Wire harness for intelligent stapler with multi-axis articulation

Abstract

A surgical instrument is provided. The surgical instrument includes: a shaft; a multi-axis articulation joint assembly, the multi-axis articulation joint assembly defining a cavity therein; and a routing assembly disposed within the shaft and the multi-axis articulation joint assembly. The multi-axis articulation joint assembly includes a first articulation joint and a second articulation joint. The wiring assembly includes a wire harness having a thickness and a width greater than the thickness, and a preset twist portion. An articulation joint assembly is also provided.

Description

Background Art

[0001] 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. Summary of the invention

[0002] The following summary is provided to facilitate understanding of some innovative features characteristic of various aspects disclosed herein and is not intended to be a complete description. A comprehensive understanding of the present disclosure can be obtained by taking the entire specification, claims, and abstract as a whole.

[0003] The present invention discloses a surgical instrument. The surgical instrument comprises: a shaft; a multi-axis articulation joint assembly, wherein the multi-axis articulation joint assembly defines a cavity; and a wiring assembly, wherein the wiring assembly is disposed within the shaft and the multi-axis articulation joint assembly. The multi-axis articulation joint assembly comprises: a proximal end; a distal end; a first articulation joint, wherein the first articulation joint is disposed between the proximal end and the distal end; and a second articulation joint, wherein the second articulation joint is distal to the first articulation joint. The first articulation joint is configured to be movable in a first articulation plane, and the second articulation joint is configured to be movable in a second articulation plane transverse to the first articulation plane. The wiring assembly comprises a wiring harness extending through the cavity of the articulation joint assembly. The wiring harness has a thickness and a width greater than the thickness. The harness includes a proximal flat portion that spans the first joint in a non-articulated state, a distal flat portion that spans the second joint in the non-articulated state, and a preset twist portion between the proximal flat portion and the distal flat portion. In the non-articulated state, the preset twist portion biases the distal flat portion to a different orientation than the proximal flat portion.

[0004] The present invention discloses an articulation joint assembly for a surgical instrument. The articulation joint assembly includes: a multi-axis articulation joint assembly, which defines a cavity therein; and a wiring assembly, which is arranged in the multi-axis articulation joint assembly. The multi-axis articulation joint assembly includes: a proximal end; a distal end; a first articulation joint, which is arranged between the proximal end and the distal end; and a second articulation joint, which is distal to the first articulation joint. The first articulation joint is configured to be able to move in a first articulation plane, and the second articulation joint is configured to be able to move in a second articulation plane transverse to the first articulation plane. The wiring assembly includes a wiring harness extending through the cavity of the articulation joint assembly. The wiring harness has a thickness and a width greater than the thickness. The harness includes a proximal flat portion that spans the first joint in a non-articulated state, a distal flat portion that spans the second joint in the non-articulated state, and a preset twist portion between the proximal flat portion and the distal flat portion. In the non-articulated state, the preset twist portion biases the distal flat portion to a different orientation than the proximal flat portion. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] 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:

[0006] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a surgical instrument according to the present disclosure;

[0007] Figure 2 An articulation joint assembly according to the present disclosure is shown;

[0008] Figure 3 Shows Figure 2 an articulation axis and an articulation plane of an articulation joint assembly;

[0009] Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a harness according to the present disclosure in a non-articulated state;

[0010] Figure 5 Shows Figure 4 Axial view of the harness;

[0011] Figure 6 Shows Figure 4 The bending plane of the harness;

[0012] Figure 7 shows a perspective view of a wiring harness in an articulated state according to the present disclosure;

[0013] Figure 8 Shows Figure 7 A partial plan view of a perspective view of a wiring harness of the wiring harness;

[0014] Fig. 9A shows a conductive element of a wiring harness according to the present disclosure;

[0015] Fig. 9B Shows Fig. 9A An exploded view of the conductive element;

[0016] Fig.10 shows a perspective view of a retainer according to the present disclosure;

[0017] Fig.11 shows a perspective view of a retainer according to the present disclosure;

[0018] Fig.12 shows a cut-out portion of a wiring assembly according to the present disclosure; and

[0019] Fig.13 Shows Fig.12 The shear section of the connecting rod.

[0020] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The applicant of the present application 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:

[0022] ● U.S. patent application titled “METHOD OF OPERATING A SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT”; attorney docket number END9484USNP2 / 220491-2M;

[0023] ● U.S. Patent Application Titled “SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEMS WITH ADAPTIVESTAPLE FIRING ALGORITHMS”; Attorney Docket No. END9484USNP3 / 220491-3;

[0024] ● U.S. Patent Application Titled “LEARNED TRIGGERS FOR ADAPTIVE CONTROL OF SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEMS”; Attorney Docket No. END9484USNP4 / 220491-4;

[0025] ● U.S. Patent Application Titled “CONTROL CIRCUIT FOR ACTUATING MOTORIZED FUNCTION OF SURGICALSTAPLING INSTRUMENT UTILIZINGINERTIAL DRIVE TRAIN PROPERTIES”; Attorney Docket No. END9484USNP5 / 220491-5;

[0026] ● U.S. Patent Application Titled “PROPORTIONATE BALANCING OF THE FUNCTION IMPACT MAGNITUDE OF BATTERY OUTPUT TO PEAKMOTOR CURRENT”; Attorney Docket No. END9484USNP6 / 220491-6;

[0027] ● U.S. Patent Application Titled “MOTOR OPTIMIZATION BY MINIMIZATION OF PARASITIC LOSSES AND TUNING MOTOR DRIVE CONFIGURATION”; Attorney Docket No. END9484USNP7 / 220491-7;

[0028] ● U.S. Patent Application Titled “APPARATUS AND METHOD TO REDUCE PARASITICLOSSES OF THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM OF A SURGICALIN STRUMENT”; Attorney Docket Number END9484USNP8 / 220491-8;

[0029] ● U.S. Patent Application Titled “SURGICAL TOOL WITH RELAXED FLEX CIRCUITARTICULATION”; Attorney Docket No. END9484USNP9 / 220491-9;

[0030] ● U.S. Patent Application Titled “SURGICAL SYSTEM WITH WIRELESS ARRAY FOR POWER AND DATATRANSFER”; Attorney Docket No. END9484USNP11 / 220491-11; and

[0031] ● U.S. patent application titled “SURGICAL STAPLE CARTRIDGE COMPRISING REPLACEABLE ELECTRONICS PACKAGE”;

[0032] Attorney Docket No. END9484USNP12 / 220491-12.

