Surgical instruments and steering gears for them

Abstract

The present invention relates to a steering gear (13) for a surgical instrument (1), the steering gear (13) being disposable at a proximal end (3) of a shaft (2) defining a longitudinal axis (B) and having at its distal end (5) a deflection mechanism (9) controllable by a spatially positionable rocker plate (14). The steering gear (13) comprises a first drive wheel (18) and a second drive wheel (19), each having an assigned motor (17), the second drive wheel (19) being arranged offset by 180° with respect to the first drive wheel (18) on a rotation axis (A) common to the first drive wheel (18) and extending perpendicular to said longitudinal axis (B). The rocker plate (14) is mounted between the first drive wheel (18) and the second drive wheel (19) in a steering ring (30) rotatably connected to a third gear (25), the third gear (25) engaging the first drive wheel (18) and the second drive wheel (19) and rotatable about a rotation axis (C) extending perpendicular to the common rotation axis (A) of the drive wheels (18, 19). The steering gear (13) has a retaining bracket (20) mounted for rotation about the common rotation axis (A) of the drive wheels (18, 19), and the steering ring (30) is mounted in the retaining bracket (20) for rotation about the rotation axis (C) of the third gear (25), thereby ensuring meshing of the third gear (25) with the drive wheels (18, 19). The present invention also relates to a surgical instrument (1) including such a type of steering gear (13).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a steering gear for a surgical instrument for deflecting a tool tip by a spatially orientable oscillating plate, and a surgical instrument including such a steering gear.

Background Art

[0002] From the prior art, surgical instruments are known that have a tool with a tool tip that can be guided manually or by a robot and is pivotable by a plurality of pivot members that engage with each other. These pivot members are connected to a plurality of steering wires or cables to enable precise control of the tool tip. A more uniform force distribution in all deflection directions can be achieved by a large number of thin steering wires compared to a small number of thick steering wires.

[0003] It is known from US Patent No. 5,454,827B2 to connect such a steering wire to a spatially adjustable plate arranged proximally within an operating unit, which plate is connected via a rod to a manually operated control bar, so that when the spatially adjustable oscillating plate moves, the corresponding distal pivot member moves relative thereto, and thus the tool tip pivots.

[0004] A design of a drive for the steering wires with a spatially adjustable oscillating plate to which all four steering wires are attached enables a spatially compact structure thereby, and is advantageous because only one component needs to be moved to handle all the steering wires. This structure allows the use of only a small number of steering wires and means that the spatially adjustable plate functioning as a drive for the steering wires can be operated manually, and both of these elements affect the sensitivity and reproducibility of the adjustment of the distal pivot member.

[0005] The surgical instrument disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 7,699,855B2 has an interface that allows the instrument to be connected to a robotic arm. All drives that control the instrument are located within the robotic arm. The transmission of rotational angles from the drives to the instrument is performed by connecting plates in a common separation plane.

[0006] German Patent Application No. 102019121092A1 discloses a surgical instrument equipped with a miniature steering gear, in which the adjustment angles of two drives are directly transmitted to a rocking plate to orient the tooltip for control. To do this, a steering wire is fixed to the rocking plate, thereby allowing the tip of the tool to be controlled smoothly and steplessly by the alignment of the rocking plate. For this purpose, a known steering gear has two drive bevel gears offset 180° from each other, which are arranged on a common axis of rotation extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the instrument, each having an associated motor. The rocking plate is positioned between the drive bevel gears and mounted on a steering ring, which engages with the two drive bevel gears and is connected to rotate together with a third bevel gear that is rotatable around an axis of rotation perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the instrument and perpendicular to the common axis of rotation of the drive bevel gears. The gear chain is engaged by a fourth bevel gear, which is positioned on the axis of rotation of the third bevel gear, offset 180° from the third bevel gear, and engages with two drive bevel gears. The steering ring is mounted on the fourth bevel gear so as to be able to rotate freely. The gear chain thus becomes closed, so that all the bevel gears engage with each other and uniform force distribution is possible. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] Starting from this prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide an alternative guide for the steering ring while ensuring that the drive bevel gear reliably meshes with the bevel gear of the steering ring.

[0008] This objective is achieved by a steering gear having the features of claim 1.

[0009] Another object of the present invention, which is to provide a surgical instrument for providing alternative guidance to a steering ring, is achieved by a surgical instrument having the features of claim 14.

[0010] Advanced versions of steering gears and surgical instruments are described in their respective subordinate sections. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] A first embodiment of the steering gear according to the present invention is provided and designed for a surgical instrument. It is located at the proximal end of a shaft defining a longitudinal axis B and includes a deflection mechanism at its distal end, which is controllable by a spatially adjustable oscillating plate. The steering gear according to the present invention includes a first drive wheel and a second drive wheel, each having an assigned motor, the second drive wheel being positioned 180° offset from the first drive wheel on a rotation axis A which it has in common with the first drive wheel and extends perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, i.e., at a right angle. In this case, the oscillating plate is mounted between the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel in a steering ring connected to a third gear to rotate together with it, the third gear meshing with the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel and rotatable about a rotation axis C which extends perpendicular to the longitudinal axis B and the common rotation axis A of the drive wheels. An advantage is that the steering gear includes a support yoke, which is rotatably mounted around a common axis of rotation of the drive wheels, and the steering ring is further rotatably mounted to the support yoke around the axis of rotation of a third gear, thereby ensuring that the third gear connected to the steering ring meshes securely with the drive wheels by mounting the steering ring within the support yoke mounted on the common axis of rotation of the drive wheels. Therefore, an advantage is that a fourth gear can be eliminated.

[0012] This has the advantage of creating a steering gear that requires very little installation space.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the steering gear of the present invention, the support yoke may have a U-shaped configuration comprising a bottom and two arms. Therefore, its shape is advantageous in terms of space occupied and stability.

[0014] The bottom of the support yoke may have a receiving opening into which a steering ring connector formed on the steering ring is rotatably mounted. Furthermore, each arm may have a bearing eye, thereby mounting the support yoke rotatably around a common axis of rotation of the drive wheels. For example, the support yoke may be mounted on each journal of the drive wheels, which are connected to the drive shafts of their respective motors. The drive wheels may also be connected to drive wheels that do not have journals, and as a result, the support yoke may be positioned in the axial portion of each drive shaft. Alternatively, if the drive wheels are not directly driven by the drive shafts but are instead rotatably mounted to bearing shafts, the support yoke may be rotatably positioned in the axial portion of each bearing shaft of the drive wheels.

