the target speed of the nail firing system according to the current algorithm, but other algorithms are also possible. In this case, the duty cycle exceeds the upper duty cycle threshold at about 20 mm distal to the proximal non-firing starting position of the nail firing member. In other words, once the nail firing drive starts firing nails, that is, 5 mm beyond the above-mentioned 15 mm initial range, the duty cycle jumps to above 60%. Therefore, the control system may not react to the increased duty cycle until, for example, after the 30 mm check point.

[0571] It is worth noting that, in addition to the above, Fig.82A and Fig.82B The graph of and several other graphs depict a stream of points along the nail firing stroke. The points represent data samples acquired by the control system. The proximity of the points indicates a fairly high data sampling rate, but lower or higher data sampling rates may be used. As can be seen in these graphs, the data is subject to a certain amount of jitter or vibration, which may cause the control system to react to abnormal data, especially when the duty cycle data is close to an upper duty cycle threshold or a lower duty cycle threshold. In various cases, the control system may utilize a data smoothing algorithm that uses an average of the data over multiple collected data points and / or other statistical evaluations to determine the duty cycle at the target speed evaluation point. In at least one such case, the control system uses an average of three consecutive duty cycle measurements, for example, to determine a duty cycle value for use in evaluating the algorithm criteria.

[0572] Fig.83A Three graphs are depicted: a duty cycle graph (i), a firing force graph (ii), and a firing speed graph (iii) of a nail firing drive. The duty cycle graph (i), the firing force graph (ii), and the firing speed graph (iii) are interrelated to demonstrate the nail firing stroke. The duty cycle of the nail firing stroke jumps from below the lower duty cycle threshold of 40% to above the upper duty cycle threshold of 60% at about the 30 mm mark, which deforms the nail at about 15 mm. This jump in duty cycle is not due to an increase in firing force; rather, the jump in duty cycle occurs because the control system increases the duty cycle to increase the speed of the nail firing drive according to its target speed selection criteria. Fig.83BA similar jump in the duty cycle is depicted at approximately 20 mm; however, this jump in the duty cycle occurs because the nail firing member encounters an increased resistance when deforming the nail, and the control system responds by increasing the length of the voltage pulse it applies to the electric motor in order to maintain the nail firing speed at its target speed. In other words, the control system causes the duty cycle to increase suddenly because the control system is trying to maintain the medium speed of the nail firing system, i.e., 12 mm / s. This situation does not last long because the control system reduces the duty cycle again at the 30 mm target speed checkpoint while reducing the speed of the nail firing stroke to its low target speed, i.e., 6 mm / s.

[0573] Fig.84A and Fig.84B Depicted are graphs showing the firing force of a staple firing drive for stapling and cutting actual tissue tracking the firing force for stapling and cutting a tissue analog such as foam.

[0574] Fig.85A and Fig.85B Several examples of nail firing strokes that occur when suturing and cutting gastric tissue are depicted. The nail firing strokes follow very similar duty cycle patterns. For example, all nail firing strokes start below a lower duty cycle threshold, and in response, the control system increases the speed of the nail firing stroke from a medium speed to a high speed. To do this, the control system increases the duration of the voltage pulse applied to the electric motor of the nail drive system at a first checkpoint. However, in doing so, the duty cycle jumps to an upper duty cycle threshold, and at the next checkpoint, the control system shortens the voltage pulse to reduce the duty cycle and slows the nail firing stroke back to its medium speed. It is noteworthy that in one example, the speed of the nail firing drive is maintained at a high speed. In this example, the deformed nails are smaller than the nails used during other nail firing strokes, and the duty cycle is maintained below the threshold.