[0033] The applicant of the present application 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:

[0034] ● U.S. patent application titled “METHOD OF ASSEMBLING A STAPLE CARTRIDGE”; attorney docket number END9484USNP13 / 220491-13M;

[0035] ● U.S. Patent Application Titled “CONTROL SURFACES ON A STAPLE DRIVER OF ASURGICAL STAPLE CARTRIDGE”; Attorney Docket No. END9484USNP14 / 220491-14;

[0036] ● U.S. Patent Application Titled “INTEGRAL CARTRIDGE STIFFENING FEATURES TOREDUCE CARTRIDGE DEFLECTION”; Attorney Docket No. END9484USNP15 / 220491-15;

[0037] ● U.S. Patent Application Titled “STAPLE CARTRIDGE COMPRISING WALLSTRUCTURES TO REDUCE CARTRIDGE DEFLECTION”; Attorney Docket No. END9484USNP16 / 220491-16;

[0038] ● U.S. Patent Application Titled “PAN-LESS STAPLE CARTRIDGE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING RETENTION FEATURES FOR HOLDING STAPLED RIVERS AND SLED”; Attorney Docket No. END9484USNP17 / 220491-17;

[0039] ● U.S. Patent Application Titled “STAPLE CARTRIDGE COMPRISING A SLED HAVING A DRIVER LIFT CAM”; Attorney Docket No. END9484USNP18 / 220491-18;

[0040] ● U.S. Patent Application Titled “SURGICAL STAPLE CARTRIDGES WITH SLEDSCONFIGURED TO BECOUPLED TO A FIRING DRIVER OF A COMPATIBLE SURGICAL STAPLER”; Attorney Docket No. END9484USNP19 / 220491-19;

[0041] ● U.S. Patent Application Titled “STAPLE CARTRIDGE COMPRISING A COMPOSITESLED”; Attorney Docket No. END9484USNP20 / 220491-20;

[0042] ● U.S. Patent Application Titled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH JAW AND FIRINGACTUATOR LOCKOUTARRANGEMENTS LOCATEDPROXIMAL TO A JAW PIVOT LOCATION”; Attorney Docket No. END9484USNP21 / 220491-21;

[0043] ● U.S. Patent Application Titled “SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH LATERALLY ENGAGEABLE LOCKING ARRANGEMENTS FOR LOCKING AFIRING ACTUATOR”; Attorney Docket No. END9484USNP22 / 220491-22;

[0044] ● U.S. Patent Application Titled “DUAL INDEPENDENT KEYED LOCKING MEMBERSACTING ON THE SAMEDRIVE MEMBER”; Attorney Docket No. END9484USNP23 / 220491-23;

[0045] ● U.S. Patent Application Titled “ADJUNCTS FOR USE WITH SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS”; Attorney Docket No. END9484USNP24 / 220491-24;

[0046] ● U.S. Patent Application Titled “ADJUNCTS FOR USE WITH SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS”; Attorney Docket Number END9484USNP25 / 220491-25;

[0047] ● U.S. Patent Application Titled “JAW CONTROL SURFACES ON A SURGICALINSTRUMENT JAW”; Attorney Docket No. END9484USNP26 / 220491-26;

[0048] ● U.S. Patent Application Titled “ZONED ALGORITHM ADAPTIVE CHANGES BASED ON CORRELATION OF COOPERATIVE COMPRESSION CONTRIBUTIONS OF TISSUE”; Attorney Docket No. END9484USNP27 / 220491-27;

[0049] ● U.S. Patent Application Titled “STAPLE CARTRIDGES COMPRISING TRACERETENTION FEATURES”; Attorney Docket No. END9484USNP29 / 220491-29; and

[0050] ●U.S. patent application entitled “STAPLE CARTRIDGES COMPRISING STAPLERETENTION FEATURES”; attorney docket number END9484USNP30 / 220491-30.

[0051] 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.

[0052] 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.

[0053] Various methods, instruments and systems for performing surgical procedures are provided. The various surgical systems disclosed herein include a working portion that can be inserted into the body in any manner, such as through a natural opening, through an incision or perforation formed in the tissue, etc. The working portion or end effector portion can be inserted directly into the patient's body or can be inserted through an access device having a working channel. Continuing to refer to this specific embodiment, it should be understood that the various unique and novel arrangements of the various forms of surgical systems disclosed herein can also be effectively used in combination with robotically controlled surgical systems and / or handheld surgical systems. Various robotic systems, instruments, components and methods are disclosed in U.S. patent application serial number 13 / 118,241 entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTSWITH ROTATABLE STAPLE DEPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS", which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0054] Figure 1 A perspective view of a surgical instrument 7000 according to the present disclosure is provided. The surgical instrument 7000 includes a shaft 7100 and a multi-axis articulation joint assembly 7200. The shaft 7100 defines a longitudinal axis LT. In the case where the surgical instrument 7000 is manipulated robotically, the shaft 7100 may be coupled to a robotic arm or an intermediate mounting for a robotic arm, such as a tool mounting portion 7001, as shown. Figure 1 . In other cases where the surgical instrument is handheld, the shaft 7100 is coupled to a handle, for example. The shaft 7100 also includes a distal shaft portion 7102. The surgical instrument may also include an end effector 7500 coupled to the distal shaft portion 7102 and / or the multi-axis articulation joint assembly 7200.

[0055] In addition to the above, the multi-axis articulation joint assembly 7200 extends between a proximal shaft portion 7101 and a distal shaft portion 7102. Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 7 , a polyaxial articulation joint assembly 7200 includes a proximal end 7201 , a distal end 7202 , and a first articulation joint 7220 and a second articulation joint 7230 . The polyaxial articulation joint assembly includes a cavity 7203 extending between the proximal end 7201 and the distal end 7202 .

[0056] According to the present disclosure, when the multi-axis articulation assembly 7200 is in a non-articulated state, the first articulation joint 7220 and the second articulation joint 7230 can be longitudinally separated by a longitudinal distance D, and the multi-axis articulation joint assembly 7200 is aligned with the longitudinal axis LT of the surgical instrument 7000. Additional details are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17 / 032,279, filed Sep. 25, 2020, entitled “SURGICALSTAPLING INSTRUMENTS WITH ROTATABLE STAPLE DEPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0057] In addition to the above, the multi-axis articulation joint assembly 7200 can be configured to move from one position to another by moving the first articulation joint 7220 and / or the second articulation joint 7230 in articulation planes AP1 and AP2 about articulation axes AA1 and AA2, respectively. Figures 1 to 3 , the non-articulated state shown in is transformed into an articulated state. As used in this disclosure with respect to a particular articulated joint in a non-articulated state, an articulation plane is defined as a plane perpendicular to the articulation axis of the articulated joint such that the two planes extend longitudinally with the longitudinal axis LT. For example, Figure 3 A geometric representation of the spatial relationship between the articulation axes AA1 / AA2, the articulation planes AP1 / AP2, and the longitudinal axis LT is provided. Figure 3 The articulation axes AA1 and AA2 are depicted as intersecting the longitudinal axis LT within respective articulation planes AP1 and AP2, but it is contemplated that in other embodiments the articulation axes and / or articulation planes may not be aligned with each other relative to the longitudinal axis LT, such as, for example, with an offset articulation joint.