[0015] According to another embodiment of the steering gear according to the present invention, the steering connector has a cylindrical shape and can be attached to the cylindrical portion of the receiving opening by a steering ring bearing.

[0016] Furthermore, according to another embodiment of the steering gear according to the present invention, the third gear can be located on the steering ring, directly opposite the bottom of the support yoke. To ensure engagement between the third gear and the drive wheel, another embodiment of the steering gear according to the present invention allows for an operational connection between the support yoke and the steering ring, pulling the steering ring toward the bottom of the support yoke, thereby pulling the third gear connected to the steering ring to engage with the drive wheel. This eliminates all play in the engagement between the third gear and the drive wheel.

[0017] The fixing element for providing the operational connection between the support yoke and the steering ring, which are positioned directly opposite the third gear, can be a screw, which is screwed into the steering ring connector on the rotation axis of the third gear, and thus axially fixing the steering ring bearing and the steering ring.

[0018] According to an alternative and highly advantageous embodiment, the third gear and the bottom of the support yoke are located on the same side of the steering ring, and as a result, engagement of the third gear in the drive wheel is ensured by the bottom of the support yoke pressing against the steering ring. The advantages are that, on the one hand, additional fixing elements can be eliminated here, and on the other hand, a more compact structure can be achieved by locating the bottom of the support yoke and the third gear on one side of the steering ring, or the mounting space on the opposite side of the steering ring can be freed up and used, for example, to house other components of the steering gear.

[0019] Another embodiment of the steering gear according to the present invention relates to the steering ring being formed integrally with the third wheel, and / or each of the drive wheels having at least one bevel gear rim portion for meshing with at least one bevel gear rim portion of the third gear. In this case, the bevel gear rim portions of the drive wheels and the bevel gear rim portions of the third gear can be formed as bevel gear rims along the entire circumference, or preferably, particularly in embodiments where the support yoke bottom and the third gear are located on one side, they can extend over a first predetermined circumferential portion of each drive wheel and over a predetermined circumferential portion of the third gear, so that the drive wheels and the third gear mesh with the third gear over a predetermined range of motion of the steering ring.

[0020] The steering ring does not rotate a full turn for the intended deflection of the oscillating plate of the surgical instrument, but rather rotates only a portion of the rotation, for example, 30° to 60° in any spatial direction, for example, 45°. Therefore, only the corresponding portion of the drive wheel's full-circumference gear rim always meshes with the third gear. Thus, segments of the drive wheel's circumference that are not used to mesh with the third wheel can be eliminated. Consequently, the third gear can also be made to include only the gear rim portion necessary to mesh with the drive wheel in each case, rather than the full-circumference gear rim portion.

[0021] Reducing the bevel gear rim portion to the portion required for meshing in each case is particularly advantageous in embodiments where mounting space is freed up on the opposite side of the steering ring as a result of positioning the third gear on the same side as the bottom of the support yoke. Eliminating unnecessary teeth creates additional mounting space that can be used to house another component, such as a transmission for transmitting the regulating motion of a motor to the drive wheels.

[0022] Therefore, in the embodiment of the steering gear according to the present invention, each drive wheel can be directly actuated by an assigned motor via a drive shaft having a drive shaft corresponding to a common axis of rotation of the two drive wheels, but an alternative embodiment relates to each drive wheel being actuated by an assigned motor via its own drive shaft and its own transmission, and the drive shaft of the drive shaft can preferably extend parallel or perpendicular to the common axis of rotation of the two drive wheels, thereby enabling space-saving housing of the motor, for example, closer to the longitudinal axis.

[0023] In the case of the embodiment of the steering gear according to the present invention, it also includes a pinion or a worm shaft or a driving bevel gear as a transmission device, and the drive wheels each include at least one corresponding drive rim portion for meshing with the respective transmission device in each case. That is, the drive rim portion meshing with the pinion as a transmission device is designed as a gear rim, and the drive shafts of both drive shafts extend parallel to the common rotation axis of the two drive wheels.

[0024] When the transmission device is a worm shaft, the drive rim portion is designed as a worm gear rim portion for meshing with the respective worm shaft, and the drive shafts of both drive shafts extend perpendicular to the common rotation axis of the two drive wheels. Also, when the driving bevel gear is the transmission device, at least one drive rim portion is designed as a bevel gear rim portion for meshing with the respective driving bevel gear, and the drive shafts of both drive shafts extend perpendicular to the common rotation axis of the two drive wheels.

[0025] In order to form a drive wheel having a bevel gear rim (portion) for meshing with a third gear and a drive rim portion for meshing with the respective transmission device, the drive wheel of one embodiment of the steering gear according to the present invention can be designed as a double wheel, and each bevel gear rim portion is arranged axially adjacent to the drive rim portion, and the bevel gear rim portions of the two double wheels face each other for meshing with the third gear.

[0026] In an alternative embodiment where the bevel gear rim portion extends only over the first circumferential portion of each drive wheel required for meshing with the third gear, each drive rim portion for meshing with the respective transmission device (pinion, worm shaft, driving bevel gear) within the pre-determined movement range of the steering ring is made to extend over a second pre-determined circumferential portion of each drive wheel, and the circumferential portions do not overlap with the respective bevel gear rim portions.

[0027] An alternative transmission of another embodiment of the steering gear according to the present invention is a rack-and-pinion transmission device including a drive pinion, a toothed rack having end teeth and side teeth, and a transmission pinion. In this case, the drive pinion is operable by a motor assigned thereto respectively by a drive shaft and meshes with the side teeth of the toothed rack. The transmission pinion meshes with the end teeth of the toothed rack, is connected to a drive wheel via an output shaft, and the drive shaft extends perpendicular to the common rotation axis of the two drive wheels.