[0575] Fig.86A Depicted is the duty cycle of two staple firing strokes when suturing thin jejunal tissue, one staple firing stroke occurring when the end effector is articulated and the other staple firing stroke occurring when the end effector is not articulated. Fig.86A As can be seen in FIG. 1 , the two duty cycle curves are very similar and are significantly between about 60% duty cycle and about 80% duty cycle. Fig.86B Depicted is the duty cycle of two staple firing strokes when suturing thick jejunal tissue, one staple firing stroke occurring while the end effector is articulated and the other staple firing stroke occurring while the end effector is not articulated. Fig.86B As can be seen in Figure 2, the two duty cycle curves are very similar and are significantly between about 60% duty cycle and about 80% duty cycle. In addition, it is worth noting that, compared with the thin jejunal tissue ( Fig.86A ) compared to thick jejunal tissue ( Fig.86B ) has a slightly higher duty cycle. Fig.86C Depicted is the duty cycle of two staple firing strokes when suturing gastric tissue, one staple firing stroke occurring when the end effector is articulated and the other staple firing stroke occurring when the end effector is not articulated. Fig.86C As can be seen in the figure, the two duty cycle curves are very similar, and it is worth noting that the maximum duty cycle is reached once the nail firing drive begins to deform the nail at a position approximately 15 mm proximal to the firing member's unfired position.

[0576] Fig.87 A graph 63000 is included that depicts the duty cycle of the nail firing stroke. As shown in the graph 63000, for the first 30 mm of the nail firing stroke (initial travel 15 mm and nail firing 15 mm), the duty cycle is just at or just below 40%, and then the duty cycle is increased by the control system to increase the speed of the nail firing drive. Similar to the above, the duty cycle is increased in this case so that the duty cycle exceeds the top duty cycle threshold of 60%, wherein the duty cycle remains unchanged for the remainder of the nail firing stroke (i.e., the last 30 mm).

[0577] Fig.88 A graph 64000 is included that depicts the duty cycle of the nail firing stroke. As shown in graph 64000, the duty cycle starts below the 40% duty cycle threshold, but then gradually increases to a region between the upper duty cycle threshold and the lower duty cycle threshold. In such a region, the control system does not increase or decrease the speed of the nail firing system and / or otherwise adjust the duty cycle of the firing drive electric motor, except to maintain the speed of the nail firing system at an intermediate target speed. Therefore, a smooth duty cycle curve is observed without abrupt changes.

[0578] Fig.89 A graph 65000 is included that depicts the duty cycle of the nail firing stroke. As shown in the graph 65000, the duty cycle starts at a low duty cycle threshold of approximately 40%, and then quickly advances upward once the firing member begins to deform the nail at the 15mm point. In fact, the duty cycle increases to almost 100% until the next checkpoint is reached at 30mm, where the control system reduces the duty cycle to slow down the nail firing drive as described above. Fig.89 A sharp drop in the duty cycle at this point is depicted, but it returns to an elevated state just above the upper duty cycle threshold for the remainder of the nail firing stroke.

[0579] The low duty cycle threshold is described as 40% in many cases and as 45% in other cases. That is, the low duty cycle threshold can be any suitable value, such as 30%, 33%, 35%, or 50%. Similarly, the upper duty cycle threshold is described as 60%. That is, the upper duty cycle threshold can be any suitable value, such as 50%, 55%, 65%, 67%, 70%, or 75%.

[0580] As described above, when the clinician releases the firing trigger, the nail firing stroke stops. When the clinician actuates the firing trigger again, the nail firing stroke resumes. In such cases, the control system returns the speed of the nail firing stroke to the speed just before the nail firing stroke stopped. The control system includes one or more memory devices for storing the speed of the nail firing stroke during the nail firing stroke so that the control system can access the stored speed to restart the nail firing stroke. If the control system cannot access the data, the control system can, for example, restart the nail firing stroke at its intermediate speed.

[0581] As described herein, the surgical instrument 10000 is configured to be able to evaluate the speed of the nail firing stroke and compare the measured speed of the nail firing stroke with the target speed. The surgical instrument 10000 includes an encoder in communication with a control system, which is configured to measure the speed of the nail firing stroke. In at least one case, the encoder observes a gear in the nail firing drive to evaluate the speed of the nail firing stroke. The gear includes teeth, and when the gear rotates during the nail firing stroke, the teeth pass in front of the encoder. The control system uses the rate at which the teeth pass through the encoder to evaluate the speed of the nail firing drive. In at least one case, the gear performs a complete rotation during the entire nail firing stroke. In addition to or in lieu of the above, the gear is made of metal, and the control system includes a Hall effect sensor, which is configured to sense the rate at which the metal gear teeth pass through the Hall effect sensor. In various embodiments, the control system is configured to be able to evaluate the speed of the translation component of the nail firing drive.

