Surgical Instruments with Battery Compatibility Verification Function

Abstract

A surgical instrument is disclosed that includes a housing assembly including a battery interface configured to releasably retain a battery, a radio frequency identification scanner positioned at the battery interface, the radio frequency identification scanner configured to receive information from the battery, and a control circuit configured to determine compatibility of the battery with the surgical instrument based on the information received from the battery.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] (CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application is a nonprovisional application claiming priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 868,457, filed June 28, 2019, entitled "SURGICAL SYSTEMS WITH MULTIPLE RFID TAGS," the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. [Background technology]

[0002] The present invention relates to surgical instruments, and in various embodiments to a surgical cutting and stapling instrument designed to cut and staple tissue, and a staple cartridge for the surgical cutting and stapling instrument. In various embodiments, RFID technology may be used to identify components of a surgical instrument, such as a staple cartridge. Examples of surgical systems using RFID technology may be found in U.S. Patent No. 7,959,050, issued June 14, 2011, entitled "ELECTRICALLY SELF-POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH MANUAL RELEASE," and U.S. Patent Application No. 2015 / 0053743, published February 26, 2015, entitled "ERROR DETECTION ARRANGEMENTS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENT ASSEMBLIES," both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0003] In various embodiments, a surgical instrument is disclosed that includes a housing assembly including a battery interface configured to releasably retain a battery, a radio frequency identification scanner positioned at the battery interface, and a control circuit. The radio frequency identification scanner is configured to receive information from the battery. The control circuit is configured to determine compatibility of the battery with the surgical instrument based on the information received from the battery.

[0004] In various embodiments, a surgical instrument is disclosed that includes a housing assembly including a battery interface, a radio frequency identification tag positioned at the battery interface, an electric motor positioned within the housing assembly, a battery electrically coupleable to the electric motor, and a control circuit. The battery includes a radio frequency identification scanner. The radio frequency identification scanner is configured to receive information from a radio frequency identification tag of the surgical instrument in an assembled configuration with the housing assembly. The control circuit is configured to determine compatibility of the battery with the surgical instrument based on the information received from the radio frequency identification tag.

[0005] In various embodiments, a surgical instrument is disclosed that includes a housing assembly, a radio frequency identification scanner positioned within the housing assembly, and a control circuit. The housing assembly is configured to receive a first battery and a second battery after the first battery is removed from the housing assembly. The output characteristics of the second battery are different from the output characteristics of the first battery. The control circuit is configured to adjust the operation of the surgical instrument to cause the second battery to mimic the output characteristics of the first battery. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] The features of the various aspects are set forth in detail in the appended claims, however the various aspects, both as to organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary circular stapler according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the circular stapler of FIG. 1 with the battery pack removed from the housing assembly and the anvil removed from the stapling head assembly in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a stapling head assembly of the circular stapler of FIG. 1 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is another perspective view of the anvil of FIG. 3, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the stapling head assembly of FIG. 3 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the circular stapler of FIG. 1 , with portions of the shaft assembly shown separated from one another, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a detailed perspective view of an anvil actuation assembly of the housing assembly of FIG. 6 according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a detailed perspective view of an anvil lockout assembly of the anvil actuation assembly of FIG. 7, with the anvil lockout assembly in an unlocked position, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 8 is a detailed side view of the anvil actuation assembly of FIG. 7 with the anvil lockout assembly of FIG. 8 in an unlocked position, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] 8 is another detailed side view of the anvil actuation assembly of FIG. 7 with the anvil lockout assembly of FIG. 8 in a locked position, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 9 is a detailed perspective view of an alternative configuration of the anvil lockout assembly of FIG. 8 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12]FIG. 13 illustrates a stapling head assembly and an anvil coupled to a trocar of the stapling head assembly, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional view of an anvil in an improper seating orientation with a stapling head assembly in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a partial longitudinal cross-sectional view of an anvil in an improper seating orientation with a stapling head assembly in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] FIG. 1 illustrates a control system for a surgical stapling instrument according to at least one aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a process logic flow diagram illustrating a control program or logic configuration for operating a surgical stapling instrument in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a logic flow diagram of a process illustrating a control program or logic configuration for properly orienting an anvil relative to a stapling head assembly of a surgical stapling instrument in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 18] In accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure, a surgical instrument may be selectively assembled from any one of a number of different end effectors, any one of a number of different shafts, and a housing assembly. [Figure 19] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an assembled surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a process logic flow diagram illustrating a control program or logic configuration for adjusting at least one operating parameter of a motor of the surgical instrument of FIG. 19. [Figure 21] 20 is a graph illustrating the firing loads of the surgical instrument of FIG. 19 with two different firing algorithms. [Figure 22] FIG. 20 illustrates a graph depicting various closure and firing threshold adjustments for the surgical instrument of FIG. 19. [Figure 23]FIG. 13 is a process logic flow diagram illustrating a control program or logic configuration for operating a surgical stapling instrument in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 24] FIG. 1 is a partial elevational view of a surgical instrument and a three motor assembly for use with the surgical instrument, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 25] FIG. 25 is a process logic flow diagram illustrating a control program or logic configuration for adjusting operating parameters of a motor of the surgical device of FIG. 24 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 26] 1 is a graph illustrating motor torque on the Y-axis versus motor speed on the X-axis for three different motors, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 27] FIG. 25 illustrates a control system for the surgical instrument of FIG. 24, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 28] FIG. 26 illustrates a table or database of various control algorithms for the surgical instrument of FIG. 25 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 29] FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 30] FIG. 30 illustrates a control circuit for the surgical instrument of FIG. 29, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 31] FIG. 30 is a process logic flow diagram illustrating a control program or logic configuration for operating the surgical instrument of FIG. 29 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 32] FIG. 2 illustrates a control circuit for a battery pack according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 33] 30 illustrates compatibility of the surgical instrument of FIG. 29 with a number of different battery packs, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 34] 30 is a graph illustrating various motor torque / speed / current relationships for the surgical instrument of FIG. 29 when powered by different battery packs in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 35]30 is a bar graph illustrating various energy densities of different battery packs that may be utilized with the surgical instrument of FIG. 29 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 36] 30 is a bar graph showing a comparison of actual energy density and rated energy density of different battery packs that may be utilized with the surgical instrument of FIG. 29 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 37] 30 is a bar graph illustrating the nominal voltage of different battery packs that may be utilized with the surgical instrument of FIG. 29 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 38] 30 is a graph illustrating discharge curves of different battery packs that may be utilized with the surgical instrument of FIG. 29 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 39] 30 is a graph illustrating a discharge curve of a lithium ion battery that may be utilized with the surgical instrument of FIG. 29, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 40] 30 is a graph illustrating different discharge curves for different temperatures of a lithium ion battery that may be utilized with the surgical instrument of FIG. 29, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 41] 30 is a graph illustrating different discharge curves for different discharge rates of a CR123 battery that may be utilized with the surgical instrument of FIG. 29, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 42] 13A-13C illustrate various operational differences between a dumb battery, an intelligent battery, and an adaptive surgical instrument in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 43] 43 is a graph illustrating the output current capabilities of different battery packs when utilized with the adaptive surgical instrument of FIG. 42 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 44] 43 is a graph illustrating output voltage capabilities of different battery packs when utilized with the adaptive surgical instrument of FIG. 42 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 45] 43 is a graph illustrating output voltage capabilities of different battery packs when utilized with the adaptive surgical instrument of FIG. 42 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 46] FIG. 43 illustrates a battery for use with the adaptive surgical instrument of FIG. 42, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 47] FIG. 43 is a process logic flow diagram illustrating a control program or logic configuration for operating the adaptive surgical instrument of FIG. 42 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 48] 1 illustrates a logic flow diagram of a process showing a control program or logic configuration for verifying authenticity and / or compatibility of surgical instrument components of a surgical instrument in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] The applicant of this application has owned the following U.S. patent applications, filed on even date herewith, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: -Attorney docket number END9145USNP1 / 190235-1M, invention title "METHOD FOR AUTHENTICATING THE COMPATIBILITY OF A STAPLE CARTRIDGE WITH A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT", -Attorney Docket No. END9146USNP1 / 192036, Invention Title: "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SYSTEM COMPRISING AN RFID SYSTEM"; -Attorney Docket No. END9147USNP1 / 190237, Invention Title: "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING AN RFID SYSTEM FOR TRACKING A MOVABLE COMPONENT"; -Attorney Docket No. END9148USNP1 / 190238, Invention Title: "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING AN ALIGNED RFID SENSOR"; -Attorney Docket No. END9123USNP1 / 192039, Invention Title "SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM HAVING AN INFORMATION DECRYPTION PROTOCOL", -Attorney docket number END9124USNP / 190240, invention title "SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM HAVING AN INFORMATION ENCRYPTION PROTOCOL", -Attorney Docket No. END9125USNP / 190241, Title of invention: "SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM HAVING A LOCKOUT MECHANISM FOR AN INCOMPATIBLE CARTRIDGE", Attorney Docket No. END9126USNP / 192042, Title of Invention: "SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM HAVING A FRANGIBLE RFID TAG", and -Attorney Docket No. END9127USNP / 192043, invention title: "PACKAGING FOR A REPLACEABLE COMPONENT OF A SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM".

[0008] The applicant of this application has owned the following U.S. patent applications, filed on even date herewith, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: -Attorney docket number END9119USNP1 / 190245-1M, invention title "METHOD OF USING MULTIPLE RFID CHIPS WITH A SURGICAL ASSEMBLY", -Attorney Docket No. END9120USNP1 / 192046, Title of invention: "MECHANISMS FOR PROPER ANVIL ATTACHMENT SURGICAL STAPLING HEAD ASSEMBLY", -Attorney docket number END9121USNP1 / 192047, invention name "MECHANISMS FOR MOTOR CONTROL ADJUSTMENTS OF A MOTORIZED SURGICAL INSTRUMENT", -Attorney docket number END9131USNP1 / 190249, invention title "SURGICAL SYSTEM WITH RFID TAGS FOR UPDATING MOTOR ASSEMBLY PARAMETERS", -Attorney docket number END9132USNP1 / 190250, invention title "SURGICAL SYSTEMS WITH MULTIPLE RFID TAGS", -Attorney Docket No. END9149USNP1 / 190251, Invention Title: "RFID IDENTIFICATION SYSTEMS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS", -Attorney Docket No. END9150USNP1 / 190252, Invention Title: "RFID IDENTIFICATION SYSTEMS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS", -Attorney docket number END9151USNP1 / 192053, invention title "SURGICAL RFID ASSEMBLIES FOR DISPLAY AND COMMUNICATION", Attorney Docket No. END9152USNP1 / 190254, Title of Invention: "SURGICAL RFID ASSEMBLIES FOR COMPATIBILITY DETECTION", and -Attorney docket number END9153USNP1 / 190255, invention title "SURGICAL RFID ASSEMBLIES FOR INSTRUMENT OPERATIONAL SETTING CONTROL".

[0009] The applicant of this application owns the following U.S. patent applications, filed on May 1, 2018, each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein: · U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 665,129, entitled "SURGICAL SUTURING SYSTEMS"; · U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 665,139, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS COMPRISING CONTROL SYSTEMS"; · U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 665,177, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS COMPRISING HANDLE ARRANGEMENTS"; · U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 665,128, entitled "MODULAR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS"; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 665,192, entitled "SURGICAL DISSECTORS," and · U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 665,134, entitled "SURGICAL CLIP APPLIER"

[0010] The applicant of this application owns the following U.S. patent applications, filed on August 24, 2018, each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein: - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 112,129, entitled "SURGICAL SUTURING INSTRUMENT CONFIGURED TO MANIPULATE TISSUE USING MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL POWER"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 112,155, entitled "SURGICAL SUTURING INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A CAPTURE WIDTH WHICH IS LARGER THAN TROCAR DIAMETER"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 112,168, entitled "SURGICAL SUTURING INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A NON-CIRCULAR NEEDLE"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 112,180, entitled "ELECTRICAL POWER OUTPUT CONTROL BASED ON MECHANICAL FORCES"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 112,193, entitled "REACTIVE ALGORITHM FOR SURGICAL SYSTEM"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 112,099, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING AN ADAPTIVE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 112,112, entitled "CONTROL SYSTEM ARRANGEMENTS FOR A MODULAR SURGICAL INSTRUMENT"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 112,119, entitled "ADAPTIVE CONTROL PROGRAMS FOR A SURGICAL SYSTEM COMPRISING MORE THAN ONE TYPE OF CARTRIDGE"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 112,097, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SYSTEMS COMPRISING BATTERY ARRANGEMENTS"; U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 112,109, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SYSTEMS COMPRISING HANDLE ARRANGEMENTS"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 112,114, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SYSTEMS COMPRISING FEEDBACK MECHANISMS"; U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 112,117, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SYSTEMS COMPRISING LOCKOUT MECHANISMS"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 112,095, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS COMPRISING A LOCKABLE END EFFECTOR SOCKET"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 112,121, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS COMPRISING A SHIFTING MECHANISM"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 112,151, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS COMPRISING A SYSTEM FOR ARTICULATION AND ROTATION COMPENSATION"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 112,154, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS COMPRISING A BIASED SHIFTING MECHANISM"; U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 112,226, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS COMPRISING AN ARTICULATION DRIVE THAT PROVIDES FOR HIGH ARTICULATION ANGLES"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 112,062, entitled "SURGICAL DISSECTORS AND MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUES"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 112,098, entitled "SURGICAL DISSECTORS CONFIGURED TO APPLY MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL ENERGY"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 112,237, entitled "SURGICAL CLIP APPLIER CONFIGURED TO STORE CLIPS IN A STORED STATE"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 112,245, entitled "SURGICAL CLIP APPLIER COMPRISING AN EMPTY CLIP CARTRIDGE LOCKOUT"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 112,249, entitled "SURGICAL CLIP APPLIER COMPRISING AN AUTOMATIC CLIP FEEDING SYSTEM"; U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 112,253, entitled "SURGICAL CLIP APPLIER COMPRISING ADAPTIVE FIRING CONTROL"; and U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 112,257 entitled "SURGICAL CLIP APPLIER COMPRISING ADAPTIVE CONTROL IN RESPONSE TO A STRAIN GAUGE CIRCUIT."

[0011] The applicant of this application owns the following U.S. patent applications, filed on October 26, 2018, each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein: - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 172,130, entitled "CLIP APPLIER COMPRISING INTERCHANGEABLE CLIP RELOADS"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 172,066, entitled "CLIP APPLIER COMPRISING A MOVABLE CLIP MAGAZINE"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 172,078, entitled "CLIP APPLIER COMPRISING A ROTATABLE CLIP MAGAZINE"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 172,087, entitled "CLIP APPLIER COMPRISING CLIP ADVANCING SYSTEMS"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 172,094, entitled "CLIP APPLIER COMPRISING A CLIP CRIMPING SYSTEM"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 172,128, entitled "CLIP APPLIER COMPRISING A RECIPROCATING CLIP ADVANCING MEMBER"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 172,168, entitled "CLIP APPLIER COMPRISING A MOTOR CONTROLLER"; U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 172,164, entitled "SURGICAL SYSTEM COMPRISING A SURGICAL TOOL AND A SURGICAL HUB"; and U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 172,303, entitled "METHOD FOR OPERATING A POWERED ARTICULATING MULTI-CLIP APPLIER"

[0012] The applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. patent applications, filed December 4, 2018, the disclosures of each of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety herein: - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 209,385, entitled "METHOD OF HUB COMMUNICATION, PROCESSING, STORAGE AND DISPLAY"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 209,395, entitled "METHOD OF HUB COMMUNICATION"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 209,403, entitled "METHOD OF CLOUD BASED DATA ANALYTICS FOR USE WITH THE HUB"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 209,407, entitled "METHOD OF ROBOTIC HUB COMMUNICATION, DETECTION, AND CONTROL"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 209,416, entitled "METHOD OF HUB COMMUNICATION, PROCESSING, DISPLAY, AND CLOUD ANALYTICS"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 209,423, entitled "METHOD OF COMPRESSING TISSUE WITHIN A STAPLING DEVICE AND SIMULTANEOUSLY DISPLAYING THE LOCATION OF THE TISSUE WITHIN THE JAWS"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 209,427, entitled "METHOD OF USING REINFORCED FLEXIBLE CIRCUITS WITH MULTIPLE SENSORS TO OPTIMIZE PERFORMANCE OF RADIO FREQUENCY DEVICES"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 209,433, entitled "METHOD OF SENSING PARTICULATE FROM SMOKE EVACUATED FROM A PATIENT, ADJUSTING THE PUMP SPEED BASED ON THE SENSED INFORMATION, AND COMMUNICATING THE FUNCTIONAL PARAMETERS OF THE SYSTEM TO THE HUB"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 209,447, entitled "METHOD FOR SMOKE EVACUATION FOR SURGICAL HUB"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 209,453, entitled "METHOD FOR CONTROLLING SMART ENERGY DEVICES"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 209,458, entitled "METHOD FOR SMART ENERGY DEVICE INFRASTRUCTURE"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 209,465, entitled "METHOD FOR ADAPTIVE CONTROL SCHEMES FOR SURGICAL NETWORK CONTROL AND INTERACTION"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 209,478, entitled "METHOD FOR SITUATIONAL AWARENESS FOR SURGICAL NETWORK OR SURGICAL NETWORK CONNECTED DEVICE CAPABLE OF ADJUSTING FUNCTION BASED ON A SENSED SITUATION OR USAGE"; U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 209,490, entitled "METHOD FOR FACILITY DATA COLLECTION AND INTERPRETATION"; and U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 209,491 entitled "METHOD FOR CIRCULAR STAPLER CONTROL ALGORITHM ADJUSTMENT BASED ON SITUATIONAL AWARENESS".

[0013] Before describing various aspects of the surgical devices and systems in detail, it should be noted that the illustrated embodiments are not limited in application or use to the details of construction and arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawings and description. The illustrated embodiments may be implemented or incorporated in other aspects, variations, and modifications and may be practiced or carried out in various ways. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the terms and expressions used herein have been selected for the convenience of the reader for the purpose of describing the illustrated embodiments and not for the purpose of limiting them. Furthermore, it should be understood that one or more of the aspects, aspect expressions, and / or examples described below can be combined with any one or more of the other aspects, aspect expressions, and / or examples described below.

[0014] Various surgical systems and instruments (e.g., surgical stapling instruments, surgical clip appliers, surgical suturing instruments) are described in connection with the present disclosure. The surgical systems and / or instruments include a radio frequency identification (RFID) system including one or more RFID scanners and one or more RFID tags, as discussed in more detail below. Examples of surgical systems using RFID technology are described in U.S. Patent No. 7,959,050 and U.S. Patent Application No. 2015 / 0053743, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0015] Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is used in various industries to track and identify objects. RFID utilizes radio waves to transfer digitally stored information from an RFID tag to an RFID reader or receiver configured to receive the information. RFID technology utilizes RFID tags, sometimes called chips, that contain electronically stored information and RFID readers that function to identify and communicate with the RFID tags. There are two different types of RFID systems: active RFID systems and passive RFID systems. Active RFID systems include RFID tags with an on-board power source to broadcast their signal. Active RFID tags may include a battery within the RFID tag, which allows them to function independently of an RFID reader. Thus, RFID tags in active RFID systems do not have to wait to receive a signal from an RFID reader before transmitting information. Rather, active RFID tags continuously transmit signals or beacons at will. Many commercially available active RFID systems often operate in one of two main frequency ranges, 433 MHz and 915 MHz, although any suitable frequency range may be used. Typically, an RFID tag must be within a particular distance or frequency range in order to be identified by its corresponding RFID reader.

[0016] Passive RFID systems include RFID tags that do not have an on-board power source, but instead receive the energy required to operate from an RFID reader. In contrast to active RFID tags, RFID tags in passive RFID systems do not actively transmit signals before receiving a prompt. Rather, passive RFID tags wait to receive information from an RFID reader before transmitting a signal. Many commercially available passive RFID systems often operate within three frequency ranges: low frequency ("LF"), high frequency ("HF") and near field communication ("NFC"), and ultra-high frequency ("UHF"). The LF bandwidth is 125-134 KHz and includes longer wavelengths with a short read range of approximately 1-10 centimeters. The HF and NFC bandwidth is 13.56 KHz and includes medium wavelengths with a typical read range of 1 centimeter to 1 meter. The UHF bandwidth is 865-960 MHz and includes short, high energy wavelengths with a long read range of 1 meter. As stated above, any suitable frequency may be used.

[0017] There are various RFID systems with different sized RFID tags. However, some are more suitable for use in technology areas that require tracking of very small objects. For example, Hitachi Chemical Co. Ltd. is a major manufacturer in the technology field of RFID. Ultra-small UHF RFID tags manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co. Ltd. are typically no larger than 1.0-13 mm, allowing communication between the RFID tag and the RFID reader at distances of a few centimeters or more. Due to their compact nature, Hitachi RFID tags are suitable for very small products that need to be identified. Each Hitachi RFID tag includes an antenna, an IC chip connected to the antenna, and a sealing material that encapsulates the IC chip and the antenna. Because Hitachi RFID tags incorporate the antenna and IC chip in a single unit, Hitachi RFID tags are convenient enough to be easily fixed to any small object using, for example, glue or tape.

[0018] The Hitachi RFID tag comprises a square stainless steel plate and a metal antenna. The antenna comprises an LC resonant circuit or any other suitable circuit and is electrically connected to the plate. After the plate and antenna are connected to each other, the antenna and plate are sealed together into a single unit using a sealing material. The sealing material is mainly composed of epoxy, carbon, and silica to enhance the heat resistance capability of the Hitachi RFID tag. That is, the heat resistance of the RFID tag substantially depends on the heat resistance capability of the sealing material. The sealing material has a high degree of heat resistance to withstand temperatures of up to 250-300°C for shorter periods, such as a few seconds, and is resistant to heat of up to 150°C for longer periods. Thus, the Hitachi RFID tag has a higher heat resistance than conventional RFID tags and can still operate normally at high temperatures. Additional information regarding the Hitachi RFID tag may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 9,171,244, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0019] 1 and 2 show an exemplary surgical circular stapling instrument 10 that may be adapted to include an RFID system and its control system in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The stapling instrument 10 may be used to provide an end-to-end anastomosis between two sections of an anatomical lumen, such as a portion of a patient's digestive tract. The example instrument 10 includes a housing assembly 100, a shaft assembly 200, a stapling head assembly 300, and an anvil 400. The housing assembly 100 includes a casing 110 that defines an obliquely oriented pistol grip 112. Although the housing assembly 100 is shown in the form of a handle, this is not intended to be limiting. In various examples, the housing assembly 100 may be a component of, for example, a robotic system.

[0020] The housing assembly 100 further includes a window 114 that allows for viewing of the movable indicator needle. In some variations, a series of hash marks, colored areas, and / or other fixed indicators are positioned adjacent the window 114 to provide a visual background for the indicator needle, thereby facilitating an operator to assess where the needle is located within the window 114. Movement of the indicator needle corresponds to closing movement of the anvil 400 relative to the stapling head assembly 300. The hash marks, colored areas, and / or other fixed indicators may define an optimal anvil closure zone for firing the instrument 10. Thus, a user may fire the instrument 10 when the indicator needle is in the optimal anvil closure zone. Various suitable alternative features and configurations of the housing assembly 10 will be apparent to those of skill in the art in view of the teachings herein.