[0058] Still reference Figures 1 to 3 , the multi-axis articulation joint assembly 7200 is configured to be able to articulate in multiple planes. According to the present disclosure, the first articulation joint 7220 and the second articulation joint 7230 can be oriented so that the articulation planes AP1 and AP2 are transverse to each other. In other words, the articulation joints 7220 and 7230 can be rotationally offset from each other relative to the longitudinal axis LT. For example, Figures 2 to 3 As best shown in , in the non-articulated state, the planes of articulation AP1 and AP2 are perpendicularly offset from each other.

[0059] Now return to reference Figure 1 The distal shaft portion 7102 can be connected to an end actuator 7500, which includes a first jaw 7511 and a second jaw 7512, the second jaw being movable relative to the first jaw 7511 to allow the end actuator 7500 to move from the distal end to the distal end. Figure 1 The first jaw 7511 and the second jaw 7512 are configured to be configured to be opened and closed to grasp tissue between the first jaw 7511 and the second jaw 7512. In the example shown, the first jaw 7511 includes a staple cartridge 7514 that includes a staple deformable against a staple forming recess of an anvil in the second jaw 7512. According to the present disclosure, the first jaw 7511 and the second jaw 7512 may be equipped with electrodes that are configured to deliver therapeutic and / or non-therapeutic energy to the grasped tissue. In addition, a firing beam 7530 for driving the sequential deployment of staples from the staple cartridge 7514 and for cutting the sutured tissue may be connected to an internal firing shaft extending along the longitudinal axis LT within the surgical instrument 7000. Additional details are described in U.S. patent application serial number 14 / 200,111, entitled “CONTROL SYSTEMSFOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS,” filed on March 7, 2014, which was issued as U.S. Patent No. 9,629,629 on April 25, 2017, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0060] The surgical instrument 7000 also includes a wiring assembly 7300 disposed within the shaft 7100 and the multi-axis articulation joint assembly 7200. The wiring assembly 7300 includes a wiring harness extending through a cavity 7210 of the multi-axis articulation joint assembly 7200, which transmits at least one of data or power from a power source or data source proximal to the multi-axis articulation joint assembly 7200 to another distal component, such as the end effector 7500, through the multi-axis articulation joint assembly 7200. For example, according to the present disclosure, the wiring assembly 7300 can transmit power to the end effector 7500 to power a chip in the staple cartridge 7514. Additionally or alternatively, the wiring assembly 7300 can define a communication path between the chip and a processor of the surgical instrument 7000 positioned proximal to the multi-axis articulation joint assembly 7200. Portions of the wiring assembly 7300 (such as the wiring harness 7310) are capable of being in a non-articulated state (such as Figures 4 to 6 ) and an articulated state (such as Figures 7 and 8 ) as described in more detail below.

[0061] Routing the wiring harness through a multi-axis articulated joint requires some form of accommodation in order to transition between various rotationally offset articulation planes along the length of the multi-axis articulated joint. One accommodation is to incorporate reinforcements (such as strain reliefs or harness couplings) into sections of the harness where any significant amount of flexing and / or bending during articulation is expected. However, the reinforcements themselves may have a limited number of activation cycles before exhibiting a loss of elasticity, interference due to debris, and / or fatigue of the copper strands within the harness.

[0062] Additionally, there is typically limited space within the cavity of a multi-axis articulated joint to allow for the wiring harness and any required movement thereof. Thus, the use of any reinforcements therein must be balanced with the number of conductors desired and / or their geometry to avoid limiting the range of articulation and / or increasing the footprint of the articulated joint. While round cables can be bent in multiple directions, round cables are typically not space efficient and may be limited to an allowable bend radius, particularly where a multi-conductor wiring harness is desired.

[0063] In addition, the flat harness may include multiple conductors placed side by side across the width of the flat harness. This arrangement can be resilient to repeated flexing and / or bending while providing better space efficiency than round cables. However, flat harnesses are generally limited to flexing around a single linear axis. For example, when the thickness of the flat harness is subjected to deformation or is bent around a single bending axis extending parallel to the width of the flat harness or along the width of the flat harness with a bending radius extending along the thickness, the flat harness can be resilient to repeated bending. In other words, the plane along which the width of the flat harness extends is generally oriented transversely relative to the rotation plane. If multiple bending planes are required, the implementation of the flat harness in a multi-axis articulated joint may require multiple flat portions abutted and reinforced by connector segments, thereby increasing the total footprint of the harness. Therefore, the standard specific implementation of a harness that is articulated by a multi-axis can result in a limited range of articulation and / or electrical connectivity through the harness, and / or a larger articulated joint footprint, each of which is undesirable.

[0064] The present disclosure proposes a solution to avoid the above challenges. Figure 4 As shown, the wiring assembly 7300 may include a wiring harness 7310 having a cross-sectional profile defined by a thickness T and a width W greater than the thickness T. Figure 6 , the harness 7310 includes a proximal flat portion 7312 corresponding to a first bending plane BP1 and a distal flat portion 7316 corresponding to a second bending plane BP2, with the bending planes BP1 and BP2 transversely intersecting the thickness of the harness 7310 at the proximal flat portion and the distal flat portion, respectively. The harness 7300 also includes a preset twist portion 7314 spanning the longitudinal distance between the proximal flat portion 7312 and the distal flat portion 7316. The preset twist portion 7314 biases the distal flat portion 7316 into a different orientation than the proximal flat portion 7312. As discussed in more detail below, the different orientations of the flat portions 7312 and 7316 facilitate a full range of joint motion without the need for any auxiliary reinforcement segments.

[0065] Reference now Figures 4 to 8In a non-articulated state, the proximal flat portion 7312 spans the first articulated joint 7220 and the distal flat portion 7316 spans the second articulated joint 7230, so that the harness 7310 can be bent together with the first and / or second articulated joints 7220, 7230 to an articulated state, such as Figures 7 and 8 The articulated state shown in , wherein the proximal flat portion 7212 follows the first joint movement of the rotation. Figure 6 to Figure 7 , the proximal flat portion 7312 comprises a first orientation in the non-articulated state such that in the articulated state, a first bend radius R1 of the proximal flat portion 7312 extends through the thickness of the harness at the proximal flat portion 7312. Similarly, the distal flat portion 7316 comprises a second orientation in the non-articulated state such that in the articulated state, a second bend radius R2 of the distal flat portion 7316 extends through the thickness of the harness at the distal flat portion 7316. According to the present disclosure, the first bend radius R1 and the second bend radius R2 may be greater than or equal to about 2x the thickness of the respective proximal flat portion and the distal flat portion throughout the range of articulation of the articulated joint to minimize or eliminate overstressing of the harness 7310. Thus, the harness 7310 remains unstretched during the entire range of articulation such that the positioning of the preset twist portion 7314 relative to the proximal end 7201 and / or the distal end 7202 remains unchanged. Thus, this configuration of the harness 7310 maintains the orientation and alignment of the flat portions 7312 and 7316 with the articulation joints 7220 and 7230, thereby minimizing or eliminating the need to supplement the harness with reinforcement and / or strain relief segments.

