Surgical instrument with indicator showing that articulation drive is operational - Patent Application 20070122997

Abstract

A surgical instrument is disclosed that includes an end effector and an articulation drive system operable to articulate the end effector about an articulation joint, the articulation drive system including an actuator that indicates whether the articulation drive system is in an operable state.

Description

[Background technology]

[0001] The present invention relates to surgical instruments and to surgical stapling and severing instruments designed for stapling and severing tissue, and staple cartridges for use therewith, in a variety of device configurations. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0002] The various features of the embodiments described herein, together with their advantages, may be understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a surgical instrument in accordance with at least one embodiment. [Figure 1B] FIG. 2 is a left side view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1. [Figure 1C] FIG. 2 is a right side view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1. [Figure 1D] FIG. 2 is a front view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1. [Figure 1E] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1. [Figure 1F] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1. [Figure 1G] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the shaft of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a nozzle of the shaft of FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an elevational view of an orientation switch of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1; [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment comprising a handle including an orientation sensor and a shaft with a magnetic element detectable by the orientation sensor; [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a partial elevational view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment including a handle and articulation actuators on either side of the handle. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a partial plan view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 7. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment comprising a handle and a rotating shaft including articulation actuators on either side of the shaft; [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an end view of the shaft of FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment comprising a handle and a rotating shaft including two articulation actuators on opposite sides of the shaft; [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is an end view of the shaft of FIG. 11. [Figure 13] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a surgical instrument in accordance with at least one embodiment including a slidable articulation actuator including two positions and a detent between the two positions; [Figure 14] FIG. 1 illustrates a capacitive switch including a first side and a second side, a first light in the first side that illuminates when the first side is touched, and a second light in the second side that illuminates when the second side is touched. [Figure 15] FIG. 1 illustrates a two-stage rocker switch for articulating an end effector of a surgical instrument in accordance with at least one embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a partial top view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment including an end effector and lights positioned on either side of the end effector that are illuminated to indicate the direction in which the end effector is articulated. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a partial elevational view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 16. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a partial elevational view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment including a directional indicator that is illuminated to indicate the direction in which the end effector is articulated. [Figure 19]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment including a slidable articulation switch that includes three positions: a left articulation position, a right articulation position, and a center or home position. [Figure 20] FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment including an articulation joystick actuatable along a longitudinal axis. [Figure 21] FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment including an end effector and an articulation joystick operable to articulate the end effector about two or more axes. [Figure 22A] FIG. 1 is a front view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment including multiple articulation controls. [Figure 22B] FIG. 22B is a partial side view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 22A. [Figure 23] FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment including a four-way haptic articulation control. [Figure 24] FIG. 1 is a partial elevation view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment including a four-way haptic articulation control including a center or home actuator. [Figure 25] FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment including a four-way capacitive surface. [Figure 26A] FIG. 1 illustrates a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment including an end effector and lights positioned on either side of the end effector that are illuminated to indicate the direction in which the end effector is articulated. [Figure 26B] FIG. 26B is a perspective view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 26A. [Figure 27] FIG. 1 illustrates a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment including an articulation joint, an end effector articulatable about the articulation joint, and a translatable articulation actuator configured to rotate the end effector about the articulation joint. [Figure 28]FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view of an articulatable end effector, an articulation actuator configured to rotate the end effector about an articulation joint, and a demarcation on the articulation actuator that indicates the direction in which the end effector is articulated and / or has been articulated. [Figure 29] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a surgical instrument according to at least one embodiment comprising a handle, a rotatable shaft extending from the handle, and a rotatable actuator on the handle configured to rotate the shaft about a longitudinal axis. [Figure 30] FIG. 30 is a perspective view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 29 showing the shaft in a rotated position. [Figure 31] FIG. 30 is a perspective view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 29 shown with a portion of the handle housing removed; [Figure 32] FIG. 2 is a partial detailed view of the articulation joint of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 shown with some components removed. [Figure 33] FIG. 2 is a partial detailed view of an articulation joint according to at least one alternative embodiment usable with the surgical instrument of FIG. 1; [Figure 34] FIG. 34 is a partial perspective view of an articulation drive pin extending from a frame of the end effector of the embodiment of FIG. 33; [Figure 35] FIG. 34 is a partial detail view of the embodiment of FIG. 33 showing the end effector in an articulated position. [Figure 36] FIG. 34 is a partial detail view of the embodiment of FIG. 33 showing the end effector in another articulated position. [Figure 37] FIG. 34 is a partial detail view of the embodiment of FIG. 33 showing the end effector in another articulated position. [Figure 38] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the end effector of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 shown in an open configuration; [Figure 39] 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the end effector of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 showing the tissue stop of the end effector; FIG. [Figure 40]FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the end effector of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 showing the pivot joint between the staple cartridge jaws and the anvil jaws of the end effector; [Figure 41] FIG. 41 is a partial plan view of the staple cartridge jaws of FIG. 40 without a staple cartridge positioned therein; [Figure 42] FIG. 41 is a partial perspective view of the anvil jaw of FIG. 40; [Figure 43] FIG. 41 is a partial top view of the pivot joint of FIG. 40. [Figure 44] FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view of a staple cartridge jaw of an end effector in accordance with at least one embodiment shown without a staple cartridge therein; [Figure 45A] FIG. 45 is a partial cross-sectional view of the end effector of FIG. 44 in an open configuration. [Figure 45B] FIG. 45 is a partial cross-sectional view of the end effector of FIG. 44 in a closed configuration. [Figure 46] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the end effector of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 showing the firing member in an unfired position; [Figure 47] 10 is a partial cross-sectional view of the end effector of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 illustrating a cartridge stop on the anvil jaw configured to stop proximal insertion of the staple cartridge into the staple cartridge jaw; [Figure 48] FIG. 47 is a partial perspective view of the anvil jaw of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 illustrating a surface configured to control the position of the firing member of FIG. 46 in an unfired position while the end effector is in an open configuration; [Figure 49] FIG. 2 is a partial elevational view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1. [Figure 50] FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1. [Figure 51] FIG. 1 is a partial elevational view of a surgical instrument in accordance with at least one embodiment. [Figure 52] FIG. 52 is a partial perspective view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 51; [Figure 53]FIG. 1 is a partial elevational view of a surgical instrument in accordance with at least one embodiment. [Figure 54] FIG. 54 is a partial perspective view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 53; [Figure 55] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1. [Figure 56] FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a surgical instrument in accordance with at least one embodiment. [Figure 57] FIG. 57 is a partial perspective view of the shaft of the surgical instrument of FIG. 56; [Figure 58] FIG. 57 is a diagram of a control algorithm implemented by the surgical instrument of FIG. 56. [Figure 59] FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a shaft of a surgical instrument in accordance with at least one embodiment. [Figure 60] FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a shaft of a surgical instrument in accordance with at least one embodiment. [Figure 61] FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a shaft of a surgical instrument in accordance with at least one embodiment. [Figure 62] FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a shaft of a surgical instrument in accordance with at least one embodiment. [Figure 63] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a slip ring assembly of a surgical instrument in accordance with at least one embodiment. [Figure 64] FIG. 64 is another perspective view of the slip ring assembly of FIG. 63. [Figure 65] FIG. 64 is a perspective view of a shaft component of the surgical instrument of FIG. [Figure 66] FIG. 64 is a partial perspective view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 63; [Figure 67] 1 is a diagram illustrating a shaft orientation sensor array according to at least one embodiment. [Figure 68] FIG. 1 is a partial elevational view of an end effector comprising an anvil jaw and a cartridge jaw, the anvil jaw having a distal portion rotatable between a first operating orientation and a second operating orientation different from the first operating orientation, the distal portion of the anvil jaw being shown in the first operating orientation. [Figure 69]FIG. 69 is a partial perspective view of the anvil jaw of FIG. 68, with the distal portion of the anvil jaw shown in a partially rotated orientation. [Figure 69A] FIG. 69 shows a connector holding a distal portion of the anvil jaw of FIG. 68. [Figure 70] FIG. 69 is a partial elevational view of the end effector of FIG. 68, with the distal portion of the anvil jaw shown in a second operational orientation. [Figure 71] FIG. 69 is a partial perspective view of the end effector of FIG. 68, with a distal portion of the anvil jaw shown in a second operational orientation. [Figure 72] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a distal end of a proximal articulation rod in accordance with at least one embodiment. [Figure 73] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an interface between a proximal articulation rod and a distal articulation rod of an articulation drive in accordance with at least one embodiment; [Figure 73A] FIG. 74 is a detailed view of the interface between the proximal articulation rod and the articulation lock of FIG. 73; [Figure 74] FIG. 74 is a perspective view of the interface between the proximal articulation rod of FIG. 72 and the distal articulation rod of FIG. 73; [Figure 74A] FIG. 73B is a detailed view of the interface between the proximal articulation rod of FIG. 72 and the distal articulation lock of FIG. 73A. [Figure 75] FIG. 73B is a perspective view of the articulation lock of FIG. 73A; [Figure 76] FIG. 73B is another perspective view of the articulation lock of FIG. 73A; [Figure 77] FIG. 74 illustrates the range of motion of the distal articulation rod of FIG. 73. [Figure 78] FIG. 10 is a diagram of an algorithm for the control system to estimate and acquire the position of the articulation system. [Figure 79] FIG. 2 illustrates a velocity chart algorithm for the end effector of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 and the staple firing system during the staple firing stroke. [Figure 80]FIG. 2 illustrates a velocity chart algorithm for the end effector and staple firing system of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 in accordance with at least one embodiment. [Figure 81] FIG. 2 illustrates a velocity chart algorithm for the end effector of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 and the staple firing system during the staple firing stroke. [Figure 82A] 10 is a graph of the duty cycle and firing force experienced by the staple firing system of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 during three staple firing strokes. [Figure 82B] 82B is a graph of the duty cycle and firing force experienced by the staple firing system of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 during three staple firing strokes at firing speeds faster than that of FIG. 82A; [Figure 83A] 10 is a graph of the duty cycle, firing force, and firing rate experienced by the staple firing system of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 during a staple firing stroke through 1.35 mm thick jejunal tissue. [Figure 83B] 10 is a graph of the duty cycle, firing force, and firing rate experienced by the staple firing system of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 during a staple firing stroke through 4 mm thick stomach tissue. [Figure 84A] 10 is a graph comparing firing force through tissue compared to tissue analogs. [Figure 84B] 10 is a graph comparing firing force through tissue compared to tissue analogs. [Figure 85A] 2 is a graph depicting a graph of the duty cycle and firing rate experienced by the staple firing system of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 during several staple firing strokes. [Figure 85B] 2 is a graph depicting a graph of the duty cycle and firing rate experienced by the staple firing system of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 during several staple firing strokes. [Figure 86A]10 is a graph of the duty cycle of the staple firing system of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 during a staple firing stroke through thin jejunal tissue. [Figure 86B] 10 is a graph of the duty cycle of the staple firing system of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 during a staple firing stroke through thick jejunal tissue. [Figure 86C] 10 is a graph of the duty cycle of the staple firing system of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 during a staple firing stroke through stomach tissue. [Figure 87] 10 is a graph of the duty cycle of the staple firing system of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 during a staple firing stroke in which the control system increases the velocity of the staple firing stroke. [Figure 88] 10 is a graph of the duty cycle of the staple firing system of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 during a staple firing stroke in which the control system maintained substantially the same velocity throughout the staple firing stroke. [Figure 89] 10 is a graph of the duty cycle of the staple firing system of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 during a staple firing stroke in which the control system reduces the velocity of the staple firing stroke. [Figure 90] FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a surgical instrument including a handle and a shaft, according to at least one embodiment. [Figure 91] FIG. 91 is a partial elevational view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 90 shown with some components removed. [Figure 92] 91 is a perspective view of the frame of the handle of FIG. 90 connected to the frame of the shaft of FIG. 90. FIG. [Figure 93] FIG. 93 is an exploded view of the handle frame and shaft frame of FIG. 92. [Figure 94] FIG. 91 is a perspective view of the handle of FIG. 90; [Figure 95] FIG. 91 is a partial perspective view of the handle of FIG. 90 shown with some components removed. [Figure 96] FIG. 91 is a partial cross-sectional view of the switch of the handle of FIG. 90. [Figure 97] FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a handle and shaft of a surgical instrument in accordance with at least one embodiment; [Figure 98] FIG. 98 is a partial cross-sectional view of the shaft of FIG. 97 shown in a first rotational position. [Figure 99] FIG. 98 is a partial cross-sectional view of the shaft of FIG. 97 shown in a second rotational position. [Figure 100] FIG. 98 shows a control system for the surgical instrument of FIG. 97. [Figure 101] 91 is an elevational view of the handle of FIG. 90 shown with some components removed, showing the closure actuator of the handle in a partially closed position. [Figure 102] FIG. 91 is a partial detailed view of the closure system of the handle of FIG. 90 shown in a partially closed configuration. [Figure 103] FIG. 91 is a partial detailed view of the closure system of the handle of FIG. 90 shown in a fully closed configuration. [Figure 104] FIG. 1 is a partial elevational view of a surgical instrument including a handle and a shaft, according to at least one embodiment. [Figure 105] FIG. 105 is a partial elevational view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 104 shown in a partially closed configuration. [Figure 106] FIG. 105 is a partial elevational view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 104 shown in a fully fired configuration. [Figure 107] FIG. 1 is a partial elevational view of a surgical instrument including a handle and a shaft, according to at least one embodiment. [Figure 108] FIG. 108 is a partial elevational view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 107 showing an actuatable closure lock. [Figure 109] FIG. 91 is a partial perspective view of the handle of the surgical instrument of FIG. 90 shown with some components removed. [Figure 110] FIG. 91 is a partial perspective view of a closure system of the surgical instrument of FIG. 90; [Figure 111] FIG. 1 illustrates a partial perspective view of a closure system according to at least embodiments. [Figure 112A] 111 shows the spring of the closure system of FIG. [Figure 112B]10 illustrates a spring for a closure system according to at least one embodiment. [Figure 112C] FIG. 112 shows the spring system of the closure system of FIG. [Figure 113] 112D is a graph showing the force generated by the spring system of FIG. 112C. [Figure 114] FIG. 91 is a partial elevational view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 90 shown with an illuminated articulation control when the closure system is in a fully closed configuration; [Figure 115] FIG. 91 is a partial elevational view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 90 shown with an illuminated articulation control when the closure system is in an open configuration; [Figure 116] FIG. 91 shows a control system for the surgical instrument of FIG. 90. [Figure 117] FIG. 91 shows a control system for the surgical instrument of FIG. 90. [Figure 118] FIG. 91 is a partial perspective view of the shaft and end effector of the surgical instrument of FIG. 90 shown with some components removed. [Figure 119] FIG. 91 is a perspective view of components of an articulation lock of the surgical instrument of FIG. 90; [Figure 120] FIG. 120 is a partial perspective view of the articulation locking component of FIG. 119; [Figure 121] FIG. 10 is a top view of an articulation lock in accordance with at least one embodiment. [Figure 122] FIG. 122 is a plan view of the locking tab of the joint lock of FIG. 121; [Figure 123] FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a shaft and end effector of a surgical instrument shown with some components removed in accordance with at least one embodiment; [Figure 124] FIG. 124 shows the articulation lock of the surgical instrument of FIG. 123 in an unlocked configuration. [Figure 125] FIG. 125 shows the articulation lock of FIG. 124 in an unlocked configuration. [Figure 126] FIG. 125 is a perspective view of some components of the joint lock of FIG. 124; [Figure 127]FIG. 91 is a partial elevational view of the end effector of the surgical instrument of FIG. 90 shown in a fully clamped configuration. [Figure 128] FIG. 91 is a partial elevational view of the end effector of FIG. 90 shown in an open configuration. [Figure 129] FIG. 91 is a cross-sectional view of the end effector of FIG. 90 shown in a partially closed configuration. [Figure 130] FIG. 128 is a partial cross-sectional view of a channel of the end effector of FIG. 127; [Figure 131] FIG. 91 is a partial cross-sectional view of the shaft of the surgical instrument of FIG. 90 shown with some components removed. [Figure 132] FIG. 91 is a partial cross-sectional view of the shaft of FIG. 90 shown with additional components removed. [Figure 133] FIG. 91 is a partial perspective view of the inner frame of the shaft of FIG. 90. [Figure 134] FIG. 91 is a partial cross-sectional view of the shaft of FIG. 90. [Figure 135] FIG. 1 is a partial top view of a shaft and end effector of a surgical instrument shown with some components removed in accordance with at least one embodiment; [Figure 136] FIG. 136 is a partial plan view of the shaft and end effector of FIG. 135 shown with additional components removed. [Figure 137] FIG. 136 is a partial plan view of the shaft and end effector of FIG. 135 shown with additional components removed. [Figure 138] FIG. 136 is a partial perspective view of the frame of the shaft of FIG. 135; [Figure 139] FIG. 136 is a partial perspective view of the frame components of the shaft of FIG. 135; [Figure 140] FIG. 136 is a partial perspective view of the frame components of the shaft of FIG. 135; [Figure 141] FIG. 136 is a partial cross-sectional view of the frame of the shaft of FIG. 135; [Figure 142] FIG. 136 is a partial cross-sectional view of the shaft and end effector of FIG. 135 shown with some components removed. [Figure 143]FIG. 136 is a plan view of the components of the articulation joint of the surgical instrument of FIG. 135; [Figure 144] FIG. 136 is a plan view of the end effector of the surgical instrument of FIG. 135 shown in a non-articulated position; [Figure 145] FIG. 145 shows the end effector of FIG. 144 articulated in a first direction. [Figure 146] FIG. 145 shows the end effector of FIG. 144 articulated in a second direction. [Figure 147] FIG. 91 is a partial plan view of the jaws of the end effector of the surgical instrument of FIG. 90 including a staple firing lockout. [Figure 148] FIG. 148 is a partial elevational view of the staple firing system and staple firing lockout of FIG. 147. [Figure 149] FIG. 91 shows a portion of the power conditioning circuit of the surgical instrument of FIG. [Figure 149A] FIG. 91 illustrates another portion of the power conditioning circuit of FIG. 90. [Figure 150] FIG. 91 is a partial perspective view of the handle of FIG. 90. [Figure 151] FIG. 91 is a view of the cover for the handle of FIG. 90; [Figure 152] FIG. 91 is a diagram of a cover analog used during the manufacture of the surgical instrument of FIG. 90. [Figure 153] FIG. 91 is a diagram of the control circuit of the handle of FIG. 90;

[0003] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set forth herein illustrate various embodiments of the invention in one form only, and such exemplifications should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The applicant of the present application also owns the following US patent applications, filed on even date herewith, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: -U.S. Patent Application entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A RELEASABLE CLOSURE DRIVE LOCK," attorney docket number END9268USNP1 / 200107; -U.S. Patent Application entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A STOWED CLOSURE ACTUATOR STOP," attorney docket number END9269USNP1 / 200108; -U.S. Patent Application entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING AN ARTICULATION INDICATOR," attorney docket number END9271USNP1 / 200110; -U.S. Patent Application entitled "METHOD FOR OPERATING A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT," attorney docket number END9272USNP1 / 200111M; -U.S. Patent Application entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING AN ARTICULATION LOCK," attorney docket number END9273USNP1 / 200112; -U.S. Patent Application entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A JAW ALIGNMENT SYSTEM," attorney docket number END9274USNP1 / 200113; -U.S. Patent Application entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING SEALABLE INTERFACE," attorney docket number END9275USNP1 / 200114; -U.S. Patent Application entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A LIMITED TRAVEL SWITCH," attorney docket number END9276USNP1 / 200115; - U.S. Design Patent Application entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING ASSEMBLY," attorney docket number END9277USDP1 / 200116D; - U.S. Design Patent Application entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING ASSEMBLY," attorney docket number END9278USDP1 / 200117D; -U.S. patent application entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A STAGED VOLTAGE REGULATION START-UP SYSTEM," attorney docket number END9279USNP1 / 200118; and -U.S. Patent Application entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A SENSOR CONFIGURED TO SENSE WHETHER AN ARTICULATION DRIVE OF THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT IS ACTUATABLE," Attorney Docket No. END9280USNP1 / 200119.

[0005] The applicant of the present application also owns the following U.S. patent applications, filed on April 11, 2020, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 846,303, entitled "METHODS FOR STAPLING TISSUE USING A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 846,304, entitled "ARTICULATION ACTUATORS FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 846,305, entitled "ARTICULATION DIRECTIONAL LIGHTS ON A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 846,307, entitled "SHAFT ROTATION ACTUATOR ON A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 846,308, entitled "ARTICULATION CONTROL MAPPING FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 846,309, entitled "INTELLIGENT FIRING ASSOCIATED WITH A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 846,310, entitled "INTELLIGENT FIRING ASSOCIATED WITH A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 846,311, entitled "ROTATABLE JAW TIP FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 846,312, entitled "TISSUE STOP FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT"; and -U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 846,313, entitled "ARTICULATION PIN FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT."

[0006] The entire disclosure of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 840,715, filed April 30, 2019, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING AN ADAPTIVE CONTROL SYSTEM," is hereby incorporated by reference.

[0007] The applicant of this application owns the following U.S. patent applications, filed on February 21, 2019, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: - U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 16 / 281,658, entitled "METHODS FOR CONTROLLING A POWERED SURGICAL STAPLER THAT HAS SEPARATE ROTARY CLOSURE AND FIRING SYSTEMS"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 281,670, entitled "STAPLE CARTRIDGE COMPRISING A LOCKOUT KEY CONFIGURED TO LIFT A FIRING MEMBER"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 281,675, entitled "Surgical Staples with Arrangements for Maintaining a Firing Member Thereof in a Locked Configuration Unless a Compatible Cartridge Has Been Installed Therein"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 281,685, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING CO-OPERATING LOCKOUT FEATURES"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 281,693, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A LOCKOUT AND AN EXTERIOR ACCESS ORIFICE TO PERMIT ARTIFICIAL UNLOCKING OF THE LOCKOUT"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 281,704, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING DEVICES WITH FEATURES FOR BLOCKING ADVANCEMENT OF A CAMMING ASSEMBLY OF AN INCOMPATIBLE CARTRIDGE INSTALLED THEREIN"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 281,707, entitled "STAPLING INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A DEACTIVATABLE LOCKOUT"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 281,741, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A JAW CLOSURE LOCKOUT"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 281,762, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING DEVICES WITH CARTRIDGE COMPATIBLE CLOSURE AND FIRING LOCKOUT ARRANGEMENTS"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 281,666, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING DEVICES WITH IMPROVED ROTARY DRIVEN CLOSURE SYSTEMS"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 281,672, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING DEVICES WITH ASYMMETRIC CLOSURE FEATURES"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 281,678, entitled "ROTARY DRIVEN FIRING MEMBERS WITH DIFFERENT ANVIL AND CHANNEL ENGAGEMENT FEATURES," and -U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 281,682, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING DEVICE WITH SEPARATE ROTARY DRIVEN CLOSURE AND FIRING SYSTEMS AND FIRING MEMBER THAT ENGAGES BOTH JAWS WHILE FIRING."

[0008] The applicant of this application owns the following U.S. provisional patent applications, filed on February 19, 2019, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: - U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 807,310, entitled "METHODS FOR CONTROLLING A POWERED SURGICAL STAPLER THAT HAS SEPARATE ROTARY CLOSURE AND FIRING SYSTEMS"; -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 807,319, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING DEVICES WITH IMPROVED LOCKOUT SYSTEMS," and -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 807,309, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING DEVICES WITH IMPROVED ROTARY DRIVEN CLOSURE SYSTEMS."

[0009] The applicant of this application owns the following U.S. provisional patent applications, filed on March 28, 2018, each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein: -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,302, entitled "INTERACTIVE SURGICAL SYSTEMS WITH ENCRYPTED COMMUNICATION CAPABILITIES"; - U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,294, entitled "DATA STRIPPING METHOD TO INTERROGATE PATIENT RECORDS AND CREATE ANONYMIZED RECORD"; -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,300, entitled "SURGICAL HUB SITUATIONAL AWARENESS"; -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,309, entitled "SURGICAL HUB SPATIAL AWARENESS TO DETERMINE DEVICES IN OPERATING THEATER"; - U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,310, entitled "COMPUTER IMPLEMENTED INTERACTIVE SURGICAL SYSTEMS"; - U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,291, entitled "USE OF LASER LIGHT AND RED-GREEN-BLUE COLORATION TO DETERMINE PROPERTIES OF BACK SCATTERED LIGHT"; -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,296, entitled "ADAPTIVE CONTROL PROGRAM UPDATES FOR SURGICAL DEVICES"; -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,333, entitled "CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS FOR CUSTOMIZATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO A USER"; -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,327, entitled "CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS FOR SECURITY AND AUTHENTICATION TRENDS AND REACTIVE MEASURES"; -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,315, entitled "DATA HANDLING AND PRIORITIZATION IN A CLOUD ANALYTICS NETWORK"; -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,313, entitled "CLOUD INTERFACE FOR COUPLED SURGICAL DEVICES"; -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,320, entitled "DRIVE ARRANGEMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS"; -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,307, entitled "AUTOMATIC TOOL ADJUSTMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS," and -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,323, entitled "SENSING ARRANGEMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS."

[0010] The applicant of this application owns the following U.S. provisional patent applications, filed on March 30, 2018, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties: -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 650,887, entitled "SURGICAL SYSTEMS WITH OPTIMIZED SENSING CAPABILITIES."

[0011] The applicant of this application owns the following U.S. patent applications, filed on December 4, 2018, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties: -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."

[0012] The applicant of this application owns the following U.S. patent applications, filed on August 20, 2018, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: -U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 105,101, entitled "METHOD FOR FABRICATING SURGICAL STAPLER ANVILS"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 105,183, entitled "REINFORCED DEFORMABLE ANVIL TIP FOR SURGICAL STAPLER ANVIL"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 105,150, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLER ANVILS WITH STAPLE DIRECTING PROTRUSIONS AND TISSUE STABILITY FEATURES"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 105,098, entitled "FABRICATING TECHNIQUES FOR SURGICAL STAPLER ANVILS"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 105,140, ​​entitled "SURGICAL STAPLER ANVILS WITH TISSUE STOP FEATURES CONFIGURED TO AVOID TISSUE PINCH"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 105,081, entitled "METHOD FOR OPERATING A POWERED ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 105,094, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH PROGRESSIVE JAW CLOSURE ARRANGEMENTS"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 105,097, entitled "POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH CLUTCHING ARRANGEMENTS TO CONVERT LINEAR DRIVE MOTIONS TO ROTARY DRIVE MOTIONS"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 105,104, entitled "POWERED ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH CLUTCHING AND LOCKING ARRANGEMENTS FOR LINKING AN ARTICULATION DRIVE SYSTEM TO A FIRING DRIVE SYSTEM"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 105,119, entitled "ARTICULATABLE MOTOR POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH DEDICATED ARTICULATION MOTOR ARRANGEMENTS"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 105,160, entitled "SWITCHING ARRANGEMENTS FOR MOTOR POWERED ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS," and -U.S. Design Patent Application No. 29 / 660,252, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLER ANVILS."