[0582] As described herein, the algorithm of the control system uses the duty cycle of the firing drive motor to evaluate whether the speed of the nail firing drive should be adjusted, and in which direction to adjust, i.e., slower or faster. In addition to the duty cycle of the firing drive motor, various other algorithms also use data to adjust the speed of the nail firing stroke. For example, the speed adjustment algorithm can utilize any characterization of the PWM circuit generated during the manufacturing process of the surgical instrument, such as the joint motion angle of the end effector, the initial battery voltage, the operable battery voltage, the current through the motor, the PID error, and / or the like. Among other things, these parameters can be used for mathematical operations or evaluation formulas to determine whether to adjust the speed of the nail firing stroke, the direction of the adjustment speed, and / or the amount of adjustment. The parameters used can be instantaneous measurements and / or measurements averaged over several readings. The parameters used can include the change rate of the measurement result or the change of the slope. The value of the parameter can be added, subtracted, multiplied, and / or divided according to the evaluation formula.

[0583] Figures 68-71 An end effector 40000 is depicted that includes an anvil jaw 40420 and a staple cartridge jaw 10410. The anvil jaw 40420 includes a proximal portion 40100 and a distal portion or end 40200 attached to the proximal portion 40100. The distal portion 40200 is capable of being in a first operative orientation ( Fig.68 ) and the second operation orientation ( Fig.70 and Fig.71 ) to enable the clinician to select between a straight anvil tip and an angled anvil tip prior to using the end effector 40000.

[0584] The proximal portion 40100 includes an angled distal end that can be characterized by a first angle 40120 and a second angle 40130. The first angle 40120 is measured with reference to a top plane defined by the top of the proximal portion 40100, and the second angle 40130 is measured with reference to a bottom plane defined by the bottom of the proximal portion 40100. In various circumstances, the first angle 40120 and the second angle 40130 are complementary angles. In at least one instance, the first angle 40120 and the second angle 40130 are substantially complementary. The distal portion 40200 includes an angled proximal end attached to the distal end of the proximal portion 40100. The angled proximal end of the distal portion 40200 can be characterized by a first angle 40220 and a second angle 40230. In various circumstances, the first angle 40220 and the second angle 40230 are complementary angles. In at least one embodiment, the first angle 40220 and the second angle 40230 are substantially complementary. In various embodiments, the first angle 40120 and the first angle 40220 are complementary angles, and the second angle 40130 and the second angle 40230 are complementary angles. This configuration allows the proximal portion 40100 and the distal portion 40200 of the anvil jaw 40420 to have complementary angled attachment planes, wherein the distal side 40110 of the proximal portion 40100 and the proximal side 40210 of the distal portion 40200 abut each other in both the first orientation and the second orientation.

[0585] Using the attachment mechanism, refer to Fig.69 and Fig.69A , the distal portion 40200 is capable of rotating relative to the proximal portion 40100 so that the distal portion 40200 can be rotated into different orientations. Fig.70 In the second orientation shown, the distal portion 40200 is Fig.68 The first orientation shown is rotated 180 degrees. This configuration allows the user to change the anvil jaw 40420 between a straight end anvil jaw and an angled end anvil jaw. Fig.70 and Fig.71 In the second orientation shown, the first angle 40120 and the second angle 40230 are adjacent to each other, and correspondingly, the first angle 40220 and the second angle 40130 are adjacent to each other. The angle at the attachment joint in the second orientation ( Fig.70 ) is not like the angle in the first orientation ( Fig.68 )That is supplementary.

[0586] The attachment mechanism used may be any suitable attachment mechanism. In at least one embodiment, reference Fig.69A, the attachment mechanism includes a flexible rotatable pin 40300 anchored to the proximal portion 40100 and the distal portion 40200. Such a mechanism allows the rotatable portion to rotate between different orientations while keeping the proximal portion 40100 and the distal portion 40200 attached to each other. One or more spring members and / or stops can be used in combination with the pin to keep the portion in a first operational orientation or a second operational orientation. The attachment mechanism can be embedded in the proximal portion 40100 and / or the distal portion 40200. The attachment mechanism may include a bistable compliance mechanism that is configured to bias the portion 40200 into either orientation to prevent accidental partial rotation of the rotatable distal portion 40200. The attachment mechanism may include a spring-loaded stopper, a living hinge, a sliding member, and / or various other locking members. The attachment mechanism may also include an interference fit joint and / or a friction fit joint between the proximal portion 40100 and the distal portion 40200.