[0066] In addition to the above, the proximal flat portion 7312 is associated with a first bending plane BP1 and the distal flat portion 7316 is associated with a second bending plane BP2, wherein the width of the harness at each portion extends along the corresponding bending plane. In the non-articulated state, the bending planes BP1, BP2 intersect the respective joint motion planes AP1 / AP2 and are therefore oriented transversely to their respective joint motion planes and to each other. According to the present disclosure, the bending planes BP1 / BP2 may intersect the joint motion planes AP1 / AP2 such that their normal vectors intersect perpendicularly to each other. In addition, each bending plane may bend or deform with the harness, such as during joint motion, as shown in FIG. Figure 7 shown.

[0067] In addition to the above, the preset twist portion 7314 is configured to accommodate multi-planar joint motion without incorporating additional reinforcements into the harness 7310. According to the present disclosure, the preset twist portion 7314 may define an angle corresponding to the rotational offset between the first articulation joint 7220 and the second articulation joint 7230. In the context of the present disclosure, the angle of the preset twist portion 7314 may be defined by the rotational offset between the flat portions 7312, 7316 adjacent to the preset twist portion 7314 when viewed from the proximal end 7201 or the distal end 7202 in a non-articulated state.

[0068] In addition, the preset torsion 7314 is maintained or partially maintained throughout the range of motion of the articulation joint assembly, thereby retaining the relative planar orientation between the flat segments 7312, 7316 and the corresponding articulation planes AP1, AP2 in the non-articulated state. The preset torsion 7314 can be integrated into the harness 7310 before assembling the surgical instrument. In addition, the base material of the harness 7310 may include a tough but flexible polymer base material, such as a polyimide-based material, and may be molded to position the preset torsion 7314 between the first articulation joint 7220 and the second articulation joint 7230 when the harness 7310 is routed through the surgical instrument 7000. Any layer of the harness 7310 may also include a polymer base material and / or another suitable flexible base material with desired electrical properties. Therefore, the harness 7310 does not have to be rearranged and / or stretched from a static state to provide the preset torsion 7314, thereby avoiding any difference in the space requirements of the harness 7310 between the non-articulated state and the articulated state. Additionally, the preset twist portion 7314 does not require a separate biasing member to maintain the orientation of the adjacent flat portions 7312, 7316, thereby minimizing the number of additional components within the multi-axis articulation assembly and problems associated therewith.

[0069] According to the present disclosure, the preset twist 7314 may be a permanent twist that is preformed prior to assembly with the surgical instrument 7000. Further, according to the present disclosure, the preset twist 7314 may be formed by heating the polymer base material of the harness 7310, twisting the harness to form the preset twist 7314, and then allowing the polymer base material to cool. In addition, more than one preset twist 7314 may be defined in the harness 7310. According to the present disclosure, one or more preset bends may be defined in the harness 7310 in addition to or in lieu of the preset twist 7314. For example, the preset twist 7314 may be formed by twisting the harness 7310 to a twist angle that corresponds to a desired angle between the planes of joint motion AP1, AP2.

[0070] FIG. 9A to FIG. 9B73 shows a conductive path 7320 of a wiring harness 7310 according to the present disclosure. The wiring harness 7310 may include a conductive path 7320 embedded in a substrate for transmitting power and / or data. The wiring harness 7310 may include multiple layers, wherein at least some of the conductive paths 7320 are positioned in closely arranged pairs. For example, Fig. 9B As best shown in , the conductive path 7320 may include a first group of conductive elements 7320a and a second group of conductive elements 7320b, wherein each group provides a separate portion of the conductive path, such as a supply portion and a return portion. Adjacent conductive elements of a particular group alternate between the top wiring harness layer and the bottom wiring harness layer while being connected to intermediate connectors 7322, each intermediate connector spanning the top and bottom wiring harness layers. According to the present disclosure, the intermediate connectors 7322 may include plated through holes, pins and / or conductive polymers. The wiring harness 7310 may also include an insulating intermediate layer located between the bottom conductive element 7320a and the overlapping top conductive element 7320b to prevent electrical contact between the two groups and / or a shielding layer sandwiched around the conductive elements 7320a, 7320b. This arrangement may provide benefits such as electromagnetic interference suppression and / or common mode noise suppression that are traditionally associated with twisted pair wiring and / or shielded cables without the use of round conductors. Thus, the wiring harness 7310 and the conductive elements 7320a, 7320b therein may provide advantages over other wiring harnesses that employ round conductors, such as increased space efficiency and flexibility.

[0071] According to the present disclosure, the proximal portion 7340 of the wiring assembly 7300 is housed in a retainer 7103 nested within the shaft 7100. The proximal portion 7340 is similar in many respects to other wiring harnesses described elsewhere in the present disclosure. Thus, the proximal portion 7340 may have a cross-sectional profile defined by a thickness and a width greater than the thickness, and a plurality of conductive paths embedded in a tough and elastic polymer substrate layer. In addition, the proximal portion 7340 is electrically connected to and / or physically connected to the wiring harness 7310. Furthermore, according to the present disclosure, the proximal portion 7340 and the wiring harness 7310 may be routed through the surgical instrument 7000 as a single component.

[0072] Reference Fig.10 , a perspective view of a retainer 7103 according to the present disclosure is provided. The retainer 7103 is nested within the shaft 7100 and includes a plastic material. A channel 7104 is defined in an outer surface 7106 of the retainer thereof. Additionally, the channel 7104 may be configured to direct a proximal portion 7340 of the wiring assembly 7300 from a power source and / or communication source proximal to the shaft 7100 toward the multi-axis articulation joint assembly 7200. Furthermore, according to the present disclosure, the channel 7104 may span the axial length of the retainer 7103. Additionally or alternatively, one or more spiral channels 7104' may be defined in the outer surface of the retainer, such as Fig.12The retainer 7103 may also include an internal channel 7110 to accommodate a longitudinally extending component, such as a firing shaft.

[0073] The channel 7104 may be supplemented by guide posts 7108 to maintain the orientation of the portion of the wiring assembly 7300 therein. The guide posts 7108 may be molded from the same material as the retainer 7103 and spaced apart so that they do not apply any friction on the proximal portion 7340 of the wiring assembly or impede any movement thereof that may occur during operation of the surgical instrument 7000. The guide posts 7108 may be offset longitudinally from one another to facilitate routing the proximal portion 7340 of the wiring assembly therethrough without introducing an amount of curvature into the proximal portion 7340 that would cause binding in the longitudinal direction. Additionally or alternatively, a slot may be molded into the retainer 7103 for routing the wiring assembly therethrough.