[0013] The applicant of the present application owns the following US patent applications and US patents, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 386,185, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS AND REPLACEABLE TOOL ASSEMBLIES THEREOF" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168642); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 386,230, entitled "ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168649); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 386,221, entitled "LOCKOUT ARRANGEMENTS FOR SURGICAL END EFFECTORS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168646); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 386,209, entitled "SURGICAL END EFFECTORS AND FIRING MEMBERS THEREOF" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168645); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 386,198, entitled "LOCKOUT ARRANGEMENTS FOR SURGICAL END EFFECTORS AND REPLACEABLE TOOL ASSEMBLIES" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168644); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 386,240, entitled "SURGICAL END EFFECTORS AND ADAPTABLE FIRING MEMBERS THEREFOR" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168651); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,939, entitled "STAPLE CARTRIDGES AND ARRANGEMENTS OF STAPLES AND STAPLE CAVITIES THEREIN" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168629); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,941, entitled "SURGICAL TOOL ASSEMBLIES WITH CLUTCHING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SHIFTING BETWEEN CLOSURE SYSTEMS WITH CLOSURE STROKE REDUCTION FEATURES AND ARTICULATION AND FIRING SYSTEMS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168630); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,943, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS AND STAPLE-FORMING ANVILS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168631); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,950, entitled "SURGICAL TOOL ASSEMBLIES WITH CLOSURE STROKE REDUCTION FEATURES" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168635); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,945, entitled "STAPLE CARTRIDGES AND ARRANGEMENTS OF STAPLES AND STAPLE CAVITIES THEREIN" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168632); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,946, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS AND STAPLE-FORMING ANVILS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168633); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,951, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH JAW OPENING FEATURES FOR INCREASING A JAW OPENING DISTANCE" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168636); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,953, entitled "METHODS OF STAPLING TISSUE" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168637); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,954, entitled "FIRING MEMBERS WITH NON-PARALLEL JAW ENGAGEMENT FEATURES FOR SURGICAL END EFFECTORS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168638); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,955, entitled "SURGICAL END EFFECTORS WITH EXPANDABLE TISSUE STOP ARRANGEMENTS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168639); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,948, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS AND STAPLE-FORMING ANVILS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168584); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,956, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH POSITIVE JAW OPENING FEATURES" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168640); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,958, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH LOCKOUT ARRANGEMENTS FOR PREVENTING FIRING SYSTEM ACTUATION UNLESS AN UNSPENT STAPLE CARTRIDGE IS PRESENT" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168641); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,947, entitled "STAPLE CARTRIDGES AND ARRANGEMENTS OF STAPLES AND STAPLE CAVITIES THEREIN" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168634); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,896, entitled "METHOD FOR RESETTING A FUSE OF A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SHAFT" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168597); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,898, entitled "STAPLE-FORMING POCKET ARRANGEMENT TO ACCOMMODATE DIFFERENT TYPES OF STAPLES" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168599); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,899, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING IMPROVED JAW CONTROL" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168600); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,901, entitled "STAPLE CARTRIDGE AND STAPLE CARTRIDGE CHANNEL COMPRISING WINDOWS DEFINED THEREIN" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168602); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,902, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A CUTTING MEMBER" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168603); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,904, entitled "STAPLE FIRING MEMBER COMPRISING A MISSING CARTRIDGE AND / OR SPENT CARTRIDGE LOCKOUT" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168605); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,905, entitled "FIRING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A LOCKOUT" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168606); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,907, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SYSTEM COMPRISING AN END EFFECTOR LOCKOUT AND A FIRING ASSEMBLY LOCKOUT" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168608); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,908, entitled "FIRING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A FUSE" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168609); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,909, entitled "FIRING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A MULTIPLE FAILED-STATE FUSE" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168610); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,920, entitled "STAPLE-FORMING POCKET ARRANGEMENTS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168620); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,913, entitled "ANVIL ARRANGEMENTS FOR SURGICAL STAPLERS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168614); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,914, entitled "METHOD OF DEFORMING STAPLES FROM TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF STAPLE CARTRIDGES WITH THE SAME SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168615); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,893, entitled "BILATERALLY ASYMMETRIC STAPLE-FORMING POCKET PAIRS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168594); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,929, entitled "CLOSURE MEMBERS WITH CAM SURFACE ARRANGEMENTS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH SEPARATE AND DISTINCT CLOSURE AND FIRING SYSTEMS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168626); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,911, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLERS WITH INDEPENDENTLY ACTUATABLE CLOSING AND FIRING SYSTEMS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168612); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,927, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS WITH SMART STAPLE CARTRIDGES" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168625); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,917, entitled "STAPLE CARTRIDGE COMPRISING STAPLES WITH DIFFERENT CLAMPING BREADTHS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168617); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,900, entitled "STAPLE-FORMING POCKET ARRANGEMENTS COMPRISING PRIMARY SIDEWALLS AND POCKET SIDEWALLS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168601); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,931, entitled "NO-CARTRIDGE AND SPENT CARTRIDGE LOCKOUT ARRANGEMENTS FOR SURGICAL STAPLERS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168627); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,915, entitled "FIRING MEMBER PIN ANGLE" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168616); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,897, entitled "STAPLE-FORMING POCKET ARRANGEMENTS COMPRISING ZONED FORMING SURFACE GROOVES" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168598); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,922, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH MULTIPLE FAILURE RESPONSE MODES" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168622); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,924, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH PRIMARY AND SAFETY PROCESSORS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168624); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,910, entitled "ANVIL HAVING A KNIFE SLOT WIDTH" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168611); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,903, entitled "CLOSURE MEMBER ARRANGEMENTS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168604); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,906, entitled "FIRING MEMBER PIN CONFIGURATIONS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168607); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 386,188, entitled "STEPPED STAPLE CARTRIDGE WITH ASYMMETRICAL STAPLES" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168585); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 386,192, entitled "STEPPED STAPLE CARTRIDGE WITH TISSUE RETENTION AND GAP SETTING FEATURES" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168643); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 386,206, entitled "STAPLE CARTRIDGE WITH DEFORMABLE DRIVER RETENTION FEATURES" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168586); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 386,226, entitled "DURABILITY FEATURES FOR END EFFECTORS AND FIRING ASSEMBLIES OF SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168648); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 386,222, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS HAVING END EFFECTORS WITH POSITIVE OPENING FEATURES" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168647); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 386,236, entitled "CONNECTION PORTIONS FOR DEPOSABLE LOADING UNITS FOR SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168650); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,887, entitled "METHOD FOR ATTACHING A SHAFT ASSEMBLY TO A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT AND, ALTERNATIVELY, TO A SURGICAL ROBOT" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168589); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,889, entitled "SHAFT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A MANUALLY-OPERABLE RETRACTION SYSTEM FOR USE WITH A MOTORIZED SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SYSTEM" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168590); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,890, entitled "SHAFT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING SEPARATELY ACTUATABLE AND RETRACTABLE SYSTEMS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168591); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,891, entitled "SHAFT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A CLUTCH CONFIGURED TO ADAPT THE OUTPUT OF A ROTARY FIRING MEMBER TO TWO DIFFERENT SYSTEMS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168592); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,892, entitled "SURGICAL SYSTEM COMPRISING A FIRING MEMBER ROTATABLE INTO AN ARTICULATION STATE TO ARTICULATE AN END EFFECTOR OF THE SURGICAL SYSTEM" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168593); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,894, entitled "SHAFT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A LOCKOUT" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168595); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,895, entitled "SHAFT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND ARTICULATION LOCKOUTS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168596); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,916, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEMS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168575); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,918, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEMS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168618); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,919, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEMS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168619); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,921, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLE CARTRIDGE WITH MOVABLE CAMMING MEMBER CONFIGURED TO DISENGAGE FIRING MEMBER LOCKOUT FEATURES" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168621); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,923, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEMS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168623); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,925, entitled "JAW ACTUATED LOCK ARRANGEMENTS FOR PREVENTING ADVANCEMENT OF A FIRING MEMBER IN A SURGICAL END EFFECTOR UNLESS AN UNFIRED CARTRIDGE IS INSTALLED IN THE END EFFECTOR" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168576); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,926, entitled "AXIALLY MOVABLE CLOSURE SYSTEM ARRANGEMENTS FOR APPLYING CLOSURE MOTIONS TO JAWS OF SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168577); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,928, entitled "PROTECTIVE COVER ARRANGEMENTS FOR A JOINT INTERFACE BETWEEN A MOVABLE JAW AND ACTUATOR SHAFT OF A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168578); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,930, entitled "SURGICAL END EFFECTOR WITH TWO SEPARATE COOPERATING OPENING FEATURES FOR OPENING AND CLOSING END EFFECTOR JAWS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168579); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,932, entitled "ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL END EFFECTOR WITH ASYMMETRIC SHAFT ARRANGEMENT" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168628); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,933, entitled "ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH INDEPENDENT PIVOTABLE LINKAGE DISTAL OF AN ARTICULATION LOCK" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168580); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,934, entitled "ARTICULATION LOCK ARRANGEMENTS FOR LOCKING AN END EFFECTOR IN AN ARTICULATED POSITION IN RESPONSE TO ACTUATION OF A JAW CLOSURE SYSTEM" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168581); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,935, entitled "Laterally Actuable Articulation Lock Arrangements for Locking an End Effector of a Surgical Instrument in an Articulated Configuration" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168582); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 385,936, entitled "ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH ARTICULATION STROKE AMPLIFICATION FEATURES" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168583); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 318,996, entitled "FASTENER CARTRIDGES INCLUDING EXTENSIONS HAVING DIFFERENT CONFIGURATIONS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0297228); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 319,006, entitled "FASTENER CARTRIDGE COMPRISING FASTENER CAVITIES INCLUDING FASTENER CONTROL FEATURES" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,010,324); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 318,991, entitled "SURGICAL FASTENER CARTRIDGES WITH DRIVER STABILIZING ARRANGEMENTS" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,833,241); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 319,004, entitled "SURGICAL END EFFECTORS WITH FIRING ELEMENT MONITORING ARRANGEMENTS" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,844,369); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 319,008, entitled "FASTENER CARTRIDGE COMPRISING NON-UNIFORM FASTENERS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0297232); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 318,997, entitled "FASTENER CARTRIDGE COMPRISING DEPLOYABLE TISSUE ENGAGING MEMBERS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0297229); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 319,002, entitled "FASTENER CARTRIDGE COMPRISING TISSUE CONTROL FEATURES" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,877,721); U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 319,013, entitled "FASTENER CARTRIDGE ASSEMBLIES AND STAPLE RETAINER COVER ARRANGEMENTS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0297233); and -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 319,016, entitled "FASTENER CARTRIDGE INCLUDING A LAYER ATTACHED THERETO" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0297235).

[0014] The applicant of this application owns the following U.S. patent applications, filed June 24, 2016, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 191,775, entitled "STAPLE CARTRIDGE COMPRISING WIRE STAPLES AND STAMPED STAPLES" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0367695); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 191,807, entitled "STAPLING SYSTEM FOR USE WITH WIRE STAPLES AND STAMPED STAPLES" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0367696); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 191,834, entitled "STAMPED STAPLES AND STAPLE CARTRIDGES USING THE SAME" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0367699); U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 191,788, entitled "STAPLE CARTRIDGE COMPRISING OVERDRIVEN STAPLES" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0367698); and -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 191,818, entitled "STAPLE CARTRIDGE COMPRISING OFFSET LONGITUDINAL STAPLE ROWS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0367697).

[0015] The applicant of this application owns the following U.S. patent applications, filed June 24, 2016, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: -U.S. Design Patent Application No. 29 / 569,218, entitled "SURGICAL FASTENER" (now U.S. Design Patent No. D826,405); -U.S. Design Patent Application No. 29 / 569,227, entitled "SURGICAL FASTENER" (now U.S. Design Patent No. D822,206); -U.S. Design Patent Application No. 29 / 569,259, entitled "SURGICAL FASTENER CARTRIDGE"; and -U.S. Design Patent Application No. 29 / 569,264, entitled "SURGICAL FASTENER CARTRIDGE."

[0016] The applicant of this application owns the following patent applications, filed on April 1, 2016, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 089,325, entitled "METHOD FOR OPERATING A SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281171); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 089,321, entitled "MODULAR SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A DISPLAY" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,271,851); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 089,326, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A DISPLAY INCLUDING A RE-ORIENTABLE DISPLAY FIELD," (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281172); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 089,263, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT HANDLE ASSEMBLY WITH RECONFIGURABLE GRIP PORTION" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281165); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 089,262, entitled "ROTARY POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH MANUALLY ACTUATABLE BAILOUT SYSTEM" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281161); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 089,277, entitled "SURGICAL CUTTING AND STAPLING END EFFECTOR WITH ANVIL CONCENTRIC DRIVE MEMBER" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281166); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 089,296, entitled "INTERCHANGEABLE SURGICAL TOOL ASSEMBLY WITH A SURGICAL END EFFECTOR THAT IS SELECTIVELY ROTATABLE ABOUT A SHAFT AXIS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281168); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 089,258, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A SHIFTABLE TRANSMISSION" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281178); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 089,278, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM CONFIGURED TO PROVIDE SELECTIVE CUTTING OF TISSUE" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281162); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 089,284, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A CONTOURABLE SHAFT" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281186); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 089,295, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A TISSUE COMPRESSION LOCKOUT" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281187); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 089,300, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING AN UNCLAMPING LOCKOUT" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281179); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 089,196, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A JAW CLOSURE LOCKOUT" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281183); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 089,203, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A JAW ATTACHMENT LOCKOUT" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281184); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 089,210, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A SPENT CARTRIDGE LOCKOUT" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281185); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 089,324, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A SHIFTING MECHANISM" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281170); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 089,335, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT COMPRISING MULTIPLE LOCKOUTS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281155); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 089,339, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281173); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 089,253, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM CONFIGURED TO APPLY ANNULAR ROWS OF STAPLES HAVING DIFFERENT HEIGHTS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281177); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 089,304, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A GROOVED FORMING POCKET" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281188); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 089,331, entitled "ANVIL MODIFICATION MEMBERS FOR SURGICAL STAPLERS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281180); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 089,336, entitled "STAPLE CARTRIDGES WITH ATRAUMATIC FEATURES" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281164); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 089,312, entitled "CIRCULAR STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING AN INCISABLE TISSUE SUPPORT" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281189); U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 089,309, entitled "CIRCULAR STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING ROTARY FIRING SYSTEM" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281169); and -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 089,349, entitled "CIRCULAR STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING LOAD CONTROL" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0281174).

[0017] The applicant of the present application also owns the following identified U.S. patent applications, filed on December 30, 2015, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 984,488, entitled "MECHANISMS FOR COMPENSATING FOR BATTERY PACK FAILURE IN POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0189018); U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 984,525, entitled "MECHANISMS FOR COMPENSATING FOR DRIVETRAIN FAILURE IN POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0189019); and -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 984,552, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH SEPARABLE MOTORS AND MOTOR CONTROL CIRCUITS" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,265,068).

[0018] The applicant of the present application also owns the following identified U.S. patent applications, filed on February 9, 2016, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 019,220, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH ARTICULATING AND AXIALLY TRANSLATABLE END EFFECTOR" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,245,029); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 019,228, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH MULTIPLE LINK ARTICULATION ARRANGEMENTS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0224342); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 019,196, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT ARTICULATION MECHANISM WITH SLOTTED SECONDARY CONSTRAINT" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0224330); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 019,206, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH AN END EFFECTOR THAT IS HIGHLY ARTICULATABLE RELATIVE TO AN ELONGATE SHAFT ASSEMBLY" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0224331); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 019,215, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH NON-SYMMETRICAL ARTICULATION ARRANGEMENTS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0224332); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 019,227, entitled "ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH SINGLE ARTICULATION LINK ARRANGEMENTS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0224334); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 019,235, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH TENSIONING ARRANGEMENTS FOR CABLE DRIVEN ARTICULATION SYSTEMS" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,245,030); U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 019,230, entitled "ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH OFF-AXIS FIRING BEAM ARRANGEMENTS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0224335); and -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 019,245, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH CLOSURE STROKE REDUCTION ARRANGEMENTS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0224343).

[0019] The applicant of the present application also owns the following identified U.S. patent applications, filed on February 12, 2016, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 043,254, entitled "MECHANISMS FOR COMPENSATING FOR DRIVETRAIN FAILURE IN POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,258,331); -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 043,259, entitled "MECHANISMS FOR COMPENSATING FOR DRIVETRAIN FAILURE IN POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0231626); U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 043,275, entitled "MECHANISMS FOR COMPENSATING FOR DRIVETRAIN FAILURE IN POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0231627); and -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 043,289, entitled "MECHANISMS FOR COMPENSATING FOR DRIVETRAIN FAILURE IN POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0231628).

[0020] The applicant of this application owns the following patent applications, filed on June 18, 2015, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 742,925, entitled "SURGICAL END EFFECTORS WITH POSITIVE JAW OPENING ARRANGEMENTS" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,182,818); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 742,941, entitled "SURGICAL END EFFECTORS WITH DUAL CAM ACTUATED JAW CLOSING FEATURES" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,052,102); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 742,933, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS WITH LOCKOUT ARRANGEMENTS FOR PREVENTING FIRING SYSTEM ACTUATION WHEN A CARTRIDGE IS SPENT OR MISSING" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,154,841); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 742,914, entitled "MOVABLE FIRING BEAM SUPPORT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0367255); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 742,900, entitled "ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH COMPOSITE FIRING BEAM STRUCTURES WITH CENTER FIRING SUPPORT MEMBER FOR ARTICULATION SUPPORT" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0367254); U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 742,885, entitled "DUAL ARTICULATION DRIVE SYSTEM ARRANGEMENTS FOR ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0367246); and -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 742,876, entitled "PUSH / PULL ARTICULATION DRIVE SYSTEMS FOR ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,178,992).

[0021] The applicant of this application owns the following patent applications, filed on March 6, 2015, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 640,746, entitled "POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENT" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,808,246); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 640,795, entitled "MULTIPLE LEVEL THRESHOLDS TO MODIFY OPERATION OF POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 02561185); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 640,832, entitled "ADAPTIVE TISSUE COMPRESSION TECHNIQUES TO ADJUST CLOSURE RATES FOR MULTIPLE TISSUE TYPES," (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0256154); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 640,935, entitled "OVERLAID MULTI SENSOR RADIO FREQUENCY (RF) ELECTRODE SYSTEM TO MEASURE TISSUE COMPRESSION" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0256071); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 640,831, entitled "MONITORING SPEED CONTROL AND PRECISION INCREMENTING OF MOTOR FOR POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,895,148); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 640,859, entitled "TIME DEPENDENT EVALUATION OF SENSOR DATA TO DETERMINE STABILITY, CREEP, AND VISCOELASTIC ELEMENTS OF MEASURES" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,052,044); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 640,817, entitled "INTERACTIVE FEEDBACK SYSTEM FOR POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,924,961); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 640,844, entitled "CONTROL TECHNIQUES AND SUB-PROCESSOR CONTAINED WITHIN MODULAR SHAFT WITH SELECT CONTROL PROCESSING FROM HANDLE" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,045,776); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 640,837, entitled "SMART SENSORS WITH LOCAL SIGNAL PROCESSING" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,993,248); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 640,765, entitled "SYSTEM FOR DETECTING THE MIS-INSERTION OF A STAPLE CARTRIDGE INTO A SURGICAL STAPLER" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0256160); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 640,799, entitled "SIGNAL AND POWER COMMUNICATION SYSTEM POSITIONED ON A ROTATABLE SHAFT" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,901,342); and -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 640,780, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A LOCKABLE BATTERY HOUSING" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,245,033).

[0022] The applicant of this application owns the following patent applications, filed on February 27, 2015, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 633,576, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SYSTEM COMPRISING AN INSPECTION STATION" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,045,779); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 633,546, entitled "SURGICAL APPARATUS CONFIGURED TO ASSESS WHETHER A PERFORMANCE PARAMETER OF THE SURGICAL APPARATUS IS WITHIN AN ACCEPTABLE PERFORMANCE BAND" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,180,463); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 633,560, entitled "SURGICAL CHARGING SYSTEM THAT CHARGES AND / OR CONDITIONS ONE OR MORE BATTERIES" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0249910); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 633,566, entitled "CHARGING SYSTEM THAT ENABLES EMERGENCY RESOLUTIONS FOR CHARGING A BATTERY" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,182,816); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 633,555, entitled "SYSTEM FOR MONITORING WHETHER A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT NEEDS TO BE SERVICED" (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0249916); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 633,542, entitled "REINFORCED BATTERY FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,931,118); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 633,548, entitled "POWER ADAPTER FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,245,028); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 633,526, entitled "ADAPTABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT HANDLE" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,993,258); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 633,541, entitled "MODULAR STAPLING ASSEMBLY" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,226,250); and -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 633,562, entitled "SURGICAL APPARATUS CONFIGURED TO TRACK AN END-OF-LIFE PARAMETER" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,159,483).

[0023] The applicant of this application owns the following patent applications, filed on December 18, 2014, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 574,478, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SYSTEMS COMPRISING AN ARTICULATABLE END EFFECTOR AND MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE FIRING STROKE OF A FIRING MEMBER" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,844,374); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 574,483, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING LOCKABLE SYSTEMS" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,188,385); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 575,139, entitled "DRIVE ARRANGEMENTS FOR ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,844,375); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 575,148, entitled "LOCKING ARRANGEMENTS FOR DETACHABLE SHAFT ASSEMBLIES WITH ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL END EFFECTORS" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,085,748); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 575,130, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH AN ANVIL THAT IS SELECTIVELY MOVABLE ABOUT A DISCRETE NON-MOVABLE AXIS RELATIVE TO A STAPLE CARTRIDGE" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,245,027); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 575,143, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH IMPROVED CLOSURE ARRANGEMENTS" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,004,501); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 575,117, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH ARTICULATABLE END EFFECTORS AND MOVABLE FIRING BEAM SUPPORT ARRANGEMENTS" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,943,309); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 575,154, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH ARTICULATABLE END EFFECTORS AND IMPROVED FIRING BEAM SUPPORT ARRANGEMENTS" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,968,355); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 574,493, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A FLEXIBLE ARTICULATION SYSTEM" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,987,000); and -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 574,500, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A LOCKABLE ARTICULATION SYSTEM" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,117,649).

[0024] The applicant of this application owns the following patent applications, filed on March 1, 2013, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: -U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 782,295, entitled "ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH CONDUCTIVE PATHWAYS FOR SIGNAL COMMUNICATION" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,700,309); -U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 782,323, entitled "ROTARY POWERED ARTICULATION JOINTS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,782,169); -U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 782,338, entitled "THUMBWHEEL SWITCH ARRANGEMENTS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0249557); -U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 782,499, entitled "ELECTROMECHANICAL SURGICAL DEVICE WITH SIGNAL RELAY ARRANGEMENT" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,358,003); -U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 782,460, entitled "MULTIPLE PROCESSOR MOTOR CONTROL FOR MODULAR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,554,794); -U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 782,358, entitled "JOYSTICK SWITCH ASSEMBLIES FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,326,767); -U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 782,481, entitled "SENSOR STRAIGHTENED END EFFECTOR DURING REMOVAL THROUGH TROCAR" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,468,438); -U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 782,518, entitled "CONTROL METHODS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH REMOVABLE IMPLEMENT PORTIONS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0246475); -U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 782,375, entitled "ROTARY POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH MULTIPLE DEGREES OF FREEDOM" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,398,911); and -U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 782,536, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SOFT STOP" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,307,986).

[0025] The applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications, filed on March 14, 2013, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: -U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 803,097, entitled "ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A FIRING DRIVE" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,687,230); -U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 803,193, entitled "CONTROL ARRANGEMENTS FOR A DRIVE MEMBER OF A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,332,987); -U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 803,053, entitled "INTERCHANGEABLE SHAFT ASSEMBLIES FOR USE WITH A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,883,860); -U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 803,086, entitled "ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING AN ARTICULATION LOCK" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0263541); - U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 803,210, entitled "SENSOR ARRANGEMENTS FOR ABSOLUTE POSITIONING SYSTEM FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,808,244); -U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 803,148, entitled "MULTI-FUNCTION MOTOR FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0263554); -U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 803,066, entitled "DRIVE SYSTEM LOCKOUT ARRANGEMENTS FOR MODULAR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,629,623); -U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 803,117, entitled "ARTICULATION CONTROL SYSTEM FOR ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,351,726); -U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 803,130, entitled "DRIVE TRAIN CONTROL ARRANGEMENTS FOR MODULAR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,351,727); and -U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 803,159, entitled "METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR OPERATING A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,888,919).

[0026] The applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications, filed on March 7, 2014, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety: -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 200,111, entitled "CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,629,629).

[0027] The applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications, filed on March 26, 2014, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 226,106, entitled "POWER MANAGEMENT CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0272582); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 226,099, entitled "STERILIZATION VERIFICATION CIRCUIT" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,826,977); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 226,094, entitled "VERIFICATION OF NUMBER OF BATTERY EXCHANGES / PROCEDURE COUNT" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0272580); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 226,117, entitled "POWER MANAGEMENT THROUGH SLEEP OPTIONS OF SEGMENTED CIRCUIT AND WAKE UP CONTROL" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,013,049); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 226,075, entitled "MODULAR POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH DETACHABLE SHAFT ASSEMBLIES" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,743,929); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 226,093, entitled "FEEDBACK ALGORITHMS FOR MANUAL BAILOUT SYSTEMS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,028,761); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 226,116, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT UTILIZING SENSOR ADAPTATION" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0272571); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 226,071, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT CONTROL CIRCUIT HAVING A SAFETY PROCESSOR" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,690,362); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 226,097, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING INTERACTIVE SYSTEMS" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,820,738); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 226,126, entitled "INTERFACE SYSTEMS FOR USE WITH SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,004,497); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 226,133, entitled "MODULAR SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SYSTEM" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0272557); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 226,081, entitled "SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING A SEGMENTED CIRCUIT" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,804,618); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 226,076, entitled "POWER MANAGEMENT THROUGH SEGMENTED CIRCUIT AND VARIABLE VOLTAGE PROTECTION" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,733,663); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 226,111, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT SYSTEM" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,750,499); and -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 226,125, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A ROTATABLE SHAFT" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,201,364).

[0028] The applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications, filed on September 5, 2014, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 479,103, entitled "CIRCUITRY AND SENSORS FOR POWERED MEDICAL DEVICE" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,111,679); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 479,119, entitled "ADJUNCT WITH INTEGRATED SENSORS TO QUANTIFY TISSUE COMPRESSION" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,724,094); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 478,908, entitled "MONITORING DEVICE DEGRADATION BASED ON COMPONENT EVALUATION" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,737,301); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 478,895, entitled "MULTIPLE SENSORS WITH ONE SENSOR AFFECTING A SECOND SENSOR'S OUTPUT OR INTERPRETATION" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,757,128); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 479,110, entitled "POLARITY OF HALL MAGNET TO IDENTIFY CARTRIDGE TYPE" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,016,199); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 479,098, entitled "SMART CARTRIDGE WAKE UP OPERATION AND DATA RETENTION" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,135,242); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 479,115, entitled "MULTIPLE MOTOR CONTROL FOR POWERED MEDICAL DEVICE" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,788,836); and -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 479,108, entitled "LOCAL DISPLAY OF TISSUE PARAMETER STABILIZATION" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0066913).

[0029] The applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications, filed on April 9, 2014, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 248,590, entitled "MOTOR DRIVEN SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH LOCKABLE DUAL DRIVE SHAFTS" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,826,976); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 248,581, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A CLOSING DRIVE AND A FIRING DRIVE OPERATED FROM THE SAME ROTATABLE OUTPUT" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,649,110); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 248,595, entitled "SURGICAL SYSTEM COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND DRIVE SYSTEMS" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,844,368); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 248,588, entitled "POWERED LINEAR SURGICAL STAPLER" (now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0309666); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 248,591, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A GAP SETTING SYSTEM" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,149,680); - U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 248,584, entitled "MODULAR MOTOR DRIVEN SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH ALIGNMENT FEATURES FOR ALIGNING ROTARY DRIVE SHAFTS WITH SURGICAL END EFFECTOR SHAFTS" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,801,626); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 248,587, entitled "POWERED SURGICAL STAPLER" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,867,612); -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 248,586, entitled "DRIVE SYSTEM DECOUPLING ARRANGEMENT FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT" (now U.S. Patent No. 10,136,887); and -U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 248,607, entitled "MODULAR MOTOR DRIVEN SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH STATUS INDICATION ARRANGEMENTS" (now U.S. Patent No. 9,814,460).

[0030] The applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications, filed on April 16, 2013, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: - U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 812,365, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS PERFORMED BY A SINGLE MOTOR"; -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 812,376, entitled "LINEAR CUTTER WITH POWER"; - U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 812,382, entitled "LINEAR CUTTER WITH MOTOR AND PISTOL GRIP"; -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 812,385, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT HANDLE WITH MULTIPLE ACTUATION MOTORS AND MOTOR CONTROL"; and -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 812,372, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS PERFORMED BY A SINGLE MOTOR."

[0031] The applicant of this application owns the following U.S. provisional patent applications, filed on December 28, 2017, the entire disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by reference: -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 611,341, entitled "INTERACTIVE SURGICAL PLATFORM"; -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 611,340, entitled "CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS"; and -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 611,339, entitled "ROBOT ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORM."

[0032] The applicant of this application owns the following U.S. provisional patent applications, filed on March 28, 2018, each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein: -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,302, entitled "INTERACTIVE SURGICAL SYSTEMS WITH ENCRYPTED COMMUNICATION CAPABILITIES"; - U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,294, entitled "DATA STRIPPING METHOD TO INTERROGATE PATIENT RECORDS AND CREATE ANONYMIZED RECORD"; -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,300, entitled "SURGICAL HUB SITUATIONAL AWARENESS"; -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,309, entitled "SURGICAL HUB SPATIAL AWARENESS TO DETERMINE DEVICES IN OPERATING THEATER"; - U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,310, entitled "COMPUTER IMPLEMENTED INTERACTIVE SURGICAL SYSTEMS"; - U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,291, entitled "USE OF LASER LIGHT AND RED-GREEN-BLUE COLORATION TO DETERMINE PROPERTIES OF BACK SCATTERED LIGHT"; -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,296, entitled "ADAPTIVE CONTROL PROGRAM UPDATES FOR SURGICAL DEVICES"; -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,333, entitled "CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS FOR CUSTOMIZATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO A USER"; -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,327, entitled "CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS FOR SECURITY AND AUTHENTICATION TRENDS AND REACTIVE MEASURES"; -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,315, entitled "DATA HANDLING AND PRIORITIZATION IN A CLOUD ANALYTICS NETWORK"; -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,313, entitled "CLOUD INTERFACE FOR COUPLED SURGICAL DEVICES"; -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,320, entitled "DRIVE ARRANGEMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS"; -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,307, entitled "AUTOMATIC TOOL ADJUSTMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS," and -U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 649,323, entitled "SENSING ARRANGEMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS."