[0587] In addition to the above, and again referring to Fig.69A, the flexible pin 40300 includes a spherical first end 40310 mounted in a chamber defined in the proximal anvil portion 40100, a spherical second end 40320 mounted in a chamber defined in the distal anvil portion 40200, and a flexible connector 40330 connecting the first end 40310 and the second end 40320. The spherical first end 40310 and the spherical second end 40320 can rotate within their respective chambers, so that the flexible pin 40300 can rotate relative to the proximal portion 40100 and / or so that the distal portion 40200 can rotate relative to the flexible pin 40300. In either case, this relative rotation allows rotation of the distal portion 40200 as described above. The length of the flexible connector 40330 is selected so that the flexible connector 40300 is in an elastically stretched state for each orientation of the distal portion 40200. Thus, the flexible connector 40330 is used to pull the distal portion 40200 against the first anvil portion 40100. Given that the proximal portion 40100 includes a staple forming recess and the distal portion 40200 does not include a staple forming recess, the retention force provided by the pin 40300 does not need to withstand the staple forming force and is sufficient to hold the distal portion 40200 in place when the end effector 40000 is positioned within the patient. The pin can be spring loaded in the socket so that the spring pulls the head proximally in the chamber, thereby holding the proximal portion 40100 and the distal portion 40200 together. To rotate the distal portion 40200 between orientations, the distal portion 40200 can be pulled distally to overcome the biasing force, twisted to another orientation, and released so that the spring can pull the distal portion 40200 against the proximal portion 40100. The joint between the distal portion 40200 and the proximal portion may also include an interlocking feature extending therefrom to prevent unintentional movement relative to each other. For example, when the distal portion 40200 is in its first orientation and second orientation, but not when the distal portion 40200 is pulled away from the proximal portion 40100, a tooth may extend from one portion and extend into a corresponding slot defined in the other portion.

[0588] In at least one embodiment, the distal portion 40200 includes two halves, for example, assembled around an attachment mechanism. For example, the two halves can utilize an elastomer to hold the halves together around a pin. In at least one embodiment, a snap-fit ​​mechanism can be used to assemble the two halves together around the attachment mechanism.

[0589] In various cases, the proximal portion 40100 and the distal portion 40200 are made of one or more materials. For example, the proximal portion 40100 may be made of one or more materials, and the distal portion 40200 may be made of one or more materials. In at least one case, the distal portion 40200 is made of metal toward the attachment joint, and is made of a soft tip of the overmolding extending distally from the metal portion. The soft tip may be made of, for example, rubber and / or plastic. The anvil jaw 40410 may also include an intermediate component positioned between the proximal portion 40100 and the distal portion 40200. The intermediate component may accommodate one or more parts of the attachment mechanism. The intermediate component may also provide an aesthetic and / or functional transition piece between the proximal portion 40100 and the distal portion 40200, which may be used in the case where the proximal portion 40100 and the distal portion 40200 include more than one material.

[0590] In at least one embodiment, the first portion 40100 and the second portion 40200 include edges designed to eliminate any sharp edges presented by rotation of the second portion 40200 relative to the first portion 40100.

[0591] As described above, the surgical instruments disclosed herein may include a control system. Each of the control systems may include a circuit board having one or more processors and / or storage devices. In addition, the control system is configured to store, for example, sensor data. They are also configured to store data that identifies the type of staple cartridge attached to, for example, a suturing instrument. More specifically, when the staple cartridge is attached to the suturing instrument, the type of staple cartridge can be identified by a sensor, and the sensor data can be stored in the control system. The control system can obtain this information to evaluate whether the staple cartridge is suitable for use.