[0028] According to another alternative embodiment of the steering gear according to the present invention, the transmission device can include a spindle or a pulley and a traction mechanism. The drive shaft is designed as a double wheel, and the drive rim therein is designed as a plate or a pulley of the traction mechanism. The traction mechanism establishes an operative connection between a spindle or a pulley arranged on the drive shaft and the drive rim designed as a plate or a pulley of the traction mechanism. In this case, the drive shaft of the transmission device provided with a spindle can extend in any desired orientation with respect to the common rotation axis considering the possibility that the traction mechanism acts on it, while the drive shaft of the transmission device provided with a pulley extends horizontally to the common rotation axis of the two drive wheels.

[0029] A first embodiment of a surgical instrument according to the present invention including a shaft, an operating unit arranged at the proximal end of the shaft, and a tool having a tool tip controllable by a swing plate arranged at the distal end of the shaft and deflectable by a distal deflection mechanism and spatially orientable by two drives relates to the surgical instrument including a steering gear according to the present invention for the spatial orientation of the swing plate.

[0030] In another embodiment of the surgical instrument according to the present invention, the oscillating plate may be gimbal-connected to a main shaft extending coaxially with the longitudinal axis of the shaft, and / or the operating element may be mounted axially displaceable within the shaft and operationally connected to the proximal side of the operating unit. Furthermore, the distal deflection mechanism of the deflectable tooltip may consist of a pivot member located at the distal end of the shaft and connected to the oscillating plate of the steering gear by a steering wire extending longitudinally along the shaft. Furthermore, the steering wire may be clampably and detachably fixed to the oscillating plate, for example by a clamp connection. For example, alternative forms of fixing the steering wire to the oscillating plate include welding or crimping. Furthermore, the fan plate may be positioned distal to the main shaft on a spatially adjustable plate, thereby increasing the radial distance of the steering wire from the longitudinal axis of the shaft, and the steering wire extending substantially parallel to each other between the fan plate and the oscillating plate. However, even without a fan plate, if the steering wire extends directly from the proximal end of the shaft to the oscillating plate, the radial distance of the steering wire from the longitudinal axis of the shaft is longer at the oscillating plate than at the proximal end of the shaft, and as a result the steering wire extends to the oscillating plate at an angle other than 90°.

[0031] Other embodiments and some of the advantages associated with these and other embodiments will become apparent and better understood from the following detailed description relating to the accompanying drawings. Substantially identical or similar objects or parts among them may be given the same reference numerals. The drawings are merely schematic illustrations of embodiments of the present invention. One exemplary embodiment of the present invention is depicted in the drawings. Various features may be included in combination in the drawings, description and claims. Those skilled in the art can, as an advantage, consider these features individually and combine them to form other advantageous combinations. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0032] [Figure 1] A schematic oblique lateral view of a surgical instrument is shown. [Figure 2] A detailed perspective view of an electric drive having a rocking plate and steering gear, based on prior art, is shown. [Figure 3] A detailed perspective view of an electric drive equipped with a rocking plate steering gear according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown. [Figure 4] Figure 3 shows a detailed lateral cross-sectional view of the steering gear. [Figure 5] A detailed perspective view of an electric drive equipped with a rocking plate steering gear according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown. [Figure 6] Figure 4 shows a lateral cross-sectional view of an electric drive equipped with a rocking plate steering gear, according to another embodiment of the present invention, passing through a plane defined by axes A and C. [Figure 7] A perspective view of the support yoke is shown. [Figure 8] A detailed perspective view is shown of an electric drive equipped with a rocking plate steering gear, according to another embodiment of the present invention having a spur gear transmission system. [Figure 9] A detailed perspective view is shown of an electric drive equipped with a rocking plate steering gear according to another embodiment of the present invention, which has a worm gear transmission. [Figure 10] A detailed perspective view is shown of an electric drive equipped with a rocking plate steering gear according to another embodiment of the present invention, which has a toothed rack transmission device. [Figure 11] A detailed perspective view is shown of an electric drive equipped with a rocking plate steering gear according to another embodiment of the present invention, which has a bevel gear transmission. [Figure 12] A detailed perspective view is shown of an electric drive equipped with a rocking plate steering gear according to another embodiment of the present invention, which has a spindle transmission device. [Figure 13] A detailed perspective view is shown of an electric drive equipped with a oscillating plate steering gear according to another embodiment of the present invention, which has a belt drive system. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0033] Figure 1 schematically shows a surgical instrument 1 with a tool 7, comprising a hollow shaft 2, an operating unit 4 (shown schematicly only) located at the proximal end 3 of the shaft 2, and a tooltip 6 located at the distal end 5 of the shaft 2. The tool 7 is operable via an operating element 8, which is mounted axially displaceable within the shaft 2 and is operationally connected to the operating unit 4 at its proximal end. The operating unit 4 can be a manually operated handle or a structural unit designed for robotic use, i.e., operable without manual intervention, which is advantageous for the reproducibility of operation. The tool 7 of the tooltip 6 can be, for example, a tool with jaw components as shown in Figure 1, an endoscope, an applicator, etc. The tooltip 6 is pivotable about the longitudinal axis B of the shaft 2 by a hinge mechanism 9, which consists of a pivot member 11, located at the distal end of the shaft 5 and connected via a steering wire 12 extending in the longitudinal direction of the shaft 2 to a drive 13 located at the proximal end 3 of the shaft 2, such that the distal pivot member 11 moves in correspondence with the movement of the proximal drive 13, and thus the tooltip 6 pivots. In the above and below, only the term steering wire 12 is used, but from a functional standpoint, a steering cable can also be used, and therefore the term steering wire 12 used should also be read and understood as synonymous with steering cable.

[0034] An axially displaceable operating element 8, mounted within the shaft 2 and responsible for operating a tool 7 consisting of, for example, two jaw parts, is in the form of a push / pull rod in the illustrated embodiment. In the medical instrument 1 according to the present invention, the drive 13 for the steering wire 12 can preferably be designed as an electric drive 13, which includes a spatially adjustable oscillating plate 14 gimbal-connected to a main shaft 21 extending coaxially with the shaft 2 in order to displace the oscillating plate 14 in three dimensions with respect to the longitudinal axis B of the shaft 2. In this case, the steering wire 12 is mounted or fixed to the oscillating plate 14 (see Figures 11 and 13) so that the tooltip 6 pivots via the steering wire 12 by the displacement of the oscillating plate 14 brought about by the electric drive 13. The number of steering wires 12 used in the electric drive 13 can be selected as desired. An optional fan plate 22 is used to guide the steering wires 12, which extend parallel to the longitudinal axis B of the shaft 2, to the oscillating plate 14. To secure the steering wires 12 to the oscillating plate 14, drilled through holes 23 for each steering wire 12 are formed in the oscillating plate 14, and each steering wire 12 can be connected to the oscillating plate 14 by friction, for example, by screws introduced radially into the oscillating plate, or by a clamping plate located proximal to the rear of the oscillating plate 14.