[0033] The applicant of this application owns the following U.S. patent applications, filed March 29, 2018, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,641, entitled "INTERACTIVE SURGICAL SYSTEMS WITH ENCRYPTED COMMUNICATION CAPABILITIES"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,648, entitled "INTERACTIVE SURGICAL SYSTEMS WITH CONDITION HANDLING OF DEVICES AND DATA CAPABILITIES"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,656, entitled "SURGICAL HUB COORDINATION OF CONTROL AND COMMUNICATION OF OPERATING ROOM DEVICES"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,666, entitled "SPATIAL AWARENESS OF SURGICAL HUBS IN OPERATING ROOMS"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,670, entitled "COOPERATIVE UTILIZATION OF DATA DERIVED FROM SECONDARY SOURCES BY INTELLIGENT SURGICAL HUBS"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,677, entitled "SURGICAL HUB CONTROL ARRANGEMENTS"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,632, entitled "DATA STRIPPING METHOD TO INTERROGATE PATIENT RECORDS AND CREATE ANONYMIZED RECORD"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,640, entitled "COMMUNICATION HUB AND STORAGE DEVICE FOR STORING PARAMETERS AND STATUS OF A SURGICAL DEVICE TO BE SHARED WITH CLOUD BASED ANALYTICS SYSTEMS"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,645, entitled "SELF DESCRIBING DATA PACKETS GENERATED AT AN ISSUING INSTRUMENT"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,649, entitled "DATA PAIRING TO INTERCONNECT A DEVICE MEASURED PARAMETER WITH AN OUTCOME"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,654, entitled "SURGICAL HUB SITUATIONAL AWARENESS"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,663, entitled "SURGICAL SYSTEM DISTRIBUTED PROCESSING"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,668, entitled "AGGREGATION AND REPORTING OF SURGICAL HUB DATA"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,671, entitled "SURGICAL HUB SPATIAL AWARENESS TO DETERMINE DEVICES IN OPERATING THEATER"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,686, entitled "DISPLAY OF ALIGNMENT OF STAPLE CARTRIDGE TO PRIOR LINEAR STAPLE LINE"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,700, entitled "STERILE FIELD INTERACTIVE CONTROL DISPLAYS"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,629, entitled "COMPUTER IMPLEMENTED INTERACTIVE SURGICAL SYSTEMS"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,704, entitled "USE OF LASER LIGHT AND RED-GREEN-BLUE COLORATION TO DETERMINE PROPERTIES OF BACK SCATTERED LIGHT"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,722, entitled "CHARACTERIZATION OF TISSUE IRREGULARITIES THROUGH THE USE OF MONO-CHROMATIC LIGHT REFRACTIVITY"; and -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,742, entitled "DUAL CMOS ARRAY IMAGING."

[0034] The applicant of this application owns the following U.S. patent applications, filed March 29, 2018, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,636, entitled "ADAPTIVE CONTROL PROGRAM UPDATES FOR SURGICAL DEVICES"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,653, entitled "ADAPTIVE CONTROL PROGRAM UPDATES FOR SURGICAL HUBS"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,660, entitled "CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS FOR CUSTOMIZATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO A USER"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,679, entitled "CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS FOR LINKING OF LOCAL USAGE TRENDS WITH THE RESOURCE ACQUISITION BEHAVIORS OF LARGER DATA SET"; - U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,694, entitled "CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS FOR MACILITY SEGMENTED INDIVIDUALIZATION OF INSTRUMENT FUNCTION"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,634, entitled "CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS FOR SECURITY AND AUTHENTICATION TRENDS AND REACTIVE MEASURES"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,706, entitled "DATA HANDLING AND PRIORITIZATION IN A CLOUD ANALYTICS NETWORK"; and U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,675, entitled "CLOUD INTERFACE FOR COUPLED SURGICAL DEVICES."

[0035] The applicant of this application owns the following U.S. patent applications, filed March 29, 2018, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,627, entitled "DRIVE ARRANGEMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,637, entitled "COMMUNICATION ARRANGEMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,642, entitled "CONTROLS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,676, entitled "AUTOMATIC TOOL ADJUSTMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,680, entitled "CONTROLLERS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,683, entitled "COOPERATIVE SURGICAL ACTIONS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS"; -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,690, entitled "DISPLAY ARRANGEMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS," and -U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 940,711, entitled "SENSING ARRANGEMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS."

[0036] As described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the overall structure, function, manufacture, and use of the embodiments. Well-known operations, components, and elements have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the embodiments described herein. The reader will understand that the embodiments described and illustrated herein are non-limiting examples, and thus the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein may be representative and exemplary. Variations and modifications can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the claims.

[0037] The terms "comprise" (and any form of comprise, such as "comprises" and "comprising"), "have" (and any form of have, such as "has" and "having"), "include" (and any form of include, such as "includes" and "including"), and "contain" (and any form of contain, such as "contains" and "containing") are open-ended linking verbs. Consequently, a surgical system, device, or apparatus that "comprises," "has," "includes," or "contains" one or more elements has those one or more elements, but is not limited to having only those one or more elements. Similarly, a system, device, or apparatus element that "comprises," "has," "includes," or "contains" one or more features has those one or more features, but is not limited to having only those one or more features.

[0038] The terms "proximal" and "distal" are used herein with reference to a clinician manipulating the handle portion of a surgical instrument. The term "proximal" refers to the portion closest to the clinician, and the term "distal" refers to the portion located away from the clinician. It will be further understood that for convenience and clarity, spatial terms such as "vertical," "horizontal," "up," and "down" 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.

[0039] Various exemplary devices and methods are provided for performing laparoscopic and minimally invasive surgical procedures. However, the reader will readily appreciate that the various methods and devices disclosed herein can be used in many surgical procedures and applications, including, for example, those associated with open surgical procedures. By proceeding through the Detailed Description section of this specification, the reader will further appreciate that the various instruments disclosed herein can be inserted into the body in any manner, such as through a natural opening, an incision or puncture made in tissue, etc. The working portions or end effector portions of these instruments can be inserted directly into the patient's body or through an access device having a working channel through which the end effector and elongate shaft of the surgical instrument can be advanced.

[0040] The surgical stapling system can include a shaft and an end effector extending from the shaft. The end effector includes a first jaw and a second jaw. The first jaw includes a staple cartridge. The staple cartridge is insertable into and removable from the first jaw, although other embodiments are contemplated in which the staple cartridge is not removable from the first jaw, or at least not easily replaceable therefrom. The second jaw includes an anvil configured to deform staples ejected from the staple cartridge. Other embodiments are contemplated in which the second jaw is pivotable relative to the first jaw about a closure axis, while the first jaw is pivotable relative to the second jaw. The surgical stapling system further includes an articulation joint configured to rotate, or articulate, the end effector relative to the shaft. The end effector is rotatable about an articulation axis extending through the articulation joint. Other embodiments are also contemplated that do not include an articulation joint.

[0041] The staple cartridge includes a cartridge body. The cartridge body includes a proximal end, a distal end, and a deck extending between the proximal and distal ends. During use, the staple cartridge is positioned on a first side of tissue to be stapled, and the anvil is positioned on a second side of the tissue. The anvil is moved toward the staple cartridge to press and clamp the tissue against the deck. Staples removably stored within the cartridge body can then be deployed into the tissue. The cartridge body includes staple cavities defined therein, and the staples are removably stored within the staple cavities. The staple cavities are arranged in six longitudinal rows. Three rows of staple cavities are positioned on a first side of a longitudinal slot, and three rows of staple cavities are positioned on a second side of the longitudinal slot. Other device configurations of staple cavities and staples may be possible.

[0042] The staples are supported by staple drivers within the cartridge body. The drivers are movable between a first, unfired, position and a second, fired, position to eject the staples from the staple cavities. The drivers are retained within the cartridge body by a retainer extending around a lower periphery of the cartridge body and include a resilient member configured to grip the cartridge body and hold the retainer against the cartridge body. The drivers are movable between their unfired and fired positions by a sled. The sled is movable between a proximal position adjacent the proximal end and a distal position adjacent the distal end. The sled includes a plurality of ramps configured to slide beneath the drivers and lift the drivers, on which the staples are supported, toward the anvil.

[0043] In addition to the above, the sled is moved distally by a firing member. The firing member is configured to contact the sled and push it toward the distal end. A longitudinal slot defined in the cartridge body is configured to receive the firing member. The anvil also includes a slot configured to receive the firing member. The firing member further includes a first cam engaging the first jaw and a second cam engaging the second jaw. When the firing member is advanced distally, the first cam and the second cam can control the distance between the deck of the staple cartridge and the anvil, i.e., the tissue gap. The firing member also includes a knife configured to cut tissue captured intermediate the staple cartridge and the anvil. It is desirable that the knife be positioned at least partially proximal to the beveled surface so that the staples are ejected forward of the knife.

[0044] The surgical instrument 10000 is shown in FIG. 1. The surgical instrument 10000 includes a handle 10100, a shaft 10200 extending from the handle 10100, and an end effector 10400. The end effector 10400 includes a first jaw 10410 configured to receive a staple cartridge and a second jaw 10420 movable relative to the first jaw 10410. The second jaw 10420 includes an anvil having staple-forming pockets defined therein. The surgical instrument 10000 further includes a closure actuator 10140 configured to actuate a closure system of the surgical instrument 10000 and move the second jaw 10420 between an unclamping position and a clamping position. Referring to FIG. 3, the closure actuator 10140 is operably coupled to a closure tube 10240 that is advanced distally when the closure actuator 10140 is closed. In such instances, the closure tube 10240 contacts the second jaw, camming and / or pushing the second jaw 10420 downward to its clamping position. The second jaw 10420 is pivotally coupled to the first jaw about a pivot axis. Yet, in alternative embodiments, the second jaw may translate and rotate as it is moved to its clamping position. Additionally, in various alternative embodiments, the surgical instrument includes a staple cartridge jaw that is movable between a non-clamping position and a clamping position relative to the anvil jaw. In either case, the handle 10100 includes a lock configured to releasably hold the closure actuator 10140 in its clamping position. The handle 10100 further includes release actuators 10180a, 10180b, either of which, when actuated, unlocks the closure actuator 10140 so that the end effector can be reopened. In various alternative embodiments, the handle 10100 comprises an electric motor configured to move the closure tube 10240 proximally and / or distally when actuated by a clinician.

[0045] The end effector 10400 is attached to the shaft 10200 about the articulation joint 10500 and is rotatable in a plane about an articulation axis. The shaft 10200 defines a longitudinal axis, and the end effector 10400 is articulatable between a position in which the end effector 10400 is aligned with the longitudinal axis and a position in which the end effector 10400 extends at an angle transverse to the longitudinal axis. The handle 10100 includes an electric motor and a control system configured to control operation of the electric motor. The electric motor includes a brushless DC motor; however, the electric motor may include any suitable motor, such as, for example, a brushed DC motor. The entire disclosure of U.S. Patent No. 10,149,683, issued December 11, 2018, entitled "POWERED SURGICAL CUTTING AND STAPLING APPARATUS WITH MANUALLY RETRACTABLE FIRING SYSTEM," is incorporated herein by reference. The entire disclosure of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0125481, published May 10, 2018, entitled "MOTOR-DRIVEN SURGICAL CUTTING INSTRUMENT," is incorporated herein by reference. The handle 10100 further comprises a replaceable and / or rechargeable battery 10300 attachable to the handle housing that powers the surgical instrument 10000. No. 8,632,525, issued January 21, 2014, entitled "POWER CONTROL ARRANGEMENTS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS AND BATTERIES," the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The electric motor is operably coupled to the firing drive 10250 of the surgical instrument 10000 and configured to drive the firing member of the firing drive 10250 through a staple firing stroke. The electric motor has a rotary output including a gear that engages with the translatable rack of the firing drive 10250.The electric motor is operated in a first direction to drive the firing member through a staple firing stroke and in a second, opposite direction to retract the firing member and / or reset the firing drive 10250. The surgical instrument 10000 further includes an actuator 10150 in communication with the motor control system, which, when actuated or rotated, sends a signal to the motor control system to operate the electric motor in the first direction to initiate the staple firing stroke. When the actuator 10150 is released, the motor control system stops the electric motor. When the actuator 10150 is re-actuated, the motor control system again operates the electric motor in the first direction to continue the staple firing stroke. When the firing member reaches the end of the staple firing stroke, the control system stops the electric motor, awaiting input from the clinician. If the clinician releases the actuator 10150 at such time, the control system reverses the operation of the electric motor to retract the firing member to its unfired position. The handle 10100 further comprises a retraction actuator in communication with the motor control system which, when actuated by the clinician, reverses the direction of the electric motor to retract the firing drive. When the retraction actuator is depressed, the staple firing stroke is terminated regardless of whether the firing member has reached the end of the staple firing stroke.

[0046] The electric motor of the surgical instrument 10000 is also used to selectively drive an articulation drive system to articulate the end effector 10400. More specifically, the articulation drive system includes an articulation driver selectively engageable with a firing drive, and when the articulation driver is engaged with the firing drive, the articulation driver is movable proximally and distally by operation of the electric motor to articulate the end effector 10400. When the electric motor is operated in its first direction, in such an example, the end effector 10400 is articulated in a first direction to push the articulation driver distally. Similarly, the end effector 10400 is articulated in a second direction when the electric motor is operated in its second direction to pull the articulation driver proximally. When the articulation driver is not engaged with the firing drive, operation of the electric motor does not articulate the end effector 10400. Instead, in such an example, the electric motor moves only the firing drive. That being said, it should be understood that movement of the firing drive to articulate the end effector 10400 does not cause a staple firing stroke to be performed. The range of motion required to articulate the end effector 10400 is small compared to the range of motion of the staple firing stroke and occurs proximally relative to the start of the staple firing stroke so that staples are not ejected and tissue is not cut while the end effector 10400 is articulated. The surgical instrument 10000 further includes an articulation lock that unlocks when the articulation driver is moved longitudinally by the firing drive and then locks the end effector 10400 in place when the articulation driver is not driven by the firing drive. The entire disclosure of U.S. Patent No. 9,629,629, issued April 25, 2017, entitled "CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS," is incorporated herein by reference. As noted above, the surgical instrument may include a separate articulation motor in addition to the firing motor for driving the articulation drive system.

[0047] Further to the above, and referring to FIG. 2 , the handle 10100 includes a frame 10110, a housing 10120, and an articulation actuator 10160. The articulation actuator 10160 includes, for example, a rocker switch oriented vertically on the housing 10120 and in communication with a motor control system. The rocker switch is rotatable upward and downward about an axis to articulate the end effector 10400. An upper portion of the articulation actuator 10160 is pressed by a clinician to articulate the end effector 10400 to the left, and a lower portion of the articulation actuator 10160 is pressed to articulate the end effector 10400 to the right. Such a device configuration provides an intuitive interface to the clinician; however, any suitable device configuration may be used. The handle 10100 further includes a home actuator 10170 in communication with the motor control system. When the home actuator 10170 is actuated by the clinician, the motor control system operates the electric motor to recenter the end effector 10400 along the longitudinal axis of the shaft 10200 of the surgical instrument 10000. To this end, the control system is configured to track the position of the end effector so that when the home actuator 10170 is actuated, the control system operates the electric motor in the correct direction to articulate the end effector 10400 in the correct direction and by the correct amount. In various examples, the surgical instrument 10000 includes a linear encoder configured to track the position of, for example, the articulation driver so that when the home actuator 10170 is actuated, the control system can properly center the end effector 10400.

[0048] Further to the above, the shaft 10200 is rotatable relative to the handle 10100. The shaft 10200 includes a frame 10210 that is attached to the frame 10110 of the handle 10100. In embodiments where the shaft 10200 is easily removable from the handle 10100, the shaft frame 10210 may be separate from the handle frame 10110. In embodiments where the shaft 10200 is not removable from the handle 10100, the shaft frame 10210 and the handle frame 10110 may be integrally formed. In either case, the shaft 10200 includes a nozzle or handle 10220 that is securely attached to a closure tube 10240 of the shaft 10200. The gripping portion 10220 includes a plurality of finger grooves 10222 defined therein and ridges 10224 extending between the finger grooves 10222 that provide walls against which the clinician can press his or her fingers and that assist the clinician in rotating the shaft 10200 about its longitudinal axis.

[0049] In addition to the above, the end effector 10400 rotates with the shaft 10200 when the shaft 10200 is rotated about its longitudinal axis. Thus, the end effector 10400 rotates clockwise when the shaft 10200 is rotated clockwise by the clinician and rotates counterclockwise when the shaft 10200 is rotated counterclockwise by the clinician. In various alternative embodiments, the surgical system 10000 includes an electric motor configured to rotate the shaft 10200 about its longitudinal axis. In either case, the shaft 10200 can be rotated from top dead center (TDC), where the anvil 10420 is positioned directly above the staple cartridge jaws 10410, to any other suitable position within a range of positions up to 360 degrees. For example, the shaft 10200 can be rotated to a 90 degree right position, where the anvil 10420 faces the right of the handle 10100, or to a 90 degree left position, where the anvil 10420 faces the left of the handle 10100. The shaft 10200 can also be rotated to a bottom dead center (BDC) position, where the staple cartridge jaws 10410 are positioned directly above the anvil 10420.

[0050] As described above, the end effector 10400 is articulatable about the articulation joint 10500 while simultaneously rotating with the shaft 10200. As described above, when the end effector 10400 is in its TDC position, the articulation control 10160 is intuitive to the user as the end effector 10400 is rotated in a plane—push up to articulate left and push down to articulate right. This device configuration is also intuitive even after the shaft 10200, and thus the end effector 10400, is rotated 90 degrees to the right or left. However, when the shaft 10200 and end effector 10400 are rotated more than 90 degrees in either direction, the articulation control 10160 may become counterintuitive to the clinician. In fact, the articulation control 10160 may appear backwards. With this in mind, the control system of the surgical instrument 10000 is configured to reverse the manner in which the surgical instrument responds to the articulation control 10160 when the shaft 10200 and end effector 10400 are rotated more than 90 degrees in either direction. In such an example, the control would push up to articulate to the right and down to articulate to the left. To this end, as described in more detail below, the surgical instrument 10000 is configured to detect the orientation of the shaft 10200 relative to the handle 10100, i.e., whether the end effector 10400 is at least partially upside down relative to the handle 10100, and then transition to an alternate operational control mode in which the responsiveness of the surgical instrument 10000 to the articulation control 10160 is reversed. Such a device configuration may make the surgical instrument 10000 easier to use in various instances.

[0051] 2-5, the surgical instrument 10000 includes a switch 10130 mounted on the handle 10100 in communication with a control system, the switch configured to detect rotation of the shaft 10200 relative to the handle 10100. The switch 10130 includes a switch body 10132 securely mounted to the handle frame 10110 and three electrical contacts 10133 that are part of a switch circuit in communication with the control system. The switch 10000 further includes a switch arm 10134 rotatably connected to the switch body 10132 and electrical contacts 10136 positioned on the switch body 10132. The switch arm 10134 is constructed of a conductive material, such as brass, and closes the switch circuit when the switch arm 10134 contacts the electrical contacts 10136. The switch arm 10134 is rotated between an open position ( FIG. 5 ) and a closed position when the shaft 10200 is rotated past a 90-degree position left or right. More specifically, the gripper or nozzle 10220 includes a cam 10230 defined thereon that urges the switch arm 10134 toward its closed position when the shaft 10200 and end effector 10400 are at least partially inverted upside down. When the shaft 10200 is rotated upward past the 90-degree position, the cam 10230 allows the switch arm 10134 to resiliently move toward its open position, opening the switch circuit. The switch arm 10134 includes a roller 10135 mounted thereon to facilitate relative rotation between the switch arm 10134 and the gripper 10220.

[0052] The surgical instrument 11000 is shown in FIG. 6. The surgical instrument 11000 is similar in many respects to the surgical instrument 10000. The surgical instrument 11000 comprises a handle 11100 and a shaft 11200 extending from the handle 11100. The handle 11100 comprises a frame 11110, and the shaft 11200 comprises a frame 11210 attached to the handle frame 11110. The shaft 11200 comprises a gripping portion or nozzle 11220, a first magnetic element 11230s positioned on one side of the gripping portion 11220, and a second magnetic element 11230n positioned on the opposite side of the gripping portion 11220. In other words, the first magnetic element 11230s and the second magnetic element 11230n are mounted 180 degrees apart. The handle 11100 further comprises a control system including at least one sensor 11130, such as a Hall effect sensor mounted to the handle frame 11110, configured to sense the positions of the magnetic elements 11230s and 11230n and use this information to determine the orientation of the shaft 11200 relative to the handle 11100. In particular, the first magnetic element 11230s comprises a permanent magnet having a south pole facing towards the handle 11100 and a north pole facing away from the handle 11100, and the second magnetic element 11230n comprises a permanent magnet having a north pole facing towards the handle 11100 and a south pole facing away from the handle 11100. The magnetic elements 11230s and 11230n disturb the magnetic field emitted by the Hall effect sensors, and when the shaft 11200 is at least partially upside down, the disturbance associated with such orientation of the shaft 11200 is detected by the control system of the surgical instrument 11000 via a sensing circuit that includes the sensor 11130. In such an instance, the control system transitions to a second operating mode, as described above, which reverses the responsiveness of the surgical instrument 11000 to the articulation control 10160, as described above.

[0053] Surgical instrument 12000 is shown in Figures 7 and 8. Surgical instrument 12000 is similar in many respects to surgical instrument 10000. Surgical instrument 12000 includes a handle 12100 and a shaft 12200 extending from the handle 12100. Handle 12100 includes a housing, a first articulation control 12160a positioned on a first side of the handle housing, and a second articulation control 12160b positioned on a second or opposite side of the handle housing. First articulation control 12160a communicates with a control system of surgical instrument 12000 via a first control circuit, and second articulation control 12160b communicates with the control system via a second control circuit. The control system is configured to operate the electric motor of the staple firing drive in a first direction to articulate the end effector of the shaft 12200 in a first direction when the first articulation control 12160a is actuated, and in a second or opposite direction to articulate the end effector in a second or opposite direction when the second articulation control 12160b is actuated. The handle 12100 further comprises a centering or home actuator 10170a positioned on a first side of the handle 12100 and a second centering or home actuator 10170b on a second side of the handle 12100. As above, the actuators 10170a and 10170b are in communication with a control system configured such that actuation of either the centering actuator 10170a or 10170b causes the control system to operate the electric motor to recenter the end effector.

[0054] 9 and 10. The surgical instrument 13000 is similar in many respects to the surgical instrument 10000. The surgical instrument 13000 includes a handle 13100 and a shaft 13200 extending from the handle 13100. The shaft 13200 includes a housing, a first articulation control 13260a positioned on a first side of the shaft housing, and a second articulation control 13260b positioned on a second or opposite side of the shaft housing. The first articulation control 13260a communicates with a control system of the surgical instrument 13000 via a first control circuit, and the second articulation control 13260b communicates with the control system via a second control circuit. The control system is configured to operate the electric motor of the staple firing drive in a first direction to articulate the end effector 10400 of the shaft 13200 in a first direction when the first articulation control 13260a is actuated, and in a second or opposite direction to articulate the end effector 10400 in a second or opposite direction when the second articulation control 13260b is actuated. Stated another way, the end effector 10400 articulates in the direction of the actuated articulation control. The first articulation control 13260a is positioned on a first finger ridge defined on the gripper portion or nozzle 13220 of the shaft 13200, and the second articulation control 13260b is positioned on a second finger ridge defined on the gripper portion 13220. In particular, the articulation controls 13260a and 13260b are positioned 180 degrees apart. Alternatively, the articulation controls 13260a and 13260b may be positioned within finger grooves defined in the grip portion 13220, although any suitable device configuration may be used. This device configuration offers the advantage of having the articulation controls in a location that is easily accessible by the clinician's hand during use, such that the relative placement and articulation direction of the articulation controls 13260a and 13260b are fixed so that they can be used in an intuitive manner.

[0055] The surgical instrument 14000 is shown in Figures 11 and 12. The surgical instrument 14000 is similar in many respects to the surgical instrument 13000. The surgical instrument 14000 includes a handle 13100 and a shaft 14200 extending from the handle 13100. The shaft 14200 includes a housing, a first articulation control 14260a positioned on a first side of the shaft housing, and a second articulation control 14260b positioned on a second side of the shaft housing. The first articulation control 14260a communicates with a control system of the surgical instrument 14000 via a first control circuit, and the second articulation control 14260b communicates with the control system via a second control circuit. The control system is configured to operate the electric motor of the staple firing drive in a first direction to articulate the end effector 10400 of the shaft 14200 in a first direction when the first articulation control 14260a is actuated, and in a second or opposite direction to articulate the end effector 10400 in a second or opposite direction when the second articulation control 14260b is actuated. The first articulation control 14260a is positioned within a first finger groove defined on the gripper portion or nozzle 14220 of the shaft 14200, and the second articulation control 14260b is positioned within a second finger groove defined in the gripper portion 14220, although any suitable device configuration may be used.

[0056] In addition to the above, the shaft 14200 further comprises a third articulation control 14260c positioned on a second side of the shaft housing and a fourth articulation control 14260d positioned on a first side of the shaft housing. The third articulation control 14260c is in communication with a control system of the surgical instrument 14000 via a third control circuit, and the fourth articulation control 14260b is in communication with the control system via a fourth control circuit. The control system is configured to operate the electric motor of the staple firing drive in a second direction to articulate the end effector of the shaft 14200 in a second direction when the third articulation control 14260c is actuated, and in a first direction to articulate the end effector in the first direction when the fourth articulation control 14260d is actuated. The third articulation control 14260c is positioned within a third finger groove defined in the gripping portion 14220 of the shaft 14200, and the fourth articulation control 14260d is positioned within a fourth finger groove defined in the gripping portion 14220, although any suitable device configuration may be used.

[0057] The surgical instrument 15000 is shown in FIG. 13 . The surgical instrument 15000 is similar in many respects to the surgical instrument 10000. The surgical instrument 15000 includes a handle 15100 and a shaft 10200 extending from the handle 15100. The handle 15100 includes an articulation actuator 15160 in communication with the control system of the surgical instrument 15000. In contrast to the vertically configured articulation actuator 10160, the articulation actuator 15160 is horizontally configured. The articulation actuator 15160 includes a rotatable element that is rotatable in a plane that is parallel, or at least substantially parallel, to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 10200. The rotatable element is rotatable distally to articulate the end effector 10400 to the right of the handle 15100 and proximally to articulate the end effector 10400 to the left of the handle 15100. This is true whether the end effector 10400 is rotated upward or downward, with control responsiveness reversal when the end effector 10400 is rotated more than 90 degrees from the TDC position in either direction. Nevertheless, control of the articulation actuator 15160 may be reversed as described above. The articulation actuator 15160 includes distal contacts that are part of a first articulation control circuit and proximal contacts that are part of a second articulation control circuit. The rotatable element engages the distal contacts and closes the first articulation control circuit when the rotatable element is in its distal position. The rotatable element does not contact the proximal contacts when the rotatable element is in its distal position, thus opening the second articulation control circuit. Similarly, the rotatable element engages the proximal contacts and closes the second articulation control circuit when the rotatable element is in its proximal position. Correspondingly, the rotatable element does not contact the distal contact when the rotatable element is in its proximal position, and therefore the first articulation control circuit is open.

[0058] Further to the above, the articulation actuator 15160 includes a detent at the center of the rotatable element's range of motion. This detent is configured to resist movement of the rotatable element as the rotatable element moves from one side of the articulation actuator 15160 to the other. Such resistance to movement of the rotatable element can signal to the clinician that moving the rotatable element beyond that point will articulate the end effector 10400 in the opposite direction. Furthermore, such a detent provides a place to park the rotatable element so that the end effector 10400 does not articulate in either direction. The rotatable element includes a ridge alignable with its center or parked position, which can be pushed in and pulled by the clinician to move the rotatable element. Such a ridge provides the clinician with a tactile sense of the direction in which the rotatable element is being rotated, and therefore the direction in which the end effector 10400 is being articulated.

