Minimally invasive surgical instruments

Abstract

a body element (20); a tube component (30) having a proximal portion (340) and a distal portion (330), wherein the proximal portion of the tube component (30) is connected to the body element (20); a plurality of tools (40) each having an operating portion (4210) for contacting an object and a proximal portion (4270); a magazine (50) having a plurality of chambers (520) each configured to receive one of the plurality of tools (40); and a device for advancing one of the plurality of tools (40) from its chamber (520) of the magazine (50) through the tube component (30) and into the distal portion (330) of the tube component (30). and a tool (40) exchange mechanism (60) configured to activate one of the plurality of tools (40) by inserting the tool (40) into the distal portion (330) of the tube component (30) and loading the advanced tool (40) into the distal portion (330) of the tube component (30), and to deactivate one of the plurality of tools (40) by inserting the tool (40) into the distal portion (330) of the tube component (30) and retracting the inserted one of the tools (40) from the distal portion (330) of the tube component (30), through the tube component (30), and into its chamber (520) of the magazine (50). The tool exchange mechanism (60) has a selection structure for selecting one of the plurality of tools (40) in the magazine (50) to be activated. The minimally invasive surgical instrument 10 further includes a power supply arrangement 70 configured to provide electricity to a proximal portion of one of the tools when attached to the distal portion 330 of the tube component 30. Each of the plurality of tools 40 is configured, when attached to the distal portion 330 of the tube component 30, to transmit electricity to the operating portion 4210 through a proximal portion 4270 of one of the tools 40 or to electrically isolate the proximal portion 4270 of one of the tools 40, thereby preventing electrical transmission to the operating portion 4210.

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