[0035] An electric drive known from prior art is shown in Figure 2, where a oscillating plate, not shown therein, is mounted within a steering ring 30 by a steering ring 29, so that the oscillating plate 14 is rotatable with the main shaft 21 (see Figures 11 and 13) which extends along the length axis B of the shaft 2. In this case, the oscillating plate mounted within the steering ring 30 is positioned between two drive wheels 18, 19 which are offset 180° from each other, and each of the drive wheels is actuated by a motor 17 which can be mounted in a holder 43 within the surgical instrument 1. The drive shafts of the drive wheels 18, 19 are located on a common axis A, which is perpendicular to the length axis B of the shaft 2, not shown in Figure 2. The drive wheels 18, 19 are designed as bevel gears, each having a bevel gear rim 18.1, 19.1. The two drive wheels 18 and 19 are connected to a third gear 25, which is also a bevel gear with bevel gear rims 25.1, and meshes with the two bevel gear rims 18.1 and 19.1 of the drive wheels 18 and 19, so that the axis of rotation C of the third gear 25 intersects with the common axis of rotation A of the drive wheels 18 and 19 and the longitudinal axis B of shaft 2. The third gear 25 is connected to a steering ring 30 so as to rotate together with it, so that the motion of each of the two drive wheels 18 and 19 is transmitted directly to a rocking plate 14 connected to the third gear 25 via the steering ring 30 by the three meshing bevel gears 18, 19, and 25, thereby directly operating the steering wire 12. To secure the steering ring 30, a fourth gear 31, a so-called cover wheel, is positioned opposite the third gear 25 on the axis of rotation C of the third gear 25, and the fourth gear is similarly designed as a bevel gear having two bevel gear rim portions 31.1 that mesh with the bevel gear rims 18.1, 19.1 of the two drive wheels 18 and 19. Thus, the gear chain formed by the drive wheels 18, 19 and gear 25 is closed, forming a closed gear ring, thereby ensuring that all gears remain securely engaged, and as a result, uniform force distribution in all directions is ensured. All play in the gear chain of the four gears 18, 19, 25, and 31 can be removed by a screw 28, which pulls the fourth gear 31 toward the steering ring 30.In this case, the steering ring 30, which is connected to rotate together with the third gear 25, is attached by the bearing ring 42 and is therefore able to rotate freely with respect to the fourth gear 31. As a result, even when the fourth gear 31 rotates around its axis of rotation C, the steering ring 30 and therefore the oscillating plate 14 do not twist.

[0036] Figure 3 shows an example of the steering gear 13 according to the present invention, which differs from the prior art electric drive shown in Figure 2 in that it lacks a fourth gear 31. Nevertheless, to ensure engagement of the drive wheels 18, 19 with the third gear 25 and the steering ring 30, the steering gear 13 according to the present invention includes a support yoke 20 as an engagement securing device, which in the examples of Figures 3-6 is formed by a support yoke 20 further schematically shown in Figure 7. The support yoke 20 has a U-shaped embodiment in which two arms 20.2 extend from a bottom 20.3. The embodiments shown in Figures 5 and 6 differ from the embodiments of Figures 3 and 4 in the arrangement of the third gear 25. Thus, the bottom 20.3 of the support yoke 20 is directly opposite the third gear 25 with respect to the steering wheel 30, whereas the bottom 20.3 of the support yoke 20 and the third gear 25 are located on the same side of the steering ring 30 in Figures 5 and 6. In this case, the embodiments shown in Figures 5 and 6 are preferred because their structure saves more space compared to the prior art, thereby creating free mounting space on one side of the steering ring 30, i.e., below the steering ring 30 in Figures 5 and 6.

[0037] In the examples shown in Figures 3-6, the support yoke 20 is rotatably mounted on the journals 18.3 and 19.3 of the drive wheels 18 and 19 in the arm 20.2 by appropriate bearings 32 housed in bearing eyes 20.4, so that the third gear 25, which is firmly connected to the steering ring 30, is always meshed with the drive wheels 18 and 19. Of course, in different variations, the support yoke may be positioned on the axial portion of the drive shaft away from the journal or on the bearing axis of the drive wheel. The bottom 20.3 is provided with a receiving opening 20.1 for rotatably mounting the steering ring connector 30.1, which in this case is cylindrical, of the steering ring 30 by a bearing ring 42, thereby allowing it to rotate freely with respect to the support yoke 20. Within the receiving opening 20.1, the support yoke includes a bearing seat 20.5 for the steering ring bearing 42, the alignment of which depends on whether the third gear 25 is positioned directly opposite the support yoke 20 or on the same side as the support yoke 20. When the support yoke 20 and the third gear 25 are located on the same side, the bearing seat 20.5 and the steering ring bearing 42 are formed or located around or within the receiving opening 20.1 on the side of the bottom 20.3 facing the steering ring 30, as is evident from Figure 6. When the support yoke 20 is located directly opposite the third gear 25, as shown in Figure 4, the bearing seat 20.5 and therefore the steering ring bearing 42 are formed or located around or within the receiving opening 20.1 on the side of the bottom 20.3 opposite the steering ring 30.

[0038] In the embodiment corresponding to Figure 3, the steering ring 30 is pulled toward the bottom 20.3 of the support yoke 20 by a fixing element 28, such as the screw shown in the figure. As a result, the third gear 25 connected to the steering ring 30 is also pulled upward, ensuring that the gear 25, which is formed as a bevel gear having a bevel gear rim 25.1, engages with the bevel gear rims 18.1 and 19.1 of the drive wheels 18 and 19 with at least little play, and preferably no play at all. At the same time, the head 28.1 of the screw 28, which is screwed into the steering ring connector 30.1, securely fixes the steering ring bearing 42 and the steering ring 30 in the axial direction relative to the axis of rotation C.