[0059] Notwithstanding the above, various embodiments are envisioned in which reversal of control responsiveness of a surgical instrument may be disabled. In at least one example, the handle of a surgical instrument includes an actuator in communication with a control system that, when activated, prevents the control system from transitioning to its second, or reversed, mode of operation. In at least one such example, the handle further includes an indicator, such as a light-emitting diode (LED), that is illuminated to indicate the status of the surgical instrument, i.e., whether the articulation controls will reverse when the end effector is rotated more than 90 degrees from its TDC position. In a particular example, the surgical instrument includes an input screen in communication with a control system microprocessor that can receive input to prevent the control system from transitioning to its second or reversed mode of operation. Additionally or alternatively, the reversal point at which the surgical instrument transitions to its second mode of operation may be adjusted. In at least one such embodiment, a clinician can change the reversal point to, for example, 85 degrees in either direction from the end effector's TDC position. Any suitable number may be used depending on the clinician's preference, such as, for example, 80 degrees, 95 degrees, or 100 degrees. In at least one embodiment, the surgical instrument includes an input screen in communication with the control system microprocessor configured to receive input from the clinician to adjust the articulation control reversal point.

[0060] During use, it is desirable that the articulation control not be inverted unexpectedly while the clinician is using the articulation control. Once the clinician begins to articulate the end effector, the control system maintains the articulation control mode until the clinician releases the articulation control, even if the end effector and shaft are rotated past the inversion point during articulation. When articulation is stopped, the control system can reorient the articulation control or switch to an inverted articulation control mode if the end effector and shaft are still in an inverted position. In certain embodiments, the control system does not immediately invert the articulation control. Instead, the control system includes a timer circuit and / or the control system's microprocessor is programmed to wait a certain amount of time before inverting the control. In at least one example, the control system waits, for example, five seconds since the last time the articulation control was used before inverting the articulation control. Alternatively, the control system may wait, for example, two or ten seconds. Such a device configuration can help prevent confusion for users of the surgical instrument. In various embodiments, the surgical instrument includes a tactile feedback generator in communication with the control system that is activated by the control system when the articulation control is flipped. For example, motor noise, light, sound, and / or vibration feedback may be used. In some embodiments, the shaft and / or handle includes a mechanical switch that audibly clicks when the shaft is rotated in either direction past its flip point.

[0061] The surgical instrument 32000 is shown in FIGS. 56 and 57 and includes a handle 32100 and a shaft 32200. The handle 32100 includes an articulation control 32160 and an articulation reversal switch 32130 that communicates with the control system of the surgical instrument 32000. The articulation reversal switch 32130 is mounted to a control board, such as a printed control board (PCB), that contains the hardware and software for the control system of the surgical instrument 32000. When the shaft 32200 is rotated beyond its 90 degree left or right position, the shaft 32200 contacts the articulation reversal switch 32130 which is detected by the control system. At this point, the control system follows an algorithm to determine when or if the articulation control should be reversed. An algorithm 32900 that may control this is shown in FIG. 58, although any suitable algorithm may be used. As above, the shaft 32200 includes a cam 32230 configured to contact the articulation reversal switch 32130. As a result of the above, the articulation reversal switch 32130 is open, or "off," over 180 degrees of rotation of the shaft 32200 and closed, or "on," over the other 180 degrees of rotation of the shaft 32200. The cam 32230 is molded into the shroud of the shaft 32200, but may include any suitable arrangement. As above, however, the throw of the cam 32230 is designed so that any lateral float or eccentricity in the rotation of the shaft 32200 or cam 32230 does not cause the articulation reversal switch 32130 to accidentally close or open. To this end, the shaft 32200 includes fixed bearings to control the rotation of the shaft 32200 and cam 32230. Notably, the articulation reversal switch 32130 is sealed to prevent fluid ingress.

[0062] In various examples, the surgical instrument includes an input configured to allow a clinician to select whether the articulation controls operate in their normal articulation control mode or their inverted articulation control mode. In at least one example, the handle of the surgical instrument includes an input switch in communication with the surgical instrument's control system. When the input switch is open, for example, an algorithm controls the orientation of the articulation control according to a predetermined set of criteria. When the input switch is closed by the clinician, the algorithm does not use the predetermined set of criteria to control the orientation of the articulation control. Instead, the algorithm uses the articulation control orientation selected by the clinician. In at least one example, the handle includes three input switches in communication with the control system: a first switch that instructs the control system to use the "anvil up" articulation control, a second switch that instructs the control system to use the "anvil down" articulation control, and a third switch that instructs the control system to use automatic control. In some embodiments, the surgical instrument may not have the automatic inversion control described herein and may include only the first and second switch inputs. Such a device configuration may significantly reduce the cost and / or complexity of surgical instruments.

[0063] In various examples, further to the above, the reversal point may be a specific point in the rotation of the shaft 10200. In certain examples, referring to FIG. 55 , a gray zone may exist around the reversal point. For example, the gray zone may include, for example, 20 degrees on either side of the reversal point. While the shaft 10200 is in the gray zone, the control system algorithm is configured to not reverse the articulation control, even though the shaft 10200 may have been rotated past the reversal point. This arrangement allows the shaft 10200 to be rotated back and forth within the gray zone without repeatedly reversing the articulation control. However, once the shaft 10200 is rotated outside the gray zone, the control system algorithm reverses the articulation control according to any other criteria necessary to reverse the articulation control. In various examples, a boundary exists between a range of “anvil up” orientation and a range of “anvil down” orientation. For a shaft capable of 360 degrees rotation, two such boundaries exist, spaced −180 degrees apart. Each of these boundaries is located within a transition range of orientations that extends into a range of "anvil up" and "anvil down" orientations. When the shaft 10200 is rotated from the "anvil up" orientation into the transition range, the control system does not flip the articulation control, but further rotation of the shaft 10200 from the transition range to the "anvil down" orientation will flip the articulation control. Similarly, the control system does not flip the articulation control when the shaft 10200 is rotated from the "anvil down" orientation into the transition range, but further rotation of the shaft 10200 from the transition range to the "anvil up" orientation will flip the articulation control. In at least one example, each transition zone includes, for example, a 5-degree orientation from the "anvil up" range and a 5-degree orientation from the "anvil down" range. In other embodiments, each transition zone includes, for example, a 10-degree orientation from the "anvil up" range and a 10-degree orientation from the "anvil down" range.

[0064] In various embodiments, further to the above, the up-down orientation of the shaft 10200 is measured relative to the handle and / or housing that rotatably supports the shaft. In such examples, the handle includes a top and a bottom regardless of its gravitational orientation, and an upward orientation of the shaft 10200 is associated with the top of the handle and a downward orientation of the shaft 10200 is associated with the bottom of the handle. In at least one such embodiment, the shaft 10200 includes a gravity sensor, such as an accelerometer and / or a gyroscope, and the handle includes a gravity sensor. In such embodiments, the shaft gravity sensor and the handle gravity sensor are in communication with a control system configured to assess the relative orientation between the shaft and the handle using data from the gravity sensor. In other embodiments, the up-down orientation of the shaft 10200 is measured relative to gravity regardless of the gravitational orientation of the handle. In at least one such embodiment, the shaft 10200 includes a gravity sensor in communication with the control system, and an upward orientation of the shaft 10200 is associated with a vertically upward position and a downward orientation of the shaft 10200 is associated with a vertically downward position.

[0065] The articulation control 16160 is shown in FIG. 14. The articulation control 16160 includes a first capacitive switch 16162 and a second capacitive switch 16164. The first capacitive switch 16162 and the second capacitive switch 16164 are positioned on opposite sides of an axis 16167. The first capacitive switch 16162 is part of a first articulation control circuit in communication with a control system of the surgical instrument, and the second capacitive switch 16164 is part of a second articulation control circuit in communication with the control system. The capacitance of the first capacitive switch 16162 changes when a clinician places a finger on the first capacitive switch 16162, which is detected by the control system, and in response to this change, the control system articulates the end effector of the surgical instrument to the right. The capacitance of the second capacitive switch 16164 changes when the clinician places a finger on the second capacitive switch 16164, which is detected by the control system, and in response to the change, the control system articulates the end effector of the surgical instrument to the left. In various examples, the axis 16167 includes a dead zone that does not detectably or sufficiently change the capacitance of the first capacitive switch 16162 or the second capacitive switch 16164, even when touched by the clinician.

[0066] A two-stage switch 17160 is shown in FIG. 15 . When the switch 17160 is depressed into its first stage, a first articulation control circuit is closed. The first articulation control circuit is in communication with the surgical instrument's control system. When the control system detects that the first articulation control circuit is closed, the control system operates the articulation drive motor in a first direction to articulate the end effector of the surgical instrument in the first direction. When the switch 17160 is depressed into its second stage, a second articulation control circuit is closed. In various examples, the first stage includes a first detent and the second stage includes a second detent. In at least one such example, the switch 17160 includes a dual detent switch that can be depressed to two different depths, for example. In either case, the second articulation control circuit is in communication with the surgical instrument's control system. When the control system detects that the second articulation control circuit is closed, the control system operates the articulation drive motor in a second direction to articulate the end effector of the surgical instrument in the second direction. Additionally, the second articulation control circuit is opened when the first articulation control circuit is closed, and similarly, the first articulation control circuit is opened when the second articulation control circuit is closed. As noted above, in alternative embodiments, the articulation control circuit may be opened during its respective phase to operate the articulation motor.

[0067] In addition to the above, many clinicians prefer to see the patient when performing open surgery and / or the endoscopic monitor when performing laparoscopic surgery. Therefore, clinicians typically do not look at the surgical instrument they are holding, but instead rely on the tactile feel and / or intuitive design of the surgical instrument to operate it. Stated another way, clinicians may not prefer to look down at the handle of the instrument they are holding to verify the direction in which they are articulating the instrument. That said, with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17 , a surgical instrument may include a shaft 18200 with an indicator light configured to indicate the direction in which an end effector, such as end effector 18400, is being articulated. The articulation indicator light is visible to the clinician while they are viewing the surgical instrument's end effector 18400 directly or through the endoscopic system monitor. In various examples, the endoscopic system includes an elongated, flexible shaft including a camera, a light, and / or any other suitable optical device in communication with a control hub including a control system and / or a video monitor configured to display the output of the camera. In such an example, the end effector 18400 and indicator lights are visible on a video monitor.

[0068] 16 and 17 , the shaft 18200 includes a first indicator light 18260a positioned on the right side of the end effector 18400 that communicates with the surgical instrument's control system via a first electrical circuit. When the control system receives an input to articulate the end effector 18400 to the right, the control system operates the articulation drive motor in a direction to articulate the end effector 18400 to the right and illuminates the first indicator light 18260a. When the control system no longer receives this input, the control system deactivates the articulation drive motor and the first indicator light 18260a. Similarly, the shaft 18200 includes a second indicator light 18260b positioned on the left side of the end effector 18400 that communicates with the surgical instrument's control system via a second electrical circuit. When the control system receives an input to articulate the end effector 18400 to the left, the control system operates the articulation drive motor in a direction to articulate the end effector 18400 to the left and illuminates the second indicator light 18260b. When the control system no longer receives this input, the control system deactivates the articulation drive motor and the second indicator light 18260b.

[0069] As described above, the first indicator light 18260a and the second indicator light 18260b are positioned on the end effector 18400 in locations that are easily observable when a clinician is viewing the end effector 18400. The indicator lights 18260a and 18260b are positioned distal to the articulation joint 10500; however, in alternative embodiments, the indicator lights 18260a and 18260b are positioned proximal to the articulation joint 10500. In various embodiments, the surgical instrument includes two or more sets of indicator lights. In at least one such embodiment, the first set of indicator lights 18260a, 18260b is positioned distal to the articulation joint 10500 and the second set of indicator lights 18260a, 18260b is positioned proximal to the articulation joint 10500. An alternative embodiment including indicator lights 18260a' and 18260b' on the shaft 18200' is shown in FIG. 18. Indicator light 18260a' includes an LED in the shape of a right-pointing arrow, and indicator light 18260b' includes an LED in the shape of a left-pointing arrow. The right-pointing arrow 18260a' points to the right of the end effector, but not necessarily to the right of the surgical instrument handle and / or clinician, due to possible rotation of the shaft 18200'. Similarly, the left-pointing arrow 18260b' points to the left of the end effector, but not necessarily to the left of the surgical instrument handle and / or clinician, due to possible rotation of the shaft 18200'. Stated another way, the arrows, when illuminated, point in the direction the end effector is being articulated. For example, considering that an arrow is observable along with the end effector on the endoscope monitor, the clinician will develop a sense of the direction the end effector will move when the articulation actuator is actuated and the arrow is illuminated. If the clinician observes that the illuminated arrow is opposite to what the clinician expected when the clinician actuates the articulation actuator, the clinician can quickly react and re-actuate the articulation actuator in the correct direction.In various alternative embodiments, arrows 18260a' and 18260b' may change color when they are actuated. For example, arrow 18260a' may be illuminated red when the end effector is not articulated to the right, but may be illuminated green when the end effector is articulated to the right. Similarly, arrow 18260b' may be illuminated red when the end effector is not articulated to the left, but may be illuminated green when the end effector is articulated to the left.

[0070] In various embodiments, further to the above, the articulation indicator light may be embedded within and / or positioned on the outer housing of the shaft, hi certain embodiments, the indicator light is positioned inside the shaft but is visible from outside the shaft, for example, through a window and / or opening defined in the shaft.

[0071] The surgical instrument 26000 is shown in Figures 26A and 26B. The surgical instrument 26000 includes a handle 26100 and a shaft 12200 extending from the handle 26100. The shaft 12200 includes an end effector 26400 including a staple cartridge jaw 26410 and an anvil jaw 10420. The end effector 26400 further includes a first articulation indicator light 26460a positioned on a first side of the end effector 26400 and a second articulation indicator light 26460b positioned on a second side of the end effector 26400. Similar to above, the control system of the surgical instrument 26000 illuminates the first articulation indicator light 26460a when the end effector 26400 is articulated in a first direction. In such instances, the control system does not illuminate the second articulation indicator light 26460b. Correspondingly, the control system of the surgical instrument 26000 illuminates the second articulation indicator light 26460b when the end effector 26400 is articulated in the second direction. In such instances, the control system does not illuminate the first articulation indicator light 26460a. The indicator lights 26460a and 26460b are mounted to and / or embedded within the frame of the staple cartridge jaw 26410. That being said, the indicator lights 26460a and 26460b may also be mounted to and / or embedded within a staple cartridge positioned within the staple cartridge jaw 26410. In such instances, the staple cartridge jaw 26410 comprises electrical circuitry in communication with the surgical instrument's control system that is arranged to communicate with electrical circuitry within the staple cartridge when the staple cartridge is seated within the staple cartridge jaw 26410.

[0072] As described above, the articulation system of the surgical instrument may include an articulation driver that is movable proximally to articulate the end effector in a first direction and distally to articulate the end effector in a second direction. With reference to FIG. 27 , the surgical instrument may include a handle 26100, a shaft 12200 extending from the handle 26100, and an end effector 10400 rotatably connected to the shaft 12200 about an articulation joint 10500. The shaft 12200 includes an articulation driver 10260 having a proximal end operably coupled to the articulation drive system and a distal end coupled to the end effector 10400. To this end, the articulation driver 10260 extends distally beyond the articulation joint 10500 and, in this embodiment, is partially visible to a clinician holding the surgical instrument. The portion of the articulation driver 10260 that is visible to the clinician is also visible to the clinician through the endoscopic monitor. Indeed, the clinician may be able to observe the movement of the articulation driver 10260 through the endoscopic monitor. The visible portion of the articulation driver 10260 includes indicia thereon, such as indicia 24640a' and 24640b', that correlates movement of the articulation driver 10260 with movement of the end effector 10400. In at least one example, the indicia may include a first set of indicia including a distally directed arrow 24640a' and a circular arrow that indicates the direction that the end effector 10400 will rotate when the articulation driver 10260 is moved distally. The indicia may also include a second set of indicia including a proximally directed arrow 24640b' and an opposing circular arrow that indicates the direction the end effector 10400 will be rotated when the articulation driver 10260 is moved proximally. An alternative articulation driver 10260' is shown in FIG. 28 with a laterally extending portion that may be easily visible to a clinician. In such a case, the indicia are located on the laterally extending portion.

[0073] The surgical instrument 19000 is shown in FIG. 19. The surgical instrument 19000 is similar in many respects to the surgical instrument 15000. The surgical instrument 19000 includes a handle 19100 and a shaft 10200 extending from the handle 19100. The handle 19100 includes an articulation actuator 19160 that is in communication with the control system of the surgical instrument 19000. In contrast to the vertically configured articulation actuator 10160, the articulation actuator 19160 is horizontally configured. The articulation actuator 19160 includes a slidable element 19162 that is slidable along an axis that is parallel or at least substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 10200. In at least one example, the axis of the articulation actuator 19160 is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the shaft 10200. The slidable element 19162 is positioned within a slot 19164 on the handle 19100 of the surgical instrument 19000. The slidable element 19162 is slidable distally to articulate the end effector 10400 to the right of the handle 19100 and proximally to articulate the end effector 10400 to the left of the handle 19100. This is true whether the end effector 10400 is rotated upward or downward, with control responsiveness reversal when the end effector 10400 is rotated more than 90 degrees from the TDC position in either direction. That said, control of the articulation actuator 19160 can be reversed as described above.

[0074] The articulation actuator 19160 includes a distal contact that is part of a first articulation control circuit and a proximal contact that is part of a second articulation control circuit. The slidable element 19162 engages the distal contact and closes the first articulation control circuit when the slidable element 19162 is in its distal position. The slidable element 19162 does not contact the proximal contact when the slidable element 19162 is in its distal position, thereby opening the second articulation control circuit. Similarly, the slidable element 19162 engages the proximal contact and closes the second articulation control circuit when the slidable element 19162 is in its proximal position. Correspondingly, the slidable element 19162 does not contact the distal contact when the slidable element 19162 is in its proximal position, thereby opening the first articulation control circuit. In either case, the articulation actuator 19160 includes a detent 19163 at the center of the range of motion of the slidable element 19162. This detent 19163 is configured to resist movement of the slidable element 19162 as it moves from one side of the articulation actuator 19160 to the other. Such resistance to movement of the slidable element 19162 can signal to the clinician that moving the slidable element 19162 beyond that point will articulate the end effector 10400 in the opposite direction. Furthermore, such a detent 19163 provides a place to rest the slidable element 19162 so that the end effector 10400 cannot be articulated in either direction.

[0075] The surgical instrument 20000 is shown in FIG. 20 . The surgical instrument 20000 is similar in many respects to the surgical instrument 10000. The surgical instrument 20000 comprises a handle 20100 and a shaft 12200 extending from the handle 20100. The handle 20100 comprises an articulation actuator 20160 in communication with the control system of the surgical instrument 20000. The articulation actuator 20160 comprises a two-dimensional joystick aligned with the longitudinal axis of the shaft 12200 and movable in a plane parallel to, or at least substantially parallel to, the longitudinal axis. The joystick is movable distally to articulate the end effector 10400 to the right of the handle 20100 and proximally to articulate the end effector 10400 to the left of the handle 20100. In at least one example, the joystick comprises a handle having an inner end positioned within a sensor seat that communicates with a control system of the surgical instrument 20000. The joystick is pivotable within the sensor seat by a clinician when the clinician manipulates the outer end of the joystick handle. Such movement of the joystick is detectable by a control system that operates the articulation system in response to input from the sensor seat. The articulation actuator 20160 comprises one or more biasing mechanisms, such as, for example, springs, configured to bias the joystick handle to a centered position, or at least substantially centered position, within the sensor seat where the control system does not articulate the end effector 10400.

[0076] As described above, the end effector 10400 is articulatable in a plane. In alternative embodiments, the surgical instrument includes a second articulation joint. In such embodiments, the end effector 10400 is rotatable in more than one plane. In various embodiments, the surgical instrument includes an articulation joint that allows the end effector 10400 to rotate within a three-dimensional spherical range of positions. Referring to FIG. 21 , the surgical instrument 21000 includes a shaft 21200 that includes an articulation joint 21500 that allows such articulation of the end effector 10400. The surgical instrument 21000 further includes a handle 21100 that includes an articulation actuator 21160 that is in communication with the surgical instrument's 21000 control system. The articulation actuator 21160 includes a three-dimensional joystick that is movable proximally, distally, upward, downward, and in a compound direction. The joystick is movable distally to articulate the end effector to the right of the handle 20100 and proximally to articulate the end effector to the left of the handle 21100. The joystick is movable upward, for example, to articulate the end effector upward, and downward to articulate the end effector downward. The joystick is also movable upward and distally, for example, to move the end effector upward and to the right. The joystick is also movable downward and proximally, for example, to move the end effector downward and to the left. In at least one example, the joystick comprises a handle having an inner end positioned within a sensor seat that communicates with a control system of the surgical instrument 21000. The joystick is pivotable within the sensor seat by the clinician when the clinician manipulates the outer end of the handle. Such movement of the joystick is detectable by a control system that operates the articulation system in response to input from the sensor seat.The articulation actuator 21160 comprises one or more biasing mechanisms, such as, for example, springs, configured to bias the joystick handle to a centered position, or at least substantially centered position, within the sensor seat where the control system does not articulate the end effector 10400.

[0077] The surgical instrument 22000 is shown in Figures 22A and 22B. The surgical instrument 22000 is similar in many respects to the surgical instrument 21000. The surgical instrument 22000 comprises a handle 22100 and a shaft 21200 extending from the handle 22100. The handle 22100 comprises an articulation actuator 21160 positioned to the side of the handle 22100, in addition to an articulation actuator 22160 positioned forward of the handle 22100. Like the articulation actuator 21160, the articulation actuator 22160 comprises a three-dimensional joystick in communication with the control system of the surgical instrument 21000 and is capable of articulating the end effector of the surgical instrument 21000 in a three-dimensional field. The forward articulation actuator 22160 is easily accessible by the index finger of a clinician holding the pistol grip of the handle 22100. Alternative embodiments are envisioned that include an articulation actuator 22160, but do not include an articulation actuator 22160.

[0078] 23 , the surgical instrument 23000 comprises a shaft 21200 including an articulation joint 21500 that allows for three-dimensional articulation of the end effector 10400. The surgical instrument 23000 further comprises a handle 23100 including a housing 23120, as well as an articulation actuator 23160 in communication with a control system of the surgical instrument 23000. The articulation actuator 23160 comprises a four-way haptic control that is movable proximally, distally, upward, downward, and in a combined direction. The four-way haptic control is movable distally to articulate the end effector to the right of the handle 23100 and proximally to articulate the end effector to the left of the handle 23100. The four-way haptic control is movable upward to articulate the end effector upward and downward to articulate the end effector downward. The four-way tactile control can also be moved in a compound upward and distal direction, for example, to move the end effector in an upward and right direction. The four-way tactile control can also be moved in a compound downward and proximal direction, for example, to move the end effector in a downward and left direction. In at least one example, the four-way tactile control includes four depressible actuators, one for each of the right, left, up, and down directions, each of which is part of a control circuit in communication with the control system of the surgical instrument 23000. Movement of the four-way tactile control can be detected by a control system that operates the articulation system in three dimensions in response to inputs from the articulation actuator 23160. The articulation actuator 23160 includes one or more biasing mechanisms, such as, for example, springs, configured to bias the four-way tactile control to a centered position, or at least a substantially centered position, in which the control system does not articulate the end effector 10400.

[0079] The surgical instrument 24000 is shown in FIG. 24. The surgical instrument 24000 is similar in many respects to the surgical instrument 23000. The surgical instrument 24000 includes a handle 24100 that includes an articulation actuator 24160. Like the articulation actuator 23160, the articulation actuator 24160 includes a four-way tactile control. However, the articulation actuator 24160 includes an integral recentering mechanism. More specifically, the articulation actuator 24160 includes a depressible actuator located in the center of the articulation actuator 24160 that is in communication with the control system of the surgical instrument 24000. When the center actuator is depressed, the control system operates to realign the end effector 10400 with the longitudinal axis of the shaft 10200, similar to the actuation of the actuator 10170 described above. As a result of the above, the recentering actuator is located in the center of the four-way actuator, resulting in a compact and intuitive device configuration.

[0080] Surgical instrument 25000 is shown in FIG. 25. Surgical instrument 25000 is similar in many respects to surgical instrument 24000. Surgical instrument 25000 includes a handle 25100 that includes an articulation actuator 25160. Like articulation actuator 23160, articulation actuator 25160 includes a four-way control that communicates with the control system of surgical instrument 25000. However, the four-way control includes a capacitive surface that allows a clinician to tap and / or drag a finger across the surface of articulation actuator 25160 to control the articulation of the end effector in a three-dimensional range. In at least one example, the articulation actuator includes a touchscreen and an array of capacitive sensors positioned below the touchscreen configured to detect, for example, the presence and / or movement of a clinician's finger. In use, for example, tapping the top of the capacitive surface will articulate the end effector 10400 upward, tapping the bottom of the capacitive surface will articulate the end effector 10400 downward, tapping the distal end of the capacitive surface will articulate the end effector 10400 to the right, and tapping the proximal end of the capacitive surface will articulate the end effector 10400 to the left. Tapping the center of the articulation screen recenters the end effector 10400 along the longitudinal axis of the shaft 21200. When a rotational motion is performed on the surface of the articulation actuator 25160, the control system rotates the end effector 10400 in the direction and / or speed dictated by the rotational motion. In various examples, the control system of the surgical instrument 25000 includes pulse-width modulation (PWM) control circuitry for controlling the speed of an electric motor used to drive the articulation system of the surgical instrument 25000. In at least one embodiment, the control system includes a frequency modulation (FM) control circuit in addition to, or instead of, a PWM control circuit for controlling the speed of the articulation motor.

[0081] As described above, the end effector of a surgical instrument may be rotatable in more than one direction and / or plane. To accomplish this, in various embodiments, the surgical instrument includes a first motor drive system for moving the end effector in a side-to-side manner and a second motor drive system for moving the end effector in an up-and-down manner. Both motor drive systems are in communication with the surgical instrument's control system and are drivable sequentially and / or simultaneously by the control system to position the end effector in a direction dictated by input from the articulation actuator or actuators.

[0082] Many of the surgical instruments described above include a grip configured to be grasped by a clinician to rotate a shaft about a longitudinal axis. In various examples, a clinician can hold the grip in one hand and, for example, extend an index finger from that hand to grasp the grip and rotate the shaft. However, such an arrangement requires the clinician to have somewhat larger hands. While such surgical instruments can be operated with one hand, a surgical instrument 27000 that may be easier to use is shown in FIGS. 29 and 30. The surgical instrument 27000 includes a handle 27100 and a shaft 27200 extending from the handle 27100 that is rotatable about a longitudinal axis. The handle 27100 includes a handle frame 27110 and a housing that rotatably supports the shaft 27200. The handle 27100 further includes an actuator 27220 disposed on the front side of the handle housing 27110 which, when rotated by a clinician, rotates the shaft 27200 about its longitudinal axis L. The actuator 27220 is rotatably mounted to the handle housing 27110 and is rotatable about an axis A that is parallel, or at least substantially parallel, to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 27200. The actuator 27220 includes a ring of gear teeth extending around its outer periphery that is operably engaged with a ring of gear teeth extending around the outer periphery of the shaft 27200 via a transmission gear 27225 such that when the actuator 27220 is rotated about its axis, the shaft 27200 is rotated about its longitudinal axis. That said, the gear teeth of the actuator 27220 do not directly engage with the gear teeth of the shaft 27200; instead, an intermediate gear 27225 rotatably mounted to the handle 27100 directly engages with the gear teeth of the actuator 27220 and the shaft 27200.Such an arrangement synchronizes the motion of the actuator 27220 and the shaft 27200, i.e., rotating the actuator 27220 to the right will rotate the shaft 27200 to the right, and rotating the actuator 27220 to the left will rotate the shaft 27200 to the left. Without the introduction of the intermediate gear 27225, the shaft 27200 would rotate in the opposite direction, but such an arrangement may provide a torque balance that promotes stability of the instrument.

[0083] In addition to the above, embodiments are contemplated in which the rotation of the shaft 27200 is driven by an electric motor. In various embodiments, when the actuator 27220 is rotated in a first direction, it operates the electric motor to rotate the shaft 27200 in the first direction. Similarly, when the actuator 27220 is rotated in a second direction, the electric motor rotates the shaft 27200 in a second direction. In at least one embodiment, the output shaft of the electric motor comprises a pinion gear that operably meshes with a ring of gear teeth about the shaft 27200. Furthermore, in at least one embodiment, the actuator 27220 comprises one or more sensors in communication with the surgical instrument's control system that are configured to detect the direction and degree of rotation of the actuator 27220. Based on this data, the control system is configured to control the direction and speed of the electric motor. For example, when the actuator 27220 is rotated a small amount in a first direction, the shaft 27220 is rotated slowly in the first direction, whereas when the actuator 27220 is rotated a larger amount in the first direction, the shaft 27220 is rotated quickly in the first direction.