[0021] The example instrument 10 further includes a power source, which may be in the form of a battery pack 120. The battery pack 120 is operable to power a motor 160 (FIG. 15) within the pistol grip 112. In various embodiments, the battery pack 120 is removable from the housing assembly 100. In particular, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the battery pack 120 may be inserted into a socket 116 defined by the casing 110. After the battery pack 120 is fully inserted into the socket 116, a latch 122 of the battery pack 120 resiliently engages an interior feature of the casing 110 to provide a snap-fit. Removal of the battery pack 120 may be accomplished by an operator pressing the latch 122 inwardly to disengage the latch 122 from the interior feature of the casing 110 and then pulling the battery pack 120 proximally out of the socket 116. It should be understood that battery pack 120 and housing assembly 100 may have complementary electrical contacts, pins and sockets, and / or other features that provide a path for electrical communication from battery pack 120 to electrically powered components within housing assembly 100 when battery pack 120 is inserted into socket 116. It should also be understood that in some variations, battery pack 120 is integrally integrated into housing assembly 100 such that battery pack 120 cannot be removed from housing assembly 100.

[0022] The shaft assembly 200 includes a preformed bend extending distally from the housing assembly 100. In some variations, the preformed bend is configured to facilitate positioning the stapling head assembly 300 within the patient's colon. A variety of suitable bend angles or radii of curvature that may be used will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein. In some other variations, the shaft assembly 200 is straight and there is no preformed bend in the shaft assembly 200. Various exemplary components may be integrated into the shaft assembly 200, as will be described in more detail below.

[0023] The stapling head assembly 300 is located at the distal end of the shaft assembly 200. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the anvil 400 is configured to be adjacent to the stapling head assembly 300 and removably coupled to the shaft assembly 200. The anvil 400 and the stapling head assembly 300 are configured to cooperate to manipulate tissue in three ways: clamping tissue, cutting tissue, and stapling tissue. A knob 130 at the proximal end of the housing assembly 100 is rotatable relative to the casing 110 to allow precise clamping of tissue between the anvil 400 and the stapling head assembly 300. When the safety trigger 140 of the housing assembly 100 is pivoted away from the firing trigger 150 of the housing assembly 100, the firing trigger 150 can be actuated, thereby cutting and stapling tissue.

[0024] In the following discussion of the anvil 400, the terms "distal" and "proximal," as well as variations thereof, are used to refer to the orientation of the anvil 400 when it is coupled to the shaft assembly 200 of the instrument 10. Thus, a proximal element of the anvil 400 is closer to the operator of the instrument 10, while a distal element of the anvil 400 is further from the operator of the instrument 10.

[0025] 4, the anvil 400 of the present example includes a head 410 and a shank 420. The head 410 includes a proximal surface 412 that defines a plurality of staple forming pockets 414. The staple forming pockets 414 are arranged in a concentric annular array of two rows. In some other variations, the staple forming pockets 414 are arranged in a concentric annular array of three or more rows. The staple forming pockets 414 are configured to deform the staples as they are driven into the staple forming pockets 414. For example, each staple forming pocket 414 may deform a generally U-shaped staple into a B-shape, as is known in the art. As best shown in FIG. 4, the proximal surface 412 terminates at an inner edge 416 that defines an outer boundary of an annular recess 418 that surrounds the shank 420.

[0026] The shank 420 defines a bore 422 and includes a pair of pivotal latch members 430 positioned within the bore 422. The latch members 430 are positioned within the bore 422 such that their distal ends are positioned at the proximal ends of lateral openings 424 molded through a sidewall of the shank 420.

[0027] The lateral openings 424 thus provide clearance for the distal ends 434 of the latch members 430 to flex radially outward from the longitudinal axis defined by the shank 420. However, the latch members 430 are configured to bias their distal ends radially inward toward the longitudinal axis defined by the shank 420. In this manner, the latch members 430 act as a retaining clip, thereby allowing the anvil 400 to be removably secured to the trocar 330 of the stapling head assembly 300. However, it should be understood that the latch members 430 are merely optional. The anvil 400 may be removably secured to the trocar 330 using any other suitable components, features, or techniques.

[0028] Additionally or alternatively, the anvil 400 may be further constructed and operative in accordance with at least some of the teachings of the following patent documents, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference: U.S. Patent Nos. 5,205,459, 5,271,544, 5,275,322, 5,285,945, 5,292,053, 5,333,773, 5,350,104, 5,533,661, and / or 8,910,847. Still other suitable configurations will be apparent to those of skill in the art in view of the teachings herein.

[0029] 3, an example stapling head assembly 300 is coupled to the distal end of the shaft assembly 200 and includes a tubular casing 310 that houses a slidable staple driver member. A cylindrical inner core member 312 extends distally within the tubular casing 310. The tubular casing 310 is fixedly secured to the outer sheath 210 of the shaft assembly 200 such that the tubular casing 310 serves as a mechanical base for the stapling head assembly 300.

[0030] The trocar 330 is coaxially disposed within the inner core member 312 of the tubular casing 310. The trocar 330 is operable to translate distally and proximally relative to the tubular casing 310 in response to rotation of the knob 130 relative to the casing 110 of the housing assembly 100. The trocar 330 comprises a shaft 332 and a head 334. The head 334 includes a pointed tip 336 and an inwardly extending proximal surface 338. Thus, the shaft 332 is reduced in outer diameter just proximal to the head 334, with the surface 338 providing a transition between the reduced outer diameter of the shaft 332 and the outer diameter of the head 334. In this example, although the tip 336 is pointed, the tip 336 is not sharp. Thus, the tip 336 does not easily cause trauma to tissue due to inadvertent contact with the tissue. The head 334 and a distal portion of the shaft 332 are configured to be inserted into the bore 422 of the anvil 420. The anvil 400 is thus secured to the trocar 330 by a snap fit with the latch member 430.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 5, the staple driver member 350 is operable to actuate longitudinally within the tubular casing 310 in response to actuation of the motor 160. The staple driver member 350 includes two distally directed concentric annular arrays of staple drivers 352. The staple drivers 352 are arranged to correspond to the arrangement of the staple forming pockets 414 described above. Thus, each staple driver 352 is configured to drive a corresponding staple into a corresponding staple forming pocket 414 upon actuation of the stapling head assembly 300. It should be understood that the arrangement of the staple drivers 352 may be modified just as the arrangement of the staple forming pockets 414 may be modified, as described above. The staple driver member 350 also defines a bore 354 configured to coaxially receive the core member 312 of the tubular casing 310. An annular array of studs 356 protrude distally from a distally directed surface surrounding the bore 354.

[0032] Cylindrical knife member 340 is coaxially positioned within staple driver member 350. Knife member 340 includes a sharpened circular cutting edge 342 directed distally. Knife member 340 is sized such that knife member 340 defines an outer diameter that is smaller than a diameter defined by the inner annular array of staple drivers 352. Knife member 340 also defines an opening configured to coaxially receive core member 312 of tubular casing 310. The annular array of openings 346 formed in knife member 340 is configured to complement the annular array of studs 356 of staple driver member 350 such that knife member 340 is fixedly attached to staple driver member 350 via studs 356 and openings 346. Other suitable structural relationships between knife member 340 and staple driver member 350 will be apparent to those of skill in the art in view of the teachings herein.

[0033] A deck member 320 is fixedly attached to the tubular casing 310. The deck member 320 includes a distally directed deck surface 322 that defines two concentric annular arrays of staple openings 324. The staple openings 324 are arranged to correspond to the arrangement of the staple drivers 352 and staple forming pockets 414 described above. Thus, each staple opening 324 is configured to provide a path for a corresponding staple driver 352 to drive a corresponding staple through the deck member 320 and into the corresponding staple forming pocket 414 when the stapling head assembly 300 is actuated. It should be understood that the arrangement of the staple openings 322 can be modified just as can the arrangement of the staple forming pockets 414, as described above. It should also be understood that a variety of structures and techniques can be used to accommodate the staples within the stapling head assembly 300 before the stapling head assembly 300 is actuated. Such structures and techniques used to contain the staples within stapling head assembly 300 may prevent the staples from inadvertently falling out of the staple openings 324 before stapling head assembly 300 is actuated. Various suitable forms that such structures and techniques may take will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein.

[0034] 6, the deck member 320 defines an inner diameter that is only slightly larger than the outer diameter defined by the knife member 340. Thus, the deck member 320 is configured to allow the knife member 340 to translate distally to a point where the cutting edge 342 is distal to the deck surface 322.

[0035] Additionally or alternatively, the stapling head assembly 300 may be further constructed and operative in accordance with at least some of the teachings of the following patent documents, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference: U.S. Patent Nos. 5,205,459, 5,271,544, 5,275,322, 5,285,945, 5,292,053, 5,333,773, 5,350,104, 5,533,661, and / or 8,910,847. Still other suitable configurations will be apparent to those of skill in the art in view of the teachings herein.

[0036] 6 illustrates various components of the shaft assembly 200, which couples components of the stapling head assembly 300 to components of the housing assembly 100. In particular, and as described above, the shaft assembly 200 includes an outer sheath 210 that extends between the housing assembly 100 and a tubular casing 310. In this example, the outer sheath 210 is rigid and includes a preformed curved section, as noted above.

[0037] The shaft assembly 200 further includes a trocar actuation rod 220 and a trocar actuation band assembly 230. The distal end of the trocar actuation band assembly 230 is fixedly attached to the proximal end of the trocar shaft 332. The proximal end of the trocar actuation band assembly 230 is fixedly attached to the distal end of the trocar actuation rod 220. It should therefore be appreciated that the trocar 330 translates longitudinally relative to the outer sheath 210 in response to the trocar actuation band assembly 230 and the trocar actuation rod 220 translating relative to the outer sheath 210. The trocar actuation band assembly 230 is configured to bend such that the trocar actuation band assembly 230 can move along a preformed curve in the shaft assembly 200 as the trocar actuation band assembly 230 is translated longitudinally relative to the outer sheath 210. However, the trocar actuation band assembly 230 has sufficient column strength and tensile strength to transfer distal and proximal forces from the trocar actuation rod 220 to the trocar shaft 332. The trocar actuation rod 220 is rigid. The clip 222 is fixedly attached to the trocar actuation rod 220 and is configured to maintain the trocar actuation rod 220 capable of longitudinal translation within the housing assembly 100 while cooperating with complementary features within the housing assembly 100 to prevent the trocar actuation rod 220 from rotating within the housing assembly 100. The trocar actuation rod 220 further includes a coarse helical thread 224 and a fine helical thread 226.

[0038] The shaft assembly 200 further includes a stapling head assembly driver 240 that is slidably received within the outer sheath 210. A distal end of the stapling head assembly driver 240 is fixedly attached to a proximal end of a staple driver member 350. A proximal end of the stapling head assembly driver 240 is fixed to a drive bracket 250 via a pin 242. It should therefore be appreciated that in response to the stapling head assembly driver 240 and drive bracket 250 translating relative to the outer sheath 210, the staple driver member 350 translates longitudinally relative to the outer sheath 210. The stapling head assembly driver 240 is configured with a bend such that the stapling head assembly driver 240 can move along a preformed curve within the shaft assembly 200 as the stapling head assembly driver 240 translates longitudinally relative to the outer sheath 210. However, the stapling head assembly driver 240 has sufficient column strength to transfer distal forces from the drive bracket 250 to the staple driver member 350 .

[0039] It should be appreciated that the shaft assembly 200 may further include one or more spacer elements within the outer sheath 210. Such spacer elements may be configured to support the trocar actuation band assembly 230 and / or the stapling head assembly driver 240 while the trocar actuation band assembly 230 and / or the stapling head assembly driver 240 translate through the outer sheath 210. For example, such spacer elements may prevent the trocar actuation band assembly 230 and / or the stapling head assembly driver 240 from buckling while the trocar actuation band assembly 230 and / or the stapling head assembly driver 240 translate through the outer sheath 210. Various suitable forms that such spacer elements may take will be apparent to those of skill in the art in view of the teachings herein.

[0040] Additionally or alternatively, shaft assembly 200 may be further constructed and operative in accordance with at least some of the teachings of the following patent documents, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety: U.S. Patent Nos. 5,205,459, 5,271,544, 5,275,322, 5,285,945, 5,292,053, 5,333,773, 5,350,104, 5,533,661, and / or 8,910,847. Still other suitable configurations will be apparent to those of skill in the art in view of the teachings herein.

[0041] Additional operational details of the surgical instrument 10, as well as other instruments suitable for use in the present disclosure, are described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 20160374665, filed January 26, 2015, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLER WITH ELECTROMECHANICAL LOCKOUT," which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0042] The instrument 1100 is similar in many respects to the instrument 10. For example, like the instrument 10, the instrument 1100 is a surgical instrument configured to grasp, staple, and / or cut tissue. Also like the instrument 10, the instrument 1100 includes a shaft assembly 1206 (FIG. 12), a stapling head assembly 1300 (FIG. 12), and an anvil 1200 (FIG. 12). In addition, the instrument 1100 includes a lockout assembly, such as, for example, anvil lockout assembly 1170. The anvil lockout assembly 1170 is generally configured to prevent further adjustment of the longitudinal position of the anvil once the safety trigger 1140 is actuated. Such functionality may be desirable because the anvil lockout may prevent an operator from inappropriately changing the gap distance d after the preferred gap distance d is reached. The anvil lockout assembly 1170 includes an inner lockout member 1172, an outer lockout member 1176, and an actuation member 1180. As best shown in FIG. 8, the inner lockout member 1172 is disposed about and fixedly attached to a portion of the knob 1130. The inner lockout member 1172 in this example includes a plurality of triangular shaped teeth 1174 extending radially outwardly from the inner lockout member 1172. The teeth 1174 are configured to engage corresponding teeth 1184 of the outer lockout member 1176 to prevent rotation of the knob 1130, thereby preventing translation of the trocar actuation rod 1122.

[0043] Various lockout assemblies suitable for use in the present disclosure are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,143,923, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT HAVING A FIRING LOCKOUT FOR AN UNCLOSED ANVIL," issued December 5, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 7,044,352, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT HAVING A SINGLE LOCKOUT MECHANISM FOR PREVENTION OF FIRING," issued May 16, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 7,000,818, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT HAVING SEPARATE DISTINCT CLOSING AND FIRING SYSTEMS," issued February 21, 2006; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,988,649, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT HAVING A SPENT CARTRIDGE." No. 6,978,921, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT INCORPORATING AN E-BEAM FIRING MECHANISM," issued on Jan. 24, 2006, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,978,921, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT INCORPORATING AN E-BEAM FIRING MECHANISM," issued on Dec. 27, 2005, the entireties of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0044] The outer lockout member 1176 has a generally cylindrical shape and defines an opening 1177 sized to receive the inner lockout member 1172. An inner diameter of the outer lockout member 1176 defines a plurality of teeth 1178 that correspond to the teeth 1147 of the inner lockout member 1172. The teeth 1178 are configured to engage the teeth 1174 of the inner lockout member 1172 and prevent further rotation of the knob 1130, thereby preventing further adjustment of the longitudinal position of the anvil 1200. The outer lockout member 1176 further includes a plurality of projections 1179 that project radially outward from an outer diameter of the outer lockout member 1176. The projections 1179 are disposed within corresponding channels 1113 in the casing 1112 and rotationally secure the outer lockout member 1176 in place while leaving at least some room for movement.

[0045] While the inner and outer lockout members 1172, 1176 in this example are illustrated as including teeth 1174, 1178, it should be understood that in other examples, any other suitable surface treatment or geometry may be used. For example, in some examples, the lockout members 1172, 1176 include corresponding knurled surfaces, bumps, splines, ridges, detent features, or any other suitable surface treatment or geometry that may be configured to correspondingly engage and prevent relative rotational movement between the lockout members 1172, 1176.

[0046] The actuation member 1180 comprises an elongated body 1182 that extends from the outer lockout member 1176 to the safety trigger 1140. In particular, the body 1182 includes a trigger bracket 1184 that is configured to couple with the safety trigger 1140. The trigger bracket 1184 includes a channel 1185 that allows the bracket 1184 to be pivotally coupled to the safety trigger 1140. Similarly, a proximal end of the body 1182 is configured to couple to at least one protrusion 1179 of the outer lockout member 1176. Thus, movement of the safety trigger 1140 is transmitted to the outer lockout member 1176 via the actuation member 1180. In other words, the outer lockout member 1176 moves longitudinally in response to pivoting of the safety trigger 1140. The outer lockout member 1176 generally selectively locks actuation of the anvil 1200 in response to the safety trigger 1140.

[0047] 9-11 illustrate an exemplary operational sequence of the anvil lockout assembly 1170. As seen in FIG. 9, the anvil lockout assembly 1170 initially begins in an unlocked state. In such a state, the outer lockout member 1176 is spaced proximally from the inner lockout member 1172, which is allowed to rotate freely relative to the outer lockout member 1176. It should be understood that when the inner lockout member 1172 is allowed to rotate freely, the knob 1130 is likewise allowed to rotate freely and the anvil longitudinal position may be adjusted via the trocar actuation rod 1122.

[0048] Once the operator has adjusted the longitudinal position of the anvil by rotating the knob 1130 to achieve the proper gap distance d, it may be desirable to prevent further adjustment of the longitudinal position of the anvil. FIG. 10 illustrates the anvil lockout assembly 1170 in a locked state. To advance the anvil lockout assembly 1170 to the locked state, the operator can pivot the safety trigger 1140 proximally. Moving the safety trigger 1140 proximally drives the actuating member 1180 in a distal direction.

[0049] Distal movement of the actuation member 1180 results in a corresponding movement of the outer lockout member 1176. As the outer lockout member 1176 moves distally, the teeth 1178 of the outer lockout member 1176 begin to engage the teeth 1174 of the inner lockout member 1176. Once the teeth 1178 of the outer lockout member 1176 are fully engaged with the teeth 1174 of the inner lockout member 1176, the outer lockout member 1176, via the projections 1179 and the casing 1112, prevents relative rotational movement of the inner lockout member 1172. Because the inner lockout member 1172 is fixedly attached to the knob 1130, rotational movement of the knob 1130 is also prevented. Once the knob 1130 is locked in place, further adjustment of the longitudinal position of the anvil is prevented. With the longitudinal position of the anvil prevented from further adjustment, the operator may then actuate the firing trigger 1142 to initiate the stapling sequence.

[0050] In some examples, it may be desirable to use an actuation mechanism 1190, such as a solenoid, to actuate the outer lockout member 1176. As shown in FIG. 11, the actuation mechanism 1190 is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the actuation member 1180 and is fixedly attached to the actuation member 1180. To accommodate the actuation mechanism 1190, the actuation member 1180 may be shortened or otherwise modified to intersect with the actuation mechanism 1190. The actuation mechanism 1190 includes a number of wires 1192 that may be connected to a circuit board, switches, and / or sensors. In various examples, the wires 1192 are connected to a control circuit 1210 ( FIG. 15 ). In various examples, the actuation mechanism 1190 may be actuated using a safety trigger 1140 that uses a configuration similar to the safety trigger 1040 of the instrument 100. For example, actuation of the safety trigger 1140 may complete a circuit that activates the actuation mechanism 1190 , thereby driving the lockout member 1176 longitudinally into engagement with the lockout member 1172 .

[0051] In operation, the actuation mechanism 1190 generally provides the same functionality as the safety trigger 1140, except that it eliminates the need for the actuation member 1180 to extend the full distance to the safety trigger 1140. Although the actuation mechanism 1190 is shown and described herein as comprising a solenoid, it should be understood that any other suitable actuator may be used, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein.

[0052] Referring primarily to FIGS. 12-14, a distinctive problem with circular staplers is that their anvils are detachable from their stapling head assemblies and must be introduced separately into the surgical site in different manners and from different access points. Thus, unlike other stapling instruments, circular staplers run the risk of mismatching the anvil with the staple head assembly and / or the anvil with the staple cartridge. Furthermore, in order to be properly assembled or coupled to the anvil, the stapling head assembly must be properly oriented relative to one another in a specific orientation at the surgical site. As shown in FIG. 13, improper orientation of the anvil and its corresponding stapling head assembly can lead to misalignment between the staple forming pockets 414 (FIG. 12) of the anvil and the staple openings 324 (FIG. 3) of the staple cartridge 1320, which can lead to improper staple formation. Additionally, improper orientation of the anvil and its corresponding stapling head assembly can lead to improper seating of the anvil relative to the stapling head assembly. An improperly or partially seated anvil can become unseated or separated from the stapling head assembly due to externally applied loads from tissue captured between the anvil and the stapling head assembly during closure.

[0053] To address the above problems, the surgical instrument 1100 includes an anvil 1200 with a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag 1201 that is recognizable or detectable by an RFID scanner 1202 on a stapling head assembly 1300 of the surgical instrument 1100. Similarly, the staple cartridge 1320 includes an RFID tag 1203 that is similarly recognizable or detectable by the RFID scanner 1202. The RFID tag 1201 stores information about the anvil 1200 and the RFID tag 1203 stores information about the staple cartridge 1320. As described below, this information can be checked and compared for authentication and / or compatibility.

[0054] The identification mechanisms described herein can be either active or passive systems. In various embodiments, a combination of active and passive identification systems is used. Passive systems can include, for example, barcodes, Quick Response (QR) codes, and / or radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. Passive systems do not include an internal power source, and the passive systems described herein require a reader and / or scanner to transmit a first signal, such as, for example, an interrogation signal.

[0055] Passive radio frequency identification (RFID) systems communicate information by using radio frequencies. Such passive RFID systems include an RFID scanner and an RFID tag that has no internal power source. The RFID tag is powered by electromagnetic energy transmitted from the RFID scanner. Each RFID tag includes a chip, such as a microchip, that stores information about the replaceable component and / or the surgical instrument that is compatible with the replaceable component. The chip may include only an identification number, but in various examples, the chip can store additional information, such as manufacturing data, shipping data, and / or maintenance history. Each RFID tag includes a wireless antenna that allows the RFID tag to communicate with the RFID scanner. The wireless antenna extends the range over which the RFID tag can receive signals from the RFID scanner and transmit a response signal back to the RFID scanner. In a passive RFID system, the RFID scanner, which also includes its own antenna, transmits a wireless signal that activates RFID tags positioned within a predetermined range. The RFID scanner is configured to receive a response signal "bounced back" from the RFID tag, allowing the RFID scanner to capture identification information representative of the replaceable component. In various examples, the one or more response signals include the same signal as the interrogation signal. In various examples, the one or more response signals include a modified signal from the interrogation signal. In various examples, the RFID scanner can also write or encode information directly onto the RFID tag. In either case, the RFID scanner can pass information about the replaceable component to a controller, such as a surgical instrument control system and / or a remote surgical system or hub. Because the RFID tags are activated by a wireless signal, the RFID scanner is configured to read multiple RFID tags at once. Additionally, in certain examples, the RFID scanner can update or rewrite information stored by the RFID scanner on RFID tags within signal range. Updates can be sent to the RFID scanner, for example, from the surgical hub, or any suitable server.Various surgical hubs are further described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16 / 209,395, filed Dec. 4, 2018, entitled "METHOD OF HUB COMMUNICATION," which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0056] Active radio frequency identification (RFID) systems also include an RFID tag and an RFID scanner. However, the RFID tag of an active RFID system includes an internal power source. Active RFID systems utilize battery-powered RFID tags that are configured to continuously broadcast their own signal. One type of active RFID tag is what is commonly referred to as a "beacon." Such beacon RFID tags do not wait to receive a first signal from an RFID scanner. Instead, a beacon RFID tag continuously transmits its stored information. For example, a beacon may transmit its information at intervals of every 3-5 seconds. Another type of active RFID tag includes a transponder. In such a system, the RFID scanner transmits a signal first. The RFID transponder tag then transmits a signal back to the RFID scanner with the relevant information. Such RFID transponder tag systems are efficient because they conserve battery life, for example, when the RFID tag is out of range of the RFID scanner. In various examples, the active RFID tag includes on-board sensors for tracking environmental parameters. For example, on-board sensors may track moisture levels, temperature, and / or other data that may be relevant.