[0074] In addition to the above, the wiring assembly 7300 may include a shear portion to facilitate longitudinal expansion in areas of the surgical instrument where any of its components may be longitudinally displaced during operation. Figure 12 to Figure 13 As best shown in FIG. 1 , the shear portion 7330 includes a first set of links 7332a associated with a first electrical path and a second set of links 7332b associated with a second electrical path. Each of the links 7332a and 7332b includes a wire portion 7333 that terminates at each end in a circular contact 7334 for providing a conductive path along the length of the link that can be connected to an adjacent link. In addition, the wire portions 7333 are covered with an insulating material 7335 to prevent the wire portions 7333 from being damaged when, for example, Fig.12 The short circuit between the first and second electrical paths when overlapped as shown. Rivets or pins 7336 connect a given set of conductive elements together to maintain electrical continuity along the length of the shear portion via circular contacts 7337. The mechanical portion of the links 7332a and 7332b includes a highly elastic polymer material to withstand any bending forces without breaking and / or undergoing plastic deformation while maintaining the ability to expand longitudinally. In addition, if desired, one or more of the links 7332a and / or 7332b can be molded to have a bending length and / or width to traverse the bend.

[0075] Various embodiments described herein are described in the context of staples removably stored in staple cartridges for use with surgical stapling instruments. In some cases, staples may include a line that is deformed when contacting the anvil of a surgical stapler. Such a line may be made of metal (such as, for example, stainless steel) and / or any other suitable material. Such embodiments and their teachings may be applied to embodiments including fasteners that are removably stored with a fastener cartridge for use with any suitable fastening instrument.

[0076] Various embodiments described herein are described in the context of linear end effectors and / or linear fastener cartridges. Such embodiments and their teachings may be applied to nonlinear end effectors and / or nonlinear fastener cartridges, such as, for example, circular and / or wavy end effectors. For example, various end effectors including nonlinear end effectors are disclosed in U.S. patent application serial number 13 / 036,647 (now U.S. Patent No. 8,561,870), filed on February 28, 2011, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Additionally, U.S. patent application serial number 12 / 893,461 (now U.S. Patent No. 8,733,613), filed on September 29, 2012, entitled "STAPLE CARTRIDGE," is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 12 / 031,873 (now U.S. Patent No. 7,980,443), filed on February 15, 2008, entitled "ENDEFFECTORS FOR A SURGICAL CUTTING AND STAPLING INSTRUMENT", is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. U.S. Patent No. 8,393,514, published on March 12, 2013, entitled "SELECTIVELY ORIENTABLE IMPLANTABLE FASTENER CARTRIDGE", is also hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the components (e.g., operations), devices, objects, and their accompanying discussions described herein are used as examples for the sake of conceptual clarity, and a variety of configuration modifications can be envisioned. Therefore, as used herein, the specific examples and accompanying discussions set forth are intended to represent their more general categories. Generally, the use of any specific example is intended to represent its category, and the non-included portions of the specific components (e.g., operations), devices, and objects should not be taken as limiting.

[0077] For substantially any plural and / or singular terms used herein, those skilled in the art can convert from the plural to the singular and / or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and / or application. For clarity, various singular / plural permutations are not explicitly stated herein.

[0078] The subject matter described herein sometimes describes different components contained in other different components or different components connected to other different components. It should be understood that the structure described in this way is only exemplary, and in fact a variety of other structures that obtain the same functionality can be realized. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement structure mode of components that obtain the same functionality is effectively "associated" to obtain the desired functionality. Therefore, any two components combined together to obtain a specific functionality herein can be regarded as "associated" with each other to obtain the desired functionality, regardless of the structure or intermediate components. Similarly, any two components so associated can also be regarded as "operably connected" or "operably connected" to each other to obtain the desired functionality, and any two components that can be so associated can be regarded as "operably connected" to each other to obtain the desired functionality.

[0079] In some cases, one or more components may be referred to herein as being "configured to be able to", "configurable to be able to", "operable / operably", "suitable / adaptable to", "able to", "conformable / conformable to", etc. Those skilled in the art will recognize that, unless the context indicates otherwise, "configured to be able to" may generally cover components in an active state and / or components in an inactive state and / or components in a standby state.

[0080] For the appended claims, those skilled in the art will understand that the operations described therein may generally be performed in any order. In addition, although multiple operation flows are listed in a certain order, it should be understood that the multiple operations may be performed in other orders different from the order shown, or the multiple operations may be performed simultaneously. Unless the context otherwise dictates, examples of such alternative orderings may include overlapping, interleaved, interrupted, reordered, incremental, preparatory, supplementary, simultaneous, reverse, or other altered orderings. In addition, unless the context otherwise dictates, terms such as "responsive to," "related to," or other past tense adjectives are generally not intended to exclude such variations.

[0081] It is noted that any reference numerals included in the accompanying claims are used to refer to exemplary embodiments / elements described in the present disclosure.

[0082] Although various embodiments have been described herein, many modifications, variations, substitutions, alterations, and equivalents of these embodiments may be implemented and will occur to those skilled in the art. In addition, where materials for certain components are disclosed, other materials may also be used. Therefore, it should be understood that the above detailed description and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and variations that fall within the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein. The following claims are intended to cover all such modifications and variations.

[0083] Various aspects of the subject matter described herein are set forth in the following numbered examples:

[0084] Example 1 - A surgical instrument (7000) comprising: an axis (7100); a multi-axis articulation joint assembly (7200) defining a cavity therein; and a wiring assembly (7300) disposed within the axis and the multi-axis articulation joint assembly. The multi-axis articulation joint assembly comprises: a proximal end (7201); a distal end (7202); a first articulation joint (7220), the first articulation joint disposed between the proximal end and the distal end; and a second articulation joint (7230), the second articulation joint being distal to the first articulation joint. The first articulation joint is configured to be movable in a first articulation plane, and the second articulation joint is configured to be movable in a second articulation plane transverse to the first articulation plane. The wiring assembly comprises a wiring harness (7310) extending through the cavity of the articulation joint assembly. The wiring harness has a thickness and a width greater than the thickness. The harness includes a proximal flat portion (7312) that spans the first articulated joint in a non-articulated state, a distal flat portion (7316) that spans the second articulated joint in the non-articulated state, and a preset twist portion (7314) between the proximal flat portion and the distal flat portion. In the non-articulated state, the preset twist portion biases the distal flat portion to a different orientation than the proximal flat portion.

[0085] Example 2 - The surgical instrument according to Example 1 further includes a retainer (7103) nested in the axis, the retainer including a channel (7104) defined in an outer surface (7106) of the retainer, wherein the channel is used to guide the wiring assembly toward the multi-axis articulated motion joint assembly.

[0086] Example 3 - A surgical instrument according to Example 1 or 2, wherein the preset torque portion (7314) spans the longitudinal distance between the first articulation joint (7220) and the second articulation joint (7230).