[0084] Further to the above, the actuator 27220 comprises a bar including a first end and a second end. The orientation of the bar is synchronized with the orientation of the shaft 27200. When the first end of the bar is directly above the second end, i.e., when the first end is closest to the shaft 27200, the shaft 27200 is at its top dead center (TDC) position. Correspondingly, when the second end of the bar is directly above the first end, i.e., when the second end is closest to the shaft 27200, the shaft 27200 is at its bottom dead center (BDC) position. As a result of this device configuration, a user of the surgical instrument obtains an intuitive sense of the orientation of the shaft 27200 based on the orientation of the actuator 27220.

[0085] Surgical instrument 30000 is shown in FIGS. 51 and 52. The surgical instrument is similar in many respects to surgical instrument 10000. The handle of surgical instrument 30000 includes a horizontal articulation actuator 30160, as opposed to a vertical articulation actuator 10160. The horizontal articulation actuator 30160 includes a rocker switch that can be pivoted distally to rotate the end effector to the right and proximally to rotate the end effector to the left. Surgical instrument 31000 is shown in FIGS. 53 and 54. The surgical instrument is similar in many respects to surgical instrument 10000. The handle of surgical instrument 31000 includes an articulation actuator 31160, as opposed to a vertical articulation actuator 10160. The articulation actuator 31160 comprises a multi-axis rocker switch that can be rocked proximally to distally to articulate the end effector in one plane and up to down to articulate the end effector in another plane. In various examples, the articulation planes are orthogonal to each other, but can be arranged in any suitable manner.

[0086] As described above, the control system of a surgical instrument may include an algorithm that reverses and / or otherwise redirects control of the surgical instrument in certain instances according to predetermined criteria. In various examples, as also described above, the algorithm may be configured to reverse the articulation controls of the surgical instrument based on rotation of the shaft relative to the handle. Referring to FIG. 59 , a surgical instrument includes a handle with Hall effect sensors 33130 and / or any other suitable sensors in communication with the surgical instrument's control system, and additionally includes a shaft 33200 including an array of magnets 33230 arranged in a circular or annular pattern around a shroud or gripping portion 10220 of the shaft 33200. Each magnet 33230 has a north pole (N) and a south pole (S), and the magnets 33230 are arranged in the manner shown in FIG. 59 , i.e., some of the north poles of the magnets 33230 face the handle and some of the south poles face the handle. As the shaft 33200 is rotated relative to the handle, this arrangement of magnets 33230 allows the control system to track the position of the shaft 33200 and understand the orientation or rotation of the shaft 33200 relative to the handle. For example, within any consecutive three magnets 33230, the pattern of magnets 33230 creates a unique, identifiable signature for a given direction of rotation. That said, any suitable number and / or arrangement of distinct magnets may be used. While twelve magnets 33230 are used, fewer than twelve magnets may be used, such as, for example, six magnets. Additionally, more than thirteen magnets may be used.

[0087] 60 , a surgical instrument includes a handle with a Hall Effect sensor 34130 and / or any other suitable sensor in communication with the surgical instrument's control system, as well as a shaft 34200 including a continuous annular magnet 34230 attached to a shroud or gripping portion 10220 of the shaft 34200. In various examples, the annular magnet 34230 includes a disk or ring embedded with magnetic microstructures detectable by the Hall Effect sensor. The annular magnet 34230 includes a continuous, yet varying, magnetic pattern around its circumference, thereby providing a trackable pattern for the control system to assess the orientation or rotation of the shaft 34200. In other embodiments, the annular magnet 34230 includes an intermittent magnetic pattern around its circumference that is trackable by the control system.

[0088] 61 , a surgical instrument includes a handle with an RFID reader 35130 in communication with the surgical instrument's control system, as well as a shaft 35200 including a circular or annular array of RFID chips 35230 around the shroud or gripping portion 10220 of the shaft 35200. Each RFID chip includes unique identification information detectable by the RFID reader 35130, which allows the control system to assess the orientation or rotation of the shaft 35200 relative to the handle. Notably, the RFID reader 35130 has a limited range for reading the RFID chips 35230 and thus need only be able to read the nearest RFID chips 35230. In some examples, the RFID reader 35130 may have a sufficient range to read the two nearest RFID chips 35230. The shaft 35200 includes four RFID chips 35230, but may include any suitable number of RFID chips 35230. That said, the accuracy or resolution of the assessments made by the control system may be improved in various instances with a larger number of RFID chips.

[0089] 62 , a surgical instrument includes a handle with Hall effect sensors 36130a and / or any other suitable sensors in communication with the surgical instrument's control system, as well as a shaft 36200 including an array of magnets 36230a arranged in a circular or annular pattern around the shroud of the shaft 36200. The handle also includes an RFID reader 36130b in communication with the surgical instrument's control system, as well as a circular or annular array of RFID chips 36230b around the shroud of the shaft 36200. The control system is configured to use data from the Hall effect sensors 36130a and the RFID reader 36130b to assess the orientation of the shaft 36200 relative to the handle. Notably, the RFID chips 36230b are positioned midway between the magnets 36230a, thereby providing the control system with detectable resolution between adjacent magnets 36230a. Similarly, magnet 36230a is placed midway between RFID chips 36230b, which provides the control system with detectable resolution between RFID chips 36230b.

[0090] A surgical instrument 37000 is shown in Figures 63-66. The surgical instrument 37000 includes a handle 37100 and a shaft 37200 extending from the handle 37100. The surgical instrument 37000 further includes a slip joint 37900 between the handle 37100 and the shaft 37200. The slip joint 37900 provides an electrical interface between the handle 37100 and the shaft 37200. The slip joint 37900 includes an annular ring 37930 attached to the shaft 37200. Although four annular rings 37930 are shown in Figures 63 and 64, the slip joint may include any suitable number of rings. The slip joint 37900 further includes an electrical contact 37130 within the handle 37100. For example, the slip joint 37900 includes a first electrical contact 37130 engaged with the first annular ring 37930 and a second electrical contact 37130 engaged with the second annular ring 37930. That said, the slip joint 37900 may include any suitable number of electrical contacts to maintain power and / or signal communication between the handle and the shaft. Throughout the entire rotation of the shaft 37200, i.e., all 360 degrees, the electrical contacts 37130 remain in electrical contact with their respective annular rings 37930. In various examples, each electrical contact 37130 includes a spring element configured to bias the electrical contact toward its corresponding annular ring 37930. The electrical contacts 37130 communicate with the control system of the surgical instrument 37000 via a separate circuit such that the control system can evaluate the resistance of the circuit and / or any other electrical characteristics of the circuit between the control system and the slip joint 37900. Thus, the electrical contacts and rings of the slip joint 37900 can be part of any suitable circuit configuration.

[0091] In addition to the above, the slip joint 37900 can be used as an absolute position sensor of the shaft 37200 relative to the handle 37100. More specifically, the intermediate annular ring 37930, i.e., the annular ring 37930 between the first ring 37930 and the second ring 37930, can be used by the control system to assess the orientation of the shaft 37200. To this end, the slip joint 37900 includes an intermediate electrical contact 37130 as part of an intermediate electrical circuit in electrical communication with the intermediate annular ring 37930 and the control system. The intermediate annular ring 37930 is constructed from a material with a high resistance compared to the first and second annular rings 37930, providing a resistance of, for example, 10,000 ohms. The intermediate annular ring 37930 has a first portion electrically coupled to the first annular ring 37930, a second annular portion electrically coupled to the second annular ring 37930, and a small break therebetween. As the shaft 37200 is rotated relative to the handle 37100, the intermediate electrical contact 37130 slides along the intermediate annular ring 37930, and the resistance and voltage of the intermediate electrical circuit changes in a manner detectable by the control system due to the closure and opening of a break by the intermediate contact 37130. The signal from the intermediate electrical circuit is digitized by an analog-to-digital converter in the control system, and the data therefrom can be used by the control system to assess the orientation of the shaft 37200. In various examples, any suitable number of gaps in the intermediate annular ring 37930 and / or intermediate contact 37130 can be used to provide a signal with sufficient resolution to determine the orientation or rotation of the shaft 37200 relative to the handle 37100.

[0092] In various embodiments, a resistive material is embedded within the shaft of the surgical instrument that is part of an electrical circuit that passes through the slip ring. As the shaft rotates, the resistance of the electrical circuit changes, which can be detected by the surgical instrument's control system to assess the angular orientation of the shaft relative to the handle.

[0093] A representation of a surgical instrument 38000 is shown in FIG. 67. The surgical instrument 38000 includes a handle 38100 and a shaft 38200 extending from the handle 38100. The handle 38100 includes an annular array of Hall effect sensors 38130 attached to the frame and / or housing of the handle 38100. The Hall effect sensors 38130 are positioned along the periphery within the handle 38100, as shown in FIG. 67. The Hall effect sensors 38130 are in communication with a control system via an electrical circuit. The shaft 38200 includes a magnet 38230 mounted to a shroud of the shaft 38200, which is aligned or at least substantially aligned with the periphery of the Hall effect sensors 38130. As the shaft 38200 is rotated about its longitudinal axis, the magnet 38230 moves along the sensor periphery. The sensors 38130 are positioned and configured such that one or more of the sensors 38130 can detect the position of the magnet 38230, and thus the control system can determine the orientation of the shaft 38200 relative to the handle 38100 based on which Hall effect sensor 38130 detects the magnetic distortion and distortion intensity generated by the magnet 38230.

[0094] In various embodiments, a surgical instrument can include one or more optical sensors configured to detect the orientation of the shaft relative to the handle. In at least one embodiment, the handle of the surgical instrument includes a light emitter and a light detector in communication with the surgical instrument's control system. The shaft includes a reflective surface that rotates with the shaft. The light emitter emits light onto the reflective surface, which is reflected back to the light detector. The reflective surface includes different portions with different reflectivities, thereby creating a pattern in the light that is reflected back to the light detector. With this information, the control system can assess the orientation of the shaft relative to the handle. In various examples, the reflective surface includes openings and solid areas to generate a reflective response signal, for example, a binary off-on or low-high signal.

[0095] In various embodiments, the surgical instrument includes an electromechanical transducer, such as a linear variable differential transformer, that is used in conjunction with the mechanical cam to measure the depth of the cam and relate it to the angle of rotation of the shaft. In various embodiments, the handle of the surgical instrument includes a magnetometer in communication with the control system, and in addition, the shaft includes a magnet that is detectable by the magnetometer.

[0096] In various embodiments, the shaft of the surgical instrument includes a gyroscope sensor within the shaft that is used by the control system to assess the orientation of the shaft relative to the handle. In at least one such embodiment, the handle also includes a gyroscope sensor in communication with the control system so that the relative orientation of the handle and shaft can be assessed. In various embodiments, the shaft of the surgical instrument includes a tilt sensor that is used by the control system to assess the orientation of the shaft relative to the handle. In at least one embodiment, an SQ-MIN-200 sensor may be used. The SQ-MIN-200 sensor acts like a normally closed sensor that chatters open and close when tilted or vibrated. That said, any suitable omnidirectional sensor may be used, for example.

[0097] In various embodiments, a detectable element may be positioned on the clamp drive or closure tube of the shaft. When the shaft is rotated, the closure tube rotates with the shaft. Thus, one or more sensors on the handle can detect the orientation of the shaft relative to the handle via the detectable element on the shaft. As described herein, when the closure tube is translated to close the end effector, the detectable element moves relative to the one or more sensors. Such translation of the detectable element can also be used to confirm closure of the end effector. In at least one example, a Hall effect sensor may be used to detect rotation and translation of the detectable element. In various examples, the control system of the surgical instrument is configured to prevent the end effector from articulating while it is being closed. This device configuration provides feedback to the control system to determine not only the responsiveness of the articulation control, but also whether the control system should respond to inputs from the articulation control at all.

[0098] 27 and 28 , in various embodiments, the distal end of the articulation actuator 10260 of the surgical instrument 10000 is attached to the end effector 10400 such that proximal and distal translation of the articulation actuator 10260 rotates the end effector 10400 about the articulation joint 10500. Referring to FIG. 32 , the shaft 10200 of the surgical instrument 10000 includes a shaft frame 10210 that slidably supports the articulation actuator 10260. Although not shown in FIG. 32 , the shaft 10200 further includes a pivot pin 10215 extending from the frame 10210. The pivot pin 10215 is closely received within a pivot aperture 10415 defined in the staple cartridge jaw 10410 of the end effector 10400, which pivot aperture defines an articulation axis AA of the articulation joint 10500. The articulation driver 10260 includes a distal end including an aperture 10262 defined therein, and the end effector 10400 further includes an articulation pin 10460 extending from a proximal end of the staple cartridge jaw 10410 and into the aperture 10262. As described above, as the articulation actuator 10260 is translated, the sidewalls of the aperture 10262 engage the articulation pin 10460 and either push or pull the articulation pin 10460 depending on the direction the articulation actuator 10260 is translated. The entire disclosure of U.S. Patent No. 9,101,358, issued August 11, 2015, entitled "ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A FIRING DRIVE," is incorporated herein by reference. The entire disclosure of U.S. Patent No. 5,865,361, issued February 2, 2019, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING APPARATUS," is incorporated herein by reference.

[0099] Further to the above, the end effector 10400 defines an end effector axis EA, and the shaft 10200 defines a longitudinal shaft axis LSA. When the end effector 10400 is in an unarticulated position, the end effector axis EA is aligned, or at least substantially aligned, with the longitudinal shaft axis LSA. As shown in FIG. 32 , when the end effector 10400 is in an articulated position, the end effector axis EA transverses the longitudinal axis LSA. The aperture 10262 is elongated to accommodate relative movement between the articulation pin 10460 and the articulation driver 10260; however, at large articulation angles, the articulation driver 10260 can bind and / or flex, which may result in the articulation driver 10260 separating from the articulation pin 10460. With this in mind, the end effector 10400 further includes a retaining plate 10600 configured to maintain the articulation driver 10260 in engagement with the articulation pin 10460. The retaining plate 10600 includes a planar portion, or at least a substantially planar portion, that extends over the distal end of the articulation driver 10260 and includes an aperture 10660 defined therein, the sidewall of which is engaged with the articulation pin 10460. As a result, the articulation driver 10260 is trapped between the staple cartridge jaws 10410 and the retaining plate 10600, such that the articulation driver 10260 cannot be unintentionally disengaged from the staple cartridge jaws 10410. The retaining plate 10600 is securely attached to the staple cartridge jaw 10410 such that there is little, if any, relative movement between the retaining plate 10600 and the staple cartridge jaw 10410. The staple cartridge jaw 10410 includes retaining lugs 10430, and the retaining plate 10600 includes apertures 10630 defined therein, the side walls of which engage the retaining lugs 10430 to retain the retaining plate 10600 against the staple cartridge jaw 10410. In various examples, the retaining plate 10600 can include a spring and / or a biasing member.

[0100] 33 , in addition to or in place of the retaining plate 10600, the surgical instrument 10000′ includes an end effector 10400′ and an articulation joint 10500′ rotatably connecting the end effector to the shaft 10200′. Further to the above, the articulation joint 10500′ includes a pin 10560′ extending from the shaft frame 10210′ of the shaft 10200, the pin tightly received within an aperture defined in the staple cartridge jaws 10410′, the aperture defining an articulation axis AA of the articulation joint 10500′. The surgical instrument 10000′ also includes an articulation driver 10260′ including a distal end 10264′ that includes a slot 10262′ defined therein. Similar to the above, the staple cartridge jaw 10410' includes an articulation pin 10460' extending from the staple cartridge jaw 10410' that extends into a slot 10262' in the distal end 10264', such that interaction of the articulation pin 10460' with a sidewall of the slot 10262' drives the end effector 10400' about the articulation joint 10500'. In particular, the pin 10560' of the articulation joint 10500' includes a clearance relief 10564' defined therein to provide clearance for longitudinal movement of the articulation driver 10260'. The staple cartridge jaw 10410' also includes a clearance relief 10414' defined therein to provide clearance for rotation of the staple cartridge jaw 10410' about the articulation joint 10500'. 34-37 , to prevent the articulation driver 10260′ from becoming disengaged from the staple cartridge jaw 10410′, the articulation pin 10460′ includes a retaining shoulder 10464′ extending from the cylindrical portion 10462′. The retaining shoulder 10464′ extends over a portion of the distal end 10264′ of the articulation driver 10260′ throughout articulation of the end effector 10400′.Thus, whether the end effector 10400' is articulated all the way to the left (FIG. 35), all the way to the right (FIG. 37), or anywhere in between, the retaining shoulder 10464' prevents, or at least limits, the possibility of, the articulation driver 10260' disengaging from the staple cartridge jaws 10410'.

[0101] In various embodiments, further to the above, the clearance relief 10414' comprises a retaining shoulder or lip that prevents the articulation driver 10260' from separating from the articulation pin 10460'. The retaining shoulder 10464' of the articulation pin 10460' is sized and configured such that the width of the retaining shoulder 10464' is greater than the width of the slot 10262'. Nevertheless, the slot 10262' has a length that is greater than its width, thereby allowing the retaining shoulder 10464' to be interested through the slot 10262' so that the articulation driver 10260' may be assembled to the articulation pin 10460'. The width of the slot 10262' is defined along an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft, and the length of the slot 10262' is defined along an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shaft. Such a device configuration allows the end effector to be articulated relative to the shaft while minimizing coupling between the end effector and the articulation driver 10260'. That said, the articulation driver 10260' is constructed from a flexible material that allows the articulation driver 10260' to resiliently flex to accommodate end articulation of the end effector.

[0102] As described above, the end effector 10400 includes staple cartridge jaws 10410 configured to receive a replaceable staple cartridge, such as, for example, the staple cartridge 10430, and an anvil jaw 10420 configured to deform staples ejected from the staple cartridge 10430. The staple cartridge jaws 10410 include a channel including a bottom support and two upwardly extending lateral sidewalls configured to receive the staple cartridge 10430. The staple cartridge 10430 includes a proximal end 10432, a distal end 10434, and a deck 10433 extending between the proximal end 10432 and the distal end 10434. As the staple cartridge 10430 is inserted into the staple cartridge jaw 10410, the proximal end 10432 is guided into position between the staple cartridge jaw 10410 and the anvil jaw 10420 and is then seated within the staple cartridge jaw 10410. The anvil jaw 10420 includes a proximal end 10422, a distal end 10424, a tissue compression surface 10423 extending between the proximal end 10422 and the distal end 10424, and a pivot 10421 rotatably connecting the anvil jaw 10420 to the staple cartridge jaw 10410. Referring to FIG. 44 , the anvil jaw 10420 includes a lateral pin extending into an aperture 10411 defined in the staple cartridge jaw 10410. As described above, the anvil jaws 10420 are rotatable into a closed, or clamping, position by a closure drive of the stapling instrument 10000. When the closure drive is retracted, the anvil jaws 10420 are opened. With reference to FIGS. 38-43 , the stapling instrument 10000 further includes one or more biasing members or springs 10446 configured to open the anvil jaws 10420 when the closure drive is retracted. The surgical instrument 10000 includes two opening springs 10446, although any suitable number of biasing members may be included. In any event, each spring 10446 is positioned within a recess 10416 defined in the staple cartridge jaw 10410.The recess 10416 tightly receives the spring 10446 so that the spring 10446 does not buckle under compressive loads, however, the recess 10416 is sized and configured to accommodate any lateral expansion of the spring 10446 when the anvil jaws 10420 are closed.

[0103] 42 , the anvil jaw 10420 includes a lateral tab 10426 adjacent the proximal end 10422 of the anvil 10420, which lateral tab contacts a spring 10446. When the anvil jaw 10420 is closed, the spring 10446 is compressed between the lateral tab 10426 and the bottom of the recess 10416. When the closure system is retracted, the spring 10446 resiliently re-expands, forcing the lateral tab 10426 upward and rotating the anvil jaw 10420 to its open, unclamped position. In particular, and referring primarily to FIG. 40 , the staple cartridge jaw 10410 has a stop portion 10419 defined thereon that is contacted by the proximal end 10422 of the anvil 10420 when the anvil 10420 reaches its fully open position. The anvil 10420 includes a proximal stop surface 10429 that contacts the stop portion 10419 of the staple cartridge jaw 10410. In such an instance, the anvil jaw 10420 cannot be opened any further. As a result of the above, the spring 10446 holds the anvil jaw 10420 against the stop portion 10419 of the staple cartridge jaw 10410 until the anvil jaw 10420 is again closed.

[0104] When the anvil jaw 10420 is in its open position, the staple cartridge jaw 10410 is positioned on one side of the tissue to be stapled and the anvil jaw 10420 is positioned on the opposite side. In such an example, the end effector 10400 is moved relative to the tissue until the tissue is properly positioned between the staple cartridge jaw 10410 and the anvil jaw 10420. The anvil jaw 10420 includes a lateral tissue stop 10427 extending downwardly alongside the staple cartridge jaw 10410, the lateral tissue stop being configured to ensure that tissue positioned within the end effector 10400 is positioned over the staple cavities in the staple cartridge 10430. Referring primarily to FIG. 39 , the tissue stop 10427 extends distally relative to the proximal-most staple cavity 10440. In at least one example, the tissue stop 10427 extends distally relative to at least one staple cavity 10440 in each longitudinal row of staple cavities 10440. As a result, the tissue stop 10427 ensures that tissue captured within the end effector 10400 is not cut by the tissue-cutting knife without being stapled. When the anvil jaws 10420 are closed, the tissue stop 10427 moves relative to the staple cartridge jaws 10410. The tissue stop 10427 is sized and configured to prevent tissue from becoming accidentally pinched between the tissue stop 10427 and the lateral sides of the staple cartridge jaws 10410. 39 , the bottom edge 10428 of the tissue stop 10427 is configured to extend alongside the lateral side of the staple cartridge jaw 10410, even when the anvil jaw 10420 is in its fully open position. In particular, the lateral side 10415 of the staple cartridge jaw 10410 extends upwardly above the deck 10433, thereby ensuring that, when viewed from the side, there is overlap between the tissue stop 10427 and the lateral side 10415 of the staple cartridge jaw 10410 throughout the range of motion of the anvil jaw 10420.

[0105] In various embodiments, further to the above, the distal edge of the tissue stop 10427 extends below the deck 10433 throughout the range of motion of the anvil jaw 10420. Thus, when the anvil jaw 10420 is in the fully open and fully clamped positions, the distal edge of the tissue stop 10427 extends below the upper surface of the deck 10433. Such a device configuration reduces the likelihood of tissue becoming pinched when the anvil jaw 10420 is moved. In certain embodiments, the staple cartridge includes a tissue stop that extends upwardly from the deck 10433 in line with the tissue stop 10427. Similar to the above, the distal edge of the tissue stop 10427 extends below the cartridge tissue stop throughout the range of motion of the anvil jaw 10420. Such a device configuration also reduces the likelihood of tissue becoming pinched when the anvil jaw 10420 is moved. Additionally, these device configurations may be useful in embodiments in which the staple cartridge jaws 10410 move relative to the anvil jaws 10420.

[0106] As described above, and with reference primarily to FIGS. 44, 45A, and 45B, the end effector 10400 includes a staple cartridge jaw 10410 that includes a spring recess 10416 defined therein that includes a wider top opening 10416'. The spring recess 10416 still supports the springs 10446 and prevents them from buckling, but the wider top opening 10416' of the spring recess 10416 provides clearance for the lateral tabs 10426 when the anvil jaw 10420 is in its closed position. In such an arrangement, the lateral tabs 10426 can move into the staple cartridge jaw 10410 to compress the springs 10446. In such an example, the spring 10446 may be highly compressed by the anvil jaw 10420, thereby ensuring a strong opening force from the spring 10446 when the anvil jaw 10420 is released by the closure drive. As above, but embodiments without the wider top opening 10416' are also envisioned. In such an embodiment, the spring is closely received by the spring recess 10416 along the length of the spring 10446.

[0107] The tissue-cutting member 10251 of the firing drive of the stapling instrument 10000 is shown in FIGS. 46 and 47 , where the tissue-cutting member comprises a body including a distal nose 10258 and a tissue-cutting edge 10259 that passes through the end effector 10400 during the staple firing stroke. The tissue-cutting member 10251 further comprises a top cam member 10255 configured to engage the anvil jaw 10420 and a bottom cam member 10256 configured to engage the staple cartridge jaw 10410 during the staple firing stroke. A longitudinal cam surface 10425 within a longitudinal slot of the anvil jaw 10420 can be seen in FIG. 46 , which longitudinal cam surface is engaged by the top cam member 10255 during the staple firing stroke. The staple cartridge jaw 10410 also has a longitudinal cam surface 10419 that is engaged by the bottom cam member 10256. The cam members 10255 and 10256 position the jaws 10410 and 10420 relative to one another during the staple firing stroke and maintain the jaws 10410 and 10420 in their closed configuration throughout the staple firing stroke. The cam members 10255 and 10256 also set a staple forming gap between the staple drivers in the staple cartridge and forming pockets defined in the anvil jaw 10420.

[0108] 46 and 47 show the anvil jaw 10420 in the open position and the tissue-cutting member 10251 in the unfired position, i.e., the position before the staple firing stroke begins. The anvil jaw 10420 includes a clearance pocket 10450 defined therein that is aligned with the top cam member 10255 of the tissue-cutting member 10251 when the tissue-cutting member 10251 is in its unfired position. Such a device configuration allows the tissue-cutting member 10251 to be located just proximal of the longitudinal cam surface 10425 of the anvil jaw 10420 and the corresponding cam surface of the staple cartridge jaw 10410 when the tissue-cutting member 10251 is in its unfired position. Such a device configuration provides a shorter, more maneuverable end effector for a given staple line length. Additionally, the tissue-cutting member 10251 includes a tissue-cutting edge 10259 that is positioned proximal to the staple cavities defined in the staple cartridge and proximal to the distal edge of the tissue stop when the tissue-cutting member is in its unfired position. As a result, tissue inserted within the end effector is less likely to be cut by the tissue-cutting edge 10259 until the tissue-cutting member 10251 is advanced distally from its unfired position during the firing stroke.

[0109] In addition to the above, it is desirable for the tissue-cutting member 10251 to be in the unfired position at the beginning of the staple firing stroke. If the tissue-cutting member 10251 is not in the unfired position at the beginning of the staple firing stroke, the missing / used cartridge lockout of the stapling instrument 10000 may be accidentally bypassed. With reference to FIG. 41 , the lockout of the stapling instrument 10000 comprises a shoulder 10417 defined on the bottom of the staple cartridge jaws 10410. If an appropriate, unused staple cartridge is seated in the staple cartridge jaws 10410 at the beginning of the staple firing stroke and the tissue-cutting member 10251 is in the unfired position at the beginning of the staple firing stroke, the tissue-cutting member 10251 will be raised over the lockout shoulder 10417. 46 , the nose 10258 of the tissue-cutting member 10251 is supported by a staple drive sled within the staple cartridge such that the lockout tab 10257 of the firing member 10251 and / or any other portion of the firing member 10251 does not contact the lockout shoulder 10417. However, if a staple cartridge is not seated in the staple cartridge jaws 10410, a staple cartridge is seated in the staple cartridge jaws 10410, but a previously used staple cartridge or an incorrect staple cartridge is seated in the staple cartridge jaws 10410, the sled will not support the nose 10258 of the tissue-cutting member 10251 and the lockout tab 10257 will contact the lockout shoulder 10417 at the beginning of the staple firing stroke, thereby blocking the staple firing stroke. However, if the tissue-cutting member 10251 is positioned somewhat distal to the lockout shoulder 10417 at the beginning of the staple firing stroke, the benefits provided by locking out the surgical instrument 10000 are lost.

[0110] U.S. Patent No. 7,143,923, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT HAVING A FIRING LOCKOUT FOR AN UNCLOSED ANVIL" (issued December 5, 2006); U.S. Patent No. 7,044,352, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT HAVING A SINGLE LOCKOUT MECHANISM FOR PREVENTION OF FIRING" (issued May 16, 2006); U.S. Patent No. 7,000,818, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT HAVING SEPARATE DISTINCT CLOSING AND FIRING SYSTEMS" (issued February 21, 2006); U.S. Patent No. 6,988,649, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT HAVING A SPENT CARTRIDGE" (issued February 21, 2006); No. 6,978,921, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT INCORPORATING AN E-BEAM FIRING MECHANISM," issued on January 24, 2006, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,978,921, entitled "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT INCORPORATING AN E-BEAM FIRING MECHANISM," issued on December 27, 2005, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0111] 48 , as described above, the anvil jaw 10420 includes a shoulder or stop 10455 defined thereon that is configured to contact the top cam member 10255 of the tissue-cutting member 10251 when the anvil jaw 10420 is moved to its open position. In such instances, the anvil jaw 10420 positions the tissue-cutting member 10251 in its unfired position even if the tissue-cutting member 10251 is accidentally moved or positioned too far distally. Such a device configuration is particularly useful after the surgical instrument 10000 has already been used at least once and the staple firing system has been reset or retracted, as in some instances the tissue-cutting member 10251 may not have been fully returned to its unfired position after the last staple firing stroke. As a result of the above, the likelihood of accidentally bypassing the lockout of the surgical instrument 10000 is reduced. In particular, the shoulder 10455 and clearance pocket 10450 are positioned proximal to the distal edge of the tissue stop 10427, thereby positioning the tissue cutting member 10251 proximal to the tissue captured within the end effector, thereby ensuring that tissue is not accidentally cut against the tissue cutting member 10251.