[0057] In operation, the anvil 1200 is coupled or otherwise attached to the stapling head assembly 1300, as shown in FIG 12. The RFID scanner 1202 can detect or recognize the RFID tag 1201 if the RFID tag 1201 is at or within an attachment threshold distance defined by a circumferential radius (R) extending around the RFID scanner 1202. The attachment distance is the distance between the RFID tag 1201 and the RFID scanner 1203, and the anvil 1200 is coupled or otherwise attached to the stapling head assembly 1300.

[0058] In addition to the above, an RFID tag 1303 may be positioned beneath the deck member 320 of the stapling head assembly 1300 and similarly detected by the RFID scanner 1202. As described in more detail below, the signal strength between the RFID scanner 1202 and one or both of the RFID tags 1201, 1203 may be used to determine whether the anvil 1200 is properly oriented and / or fully seated relative to the stapling head assembly 1300.

[0059] 12, anvil 1200 is similar in many respects to anvil 400. For example, like anvil 400, anvil 1200 includes a head 410, staple forming pockets 414, and a shank 1420. In the example of FIG. 12, RFID tag 1201 is supported on its outer surface by shank 1420 near bore 422. In at least one example, a recess or pocket is defined in shank 1420 and RFID tag 1201 is positioned within the recess or pocket. RFID tag 1201 may be held in place within the recess or pocket using any suitable technique, such as, for example, a friction fit or a biocompatible adhesive.

[0060] As discussed above, the anvil 1200 is coupled or assembled to the stapling head assembly 1300 by advancing the anvil 1200 toward the trocar 330 such that the trocar 330 is received through the bore 422, as shown in FIG. 12. The proximal surface 338 of the head 334 of the trocar 330 and the latch shelf 436 of the shank 1420 have complementary positions and configurations such that the latch shelf 436 engages the proximal surface 338 when the shank 1420 of the anvil 1200 is fully seated on the trocar 330 of the stapling head assembly 1300, as shown in FIG. 14. Thus, the anvil 1200 is secured to the trocar 330 by a snap fit with the latch member 430. In the example shown in FIG. 14, the RFID tag 1201 is at a first longitudinal position that is distal or slightly distal to a second longitudinal position of the pointed tip 226 of the head 334 of the trocar 330.

[0061] In at least one example, the RFID tag 1201 is positioned on the shank 1420 at a first longitudinal position that corresponds to or substantially corresponds to a second longitudinal position of the tip 336 of the head 334 of the trocar 330 when the anvil 1200 is properly oriented and fully seated relative to the stapling head assembly 1300. In other words, the tip 336 of the head 334 of the trocar 330 is laterally aligned or at least substantially aligned with the RFID tag 1201 when received within the shank 1420 in its final seated position. In at least one example, the RFID tag 1201 is positioned on the shank 1420 at a position that is distal to the bore 422, proximal to the lateral opening 424, and / or proximal to the latch member 430 (FIGS. 3 and 4).

[0062] 12, the RFID scanner 1202 is located on an exterior surface of a cylindrical inner core member 1312 that extends distally within a tubular casing 1310 of the stapling head assembly 1300. The tubular casing 1310 is fixedly secured to the outer sheath 210 of the shaft assembly 1206 such that the tubular casing 1310 serves as a mechanical base for the stapling head assembly 1300. The RFID scanner 1202 is supported by the inner core member 1312 on its exterior surface near its distal end. In at least one example, a recess or pocket is defined in the inner core member 1312 and the RFID tag 1202 is positioned within the recess or pocket. The RFID scanner 1202 may be held in place within the recess or pocket using any suitable technique, such as, for example, a friction fit or a biocompatible adhesive. Alternatively, the RFID scanner 1202 may be positioned on an interior surface of the cylindrical inner core member 1312. 12, the RFID scanner 1202 is located at a distal portion of the inner core member 1312 below the deck member 320 of the staple cartridge 1320. In various examples, the RFID tag 1201 and the RFID tag 1203 are insulated from the shank 1420 and the inner core member 1312, respectively, using any suitable insulating material.

[0063] In various examples, RFID tag 1201 and RFID tag 1203 are visible or detectable by RFID scanner 1202 in a closed configuration of instrument 1100 in which tissue is captured between the anvil 1200 and the stapling head assembly 1300.

[0064] 15 shows a logical diagram of a control system 1211 for a surgical instrument or tool in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The control system 1211 includes a control circuit 1210 that may be integrated with the RFID scanner 1202, for example, or may be coupled to but positioned separately from the RFID scanner 1202 within the housing assembly 100. The control circuit 1210 may be configured to receive input from the RFID scanner 1202 indicative of information regarding the staple cartridge 1320 stored on the RFID tag 1203 and / or information regarding the anvil 1200 stored on the RFID tag 1201.

[0065] In various examples, the RFID tag 1203 stores the identity of the staple cartridge 1320 and the RFID tag 1201 stores the identity of the anvil 1200. In such examples, the control circuitry 1210 receives input from the RFID scanner 1202 indicative of the identity of the staple cartridge 1320 and verifies the identity of the staple cartridge 1320 based on the input. Additionally, the control circuitry 1210 receives input from the RFID scanner 1202 indicative of the identity of the anvil 1200 and verifies the identity of the anvil 1200 based on the input.

[0066] In at least one example, the control circuitry 1210 includes a microcontroller 1213 having a processor 1214 and a storage medium, such as, for example, a memory 1212. The memory 1212 stores program instructions for performing various processes, such as, for example, ID verification, that when executed by the processor 1214, cause the processor 1214 to verify the identity of the staple cartridge 1320 and the anvil 1200, for example, by comparing identification information received from the RFID tags 1201, 1203 with identification information stored in the memory 1212 in the form of an ID database or table.

[0067] In at least one example, the control circuitry 1210 can be configured to check compatibility of the anvil 1200 with the staple cartridge 1320 of the stapling head assembly 1300 based on input from the RFID scanner 1202. The processor 1214 can check the ID information of the anvil 1200 and staple cartridge 1320 against a compatibility database or table stored in the memory 1212, for example.

[0068] In various examples, the memory 1212 includes a local memory of the device 1100. In other examples, an ID database or table and / or a compatibility database or table may be downloaded from a remote server. In various embodiments, the device 1100 may transmit information received from the RFID tags 1201, 1203 to a remote server that stores a database or table for performing ID and / or compatibility checks remotely.

[0069] 16 is a logic flow diagram of a process 1220 illustrating a control program or logic configuration for operating a surgical stapling instrument, such as instrument 1100. In at least one example, the process 1220 is performed by a control circuit 1210 (FIG. 15) including a processor 1214 and a memory 1212 storing a set of computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor 1214, cause the processor 1214 to perform the process 1220. In certain examples, the set of computer executable instructions stored in the memory 1212 can cause the processor 1214 to perform separate portions of the process 1220. Although the process 1220 is described as being performed by the control circuit 1210, this is merely for the sake of brevity, and it should be understood that the process 1220 and other processes described herein, or portions thereof, can be performed by circuitry that may include various hardware and / or software components and that may be located in or associated with various suitable systems, such as, for example, combinatorial or sequential logic circuits.

[0070] 16, the process 1220 includes detecting (1231) an identification of the staple cartridge 1320. In at least one example, the control circuitry 1210 receives an input from the RFID scanner 1202 indicating the identification of the staple cartridge 1320 stored in the RFID tag 1203. If the staple cartridge ID is not successfully authenticated or is not detected, the control circuitry 1210 causes (1241) the indicator 1209 to alert that the staple cartridge 1320 is not installed and / or that authentication of the staple cartridge has failed.

[0071] In various cases, indicator 1209 may include one or more visual feedback systems, such as, for example, a display screen, a backlight, and / or an LED. In certain cases, indicator 1209 may include one or more audio feedback systems, such as, for example, a speaker and / or a buzzer. In certain cases, indicator 1209 may include, for example, one or more tactile feedback systems. In certain cases, indicator 1209 may include a combination of visual, audio, and / or tactile feedback systems, for example.

[0072] The process 1220 further includes verifying (1232) the compatibility of the staple cartridge 1320 with the instrument 1100. In at least one example, the control circuitry 1210 checks the identity of the staple cartridge 1320 against a staple cartridge-instrument compatibility database or table, which may be stored in the memory 1212, for example. If the compatibility is verified (1232), the control circuitry 1210 causes the indicator 1209 to alert (1242) that the staple cartridge 1320 is compatible with the instrument 1100. At this stage, the control circuitry 1210 may also cause the indicator 1209 to alert the user as to the color and / or size of the installed staple cartridge 1320 (1246).

[0073] The process 1220 further includes verifying the cartridge firing status (1233). The staple cartridge is generally deployed after loading. To ensure that a previously fired staple cartridge is not inadvertently reused without staples, the RFID tag 1201 of the previously fired staple cartridge 1320 stores a fired status. In at least one example, the control circuit 1210 causes the RFID scanner 1202 to change the firing status of the staple cartridge 1320 from an unfired status to a fired status after completion of the firing sequence. Additionally, if the control circuit 1210 receives an input from the RFID scanner 1202 indicating that the attached staple cartridge 1320 has already been fired, the control circuit 1210 can cause the indicator 1209 to alert the user thereto (1243).

[0074] The process 1220 further includes detecting (1234) an identity of the anvil 1200. In at least one example, the control circuitry 1210 receives an input from the RFID scanner 1202 indicative of the identity of the anvil 1200 stored in the RFID tag 1201. If the anvil ID is not successfully authenticated or if no anvil ID is received, the control circuitry 1210 may cause the indicator 1209 to alert (1244) that an anvil is not attached and / or that the anvil authentication failed.

[0075] 16, if proper anvil identification is detected (1234), the process 1220 further checks (1235) the compatibility of the anvil 1200 and the staple cartridge 13020. If the anvil 1200 and the staple cartridge 13020 are incompatible, the process 1220 alerts (1245) the user of the mismatch. However, if the anvil 1200 and the staple cartridge 13020 are compatible, the control circuit 1210 enables (1236) the closure drive assembly 136 (FIG. 15) to proceed to anvil closure (1237). During anvil closure, the control circuit 1210 continues to monitor the RFID scanner 1202 to ensure that the anvil 1200 remains attached or coupled to the stapling head assembly 1300 throughout the closure process. During closure, if the RFID scanner 1202 loses a signal from the RFID tag 1201, the control circuit 1210 causes the closure drive assembly 136 to pause closure and alert the user that the anvil 1200 is not attached or at least not detected (1244). Otherwise, anvil closure continues until a closed configuration between the anvil 1200 and the stapling head assembly 1300 is achieved (1238) by reaching a predetermined zone or threshold. Once at or beyond the predetermined zone or threshold, the control circuit 1210 enables the firing drive assembly 1136 to initiate a firing sequence (1239) to staple and sever tissue captured between the anvil 1200 and the staple cartridge 1320 in the closed configuration.

[0076] The process 1220 further includes evaluating or detecting (1247) the orientation and / or seating of the anvil relative to the stapling head assembly 1300. As shown in FIG. 12, the shank 1420 of the anvil 1200 is fully seated on the trocar 330 of the stapling head assembly 1300 when the latch shelf 436 engages the proximal surface 338. At this point, the RFID tag 1201 reaches or crosses the attachment threshold distance and is therefore detected by the RFID scanner 1202. The detection of the RFID tag 1201 by the RFID scanner 1202 indicates the full seating of the anvil 1200 relative to the stapling head assembly 1300. In at least one example, receiving an input from the RFID scanner 1202 indicative of the detection of the RFID tag 1201 will cause the control circuit 1210 to determine that the anvil 1200 is fully seated relative to the stapling head assembly 1300.

[0077] 12 and 15, in various examples, an RFID scanner 1204 is used in addition to the RFID scanner 1202 to detect the RFID tag 1201 and / or the RFID tag 1203. The RFID scanner 1204 may be positioned within the stapling head assembly 1300. In the example shown in FIG. 12, the RFID scanner 1204 is supported by a tubular casing 1310. The control circuitry 1210 may be configured to receive input from the RFID scanner 1204 in addition to input from the RFID scanner 1202. In at least one example, the RFID scanner 1204 is configured to detect the RFID tag 1203, while the RFID scanner 1202 may be configured to detect the RFID tag 1201.

[0078] With respect to anvil orientation, the control circuitry 1210 is configured to determine whether the attached anvil 1200 is properly oriented relative to the stapling head assembly 1300 by detecting and measuring the strength of a signal transmitted by the RFID tag 1201 using the RFID scanner 1202 and / or the RFID scanner 1204. In a proper orientation of the anvil 1200, the RFID scanner 1202 detects a signal from the RFID tag 1201 and measures a unique first signal strength corresponding to a distance d1 between the RFID tag 1201 and the RFID scanner 1202. Similarly, the RFID scanner 1204 detects a signal from the RFID tag 1201 and measures a unique second signal strength corresponding to a distance d2 between the RFID tag 1201 and the RFID scanner 1204. The control circuitry 1210 may be configured to assess a proper orientation of the anvil 1200 based on the first signal strength and / or the second signal strength.

[0079] FIG. 13 illustrates an improper orientation of the anvil 1200, with the shank 1420 at an angle α away from the proper orientation with the stapling head assembly 1300. Misalignment between the anvil 1200 and the stapling head assembly 1300 causes the distances d1, d2 to differ from their values ​​in the proper orientation, which in turn causes the first and second signal intensities to differ from their values ​​in the proper orientation. In the example of FIG. 13, misalignment between the anvil 1200 and the stapling head assembly 1300 would increase the value of the distance d1 and decrease the value of the distance d2. Thus, the misalignment in FIG. 13 would decrease the first signal intensity and increase the second signal intensity from their values ​​in the proper orientation.

[0080] Thus, by monitoring the strength of the signal transmitted by the RFID tag 1201, the control circuitry 1210 can assess whether the anvil 1200 is properly oriented relative to 1300. In various examples, the memory 1212 stores a database or table of signal strength values ​​or ranges that represent the proper orientation of the anvil 1200. In such examples, the control circuitry 1210 can check signal strength values ​​collected by the RFID scanner 1202 and / or the RFID scanner 1204 against values ​​or ranges in the database or table to assess whether the anvil 1200 is properly oriented.

[0081] In various examples, proper orientation of the anvil 1200 relative to the stapling head assembly 1300 is checked by the control circuitry 1210 after determining that the anvil 1200 is fully seated, as described above. In other examples, proper orientation of the anvil 1200 relative to the stapling head assembly 1300 is checked by the control circuitry 1210 with the instrument 1100 in a closed or at least partially closed configuration. In certain examples, proper orientation of the anvil 1200 relative to the stapling head assembly 1300 is continuously checked by the control circuitry 1210 following detection of the RFID tag 1201 by the RFID scanner 1202 and / or RFID scanner 1204.

[0082] 17 illustrates a logic flow diagram of a process 1250 illustrating a control program or logic configuration for properly orienting an anvil relative to a stapling head assembly of a surgical stapling instrument. In at least one example, the process 1250 is performed by a control circuit 1210 (FIG. 15) including a processor 1214 and a memory 1212 storing a set of computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor 1214, cause the processor 1214 to perform the process 1250. In certain examples, the set of computer executable instructions stored in the memory 1212 can cause the processor 1214 to perform separate portions of the process 1250. Although the process 1250 is described as being performed by the control circuit 1210, this is merely for the sake of brevity, and it should be understood that the process 1250 and other processes described herein, or portions thereof, can be performed by circuitry that may include various hardware and / or software components and that may be located in or associated with a variety of suitable systems, such as, for example, combinatorial or sequential logic circuits.

[0083] 15 and 17, the control circuit 1210 is configured to detect (1251) improper orientation of the anvil 1200 relative to the stapling head assembly 1300, as described above. Further, the control circuit 1210 can alert (1252) the user regarding the improper orientation using the indicator 1209. In addition, the control circuit 1210 can suggest (1253) a direction and / or angle of rotation of the anvil 1200 via the indicator 1209 to achieve the proper orientation. The control circuit 1210 can continue to check (1254) whether the proper orientation has been achieved based on input from the RFID scanner 1201 and / or the RFID scanner 1204. Once the proper orientation is detected by the control circuit 1210, the control circuit 1210 can further cause the indicator 1209 to alert (1255) the user that the anvil 1200 is properly aligned with the stapling head assembly 1300.

[0084] As discussed above, the instrument 1100 includes an anvil lockout assembly 1170. The anvil lockout assembly 1170 is generally configured to prevent further adjustment of the longitudinal position of the anvil once the safety trigger 1140 is actuated. In various examples, the anvil lockout assembly 1170 generally includes an outer lockout member 1176 responsive to the safety trigger 1140 to selectively lock actuation of the anvil 1200. In other examples, the control circuit 1210 is configured to drive the outer lockout member 1176 using an actuation mechanism 1190, such as a solenoid. In either case, the anvil lockout assembly 1170 is configured to transition between an unlocked state and a locked state, where (i) in the unlocked state, the lockout assembly 1170 is configured to allow translation of the anvil 1200, and (ii) in the locked state, the lockout assembly 1170 is configured to prevent translation of the anvil 1200. In various examples, the control circuitry 1210 alerts the user using the indicator 1209 that it is safe to transition the lockout assembly 1170 to the unlocked state based on input from the RFID scanner 1202 and / or RFID scanner 1204 indicating detection of the RFID tag 1201. In other examples, the control circuitry 1210 transitions the lockout assembly 1170 to the unlocked state using the actuation mechanism 1190 based on input from the RFID scanner 1202 and / or RFID scanner 1204 indicating detection of the RFID tag 1201.

[0085] Further to the above, in certain examples, the control circuitry 1210 detects the removal of the anvil 1200 from the stapling head assembly 1300 based on a loss of input from the RFID scanner 1202 and / or the RFID scanner 1204 or an input from the RFID scanner 1202 and / or the RFID scanner 1204 indicating a loss of a signal transmitted by the RFID tag 1201. In response, the control circuitry 1210 may cause the indicator 1209 to alert the user of the removal of the anvil 1200 and, optionally, provide instructions regarding reattachment of the anvil 1200 to the stapling head assembly 1300. Additionally or alternatively, the control circuitry 1210 may cause the actuation mechanism 1190 to transition the lockout assembly 1170 to a locked state until reattachment of the anvil 1200 is detected by the control circuitry 1210 based on an input from the RFID scanner 1202 and / or the RFID scanner 1204 indicating a redetection of a signal from the RFID tag 1201, for example.

[0086] 15, the motors 160, 1160 are coupled to motor drivers 161, 1161, respectively, which are configured to control the operation of the motors 160, 1160, including the flow of electrical energy from a power source (e.g., battery pack 120) to the motors 160, 1160. In various examples, the processor 1214 is coupled to the motors 160, 1160 via the motor drivers 1160, 1161. In various forms, the motors 160 and / or 1160 may be brushed direct current (DC) motors with gearboxes and mechanical links to effect tissue treatment with the surgical end effector. In one aspect, the motor drivers 1160, 1161 may be in the form of an A3941 available from Allegro Microsystems, Inc. Other motor drivers may be readily substituted for use with the control system 11211.

[0087] In various configurations, the motor 160, 1160 may be a brushed DC drive motor having a maximum rotational speed of, for example, about 25,000 RPM. In other configurations, the motor 160, 1160 may include a brushless motor, a cordless motor, a synchronous motor, a stepper motor, or any other suitable electric motor. The motor driver 161, 1161 may include, for example, an H-bridge driver including field effect transistors (FETs). The motor 160, 1160 may be powered by a power source. The power source may include a battery that may include multiple battery cells connected in series that may be used as a power source to power a surgical instrument or tool. Under certain circumstances, the battery cells of the power source may be replaceable and / or rechargeable. In at least one example, the battery cells may be a lithium ion battery that may be coupleable to and separable from the power source.

[0088] In various aspects, the motor driver according to the present disclosure can be a full-bridge controller used with external N-channel power metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) specifically designed for inductive loads such as brushed DC motors. The motor driver includes an intrinsic charge pump regulator that provides full (>10V) gate drive for battery voltages up to 7V, allowing the A3941 to operate with reduced gate drive down to 5.5V. A bootstrap capacitor may be used to provide the required above battery supply voltage for the N-channel MOSFETs. An internal charge pump for the high-side drive allows DC (100% duty cycle) operation. The full-bridge can be driven in fast or slow decay mode using diode or synchronous rectification. In slow decay mode, current recirculation can be done by either the high-side or low-side FETs. The power FETs are protected from shoot-through by resistor adjustable dead time. Integrated diagnostics indicate undervoltage, overtemperature, and power bridge faults and can be configured to protect the power MOSFETs under most short circuit conditions. Other motor drivers can be easily substituted for use in tracking system 480 with an absolute positioning system.

[0089] In various aspects, one or more of the motors of the present disclosure may include a rotating shaft that operably interfaces with a gear assembly that is mounted in meshing engagement with a set of drive teeth or a rack on a displacement member of, for example, the firing drive assembly 1163 or the closure drive assembly 163. The sensor element may be operably coupled to the gear assembly such that one rotation of the position sensor element corresponds to several linear longitudinal translations of the displacement member. The gearing and sensor arrangement may be connected to a linear actuator by a rack and pinion arrangement or to a rotary actuator by a spur gear or other connection. The power source provides power to the absolute positioning system, and the output indicator may display the output of the absolute positioning system. The displacement member represents a longitudinally movable drive member with a rack of drive teeth formed thereon for meshing engagement with a corresponding drive gear of a gear reducer assembly. The displacement member represents a longitudinally movable closure member, a firing member, a firing bar, an I-beam, or a combination thereof.

[0090] 15, transition of the anvil 1200 by the stapling head assembly 1300 to the closed configuration is driven by the motor 1160. In such an example, the control circuit 1210 enables the motor 1160 to drive the closure of the anvil 1200 when proper orientation, full seating, and / or proper ID of the anvil 1200 is detected by the control circuit 1210 based on input from the RFID scanner 1202 and / or the RFID scanner 1204, as described above. Thus, a detected failure in establishing one or more of the proper orientation, full seating, and / or proper ID of the anvil 1200 will cause the control circuit 1210 to prevent the motor 1160 from initiating and / or completing closure of the anvil 1200.

[0091] In certain examples, the control circuitry 1210 enables the motor 160 to drive the firing of staples and the advancement of the cylindrical knife member 340 when compatibility between the staple cartridge and the anvil is confirmed based on the information stored in the RFID tags 1201, 1203 reported by the RFID scanners 1202, 1204. Conversely, the control circuitry 1210 is configured to prevent the motor 160 from driving the firing of staples and the advancement of the cylindrical knife member 340 when compatibility between the staple cartridge and the anvil cannot be established based on the information stored in the RFID tags 1201, 1203 reported by the RFID scanners 1202, 1204.

[0092] In various examples, the antennas of one or more of the RFID tags 1201, 1203 and the RFID scanners 1202, 1204 may be supplemented by a booster antenna that is ganged when connected. In various examples, the antennas of active RFID tags on the surgical instrument 1100, such as, for example, RFID tag 1201 and RFID tag 1203, may be disconnected during normal operation of the surgical instrument 1100 in a planned manner. A loss signal from such an RFID tag may signal the completion of a surgical task.

[0093] In various embodiments, an RFID tag may be positioned along the path of the cylindrical knife member 340. The RFID tag may transmit a signal, for example, via its antenna to the RFID scanner 1202. If the antenna is cut by the knife member 340, the signal is lost. The loss of signal may confirm the forward movement of the knife member 340.

[0094] In one example, the RFID tag is positioned on a breakable washer of the anvil 1200. In such an example, the breakable washer is broken by the knife member 340 toward the end of the distal full range of motion of the knife member 340. The knife member 340 severs the antenna of the RFID tag while breaking the breakable washer. When the antenna is severed, for example, a signal transmitted from the RFID tag to the RFID scanner 1202 is lost. The RFID scanner 1202 may be coupled to the control circuit 1210 and may report the signal loss to the control circuit 1210. The signal loss is interpreted by the control circuit 1210 as indicating completion of the firing sequence of the surgical instrument 1100.