[0039] In the examples of Figures 5 and 6, the third gear 25, which is additionally formed integrally with the steering ring 30 in this example, is also pressed against the drive wheels 18 and 19 by a support yoke 20 attached to journals 18.3 and 19.3 by arms 20.2, ensuring secure engagement. Therefore, fixing elements such as screws 28 can be eliminated in this case, and as a result, the steering ring connector 30.1 extends only for a bearing rotatable by bearings 42 within the receiving opening 20.1 of the support yoke 20. The examples of Figures 5 and 6 also show that instead of having bevel gear rims 18.1, 19.1 or bevel gear rims 25.1 as in Figure 3, the drive wheels 18 and 19 and the third gear 25 can have bevel gear rim portions 18.1, 19.1 and 25.1, respectively, only in the portions necessary for meshing with and controlling the oscillating plate. Therefore, each drive wheel 18, 19 still has only bevel gear rim portions 18.1, 19.1 that extend along the arcuate portion necessary for the maximum deflection of the tooltip 6, for example, 90°. Considering the deflection in the tooltip or the different pitch circles in the steering gear, the steering angle that will be realized therein can be significantly smaller than the deflection obtained therein in the tooltip. For example, a steering angle of only 30° in the steering gear may be sufficient to deflect the tooltip by 90°, and thus only a portion of the teeth will engage, allowing for cutout. In accordance with its engagement with the drive wheels 18, 19, the third gear 25 has a corresponding bevel gear rim portion 25.1 in each case. By eliminating unnecessary teeth, the amount of space saved by the unilateral arrangement of the third gear 25 and the support yoke 20 can be further increased.

[0040] The installation space thus obtained can be used, for example, to position the motor 17, whose drive shaft can be positioned on the common rotation axis A of the drive wheels 18 and 19 in different or more space-saving ways as shown in Figures 3-6. The drive motion of the motor can be transmitted to the drive wheels 18 and 19, and the drive shaft of the motor 17 can be offset from the common rotation axis A, for example, by being positioned perpendicular or parallel to it, so that it can be transmitted using different transmission devices. This will be explained in the following example based on Figures 8-13.

[0041] Figure 8 shows an example of a steering gear 13 according to the present invention, including a transmission device for transmitting the regulating motion of parallel-arranged motors 17 to drive wheels 18, 19. A support yoke 20 as an engagement securing device is attached in the arm 20.2 to the respective journals 18.3, 19.3 by bearings 32 in the example shown, and each journal can further extend into a holder 43 and be further mounted in bearings 40 (only one side is shown in Figure 8). The schematic holder 43 shown herein is merely an example and should not be interpreted as limiting. In this case, to transmit the regulating motion of two motors 17 located on opposite sides of the holder 43 to the drive wheels 18, 19, each pinion 15 is provided, which is driven by the assigned motor 17 by the respective drive shaft 17.1 extending into the opening of the holder 43. By arranging the motors 17 side by side and parallel to each other, in this case, drive shafts 17.1 of different lengths are required to engage the pinions 15 in the respective drive wheels 18, 19. The drive shaft 17.1 defines the drive axis D, which extends parallel to each other as well as to the common axis of rotation A of the two drive wheels 18 and 19. In this way, the drive axis D can be positioned relatively close to the longitudinal axis B. To mesh with the respective pinions 15, the drive wheels 18 and 19 include drive rim portions 18.2 and 19.2, which extend along the circumference of each drive wheel 18 and 19 over the portion necessary for the adjustment movement, and this portion is different from the circumferential portion in which the respective bevel gear portions 18.1 and 19.1 for meshing with the third gear 25 are formed. This is made possible by a predetermined limited range of motion of the steering ring 30 and oscillating plate that does not make a full rotation to bend the tooltip 6.

[0042] Since the examples in Figures 9-13 illustrate different transmission devices, the diagrams of the support yoke as an engagement securing device for the steering gear 13 according to the present invention are omitted here for clarity. The necessary supplementation of the support yoke corresponding to one of the examples in Figures 3-8 is done in an obvious manner.

[0043] The steering gear transmission according to the present invention shown in Figure 9 includes separate worm shafts 23 for transmitting the regulating motion of parallel-arranged motors 17 to the drive wheels 18 and 19, although, unlike the example shown, the worm shafts may be multi-start worm shafts. The worm shafts 23 extend along each drive shaft D on the drive shaft 17.1 and mesh with the respective drive rims 18.2 and 19.2 of the drive wheels 18 and 19, which are designed as worm gears, in this example. For this purpose, the drive rims 18.2 and 19.2 are positioned axially adjacent to the bevel gear rims 18.1 and 19.1 that face each other to mesh with the bevel gear rim 25.1 of a third gear 25. The double wheels may be manufactured as a single unit, or each may consist of bevel gears connected to a worm gear. In the example shown, the drive shaft D extends perpendicular not only to the common rotation axis A of the drive wheels but also to the longitudinal axis B. However, it is clear that the drive unit, consisting of the motor 17, drive shaft 17.1, and worm shaft 23.1, can be positioned at any desired location on the circumference of the drive rims 18.2 and 19.2 of the drive wheels 18 and 19, and can also be positioned independently of each other. As a result, the drive shaft D always extends perpendicular to the common axis of rotation A, but with respect to the longitudinal axis B, it can extend as desired, for example, parallel to it.

[0044] Unlike the examples shown in Figures 8 and 9, the steering gear according to the present invention also has a pinion 15, as shown in Figure 8, that meshes with the drive rims 18.2 and 19.2 of the drive wheels 18 and 19, which are designed as a double wheel, as shown in Figure 9. Thus, the embodiment using a double wheel makes it possible to independently position the drive unit, consisting of the motor 17, the drive shaft 17.1, and the pinion 15, at any desired position along the circumference of the drive rims 18.2 and 19.2 of the drive gears 18 and 19, as desired. Conversely, the transmission device of the steering gear 13 according to the present invention can similarly be formed by a worm shaft 23, as shown in Figure 9, and the drive rim portions 18.2 and 19.2 of the drive wheels 18 and 19, as shown in Figure 8, which also include bevel gear rim portions 18.1 and 19.1 that do not overlap with the drive rim portions 18.2 and 19.2 along the circumference.