[0112] As described above, the articulation driver 10260 is translatable proximally and distally to articulate the end effector 10400 about the articulation joint 10500. Nonetheless, the articulation driver 10260 is actually the distal articulation driver of the articulation drive system. With reference to FIGS. 72 and 74-76 , the articulation drive system further includes a translatable proximal articulation driver 10270 that moves the distal articulation driver 10260. The articulation drive system also includes an articulation lock 10280 positioned intermediate the proximal articulation driver 10270 and the distal articulation driver 10260, as described in more detail below. The proximal articulation driver 10270 includes an articulation rod 10272, a proximal push protrusion 10274 extending from the articulation rod 10272, and a distal retract protrusion 10276 extending from the articulation rod 10272. When the proximal articulation driver 10270 is pushed distally, the proximal push protrusion 10274 contacts and unlocks the articulation lock 10280, driving the distal articulation driver 10260 distally to articulate the end effector 10400. When the proximal articulation driver 10270 is stopped, the articulation lock 10280 automatically relocks and holds the end effector 10400 in place. As the proximal articulation driver 10270 retracts proximally, the distal retraction protrusion 10276 contacts the articulation lock 10280, unlocking it and retracting the distal articulation driver 10260 proximally to articulate the end effector 10400. As above, the articulation lock 10280 automatically relocks when the proximal articulation driver 10270 stops. When the articulation lock 10280 is locked, the end effector 10400 is prevented from being driven backward or otherwise unintentionally moved away from its position. When the articulation lock 10280 is unlocked, the end effector 10400 can be articulated to a new position.

[0113] 72 , a space 10275 is defined between the protrusions 10274 and 10276 of the proximal articulation driver 10270. The distal articulation driver 10260 comprises a similar device configuration. More specifically, the distal articulation driver 10260 comprises a proximal protrusion 10269 and a distal protrusion 10267 with a space defined therebetween. The protrusions 10274 and 10276 of the proximal articulation driver 10270 are positioned within and move within this space defined between the protrusions 10267 and 10269 of the distal articulation driver 10260. The articulation lock 10280 comprises a stationary rod 10282 extending through the distal articulation driver 10260 and a locking member 10284 rotatably and slidably mounted to the stationary rod 10282. The locking members 10284 are biased into the locked position by a spring 10286 positioned between the two sets of locking members 10284, causing the locking members 10284 to bite into the stationary rod 10282. However, when the proximal articulation rod 10270 is translated, it pushes the locking members 10284 to rotate from their locked position, thereby allowing the end effector 10400 to be articulated.

[0114] Further to the above, the protrusions 10274 and 10276 of the proximal articulation driver 10270 directly contact the locking member 10284. Referring to FIG. 74A , the protrusions 10274 and 10276 each include a protrusion or bump 10277 extending therefrom that engages the locking member 10284. The bump 10277 provides a large pressing area for the proximal articulation driver 10270 to press against the locking member 10284. By comparison, a proximal articulation driver 10270′ is shown in FIG. 73 and 73A that does not have the bumps 10277 on the protrusions 10274′ and 10276′. 73 and 73A is still useful, however, the contact area between the proximal articulation driver 10270′ and the locking member 10284 is smaller than the contact area between the proximal articulation driver 10270 and the locking member 10284. As a result of the greater contact area with the locking member 10284, the stresses and strains in the proximal articulation driver 10270 are less than the stresses and strains of the proximal articulation driver 10270′. Furthermore, this device configuration of the bump 10277 increases the torque arm between the proximal articulation driver 10270 and the locking member 10284, which may reduce the force required to unlock the articulation lock 10280.

[0115] Described herein are various mechanisms and methods for determining the orientation of the shaft relative to the handle. Many of these mechanisms are capable of assessing the orientation of the shaft in real time and independently of the shaft's previous orientation. Such device configurations are particularly useful, for example, when a surgical instrument loses power. When the surgical instrument is repowered, the control system can immediately assess, for example, the orientation of the shaft and the appropriate responsiveness of the articulation control. Furthermore, the surgical instruments disclosed herein can be configured to immediately assess the articulation angle of the end effector when the surgical instrument is repowered. Upon repowering, the control system evaluates whether the end effector is in a closed or open configuration. If the end effector is in a closed configuration upon repowering, the control system determines that the surgical instrument has lost power during staple firing mode and prompts the clinician to retract the staple firing system. If the end effector is in the open configuration upon re-energization, or if the end effector is in the open position upon re-energization, the control system attempts to ensure that the articulation drive system is coupled to the staple firing system so that the end effector can be straightened or otherwise suitably oriented by the clinician to remove the surgical instrument from the patient. FIG. 78 shows an algorithm 39000 for ensuring that the articulation system is engaged with the staple firing drive by the control system. In this algorithm, the control system sweeps the staple firing drive between a position associated with a rightmost end effector position and a position associated with a leftmost end effector position so that the articulation drive is coupled to the firing drive, if it is not already coupled to it. These rightmost and leftmost orientations of the end effector correspond to the distal-most and proximal-most positions of the articulation driver 10260, as shown in FIG. 77 . These positions are also the distal-most and proximal-most positions of the articulation driver 10270, respectively. The control system includes one or more non-volatile device memories for storing information regarding the distal-most (right-most orientation) and proximal-most (left-most orientation) positions of the articulation drive system.This information is therefore available to the control system upon re-powering, and the control system can limit its evaluation to this range. In various embodiments, the surgical instrument can include a sensor configured to estimate whether the articulation drive is mechanically coupled to the staple firing drive.

[0116] In addition to the above, algorithm 39000 includes step 39100, in which the control system estimates whether the articulation button is pressed during start-up or initialization of the surgical instrument. If the articulation button is not pressed, as determined at step 39100, the algorithm follows logic path 39200. In logic path 39200, the control system activates the electric motor driving the articulation system at step 39300 to push the articulation driver 10260 distally, articulating the end effector to the right. The control system then waits a predetermined amount of time at step 39400 before proceeding to step 39600, where the control system activates the motor in the opposite direction, retracting the articulation driver 10260 proximally and articulating the end effector to the left. The control system then waits again a predetermined amount of time at step 39700, after which time it waits for an input command at step 39800. In various embodiments, the control system includes a timer circuit for counting the appropriate amount of time. On the other hand, if the control system detects that the left articulation control is actuated at step 39100, then algorithm 39000 follows logic path 39500 to articulate the end effector to the left. If the control system detects that the right articulation control is actuated at step 39100, then algorithm 39000 follows logic path to articulate the end effector to the right.

[0117] During the staple firing stroke, the staples in the staple cartridge are gradually ejected by the firing member. The firing member ejects the proximal staples from the staple cartridge at the beginning of the staple firing stroke and the distal staples at the end of the staple firing stroke. If all of the staples in the staple cartridge properly contact the staple-forming pockets in the anvil positioned opposite the staple cartridge, the staples are properly formed and the staple firing force is low. If some of the staples fail to enter the staple-forming pockets, those staples may be misdeformed, thereby increasing the force required to perform the staple firing stroke. Slowing the staple firing stroke can improve staple formation and reduce the force required to perform the staple firing stroke. In various examples, detecting the force being applied by the staple firing system can be detected directly, for example, through one or more force sensors and / or strain gauges. In other examples, detecting the force can be achieved by, for example, a current sensor or ammeter circuit that measures the current to the electric motor of the staple firing drive. The entire disclosure of U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 361,793, filed March 22, 2019, entitled "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING AN ADAPTIVE CONTROL SYSTEM," is incorporated herein by reference. While these approaches may be preferred in various instances, described below are embodiments and methods for assessing the duty cycle of a staple firing system during a staple firing stroke.

[0118] In addition to the above, the control system of the surgical instrument 10000 includes a pulse-width modulation (PWM) control circuit configured to control the speed of the electric firing drive motor. The PWM control circuit applies voltage pulses to the electric firing drive motor to execute a staple firing stroke. In various examples, the PWM control circuit increases the duration of voltage pulses applied to the electric firing drive motor to increase the speed of the electric firing drive motor and correspondingly increase the speed of the staple firing stroke. In other examples, the PWM control circuit decreases the duration of voltage pulses applied to the electric firing drive motor to decrease the speed of the electric firing drive motor and correspondingly decrease the speed of the staple firing stroke. In either case, the PWM control circuit can make these pulse length adjustments without substantially increasing or decreasing the magnitude of the voltage pulses applied to the motor. That said, embodiments are also contemplated in which the magnitude of the voltage pulses or the specific voltage pulses may be varied. In either case, as described in more detail below, the control system is configured to drive the staple firing drive at a constant or near-constant speed by adjusting the duration of the pulses via the PWM circuit. The entire disclosure of U.S. Patent No. 8,499,992, issued August 6, 2013, entitled "DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING COMPRESSION OF TISSUE," is incorporated herein by reference.

[0119] The duty cycle of the staple firing drive motor is the ratio of the time that voltage is applied to the electric motor by the PWM circuit (on time) divided by the total time (on time + off time). Therefore, the duty cycle can range between 0% (fully off) and 100% (fully on), i.e., constant voltage without periodic interruptions. The terms on and off suggest non-zero voltage and zero voltage; however, the terms on and off include high and low voltage, respectively. The terms low or off include zero voltage and non-zero voltage having a magnitude less than the high or on voltage. Given the above, another way to express the duty cycle of the firing drive motor is the ratio of the time that voltage is applied to the electric motor by the PWM circuit (high time) divided by the total time (high time + low time).

[0120] The PWM control circuit applies voltage pulses to the electric firing drive motor at regular intervals. However, the control system can include a frequency modulation (FM) control circuit to vary the frequency of the voltage pulse intervals. In various examples, the FM control circuit decreases the interval between voltage pulses to increase the speed of the electric firing drive motor and the staple firing stroke. In response, the FM control circuit increases the interval between voltage pulses to decrease the speed of the electric firing drive motor and the staple firing stroke. Additionally or alternatively, the control system can increase the magnitude of the voltage applied to the electric firing drive motor to increase the speed of the electric firing drive motor and the staple firing stroke, and / or decrease the magnitude of the voltage applied to the electric firing drive motor to decrease the speed of the electric firing drive motor and the staple firing stroke.

[0121] The control system of surgical instrument 10000 includes an algorithm for controlling the speed of the staple firing member. Referring to FIG. 79 , the control system includes an algorithm 50000 configured to drive the staple firing member at a low speed, a medium speed, and a high speed. The low speed is 6 mm / s, or approximately 6 mm / s. The medium speed is 12 mm / s, or approximately 12 mm / s. The high speed is 20 mm / s, or approximately 20 mm / s. That being said, the control system can be configured to operate the staple firing drive at any suitable number of speeds and / or any suitable speed. The control system is configured to monitor the speed of the staple firing drive via a motor speed sensor and adjust the length of voltage pulses applied to the staple firing drive's electric motor to achieve the staple firing drive speed at the target speed. For example, if the target velocity of the staple firing drive at a given point in the staple firing stroke is 12 mm / s and the actual velocity is 11 mm / s, the control system increases the length of the voltage pulses applied to the electric motor to increase the velocity of the staple firing drive. In other words, the control system increases the duty cycle of the firing drive electric motor to increase the velocity of the staple firing drive. Correspondingly, if the velocity of the staple firing drive exceeds the target velocity, the control system is configured to decrease the length of the voltage pulses applied to the firing drive electric motor until the velocity of the staple firing drive reaches the target velocity. In other words, the control system is configured to decrease the duty cycle of the firing drive electric motor to decrease the velocity of the staple firing drive. Notably, the target velocity of the staple firing drive can change during the staple firing stroke, as described in more detail below.

[0122] As described above, the firing member of the staple firing drive is moved distally during a staple firing stroke. Referring to FIGS. 47 and 79 , the firing member is advanced distally from a proximal, unfired position to move the firing member's top cam member 10255 up the ramp of the internal slot 10425 defined in the anvil 10420. The distance between the proximal, unfired position and the distal end of the internal slot ramp is, for example, 15 mm, or approximately 15 mm. If an appropriate, unused staple cartridge is seated within the end effector, this initial 15 mm of firing member movement can be used to close the end effector and / or pass the firing lockout described above. Nevertheless, throughout this range of motion, the control system moves the firing member distally at an intermediate velocity of 12 mm / s and evaluates the duty cycle required to drive the staple firing member at this velocity. If the duty cycle is between 40% and 60% in this initial range, the control system continues to drive the staple firing drive at an intermediate speed of 12 mm / s. If the duty cycle exceeds 60%, the control system reduces the target speed of the staple firing drive to a low speed of 6 mm / s. Such an example may occur when thick tissue is present between the anvil 10420 and the staple cartridge 10430. On the other hand, if the duty cycle is less than 40% during this initial range, the control system increases the target speed to a high speed of 20 mm / s. Such an example may occur when thin tissue is present between the anvil 10420 and the staple cartridge 10430. In FIG. 79 , the end of this initial range is defined by point A; specifically, staples are not deployed or fired during this initial range. After point A, the firing member fires staples as the firing member is advanced distally until the firing member reaches the end of its staple firing stroke and / or until the clinician stops the staple firing stroke by releasing the firing trigger.

[0123] Referring to algorithm 50000 in FIG. 79 , it can be seen that the staple firing member was driven at a medium speed of 12 mm / s for the first 15 mm, and then at a high speed of 20 mm / s for the remainder of the staple firing stroke. As discussed above, this shift in speed occurred because the control system measured a duty cycle of less than 40% during the first 15 mm of the staple firing stroke. However, if the firing member had been blocked by a lockout in the first 15 mm, the duty cycle would have immediately spiked to 100%, and the control system is configured to immediately stop the staple firing stroke in response to this asymptotic duty cycle spike. Once the firing member has traversed this first 15 mm distance, in various examples, the remainder of the staple firing stroke may include, for example, about 30 mm, about 45 mm, or about 60 mm. While these lengths represent various staple pattern lengths currently desired in many staple cartridges, any suitable staple pattern length may be used. In some embodiments, the control system does not reevaluate the staple firing drive duty cycle to adjust the target velocity of the firing member after the initial evaluation of the firing drive duty cycle. However, the control system of the embodiment of FIG. 79 continues to evaluate the staple firing drive duty cycle throughout the staple firing stroke. At point C in the staple firing stroke, the control system makes another adjustment to the target velocity or maintains the target velocity according to the criteria described above. As shown in FIG. 79, the staple firing drive duty cycle was determined to be between 40% and 60% at point C, and therefore the control system maintained the target velocity of 20 mm / s. Point C is halfway between point A and the end of the staple firing stroke, i.e., halfway into the staple pattern. However, point C may be located at any suitable location. Furthermore, the control system may be configured to adjust the target velocity of the staple firing drive at any suitable number of points during the staple firing stroke.In at least one example, the control system can provide target speed adjustments, for example, every 15 mm during the staple firing stroke. For a 30 mm staple cartridge, the control system can provide a total of two target speed adjustments, as shown in FIG. 79. For a 45 mm staple cartridge, the control system can provide a total of three target speed adjustments at 15 mm intervals, and for a 60 mm staple cartridge, the control system can provide a total of four target speed adjustments at 15 mm intervals, for example.

[0124] In the above example, the control system used the same set of criteria to evaluate the duty cycle at all target speed adjustment points. However, with reference to FIG. 80 , embodiments are contemplated in which the control system uses different sets of duty cycle criteria at different target speed adjustment points. For example, the control system may use a first set of duty cycle criteria at a first target speed adjustment point and a second set of duty cycle criteria at a second target speed adjustment point. In at least one example, with reference to algorithm 51000 of FIG. 80 , the control system increases the target velocity of the staple firing drive if the duty cycle is less than 45% at the first target speed adjustment point. However, the control system increases the target velocity of the staple firing drive at the second target speed adjustment point if the duty cycle is less than 40%. Any suitable threshold may be used. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 80 , the upper duty cycle threshold of 60% is the same for both the first and second target speed adjustment points in algorithm 51000. If the duty cycle is above 60%, the control system shortens the voltage pulse to slow down the staple firing system. In other embodiments, the upper duty cycle threshold can be different for the first and second target speed adjustment points.

[0125] Further to the above, and with reference to FIG. 81 , the control system algorithm increases the target speed from a medium speed to a high speed at point A, but then decreases the target speed from a high speed to a medium speed at point C. At point C, the control system determined that the duty cycle of the electric firing drive motor was above 60% and decreased the target speed by one level, i.e., from a high speed to a medium speed. Notably, because the control system is configured to increase or decrease the target speed by only one level at each checkpoint, the control system did not decrease the target speed from a high speed to a low speed at point C. In order to decrease the target speed of the staple firing drive from a high speed to a low speed, the duty cycle must exceed an upper duty cycle threshold at two checkpoints. These checkpoints may be consecutive or non-consecutive checkpoints. That said, embodiments are contemplated in which the control system includes a safety duty cycle threshold that, if exceeded, causes the control system to decrease the target speed of the staple firing drive to a low speed regardless of the staple firing drive speed prior to that checkpoint.

[0126] FIG. 82A shows two graphs: a duty cycle graph (i) and a firing force graph (ii) of the staple firing drive. The duty cycle graph (i) and firing force graph (ii) are correlated to represent three different staple firing strokes. Two of the staple firing strokes in FIG. 82A remain below the 40% duty cycle threshold when the firing force is low. For these staple firing strokes, the control system increases the target velocity of the staple firing system at each checkpoint according to the current algorithm, although other algorithms are possible. One of the staple firing strokes in FIG. 82A has a high firing force and reaches a 100% duty cycle. When the duty cycle exceeds 60% at the target velocity adjustment point, the control system decreases the target velocity of the staple firing system according to the current algorithm, although other algorithms are possible. Notably, the duty cycle of this staple firing does not exceed the 60% threshold at the beginning of the staple firing stroke; as a result, the control system may not actually decrease the target velocity until after the checkpoint if the duty cycle had not exceeded the 60% upper threshold.

[0127] FIG. 82B shows two graphs: a duty cycle graph (i) and a firing force graph (ii) of the staple firing drive. The duty cycle graph (i) and firing force graph (ii) are correlated to represent three different staple firing strokes. Two of the staple firing strokes in FIG. 82B remain between the 40% and 60% duty cycle thresholds when the firing force is relatively low. For these staple firing strokes, the control system does not change the target velocity of the staple firing system according to the current algorithm, although other algorithms are possible. One of the staple firing strokes in FIG. 82B, however, has a high firing force and reaches a 100% duty cycle. When the duty cycle exceeds 60% at the target velocity adjustment point, the control system decreases the target velocity of the staple firing system according to the current algorithm, although other algorithms are possible. In this case, the duty cycle exceeds the upper duty cycle threshold approximately 20 mm distal to the proximal, unfired start position of the staple firing member. In other words, the duty cycle jumped above 60% as soon as the staple firing drive began firing staples, i.e., 5 mm beyond the initial 15 mm range noted above. As a result, the control system may not respond to the high duty cycle until after the 30 mm checkpoint, for example.

[0128] In addition to the above, the graphs in FIGS. 82A and 82B, as well as several other graphs, show a stream of dots along the staple firing stroke. These dots represent data samples taken by the control system. The proximity of the dots represents a fairly high data sample rate, although lower or higher data sample rates may also be used. As can be seen in these figures, the data is subject to a certain amount of jitter or chatter that can cause the control system to react to anomalous data, particularly when the duty cycle data is near upper or lower duty cycle thresholds. In various examples, the control system may utilize a data smoothing algorithm that uses an average and / or other statistical evaluation of data over multiple collected data points to determine the duty cycle at the target speed evaluation point. In at least one such example, the control system uses, for example, an average of three consecutive duty cycle measurements to determine the duty cycle value used to evaluate the algorithm criteria.

[0129] FIG. 83A shows three graphs: staple firing drive duty cycle graph (i), firing force graph (ii), and firing velocity graph (iii). Duty cycle graph (i), firing force graph (ii), and firing velocity graph (iii) are correlated to represent the staple firing stroke. The staple firing stroke duty cycle jumps from below the lower duty cycle threshold of 40% to above the upper duty cycle threshold of 60% at approximately the 30 mm mark, approximately 15 mm into staple deformation. This duty cycle jump is not due to an increase in firing force; rather, this duty cycle jump is due to the control system increasing the duty cycle to increase the staple firing drive velocity in accordance with its target velocity selection criteria. FIG. 83B shows a similar jump in duty cycle at approximately 20 mm; however, this jump in duty cycle was due to the staple firing member encountering high resistance while deforming the staples and the control system responding by increasing the length of the voltage pulses it was applying to the electric motor to maintain the staple firing speed at its target speed. In other words, the control system was struggling to maintain the intermediate speed of the staple firing system, i.e., 12 mm / s, so it spiked the duty cycle. This situation did not last long because the control system again reduced the duty cycle at the 30 mm target speed checkpoint while slowing the staple firing stroke speed to a lower target speed, i.e., 6 mm / s.

[0130] 84A and 84B show graphs illustrating the firing force of a staple firing drive for stapling and severing real tissue matched to the firing force for stapling and severing tissue analogs such as foam.

[0131] 85A and 85B show examples of several staple firing strokes that occurred when stapling and cutting stomach tissue. These staple firing strokes followed very similar duty cycle patterns. For example, all of the staple firing strokes started below a lower duty cycle threshold, and the control system accordingly increased the speed of the staple firing strokes from an intermediate speed to a high speed. To do this, the control system increased the duration of the voltage pulse applied to the electric motor of the staple drive system at the first checkpoint. However, in doing so, the duty cycle jumped above the upper duty cycle threshold, and at the next checkpoint, the control system shortened the voltage pulse to reduce the duty cycle and slow the staple firing strokes back down to its intermediate speed. Notably, in one example, the speed of the staple firing drive was maintained at a high speed. In this example, the staples being deformed were smaller compared to the staples used during the other staple firing strokes, and their duty cycle remained just below the threshold.

[0132] FIG. 86A shows the duty cycles of two staple firing strokes while stapling thin jejunal tissue, one of which occurred when the end effector was articulated and the other occurred when the end effector was not articulated. As can be seen in FIG. 86A, the two duty cycle curves are very similar, especially at about 60% to about 80% of the duty cycle. FIG. 86B shows the duty cycles of two staple firing strokes while stapling thick jejunal tissue, one of which occurred when the end effector was articulated and the other occurred when the end effector was not articulated. As can be seen in FIG. 86B, the two duty cycle curves are very similar, especially at about 60% to about 80% of the duty cycle. Also, notably, the duty cycle is somewhat higher for thick jejunal tissue ( FIG. 86B ) compared to thin jejunal tissue ( FIG. 86A ). Figure 86C shows the duty cycle of two staple firing strokes during stapling of stomach tissue, one occurring when the end effector was articulated and one occurring when the end effector was not articulated. As can be seen in Figure 86C, the two duty cycle curves are very similar, particularly as the maximum duty cycle is reached when the staple firing drive begins to deform the staples approximately 15 mm from the proximal, unfired position of the firing member.

[0133] 87 includes a graph 63000 illustrating the duty cycle of the staple firing stroke. As shown in graph 63000, the duty cycle is at or slightly below 40% for the first 30 mm of the staple firing stroke (15 mm of initial travel and 15 mm of staple firing), and then is increased by the control system to increase the speed of the staple firing drive. As above, increasing the duty cycle in this example would cause the duty cycle to overshoot the upper duty cycle threshold of 60%, which was maintained for the remainder of the staple firing stroke, i.e., the last 30 mm.

[0134] FIG. 88 includes a graph 64000 illustrating the duty cycle of a staple firing stroke. As shown in graph 64000, the duty cycle begins below a 40% duty cycle threshold but then gradually increases into a zone between the upper and lower duty cycle thresholds. In such zone, the control system does not increase or decrease the velocity of the staple firing system and / or otherwise adjust the duty cycle of the firing drive electric motor other than to maintain the velocity of the staple firing system at an intermediate target velocity. Thus, a smooth duty cycle curve without abrupt changes is observed.

[0135] FIG. 89 includes a graph 65000 illustrating the duty cycle of the staple firing stroke. As shown in graph 65000, the duty cycle begins at a lower duty cycle threshold of approximately 40% and then progresses upward as soon as the firing member begins to deform the staples at the 15 mm point. In fact, the duty cycle increases to nearly 100% until the next checkpoint is reached at 30 mm, where, as described above, the control system reduces the duty cycle to slow the staple firing drive. FIG. 89 illustrates the dramatic drop in duty cycle at this point, but returns to an elevated state just above the upper duty cycle threshold over the remainder of the staple firing stroke.

[0136] The lower duty cycle threshold is described as 40% in many instances and 45% in other instances. However, the lower duty cycle threshold may be any suitable value, such as, for example, 30%, 33%, 35%, or 50%. Similarly, the upper duty cycle threshold is described as 60%. However, the upper duty cycle threshold may be any suitable value, such as, for example, 50%, 55%, 65%, 67%, 70%, or 75%.

[0137] As described above, the staple firing stroke stops when the clinician releases the firing trigger. When the clinician again actuates the firing trigger, the staple firing stroke resumes. In such an instance, the control system returns the velocity of the staple firing stroke to the velocity just before the staple firing stroke was stopped. The control system includes one or more memory devices for storing the velocity of the staple firing stroke during the staple firing stroke, so that the control system can access the stored velocity to resume the staple firing stroke. If the control system does not have access to this data, the control system can, for example, resume the staple firing stroke at that intermediate velocity.

[0138] As described herein, the surgical instrument 10000 is configured to assess the velocity of a staple firing stroke and compare the measured velocity of the staple firing stroke to a target velocity. The surgical instrument 10000 includes an encoder in communication with a control system configured to measure the velocity of the staple firing stroke. In at least one example, a gear within the staple firing drive is monitored by the encoder to assess the velocity of the staple firing stroke. The gear includes teeth that pass in front of the encoder as the gear rotates during the staple firing stroke. The speed at which the teeth pass the encoder is used by the control system to assess the velocity of the staple firing drive. In at least one example, the gear makes one complete revolution during the entire staple firing stroke. Additionally or alternatively, the gear is constructed of metal, and the control system includes a Hall Effect sensor configured to sense the speed at which the metal gear teeth pass the Hall Effect sensor. In various embodiments, the control system is configured to assess the velocity of a translational component of the staple firing drive.

[0139] As described herein, the control system algorithms use the duty cycle of the electric firing drive motor to estimate whether and in what direction, i.e., slower or faster, the velocity of the staple firing drive should be adapted. Various other algorithms use data in addition to the duty cycle of the electric firing drive motor to adapt the velocity of the staple firing stroke. For example, a velocity adaptation algorithm may utilize, for example, the articulation angle of the end effector, the initial battery voltage, the operating battery voltage, the current through the motor, PID errors, and / or any characterization of the PWM circuit performed during the manufacturing process of the surgical instrument. These parameters may be used in mathematical operations or evaluation formulas to determine, among other things, whether the velocity of the staple firing stroke should be adapted, the direction in which the velocity should be adapted, and / or the amount of adaptation. The parameters used may be instantaneous measurements and / or measurements averaged over several readings. The parameters used may include the rate of change of the measurement or the change in slope. The value of the parameter may be added, subtracted, multiplied, and / or divided according to the evaluation formula.

[0140] 68-71 show an end effector 40000 comprising an anvil jaw 40420 and a staple cartridge jaw 10410. The anvil jaw 40420 comprises a proximal portion 40100 and a distal portion or tip 40200 attached to the proximal portion 40100. The distal portion 40200 is rotatable between a first operating orientation (FIG. 68) and a second operating orientation (FIGS. 70 and 71) to provide a clinician the ability to select between a straight anvil tip and an angled anvil tip prior to using the end effector 40000.

[0141] The proximal portion 40100 includes an angled distal end that may be characterized by a first angle 40120 and a second angle 40130. The first angle 40120 is measured relative to a top surface defined by the top of the proximal portion 40100, and the second angle 40130 is measured relative to a bottom plane defined by the bottom of the proximal portion 40100. In various examples, the first angle 40120 and the second angle 40130 are supplementary angles. In at least one example, the first angle 40120 and the second angle 40130 are substantially supplementary angles. The distal portion 40200 includes an angled proximal end attached to the distal end of the proximal portion 40100. The angled proximal end of the distal portion 40200 may be characterized by a first angle 40220 and a second angle 40230. In various examples, the first angle 40220 and the second angle 40230 are supplementary angles. In at least one example, the first angle 40220 and the second angle 40230 are substantially supplementary angles. In various examples, the first angle 40120 and the first angle 40220 are supplementary angles, and the second angle 40130 and the second angle 40230 are also supplementary angles. This configuration allows the proximal portion 40100 and the distal portion 40200 of the anvil jaw 40420 to have complementary angled mounting planes, where the distal surface 40110 of the proximal portion 40100 and the proximal surface 40210 of the distal portion 40200 abut one another in both the first orientation and the second orientation.