[0095] In various embodiments, as described in further detail above, a surgical instrument, such as, for example, instrument 1100, includes an anvil 1200 movable toward a stapling head assembly 1300 to capture tissue therebetween in a closed configuration. The tissue is then stapled and severed in a firing sequence of the surgical instrument 1100. The instrument 1100 further includes an RFID tag, such as, for example, RFID tag 1201, and an RFID scanner, such as, for example, RFID scanner 1202, configured to read and / or write to the RFID tag 1201. The RFID tag 1201 and the RFID scanner 1202 define an RFID system that can be used by the control circuitry 1210 to determine characteristics of tissue based on backscatter of RF signals from the tissue.

[0096] The location of the RFID tag 1201 and the RFID scanner 1202 relative to the tissue grasped between the anvil 1200 and the stapling head assembly 1300 can be selected to optimize the measurement of backscatter of the RF signal. In at least one example, the RFID tag 1201 and the RFID scanner 1202 can be positioned on either side of the tissue.

[0097] To enable tissue analysis, RF signals from the backscattered data can be collected and correlated with known tissue properties. In various embodiments, the spectral characteristics of the backscattered data can be analyzed to determine various properties of the tissue. In at least one example, the backscattered data can be used to identify boundary features within the tissue. In at least one example, the backscattered data can be used to assess the thickness of tissue grasped between the anvil 1200 and the stapling head assembly 1300.

[0098] 18 illustrates a surgical instrument 2200 that may be selectively assembled from any one of a number of different end effectors, such as, for example, end effectors 2210, 2210', any one of a number of different shafts, such as, for example, shafts 2230, 2230', 2230'', 2230''', and a housing assembly 2240. The components of the surgical instrument 2200 are selected based on a variety of factors including the type of surgical procedure, the type of tissue, and / or the anatomy of the patient.

[0099] In various examples, the end effectors of the surgical instrument 2200 are circular stapler end effectors of different sizes. In the example of FIG. 18, 25 mm and 31 mm circular stapler end effectors are shown. However, this is not intended to be limiting and other suitable end effectors may readily be utilized with the surgical instrument 2200. In the example shown in FIG. 18, the shafts 2230, 2230', 2230'', 2230''' have different lengths and / or curvature profiles. However, this is not intended to be limiting and shafts having other suitable shaft profiles may readily be utilized with the surgical instrument 2200.

[0100] Further to the above, shafts 2230, 2230', 2230'', 2230''', each include an RFID tag 2203, 2203', 2203'', 2203''', that stores shaft information, as described in more detail below. Additionally, end effectors 2210, 2210' each include an RFID tag 2201, 2201' that stores end effector information, as described in more detail below.

[0101] 19 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary surgical instrument 2200 assembled from an end effector 2210, a shaft 2230, and a housing assembly 2240. For clarity, various components and / or connections between components of the end effector 2210, the shaft 2230, and the housing assembly 2240 have been removed. The surgical instrument 2200 is similar in many respects to the surgical instruments 100, 1100. For example, the end effector 2210 has a stapling head assembly 2300 that is similar in many respects to the stapling head assembly 300, 1300, and an anvil 2400 that is similar in many respects to the anvil 400, 1200.

[0102] In operation, the anvil 2400 is coupled to the stapling head assembly 2300, as described in more detail above with respect to the surgical instruments 100, 1100. The anvil 2400 is then retracted from a starting position toward the stapling head assembly 2300 a closing stroke or distance "d" to transition the stapling head assembly 2300 from an open configuration to a closed configuration. Tissue is clamped between the anvil 2400 and the stapling head assembly 2300 in the closed configuration. Additionally, the stapling head assembly 2300 includes a staple cartridge that houses staples that are deployed from the staple cartridge toward the anvil 2400 in the closed configuration. The staples are deployed through the clamped tissue and formed by the staple forming pockets 414 of the anvil 2400. Additionally, the knife member 340 is translated distally to a point where the cutting edge 342 is distal to the deck surface 322 of the stapling head assembly 2300 to sever the tissue.

[0103] Additionally or alternatively, the stapling head assembly 2300 and the anvil 2400 may be further constructed and operated in accordance with at least some of the teachings of the following patent documents, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference: U.S. Patent Nos. 5,205,459, 5,271,544, 5,275,322, 5,285,945, 5,292,053, 5,333,773, 5,350,104, 5,533,661, and / or 8,910,847. Still other suitable configurations will be apparent to those of skill in the art in view of the teachings herein.

[0104] 19 , the housing assembly 2240 includes one or more motors 2160 and one or more motor drivers 2161, which are similar in many respects to the motors 160, 1160 and motor drivers 161, 1161. In various examples, the control circuit 1210 is configured to control the motor driver 2161 to cause the motor 2160 to move the anvil 2400 a closing stroke or distance "d" toward the stapling head assembly 2300 to transition the end effector 2210 from an open configuration to a closed configuration. The control circuit 1210 is further configured to control the motor driver 2161 to cause the motor 2160 to apply a load to the end effector 2210 in a firing motion to deploy staples into tissue grasped by the end effector 1210 in the closed configuration and to cut the grasped tissue by advancing the knife member 340 distally through the tissue. In at least one example, the knife member 340 is advanced toward a breakable washer of the anvil 2400. In such an example, the breakable washer is broken by the knife member 340 toward the end of the distal full range of motion of the knife member 340.

[0105] In order to properly staple and sever tissue with the surgical instrument 2200, the operating parameters of the motor 2160 must be adjusted to provide a closing distance and / or firing load appropriate for the selected end effector 2210 and / or shaft 2230 of the surgical instrument 2200. For example, a longer and / or curved shaft will require a different closing distance than a shorter shaft. Similarly, a larger staple cartridge will generally require a higher firing load than a smaller staple cartridge. To address this issue, the end effector of the surgical instrument 2200 is equipped with an RFID tag 2201 that stores end effector information and is detectable by an RFID scanner 2202. Additionally, in certain instances, the shaft of the surgical instrument 2200 is also equipped with an RFID tag 2203 that stores shaft information and is detectable by an RFID scanner 2204. As shown in FIG. 20 , according to process 2250, the control circuit 1210 can be configured to receive 2252 an input indicative of end effector information from the RFID scanner 2202 and 2254 an input indicative of shaft information from the RFID scanner 2204, and adjust 2256 at least one operating parameter of the motor 2160 to obtain a closing distance and / or a firing load based on the end effector information and the shaft information.

[0106] In at least one example, process 2250 is performed by control circuitry 1210 (FIG. 15) including processor 1214 and memory 1212 storing a set of computer executable instructions that, when executed by processor 1214, cause processor 1214 to perform process 2250. In particular examples, the set of computer executable instructions stored in memory 1212 can cause processor 1214 to perform distinct portions of process 2250. Although process 2250 is described as being performed by control circuitry 1210, this is merely for the sake of brevity, and it should be understood that process 2250 and other processes described herein, or portions thereof, can be performed by circuitry that may include various hardware and / or software components and that may be located in or associated with various suitable systems, such as, for example, combinatorial or sequential logic circuits.

[0107] 19, the RFID tag 2201 and its corresponding RFID scanner 2202 are positioned such that the RFID tag 2201 is within a detection range of the RFID scanner 2202 when the end effector 2210 is in an assembled configuration with the shaft 2230. Also, the RFID tag 2203 and its corresponding RFID scanner 2204 are positioned such that the RFID tag 2203 is within a detection range of the RFID scanner 2204 when the shaft 2230 is in an assembled configuration with the housing assembly 2240. Thus, the RFID scanner 2202 is positioned at a distal portion of the shaft 2230 and the RFID tag 2203 is positioned at a proximal portion of the shaft 2230. In at least one example, one or both of the RFID tag 2201 and the RFID scanner 2202 are positioned at an interface between the end effector 2210 and the shaft 2230. Additionally or alternatively, one or both of the RFID tag 2203 and the RFID scanner 2204 are positioned at the interface between the shaft 2230 and the housing assembly 2240 .

[0108] In addition to the above, the end effector information stored on the RFID tag 2201 can be read by the RFID scanner 2202 in an assembled configuration and communicated to the control circuitry 1210. Also, the shaft information stored on the RFID tag 2203 can be read by the RFID scanner 2204 and communicated to the control circuitry 1210. In various embodiments, the end effector information can include identification information, manufacturer information, staple cartridge size, type, and / or color, anvil type, and / or one or more preferred adjustments to the default closing distance and / or firing load. Similarly, the shaft information can include identification information, manufacturer information, shaft profile, and / or one or more preferred adjustments to the default closing distance and / or firing load.

[0109] 21, a graph 2260 represents the relationship between firing load (pounds) on the Y-axis and firing time (seconds) on the X-axis. Graph 21 shows a default unadjusted firing algorithm 2263 and an adjusted firing algorithm 2263. Graph 2260 further shows a default maximum firing load threshold 2261 (e.g., 400 pounds) and a final maximum firing load threshold 2262 (e.g., 485 pounds) for the firing load applied by motor 2160 to end effector 2210 of surgical instrument 2200. Default maximum firing load threshold 2261 is adjusted to final maximum firing load threshold 2262 based on end effector information of end effector 2210 stored in RFID tag 2201 and read by RFID scanner 2202 of surgical instrument 2200. In the example of FIG. 21, the end effector information represents a staple cartridge with a larger size (e.g., 31 mm) than the default staple cartridge (e.g., 25 mm). A default staple cartridge size (e.g., 25 mm) is associated with a default firing algorithm 2263 and a default maximum firing load threshold 2261, while a larger staple cartridge size (e.g., 31 mm) is associated with a final firing algorithm 2264 and a final maximum firing load threshold 2262.

[0110] The end effector information stored on the RFID tag 2201 can include a staple cartridge size and / or a firing load adjustment value based on the cartridge size (e.g., 85 pounds), in which case the control circuit 1210 can look up the appropriate firing load adjustment value using a database or look-up table of staple cartridge sizes and corresponding firing load adjustment values.

[0111] Further, as shown in FIG. 20, input from the RFID scanner 2201 indicating end effector information causes the control circuit 1210 to adjust the default maximum launch load threshold 2261 (e.g., 400) to a final maximum launch load threshold 2262 (e.g., 485 pounds) and maintain the launch algorithm 2264 below the final maximum launch load threshold 2262.

[0112] In the example of FIG. 21 , the control circuit 1210 adjusts or implements a minimum wait time “t” before causing the motor 2160 to apply the firing algorithm 2263 to the end effector 2210. In various examples, the minimum wait time “t” is the period of time from the completion of the closing sequence of the end effector of the surgical instrument 2200, where tissue is grasped by the end effector in a closed configuration, to the beginning of the firing sequence of the end effector, where the grasped tissue is stapled and severed. The minimum wait time “t” allows for tissue creep, where the grasped tissue adjusts to a lower average pressure, thereby reducing the maximum firing load required to complete the firing sequence of the end effector 2210 to a value equal to or less than the final maximum firing load threshold 2262. In the default firing algorithm 2263 without a minimum wait time “t”, the firing algorithm 2263 must be paused 2267 for the period from time t3 to time t4 to prevent the firing load from exceeding the final maximum firing load threshold 2262. In comparison, as shown in FIG. 21, the firing algorithm 2264 continues throughout the period between t3 and t4.

[0113] Still referring to FIG. 21 , another factor that may affect the minimum wait time “t” is the user-selected forming height of the staples deployed from the stapling head assembly 2300. The control circuit 1210 may prompt the user through the indicator 1209 to select a desired forming height of the staples. In at least one example, the control circuit 1210 may present the user with multiple forming height options to select from. Additionally or alternatively, the control circuit 1210 may recommend an optimal forming height based on the tissue being treated by the surgical instrument 2200. In either case, the user-selected forming height may cause the control circuit 1210 to further adjust the minimum wait time “t”. In at least one example, the memory 1212 stores the forming height and the corresponding wait time adjustment in a database or look-up table. The control circuit 1210 may adjust the minimum wait time “t” by identifying a wait time adjustment associated with the user-selected forming height and then adjusting the minimum wait time “t” according to the identified wait time adjustment.

[0114] Generally, larger formed staples are associated with larger firing loads and require a longer minimum wait time "t" than smaller formed staples. In the example of FIG. 21, the user selected form height 2265 is associated with firing load "F2" and is greater than the minimum form height 2266 associated with minimum firing load "F1." Minimum firing loads "F1" and "F2" represent the firing loads at which the staple legs begin to buckle. Thus, the wait time "t" in the example of FIG. 21 is a result of the default (25 mm) staple cartridge size and a larger than selected form height 2265 (31 mm).

[0115] 22, a graph 2270 illustrates an adjustment made to a default maximum firing load threshold 2272 (e.g., 400 pounds) for the surgical instrument 2200. The adjustment is based on end effector information 2271 and shaft information 2273 received by the control circuit 1210 from the RFID scanners 2202, 2204, as described in more detail above. The shaft information 2273 identifies a long curved shaft 2230 and provides a corresponding first adjustment value 2274 (e.g., 35 pounds) to the default maximum firing load threshold 2272. Similarly, the end effector information 2271 identifies an end effector 2210 with a staple cartridge having a size of 31 mm and provides a corresponding second adjustment value 2276 (e.g., 85 pounds) to the default maximum firing load threshold 2272. The adjustment values ​​2274, 2276 are added to the default maximum firing load threshold 2272 to arrive at a final maximum firing load threshold 2278. As described above, the adjustment values ​​2274, 2276 may be part of the end effector information 2271 and shaft information 2273, respectively, or may be determined by the control circuit 1210 from a database or look-up table stored in memory 1212, for example, based on the identification information of the end effector 2210 and shaft 2230.

[0116] In at least one example, the surgical instrument 2200 may be assembled from an end effector 2210' with a curved long shaft 2230 and a default staple cartridge size (e.g., 25 mm). In such an example, the end effector information results in a zero adjustment value and the shaft information results in a first adjustment value 2274 that modifies the default maximum firing load threshold 2272 to a final maximum firing load threshold 2279 as shown in graph 2270. In other examples, the surgical instrument 2200 may be assembled from various combinations of end effectors and shafts that result in different adjustment values ​​for modifying the default maximum firing load threshold 2272.

[0117] 22, a graph 2280 illustrates adjustments made to a default minimum closing stroke or distance 2282 of the surgical instrument 2200. The minimum closing stroke or distance, the surgical instrument 2200, is the minimum allowable or recommended closing stroke or distance that will place an end effector of the surgical instrument 2200, such as, for example, the end effector 2210, in a closed configuration suitable for deployment into tissue grasped between the anvil and staple cartridge of the end effector. The adjustments to the default minimum closing stroke or distance 2282 are based on the end effector information 2271 and shaft information 2273 received by the control circuit 1210 from the RFID scanners 2202, 2204, as described in more detail above.

[0118] The shaft information 2273 identifies the long curved shaft 2230 and provides a corresponding first adjustment value 2284 to the default minimum closing stroke or distance 2282. The additional length and curvature of the shaft 2230, as compared to the default shaft, results in a minimum closing stroke or distance 2289 that is longer than the default minimum closing stroke or distance 2282. Similarly, the end effector information 2271 identifies the end effector 2210 with a staple cartridge having a size of 31 mm and provides a corresponding second adjustment value 2286 to the default minimum closing stroke or distance 2282. Adding the adjustment values ​​2284, 2286 to the default minimum closing stroke or distance 2282 results in a final default minimum closing stroke or distance 2288. As described above, the adjustment values ​​2284, 2286 may be part of the end effector information 2271 and shaft information 2273, respectively, or may be determined by the control circuit 1210 from a database or look-up table stored in memory 1212, for example, based on the identification information of the end effector 2210 and shaft 2230.

[0119] In at least one example, the surgical instrument 2200 may be assembled from an end effector 2210' with a curved long shaft 2230 and a default staple cartridge size (e.g., 25 mm). In such an example, the end effector information results in an adjustment value of zero and the shaft information results in a first adjustment value 2284 that modifies the default minimum closing stroke or distance 2282 to a final minimum closing stroke or distance 2289 as shown in graph 2280. In other examples, the surgical instrument 2200 may be assembled from various combinations of end effectors and shafts that result in different adjustment values ​​to modify the default minimum closing stroke or distance 2282.

[0120] In addition to the above, the end effector information 2271 and shaft information 2273 can cause the control circuit 1210 to adjust a default closure range 2281 of a user selectable closure stroke or distance of the surgical instrument 2200. The closure range of the surgical instrument 2200 is the range of allowable or recommended closure stroke or distance that places an end effector of the surgical instrument 2200, such as, for example, the end effector 2210, in a closed configuration suitable for deployment into tissue grasped between the anvil and staple cartridge of the end effector. In at least one example, the closure range of the surgical instrument 2200 can take the form of a visual guide presented to the user by the indicator 1209.

[0121] In various examples, the closure range of the surgical instrument 2200 is defined by the control circuit 1210 based on the end effector information and / or shaft information received from the RFID scanners 2203, 2204. The graph 2280 shows, for example, a default closure range 2281, an adjusted closure range 2283, and an adjusted closure range 2285. The adjusted closure range 2283 is defined by the control circuit 1210 in response to the shaft information transmitted from the RFID scanner 2204. The adjusted closure range 2285 is defined by the control circuit 1210 in response to the end effector information transmitted from the RFID scanner 2202 and the shaft information transmitted from the RFID scanner 2204. In other words, the adjusted closure range 2285 is defined by the cumulative effect of the end effector information and the shaft information.

[0122] In various aspects, the transmitted shaft information may include an adjusted closure range 2283. Alternatively, the transmitted shaft information may include upper and lower adjustment values ​​for the default closure range 2281. Alternatively, the transmitted shaft information may include shaft identification information. In at least one example, the control circuit 1210 may determine the adjusted closure range 2283 from a database or lookup table stored in memory 1212, for example, based on the shaft identification information.

[0123] In various aspects, the transmitted end effector information may include an adjusted closure range. Alternatively, the transmitted end effector information may include upper and lower adjustments for the default closure range 2281. Alternatively, the transmitted end effector information may include end effector identification information. In at least one example, the control circuitry 1210 may determine the adjusted closure range from a database or lookup table stored in memory 1212, for example, based on the end effector identification information.

[0124] In at least one example, the control circuit 1210 can determine the adjusted closure range 2285 from a database or lookup table stored in memory 1212, for example, based on shaft identification information and end effector identification information. In at least one example, the control circuit 1210 can determine the adjusted closure range 2285 from the cumulative effect of upper and lower adjustment values ​​of the default closure range 2281 provided by the end effector information and shaft information.

[0125] 22, a graph 2290 shows firing speed (m / s) on the Y-axis versus time (seconds) on the X-axis. In the example of graph 2290, firing speed represents the speed of a longitudinally movable firing member coupled to a motor 2160 (FIG. 19) of the surgical instrument 2200 and configured to effect deployment of staples from the staple head assembly 2300 towards the anvil 2400 and advancement of the knife member 340, as described in more detail above. In other examples, firing speed may be the rotational speed of the motor 2160.

[0126] Graph 2290 illustrates an adjustment made to a default maximum threshold 2292 for the firing rate of the surgical instrument 2200 based on end effector information and shaft information received by the control circuit 1210 from the RFID scanners 2202, 2204, as described in more detail above. The shaft information identifies a long curved shaft 2230 and provides a corresponding first adjustment 2294 to the default maximum threshold 2292. Similarly, the end effector information identifies an end effector 2210 with a staple cartridge having a size of 31 mm and provides a corresponding second adjustment 2296 to the default maximum threshold 2292.

[0127] In the example of graph 2290, the adjustment values ​​2294, 2296 are combined 2295 to reduce the default maximum threshold 2292 to a final maximum threshold 2298 for the firing rate of the surgical instrument 2200. The adjustment values ​​2294, 2296 may be part of the end effector information and shaft information, respectively, or may be determined by the control circuit 1210 from a database or lookup table stored in memory 1212, for example, based on the identity of the end effector 2210 and shaft 2230.

[0128] In at least one example, the surgical instrument 2200 may be assembled from an end effector 2210' with a curved long shaft 2230 and a default staple cartridge size (e.g., 25 mm). In such an example, the end effector information results in an adjustment value of zero and the shaft information results in an adjustment value 2294 that modifies the default maximum threshold 2282 to a final maximum threshold 2297 as shown in graph 2290. In other examples, the surgical instrument 2200 may be assembled from various combinations of end effectors and shafts that result in different adjustment values ​​to modify the default maximum threshold 2292 for firing velocity.

[0129] In addition to the above, graph 2290 shows three firing rate curves 2307, 2301, 2302 representing three different firing algorithms. Firing rate curve 2307 represents a first firing algorithm that fails to comply with a default maximum firing rate threshold 2292 due to failure to consider the inertia of the firing member. Firing rate curve 2301 represents a second firing algorithm that fails to comply with a statically adjusted maximum threshold 2298 due to failure to consider the inertia of the firing member. Firing rate curve 2302 represents a third firing algorithm in which the statically adjusted final maximum threshold 2298 is dynamically modified by an adjustment value 2304 to achieve a dynamically and statically adjusted final maximum threshold 2299. The adjustment value 2304 is based on the slope 2305 of the rate curve 2302.

[0130] In at least one example, as shown in FIG. 23, process 2310 illustrates a control program or logic configuration for operating surgical instrument 2200 according to at least one aspect of the present disclosure. In at least one example, process 2310 is performed by control circuitry 1210 ( FIG. 15 ) including processor 1214 and memory 1212 storing a set of computer executable instructions that, when executed by processor 1214, cause processor 1214 to perform process 2310. In certain examples, the set of computer executable instructions stored in memory 1212 can cause processor 1214 to perform distinct portions of process 2310. Although process 2310 is described as being performed by control circuitry 1210, this is merely for purposes of brevity, and it should be understood that process 2310 and other processes described herein, or portions thereof, can be performed by circuitry that may include various hardware and / or software components and that may be located in or associated with various suitable systems, such as, for example, combinatorial or sequential logic circuits.

[0131] In addition to the above, the process 2310 includes receiving 2312 an input from the RFID scanner 2202 indicative of the end effector information, receiving 2314 an input from the RFID scanner 2204 indicative of the shaft information, and statically adjusting 2316 a default maximum firing rate threshold 2292 of the surgical instrument 2200 to a final threshold 2298 based on the end effector information and the shaft information. Furthermore, in certain examples, the process 2310 further includes dynamically adjusting 2318 the final maximum firing rate threshold 2298 to a new final threshold 2299 based on the slope 2305 of the firing rate curve 2302 to account for the inertia of the firing member, as shown in the example graph 2290.

[0132] Referring primarily to FIG. 24 , three motor assemblies 5000, 5000′, 5000″ are interchangeably usable with the surgical instrument 5002. The motor assemblies 5000, 5000′, 5000″ include a motor 5001, 5001′, 5001″ and a gearbox 5003, 5003′, 5003″, respectively. The motors 5001, 5001′, 5001″ may have similar design parameters but have different power outputs depending on winding techniques, wire quality, internal component quality, and / or magnetic density. Additionally, the gearboxes 5003, 5003′, 5003″ associated with the motors 5001, 5001′, 5001″ also have variable losses and efficiencies depending on their materials, lubricants, tolerance stack-ups, and manufacturing methodologies. These variations mean that motor assemblies, such as, for example, motor assemblies 5000, 5000', 5000'', will likely have dramatically different efficiencies and power outputs for the same applied voltage and current, even if they are produced by a single supplier. In various embodiments, the surgical instrument 5002 addresses these variations by using an RFID system 5004 (FIG. 27) configured to detect and communicate with the motor assembly 5000, for example, to retrieve information associated with the motor assembly 5000 that may assist the surgical instrument 5002 in addressing the variations in the motor assembly. In various embodiments, detection of a motor assembly, such as, for example, motor assembly 5000, is achieved only when the surgical instrument 5002 is in an assembled configuration with the motor assembly 5000, as described in more detail below.