[0592] The surgical instrument systems described herein are actuated by electric motors; however, the surgical instrument systems described herein may be actuated in any suitable manner. In some instances, the motors disclosed herein may include a portion or portions of a robotic control system. For example, U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 118,241, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS WITH ROTATABLE STAPLEDEPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,072,535) discloses several examples of robotic surgical instrument systems in more detail, and the disclosure is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. International Patent Publication No. WO 2017 / 083125, entitled “STAPLER WITH COMPOSITE CARDAN AND SCREW DRIVE”, published on May 18, 2017; International Patent Publication No. WO 2017 / 083126, entitled “STAPLE PUSHER WITH LOSTMOTION BETWEEN RAMPS”, published on May 18, 2017; International Patent Publication No. 2015 / 153642, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH SHIFTABLE TRANSMISSION”, published on October 8, 2015; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0265954, entitled “STAPLER WITH CABLE-DRIVEN ADVANCEABLE CLAMPINGELEMENT AND DUAL DISTAL PULLEYS”, filed on March 17, 2017; and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0365955, entitled “STAPLER WITH CABLE-DRIVEN ADVANCEABLE CLAMPINGELEMENT AND DUAL DISTAL PULLEYS”, filed on February 15, 2017. The disclosures of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0265865, entitled “CLAMPING ELEMENT AND DISTAL PULLEY” and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0290586, filed on Mar. 29, 2017, entitled “STAPLING CARTRIDGE,” are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0593] The surgical instrument systems described herein have been described in conjunction with the deployment and deformation of staples; however, the embodiments described herein are not limited thereto. For example, various embodiments are contemplated that deploy fasteners other than staples, such as clamps or tacks. In addition, various embodiments are contemplated that utilize any suitable device for sealing tissue. For example, an end effector according to various embodiments may include an electrode configured to heat and seal tissue. Additionally, for example, an end effector according to certain embodiments may apply vibration energy to seal tissue.

[0594] The entire disclosures of the following patents are hereby incorporated herein by reference:

[0595] - U.S. Patent No. 5,403,312, issued on April 4, 1995, entitled "ELECTROSURGICAL HEMOSTATIC DEVICE";

[0596] - U.S. Patent 7,000,818, issued on February 21, 2006, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT HAVING SEPARATE DISTINCT CLOSING AND FIRING SYSTEMS";

[0597] - U.S. Patent 7,422,139, issued on September 9, 2008, entitled "MOTOR-DRIVEN SURGICAL CUTTING AND FASTENING INSTRUMENT WITH TACTILE POSITION FEEDBACK";

[0598] - U.S. Patent 7,464,849, issued on December 16, 2008, entitled "ELECTRO-MECHANICAL SURGICAL INSTRUMENTWITH CLOSURE SYSTEM AND ANVIL ALIGNMENT COMPONENTS";

[0599] - U.S. Patent 7,670,334, issued on March 2, 2010, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENT HAVING ANARTICULATING END EFFECTOR”;

[0600] - U.S. Patent 7,753,245, issued on July 13, 2010, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS”;

[0601] - U.S. Patent 8,393,514, issued on March 12, 2013, entitled “SELECTIVELY ORIENTABLE IMPLANTABLE FASTENER CARTRIDGE”;

[0602] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 11 / 343,803, entitled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENT HAVING RECORDING CAPABILITIES,” now U.S. Patent No. 7,845,537;

[0603] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 12 / 031,573, filed February 14, 2008, entitled “SURGICAL CUTTING AND FASTENING INSTRUMENT HAVING RF ELECTRODES”;

[0604] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 12 / 031,873, filed on February 15, 2008, entitled "END EFFECTORS FOR A SURGICAL CUTTING AND STAPLING INSTRUMENT" (now U.S. Patent No. 7,980,443);

[0605] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 12 / 235,782, entitled “MOTOR-DRIVEN SURGICAL CUTTING INSTRUMENT,” now U.S. Patent No. 8,210,411;

[0606] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 12 / 235,972, entitled "MOTORIZED SURGICAL INSTRUMENT," now U.S. Patent No. 9,050,083.