[0087] Example 4 - A surgical instrument according to any of Examples 1 to 3, wherein the wiring harness (7310) includes a plurality of conductors (7320), a plurality of layers, or any combination thereof.

[0088] Example 5 - A surgical instrument according to Example 4, wherein the plurality of conductors (7320) are arranged in the plurality of layers to minimize electromagnetic interference.

[0089] Example 6 - A surgical instrument according to any one of Examples 1 to 5, wherein the width of the wiring bundle (7310) at the proximal flat portion (7312) extends along a first bending plane intersecting with the first joint motion plane, and the width of the wiring bundle at the distal flat portion (7316) extends along a second bending plane intersecting with the second joint motion plane.

[0090] Example 7 - A surgical instrument according to Example 6, wherein the preset torsion portion (7314) defines an angle corresponding to a rotational offset between the first articulated motion joint (7220) and the second articulated motion joint (7230).

[0091] Example 8 - A surgical instrument according to Example 6 or 7, wherein the preset torque portion (7314) is maintained throughout the entire range of motion of the multi-axis articulated motion joint assembly (7200).

[0092] Example 9 - A surgical instrument according to any one of Examples 6 to 8, wherein the preset torsion portion (7314) is integrated into the wiring harness (7310) before assembling the surgical instrument.

[0093] Example 10 - A surgical instrument according to any one of Examples 6 to 9, wherein the proximal flat portion (7312) includes a first orientation in the non-articulated state such that in the articulated state, a first bending radius of the proximal flat portion extends through the thickness of the wiring harness (7310) at the proximal flat portion.

[0094] Example 11 - A surgical instrument according to Example 10, wherein the distal flat portion (7316) includes a second orientation in the non-articulated state, such that in the articulated state, a second bending radius of the distal flat portion extends through the thickness of the wiring harness (7310) at the distal flat portion.

[0095] Example 12 - A surgical instrument according to Example 11, wherein the proximal flat portion (7312) is aligned with the first joint motion joint so that the proximal flat portion bends without twisting in the articulated state, and wherein the distal flat portion (7316) is aligned with the second joint motion joint so that the distal flat portion bends without twisting in the articulated state.

[0096] Example 13 - A surgical instrument according to any of Examples 1 to 12, wherein the wiring harness (7310) remains unstretched during the entire range of articulation of the articulation joint assembly (7200).

[0097] Example 14 - A surgical instrument according to Example 13, wherein the length of the wiring harness (7310) between the proximal end (7201) and the distal end (7202) remains unchanged during the entire range of joint motion of the articulated joint assembly (7200).

[0098] Example 15 - A surgical instrument according to any one of Examples 1 to 14, wherein, in the absence of a separate biasing member, in the non-articulated state, the wiring harness (7310) in the cavity spans the first articulated joint (7220) and the second articulated joint (7230).

[0099] Example 16 - A surgical instrument comprising: a shaft; a multi-axis articulation joint assembly, the multi-axis articulation joint assembly defining a cavity therein; and a wiring assembly, the wiring assembly being disposed within the shaft and the multi-axis articulation joint assembly. The multi-axis articulation joint assembly comprises: a proximal end; a distal end; a first articulation joint, the first articulation joint being disposed between the proximal end and the distal end; and a second articulation joint, the second articulation joint being distal to the first articulation joint. The first articulation joint is configured to be movable in a first articulation plane and the second articulation joint is configured to be movable in a second articulation plane transverse to the first articulation plane. The wiring assembly comprises a harness extending through the cavity of the articulation joint assembly, wherein the harness has a thickness and a width greater than the thickness. The harness comprises: a proximal flat portion, the proximal flat portion spanning the first articulation joint in a non-articulated state; a distal flat portion, the distal flat portion spanning the second articulation joint in the non-articulated state; and a preset twist portion, the preset twist portion between the proximal flat portion and the distal flat portion. In the non-articulated state, the preset twist biases the distal flat portion to a different orientation than the proximal flat portion.

[0100] Example 17 - The surgical instrument according to Example 16 also includes a retainer nested in the shaft, the retainer including a channel defined in an outer surface of the retainer, wherein the channel is used to guide the wiring assembly toward the multi-axis articulation joint assembly.

[0101] Example 18 - A surgical instrument as described in Example 16, wherein the preset torque portion spans the longitudinal distance between the first articulation joint and the second articulation joint.

[0102] Example 19 - A surgical instrument according to Example 16, wherein the wiring harness comprises multiple conductors, multiple layers, or any combination thereof.

[0103] Example 20 - A surgical instrument according to Example 19, wherein the plurality of conductors are arranged in the plurality of layers to minimize electromagnetic interference.

[0104] Example 21 - A surgical instrument according to Example 16, wherein the width of the wiring bundle at the proximal flat portion extends along a first bending plane intersecting with the first joint motion plane, and the width of the wiring bundle at the distal flat portion extends along a second bending plane intersecting with the second joint motion plane.

[0105] Example 22 - A surgical instrument according to Example 21, wherein the preset torque portion defines an angle corresponding to a rotational offset between the first articulation joint and the second articulation joint.

[0106] Example 23 - A surgical instrument according to Example 21, wherein the preset torque portion is maintained throughout the entire range of motion of the multi-axis articulated motion joint assembly.

[0107] Example 24 - A surgical instrument according to Example 21, wherein the preset torsion portion is integrated into the wiring harness before assembling the surgical instrument.

[0108] Example 25 - A surgical instrument according to Example 21, wherein the proximal flat portion includes a first orientation in the non-articulated state such that in the articulated state, a first bending radius of the proximal flat portion extends through the thickness of the wiring harness at the proximal flat portion.

[0109] Example 26 - A surgical instrument according to Example 25, wherein the distal flat portion includes a second orientation in the non-articulated state, such that in the articulated state, a second bending radius of the distal flat portion extends through the thickness of the wiring harness at the distal flat portion.

[0110] Example 27 - A surgical instrument according to Example 26, wherein the proximal flat portion is aligned with the first joint motion joint so that the proximal flat portion bends without twisting in the articulated state, and wherein the distal flat portion is aligned with the second joint motion joint so that the distal flat portion bends without twisting in the articulated state.

[0111] Example 28 - A surgical instrument as described in Example 16, wherein the wiring harness remains unstretched during the entire range of articulation of the articulation joint assembly.

[0112] Example 29 - A surgical instrument as described in Example 28, wherein the length of the wiring harness between the proximal end and the distal end remains unchanged during the entire range of articulation of the articulation joint assembly.

[0113] Example 30 - A surgical instrument as described in Example 16, wherein, in the absence of a separate biasing member, in the non-articulated state, the wiring harness in the cavity spans the first articulation joint and the second articulation joint.