[0133] FIG. 26 is a graph 5009 having three lines 5011, 5011', 5011'' representing the relationship between motor torque (NM) on the Y-axis and motor speed (RPM) on the X-axis for motors 5001, 5001', 5001'', respectively. Lines 5011, 5011', 5011'' show the variations that exist between interchangeable motors. Lines 5011, 5011', 5011'' intersect the Y-axis at different points representing motor stall torque 5015 and also intersect the X-axis at different points representing no-load speed 5017. Graph 5009 also shows the motor speed at maximum preferred power. In various embodiments, as described in more detail below, information extracted from the relationships represented by lines 5011, 5011', 5011'' may be used by the control circuit 1210 to adjust one or more operating parameters of the motor, to select a control algorithm, and / or to adjust a default control algorithm to ensure delivery of a predictable output from the motor assembly 5000, 5000', 5000''.

[0134] Still referring to FIG. 24 , the surgical instrument 5002 includes a housing assembly 5006 having a motor assembly compartment 5007 configured to be interchangeably received and releasably coupled with a motor assembly, such as, for example, motor assembly 5000, 5000′, 5000″. For simplicity, the following description of the interaction between the surgical instrument 5002 and the motor assembly will focus on motor assembly 5000. Nevertheless, the following description applies equally to other suitable motor assemblies, such as, for example, motor assembly 5000′. Although the housing assembly 5006 is shown in the form of a handle, this is not intended to be limiting. In various examples, the housing assembly 100 can be a component of, for example, a robotic system.

[0135] The surgical instrument 5002 is similar in many respects to other surgical instruments described elsewhere herein, such as, for example, surgical instruments 100, 1100. For example, the surgical instrument 5002 includes a shaft 5008 extending distally from a housing assembly 5006 and an end effector 5019 extending distally from the shaft 5008. Various end effectors suitable for use with the surgical instrument 5002, such as, for example, a circular stapler end effector including anvil 400 and stapling head assembly 300, are described elsewhere in this disclosure and / or other disclosures incorporated by reference herein.

[0136] The motor assembly 5000 is movable relative to the housing assembly 5006 between an assembled configuration with the housing assembly 500 and an unassembled configuration. A variety of suitable electrical connectors may be used to connect the power source 5014 in the housing assembly 5006 to the motor assembly 5000 to power the motor 5001 in the assembled configuration. A variety of suitable mechanical connectors may also be used to operatively transfer motion generated by the motor 5001 from the gear box 5003 to the end effector for treating tissue grasped by the end effector.

[0137] No. 9,504,520, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH MODULAR MOTOR," issued Nov. 29, 2016, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, describes several mechanical and electrical connectors suitable for use with a surgical instrument 5002 and a motor assembly 5000. In at least one example, the motor assembly 5000 includes, for example, a body 5010, a base 5011, and a pair of pogo pins configured to deliver power to a motor 5001 housed within the body 5010. The pogo pins can engage a number of wires within a housing assembly 5006 that is coupled to a power source 5014. In various embodiments, the motor assembly 5000 is secured or held within or at least partially within a motor assembly compartment 5007 of the housing assembly 5006 by a latch member, clamp, clip, screw fastener, or the like. When the motor assembly 5000 is inserted into the motor assembly compartment 5007, the mechanical and electrical connectors of the motor assembly 5000 are coupled to corresponding structures in the housing assembly 5006 by electromechanical interfaces 5023 (FIG. 27) to form an assembled configuration.

[0138] 27, the RFID system 5004 includes an RFID scanner 5022 and an RFID tag 5021 detectable by the RFID scanner in an assembled configuration. In various embodiments, the RFID scanner 5022 is configured to read and / or write to the RFID tag 5021 in the assembled configuration. In the example shown in FIG. 27, the RFID scanner 5022 includes a detection range defined by a distance "d." The RFID tag 5021 is at or within the detection range defined by the distance "d" when the motor assembly 5000 is in the assembled configuration with the housing assembly 5006.

[0139] 27, the RFID scanner 5022 is coupled to a control circuit 1210 including a microcontroller with a processor 1214 and a storage medium such as memory 1212, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. The RFID tag 5021 stores information indicative of the motor assembly 5000 that is read by the RFID scanner 5022 while the motor assembly 5000 is held by the motor assembly compartment 5007 in the assembled configuration.

[0140] In at least one example, the control circuitry 1210 receives input indicative of the motor assembly information from the RFID scanner 5022 and adjusts one or more parameters of the operation of the motor 5001 based on the motor assembly information. The control circuitry 1210 can perform the parameter adjustments using the motor driver 5018. In the example shown in FIG. 27, the motor driver 5018 is positioned within the housing assembly 5006 and interfaces with the motor 5001 via the electromechanical interface 5023 in an assembled configuration. In other examples, the motor driver 5018 is part of the motor assembly 5000 and is configured to interface with the control circuitry 1210 via the electromechanical interface 5023.

[0141] 28, the processor 1214 of the control circuitry 1210 may be configured to select a control algorithm for the surgical instrument 5002 based on the motor assembly information retrieved from the RFID tag 5021 by the RFID scanner 5022. The control algorithm may be stored in the memory 1214, for example, in the form of a database or look-up table 5030. Alternatively or additionally, the motor assembly information for the motor assembly may include a control algorithm that is recommended for use with the motor assembly.

[0142] In various examples, for example, the motor assembly information of the motor assembly 5000 includes one or more of identification information, manufacturer information, and specific tolerances, for example, of the motor 5001 and / or gearbox 5003. The motor assembly information may include a model number, a lot number, a manufacturing date, and / or any other relevant information.

[0143] In the example shown in Figure 28, each row represents a control algorithm associated with a motor assembly that may be selected by the processor 1214 based on the retrieved motor assembly information. n The motor assembly information is based on input from an RFID scanner 5022 indicative of the motor assembly information for the motor assembly MA1-MA2. In at least one example, the values ​​in the outer left column may be a motor assembly identification number or model number. The center column includes values ​​for motor speed, inertia / actuated braking, stroke length, and current limit / force limit, which are associated with the motor assemblies MA1-MA2. n The values ​​in the outer right column are associated with each of the motor assemblies MA1-MA when coupled to the surgical instrument 5002. n 5 represents suitable voltage and discharge values ​​for a power supply 5014 configured to power the

[0144] 5, in various embodiments, the control circuitry 1210 is configured to use the RFID system 5004 to retrieve motor assembly information that identifies a motor assembly coupled to the surgical instrument 5002. The control circuitry 1210 then determines appropriate voltage and discharge values ​​for the power source 5014 from a lookup table 5030 based on the retrieved motor assembly information.

[0145] In various aspects, the control circuit 1210 uses equations or calibration coefficients, for example, to adjust operating parameters of the motor assembly 5000. The equations or calibration coefficients may be stored by the RFID tag 5021 and received by the control circuit 1210 through input from the RFID scanner 5022. Alternatively, the equations or calibration coefficients may be retrieved from a storage medium, such as, for example, the memory 1212, based on an identification of a memory assembly associated with such equations or calibration coefficients.

[0146] 25, a logic flow diagram of a process 5050 illustrates a control program or logic configuration for, for example, adjusting operating parameters of a motor 5001 of a surgical instrument 5002. In at least one example, the process 5050 is performed by a control circuit 1210 (FIG. 27) including a processor 1214 and a memory 1212 storing a set of computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor 1214, cause the processor 1214 to perform the process 5050. In certain examples, the set of computer executable instructions stored in the memory 1212 can cause the processor 1214 to perform separate portions of the process 5050. Although the process 5050 is described as being performed by the control circuit 1210, this is merely for the sake of brevity, and it should be understood that the process 5050 and other processes described herein, or portions thereof, can be performed by circuitry that may include various hardware and / or software components and that may be located in or associated with various suitable systems, such as, for example, combinatorial or sequential logic circuits.

[0147] In various embodiments, the process 5050 includes reading (5051) internal component identification information from an RFID tag 5021, for example, by an RFID scanner 5022. In at least one example, the internal component is a motor assembly 5000, a motor 5001, a gearbox 5003, or a power supply 5014. The process 5050 further determines (5052) whether algorithm tuning parameters are included in the internal component identification information. If so, the process 5050 adjusts (5053) a control algorithm associated with the internal component according to the received algorithm tuning parameters. If algorithm tuning parameters are included, the process 5050 uses (5054) the internal component identification information to retrieve the algorithm tuning parameters or to select an appropriate control algorithm for the internal component based on the internal component identification information and a database or lookup table of corresponding algorithm tuning parameters or control algorithms.

[0148] Many surgical instruments utilize batteries to provide the power necessary to operate the surgical instrument. Such batteries may include, for example, primary / non-rechargeable cells such as alkaline or lithium batteries, or secondary / rechargeable cells such as nickel metal hydride or lithium ion batteries. Different types of batteries may have different materials, chemistries, sizes, electrical characteristics (e.g., nominal voltage, discharge rate, etc.), discharge efficiencies, and costs. The type of battery utilized with a given surgical instrument is typically selected based on a variety of factors, such as whether it is disposable or rechargeable, size, power characteristics, and cost, among others.

[0149] As battery technology continues to advance, different battery chemistries having different capacities, power characteristics, etc. continue to evolve. It is contemplated that different battery packs having different capabilities and made by different manufacturers may be utilized with a given surgical instrument at different times throughout the useful life of the surgical instrument. In such cases, it is desirable for a given surgical instrument to be able to distinguish between different batteries in order to optimize the performance of the surgical instrument.

[0150] It is also contemplated that throughout the useful life of a given battery, a given battery may be utilized to power different surgical instruments at different times, and the power requirements of the different surgical instruments may vary. It is therefore desirable for the battery to be able to distinguish between different surgical instruments and adjust the electrical characteristics of the battery as needed to match the capabilities of the battery to the power requirements of a given surgical instrument.

[0151] FIG. 29 shows a partial perspective view of a surgical instrument 3000 according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The surgical instrument 3000 is similar to the surgical circular stapling instrument 10 described above and includes a housing assembly 3002, a shaft assembly 3004, a stapling head assembly (not shown), and an anvil (not shown), where the housing assembly 3002 is similar or identical to the housing assembly 100, the shaft assembly 3004 is similar or identical to the shaft assembly 200, the stapling head assembly (not shown) is similar or identical to the stapling head assembly 300, and the anvil (not shown) is similar or identical to the anvil 400. As shown in FIG. 29, the surgical instrument 3000 is also configured to receive a battery 3006. In some embodiments, the surgical instrument 3000 further includes a battery 3006. Although not shown in FIG. 29 for clarity, the surgical instrument also includes an electric motor 3008 (see FIG. 30), which is similar or identical to the motor 160. The electric motor 3008 is coupleable to the battery 3006 and is configured to move the anvil toward the staple head assembly to clamp tissue between the anvil and the staple head assembly and to fire the staples of the stapling head assembly into the clamped tissue. Although the surgical instrument 3000 is shown as a circular stapler, it will be understood that according to other aspects, the surgical instrument 3000 can be a linear stapler or other powered surgical instrument. In various aspects, the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 is similar in many respects to the surgical instrument 2200 and can be assembled from one or more of the interchangeable components of the surgical instrument 2200 illustrated in FIG.

[0152] The battery 3006 may be any suitable type of battery and may include any suitable number of cells. For example, according to various embodiments, the battery 3006 may include a lithium battery, such as a Lithium Manganese Oxide (Li-MnO2) or CR123 battery, a lithium ion battery, such as a 15270 battery, an alkaline battery, such as a manganese oxide (MnO2) battery, a nickel metal hydride battery, or the like. In at least one embodiment, the battery 3006 is in the form of a battery pack including a plurality of cells. For simplicity, the battery 3006 is hereinafter referred to as a battery pack 3006. The battery pack 3006 is similar to the battery pack 120, except that the battery pack 3006 includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag 3010 positioned within the battery pack 3006. The RFID tag 3010 stores information related to the battery pack 3006, which may include, for example, a battery identification number, the manufacturer / brand of the batteries in the battery pack 3006, the chemistry / type (lithium, lithium ion, etc.) of the batteries in the battery pack 30076, whether the type of batteries in the battery pack 3006 is rechargeable or non-rechargeable, the capacity of the battery pack 3006, the nominal voltage of the batteries in the battery pack 3006, the current draw characteristics of the batteries in the battery pack 3006, other power characteristics of the battery pack 3006, etc. The RFID tag 3010 is very small in size (e.g., 13 mm squared or less), which allows the RFID tag 3010 to be incorporated into the battery pack 3006 without unduly increasing the overall size of the battery pack 3006. According to various embodiments, the RFID tag 3010 may be similar to the miniature RFID tags described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,171,244.

[0153] The surgical instrument 3000 differs from the surgical circular stapling instrument 10 in that the surgical instrument 3000 further includes an RFID scanner 3012. The RFID scanner 3012 is positioned within the housing assembly 3002 and is configured to read information stored on the RFID tag 3010, where the stored information is associated with the battery pack 3006. The RFID scanner 3012 is also configured to communicate data indicative of the read information to the control circuitry 3014 (see FIG. 30) of the surgical instrument 3000 for processing. The RFID tag 3010 and the RFID scanner 3012 cooperate to collectively enable the surgical instrument 3000 to identify the battery pack 3006 and determine whether the battery pack 3006 is suitable for use with the surgical instrument 3000.

[0154] As shown in FIG. 29, the RFID scanner 3012 is positioned at the battery interface 3013 of the housing assembly 3002. The RFID tag 3010 is configured to be detected by the RFID scanner 3012 in a configuration in which the battery 3006 is assembled or at least partially assembled to the housing assembly 3002. This approach eliminates the need for a separate scanning step by tethering the detection of the RFID tag 3010 by the RFID scanner 3012 to the assembly of the battery 3006 to the housing assembly 3002. It also ensures that the detected battery 3006 is the one that will ultimately be assembled to the housing assembly 3002. In various embodiments, the detection range of the RFID scanner 3012 is limited such that it can detect the corresponding RFID tag 3010 only in a configuration in which the battery 3006 is assembled or at least partially assembled to the housing assembly 3002.

[0155] Similarly, the RFID scanner 3032 is positioned at the battery interface 3013 of the housing assembly 3002. The RFID tag 3032 is configured to be detected by the RFID scanner 3034 in a configuration in which the battery 3006 is assembled or at least partially assembled to the housing assembly 3002. In various embodiments, the detection range of the RFID scanner 3034 is limited such that it can detect the corresponding RFID tag 3032 only in a configuration in which the battery 3006 is assembled or at least partially assembled to the housing assembly 3002.

[0156] 29, the RFID scanner 3034 and the RFID tag 3010 are configured to be aligned with the RFID tag 3032 and the RFID scanner 3012, respectively, in an assembled configuration. This alignment, when achieved, positions the RFID tag 3010 within the detection range of the RFID scanner 3012 and the RFID tag 3032 within the detection range of the RFID scanner 3034.

[0157] 30 illustrates a control circuit 3014 of a surgical instrument 3000 according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The control circuit 3014 is communicatively coupled to the RFID scanner 3012 and is similar to the control circuit 1210 in that the control circuit 3014 includes a processor 3016 and a storage medium, such as, for example, a memory 3018. The memory 3018 stores program instructions for performing various processes, such as, for example, determining whether the battery pack 3006 is compatible with the surgical instrument 3000 (e.g., battery compatibility verification). The program instructions, when executed by the processor 3016, cause the processor 3016 to verify compatibility of the battery pack 3006 with the surgical instrument 3000 by comparing information received from the RFID tag 3010 with information stored in the memory 3018. The information stored in the memory 3018 may be in the form of, for example, a compatibility database or look-up table that includes information regarding the identities of batteries that may be utilized with the surgical instrument 3000, the output characteristics of batteries that may be utilized with the surgical instrument 3000, etc. According to various aspects, the control circuitry 3014 is communicatively coupled to other processors and / or memories of the surgical instrument 3000 and / or surgical hub system, and the described functions of the control circuitry 3014 may be implemented using other processors and / or memories of the surgical instrument 3000 and / or surgical hub system. The surgical hub system is described in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 209,395, filed December 4, 2018, entitled "METHOD OF HUB COMMUNICATION," the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0158] 31 illustrates a logic flow diagram of a process 3020 illustrating a control program or logic configuration for operating a surgical instrument 3000, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. In at least one example, the process 3020 is executed by the control circuit 3014. In certain examples, a set of computer executable instructions stored in the memory 3018 of the control circuit 3014 may cause the processor 3016 of the control circuit 3014 to perform the distinct operations of the process 3020. Although the process 3020 is described in the context of being executed by the control circuit 3014, it should be understood that the process 3020 and other processes described herein, or portions thereof, may be executed by circuitry that may include various hardware and / or software components and that may be located in or associated with a variety of suitable systems, such as, for example, combinatorial or sequential logic circuits.

[0159] As shown in FIG. 31 , the process 3020 includes detecting (3022) the battery information of the RFID tag 3010 via the RFID scanner 3012. In various embodiments, the RFID scanner 3012 can perform the detection whenever the battery pack 3006 is brought into proximity with the surgical instrument 3000. In other examples, the RFID scanner 3012 performs the detection after the battery pack 3006 is inserted into the housing assembly 3002 of the surgical instrument 3000. The RFID scanner 3012 then communicates (3024) data indicative of the detected battery information of the RFID tag 3010 to the control circuitry 3014. The communication of data may be accomplished by wired or wireless communication. The processor 3016 of the control circuitry 3014 then checks / compares (3026) the communicated data against a battery / surgical instrument compatibility database or look-up table, which may be stored in the memory 3018 of the control circuitry 3014. If the check / comparison 3026 results in a match 3029, the processor 3016 determines (3028) that the battery pack 3006 is compatible for use with the surgical instrument 3000, and a user of the surgical instrument 3000 may be alerted to that compatibility, for example, by a visual or audio indicator, such as a light emitting diode or a speaker. However, if the check / comparison 3026 does not result in a match 3029, the processor 3016 determines (3030) that the battery pack 3006 is not compatible for use with the surgical instrument 3000, and a user of the surgical instrument 3000 may be alerted to that incompatibility, for example, by a visual or audio indicator, such as a light emitting diode or a speaker. Additionally, in at least one aspect, if the processor 3016 determines that the battery pack 3006 is incompatible with the surgical instrument 3000, the processor 3016 can communicate a signal or instruction that operates to electrically lock out one or more functions of the surgical instrument 3000 (e.g., by preventing power from being applied to the electric motor 3008 of the surgical instrument 3000). Although the process 3020 has been described in the context of a given battery pack 3006, it will be understood that the above-described process 3020 may be repeated any number of times for any number of different battery packs.

[0160] Returning to FIG. 29, in at least one embodiment, the surgical instrument 3000 further includes an RFID tag 3032 positioned within the housing assembly 3002, and the battery pack 3006 further includes an RFID scanner 3034 positioned within the battery pack 3006. The RFID tag 3032 is similar to the RFID tag 3010 and stores information related to the surgical instrument 3000. Such information may include, for example, a surgical instrument identification number, the manufacturer / brand of the surgical instrument, the type of surgical instrument (circular stapler, linear stapler, grasper, etc.), the type of motor in the surgical device (brushed, brushless), the performance capabilities of the surgical instrument, the control algorithms present in the surgical instrument, etc. The RFID scanner 3034 is similar to the RFID scanner 3012 and is configured to read information stored in the RFID tag 3032 regarding the surgical instrument 3000 and communicate data indicative of the read information to the control circuitry 3040 (see FIG. 32) of the battery pack 3006 for processing. The RFID tag 3032 and the RFID scanner 3034 cooperate to allow the battery pack 3006 to identify the surgical instrument 3000 and verify that the surgical instrument 3000 is suitable for use with the battery pack 3006 .

[0161] 32 illustrates a control circuit 3040 of a battery pack 3006 according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The control circuit 3040 is communicatively coupled to an RFID scanner 3034 and is similar to the control circuit 3014 in that the control circuit 3040 includes a processor 3042 and a storage medium, such as, for example, a memory 3044. The memory 3044 stores program instructions for performing various processes, such as, for example, determining whether the surgical instrument 3000 is compatible with the battery pack 3006 (e.g., surgical instrument compatibility verification). The program instructions, when executed by the processor 3042, cause the processor 3044 to verify compatibility of the surgical instrument 3000 with the battery pack 3006 by comparing information received from the RFID tag 3032 with information stored in the memory 3044. The information stored in the memory 3044 may be in the form of, for example, a compatibility database or look-up table, including information regarding the identities of various surgical instruments, the power requirements of various surgical instruments, the performance parameters of various surgical instruments, etc. The process performed by the control circuit 3040 to verify compatibility of the surgical instrument 3000 with the battery pack 3006 is similar to the process 3020 utilized by the control circuit 3014 to verify compatibility of the surgical instrument 3000 with the battery pack 3006. For example, if the processor 3042 determines that the surgical instrument 3000 is not compatible with the battery pack 3006, the processor 3042 may communicate a signal or instruction that operates to electrically lock out the battery pack 3006 and prevent the battery pack 3006 from providing power to the surgical instrument 3000.

[0162] In view of the above aspects, it will be appreciated that a number of different batteries may be compatible with the surgical instrument 3000. In other words, the surgical instrument 3000 may be compatible with a number of different batteries. When the surgical instrument 3000 includes an RFID scanner 3012 and an RFID tag 3032, and the various batteries include RFID tags and RFID scanners similar or identical in functionality to the RFID tag 3010 and the RFID scanner 3034, the surgical instrument 3000 can distinguish between the different batteries and determine compatibility of each of the batteries with the surgical instrument 3000. Similarly, when the battery pack 3006 includes an RFID scanner 3010 and an RFID tag 3034, and the various surgical instruments include RFID tags and RFID scanners similar or identical in functionality to the RFID tag 3032 and the RFID scanner 3032, the battery pack 3006 can distinguish between the different surgical instruments and determine compatibility of each of the surgical instruments with the battery pack 3006.

[0163] 33 illustrates compatibility of a surgical instrument 3000 with a number of different battery packs 3006a, 3006b, 3006c, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Battery pack 3006a includes an RFID tag 3010a and an RFID scanner 3034a positioned therein, battery pack 3006b includes an RFID tag 3010b and an RFID scanner 3034b positioned therein, and battery pack 3006c includes an RFID tag 3010c and an RFID scanner 3034c positioned therein. According to various embodiments, battery pack 3006a includes a CR123 / lithium battery, battery pack 3006b includes a 15270 / lithium ion battery, and battery pack 3006c includes a battery other than a lithium or lithium ion battery. As described above, when any one of the battery packs 3006a, 3006b, 3006c is in proximity to or accepted by the surgical instrument 3000, the respective RFID tag / RFID scanner pair enables (1) the surgical instrument 3000 to have the ability to identify the applicable battery pack 3006a, 3006b, 3006c and determine whether the applicable battery pack 3006a, 3006b, 3006c is compatible / suitable for use with the surgical instrument 3000, and (2) any of the battery packs 3006a, 3006b, 3006c to have the ability to identify the surgical instrument 3000 and determine whether the surgical instrument 3000 is compatible / suitable for use with the applicable battery pack 3006a, 3006b, 3006c.

[0164] Different batteries may have different chemistries, different capacities, different output characteristics, different operating capabilities, etc., and different surgical instruments may have different power requirements. Fig. 34 shows a graph 3050 illustrating various motor torque / speed / current relationships for a surgical instrument 3000 when powered by different battery packs, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. For the graph 3050, units of speed (or current) are shown along the vertical axis 3052, and units of torque are shown along the horizontal axis 3054. A solid line 3056 represents the torque vs. speed relationship for a lithium ion / 15270 battery, with the left end of the solid line 3056 representing the no-load speed, and the right end of the solid line 3056 representing the stall torque. A solid line 3058 represents the torque vs. speed relationship for a lithium / CR-123 battery, with the left end of the solid line 3058 representing the no-load speed, and the right end of the solid line 3058 representing the stall torque. In general, torque is inversely proportional to the speed of the output shaft of the electric motor 3008 of the surgical instrument 3000. In other words, the greater the speed, the less the torque (or vice versa).