[0142] 69 and 69A, utilizing the attachment mechanism, the distal portion 40200 is rotatable relative to the proximal portion 40100, thereby allowing the distal portion 40200 to be rotated into different orientations. To move the distal portion 40200 into the second orientation shown in FIG. 70, the distal portion 40200 is rotated 180 degrees from the first orientation shown in FIG. 68. This configuration allows a user to change the anvil jaw 40420 between a straight anvil jaw and an angled anvil jaw. In the second orientation shown in FIGS. 70 and 71, the first angle 40120 and the second angle 40230 abut one another, and correspondingly, the first angle 40220 and the second angle 40130 also abut one another. The angle of the attachment interface in the second orientation (FIG. 70) is not a supplementary angle as it was in the first orientation (FIG. 68).

[0143] The attachment mechanism used can be any suitable attachment mechanism. In at least one example, referring to FIG. 69A , the attachment mechanism comprises a flexible rotatable pin 40300 secured to the proximal portion 40100 and the distal portion 40200. Such a mechanism allows rotation of the rotatable portion between different orientations while maintaining the proximal portion 40100 and the distal portion 40200 attached to one another. One or more spring members and / or detents may be used in conjunction with the pin to hold each portion in either the first or second operating orientation. The attachment mechanism may be embedded in either the proximal portion 40100 and / or the distal portion 40200. The attachment mechanism may include a bistable compliance mechanism configured to bias the rotatable distal portion 40200 into either orientation to prevent accidental partial rotation of the portion. The attachment mechanism may comprise a spring-loaded detent, a living hinge, a sliding member, and / or various other locking members. The attachment mechanism may also include an interference and / or friction fit interface between the proximal portion 40100 and the distal portion 40200.

[0144] 69A , the flexible pin 40300 includes a spherical first end 40310 mounted within a chamber defined in the proximal anvil portion 40100, a spherical second end 40320 mounted within a chamber defined in the distal anvil portion 40200, and a flexible connector 40330 connecting the first end 40310 and the second end 40320. The spherical first end 40310 and the spherical second end 40320 are rotatable within their respective chambers such that the flexible pin 40300 may rotate relative to the proximal portion 40100 and / or such that the distal portion 40200 may rotate relative to the flexible pin 40300. In either case, such relative rotation enables rotation of the distal portion 40200, as described above. The length of the flexible connector 40330 is selected so that the flexible connector 40300 remains elastically stretched for all orientations of the distal portion 40200. As a result, the flexible connector 40330 acts to pull the distal portion 40200 against the first anvil portion 40100. Given that the proximal portion 40100 includes staple-forming pockets and the distal portion 40200 does not include staple-forming pockets, the retention force provided by the pin 40300 does not need to withstand the staple-forming force but is sufficient to hold the distal portion 40200 in place while the end effector 40000 is positioned within a patient. The pin may be spring loaded within the socket such that the spring pulls the head proximally within the chamber, thus holding the proximal portion 40100 and the distal portion 40200 together. To rotate the distal portion 40200 between each orientation, the distal portion 40200 can be pulled distally to overcome the biasing force, twisted into another orientation, and released, such that the spring can pull the distal portion 40200 toward the proximal portion 40100. The interface between the distal portion 40200 and the proximal portion may further include an interlocking feature extending therefrom to prevent accidental movement relative to one another. For example, teeth may extend from one portion into corresponding slots defined in the other portion when the distal portion 40200 is in its first and second orientations, but may not extend when the distal portion 40200 is pulled away from the proximal portion 40100.

[0145] In at least one example, the distal portion 40200 includes two halves that are assembled together around an attachment mechanism, for example, the two halves may utilize an elastomer to hold the halves together around a pin, for example, In at least one example, a snap-fit ​​mechanism may be used to assemble the two halves together around the attachment mechanism.

[0146] In various examples, the proximal portion 40100 and the distal portion 40200 are constructed from one or more materials. For example, the proximal portion 40100 may be constructed from one or more materials, and the distal portion 40200 may be constructed from one or more materials. In at least one example, the distal portion 40200 is constructed from metal toward the attachment interface and includes an overmolded soft tip extending distally from the metal portion. The soft tip may be constructed from, for example, rubber and / or plastic. The anvil jaw 40410 may further include an intermediate component positioned between the proximal portion 40100 and the distal portion 40200. The intermediate component may house one or more parts of the attachment mechanism. The intermediate component may also provide an aesthetically pleasing and / or functional transition between the proximal portion 40100 and the distal portion 40200, which may be useful in scenarios where the proximal portion 40100 and the distal portion 40200 comprise two or more types of material.

[0147] In at least one example, the first portion 40100 and the second portion 40200 have edges designed to eliminate any sharp edges presented by rotation of the second portion 40200 relative to the first portion 40100.

[0148] As described above, the surgical instruments disclosed herein may include a control system. Each of the control systems may include a circuit board having one or more processors and / or memory devices. Among other things, the control systems may be configured to store, for example, sensor data. They may also be configured to store, for example, data identifying the type of staple cartridge attached to the stapling instrument. More specifically, the type of staple cartridge may be identified by a sensor when attached to the stapling instrument, and the sensor data may be stored in the control system. This information may be obtained by the control system to estimate whether the staple cartridge is suitable for use.

[0149] A surgical instrument 110000 is shown in FIG. 90. Referring to FIG. 27, the surgical instrument 110000 includes a handle 110100, a shaft 110200 extending from the handle 110100, and an end effector 110400 rotatably connected to the shaft 110200 about an articulation joint 110500. The surgical instrument 110000 is similar to other surgical instruments disclosed herein, and such similarities will not be discussed herein for the sake of brevity. The shaft 110200 is securely attached to the handle 110100. Referring to FIGS. 91-93, the handle 110100 includes a handle frame 110110, and the shaft 110200 includes a shaft frame 110210. The handle frame 110110 includes a distal portion 110115 that extends over and nests with the proximal portion 110215 of the shaft frame 110210. The shaft frame 110210 includes alignment protrusions 110216 extending therefrom that are closely received within apertures defined in the handle frame 110110. Each of the protrusions 110216 includes an aperture 110217 defined therethrough that is configured to receive, for example, a self-tapping screw 110116. The self-tapping screw is configured to engage within the handle frame 110115 and securely secure the shaft 110200 to the handle 110100. In various examples, referring again to FIG. 90, a force can be applied to the end effector 110400 to remove a staple cartridge disposed therein without causing relative motion between the shaft 110200 and the handle 110100.

[0150] Further to the above, the surgical instrument 110100 comprises an articulation drive operable to articulate the end effector 110400 about articulation axis AA, a closure drive including the above-mentioned closure actuator 10140 operable to move the jaws 110420 of the end effector 110400 toward the jaws 110410, and a staple firing drive operable to fire staples from a staple cartridge seated within the end effector 110400 during a staple firing stroke. The staple firing drive comprises an electric motor configured to advance a firing member distally through the staple firing stroke and retract the firing member proximally again to its unfired position. As with other embodiments described herein, the articulation drive is selectively engagable with the staple firing drive. The articulation member of the articulation drive is drivable by the staple firing drive when the articulation drive is engaged with the staple firing drive, and correspondingly, the articulation drive is not drivable by the staple firing drive when the articulation drive is not engaged with the staple firing drive. As explained further below, the closure drive disengages the articulation drive from the staple firing drive when the closure drive is fully actuated.

[0151] 94-96, the handle 110100 includes an articulation actuator 110160 operable to articulate the end effector 110400. The articulation actuator 110160 comprises, for example, a rocker switch including a rocker body 110163 rotatably mounted to a circuit board 110190 about a pivot 110162. The articulation actuator 110160 further includes a first contact 110168 mounted to the circuit board 110190 that is moved from an open state to a closed state when a first end 110164 of the rocker body 110163 is depressed. When the first end 110164 is released, a biasing member within the first contact 110168 returns the first contact to its open state. The articulation actuator 110160 also includes a second contact 110169 mounted to the circuit board 110190 that is moved from an open state to a closed state when the second end 110165 of the rocker body 110163 is depressed. When the second end 110165 is released, a biasing member within the second contact 110169 returns the second contact to its open state. The first contact 110168 and the second contact 110169 are in communication with a control system of the surgical instrument 110000. When the control system detects that the first contact 110168 is closed, the control system operates an electric motor of the staple firing system to articulate the end effector 110400 in a first direction. In response, the control system operates the electric motor of the staple firing system to articulate the end effector 110400 in a second direction when the control system detects that the second contact 110169 is closed.

[0152] Further to the above, the rocker body 110163 includes a first standoff 110166 that contacts the circuit board 110190 and limits movement of the rocker body 110163 when the rocker body 110163 is depressed in a first direction. Similarly, the rocker body 110163 includes a second standoff 110167 that contacts the circuit board 110190 and limits movement of the rocker body 110163 when the rocker body 110163 is depressed in a second direction. Such an arrangement will prevent or reduce the possibility of damage to the articulation actuator 110160. Such an arrangement may also be applied to other actuators on the handle 110100, such as, for example, actuator 110170. The actuator 110170 includes a switch that communicates with the control system of the surgical instrument 110100, which, when closed, causes the control system to automatically recenter the end effector 110400 along the longitudinal axis LA of the shaft 110200 (Figure 90).

[0153] Further to the above, the shaft 110200 and end effector 110400 are rotatable relative to the handle 110100 about the longitudinal axis LA. In use, a clinician can grasp the nozzle-shaped portion of the shaft 110200, i.e., the nozzle 110220, and rotate the shaft 110200 about the longitudinal axis. As above, with reference to FIGS. 97-100 , a surgical instrument can include a handle 111100 and a shaft 111200 rotatable relative to the handle 111100 about the longitudinal axis LA, and rotation of the shaft 111200 relative to the handle 111100 can be sensed by a sensor or switch 111230. The switch 111230 is mounted to the circuit board 111190, and similarly to the above, the switch 111230 is switched between a first state (open) and a second state (closed) when the cam 111225 of the nozzle 111220 contacts the switch 111230. As a result, rotation of the shaft 111200 is divided into two ranges: a first orientation range in which the switch 111230 is in the first state, and a second orientation range in which the switch 111230 is in the second state. The switch 111230 communicates with a control system of the surgical instrument 111000, and in response to input provided by the switch 111230, the control system controls articulation of the end effector in a first response state and a second response state. In the second response state, the response of the articulation drive to actuation of the articulation actuator 110160 is reversed or inverted compared to the first response state. As discussed above, such a device configuration provides more intuitive operation of the surgical instrument 111000 when the shaft 111200 is in an inverted or upside-down orientation. See, for example, control system 111900 in FIG. 100. This control system may be used in connection with any of the embodiments disclosed herein, such as surgical instrument 110000.

[0154] In various embodiments, further to the above, the control system of the surgical instrument 110000 becomes unresponsive to the articulation actuators 110160 and 110170 when the closure trigger 10140 is initially actuated to close the end effector 110400. Furthermore, in such embodiments, the initial actuation of the closure trigger 10140 disengages the articulation drive from the staple firing drive. Such embodiments completely avoid the possibility of articulating the end effector 110400 while it is clamped on tissue. That said, such embodiments require the clinician to estimate where the second jaw 110420 will contact tissue when it is finally closed after the end effector 110400 is articulated. If the clinician has already partially closed the end effector 110400, in such embodiments, the clinician must reopen the end effector 110400 to re-articulate the end effector 110400. In such embodiments, reopening the end effector 110400 re-engages the articulation drive with the staple firing drive and the control system once again becomes responsive to the articulation actuators 110160 and 110170. In alternative embodiments, the end effector 110400 of the surgical instrument 110000 can be articulated while the end effector 110400 is in a partially closed or partially clamped configuration. In these embodiments, when the end effector 110400 is closed beyond the partially closed configuration, the articulation drive is decoupled from the staple firing drive and the control system becomes unresponsive to the articulation controls 110160 and 110170 until the end effector 110400 is opened again or returned to at least the partially closed configuration.

[0155] Further to the above, the partially closed configuration of the end effector 110400 is a predefined or predetermined position of the second jaw 110420. In at least one such embodiment, with reference to FIGS. 101-103 , the surgical instrument 110100 includes a closure lock 10146 configured to releasably retain the closure actuator 10140 in the predetermined partially closed position. When the closure actuator 10140 is in this partially closed position, the articulation drive is still engaged with the staple firing drive, and the control system is responsive to the articulation controls 110160 and 110170. Stated another way, the articulation drive is engaged with the staple firing drive, and the control system is responsive to the articulation controls 110160 and 110170 when the closure actuator 10140 is in a position between (and including) the open position and the predetermined partially closed position. FIG. 102 shows the locking arm 10147 of the closure lock 10146 seated in a notch or recess 10145 defined in the top portion 10144 of the closure actuator 10140. The locking arm 10147 engages the notch 10145 when the closure actuator 10140 is closed, i.e., when the closure actuator 10140 reaches the partially closed position described above. In various examples, the locking arm 10147 entering the notch 10145 can emit an audible click that can indicate to the clinician closing the closure actuator 10140 that any further closure of the closure actuator 10140 will disable the articulation drive and control. The locking arm 10147 entering the notch 10145 can also provide tactile feedback to the clinician. At such point, the clinician is given the opportunity to observe the articulation position of the end effector 110400 and the partially closed configuration of the end effector 110400 while the closure actuator 10140 is held in place. In this case, if the clinician is not satisfied with the position of the end effector 110400, the clinician is given the opportunity to re-articulate the end effector 110400 using the articulation controls 110160 and 110170 without having to re-open the end effector 110400.However, closing the closure actuator 10140 beyond this position disengages the articulation drive from the staple firing drive and causes the control system to become unresponsive to the articulation controls 110160 and 110170. In such event, the locking arm 10147 flexes out of engagement with the notch 10145, causing the upper portion 10144 to rotate past the locking arm 10147 until the closure actuator 10140 reaches the end of its stroke. Referring to FIG. 103 , at such point, the locking arm 10147 does not flex but rather drops down behind the upper portion 10144, releasably holding the closure actuator 10140 in its fully closed position. By applying a force to the closure actuator 10140, the locking arm 10147 can again be flexed out of the way to return the closure actuator 10140 to its previously described partially closed and / or fully open positions. When the closure actuator 10140 is returned to the partially closed position and / or any position between the partially closed position and the open position, the articulation drive is re-engaged with the staple firing drive and the control system once again responds to the articulation controls 110160 and 110170.

[0156] A surgical instrument including a handle 112100 with a selectively actuable closure actuator block is shown in FIGS. 104-106. The handle 112100 includes a closure actuator 112140 that, like the closure actuator 10140, rotates from a fully open position (FIG. 104) to a fully clamped position (FIG. 106) to close the end effector 110400. The closure actuator 112140 includes a deployable block 112145 rotatably mounted thereto that is rotatable between a retracted position (FIG. 104) and a deployed position (FIG. 105) that may support the closure actuator 112140 in a partially closed position. In this partially closed position of the closure actuator 112140, the articulation drive is still operatively engaged with the staple firing drive, and the control system is still responsive to the articulation controls 110160 and 110170, as described above. At such point, the clinician can choose to deactivate the closure block 112145 and fully close the end effector 110400. Doing so disengages the articulation drive from the staple firing drive, and the control system becomes unresponsive to the articulation controls 110160 and 110170, similar to the above. The clinician can decide whether or not to deploy the closure block 112145. If the closure block 112145 is not deployed, the closure actuator 112140 is not stopped in its predetermined partially closed position, and the articulation drive is deactivated when the end effector 110400 is closed. When the closure actuator 10140 is returned to the partially closed position and / or any position between the partially closed and open positions, the articulation drive is re-engaged with the staple firing drive, and the control system becomes responsive again to the articulation controls 110160 and 110170. The control system includes a sensor system configured to estimate whether the closure actuator 112140 is in its open, partially closed, and / or fully closed position.

[0157] In addition to the above, the auto-locking and / or deployable blocks may be used separately and / or together in various embodiments. Another example is shown in FIGS. 107 and 108 including a shaft 113200 extending from a handle 110100. The shaft 113200 includes a nozzle 113220 that is used to rotate the shaft 113200 about its longitudinal axis. The nozzle 113220 includes an actuator 113225 that is manually depressed by a clinician to block the closure drive in a state corresponding to the predetermined partially closed position described above.

[0158] 109 and 110 , when the closure actuator 10140 is closed, the closure actuator 10140 drives the closure drive 10600 to close the second jaw 110420 of the end effector 110400. The closure drive 10600 includes a carriage 110610 that is pushed distally by an upper portion 10144 of the closure actuator 10140 when the closure actuator 10140 is moved to its closed position by a clinician. The closure drive 10600 further includes a closure tube assembly 10240 mounted to the carriage 110610 that moves distally with the carriage 110610. The closure tube assembly 10240 includes a distal end that interfaces with the second jaw 110420 and moves the second jaw 110420 downward toward the first jaw 110410 when the closure tube assembly 10240 is advanced distally. The closure drive 10600 also includes a spring 110620 positioned intermediate the carriage 110610 and the shaft frame 110210, the spring being resiliently compressed between the carriage 110610 and the shaft frame 110210 when the carriage 110610 is advanced distally during a closure stroke. After the closing stroke is complete, the spring 110620 is held in its compressed state by the closure lock 10146 (FIG. 102), as described above, until the closure lock 10146 is overcome by an opening force provided by the opening actuators 10180a and 10180b (FIG. 90) on the handle 110100. At such time, the compressed spring 110620 pushes the carriage 110610 and closure tube assembly 10240 proximally, repositioning the closure actuator 10140 to its unactuated position and allowing the jaw opening spring 10446 (FIG. 147) in the end effector 110400 to open the second jaw 110420.

[0159] In various alternative embodiments, further to the above, the closure drive can include two or more springs compressed between the closure carriage 110610 and the shaft frame 110210. Referring to FIG. 111 , the closure drive can include a distal spring 110620′ and a proximal spring 110620″ in series with one another. The distal spring 110620′ is stiffer than the proximal spring 110620″ such that the distal spring 110620′ compresses significantly after the proximal spring 110620″ compresses significantly. As a result, the initial movement of the closure actuator 10140 from its fully open position is subjected to a light force due to the compression of the proximal spring 110620″, which increases sharply as the distal spring 110620′ begins to compress significantly. In at least one such example, the proximal spring 110620'' reaches its fully compressed, or tight, state before the distal spring 110620' begins to compress significantly. This sudden increase in force being applied to the closure actuator 10140 may correspond to the point in the closure stroke when the articulation system is deactivated. In such an instance, the clinician is provided with tactile feedback that the articulation system can no longer be used to articulate the end effector 110400 unless the closure actuator 110400 is again at least partially released or reopened beyond the force transition point. A graphical representation of the force applied to the closure actuator 10140 by the springs 110620' and 110620'' is shown in FIG. 113. The force applied to the closure actuator 10140 is depicted by a line 110650 including an initial portion 110650a and a final portion 110650b. In the initial portion 110650a, as outlined above, the proximal spring 110620'' is easily compressed during the initial portion of the closing stroke, resulting in a low force of approximately 100 N being applied to the closing actuator 10140. At the midpoint of the closing stroke, for example, in the final portion 110650b, the force applied to the closing actuator 10140 increases significantly due to the dense state of the proximal spring 110620'' and the higher spring constant of the distal spring 110620'.This force transition is defined in FIG. 113 as datum 110651, which also defines the deactivation of the articulation system.

[0160] Further to the above, FIG. 112A illustrates the above-described spring 110620 having a constant spring constant along its length. FIG. 112C is a diagrammatic representation of a spring system including a distal spring 110620′ and a proximal spring 110620″ having different spring constants. In various examples, the effects provided by the distal spring 110620′ and the proximal spring 110620″ can be combined into a single spring, such as the spring 110620′″ of FIG. 112B. In at least one embodiment, the spring 110620′″ has a spring constant that varies along its length. In various embodiments, springs positioned intermediate the closure carriage 110610 and the shaft frame 110210 can be configured in parallel and / or series device configurations. Regardless of the spring device configuration used, this spring device configuration can provide tactile feedback to the clinician that an operating transition or threshold has been exceeded.

[0161] Referring to FIG. 114 , the surgical instrument 110000 includes a visual indicator that indicates that the articulation drive is disengaged from the staple firing drive and that the control system is no longer responsive to the articulation controls 110160 and 110170. The rocker body 110163 of the articulation actuator 110160 is constructed from a translucent material, such as, for example, a translucent plastic. In at least one embodiment, the rocker body 110163 is constructed from, for example, a clear polycarbonate. The articulation actuator 110160 further includes a light, such as, for example, a light emitting diode (LED), positioned within and / or beneath the rocker body 110163. The light is in communication with the control system of the surgical instrument 110000 and is illuminated by the control system when the articulation drive is not engaged with the staple firing drive. In such a case, the clinician is provided with visual feedback that the articulation control 110160 is no longer responsive to input. Similarly, the articulation control 110170 includes a button housing constructed from a translucent material and a light in communication with the control system. Similar to the articulation control 110160, the light of the articulation control 110170 is illuminated by the control system when the articulation drive is not engaged with the staple firing drive. In various embodiments, the articulation actuator 110160 is not illuminated when the closure actuator 10140 is within a range of positions between (and including) its fully open position and the predetermined partially closed position, as described above. Once the closure actuator 10140 is closed beyond the predetermined partially closed position, the articulation actuator 110160 is illuminated at least until the closure actuator 10140 is returned to the predetermined partially closed position.

[0162] In various alternative embodiments, the light of the actuator 110160 and / or the actuator 110170 is illuminated a first color, such as green, when the articulation drive is engaged with the staple firing drive and is illuminated a second color, such as red, when the articulation drive is not engaged with the staple firing drive. In at least one such embodiment, the light in the articulation actuator 110160 includes, for example, a bi-color LED.

[0163] 115 , the surgical instrument 110000 can include visual indicators that indicate when the articulation drive is engaged with the staple firing drive and that the control system is responsive to the articulation controls 110160 and 110170. A light in the articulation control 110160 is in communication with the control system of the surgical instrument 110000 and is illuminated by the control system when the articulation drive is engaged with the staple firing drive. In such a case, the clinician is provided with visual feedback that the articulation control 110160 is responsive to an input. Similar to the articulation control 110160, a light in the articulation control 110170 is illuminated by the control system when the articulation drive is engaged with the staple firing drive. In various embodiments, the articulation actuator 110160 is illuminated when the closure actuator 10140 is within a range of positions between (and including) its fully open position and a predetermined partially closed position, as described above. Once the closure actuator 10140 is closed beyond the predetermined partially closed position, the articulation actuator 110160 is turned off, at least until the closure actuator 10140 is returned to the predetermined partially closed position. Further details are provided in the control system schematics 110900'' and 110900''' shown in Figures 116 and 117, respectively.

[0164] As described above, the articulation drive of the surgical instrument 110000 is selectively engageable with the staple firing drive. When the articulation drive is engaged with the staple firing drive, the articulation actuator 110160 is operable to operate the electric motor of the staple firing drive and longitudinally translate the articulation member of the articulation drive. With reference to FIGS. 118-120 , the surgical instrument 110000 further includes an articulation lock system 110260 including two sets of articulation locks 110280 that releasably hold the articulation drive system (and end effector 110400) in a fixed position when the articulation drive is not driven by the electric motor, as described in more detail below. Additionally, the two sets of articulation locks 110280 self-unlock when the articulation drive is driven by the electric motor of the staple firing drive, as described in more detail below.

[0165] 118 , the articulation drive of the surgical instrument 110000 includes a proximal drive member 110250 that is translated proximally and distally by an electric motor depending on the direction the articulation actuator 110160 is actuated. When the proximal drive member 110250 is driven distally, the proximal drive member 110250 contacts a first set of articulation locks 110280 that are shifted from a locked position to an unlocked position by the distal movement of the proximal drive member 110250. The shifting of the first set of articulation locks 110280 shifts a second set of articulation locks 110280 to the unlocked position via a spring 10286 ( FIG. 73 ) positioned intermediate the first and second sets of articulation locks 110280. Thus, distal movement of the proximal drive member 110250 unlocks and distally drives both sets of articulation locks 110280. The articulation locks 110280 are engaged with the distal articulation member 110270 that is driven distally by the articulation lock 110280 as the articulation lock 110280 is driven distally by the proximal articulation member 110250. When the proximal drive member 110250 stops moving, the springs 10286 bias the articulation locks 110280 back toward their locked positions to re-lock the end effector 110400 in place. As the proximal member 110250 is driven proximally, the proximal drive member 110250 contacts the second set of articulation locks 110280, shifting the first and second sets of articulation locks 110280 to their unlocked positions and proximally driving the first and second sets of articulation locks 110280 and the distal articulation member 112070. When the proximal drive member 110250 stops moving, the spring 10286 biases the articulation locks 110280 back to their locked positions, similar to above, re-locking the end effector 110400 in place.

[0166] As the articulation lock 110280 is moved proximally and distally by the proximal drive member 110250 of the articulation drive, as described above, the articulation lock 110280 slides along the lock rail 110282. Referring primarily to FIG. 120 , the lock rail 110282 extends through apertures 110285 defined in a lock end 110284 of the articulation lock 110280. In particular, the lock rail 110282 includes two flat locking surfaces 110282a disposed on either side and two arcuate locking surfaces 110282b disposed on either side. Each aperture 110285 includes an opposing flat locking side 110285a that engages the flat locking surface 110282a of the lock rail 110282 when the articulation lock 110280 is in the locked position. In various examples, the flat lock side 110285a includes an edge that bites into the lock rail 110282 when the articulation lock 110280 is in the locked position. Such a device configuration strongly resists back-driving forces that are transmitted to the articulation drive when torque and / or forces that tend to articulate or disarticulate the end effector 110400 are applied to the end effector 110400. As described above, when the articulation lock 110280 is shifted to the unlocked position by the articulation drive, the flat lock side 110285a of the aperture 110285 can slide along the flat lock surface 110282a of the lock rail 110282, thereby allowing the end effector 110400 to articulate. Each aperture 110285 further includes opposing arcuate sides 110285b that slide along arcuate locking surfaces 110282b of the locking rails 110282.

[0167] In various examples, the surgical instrument 110000 can include one or more position sensors that can be used to verify that the articulation drive system is engaged with or disengaged from the staple firing system. In at least one such embodiment, for example, the surgical instrument 110000 includes a Hall Effect sensor configured to estimate, for example, whether the articulation drive member is aligned and / or engaged with the staple firing drive member. In addition to, or instead of, a position sensor, the surgical instrument 110000 can include a force and / or force-related sensor configured to estimate whether the articulation drive system is engaged with the staple firing drive system. In at least one such embodiment, for example, the control system of the surgical instrument 110000 includes at least one strain gauge mounted on the proximal articulation drive member 110250, the strain gauge configured to detect, for example, strain on the proximal articulation drive member 110250. The strain load on the articulation drive member 110250 follows a predictable pattern as the articulation drive member 110250 is advanced proximally or distally to unlock the articulation lock assembly 110260. For example, a large force may be required to unlock the articulation lock assembly 110260, and then the force may decrease as the end effector 110400 begins to articulate. In various examples, the processor of the surgical instrument control system is configured to compare sensed strain load data from the strain gauges with expected strain data stored in a memory device of the control system. If the sensed data matches or sufficiently matches the stored data within an acceptable error, the control system determines that the articulation drive is engaged with the staple firing drive and allows the surgical instrument 110000 to continue to respond to the articulation controls 110160 and 110170. The handle 110100 may also include an indicator light in communication with the control system, the indicator light being illuminated by the control system when the control system determines that the articulation drive is coupled to the staple firing drive.Such indicator lights may be, for example, indicator lights adjacent to articulation actuator 110160, articulation actuator 110170, and / or articulation actuators 110160 and 110170.

[0168] However, if the sensed data does not sufficiently match the stored data, the control system determines that the articulation drive is not engaged with the staple firing drive and does not allow the surgical instrument 110000 to continue to respond to the articulation controls 110160 and 110170. When the articulation drive is not engaged with the staple firing drive, the articulation drive member is not driven by the electric motor and therefore there is little, if any, distortion in the articulation drive member 110250, thereby providing a pattern that is clearly distinguishable from the pattern described above. Similar to the above, the handle 110100 can also include an indicator light in communication with the control system, illuminated by the control system when the control system determines that the articulation drive is not coupled to the staple firing drive. Such an indicator light can be, for example, part of the articulation actuator 110160, the articulation actuator 110170, and / or indicator lights adjacent to the articulation actuators 110160 and 110170.