[0114] Example 31 - An articulation joint assembly for a surgical instrument, the articulation joint assembly comprising: a multi-axis articulation joint assembly, the multi-axis articulation joint assembly defining a cavity therein; and a wiring assembly, the wiring assembly being disposed within the multi-axis articulation joint assembly. The multi-axis articulation joint assembly comprises: a proximal end; a distal end; a first articulation joint, the first articulation joint being disposed between the proximal end and the distal end; and a second articulation joint, the second articulation joint being located distal to the first articulation joint, wherein the first articulation joint is configured to be movable in a first articulation plane, and wherein the second articulation joint is configured to be movable in a second articulation plane transverse to the first articulation plane. The wiring assembly comprises a wiring harness extending through the cavity of the articulation joint assembly, wherein the wiring harness has a thickness and a width greater than the thickness. The wiring harness includes: a proximal flat portion, which spans the first joint motion joint in a non-articulated state; a distal flat portion, which spans the second joint motion joint in the non-articulated state; and a preset torsion portion, which is between the proximal flat portion and the distal flat portion, wherein in the non-articulated state, the preset torsion portion biases the distal flat portion to a different orientation from the proximal flat portion.

[0115] Example 32 - An articulation joint assembly as described in Example 31, wherein the preset twist portion spans a longitudinal distance between the first articulation joint and the second articulation joint.

[0116] Example 33 - An articulated joint assembly according to Example 31, wherein the width of the wiring harness at the proximal flat portion extends along a first bending plane intersecting with the first articulated motion plane, and the width of the wiring harness at the distal flat portion extends along a second bending plane intersecting with the second articulated motion plane.

[0117] Example 34 - An articulation joint assembly as described in Example 31, wherein the preset torque portion is integrated into the wiring harness prior to assembly of the surgical instrument.

[0118] Example 35 - An articulation joint assembly as described in Example 34, wherein the preset torque portion is molded into the wiring harness prior to assembly of the surgical instrument.

[0119] While several configurations have been described, further modifications are within the scope of this disclosure, which is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the disclosed configurations using its general principles.

[0120] The above specific embodiments have been described in various forms of devices and / or methods using block diagrams, flow charts and / or examples. As long as such block diagrams, flow charts and / or examples contain one or more functions and / or operations, those skilled in the art will understand that each function and / or operation in such block diagrams, flow charts and / or examples can be implemented individually and / or collectively by a variety of hardware, software, firmware or any combination thereof. Those skilled in the art will recognize that some aspects of the forms disclosed herein can be implemented equivalently in integrated circuits as one or more computer programs running on one or more computers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computer systems), as one or more programs running on one or more processors (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors), as firmware, or as any combination thereof in whole or in part, and according to the present disclosure, designing circuits and / or writing software and / or hardware codes will be within the technical scope of those skilled in the art. In addition, those skilled in the art will recognize that the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein can be distributed as one or more program products in a variety of forms, and that the illustrative forms of the subject matter described herein are applicable regardless of the specific type of signal-bearing medium used to actually carry out the distribution.

[0121] Instructions for programming logic to perform various disclosed aspects may be stored in a memory in the system, such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a cache, a flash memory, or other memory. These instructions may be distributed via a network or through other computer-readable media. Therefore, a machine-readable medium may include any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a machine (e.g., computer) readable form, but is not limited to a floppy disk, an optical disk, a compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), and a magneto-optical disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a magnetic card or an optical card, a flash memory, or a tangible, machine-readable storage device used when transmitting information on the Internet via an electrical signal, an optical signal, an acoustic signal, or other form of propagation signal (e.g., a carrier wave, an infrared signal, a digital signal, etc.). Therefore, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes any type of tangible machine-readable medium suitable for storing or transmitting electronic instructions or information in a machine (e.g., computer) readable form.

[0122] As used in any aspect of this document, the term "control circuitry" or "control system" may refer to, for example, hard-wired circuitry, programmable circuitry (e.g., a computer processor including one or more separate instruction processing cores, a processing unit, a processor, a microcontroller, a microcontroller unit, a controller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a programmable logic device (PLD), a programmable logic array (PLA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA)), a state machine circuitry, firmware that stores instructions executed by the programmable circuitry, and any combination thereof. The control circuitry may be implemented collectively or individually as circuitry that forms part of a larger system, such as an integrated circuit (IC), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on a chip (SoC), a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a server, a smart phone, etc. Thus, as used herein, "control circuitry" includes, but is not limited to, electronic circuitry having at least one discrete circuit, electronic circuitry having at least one integrated circuit, electronic circuitry having at least one application specific integrated circuit, electronic circuitry forming a general purpose computing device configured by a computer program (e.g., a general purpose computer configured by a computer program to at least partially implement the methods and / or devices described herein, or a microprocessor configured by a computer program to at least partially implement the methods and / or devices described herein), electronic circuitry forming a memory device (e.g., forming a random access memory), and / or electronic circuitry forming a communication device (e.g., a modem, a communication switch, or an optoelectronic device). Those skilled in the art will recognize that the subject matter described herein may be implemented in analog or digital form, or some combination thereof.

[0123] As used in any aspect of this document, the term "logic" may refer to an application, software, firmware, and / or circuitry configured to perform any of the foregoing operations. Software may be embodied as a software package, code, instructions, instruction sets, and / or data recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Firmware may be embodied as code, instructions, instruction sets, and / or data hard-coded (e.g., non-volatile) in a memory device.

[0124] As used in any aspect of this document, the terms "component," "system," "module" and the like may refer to a computer-related entity, hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution.

[0125] As used in any aspect herein, an "algorithm" refers to a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result, wherein the "steps" refer to manipulations of physical quantities and / or logical states which may (but need not) take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. References to such signals are often made to bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, and the like. These and similar terms may be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to such quantities and / or states.

[0126] Unless otherwise expressly indicated in the above disclosure, it is understood that discussions using terms such as "processing," "computing," "calculating," "determining," and "displaying" in the above disclosure refer to the actions and processes of a computer system or similar electronic computing device that manipulates data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers and memories and transforms it into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system's memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission, or display devices.

[0127] One or more components may be referred to herein as "configured to be able to", "configurable to be able to", "operable / operably", "suitable / adaptable to", "able to", "conformable / conform to", etc. Those skilled in the art will recognize that, unless the context indicates otherwise, "configured to be able to" may generally cover components in an active state and / or components in an inactive state and / or components in a standby state.

[0128] Those skilled in the art will recognize that, in general, the terms used herein, and in particular in the appended claims (e.g., the body of the appended claims), are generally intended to be "open" terms (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to", the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least", the term "comprising" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to", etc.). Those skilled in the art will also understand that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such intent will be explicitly stated in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation, no such intent is present. For example, to aid understanding, the following appended claims may contain use of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claims. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed as implying that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite article "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to claims containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and an indefinite article such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and / or "an" should generally be interpreted as meaning "at least one" or "one or more"); this also applies to the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations.