[0165] Dashed line 3060 represents the current drawn from the Lithium-Ion / 15270 battery, with the left end of dashed line 3060 representing the no-load current and the right end of dashed line 3060 representing the stall current. Dashed line 3062 represents the current drawn from the Lithium / CR-123 battery, with the left end of dashed line 3062 representing the no-load current and the right end of dashed line 3062 representing the stall current. For both batteries, the no-load current is greater than zero because it takes a certain amount of current to overcome the internal friction of the electric motor 3008. In general, when an external load is applied, the current drawn from each battery increases, creating a torque that must be matched (torque is proportional to the applied current), slowing down the speed of the electric motor 3008. As the external load increases further, the speed of the electric motor 3008 decreases further until it eventually reaches a stall. In view of the above, it will be appreciated that the motor torque / speed / current relationships may vary significantly based on the particular battery pack utilized to power the surgical instrument 3000.

[0166] FIG. 35 illustrates a bar graph 3070 depicting various energy densities of different battery packs that may be utilized with a surgical instrument 3000, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Each energy density represents the amount of energy stored in the different battery packs per unit mass. For the graph 3070, Watt-hours per kilogram of mass (Wh / Kg) is shown along the vertical axis 3072, and the different battery packs are shown along the horizontal axis 3074. A bar 3076 representing the energy density of a nickel metal hydride rechargeable battery is shown as approximately 80 Wh / Kg, a bar 3078 representing the energy density of a lithium ion rechargeable battery is shown as approximately 160 Wh / Kg, a bar 3080 representing the energy density of an alkaline manganese oxide (MnO2) battery is shown as approximately 205 Wh / Kg, and a bar 3082 representing the energy density of a primary / disposable lithium battery is shown as approximately 400 Wh / Kg. In view of the above, it will be appreciated that the energy densities of the various battery packs that may be utilized with the surgical instrument 3000 may vary considerably.

[0167] FIG. 36 illustrates a bar graph 3090 showing a comparison of actual energy density and rated energy density of different battery packs that may be utilized with a surgical instrument 3000 according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. For the graph 3090, Watt-hours per kilogram of mass (Wh / Kg) is shown along the vertical axis 3092, and different battery packs are shown along the horizontal axis 3094. For each different type of battery, the actual energy density is less than the rated energy density. In some examples, such as for nickel metal hydride rechargeable batteries or lithium ion rechargeable batteries, the actual energy density is only about 15%-20% lower than the rated energy density. For primary / disposable lithium batteries, the actual energy density is about 30% lower than the rated energy density. For alkaline manganese oxide (MnO2) batteries, the actual energy density is about 75% lower than the rated energy density. More specifically, for a nickel metal hydride rechargeable battery, bar 3096 representing rated energy density is shown as approximately 75Wh / Kg, and bar 3098 representing actual energy density is shown as approximately 60Wh / Kg. For a primary / disposable lithium ion battery, bar 3100 representing rated energy density is shown as approximately 140Wh / Kg, and bar 3102 representing actual energy density is shown as approximately 120Wh / Kg. For an alkaline manganese oxide (MnO2) battery, bar 3104 representing rated energy density is shown as approximately 210Wh / Kg, and bar 3106 representing actual energy density is shown as approximately 50Wh / Kg. For a primary / disposable lithium battery, bar 3108 representing rated energy density is shown as approximately 250Wh / Kg, and bar 3110 representing actual energy density is shown as approximately 170Wh / Kg. In view of the above, it will be appreciated that the expected / rated energy density of a given battery that may be utilized with the surgical instrument 3000 may vary considerably.

[0168] FIG. 37 illustrates a bar graph 3111 showing the nominal voltages of different battery packs that may be utilized with a surgical instrument 3000, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. For the graph 3111, the units of cell voltage (V) are shown along the vertical axis 3112, and the different battery packs are shown along the horizontal axis 3114. For a primary / disposable lithium battery, a bar 3116 representing the nominal cell voltage is shown as approximately 3.0 volts. For a silver oxide battery, a bar 3118 representing the nominal cell voltage is shown as approximately 1.6 volts. For an alkaline manganese oxide (MnO2) battery, a bar 3120 representing the nominal cell voltage is shown as approximately 1.5 volts. For a nickel metal hydride rechargeable battery, a bar 3122 representing the nominal cell voltage is shown as approximately 1.3 volts. For a lithium ion rechargeable battery, a bar 3124 representing the nominal cell voltage is shown as approximately 3.8 volts. In view of the above, it will be appreciated that the nominal voltages of the various battery cells that may be utilized with the surgical instrument 3000 may vary considerably.

[0169] Different brands of batteries, which may be made by different companies, may have different capacities (e.g., ampere-hours) for a given discharge rate (e.g., current / time). For example, different brands of CR-123A / CR17335 batteries may have different capacities for a given discharge rate. The different capacities for a given discharge rate of different brands of CR-123A / CR17335 batteries are listed below in Table B1, where each discharge current will discharge each battery in 1 hour.

[0170] [Table 1]

[0171] As shown in Table B1, the capacity of the battery may vary depending on the discharge current. For example, for the Autec battery, the capacity is shown in Table B1 as 0.616 amp-hours at a discharge current of 100mA, 0.688 amp-hours at a discharge current of 700mA, 0.439 amp-hours at a discharge current of 1500mA, and 0.625 amp-hours at a discharge current of 2200mA. As also shown in Table B1, at a discharge current of 700mA, the capacity of different brands of CR-123A / CR17335 batteries may vary from a low of 0.688 amp-hours for the Autec battery to a high of 1.260 amp-hours for the Panasonic battery. At a discharge current of 1500mA, the capacity of different brands of CR-123A / CR17335 batteries may vary from a low of 0.439 amp-hours for the Autec brand to a high of 0.801 amp-hours for the PowPower brand. At a discharge current of 2200 mA, the capacity of different brands of CR-123A / CR17335 batteries can vary from a low of 0.543 amp hours for the Maxell brand to a high of 0.817 amp hours for the PowPower brand. In view of the above, it will be appreciated that the capacity of different batteries that may be utilized with the surgical instrument 3000 can vary considerably depending on both the battery manufacturer / brand and the battery discharge current.

[0172] FIG. 38 illustrates a graph 3130 showing discharge curves of different CR123A / CR17335 batteries that may be utilized with a surgical instrument 3000 according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. For the graph 3130, units of voltage (Volts) are shown along the vertical axis 3132, units of energy charge in Ampere Hours (Amp-Hrs) are shown along the horizontal axis 3134, and each discharge curve is labeled with a two-letter code (e.g., AU, DC, EI, MX, PS, PW, PP, SY, TE) listed in Table B1 for different brands of batteries. Each discharge curve corresponds to a different brand of CR-123A / CR17335 battery listed in Table B1 above and is based on a discharge current of 1500 mA. As shown in FIG. 38, each brand of CR-123A / CR17335 battery may have its own characteristic nominal voltage and its own characteristic discharge curve. In other words, each brand of CR-123A / CR17335 battery may provide different voltages for different times. For example, an Autec battery (Au) is shown as providing 0.3 amp-hours of energy charge before its voltage drops to 2.0 volts, and a PowPower battery (PP) is shown as providing approximately 0.8 amp-hours of energy charge before its voltage drops to 2.0 volts. In view of the above, it will be appreciated that the energy charge provided by different batteries that may be utilized with the surgical instrument 3000 may vary considerably.

[0173] 39 illustrates a graph 3140 depicting a discharge curve 3142 of a lithium ion battery that may be utilized with a surgical instrument 3000, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. For the graph 3140, units of voltage (volts) are shown along the vertical axis 3144, and units of capacity (ampere hours) are shown along the horizontal axis 3146. As shown in FIG. 39, the nominal voltage of the lithium ion battery is about 4.3 volts, and the lithium ion battery provides a voltage of at least about 3.75 volts until the lithium ion battery discharges about 5.0 ampere hours of capacity, and then the voltage provided by the lithium ion battery subsequently drops significantly until the lithium ion battery fully discharges about 5.5 ampere hours of its capacity.

[0174] The discharge rate of a given battery can vary, sometimes dramatically, with temperature. Figure 40 shows a graph 3150 illustrating different discharge curves for different temperatures for a lithium-ion battery that may be utilized with a surgical instrument 3000, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. For the graph 3150, units of voltage (volts) are shown along the vertical axis 3152, units of capacity (ampere-hours) are shown along the horizontal axis 3154, and the discharge current is 1100 mA, which corresponds to a C / 5 rate for a lithium-ion battery. The C-rate is a measure of the rate at which a battery discharges relative to the maximum capacity of the battery. As shown in Fig. 40, for discharge curve 3156, this represents the discharge curve of a lithium ion battery at -40°C, where the lithium ion battery provides a voltage of at least 3.0 volts until the lithium ion battery has discharged about 2.0 amp-hours of capacity, and then provides a voltage just below 3.0 volts until the lithium ion battery has discharged about 3.5 amp-hours of capacity, and then the voltage provided by the lithium ion battery begins to drop significantly thereafter. For discharge curve 3158, this represents the discharge curve of a lithium ion battery at -30°C, where the lithium ion battery provides a voltage of at least 3.0 volts until the lithium ion battery has discharged about 4.1 amp-hours of capacity, and then the voltage provided by the lithium ion battery begins to drop significantly thereafter. With respect to discharge curve 3160, this represents the discharge curve of a lithium ion battery at 20° C., where the lithium ion battery provides a voltage of at least 3.8 volts until the lithium ion battery has discharged approximately 4.8 amp-hours of capacity, and then the voltage provided by the lithium ion battery begins to drop significantly thereafter. With respect to discharge curve 3162, this represents the discharge curve of a lithium ion battery at 60° C., where the lithium ion battery provides a voltage of at least 3.80 volts until the lithium ion battery has discharged approximately 4.5 amp-hours of capacity, and then the voltage provided by the lithium ion battery begins to drop significantly thereafter.In view of the above, it will be appreciated that the discharge rate of a given lithium-ion battery does not vary linearly with temperature, and that temperatures that are too low or too high can adversely affect the performance of the lithium-ion battery.

[0175] The energy capacity of a given battery may vary based on the rate at which the battery is discharged. FIG. 41 shows a graph 3170 illustrating different discharge curves for different discharge rates of a CR123 battery that may be utilized with a surgical instrument 3000, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. For the graph 3170, units of voltage (volts) are shown along the vertical axis 3172, units of power (watt-hours) are shown along the horizontal axis 3174, and the CR123 battery is a Panasonic Lithium Power battery. As shown by the discharge curve 3176, for a discharge current of 3.0 amps, the energy capacity of the battery is about 1.2 watt-hours. As shown by the discharge curve 3178, for a discharge current of 2.0 amps, the energy capacity of the battery is about 2.3 watt-hours. As shown by the discharge curve 3180, for a discharge current of 1.0 amp, the energy capacity of the battery is about 3.2 watt-hours. As shown by discharge curve 3182, at a discharge current of 0.5 amps, the energy capacity of the battery is about 3.7 watt-hours. As shown by discharge curve 3184, at a discharge current of 0.2 amps, the energy capacity of the battery is about 4.1 watt-hours. As shown by discharge curve 3186, at a discharge current of 0.1 amps, the energy capacity of the battery is about 4.25 watt-hours. In view of the above, it will be appreciated that, in general, the lower the discharge current, the greater the energy capacity of the CR123 battery. In other words, in general, the higher the discharge current, the lower the energy capacity of the CR123 battery.

[0176] 42 illustrates various operational differences between a dumb battery 3190, an intelligent battery 3192, and an adaptive surgical instrument 3194, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. In various embodiments, the battery pack 3006 may be configured as a dumb battery 3190. In the case of a dumb battery 3190, when the dumb battery 31900 is brought into proximity with or received by a surgical instrument (e.g., surgical instrument 3000), the RFID tag of the dumb battery 3190 is energized (3196), and the dumb battery 3190 then communicates battery identification information to an RFID scanner of the surgical instrument. The surgical instrument can then utilize the battery identification information as described above to verify compatibility of the dumb battery 3190 with the surgical instrument.

[0177] In various embodiments, the battery pack 3006 may be configured as an intelligent battery 3192. The intelligent battery 3192 is configured to read (3198) the identification information of the surgical instrument, determine / verify (3200) whether the identified surgical instrument is compatible for use with the intelligent battery 3192, adjust (3202) the output characteristics of the intelligent battery 3192 as necessary for proper performance of the identified surgical instrument, energize (3204) the output of the intelligent battery 3192, and provide (3206) the expected battery identification information to the identified surgical instrument, recognizing that the identified surgical instrument is powered by a known compatible battery. In this manner, newer, more intelligent batteries not necessarily identified in the compatibility database / lookup table of the identified surgical instrument may nevertheless be enabled to provide power to the identified surgical instrument. As described in more detail below, the intelligent battery 3192 may mimic the performance of a known compatible battery.

[0178] In various aspects, the surgical instrument 3000 may be configured as an adaptive surgical instrument 3194. With respect to the adaptive surgical instrument 3194, the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 activates (3208), reads (3210) battery identification information provided by a battery, such as, for example, an intelligent battery 3192 or a dumb battery 3190, when the battery is brought into proximity with or accepted by the adaptive surgical instrument 3194, determines / verifies (3212) whether the identified battery is compatible for use with the adaptive surgical instrument 3194, and then adjusts (3214) operation of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 (e.g., motor operation, operational control parameters, etc.) based on the received battery identification information. For example, in various embodiments, the operation of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 may vary depending on whether the identified battery is rechargeable or non-rechargeable, the chemistry of the identified battery (e.g., nickel metal hydride, lithium ion, alkaline manganese oxide, lithium, etc.), and / or the power capabilities of the identified battery. In this manner, the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 can utilize a much larger variety of different batteries than would otherwise be possible.

[0179] For a given battery pack, the relationship between the potential of the battery pack and the current drawn from the battery pack is given by the equation V=IR, where V is the voltage of the battery pack, I is the current drawn from the battery pack, and R is the resistance of the load connected to the battery pack. Because different battery packs may have different potentials and different internal resistances, the current drawn from the battery pack may vary from battery pack to battery pack when powering a given surgical instrument. The voltages and currents of two different battery packs, one containing four CR123A cells and the other containing four 15270 cells, are shown below in Table B2 for various resistances.

[0180] [Table 2]

[0181] FIG. 43 illustrates a graph 3220 depicting the output current capabilities of different battery packs when utilized with an adaptive surgical instrument 3194, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. For the graph 3220, units of current I (amperes) are shown along the vertical axis 3222, and units of time are shown along the horizontal axis 3224. As shown in FIG. 43, the current output 3226 from a standard CR-123 battery pack (e.g., four batteries) may average approximately 5.0 amps between time X and time Y, and the current output 3228 from a standard 15270 battery may average approximately 8.9 amps between time X and time Z. By utilizing standard RFID capabilities, the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 can cause the current drawn from a standard 15270 battery pack to mimic 3230 the current drawn from a standard CR-123 battery pack. In various embodiments, the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 may accomplish this by adapting a speed control algorithm of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 to slow down the speed of the electric motor 3008, by increasing the resistance seen by the 15270 battery pack, by using a voltage divider to have the 15270 battery pack adjust its current output to effectively mimic the current output of a standard CR-123 battery pack, etc. For example, according to various embodiments, a processor of the control circuitry of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 may communicate instructions to operate, for example, to adapt the speed control algorithm of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 or by using a voltage divider. Because the surgical instrument 3000 may be configured as an adaptive surgical instrument 3194, the control circuitry of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 may be similar to or identical to the control circuitry 1210 and / or the control circuitry 3014. For example, if the 15270 battery pack is an intelligent battery pack (e.g., the intelligent battery 3192), the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 can communicate instructions to the intelligent battery pack to operate like a CR-123 battery pack.

[0182] FIG. 44 illustrates a graph 3240 showing output voltage capabilities of different battery packs when utilized with an adaptive surgical instrument 3194 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. For the graph 3240, units of voltage (Volts) are shown along the vertical axis 3242 and units of capacity (Amp-hours) are shown along the horizontal axis 3244. As shown in FIG. 44, the voltage output 3246 from a standard CR-123 battery pack discharging at a rate of 1.25 amps per hour may average approximately 7.0 volts while the standard CR-123 battery pack discharges from approximately 0.05 amp hours to approximately 0.4 amp hours, and the voltage output 3248 from a standard 15270 battery pack may average approximately 14.0 volts while the standard 15270 battery pack discharges from approximately 0.08 amp hours to approximately 0.5 amp hours. By utilizing the RFID capabilities described above, the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 can cause the voltage provided by a standard 15270 battery pack to mimic (3250) the voltage provided by a standard CR-123 battery pack. In various embodiments, the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 can accomplish this by adapting the speed control algorithm of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 to slow down the speed of the electric motor 3008, by increasing the resistance seen by the 15270 battery pack to cause the 15270 battery pack to adjust its voltage output to effectively mimic the voltage output of a standard CR-123 battery pack, and the like. For example, if the 15270 battery pack is an intelligent battery pack (e.g., the intelligent battery 3192), the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 can communicate instructions to the intelligent battery pack to operate like a CR-123 battery pack. In at least one example, a voltage divider can be used to adjust the voltage output of the battery pack.

[0183] FIG. 45 illustrates a graph 3260 showing the output voltage capabilities of different battery packs when utilized with an adaptive surgical instrument 3194, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. For the graph 3260, units of voltage (volts) are shown along the vertical axis 3262, and units of power (watt-hours) are shown along the horizontal axis 3264. The graph 3260 is similar to the graph 3240, except that units of power are shown along the horizontal axis 3264. As shown in FIG. 45, the voltage output 3266 from a standard CR-123 battery pack can average approximately 7.15 volts from the time the standard CR-123 battery pack provides approximately 0.25 watt-hours of power until the time the standard CR-123 battery pack provides approximately 3.2 watt-hours of power. During this period, the voltage provided by the standard CR-123 battery pack is predictable and stable. Thus, the RFID capabilities described above are utilized by the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 to cause the voltage 3268 provided by a standard 15270 battery pack to mimic 3261 the voltage provided by a standard CR-123 battery pack. This results in the "regulated" voltage provided by the standard CR-123 battery pack also being predictable and stable over the period of time described above.

[0184] The dimensional size of many surgical instruments continues to become smaller and smaller. Despite the size reduction, many of the surgical instruments must accommodate increasing loads, higher performance requirements, and higher overstress conditions. To meet the reduced size requirements, for surgical instruments that include radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, such as radio frequency identification tags and / or scanners, the profile of the RFID tags and / or scanners and associated electronics continues to become smaller and lower. These smaller systems may not have the memory overhead, processing power, or capacity (range, power, etc.) required to accomplish all the tasks that users require from a surgical instrument identification system. Thus, in various embodiments, it may be desirable to utilize encryption / decryption keys that are external to the surgical instrument, as well as printed or secondary stored data locations to help extend the capabilities and possibilities of these smaller, less capable systems, to provide encryption, multi-component authentication, multi-component compatibility verification, rework tracking, and the like.

[0185] 42, it will be appreciated that the above-described functionality of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 is dependent on the RFID tag 3010 of the battery pack 3006 being able to communicate battery identification information to the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 and the RFID scanner 3012 of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 being able to read the battery identification information provided by the RFID tag 3010 of the battery pack 3006. In certain instances, the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 is unable to determine the suitability of the battery pack 3006. For example, if the RFID tag 3010 of the battery pack 3006 is faulty (e.g., a fault in the integrated circuit chip of the RFID tag 3010, a fault in the electrical connection between the integrated circuit chip of the RFID tag 3010 and the antenna, etc.) such that the RFID tag 3010 fails to communicate battery identification information, the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 is unable to determine the suitability of the battery pack 3006. Similarly, if the RFID scanner 3012 of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 experiences a fault (e.g., a fault in the wiring in the circuitry of the RFID scanner 3012, a fault in the communication board of the RFID scanner 3012, etc.) such that the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 is unable to capture, process and / or communicate the battery identification information provided by the battery pack 3006, the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 will be unable to determine the compatibility of the battery pack 3006. In such cases, it may be desirable to have a secondary / alternative method of determining the compatibility of a given battery pack with a given adaptive surgical instrument.

[0186] FIG. 46 illustrates a battery 3300 for use with the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 of FIG. 42, according to at least an embodiment of the present disclosure. The battery 3300 may be any suitable type of battery and may include any suitable number of cells. For simplicity, the battery 3300 is hereafter referred to as a battery pack 3300. The battery pack 3300 is similar to the battery pack 3006 in that the battery pack 3300 includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag 3302, but differs in that the battery pack 3300 also includes a quick response (QR) code 3304 and / or a product code 3306 positioned on an exterior surface of the battery pack 3300. The RFID tag 3302 may be similar or identical to the RFID tag 3010.

[0187] The QR code 3304 is a machine-readable optical label that contains information about the battery pack 3300. Such information may include, for example, a battery identification number, the manufacturer / brand of the batteries in the battery pack 3300, the chemistry / type (lithium, lithium ion, etc.) of the batteries in the battery pack 3300, whether the type of batteries in the battery pack 3300 is rechargeable or non-rechargeable, the capacity of the battery pack 3300, the nominal voltage of the batteries in the battery pack 3300, the current draw characteristics of the batteries in the battery pack 3300, other output characteristics of the battery pack 3300, etc. In various aspects, a smartphone, tablet, etc. equipped with a camera and a QR code scanner application may be utilized to read the QR code 3304 from the battery pack 3300.

[0188] The product code 3306 may include any sequence of numbers, letters, symbols, etc. that uniquely identifies the battery pack 3300. In some aspects, the product code 3306 may be utilized to assist the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 in determining whether the battery pack 3300 is compatible for use with the adaptive surgical instrument 3194.

[0189] 47 illustrates a logic flow diagram of a process 3320 illustrating a control program or logic configuration for operating an adaptive surgical instrument 3194 according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. In at least one example, the process 3320 is performed by a control circuit 1210 ( FIG. 15 ) including a processor 1214 and a memory 1212 storing a set of computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor 1214, cause the processor 1214 to perform the process 3320. In certain examples, the set of computer executable instructions stored in the memory 1212 can cause the processor 1214 to perform separate portions of the process 3320. While the process 3320 is described as being performed by the control circuit 1210, this is merely for the sake of brevity, and it should be understood that the process 3320 and other processes described herein, or portions thereof, can be performed by circuitry that may include various hardware and / or software components and that may be located in or associated with various suitable systems, such as, for example, combinatorial or sequential logic circuits.

[0190] The process 3320 includes a manner / method for determining whether a given battery pack, such as, for example, the battery pack 3300, is compatible for use with the adaptive surgical instrument 3194. For simplicity, the process 3320 is described in the context of its applicability with the battery pack 3300. An alternative manner / method may be utilized if (1) the battery pack 3300 is unable to communicate battery identification information to the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 and / or the RFID scanner 3012 of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 is unable to read the battery identification information provided by the RFID tag 3302 of the battery pack 3300, and (2) the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 is unable to determine / verify compatibility of the battery pack 3300 with the adaptive surgical instrument 3194.