[0607] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 12 / 249,117, entitled “POWERED SURGICAL CUTTING AND STAPLING APPARATUS WITH MANUALLYRETRACTABLE FIRING SYSTEM,” now U.S. Patent No. 8,608,045;

[0608] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 12 / 647,100, filed December 24, 2009, entitled "MOTOR-DRIVEN SURGICAL CUTTING INSTRUMENT WITH ELECTRIC ACTUATOR DIRECTIONAL CONTROL ASSEMBLY," now U.S. Patent No. 8,220,688;

[0609] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 12 / 893,461, filed on September 29, 2012, entitled “STAPLE CARTRIDGE,” now U.S. Patent No. 8,733,613;

[0610] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 036,647, filed on February 28, 2011, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT,” now U.S. Patent No. 8,561,870;

[0611] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 118,241, entitled “SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS WITH ROTATABLE STAPLEDEPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS,” now U.S. Patent No. 9,072,535;

[0612] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 524,049, filed on June 15, 2012, entitled “ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A FIRING DRIVE,” now U.S. Patent No. 9,101,358;

[0613] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 800,025, filed on March 13, 2013, entitled "STAPLE CARTRIDGE TISSUE THICKNESS SENSOR SYSTEM," now U.S. Patent No. 9,345,481;

[0614] - U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 800,067, filed on March 13, 2013, and entitled “STAPLE CARTRIDGE TISSUE THICKNESS SENSOR SYSTEM,” now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0263552;

[0615] - U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007 / 0175955, filed January 31, 2006, entitled "SURGICAL CUTTING AND FASTENING INSTRUMENT WITH CLOSURE TRIGGER LOCKING MECHANISM"; and

[0616] - U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0264194, filed on April 22, 2010, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT WITH ANARTICULATABLE END EFFECTOR," now U.S. Patent No. 8,308,040.

[0617] Although various devices have been described herein in conjunction with certain embodiments, many modifications and variations of these embodiments may also be implemented. In one or more embodiments, specific features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner. Therefore, without limitation, specific features, structures, or characteristics shown or described in conjunction with one embodiment may be combined in whole or in part with features, structures, or characteristics of one or more other embodiments. In addition, where materials for certain components are disclosed, other materials may also be used. In addition, according to various embodiments, a single component may be replaced with multiple components, and multiple components may also be replaced with a single component to perform a given one or more functions. The above-described specific embodiments and the following claims are intended to cover all such modifications and variations.

[0618] The device disclosed herein can be designed to be discarded after a single use, or it can be designed to be used multiple times. However, in either case, the device can be used again after being conditioned after at least one use. Conditioning may include any combination of the following steps, including but not limited to disassembling the device, cleaning or replacing specific parts of the device, and then reassembling the device. Specifically, the conditioning facility and / or surgical team can disassemble the device, and after cleaning and / or replacing specific parts of the device, the device can be reassembled for subsequent use. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conditioning device can be disassembled, cleaned / replaced, and reassembled using a variety of techniques. The use of such techniques and the resulting repair device are within the scope of this application.

[0619] The devices disclosed herein can be processed before surgery. First, new or used instruments can be obtained and cleaned as needed. Then, the instruments can be sterilized. In one sterilization technique, the instruments are placed in a closed and sealed container (such as a plastic or TYVEK bag). The container and the instruments can then be placed in a radiation field that can penetrate the container, such as gamma radiation, X-rays and / or high-energy electrons. Radiation can kill bacteria on the instruments and in the container. The sterilized instruments can then be stored in a sterile container. The sealed container can keep the instruments sterile until the container is opened in a medical facility. The devices can also be sterilized using any other technology known in the art, including but not limited to beta radiation, gamma radiation, ethylene oxide, plasma peroxide and / or steam.

[0620] While the present invention has been described as having an exemplary design, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this application is intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptations of the invention using its general principles.

Claims

1. A surgical instrument comprising: a handle, the handle comprising a handle grip; a shaft extending from the handle, wherein the shaft comprises a shaft grip and an elongated tube extending distally from the shaft grip, and wherein the elongated tube defines a longitudinal axis; a swivel joint capable of rotatably connecting the shaft to the handle, wherein the shaft is rotatable about the longitudinal axis; End effector; an articulation joint configured to rotationally connect the end effector to the shaft; and A joint motion drive system, the joint motion drive system comprising: Electric motor; an articulation drive drivable by the electric motor; and an articulation actuator in communication with the electric motor, wherein the articulation actuator is actuatable to operate the electric motor, and wherein the articulation actuator is mounted to the shaft holder such that when the shaft rotates about the rotary joint, the articulation actuator, the shaft handle, and the elongated tube rotate together.