[0129] In addition, even if a specific number of claim recitations is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such a recitation should generally be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., a bare recitation of "two recitations" without other modifiers generally means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Where a convention similar to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, generally such a syntactic structure means the convention in the sense of those skilled in the art (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" would include but is not limited to systems having only A, only B, only C, both A and B, both A and C, both B and C, and / or both A, B, and C, etc.). In those cases where a convention similar to "at least one of A, B, or C, etc." is used, generally, such construction is intended to have the meaning that one skilled in the art would understand the convention to mean (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" should include, but is not limited to, systems having only A, only B, only C, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc.). One skilled in the art should also understand that, generally, transitional words and / or phrases presenting two or more alternative terms in the detailed description, claims, or drawings should be understood to encompass the possibility of including one of the terms, any one of the terms, or both of the terms, unless the context indicates otherwise. For example, the phrase "A or B" will generally be understood to include the possibility of "A" or "B" or "A and B."

[0130] For the appended claims, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the operations described therein may generally be performed in any order. In addition, although various operational flow charts are presented in one or more sequences, it should be understood that the various operations may be performed in other orders than the order shown, or the various operations may be performed simultaneously. Unless the context dictates otherwise, examples of such alternative orderings may include overlapping, interleaved, interrupted, reordered, incremental, preparatory, supplementary, simultaneous, reverse, or other altered orderings. Unless the context dictates otherwise, terms such as "responsive to," "related to," or other past tense adjectives are generally not intended to exclude such variants.

[0131] It is worth mentioning that any reference to "one aspect", "an aspect", "an example", or "an example" means that the specific features, structures, or characteristics described in conjunction with the aspect are included in at least one aspect. Therefore, the phrases "in one aspect", "in an aspect", "in an example", or "in an example" appearing in various places throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same aspect. In addition, specific features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more aspects.

[0132] It is noted that any reference signs included in the appended claims are used to reference exemplary embodiments / elements described in the present disclosure. Therefore, any such reference signs are not meant to limit the scope of the subject matter recited in the appended claims.

[0133] Any patent application, patent, non-patent publication or other public material referred to in this specification and / or listed in any Application Data Sheet is incorporated herein by reference to the extent that the incorporated material is inconsistent herewith. Therefore, and to the extent necessary, the disclosure explicitly set forth herein supersedes any conflicting material incorporated herein by reference. Any material or portion thereof that is allegedly incorporated herein by reference but conflicts with existing definitions, statements or other public material set forth herein will be incorporated only to the extent that there is no conflict between the incorporated material and the existing public material.

[0134] 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.

[0135] In summary, many of the benefits resulting from the use of the concepts described herein have been described. For purposes of illustration and description, one or more of the above specific embodiments have been provided. These specific embodiments are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the precise forms disclosed by the invention. The invention may be modified or varied in accordance with the above teachings. The one or more forms selected and described are intended to illustrate the principles and practical applications so that one of ordinary skill in the art can utilize various forms and various modifications suitable for the intended specific use. The claims submitted herewith are intended to define the full scope.

Claims

1. A surgical instrument (7000), comprising: axis(7100); A multi-axis articulation joint assembly (7200) defining a cavity therein, the multi-axis articulation joint assembly comprising: A proximal end (7201); a distal end (7202); a first articulation joint (7220) disposed between the proximal end and the distal end; and a second articulation joint (7230) located distal to the first articulation joint, wherein the first articulation joint is configured to move in a first articulation plane, and wherein the second articulation joint is configured to move in a second articulation plane that is transverse to the first articulation plane; and a wiring assembly (7300) disposed within the shaft and the multi-axis articulation joint assembly, the wiring assembly comprising a wiring harness (7310) extending through the cavity of the articulation joint assembly, wherein the wiring harness has a thickness and a width greater than the thickness, wherein the wiring harness comprises: a proximal flat portion (7312) that spans the first articulation joint in a non-articulated state; a distal flat portion (7316) that spans the second articulation joint in the non-articulated state; and A preset twist portion (7314) is between the proximal flat portion and the distal flat portion, wherein in the non-articulated state, the preset twist portion biases the distal flat portion to a different orientation than the proximal flat portion.

2. The surgical instrument of claim 1, further comprising a retainer (7103) nested in the shaft, the retainer comprising a channel (7104) defined in an outer surface (7106) of the retainer, wherein: The channel is used to guide the wiring assembly toward the multi-axis articulation joint assembly.

3. The surgical instrument according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The preset torsion portion (7314) spans the longitudinal distance between the first articulation joint (7220) and the second articulation joint (7230).

4. The surgical instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The harness (7310) includes a plurality of conductors (7320), a plurality of layers, or any combination thereof.

5. The surgical instrument according to claim 4, wherein: The plurality of conductors (7320) are arranged in the plurality of layers to minimize electromagnetic interference.

6. The surgical instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The width of the wiring harness (7310) at the proximal flat portion (7312) extends along a first bending plane that intersects the first joint motion plane, and the width of the wiring harness at the distal flat portion (7316) extends along a second bending plane that intersects the second joint motion plane.

7. The surgical instrument according to claim 6, wherein: The preset twist portion (7314) defines an angle corresponding to a rotational offset between the first articulation joint (7220) and the second articulation joint (7230).

8. The surgical instrument according to claim 6 or 7, wherein: The preset torque portion (7314) is maintained throughout the entire range of motion of the multi-axis articulated motion joint assembly (7200).

9. The surgical instrument according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein: Prior to assembling the surgical instrument, the preset torsion portion (7314) is integrated into the wiring harness (7310).

10. The surgical instrument according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein: The proximal flat portion (7312) includes a first orientation in the non-articulated state such that, in the articulated state, a first bending radius of the proximal flat portion extends through the thickness of the harness (7310) at the proximal flat portion.

11. The surgical instrument according to claim 10, wherein: The distal flat portion (7316) includes a second orientation in the non-articulated state such that, in the articulated state, a second bending radius of the distal flat portion extends through the thickness of the harness (7310) at the distal flat portion.

12. The surgical instrument according to claim 11, wherein: The proximal flat portion (7312) is aligned with the first joint motion joint so that the proximal flat portion bends without twisting in the articulated state, and wherein the distal flat portion (7316) is aligned with the second joint motion joint so that the distal flat portion bends without twisting in the articulated state.

13. The surgical instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein: The harness (7310) remains unstretched throughout the entire range of articulation of the articulation joint assembly (7200).

14. The surgical instrument according to claim 13, wherein: The length of the harness (7310) between the proximal end (7201) and the distal end (7202) remains constant throughout the entire range of articulation of the articulation joint assembly (7200).

15. The surgical instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein: In the absence of a separate biasing member, in the non-articulated state, the harness (7310) in the cavity spans the first articulated joint (7220) and the second articulated joint (7230).

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