[0191] 47 , the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 wakes up (3322) when the battery pack 3300 is brought close to or accepted by the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 and then attempts to read (3324) battery identification information provided by the battery pack 3300. If the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 is able to read (3324) the battery identification information, the control circuitry of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 (e.g., the control circuitry 3014 and / or another control circuitry of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194) determines / verifies (3326) whether the identified battery is compatible for use with the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 and then adjusts (3328) the operation of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 (e.g., motor operation, operational control parameters, etc.) based on the received battery identification information, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. For example, in various aspects, the operation of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 may vary depending on whether the identified battery is rechargeable or non-rechargeable, the chemistry of the identified battery (e.g., nickel metal hydride, lithium ion, alkaline manganese oxide, lithium, etc.), and / or the power capabilities of the identified battery. In this manner, the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 may utilize a much larger variety of different batteries than would otherwise be possible. In at least one aspect, in addition to storing information in the form of a compatibility database or lookup table, the memory 3018 of the control circuit 3014 may also store information in the form of an authentication database.

[0192] However, if the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 is unable to read 3324 the battery identification information (e.g., due to either a failure of the RFID tag 3302 of the battery pack 3300 or a failure of the RFID scanner 3012 of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194), an indication, such as, for example, a visual or audio indication, may be provided via the indicator 1209 ( FIG. 19 ) notifying the user of the failure to read 3324 the battery identification information of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194. The user or another party may then cause the QR code 3304 and / or product code 3306 of the battery pack 3300 to be entered 3330 into a server. In at least one aspect, a smartphone, tablet, or the like utilized to capture the QR code 3304 may communicate the QR code 3304 to the server via a wired or wireless connection. The communication of the QR code 3304 to the server may be an encrypted communication, in the same manner that the communication between the battery pack 3300 and the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 may be encrypted. The server may be any suitable server, such as, for example, a server of a surgical hub system. An example of a surgical hub system is described in U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 209,395, filed December 4, 2018, entitled "METHOD OF HUB COMMUNICATION," the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0193] The server is configured to compare the battery identification information provided by the QR code 3304 and / or product code 3306 to a database / table to determine 3332 the authenticity of the battery pack 3300 identified by the QR code 3304 and / or product code 3306. For example, if the server determines that the battery pack 3300 identified by the QR code 3304 and / or product code 3306 is authenticated, the server can generate 3334 a temporary override token that is communicated via a wired or wireless connection to the adaptive surgical instrument 3194, and control circuitry of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 (e.g., the control circuitry 3014 and / or another control circuitry of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194) utilizes the temporary override token as a substitute for the unread battery identification information. The communication of the temporary override token to the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 can be an encrypted communication. The temporary override token effectively acts to override a lockout of operation of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 that may occur when the battery pack 3300 is not authenticated by the adaptive surgical instrument 3194. In at least one aspect, the lockout operation is initiated and / or executed by the control circuitry 3014. For example, if the battery pack 3300 identified by the QR code 3304 and / or product code 3306 is not authenticated, an indication, such as, for example, a visual or audio indication, may be provided via the indicator 1209 to notify the user of the failure to authenticate the battery pack 3300.

[0194] With the temporary override token in place, the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 may determine / verify (3326) whether the identified battery pack 3300 is compatible for use with the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 as described above. However, if for any reason the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 is unable to verify that the identified battery pack 3300 is compatible with the adaptive surgical instrument 3194, an indication, such as, for example, a visual or audio indication, may be provided that notifies the user of the failure of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 to verify compatibility of the battery pack 3300 with the adaptive surgical instrument 3194. In such an example, the user or another party may then cause the QR code 3304 and / or product code 3306 of the battery pack 3300 to be entered (3336) into a server. The server is further configured to compare the battery identification information provided by the QR code 3304 and / or product code 3306 to a database / table to determine 3338 whether the battery pack 3300 identified by the QR code 3304 and / or product code 3306 is compatible for use with the adaptive surgical instrument 3194. For example, if the server determines that the battery pack 3300 identified by the QR code 3304 and / or product code 3306 is compatible for use with the adaptive surgical instrument 3194, the server can generate 3340 another temporary override token that is communicated to the adaptive surgical instrument 3194, and the control circuitry of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 (e.g., the control circuitry 3014 and / or another control circuitry of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194) utilizes the temporary override token as a substitute for an unverified compatibility determination. The communication of the another temporary override token to the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 can be an encrypted communication. The other temporary override token effectively acts to override a lockout of operation of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 that may occur when the compatibility of the battery pack 3300 has not been verified by the adaptive surgical instrument 3194. The adaptive surgical instrument 3194 can then adjust (3328) the operation of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 (e.g., motor operation, operational control parameters, etc.) as described above.

[0195] 47 is limited to (1) determining authenticity of the battery pack 3300 and (2) determining / verifying compatibility of the battery pack 3300 with the adaptive surgical instrument 3194, the underlying logic of the process 3320 may also be utilized to determine compatibility of any number of components and / or subsystems that may be utilized with the adaptive surgical instrument 3194. For example, by providing a given staple cartridge and a given anvil with the RFID capabilities described above, the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 may receive staple cartridge identification information from an RFID tag of a given staple cartridge and anvil identification information from an RFID tag of a given anvil. In at least one aspect, the shaft assembly of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 is configured to receive an anvil and the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 is configured to receive a staple cartridge. If the staple cartridge identification information and the anvil identification information are encrypted, the control circuitry of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 (e.g., the control circuitry 3014 and / or another control circuitry of the adaptive surgical instrument 3194) can utilize the universal private key to decrypt the received staple cartridge identification information and the received anvil identification information and then determine / verify the compatibility of a given staple cartridge with a given anvil, and the compatibility of a given staple cartridge and a given anvil with the adaptive surgical instrument 3194. If the staple cartridge is determined to be incompatible with the anvil, the server and / or another system can provide an indication of the source of the incompatibility issue and provide details on how to correct the incompatibility issue, for example, via indicator 1209.

[0196] Additionally, the basic logic of the process 3320, the QR code, the product code, and one or more servers as described above, may be utilized to determine the authenticity / compatibility of any number of components and / or subsystems when the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 is unable to receive / read the applicable identification information. For example, in addition to determining the authenticity of the battery pack 3300 and its compatibility with the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 when the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 is unable to receive / read the applicable identification information (e.g., due to a failure of the RFID tag and / or RFID scanner), the same basic process utilizing the QR code, product code, and one or more servers may be utilized to determine the authenticity of the anvil and staple cartridge, and the compatibility of a given anvil with a given cartridge, and the compatibility of a given anvil and a given cartridge with the adaptive surgical instrument 3194. If the server determines that the staple cartridge is not compatible with the anvil, the server and / or another system can provide an indication of the source of the incompatibility issue and provide details on how to correct the incompatibility issue.

[0197] Additionally, since a number of components and subsystems that may be utilized with the adaptive surgical instrument 3194 may be included in a package, if an applicable QR code and / or product code is included on the package, the underlying logic of the process 3320, the QR code, product code and one or more servers as described above may be utilized to determine the authenticity / compatibility of any number of components and / or subsystems presumably included in the package.

[0198] 48 illustrates a logic flow diagram of a process 3400 illustrating a control program or logic configuration for verifying authenticity and / or compatibility of surgical instrument components of a surgical instrument, such as, for example, surgical instruments 2200, 3194. In at least one example, the process 3400 is performed by a control circuit 1210 ( FIG. 15 ) including a processor 1214 and a memory 1212 that stores a set of computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor 1214, cause the processor 1214 to perform the process 3400. In certain examples, the set of computer executable instructions stored in the memory 1212 can cause the processor 1214 to perform distinct portions of the process 3400. While process 3320 is described as being performed by control circuitry 1210, it should be understood that this is for the sake of brevity only, and that process 3400 and other processes described herein, or portions thereof, may be performed by circuitry that may include various hardware and / or software components and that may be located in or associated with a variety of suitable systems, such as, for example, combinatorial or sequential logic circuits.

[0199] In various examples, the control circuitry 1210 may use the process 3400 to verify, for example, the authenticity and / or compatibility of a surgical instrument and a battery pack releasably coupleable to the surgical instrument between an assembled configuration and an unassembled configuration. In other examples, the control circuitry 1210 may use the process 3400 to verify, for example, the authenticity and / or compatibility of an anvil and staple cartridge of a surgical instrument.

[0200] As shown in FIG. 48, the process 3400 includes receiving (3402) a first input indicating a first identification of a first surgical tool component of a surgical tool, such as, for example, the surgical tool 2200 (FIG. 19). The first identification may be stored in a first RFID tag of the first surgical tool component. The process 3400 includes receiving (3404) a second input indicating a second identification of a second surgical tool component of the surgical tool. The second identification may be stored in a second RFID tag of the second surgical tool component. As shown in FIG. 19, for example, the control circuit 1210 may be coupled to one or more RFID scanners configured to read the stored identification.

[0201] The process 3400 further includes receiving 3406 a third input indicating a third identification of the package of the first surgical tool component of the surgical tool. In a first example, the package includes an RFID tag that stores the third identification. In a second example, the package includes a CR code that includes the third identification. In a third example, the package includes a product number that includes the third identification. The third identification is an encrypted collection of the first and second identifications and may be retrieved by the control circuitry 1210 via an RFID scanner in the first example, or any suitable smartphone, tablet equipped with a camera in the second and third examples.

[0202] In various examples, the process 3400 further includes decrypting (3408) the encryption of the third identification information and determining (3410) the authenticity of the first and second surgical tool components by comparing the first and second identification information to the decrypted third identification information. In certain examples, the memory 1212 may store a decryption key that may be utilized by the processor 1214 to decrypt the encryption of the third identification information.

[0203] Further, in certain examples, the process 3400 may include determining (3412) compatibility of the first and second surgical components based on the first identification information and the second identification information. In at least one example, the memory 1212 stores a compatibility database or look-up table that may be utilized by the processor 1214 to evaluate compatibility of the first and second surgical instrument components. In certain examples, the first identification information identifies the surgical instrument itself and may be stored in the memory 1212 of the control circuitry 1210, but may be retrieved by the processor 1214. In certain examples, the second surgical instrument component is a battery pack, such as, for example, the battery pack 120. In at least one example, the first surgical instrument component is an anvil, such as, for example, the anvil 2400, and the second surgical instrument component is a staple cartridge, such as, for example, the staple cartridge of the stapling head assembly 2300. Other examples of first and second surgical instrument components suitable for use with the process 3400 are also contemplated by the present disclosure.

[0204] Various aspects of the subject matter described herein are illustrated in the following examples.

[0205] Example Set 1 Example 1 - A surgical instrument comprising: a housing, a shaft assembly extending distally from the housing, a stapling head assembly located at a distal end of the shaft assembly, an anvil coupleable with the stapling head assembly, and an anvil adjustment assembly. The stapling head assembly comprises a distal surface. The stapling head assembly is operable to drive an annular array of staples through the distal surface. The stapling head assembly comprises a radio frequency identification (RFID) scanner. The anvil is translatable relative to the stapling head assembly toward a closed configuration. The anvil comprises an RFID tag. The anvil adjustment assembly comprises a translation member. The translation member is operable to translate relative to the housing along a longitudinal axis, thereby adjusting a longitudinal position of the anvil relative to the distal surface of the stapling head assembly. The RFID tag is detectable by the RFID scanner within an attachment threshold distance. Example 2 - The surgical instrument of example 1, wherein the RFID tag is adapted to store information regarding the anvil. Example 3 - The surgical instrument of any one of examples 1 to 2, wherein the anvil comprises a head and a shank extending from the head. The shank supports an RFID tag. Example 4 - The surgical instrument of example 3, wherein the shank includes a recess sized to receive an RFID tag. Example 5 - The surgical instrument of example 3 or 4, wherein the RFID tag is insulated from the shank. Example 6 - A surgical instrument according to any one of Examples 1 to 5, wherein the RFID tag is detectable by an RFID scanner in a closed configuration. Example 7 - The surgical instrument of any one of Examples 1-6, wherein the stapling head assembly comprises an inner core member. The inner core member supports an RFID scanner. Example 8 - A surgical instrument described in any one of Examples 1-7, further comprising a control circuit configured to detect a proper seating orientation of the anvil relative to the stapling head assembly based on input from an RFID scanner. Example 9 - A surgical instrument described in any one of Examples 1 to 8, further comprising a control circuit configured to check compatibility of the anvil with a staple cartridge of the stapling head assembly based on input from an RFID scanner indicating information regarding the anvil. Example 10 - A surgical instrument described in any one of Examples 1 to 9, further comprising a control circuit configured to detect a closed configuration based on input from an RFID scanner. Example 11 - The surgical instrument of example 10, further comprising an indicator coupled to the control circuit. The control circuit is configured to cause the indicator to issue an alert indicative of the closed configuration. Example 12 - The surgical instrument of any one of Examples 1-11, further comprising a lockout assembly. The lockout assembly is configured to transition between a first state and a second state. In the first state, the lockout assembly is configured to allow translation of the translation member. In the second state, the lockout assembly is configured to prevent translation of the translation member. Example 13 - The surgical instrument of example 12, further comprising a control circuit configured to select between the first state and the second state based on input from an RFID scanner. Example 14 - A surgical instrument described in any one of Examples 1 to 13, further comprising a control circuit configured to detect detachment of the anvil from the stapling head assembly based on a loss of signal between the RFID scanner and the RFID tag. Example 15 - A surgical instrument comprising: a shaft assembly; a stapling head assembly located at a distal end of the shaft assembly; and an anvil coupleable with the stapling head assembly. The stapling head assembly comprises a staple cartridge and an RFID scanner. The staple cartridge comprises a cartridge deck. The stapling head assembly is operable to drive staples from the staple cartridge through the cartridge deck. The staple cartridge comprises a first RFID tag. The first RFID tag is adapted to store information regarding the staple cartridge. The RFID scanner is configured to detect the first RFID tag of a staple cartridge retained in the stapling head assembly. The anvil is translatable relative to the stapling head assembly towards a closed configuration. The anvil comprises a second RFID tag. The second RFID tag is adapted to store information regarding the anvil. The RFID scanner is configured to detect the second RFID tag in the closed configuration. Example 16 - The surgical instrument of example 15, further comprising a control circuit coupled to the RFID scanner, the control circuit configured to determine compatibility between the anvil and the staple cartridge based on the information stored in the first RFID tag and the information stored in the second RFID tag. Example 17 - The surgical instrument of any one of Examples 15 to 16, further comprising a control circuit coupled to the RFID scanner. The control circuit is configured to determine a firing status of the staple cartridge based on the information stored in the first RFID tag. Example 18 - A surgical instrument described in any one of Examples 15 to 17, further comprising a control circuit configured to detect a proper seating orientation of the anvil relative to the stapling head assembly based on signals transmitted to the RFID scanner from the first RFID tag and the second RFID tag. Example 19 - A surgical instrument comprising a housing, a shaft assembly extending distally from the housing, a stapling head assembly located at a distal end of the shaft assembly, an anvil coupleable with the stapling head assembly, and an RFID system. The stapling head assembly comprises a distal surface. The stapling head assembly is operable to drive an annular array of staples through the distal surface. The anvil is translatable relative to the stapling head assembly towards a closed configuration to capture tissue therebetween. The RFID system comprises an RFID scanner and an RFID tag adapted to store information about the anvil. The RFID tag is configured to transmit an RF signal indicative of the information to the RFID scanner in the closed configuration. The surgical instrument further comprises a control circuit coupled to the RFID scanner. The control circuit is configured to determine a characteristic of the tissue based on RF signal backscatter from the tissue. Example 20 - The surgical instrument of example 19, wherein the characteristic is tissue thickness.

[0206] Example Set 2 Example 1 - A surgical instrument comprising an end effector, a shaft, and a housing. The end effector comprises an anvil, a staple cartridge including staples, the staples being deployable toward the anvil and through tissue grasped between the anvil and the staple cartridge, a cutting member configured to cut tissue, and a first radio frequency identification (RFID) tag configured to store end effector information. The shaft comprises a distal portion selectively transitionable with the end effector between a first attachment configuration and a first detachment configuration, a first RFID scanner proximate the distal portion, a proximal portion, and a second RFID tag configured to store shaft information. The first RFID scanner is configured to detect the first RFID tag in the first attachment configuration. The housing is selectively transitionable with the proximal portion of the shaft between a second attachment configuration and a second detachment configuration. The housing comprises a second RFID scanner configured to detect a second RFID tag in the second attachment configuration, a motor configured to apply a load to the end effector to staple and cut tissue, and a control circuit configured to receive input indicative of the end effector information from the first RFID scanner and input indicative of the shaft information from the second RFID scanner and adjust at least one parameter of operation of the motor based on the end effector information and the shaft information. Example 2 - The surgical instrument of example 1, wherein the end effector information indicates a staple cartridge size. The shaft information indicates a shaft profile. Example 3 - The surgical instrument of example 2, wherein the control circuit is configured to determine a final maximum load threshold of the load applied by the motor to the end effector based on a staple cartridge size and a shaft profile. Example 4 - A surgical instrument as described in Example 3, wherein the control circuit is configured to determine a final maximum load threshold by adjusting the default maximum load threshold by a first adjustment value based on a staple cartridge size and a second adjustment value based on a shaft profile. Example 5 - A surgical instrument described in any one of Examples 2 to 4, wherein the control circuit is configured to delay actuation of the motor for a predetermined period of time based on the staple cartridge size. Example 6 - A surgical instrument described in any one of Examples 1 to 5, wherein the control circuit is configured to receive input from a user and adjust at least one parameter of the operation of the motor based on at least two of the user input, end effector information, and shaft information. Example 7 - The surgical instrument of example 6, wherein the input from the user includes a user selected forming height. Example 8 - A surgical instrument comprising an end effector and a housing assembly. The end effector comprises an anvil, a staple cartridge including staples, the staples being deployable towards the anvil and through tissue grasped between the anvil and the staple cartridge, a cutting member configured to cut tissue, and a first RFID tag configured to store end effector information. The housing assembly comprises a shaft selectively movable with the end effector between an attached configuration and a detached configuration, an RFID scanner configured to detect the RFID tag in the attached configuration, a motor configured to apply a load to the end effector to staple and cut tissue, and a control circuit. The control circuit is configured to receive input from the RFID scanner indicative of the end effector information and adjust at least one parameter of operation of the motor based on the end effector information. Example 9 - The surgical instrument of example 8, wherein the end effector information indicates a staple cartridge size. Example 10 - The surgical instrument of Example 9, wherein the control circuit is configured to determine a final maximum load threshold of the load applied by the motor to the end effector based on a staple cartridge size. Example 11 - A surgical instrument as described in Example 10, wherein the control circuit is configured to determine a final maximum load threshold by adjusting the default maximum load threshold by an adjustment value based on the staple cartridge size. Example 12 - A surgical instrument described in any one of Examples 9 to 11, wherein the control circuit is configured to delay actuation of the motor for a predetermined period of time based on the staple cartridge size. Example 13 - A surgical instrument described in any one of Examples 8 to 12, wherein the control circuit is configured to receive input from a user and adjust at least one parameter of the operation of the motor based on the user input and the end effector information. Example 14 - The surgical instrument of example 13, wherein the input from the user includes a user selected forming height. Example 15 - A surgical instrument comprising an end effector, a shaft, and a housing. The end effector comprises a stapling head assembly, an anvil movable a closing distance relative to the stapling head assembly to transition the end effector from an open configuration to a closed configuration, and a first RFID tag configured to store end effector information. Tissue is grasped between the anvil and the stapling head assembly in the closed configuration. The shaft comprises a distal portion selectively transitionable with the end effector between a first attachment configuration and a first detachment configuration, a first RFID scanner proximate the distal portion, a proximal portion, and a second RFID tag configured to store shaft information. The first RFID scanner is configured to detect the first RFID tag in the first attachment configuration. The housing is selectively transitionable with the proximal portion of the shaft between a second attachment configuration and a second detachment configuration. The housing includes a second RFID scanner configured to detect a second RFID tag in the second mounting configuration, a motor configured to generate a closing motion to move the anvil a closing distance, and a control circuit configured to receive input indicative of the end effector information from the first RFID scanner and input indicative of the shaft information from the second RFID scanner and adjust at least one parameter of operation of the motor based on the end effector information and the shaft information. Example 16 - The surgical instrument of example 15, wherein the end effector information indicates a staple cartridge size. The shaft information indicates a shaft profile. Example 17 - A surgical instrument as described in Example 16, wherein the control circuit is configured to determine a final minimum threshold value of the closure distance based on a staple cartridge size and a shaft profile. Example 18 - A surgical instrument as described in Example 17, wherein the control circuit is configured to determine a final minimum threshold value of the closure distance by adjusting a default minimum threshold value of the closure distance by a first adjustment value based on a staple cartridge size and a second adjustment value based on a shaft profile. -Example 19 - A surgical instrument as described in Example 15, wherein the control circuit is configured to adjust a range of user-selectable closing distances of the anvil based on end effector information and shaft information.

[0207] Example Set 3 Example 1 - A surgical instrument comprising a housing assembly including a battery interface configured to releasably retain a battery, a radio frequency identification scanner positioned at the battery interface, and a control circuit. The radio frequency identification scanner is configured to receive information from the battery. The control circuit is configured to determine compatibility of the battery with the surgical instrument based on the information received from the battery. Example 2 - The surgical instrument of example 1, wherein the housing assembly is configured to receive a battery in an assembled configuration. Example 3 - The surgical instrument of example 2, wherein the radio frequency identification scanner is further configured to receive information from a radio frequency identification tag of the battery in an assembled configuration. Example 4 - The surgical instrument of example 2, further comprising a battery. The battery includes a radio frequency identification tag that is within detection range of a radio frequency identification scanner in an assembled configuration. Example 5 - The surgical instrument of example 4, wherein the radio frequency identification tag stores at least one of a battery identification number, a battery manufacturer, a battery chemistry, whether the battery is rechargeable, the capacity of the battery, the nominal voltage of the battery, the current draw characteristics of the battery, and the output characteristics of the battery. Example 6 - A surgical instrument described in any one of Examples 1 to 5, wherein the control circuit comprises a processor electrically connected to the radio frequency identification scanner and a memory electrically connected to the processor. Example 7 - The surgical instrument of example 6, wherein the memory stores at least one of a compatibility database and a lookup table. Example 8 - The surgical instrument of any one of Examples 1-7, further comprising an electric motor positioned within the housing assembly. The control circuitry is further configured to electronically lock out operation of the electric motor. Example 9 - A surgical instrument comprising a housing assembly including a battery interface, a radio frequency identification tag positioned at the battery interface, an electric motor positioned within the housing assembly, a battery electrically couplable to the electric motor, and a control circuit. The battery comprises a radio frequency identification scanner. The radio frequency identification scanner is configured to receive information from a radio frequency identification tag of the surgical instrument in an assembled configuration with the housing assembly. The control circuit is configured to determine compatibility of the battery with the surgical instrument based on the information received from the radio frequency identification tag. Example 10 - A surgical instrument as described in Example 9, wherein the radio frequency identification tag stores at least one of a surgical instrument identification number, a manufacturer of the surgical instrument, a type of surgical instrument, a type of electric motor, a performance capability of the surgical instrument, and a control algorithm present in the surgical instrument. Example 11 - A surgical instrument as described in Example 9 or 10, wherein the control circuit comprises a processor electrically connected to the radio frequency identification scanner and a memory electrically connected to the processor. Example 12 - A surgical instrument as described in Example 11, wherein the memory stores at least one of a compatibility database and a lookup table. Example 13 - The surgical instrument of any one of Examples 9-12, further comprising: a second radio frequency identification tag positioned within the battery; a second radio frequency identification scanner positioned at the battery interface; and a second control circuit. The second radio frequency identification scanner is configured to receive information from the second radio frequency identification tag in the assembled configuration. The second control circuit is configured to determine compatibility of the battery with the surgical instrument based on the information received from the second radio frequency identification tag. Example 14 - A surgical instrument comprising a housing assembly, a radio frequency identification scanner positioned within the housing assembly, and a control circuit. The housing assembly is configured to receive a first battery and a second battery after the first battery is removed from the housing assembly. The output characteristics of the second battery are different from the output characteristics of the first battery. The control circuit is configured to adjust operation of the surgical instrument to cause the second battery to mimic the output characteristics of the first battery. Example 15 - The surgical instrument of example 14, wherein at least one of the output characteristics of the first battery includes a voltage of the first battery. Example 16 - A surgical instrument as described in Example 14 or 15, wherein at least one of the output characteristics of the first battery includes a current drawn from the first battery. Example 17 - A surgical instrument described in at least one of Examples 14 to 16, wherein at least one of the output characteristics of the first battery includes an output capacity of the first battery. Example 18 - A surgical instrument described in at least one of Examples 14 to 17, wherein at least one of the output characteristics of the first battery includes the power provided by the first battery. Example 19 - A surgical instrument described in at least one of Examples 14 to 18, wherein the radio frequency identification scanner is configured to receive first information from the first battery and second information from the second battery. Example 20 - A surgical instrument described in at least one of Examples 14 to 19, wherein the control circuit comprises a processor electrically connected to the radio frequency identification scanner and a memory electrically connected to the processor.