[0045] Another example of an alternative transmission device to the steering gear 13 according to the present invention is a toothed rack transmission device, as shown in Figure 10 as an example. In this case, a steering ring unit consisting of a steering ring 30, a third gear 25 connected thereto, and drive wheels 18, 19 meshing with it, is positioned on a platform 34. For this purpose, the platform 34 includes bearing brackets 34.2 adjacent to the two drive wheels 18, 19, which are assigned to each drive wheel 18, 19 and have bearing eyes for housing and mounting drive shafts 18.4 that extend along a common axis of rotation A. The drive shafts 18.4, although only the drive shaft 18.4 of the front drive wheel 18 is visible in Figure 10 because it is in perspective, connect each drive wheel 18, 19 to its respective transmission pinion 16, and its drive rims 18.2, 19.2 mesh with the end teeth 24.1 of the toothed rack 24. This is arranged in platform 34 so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction with a guide portion 24.4 in a guide groove 34.1 formed perpendicular to a common rotation axis A parallel to the longitudinal axis B. The toothed rack 24 further includes lateral teeth 24.2 that mesh with a drive pinion 15 which is operable via the drive shaft 17.1 of the motor 17. The motor 17 is located on platform 34, opposite the steering ring unit, and the drive shaft 17.1 (or a corresponding extension) extends through a hole in platform 34 (not visible in Figure 10), so that the drive shaft D extends perpendicular to the common rotation axis A of the drive wheels 18, 19 and also perpendicular to the longitudinal axis B. To ensure longitudinal guidance of the toothed rack 24, a guide block 33 is also located near the guide groove 34.1 of platform 34 and is fixed by a fixing element 33.2. On the side facing the toothed rack 24, the guide block 33 has a lateral guide groove 33.1 in which the guide rail 24.3 of the toothed rack 24 is guided, and the guide rail is on the side of the toothed rack 24 opposite to the lateral teeth 24.2.

[0046] Figure 11 illustrates a transmission having drive bevel gears 26 for transmitting regulating motion from a motor 17 to each drive wheel 18, 19 via a drive shaft 17.1, the drive wheels 18, 19 as double wheels, for this purpose including second bevel gear rims 18.2, 19.2 on their outward-facing surfaces, and the drive shafts D of the two drive shafts 17.1 are perpendicular to the common axis of rotation A of the two drive wheels 18, 19. To allow the drive shafts D to be positioned as close together as possible and compactly around the longitudinal axis B, the double wheels 18, 19, each having two bevel gear rims 18.1, 18.2, 19.1, and 19.2, can be manufactured as a single unit. The number of teeth on the bevel gear rims 18.1, 19.1 for meshing with the third gear 25 may be the same as the number of teeth on the second bevel gear rims 18.2, 19.2, with the teeth offset from each other by half a pitch, so as to be, the teeth are pressed against each other, minimizing the thickness of the double wheel. The drive wheels 18, 19 can be securely mounted within a housing (not shown) via bearings 40, thereby defining their common axis of rotation A and axial position. For this purpose, the drive wheels 18, 19 include journals 18.3, 19.3, which can be mounted within the housing with bearings 40. Alternatively, bearings can be provided in the housing in reverse for the journals, where bearings inside the drive wheels 18, 19 are fixed (not shown).

[0047] For brevity, Figure 12 shows only one drive unit consisting of a motor 17, a drive shaft 17.1, and a transmission for drive wheels 18, 19. The structure of the steering gear 13 according to the present invention, comprising a second such drive unit, a third gear 25, a steering ring 30, and an engagement securing device, can be easily derived from the remaining examples. In this case, the transmission operatively connects a spindle 37 on the drive shaft 17.1 to drive rims 18.2, 19.2, which are embodied here as traction mechanism plates, of the drive wheels 18, 19, which are embodied here as double wheels, with the bevel gear rims 18.1, 19.1 formed axially adjacent to the drive rims 18.2, 19.2. In the embodiment as a traction mechanism plate, the drive rims 18.2, 19.2 should be understood to mean, in this regard, plates having at least one full-circumferential groove for guiding the traction mechanism 27. The spindle 37 may also include grooves for guiding the traction mechanism 27, so that the traction mechanism 27, which may be a cable or a belt, wraps around the spindle 37 with a plurality of traction mechanism wraps 27.1. By operating the spindle 37, the traction mechanism 27 is wound around one end of the spindle 37 and unwound from the opposite end, thereby transmitting the driving motion of the traction mechanism 27 to the drive wheels 18, 19 via drive rims 18.2, 19.2, which are embodied as traction mechanism plates.

[0048] The traction mechanism 27 can be provided by a closed cable or belt that wraps around the spindle 37 and the drive rims 18.2, 19.2. Alternatively, as shown in the example in Figure 12, an open cable or belt with two ends can be used as the traction mechanism 27, with each end secured by a slide block (not shown here) to the end of a spindle groove whose range is defined by a spindle nut 37.1, while the traction mechanism 27 wraps around the drive rims 18.2, 19.2 which are embodied as a traction mechanism plate. Naturally, the traction mechanism can also wrap around the spindle instead, with the ends of the traction mechanism secured by slide blocks in grooves of the drive rims 18.2, 19.2 which are formed as a traction mechanism plate. Furthermore, there is also the option of using two traction mechanisms, with one end of each traction mechanism secured in a spindle groove and the other secured by slide blocks in a traction mechanism plate groove.

[0049] In the example shown in Figure 12, the drive shaft D extends perpendicular to the common axis of rotation of the drive wheels 18 and 19. However, the possibility of deflecting the traction mechanism by using optional additional deflection rollers (not shown here) allows for free selection of the position of the motor 17, and as a result, the drive shaft D can extend in any desired direction with respect to the common axis of rotation A.

[0050] Figure 13 illustrates an example of a belt drive as a transmission device, which combines features of the spur gear drive in Figure 8 and the spindle drive in Figure 12. In this case, the motor is not shown for the sake of a clear overview, but it is obvious that the pulley 36 in the figure, corresponding to the pinion, is driven by a motor having a drive shaft positioned on the drive shaft D. As a result of using a traction mechanism 27 to transmit the regulating motion to the drive wheels 18 and 19, the drive rims 18.2 and 19.2 of the drive wheels 18 and 19 are similarly embodied as pulleys. Thus, the regulating motion of the motor-driven pulley 36 can be transmitted to the drive wheels 18 and 19 via the traction mechanism 27. As is further evident from the toothed drive rim 18.2 in Figure 13, the belt 27 is embodied as a toothed belt in this example. Consequently, although not visible in the figure, the pulley 36 also has teeth.