[0169] Further to the above, the proximal articulation drive member 110250 includes an electrical circuit in communication with at least one strain sensor mounted to the proximal articulation drive member 110250. The electrical circuit includes electrical contacts that travel within and contact elongated longitudinal electrical contacts in the handle 110100, which in turn communicate with the processor of the surgical instrument 110000. As a result of this slidable electrical interface, the at least one strain sensor remains in communication with the control system throughout movement of the proximal articulation drive member 110250. Other contact configurations may be used. Additionally, other types of force sensors, such as, for example, a force transducer, may be used. Also, any suitable portion of the articulation drive system may be used to estimate whether the articulation drive system is engaged with the staple firing system.

[0170] An articulation lock in accordance with at least one alternative embodiment is shown in FIGS. 121 and 122. The articulation lock includes a lock rail 110282′, a first set of articulation locks 110280a′, and a second set of articulation locks 110280b′. Like articulation lock 110280, articulation locks 110280a′ and 110280b′ are shiftable between locked and unlocked positions when the proximal articulation drive member 110250 is driven longitudinally. The lock rail 110282' includes a first portion 110282a' that is gripped by the first articulation lock 110280a', a second portion 110282b' that is gripped by the second articulation lock 110280b', and a spring 110282c' that connects the first portion 110282a' and the second portion 110282b' of the lock rail 110282'. The flexibility of the spring 110282c' generates a force reaction within the articulation drive system, which force reaction is observable and detectable by the control system to infer whether the articulation driver is engaged with the staple firing drive. Further, each articulation lock 110280a' includes a kickout 110284a', and similarly, each articulation lock 110280b' includes a kickout 110284b'. Kick-outs 110284a' are nested within one another and in contact with one another. Similarly, kick-outs 110284b' are nested within one another and in contact with one another. The length L and radius R of kick-outs 110284a' and 110284b' are designed to produce an improved locking / unlocking force and / or displacement profile of the articulation lock, which is observable and detectable by the control system to infer whether the articulation driver is engaged with the staple firing drive.

[0171] A surgical instrument according to at least one alternative embodiment is shown in Figures 123-126. The surgical instrument includes a shaft 114200, an end effector 114400, an articulation drive configured to articulate the end effector 114400 about an articulation joint, and an articulation lock 114280. The articulation drive includes a proximal articulation driver 114250, a distal articulation driver 114270, and an articulation lock spring 114260 positioned intermediate the distal arm 114272 and the proximal arm 114274 of the distal articulation driver 114270. 123 , when the articulation drive system is stationary, i.e., not being driven to articulate the end effector 114400, the articulation lock spring 114260 includes a distal end 114262 positioned relative to the distal arm 114272 of the distal articulation driver 114270 and a proximal end 114264 engaged with the proximal articulation driver 114250. In such an example, as shown in FIG. 123 , the proximal end 114264 of the articulation lock spring 114260 is seated within a notch or recess 114255 defined in the proximal articulation driver 114250. Furthermore, in such a case, the lock spring 114260 is in a locked state engaged with the lock rail 10282 of the shaft 114200. 126 , the lock rail 10282 extends through an aperture in the lock spring 114260, and when the lock spring 114260 is in its locked state, the coils of the lock spring 114260 tightly engage or grip with the circular outer surface of the lock rail 10282. As a result, when the end effector 114400 is subjected to back-driving torques and / or forces that tend to articulate or disarticulate the end effector 114400, a significant resistance force can be generated that resists or prevents articulation of the end effector 114400. To release the grip of the lock spring 114260 and unlock the articulation lock 114280, the diameter of the lock spring 114260 must be expanded, as described in more detail below.

[0172] 124 , when the proximal articulation driver 114250 is advanced distally to articulate the end effector 114400, the proximal cam arm 114254 of the proximal articulation driver 114250 engages the proximal arm 114274 of the distal articulation driver 114270 to push the distal articulation driver 114270 distally. The distal end of the distal articulation driver 114270 is engaged with the frame 114410 of the end effector 114400 such that longitudinal translation of the distal articulation driver 114270 rotates the end effector 114400. When the proximal articulation driver 114250 contacts the distal articulation driver 114270, further to the above, the proximal end 114264 of the articulation lock spring 114260 is unseated from the notch 114255 and is driven inward by the proximal articulation driver 114250. In such case, the diameter of the articulation lock spring 114260 expands, releasing its grip on the lock rail 10282 and allowing the end effector 114400 to be articulated by the articulation drive. When distal movement of the proximal articulation driver 114250 is stopped, the articulation lock spring 114260 resiliently returns to its locked state and again grips the lock rail 10282.

[0173] 125 , when the proximal articulation driver 114250 is moved proximally to articulate the end effector 114400 in the opposite direction, the distal cam arm 114252 of the proximal articulation driver 114250 engages the distal arm 114272 of the distal articulation driver 114270, pulling the distal articulation driver 114270 proximally. In such an instance, further to the above, the proximal end 114264 of the articulation lock spring 114260 is unseated from the notch 114255 and driven inward by the proximal articulation driver 114250. In such a case, the diameter of the articulation lock spring 114260 expands, releasing its grip on the lock rail 10282 and allowing the end effector 114400 to be articulated by the articulation drive. When proximal movement of the proximal articulation driver 114250 is stopped, the articulation lock spring 114260 resiliently returns to its locked state and again grips the lock rail 10282.

[0174] As described above, actuation of the closure drive of the surgical instrument 110000 deactivates the articulation drive system at some point during the closure stroke. When the closure drive reaches the end of its closure stroke, the second jaw 110420 contacts the first jaw 110410, in this manner indicating to the clinician using the surgical instrument 110000 that the second jaw 110420 is reaching its fully clamped position. With reference to FIGS. 127-130 , the second jaw 110420 is pivotally coupled to the first jaw 110410 and is rotatable between a fully open position ( FIG. 128 ) and a fully clamped position ( FIG. 127 ) during the closure stroke. When the second jaw 110420 is in its fully open position ( FIG. 128 ), the flange, or tissue stop 110428, of the second jaw 110420 is not engaged with the first jaw 110410. 129 , when the second jaw 110420 is closed, the tissue stop 110428 contacts the outer wall 110418 of the first jaw 110410. The inner surface 110429 of the tissue stop is not angled or is parallel to the closing motion of the second jaw 110420. Referring primarily to FIG. 130 , the outer surface 110419 of the outer wall 110418 is angled inward or is non-parallel to the closing motion of the second jaw 110420. With this device configuration, interference between the tissue stop 110428 of the second jaw 110420 and the outer wall 110418 of the first jaw 110410 is created during the closing motion of the second jaw 110420 and gradually increases as the second jaw 110420 is moved toward its fully closed position. This increasing interference between jaw 110410 and jaw 110420 creates an increasing resistance force in the closure drive, which is again transmitted through the closure tube 110240 to the closure trigger 10140. A clinician pulling the closure trigger 10140 will feel the increasing resistance force transmitted through the closure trigger 10140 and will know that the second jaw 10420 has reached its fully closed position.

[0175] Referring primarily to FIG. 130 , each outer surface 110419 includes, for example, an upper angled surface 110419 a, a second angled surface 110419 b, and a final angled surface 110419 c. The first jaw 110410 includes a channel 110412 configured to receive a staple cartridge therein, the channel including an upper width defined between the upper angled surfaces 110419 a. The upper width of the channel 110412 is narrower than an intermediate width defined between the intermediate angled surfaces 110419 b, which is narrower than a final width defined between the final angled surfaces 110419 c. In addition to providing tactile feedback to the clinician, the above-described device configuration maintains proper lateral alignment between the first jaw 110410 and the second jaw 110420.

[0176] As described above, actuation of the closure drive 10600 of the surgical instrument 110000 decouples the articulation drive from the staple firing drive at some point during the closure stroke. With reference to FIGS. 131 and 132 , the surgical instrument 110000 includes a transmission 110230 that is switched from a first state or configuration to a second state or configuration when the closure drive 10600 is closed. When the transmission 110230 is in its first state, the proximal articulation driver 110250 is coupled to the firing member of the staple firing drive. When the transmission 110230 is in its second state, the proximal articulation driver 110250 is disengaged from the firing member. During the closure stroke, a cam portion of the closure drive 10600 contacts the transmission 110230, rotating the transmission 110230 from its first state to its second state. The transmission 110230 includes a cam member 110232 mounted within a rotatable collar 110234 that is contacted by the cam portion of the closure drive during the closing stroke. The cam member 110232 is constructed of a harder material than the cam portion of the closure drive 10600. In various examples, the scratch hardness and / or indentation hardness of the cam member 110232 is higher than the cam portion of the closure drive 10600. In at least one embodiment, the rotatable collar 110234 is constructed of plastic and the cam member 110232 is constructed of a metal, such as, for example, cast zinc. In various alternative embodiments, the cam portion of the closure drive 10600 is constructed of metal and the cam member 110232 of the transmission 110230 is constructed of the same metal. In any event, the transmission 110230 further includes a spring that is compressed when the collar 110234 is rotated to its second state. The compressed spring is configured to re-expand and bias the collar 110234 back towards its first condition when the closure drive is retracted.

[0177] Further to the above, as the closure drive is advanced distally during the closure stroke, the closure tube 110240 is advanced distally to engage and close the second jaw 110420 of the end effector 110400. With reference to FIGS. 133 and 134 , the frame 110210′ of the shaft 110220 may include one or more sealing interfaces that are engaged by the closure tube 110240 as the closure tube 110240 is advanced distally. The shaft frame 110210′ is cylindrical, or at least substantially cylindrical, and includes a first sealing interface 110212 and a second sealing interface 110214. The first sealing interface 110212 includes a ring or ridge that extends partially around the shaft frame 110210′. However, in other embodiments, the first sealing interface 110212 may extend the entire circumference of the shaft frame 110210′. Similarly, the second sealing interface 110214 comprises a ring or ridge extending partially around the shaft frame 110210'. However, in other embodiments, the second sealing interface 110214 may extend the entire circumference of the shaft frame 110210'. The first sealing interface 110212 and the second sealing interface 110214 are constructed from plastic and configured to elastically deform when they are engaged by the closure tube 110240. The elastic deformation of the interface 110212 provides a liquid-tight and / or air-tight interface between the closure tube 110240 and the frame 110210', which can limit the ingress of fluids into the shaft 110200 and / or handle 110100 of the surgical instrument 110000. The sealing interfaces 110212 and 110214 may be constructed from any suitable material, such as, for example, rubber and / or silicone.

[0178] Further to the above, once the end effector 110400 is sufficiently closed, the staple firing drive of the surgical instrument 110000 can be actuated to fire staples contained within a staple cartridge seated within the end effector 110400 during a staple firing stroke. With reference to FIG. 148 , the staple firing drive includes a firing member or bar 110710 that is advanced distally by the staple firing drive's electric motor in response to actuation of the firing trigger 10150 ( FIG. 91 ). The staple firing drive further includes a coupling element 110720 attached to the distal end of the firing bar 110710. In at least one embodiment, the interface between the firing bar 110710 and the coupling element 110720 includes, for example, a dovetail configuration. The coupling element 110720 is movable between a proximal, unfired position shown in FIG. 148 and a distal, fired position during the staple firing stroke. The connecting element 110720 comprises a cam 110724 configured to engage the first jaw 110410 and a cam 110722 configured to engage and hold the second jaw 110420 during the staple firing stroke. The cams 110722 and 110724 cooperate to hold the second jaw 110420 in a fixed position relative to the first jaw 110410 during the staple firing stroke, although embodiments without the cams 110722 and 110724 are envisioned. The connecting element 110720 further comprises a tissue cutting edge 110271 configured to cut tissue captured between the first jaw 110410 and the second jaw 110420 during the staple firing stroke.

[0179] In addition to the above, the surgical instrument 110000 includes a staple firing lockout to prevent a staple firing stroke when a staple cartridge is missing from the first jaw 110410 and / or when a staple cartridge seated in the first jaw 110410 has already been at least partially fired. To this end, the coupling element 110720 further includes a proximally extending tail 110729 that is biased downward, i.e., toward the bottom of the first jaw 110410, at the start of the staple firing stroke by a firing lockout spring 110490 attached to the shaft 110200. If an unfired staple cartridge is not seated in the first jaw 110410 at the start of the staple firing stroke, the firing lockout spring 110490 presses the connecting element 110720 downward, causing a laterally extending locking shoulder 110727 extending from the connecting element 110720 to enter a locking recess 10419 defined in the first jaw 10410 and contact the locking shoulder 10417 at the distal end of the locking recess 10419, thereby preventing distal advancement of the staple firing drive and preventing the staple firing stroke. When an unfired staple cartridge is seated in the first jaw 110410 at the start of the staple firing stroke, the distal end 110725 of the connecting element 110720 is supported by threads in the staple cartridge, which prevents the connecting element 110720 from being pushed into the locking recess 110419 by the firing lockout spring 110490, so that the connecting element 110720 can be advanced distally to perform the staple firing stroke.

[0180] Further to the above, the firing lockout spring 110490 includes a proximal portion 110492 attached to the shaft 110200 and a distal end 110494 that is free to move relative to the proximal portion 110492. The distal end 110494 includes an arcuate portion 110499 that extends over the proximal tail 110729, the arcuate portion being contacted by the proximal tail 110729 when the staple firing drive is actuated. The firing lockout spring 110490 further includes a lateral support 110495 extending therefrom, the lateral support supporting the distal end 110494 above the proximal tail 110729. The lateral support 110495 is positioned within a recess 110415 defined in the first jaw 110410, which holds the lateral support 110495 in place. As a result of this device configuration, the firing lockout spring 110490 is prevented from bottoming out on the first jaw 110410 and shortening the effective length of the firing lockout spring 110490. Furthermore, as a result of this device configuration, the firing lockout spring 110490 can flex and / or move upwardly, allowing the connecting member 110720 to pass through the firing lockout spring 110490 without thereby yielding or permanently deforming the firing lockout spring 110490. When the connecting member 110720 is returned to its proximal, unfired position after the staple firing stroke, the firing lockout spring 110490 is moved upwardly by the connecting member 110720, allowing the tail 110729 of the connecting member to move beneath it.

[0181] In addition to the above, and with reference to FIGS. 135-146 , the articulation joint of the surgical instruments described herein can be configured to support the firing bar 110710 of the staple firing drive during a staple firing stroke. As noted above, the surgical instrument can include a shaft 114200 and an end effector 114400 rotatably connected to the shaft 114200 about the articulation joint. Referring primarily to FIG. 135 , the shaft 114200 includes a frame 114210 including a pivot pin 114560 extending therefrom that is closely received within a pivot aperture defined in the frame 114410 of the end effector 114400. The pivot pin 114560 and the pivot aperture cooperate to define an articulation axis AA of the articulation joint. As above, and referring primarily to FIG. 136 , the end effector frame 114410 has an articulation drive pin 14464 extending therefrom which is engaged with a distal articulation driver 114270 and driven by an articulation drive system to articulate the end effector 114400 relative to the shaft 114200.

[0182] 135 and 136 , the articulation joint further includes a firing bar guide 114510 configured to slide relative to the pivot pin 114560 of the articulation joint. The firing bar guide 114510 includes a proximal end 114530 including a proximal control pin that extends downwardly into a guide aperture 114215 defined in the shaft frame 114210. The proximal control pin is configured to move within the shaft guide aperture 114215, but its lateral and longitudinal movement is constrained by the sidewalls of the shaft guide aperture 114215. Similarly, the firing bar guide 114510 includes a distal end 114540 including a distal control pin that extends downwardly into a guide aperture 114440 defined in the end effector frame 114410. The distal control pin is configured to move within the end effector guide aperture 114440, but its lateral and longitudinal movement is constrained by the side walls of the end effector guide aperture 114440. The firing bar guide 114510 further includes arcuate guide walls 114570 that support the sides of the firing bar 110710 as the firing bar 110710 slides relative thereto. The guide walls 114570, among other things, prevent the firing bar 110710 from buckling.

[0183] Further to the above, the shaft 114200 further includes a retainer 114290 attached to the shaft frame 114210. The retainer 114290 further includes a distal end including a control surface 114295 defined thereon, the control surface configured to restrain rotation of the firing bar guide 114510 within the articulation joint. When the end effector 114400 is articulated to the left, as shown in FIG. 135 , the left shoulder 114535 defined on the firing bar guide 114510 contacts the control surface 114295 on the retainer 114290. When the end effector is articulated to the right, as shown in FIG. 137 , the right shoulder 114535 defined on the firing bar guide 114510 contacts the control surface 114295 on the retainer 114290. Whether the firing bar guide 114510 is in its leftmost orientation, its rightmost orientation, or anywhere in between, the knife bar guide wall 114570 is aligned with the knife bar guide slot 114270 defined in the shaft 114200 and the knife bar guide slot 114470 defined in the end effector 114400 to provide a continuous, or at least nearly continuous, support path for the firing bar 110710 through the articulation joint.

[0184] Further to the above, the end effector frame 114410 includes a control notch 114445 defined therein that is configured to receive a corresponding distal protrusion 114545 extending from the distal end of the firing bar guide 114510. When the end effector 114400 is fully articulated to the left, as shown in FIG. 135 , the left distal protrusion 114545 of the firing bar guide 114510 is captured within the left control notch 114445. At the same time, the left shoulder 114535 of the firing bar guide 114510 contacts the left control surface 114295 of the retainer 114290. In such an example, the firing bar guide 114510 is held in place within the articulation joint. Furthermore, in such a case, the firing bar guide 114510 can control the leftmost articulation of the end effector 114400. When the end effector 114400 is fully articulated to the right, as shown in FIG. 137 , the right distal protrusion 114545 of the firing bar guide 114510 is captured within the right control notch 114445. At the same time, the right shoulder 114535 of the firing bar guide 114510 contacts the right control surface 114295 of the retainer 114290. In such an example, the firing bar guide 114510 is held in place within the articulation joint. Furthermore, in such a case, the firing bar guide 114510 can control the rightmost articulation of the end effector 114400.

[0185] Referring to FIG. 140 , the shaft retainer 114290 includes two sides connected at their distal ends by a connector 114299. Such an arrangement reduces, if not prevents, relative movement between the two sides of the shaft retainer 114290. When the shaft retainer 114290 is assembled to the shaft frame 114210, referring to FIG. 141 , the connector 114299 of the shaft retainer 114290 extends into the shaft aperture 114215. Referring to FIGS. 142 and 143 , the proximal end 114530 of the firing bar guide 114510 includes a recessed portion configured to slide under the shaft retainer 114290. As a result, the shaft retainer 114290 holds the firing bar guide 114510 from lifting upward. The firing bar guide 114510 further includes a lip 114539 extending proximally from its proximal end 114530. As shown in FIG. 142 , the lip 14539 is configured to slide under the connector 114299. As a result, similar to above, the connector 114299 of the shaft retainer 114290 holds the firing bar guide 114510 from lifting upward.

[0186] 135, the firing bar guide 114510 includes lateral wings 114520 extending therefrom. The lateral wings 114520 are configured to block or prevent patient tissue from entering the articulation joint and becoming pinched between the shaft 114200 and the end effector 114400 when the end effector 114400 is articulated.

[0187] 149 and 149A, the surgical instrument 110000 includes a power management system 110900 configured to control how the surgical instrument 110000 is powered. The power management system 110900 includes a first voltage regulator 110910, a second voltage regulator 110920, and a processor 110930 configured to control the first voltage regulator 110910 and the second voltage regulator 110920. The power management system 110900 further includes a first component architecture 110940 of the surgical instrument 110000 powered at a first voltage, a second component architecture 110950 powered at a second voltage, and a third component architecture 110960 powered at a third voltage. The first component architecture 110940 is supplied with a first voltage when the battery 10300 is assembled to the handle 110100 and / or when the surgical instrument 110000 is powered on. In at least one embodiment, the first voltage, for example, approximately 11 VDC, is immediately supplied to the first component architecture 110940.

[0188] The first voltage regulator 110910 comprises a control input 110911 in communication with the processor 110930, a supply input 110912 in communication with the first component architecture 110940, and a supply output 110913 in communication with the second component architecture 110950. The first voltage regulator 110910 may comprise, for example, a Texas Instruments TPS561208 step-down voltage regulator, which is switchable from an off state to an on state when a voltage exceeding a threshold voltage, such as, for example, 1.6 VDC, is applied to the control input 110911 by the processor 110930. When the first voltage regulator 110910 is in the off state, the second component architecture 110950 is not powered. When the first voltage regulator 110910 is in an on state, the second component architecture 110950 is supplied with a second voltage, for example, 5.4 VDC, from the supply output 110913 of the first voltage regulator 110910. In such a case, certain components and / or systems of the surgical instrument 110100 are consequently powered at the second voltage.

[0189] The second voltage regulator 110920 comprises a control input 110921 in communication with the processor 110930, a supply input 110922 in communication with the second component architecture 110950, and a supply output 110923 in communication with the third component architecture 110960. The second voltage regulator 110920 may comprise, for example, a Texas Instruments TLV741P low dropout linear voltage regulator, which is switchable from an off state to an on state when a voltage above a threshold voltage is applied to the control input 110921 by the processor 110930. When the second voltage regulator 110920 is in the off state, the third component architecture 110960 is not powered. When the second voltage regulator 110910 is in an on state, the third component architecture 110960 is supplied with a second voltage, for example, 3.3 VDC, from the supply output 110923 of the second voltage regulator 110920. In such a case, certain components and / or systems of the surgical instrument 110100 are consequently powered at the third voltage.

[0190] Further to the above, the processor 110930 is configured to sequentially stage or stagger the power-on of the first component architecture 110940, the second component architecture 110950, and the third component architecture 110960. As described above, the first component architecture 110940 is powered on immediately when the surgical instrument 110000 is powered on. However, at such time, the processor does not provide the first voltage regulator 110910 and the second voltage regulator 110920 with enable voltages to their control inputs 110911 and 110921, respectively, and as a result, the second component architecture 110950 and the third component architecture 110960 are not powered on. Instead, the processor 110930 is configured to wait a first period of time before providing an enable voltage to the control input 110911 of the first voltage regulator 110910, and then wait a second period of time before providing an enable voltage to the control input 110921 of the second voltage regulator 110920. As a result, the second component architecture 110950 is powered on before the third component architecture 110960. Such an arrangement can prevent fuses in the power management system 110900 from being overpowered or blown. The first period and the second period of time can include fixed times determined, for example, by timer circuits. In at least one alternative embodiment, instead of a processor, a first timer circuit can be used to delay power-on of the first voltage regulator 110910, and a second timer circuit can be used to delay power-on of the second voltage regulator 110920. In certain embodiments, the processor and / or separate circuitry may be configured to monitor spikes in the current supplied from the battery 10300 to the surgical instrument 110000 and wait until the spike has sufficiently subsided before powering on the next component architecture in the power-on sequence.

[0191] 150, the handle 110100 of the surgical instrument 110000 includes a retraction system 110800 that can be used by a clinician to manually retract the staple firing system if the electric motor is unable to retract the firing bar 110710 after a staple firing stroke. As seen in FIG. 150, the retraction system 10800 includes an actuator housed within a cavity 110102 defined in the handle 110100. The handle 110100 includes two housing halves that are assembled or snapped together to form an outer housing 110101 of the handle 110100, and additionally, with reference to FIG. 151, includes a cover 110190 that is releasably secured to the outer housing 110101. The ...

Claims

1. 1. A surgical stapling instrument comprising: The handle and a shaft extending from the handle; An end effector, The first Joe, a second jaw rotatable relative to the first jaw; an end effector comprising a staple cartridge; an articulation joint, wherein the end effector is rotatable relative to the shaft about the articulation joint; an articulation drive operable to rotate the end effector about the articulation joint, the articulation drive comprising an articulation member engaged with the end effector and an articulation actuator; and a closure drive operable to execute a closure stroke to move the second jaw to a closed position, the closure drive comprising a closure actuator; a staple firing drive including an electric motor and a firing member driven by the electric motor and translatable to fire staples; a control system; a closure sensor in communication with the control system, the closure sensor configured to sense when the closure actuator is in an unactuated position, a fully actuated position, and an intermediate position intermediate the unactuated position and the fully actuated position, the second jaw being in a partially closed position when the closure actuator is in the intermediate position; an indicator in communication with the control system, the indicator configured to indicate a first indication state in response to a first input from the control system and to indicate a second indication state in response to a second input from the control system, the control system providing the first input to the indicator when the closure actuator is between the unactuated position and the intermediate position, and the control system providing the second input to the indicator when the closure actuator is in the intermediate position; translation of the firing member when the articulation member is connected to the firing member translates the articulation member and rotates the end effector about the articulation joint relative to the shaft, and distal translation of the firing member when the articulation member is disconnected from the firing member ejects the staples from the staple cartridge during a staple firing stroke without translating the articulation member; the articulation member is connected to the firing member when the closure actuator is between the inactivated position and the intermediate position; The surgical stapling instrument, wherein the articulation member is disconnected from the firing member when the closure actuator is in the intermediate position.

2. 2. The surgical stapling instrument of claim 1, wherein the indicator comprises a light emitting diode, the first indication state comprises a first color emitted by the indicator, and the second indication state comprises a second color emitted by the indicator, the first color and the second color being different.

3. 2. The surgical stapling instrument of claim 1, wherein the indicator comprises a light, the first indication state comprises a first color emitted by the indicator, and the second indication state comprises a second color emitted by the indicator, the first color and the second color being different.

4. 2. The surgical stapling instrument of claim 1, wherein the control system provides the second input to the indicator when the closure actuator is between the intermediate position and the fully actuated position, and the articulation drive indicates that the articulation member is disconnected from the firing member when the closure actuator is between the intermediate position and the fully actuated position.

5. The surgical stapling instrument of claim 1 , wherein the first input comprises a high voltage potential difference and the second input comprises a low voltage potential difference.

6. 2. The surgical stapling instrument of claim 1, wherein the staple firing drive includes a firing trigger in communication with the control system, the control system configured to operate the electric motor when the firing trigger is actuated and the control system outputs the second input to the indicator to cause distal translation of the firing member to eject the staples from the staple cartridge.

7. The surgical stapling instrument of claim 6 , wherein the firing trigger comprises the indicator.

8. 8. The surgical stapling instrument of claim 7, wherein the firing trigger comprises a translucent housing and at least one light emitting diode disposed within the translucent housing configured to emit the first indication state and the second indication state.

9. 1. A surgical stapling instrument comprising: The handle and a shaft extending from the handle; An end effector, The first Joe, a second jaw rotatable relative to the first jaw; an end effector comprising a staple cartridge; an articulation joint, wherein the end effector is rotatable relative to the shaft about the articulation joint; a staple firing drive including an electric motor and a firing member driven by the electric motor and translatable to fire staples; an articulation drive operable to rotate the end effector about the articulation joint, the articulation drive comprising an articulation member engaged with the end effector and an articulation actuator; and a closure drive operable to execute a closure stroke to move the second jaw to a closed position, the closure drive comprising a closure actuator; a control system; a closure sensor in communication with the control system configured to sense when the closure actuator is in an unactuated position and a partially actuated position, the second jaw being in a partially closed position when the closure actuator is in the partially actuated position; an indicator in communication with the control system, the indicator configured to indicate a first indication state in response to a first input from the control system and to indicate a second indication state in response to a second input from the control system, the control system providing the first input to the indicator when the closure actuator is between the unactuated position and the partially actuated position, the articulation drive connecting the articulation member to the firing member and enabling rotation of the end effector about the articulation joint when the closure actuator is between the unactuated position and the partially actuated position, and disconnecting the articulation member from the firing member when the closure actuator is in the partially actuated position, the control system providing the second input to the indicator, the articulation drive preventing rotation of the end effector about the articulation joint when the closure actuator is in the partially actuated position.

10. 10. The surgical stapling instrument of claim 9, wherein the indicator comprises a light emitting diode, the first indication state comprises a first color emitted by the indicator, and the second indication state comprises a second color emitted by the indicator, the first color and the second color being different.

11. 10. The surgical stapling instrument of claim 9, wherein the indicator comprises a light, the first indication state comprises a first color emitted by the indicator, and the second indication state comprises a second color emitted by the indicator, the first color and the second color being different.

12. 10. The surgical stapling instrument of claim 9, wherein the control system provides the second input to the indicator when the closure actuator is between the partially actuated position and the fully actuated position, and the articulation drive is prevented from rotating the end effector about the articulation joint when the closure actuator is between the partially actuated position and the fully actuated position.

13. The surgical stapling instrument of claim 9, wherein the first input comprises a high voltage potential difference and the second input comprises a low voltage potential difference.

14. 10. The surgical stapling instrument of claim 9, wherein the staple firing drive includes a firing trigger in communication with the control system, the control system configured to operate the electric motor when the firing trigger is actuated and the control system outputs the second input to the indicator to cause distal translation of the firing member to eject the staples from the staple cartridge.

15. The surgical stapling instrument of claim 14 , wherein the firing trigger comprises the indicator.

16. 16. The surgical stapling instrument of claim 15, wherein the firing trigger comprises a translucent housing and at least one light emitting diode disposed within the translucent housing configured to emit the first indication state and the second indication state.

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