[0208] Example Set 4 Example 1 - A surgical instrument comprising an end effector operable to treat tissue, a shaft extending proximally from the end effector, and a housing assembly extending proximally from the shaft. The housing assembly comprises a radio frequency identification (RFID) scanner and a motor assembly compartment comprising a motor assembly, the motor assembly being replaceably retained by the motor assembly compartment in an assembled configuration. The motor assembly is movable relative to the motor assembly compartment between an assembled configuration and an unassembled configuration. The motor assembly comprises a motor configured to drive the end effector to treat tissue and an RFID tag detectable by the RFID scanner in the assembled configuration. The RFID tag stores motor assembly information. Example 2 - The surgical instrument of example 1, further comprising a control circuit configured to receive an input from the RFID scanner in an assembled configuration, the input indicating motor assembly information. Example 3 - The surgical instrument of example 2, wherein the control circuit is further configured to adjust at least one parameter of the operation of the motor based on the motor assembly information. Example 4 - A surgical instrument as described in Example 2 or 3, wherein the control circuit is further configured to select a control algorithm for the surgical instrument based on the motor assembly information. Example 5 - The surgical instrument of example 4, wherein the control circuit is further configured to select a control algorithm from control algorithms each associated with a different motor assembly information. Example 6 - A surgical instrument described in any one of Examples 2 to 5, wherein the control circuit is further configured to determine motor settings based on motor assembly information. Example 7 - A surgical instrument described in any one of Examples 1 to 6, wherein the motor assembly comprises a gearbox operably coupled to the motor. Example 8 - The surgical instrument of Example 7, wherein the motor assembly information includes gearbox information and motor information. Example 9 - The surgical instrument of any one of Examples 1-8, further comprising a power source coupled to the motor assembly in an assembled configuration. Example 10 - The surgical instrument of example 9, wherein the power source is configured to generate a power output to cause the motor to drive the end effector to treat tissue. Example 11 - The surgical instrument of example 10, wherein the control circuit is further configured to determine a value of the power output based on the motor assembly information. Example 12 - A surgical instrument comprising an end effector operable to treat tissue, a shaft extending proximally from the end effector, and a housing assembly extending proximally from the shaft. The housing assembly comprises a radio frequency identification (RFID) scanner and a motor assembly compartment comprising a motor assembly, the motor assembly being replaceably retained by the motor assembly compartment in an assembled configuration. The motor assembly is movable relative to the motor assembly compartment between an assembled configuration and an unassembled configuration. The motor assembly comprises a motor configured to drive the end effector to treat tissue, and an RFID tag positioned within detection range of the RFID scanner in the assembled configuration. The RFID tag stores motor assembly information. Example 13 - A surgical instrument as described in Example 12, further comprising a control circuit configured to receive an input from an RFID scanner in an assembled configuration, the input indicating motor assembly information. Example 14 - A surgical instrument as described in Example 13, wherein the control circuit is further configured to adjust at least one parameter of the operation of the motor based on the motor assembly information. - Example 15 - A surgical instrument described in Example 13 or 14, wherein the control circuit is further configured to select a control algorithm for the surgical instrument based on the motor assembly information. - Example 16 - A surgical instrument as described in Example 15, wherein the control circuit is further configured to select a control algorithm from control algorithms each associated with different motor assembly information. Example 17 - A surgical instrument described in any one of Examples 13 to 16, wherein the control circuit is further configured to determine motor settings based on motor assembly information.

[0209] Example Set 5 Example 1 - A surgical instrument comprising: a housing assembly, a shaft assembly coupled to the housing assembly, at least one radio frequency identification scanner configured to receive information from a radio frequency identification tag corresponding to a component coupleable to the surgical instrument, and a control circuit, the control circuit configured to determine, for each component, an authenticity of the component based on the information received from the radio frequency identification tag. Example 2 - The surgical instrument of example 1, wherein the information includes a first identification of a first one of the components and a second identification of a second one of the components. The at least one radio frequency identification scanner is configured to receive a third identification from a radio frequency identification tag of a package of the first component, the third identification being encrypted. Example 3 - The surgical instrument of example 2, wherein the control circuit is configured to determine authenticity of the first component and the second component by decrypting the third identification information and comparing the first identification information and the second identification information to the decrypted third identification information. Example 4 - The surgical instrument of example 3 or 4, wherein the control circuit uses a private key to decrypt the third identification information. Example 5 - The surgical instrument of any one of Examples 1-4, wherein the components include a battery, an anvil, and a staple cartridge. Example 6 - The surgical instrument of example 5, wherein the housing assembly is configured to receive a battery. Example 7 - The surgical instrument of example 5 or 6, wherein the surgical instrument is configured to receive a staple cartridge. Example 8 - A surgical instrument described in any one of Examples 1 to 7, wherein the control circuit comprises a processor electrically connected to at least one radio frequency identification scanner and a memory electrically connected to the processor. Example 9 - A surgical instrument as described in Example 8, wherein the memory stores at least one of an authentication database, a compatibility database, and a lookup table. Example 10 - A surgical instrument described in any one of Examples 1 to 9, wherein the control circuit is further configured to electronically lock out operation of the surgical instrument based on a determination of lack of authenticity for any one of the components. Example 11 - A surgical instrument as described in Example 10, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to disable a lockout of the surgical instrument based on a temporary override token received from the server. Example 12 - A surgical instrument as described in Example 11, wherein the temporary override token is based on at least one of a quick response code associated with any one of the components and a product code associated with any one of the components. Example 13 - A surgical instrument described in any one of Examples 1 to 12, wherein the control circuit is further configured to determine, for each component, whether the component is compatible with the surgical instrument based on information received from the radio frequency identification tag. Example 14 - A surgical instrument described in any one of Examples 1 to 13, wherein the control circuit is further configured to determine whether one of the components is compatible with another one of the components based on information received from the radio frequency identification tag. Example 15 - The surgical instrument of example 1, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to disable a lockout of the surgical instrument based on a temporary override token received from the server. Example 16 - A surgical assembly including a surgical instrument comprising a first identification, a battery pack coupleable to the surgical instrument, and a control circuit. The battery pack is configured to transfer energy to the surgical instrument in an assembled configuration with the surgical instrument. The battery pack comprises a battery RFID tag storing a second identification. The control circuit is configured to receive an input indicative of an encrypted third identification stored on the RFID tag of the surgical instrument package, decrypt the third identification, and determine authenticity of the surgical instrument and the battery pack by comparing the first identification and the second identification to the decrypted third identification. -Example 17 - A surgical assembly as described in Example 16, wherein the control circuit is further configured to determine compatibility between the battery pack and the surgical instrument based on the first identification information and the second identification information. Example 18 - The surgical assembly of any one of examples 16 to 17, wherein the control circuitry includes a processor and a memory electrically connected to the processor. The memory stores at least one of a compatibility database and a lookup table. Example 19 - A surgical assembly including a surgical tool component and a surgical tool. The surgical tool component comprises an RFID tag storing a first identification of the surgical tool component. The surgical tool component is releasably couplable to the surgical tool between an assembled configuration and an unassembled configuration. The surgical tool comprises an RFID scanner configured to read the first identification and a control circuit coupled to the RFID scanner. The control circuit is configured to detect an incompatibility between the surgical tool component and the surgical tool based on the first identification, retrieve a second identification of the surgical tool component, retrieve a temporary override token based on the second identification, and use the temporary override token to avoid detection of the incompatibility. Example 20 - The surgical assembly of Example 19, wherein the second identification information is a serial number of the surgical instrument component. Example 21 - A surgical assembly as described in example 19 or 20, wherein the QR code includes second identification information.

[0210] While several embodiments have been illustrated and described, it is not the applicant's intention to restrict or limit the appended claims to such details. Numerous modifications, variations, changes, substitutions, combinations, and equivalents of these embodiments can be implemented and will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Moreover, the structure of each element associated with the described embodiments can be alternatively described as a means for providing the function performed by the element. Also, although materials are disclosed with respect to specific components, other materials may be used. It is therefore to be understood that the above description and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications, combinations, and variations as falling within the scope of the disclosed embodiments. The appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications, variations, changes, substitutions, modifications, and equivalents.

[0211] The above detailed description has described various aspects of the apparatus and / or process using block diagrams, flow diagrams, and / or examples. To the extent that such block diagrams, flow diagrams, and / or examples include one or more functions and / or operations, it should be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that each function and / or operation included in such block diagrams, flow diagrams, and / or examples can be implemented individually and / or collectively by a variety of hardware, software, firmware, or virtually any combination thereof. It should be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, in whole or in part, can be equivalently implemented on an integrated circuit 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 virtually any combination thereof, and that designing circuitry and / or writing software and / or firmware code is within the skill of one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the present disclosure. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the subject matter described herein may be distributed as one or more program products in a variety of forms, and that the particular form of the subject matter described herein applies regardless of the particular type of signal-bearing medium used to actually effect the distribution.

[0212] The instructions used to program the logic to implement the various disclosed aspects may be stored in a system memory such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), cache, flash memory, or other storage. Additionally, the instructions may be distributed over a network or by other computer-readable media. Machine-readable media may therefore include any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer), including but not limited to floppy diskettes, optical disks, compact disks, read-only memories (CD-ROMs), as well as magneto-optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROMs), electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs), magnetic or optical cards, flash memories, or tangible machine-readable storage used to transmit information over the Internet via electrical, optical, acoustic, or other forms of propagated signals (e.g., carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals, etc.). Non-transitory computer-readable media may therefore include any type of tangible machine-readable media suitable for storing or transmitting electronic instructions or information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer).

[0213] The term "control circuitry" as used in any aspect of the present specification can refer to, for example, hardwired circuitry, programmable circuitry (e.g., a computer processor including one or more individual 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), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA)), a state machine circuit, firmware that stores instructions executed by the programmable circuit, and any combination thereof. The control circuitry can be embodied, collectively or individually, as circuits that form part of a larger system, such as, for example, 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 smartphone, etc. Thus, as used herein, "control circuitry" includes, but is not limited to, electrical circuitry having at least one discrete electrical circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one integrated circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one application specific integrated circuit, electrical circuitry forming a general purpose computing device configured by a computer program (e.g., a general purpose computer configured by a computer program that at least partially executes the processes and / or devices described herein, or a microprocessor configured by a computer program that at least partially executes the processes and / or devices described herein), electrical circuitry forming a memory device (e.g., a form of random access memory) and / or electrical circuitry forming a communications device (e.g., a modem, a communications switch, or an optical-electrical facility). 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.

[0214] As used in any aspect herein, the term "logic" may refer to an application, software, firmware, and / or circuitry configured to perform any of the operations described above. 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, or instruction sets, and / or hard-coded (e.g., non-volatile) data in a memory device.

[0215] As used in any aspect of this specification, the terms "component," "system," "module," etc. may refer to a computer-related entity that is either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution.

[0216] As used in any aspect of this specification, an "algorithm" refers to a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result, and 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. It is common practice to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like. These and similar terms may be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities and / or states.

[0217] The network may include a packet-switched network. The communication devices may communicate with each other using a selected packet-switched network communication protocol. One exemplary communication protocol may include an Ethernet communication protocol that may enable communication using Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP). The Ethernet protocol may conform to or be compatible with the Ethernet standard entitled "IEEE 802.3 Standard" published in December 2008 by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and / or later versions of this standard. Alternatively or additionally, the communication devices may communicate with each other using an X.25 communication protocol. The X.25 communication protocol may conform to or be compatible with standards promulgated by the International Telecommunication Union-Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T). Alternatively or additionally, the communication devices may communicate with each other using a Frame Relay communication protocol. The frame relay communication protocol may conform to or be compatible with standards promulgated by the Consultative Committee for International Telegraph and Telephone (CCITT) and / or the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Alternatively or additionally, the transceivers may be capable of communicating with each other using an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) communication protocol. The ATM communication protocol may conform to or be compatible with the ATM standard published in August 2001 by the ATM Forum entitled "ATM-MPLS Network Interworking 2.0" and / or later versions of this standard. Of course, different and / or later developed connection-oriented network communication protocols are equally contemplated herein.

[0218] In various embodiments, the microcontroller of the control circuitry according to the present disclosure may be any single-core or multi-core processor, such as those known under the trade name ARM Cortex manufactured by Texas Instruments. In one embodiment, the main microcontroller 461 may be an LM4F230H5QR ARM Cortex-M4F processor core available from Texas Instruments, including, for example, 256KB of on-chip memory of single-cycle flash memory or other non-volatile memory up to 40MHz, a pre-fetch buffer to improve performance above 40MHz, 32KB of single-cycle SRAM, internal ROM loaded with StellarisWare® software, 2KB of EEPROM, one or more PWM modules, one or more QEI analog, and / or one or more 12-bit ADCs with 12 analog input channels, details of which are available in the product data sheet.

[0219] Unless expressly specified otherwise, as will be apparent from the foregoing disclosure, discussions throughout the foregoing disclosure using terms such as "processing," "computing," "calculating," "determining," "displaying," and the like will be understood to refer to the actions and processing of a computer system or similar electronic computing device that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities in the computer system's registers and memory into other data that are similarly represented as physical quantities in the computer system's memory or registers or other such information storage, transmission, or display devices.

[0220] One or more components may be referred to herein as being "configured to," "configurable to," "operable / operative to," "adapted / adaptable," "able to," "conformable / conformed to," etc. Those skilled in the art will understand that "configured to" may generally encompass active and / or inactive and / or standby components, unless the context requires otherwise.

[0221] The terms "proximal" and "distal" are used herein with reference to a clinician manipulating a housing portion of a surgical instrument. The term "proximal" refers to the portion closest to the clinician and the term "distal" refers to the portion located away from the clinician. It will be further understood that for convenience and clarity, spatial terms such as "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," and "lower" may be used herein with respect to the drawings. However, surgical instruments are used in many orientations and positions, and these terms are not intended to be limiting and / or absolute.

[0222] Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms used herein generally, and in the appended claims in particular (e.g., the body of the appended claims), are generally intended as "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 "includes" should be interpreted as "includes but is not limited to," etc.). Moreover, those skilled in the art will understand that where a specific number is intended in an introduced claim recitation, such intention will be clearly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation, no such intention exists. For example, as an aid to understanding, the appended claims which follow may include the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce the claim recitation. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed as implying that when a claim recitation is introduced by the indefinite article "a" or "an," any particular claim containing such an introduced claim recitation is limited to claims containing only one such recitation, even if the same claim contains an introductory phrase such as "one or more" or "at least one" and the indefinite article "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and / or "an" should normally be construed to mean "at least one" or "one or more"). The same applies when a definite article is used to introduce a claim recitation.

[0223] In addition, those of skill in the art will recognize that even when a particular number is specified in an introduced claim recitation, such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., a mere "two items" without other qualifiers generally means at least two items, more than two items). Furthermore, when a notation similar to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, such syntax is generally intended in the sense that a person of skill in the art would understand the notation (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" includes, 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 all of A, B, and C, etc.). When a notation similar to "at least one of A, B, or C, etc." is used, such syntax is generally intended in the sense that one of ordinary skill in the art would understand the notation (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" includes, 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 all of A, B, and C, etc.). Furthermore, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that any disjunctive word and / or phrase expressing two or more alternative terms should typically be understood to contemplate the possibility of including one of those terms, either of those terms, or both of those terms, unless the context requires otherwise, whether in the specification, claims, or drawings. For example, the phrase "A or B" will typically be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B."

[0224] With respect to the appended claims, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the recited operations herein may generally be performed in any order. Also, while flow diagrams of various operations are shown in a sequence, it should be understood that the various operations may be performed in orders other than those shown, or may be performed simultaneously. Examples of such alternative orderings may include overlapping, interleaving, interrupting, reordering, incremental, preliminary, additional, simultaneous, reverse, or other different orderings, unless the context requires otherwise. Moreover, terms such as "responsive to," "related to," or other past tense adjectives are generally not intended to exclude such variations, unless the context requires otherwise.

[0225] It is worth noting that any reference to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example," "an example," or the like means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment," "in an embodiment," "in an example," and "in one example" in various places throughout this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0226] Any patent application, patent, non-patent publication, or other disclosure material referenced herein and / or listed in any Application Data Sheet is incorporated herein by reference to the extent that the incorporated material is not inconsistent with this specification. As such, and to the extent necessary, the disclosure material explicitly set forth in this specification shall take precedence over any conflicting statements incorporated herein by reference. Any material, or portions thereof, that is referred to as being incorporated herein by reference but that conflicts with current definitions, opinions, or other disclosure material set forth herein shall be incorporated only to the extent that no conflict arises between the incorporated material and the current disclosure material.

[0227] In summary, many benefits have been described that result from using the concepts described herein. The above description of one or more embodiments has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed. Modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The one or more embodiments have been selected and described to illustrate the principles and practical applications, thereby enabling those skilled in the art to utilize the various embodiments, with various modifications, as appropriate for the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the claims presented herewith define the overall scope.

[0228] [Embodiment] (1) A surgical instrument, a housing assembly including a battery interface configured to releasably retain a battery; a radio frequency identification scanner positioned at the battery interface, the radio frequency identification scanner configured to receive information from the battery; A surgical instrument comprising: a control circuit configured to determine compatibility of the battery with the surgical instrument based on the information received from the battery. (2) A surgical instrument as described in embodiment 1, wherein the housing assembly is configured to receive the battery in an assembled configuration. (3) A surgical instrument as described in claim 2, wherein the radio frequency identification scanner, in the assembled configuration, is further configured to receive the information from a radio frequency identification tag of the battery. (4) A surgical instrument as described in claim 2, further comprising a battery, the battery comprising a radio frequency identification tag that is within detection range of the radio frequency identification scanner in the assembled configuration. (5) The radio frequency identification tag is: Battery identification number; A manufacturer of the battery; and the battery chemistry; whether the battery is rechargeable; The capacity of the battery; and The nominal voltage of the battery; and The current draw characteristics of the battery; and an output characteristic of the battery.

[0229] (6) The control circuit a processor electrically connected to the radio frequency identification scanner; 2. The surgical instrument of claim 1, further comprising: a memory electrically connected to the processor. (7) The memory comprises: A compatibility database; A surgical instrument as described in embodiment 6, storing at least one of: a lookup table; and (8) The surgical instrument of claim 1, further comprising an electric motor positioned within the housing assembly, the control circuitry further configured to electronically lock out operation of the electric motor. (9) A surgical instrument, a housing assembly including a battery interface; a radio frequency identification tag positioned at the battery interface; an electric motor positioned within the housing assembly; a battery electrically coupleable to the electric motor, a radio frequency identification scanner configured, in an assembled configuration with the housing assembly, to receive information from the radio frequency identification tag of the surgical instrument; A surgical instrument comprising: a battery; and a control circuit configured to determine compatibility of the surgical instrument with the battery based on the information received from the radio frequency identification tag. (10) The radio frequency identification tag comprises: A surgical instrument identification number; a manufacturer of the surgical instrument; and The type of surgical instrument; and The type of the electric motor; the performance capabilities of the surgical instrument; A surgical instrument as described in embodiment 9, further comprising a control algorithm present in the surgical instrument.

[0230] (11) The control circuit a processor electrically connected to the radio frequency identification scanner; 10. The surgical instrument of claim 9, further comprising: a memory electrically connected to the processor. (12) The memory includes: A compatibility database; A surgical instrument as described in embodiment 11, storing at least one of: a lookup table; and (13) The surgical instrument comprises: a second radio frequency identification tag positioned within the battery; a second radio frequency identification scanner positioned at the battery interface, the second radio frequency identification scanner configured to receive information from the second radio frequency identification tag in the assembled configuration; 10. The surgical instrument of claim 9, further comprising: a second control circuit configured to determine compatibility of the battery with the surgical instrument based on the information received from the second radio frequency identification tag. (14) A surgical instrument, 1. A housing assembly comprising: A first battery; a housing assembly configured to receive a second battery after the first battery is removed from the housing assembly, the second battery having output characteristics different from the output characteristics of the first battery; and a radio frequency identification scanner positioned within the housing assembly; and a control circuit configured to coordinate operation of the surgical instrument to cause the second battery to mimic the output characteristics of the first battery. (15) The surgical instrument of claim 14, wherein at least one of the output characteristics of the first battery includes a voltage of the first battery.

[0231] (16) The surgical instrument of claim 14, wherein at least one of the output characteristics of the first battery includes a current drawn from the first battery. (17) The surgical instrument of claim 14, wherein at least one of the output characteristics of the first battery includes an output capacity of the first battery. (18) The surgical instrument of claim 14, wherein at least one of the output characteristics of the first battery includes the power provided by the first battery. (19) The radio frequency identification scanner comprises: first information from the first battery; and 15. The surgical instrument of claim 14, configured to receive second information from the second battery. (20) The control circuit a processor electrically connected to the radio frequency identification scanner; 15. The surgical instrument of claim 14, further comprising: a memory electrically connected to the processor.

Claims

1. 1. A surgical instrument comprising: a housing assembly including a battery interface configured to releasably retain a battery; a radio frequency identification scanner positioned at the battery interface, the radio frequency identification scanner configured to receive information from the battery; a control circuit configured to determine compatibility of the battery with the surgical instrument based on the information received from the battery; The control circuitry is configured to adjust operation of the surgical instrument based on the information received from the battery, thereby enabling utilization of the battery.

2. The surgical instrument of claim 1 , wherein the housing assembly is configured to receive the battery in an assembled configuration.

3. The surgical instrument of claim 2 , wherein the radio frequency identification scanner, in the assembled configuration, is further configured to receive the information from a radio frequency identification tag of the battery.

4. The surgical instrument of claim 2, further comprising the battery, the battery comprising a radio frequency identification tag within detection range of the radio frequency identification scanner in the assembled configuration.

5. The radio frequency identification tag comprises: Battery identification number; A manufacturer of the battery; and the battery chemistry; whether the battery is rechargeable; The capacity of the battery; and The nominal voltage of the battery; and The current draw characteristics of the battery; and an output characteristic of the battery.

6. The control circuit includes: a processor electrically connected to the radio frequency identification scanner; The surgical instrument of claim 1 , further comprising: a memory electrically connected to the processor.

7. The memory includes: A compatibility database; A lookup table.

8. The surgical instrument of claim 1, further comprising an electric motor positioned within the housing assembly, the control circuitry further configured to electronically lock out operation of the electric motor.

9. 10. The surgical instrument of claim 1, further comprising an electric motor positioned within the housing assembly, and wherein the operation of the surgical instrument that is adjusted based on the information received from the battery is the operation of the electric motor.

10. A surgical instrument comprising: a housing assembly including a battery interface configured to releasably retain a battery; a radio frequency identification scanner positioned at the battery interface, the radio frequency identification scanner configured to receive information from the battery; a control circuit configured to determine compatibility of the battery with the surgical instrument based on the information received from the battery; and an electric motor positioned within the housing assembly; The control circuitry is configured to regulate operation of the electric motor based on the information received from the battery.

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