2. The surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein: The shaft grip includes a nozzle.

3. The surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein: The shaft grip includes a finger slot, and wherein the articulation actuator is positioned in the finger slot.

4. The surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein: The joint motion actuator includes a first joint motion actuator positioned on a first side of the shaft holding member, wherein the joint motion drive system includes a second joint motion actuator positioned on a second side of the shaft holding member, wherein the second side of the shaft holding member is opposite to the first side, wherein the second joint motion actuator is connected to the electric motor, and wherein the second joint motion actuator can be actuated to operate the electric motor.

5. The surgical instrument according to claim 4, wherein: The electric motor causes the end effector to articulate in a first direction when the first articulation actuator is actuated, wherein the electric motor causes the end effector to articulate in a second direction when the second articulation actuator is actuated, and wherein the first direction is opposite to the second direction.

6. The surgical instrument according to claim 4, wherein: The shaft grip includes a first finger slot and a second finger slot, wherein the first articulation actuator is positioned in the first finger slot, and wherein the second articulation actuator is positioned in the second finger slot.

7. The surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein: The articulation actuator is movable in a first direction to articulate the end effector in the first direction, wherein the articulation actuator is movable in a second direction to articulate the end effector in the second direction, and wherein the first direction is opposite to the second direction.

8. The surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein: The electric motor is positioned in the handle, and wherein the articulation actuator extends through the shaft.

9. The surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein: The end effector also includes a nail magazine, which includes nails removably stored therein, and wherein the surgical instrument also includes a nail firing drive device, which is configured to eject the nails from the nail magazine during a firing stroke.

10. The surgical instrument according to claim 1 further includes a firing drive device, which is configured to cut patient tissue during a firing stroke, wherein the firing drive device includes a firing electric motor and a firing actuator configured to control the firing electric motor, wherein the firing actuator is mounted to the handle, and wherein the firing actuator and the articulation actuator are within the reach of a clinician's hand holding the handle grip.

11. The surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein: The articulation joint comprises a first articulation joint, wherein the articulation actuator comprises a first articulation actuator, wherein the surgical instrument further comprises a second articulation joint positioned distally relative to the first articulation joint, wherein the second articulation joint is configured to rotationally connect the end effector to the shaft, wherein the articulation drive system further comprises: a second electric motor; and A second articulation actuator is in communication with the second electric motor and wherein the second articulation actuator is actuatable to operate the second electric motor to articulate the end effector about the second articulation joint.

12. The surgical instrument according to claim 11, wherein: The shaft grip includes a first finger slot and a second finger slot, wherein the first articulation actuator is positioned in the first finger slot, and wherein the second articulation actuator is positioned in the second finger slot.

13. The surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein: The articulation actuator comprises a slidable switch, wherein the slidable switch comprises: a first electrical contact; a second electrical contact; and A slidable element capable of sliding along the switch axis between a first position and a second position, wherein in the first position, the slidable element engages the first electrical contact and closes a first articulation circuit to allow the end actuator to articulate in a first direction, and in the second position, the slidable element engages the second electrical contact and closes a second articulation circuit to allow the end actuator to articulate in a second direction.

14. The surgical instrument according to claim 13, wherein: The switching axis is parallel to the longitudinal axis.

15. The surgical instrument of claim 1, wherein: The articulation actuator comprises a capacitive switch.

16. A surgical instrument comprising: a handle, the handle comprising a handle grip; a shaft extending from the handle, wherein the shaft comprises a shaft grip and an elongated tube extending distally from the shaft grip, and wherein the elongated tube defines a longitudinal axis; a swivel joint capable of rotatably connecting the shaft to the handle, wherein the shaft is rotatable about the longitudinal axis; End effector; an articulation joint configured to rotationally connect the end effector to the shaft; and A control system, the control system comprising: processor; Electric motor; an articulation drive drivable by the electric motor; and an articulated motion actuator in communication with the processor, wherein the articulated motion actuator is capable of being actuated to operate the electric motor, wherein the articulated motion actuator is mounted to the shaft holder, and wherein the articulated motion actuator is capable of rotating with the shaft such that when the shaft rotates about the rotary joint, the articulated motion actuator, the shaft handle, and the elongated tube rotate together.

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