[0051] Naturally, belt drives other than toothed belt drives can also be used, such as flat belts, round belts, V-belts, or ribbed V-belts, and the pulleys are formed with a circumferential profile corresponding to the drive belt. Embodiments using chain drives can also be envisioned (not shown), similar to the example shown in Figure 13 with a belt drive, where the chain is used as a traction mechanism 27, and therefore the pulleys 36 and the drive rims 18.2 and 19.2 of the drive wheels 18 and 19 are designed as sprockets. In both cases, the positioning of the pulleys 36 and the drive shaft D can be done independently and arbitrarily on a circular track around the drive wheels 18 and 19, and can also be selected at any desired distance from the drive wheels 18 and 19, as the length of the traction mechanism varies. However, since it is desirable to reduce the installation space, it is preferable to position the drive shaft D near the drive wheels 18 and 19, and optionally near the longitudinal axis B.

[0052] The examples described in the figures should not be interpreted as limiting. Detailed descriptions of various embodiments, such as double wheels, drive wheels 18 and 19 with different tooth sections, and the integrated characteristics of the steering ring 30 and the third gear 25, can be combined in any desired manner, as long as it is reasonable.

[0053] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings. Various features are included in combination in the drawings, description and claims. Those skilled in the art will also find it advantageous to consider the features individually and combine them to form other advantageous combinations. The present invention may provide a steering gear 13 for a surgical instrument 1, positioned at the proximal end 3 of a shaft 2 defining a longitudinal axis B, and including a deflection mechanism 9 controllable by a spatially adjustable oscillating plate 14 at least at the distal end 5. In this case, the steering gear 13 includes a first drive wheel 18 and a second drive wheel 19, each having a motor 17 assigned to it, the second drive wheel 19 being positioned 180° offset from the first drive wheel 18 on a rotation axis A that it shares with the first drive wheel 18 and extends perpendicular to the longitudinal axis B. The oscillating plate 14 is mounted in a steering ring 30 connected to a third gear 25 for joint rotation with it between the first drive wheel 18 and the second drive wheel 19, the third gear 25 meshing with the first drive wheel 18 and the second drive wheel 19 and rotatable around a rotation axis C extending perpendicular to the common rotation axis of the drive wheels 18 and 19. In this case, the steering gear 13 includes a support yoke 20 which is rotatably mounted around the common rotation axis A of the drive wheels 18 and 19, and the steering ring 30 is mounted to the support yoke 20 so as to be rotatable around the rotation axis C of the third gear 25, thereby ensuring that the third gear 25 meshes with the drive wheels 18 and 19. Furthermore, a surgical instrument 1 including such a steering gear 13 is disclosed. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0054] 1 surgical instruments 2 shafts 3. Distal end (shaft) 4. Operation Unit 5. Distal end (shaft) 6 Tooltips 7 Tools 8 Operation Elements 9. Hinge mechanism 11 Pivot Member 12 Steering wire 13 Steering gear 14. Swivel plate (spatially adjustable) 15, 16 pinion 17 Motor 17.1 Drive shaft 18 drive wheels 18.1, 18.2 Bevel gear rim (part), drive rim (part) 18.3, 18.4 Journal, output shaft 19 Drive wheels 19.1, 19.2 Bevel gear rim (part), drive rim (part) 19.3 Journal 20 Support yoke 20.1 Receptive opening 20.2, 20.3 Arm, base 20.4, 20.5 bearing eye, bearing seat 21 Main shaft 22 Fan Plate 23 Worm shaft 24 Toothed rack 24.1 Upper teeth 24.2 Lateral teeth 24.3 Guide Rail 24.4 Guide section 25, 25.1 Third gear, bevel gear rim (part) 26 Bevel gear 27, 27.1 Towing mechanism, winding 28 fixed elements 28.1 Screw head 29 Bearing Rings 30 Steering Ring 30.1 Steering Ring Connector 31, 31.1 Fourth gear, bevel gear rim 32 Yoke bearings 33 Guide Blocks 33.1 Guide groove 33.2 Fixed elements 34 Platforms 34.1 Guide groove 34.2 Bearing bracket 36 Pulley 37 spindles 37.1 Spindle nut 40 Bearings (inside housing) 42 Steering ring bearing 43 Holder A Common axis of rotation for the drive wheels B: Length axis C The axis of rotation of the third gear D Drive shaft

Claims

1. A steering gear (13) for a surgical instrument (1), wherein the steering gear can be positioned at the proximal end (3) of a shaft (2) defining a longitudinal axis (B), and a deflection mechanism (9) controllable by a spatially adjustable rocking plate (14) is provided at the distal end (5) of the shaft. The steering gear includes a first drive wheel (18) and a second drive wheel (19), and a motor (17) is assigned to each of the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel. The second drive wheel (19) is positioned on a common rotation axis (A) shared with the first drive wheel (18) and is offset by 180° from the first drive wheel (18) on the common rotation axis (A) which extends perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (B). The rocking plate (14) is positioned between the first drive wheel (18) and the second drive wheel (19) within a steering ring (30) connected to the third gear (25) so as to rotate integrally with the third gear (25), and the third gear (25) is positioned to mesh with the first drive wheel (18) and the second drive wheel (19), and is rotatable about a rotation axis (C) that extends perpendicular to the common rotation axis (A) and the longitudinal axis (B) of the drive wheels (18, 19). The steering gear (13) further has a support yoke (20) that is rotatably mounted about the common rotation axis (A) of the drive wheels (18, 19), The steering ring (30) is mounted within the support yoke (20) such that it can rotate around the rotation axis (C) of the third gear (25) while the third gear (25) and the drive wheels (18, 19) are securely meshed. A steering gear (13) characterized by the following.

2. The support yoke (20) has a U-shape comprising a bottom portion (20.3) and two arms (20.2). The bottom portion (20.3) has a receiving opening (20.1), to which a steering ring connector (30.1) formed on the steering ring (30) is rotatably attached. Each of the arms (20.2) has a bearing hole (20.4). The support yoke (20) is attached to the drive wheels (18, 19) so as to be rotatable about the common rotation axis (A) and about the journals (18.3, 19.3) of the drive wheels (18, 19) via the bearing holes. The steering gear (13) according to claim 1, characterized in that...

3. The steering ring connector (30.1) has a cylindrical shape and is attached to the cylindrical portion of the receiving opening (20.1) by a steering ring bearing (42). The steering gear (13) according to claim 2, characterized in that...

4. The third gear (25) is located on the opposite side of the bottom (20.3) of the support yoke (20) with respect to the common rotation axis (A), or on the same side as the bottom. The steering gear (13) according to claim 3, characterized in that...

5. The third gear (25) is located on the opposite side of the bottom (20.3) of the support yoke (20) with respect to the common rotation axis (A), The steering gear (13) has a fixing element (28) that operably connects the support yoke (20) and the steering ring (30), The aforementioned fixing element is located on the same side as the bottom portion (20.3) with respect to the common rotation axis (A), The fixing element, together with the third gear (25) connected to the steering ring (30), pulls the steering ring (30) toward the bottom (20.3) of the support yoke (20) to ensure that the third gear (25) and the drive wheels (18, 19) mesh properly. The steering gear (13) according to claim 4, characterized in that...

6. The fixing element (28) of the steering gear (13), which is attached to the cylindrical portion of the receiving opening (20.1) by the steering ring bearing (42), is a screw (28) that is screwed into the steering ring connector (30.1) on the rotation axis (C) of the third gear (25). The steering gear (13) according to claim 5, characterized in that...

7. The steering ring (30) is formed integrally with the third gear (25), and / or Each of the drive wheels (18, 19) includes at least one bevel gear rim portion (18.1, 19.1) for meshing with at least one bevel gear rim portion (25.1) of the third gear (25), The bevel gear rim portions (18.1, 19.1) of the drive wheels (18, 19) and the bevel gear rim portion (25.1) of the third gear (25) are formed as bevel gear rims (18.1, 19.1, 25.1) that extend along the entire circumference. Or, The bevel gear rim portions (18.1, 19.1) of the drive wheels (18, 19) extend over a first predetermined circumferential portion of each of the drive wheels (18, 19), and the bevel gear rim portion (25.1) of the third gear (25) extends over a predetermined circumferential portion of the third gear (25), thereby allowing the drive wheels (18, 19) to mesh with the third gear (25) over a predetermined range of motion of the steering ring (30). The steering gear (13) according to claim 4, characterized in that...

8. Each of the drive wheels (18, 19) is actuated by the respective drive shaft (17.1) and the motor (17) assigned to it, and the drive shaft of the drive shaft corresponds to the common rotation axis (A) of the two drive wheels (18, 19). Or, Each of the drive wheels (18, 19) is operable by the motor (17) assigned to it, via its respective drive shaft (17.1) and transmission device, and the drive shaft (D) of the drive shaft (17.1) does not correspond to the common rotation axis (A) of the two drive wheels (18, 19). A steering gear (13) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that...

9. The aforementioned transmission device, A pinion (15), and each of the drive wheels (18, 19) includes at least one drive rim portion (18.2, 19.2) for meshing with the respective pinion (15), and the drive shaft (D) of both of the drive shafts (17.1) extends parallel to the common rotation axis (A) of the two drive wheels (18, 19), or A worm shaft (23), and each of the drive wheels (18, 19) includes at least one drive rim portion (18.2, 19.2) for meshing with the respective worm shaft (23), and the drive shaft (D) extends perpendicular to the common rotation axis (A) of the two drive wheels (18, 19), or A drive bevel gear (26), and each of the drive wheels (18, 19) includes at least one drive rim portion (18.2, 19.2) for meshing with the respective drive bevel gear (26), and the drive shaft (D) of both of the drive shafts (17.1) extends perpendicular to the common rotation axis (A) of the two drive wheels (18, 19). The steering gear (13) according to claim 8, characterized in that...

10. The drive wheels (18, 19) are designed as double wheels (18, 19), and the respective bevel gear rim portions (18.1, 19.1) are positioned axially adjacent to the drive rim portion (18.2, 19.2), and the bevel gear rim portions (18.1, 19.1) of the two double wheels (18, 19) face each other in order to mesh with the third gear (25). Or, Each of the drive rim portions (18.2, 19.2) extends over a second predetermined circumferential portion of each of the drive wheels (18, 19), thereby the drive wheels (18, 19) mesh with each of the pinions (15) or each of the worm shafts (23) or each of the drive bevel gears (26) over a predetermined range of motion of the steering ring (30), and the drive rim portions (18.2, 19.2) do not overlap with each of the bevel gear rim portions (18.1, 19.1). The steering gear (13) according to claim 9, characterized in that...

11. The transmission device includes a drive pinion (15), a toothed rack (24) having end teeth (24.1) and lateral teeth (24.2), and a transmission pinion (16), The drive pinion (15) is actuated by the motor (17) assigned to it via the drive shaft (17.1), and meshes with the lateral teeth (24.2) of the toothed rack (24), The transmission pinion (16) meshes with the end teeth (24.1) of the toothed rack (24) and is connected to the drive wheels (18, 19) via the output shaft (18.4). The drive shaft (D) extends perpendicular to the common rotation axis (A) of the two drive wheels (18, 19). The steering gear (13) according to claim 8, characterized in that...

12. The transmission device includes a spindle (37) and a traction mechanism (27), the drive wheels (18, 19) are designed as double wheels (18, 19), and the drive rim portions (18.2, 19.2) provided on the drive wheels (18, 19) are designed as traction mechanism plates. The traction mechanism (27) operationally connects the spindle (37) positioned on the drive shaft (17.1) with the drive rim portion (18.2, 19.2) designed as a traction mechanism plate, and the orientation of the drive shaft (D) can be selected as desired with respect to the common rotation axis (A) of the two drive wheels (18, 19). The steering gear (13) according to claim 8, characterized in that...

13. The transmission device includes a pulley (36) and a traction mechanism (27), the drive wheels (18, 19) are designed as double wheels (18, 19), and the drive rim portions (18.2, 19.2) provided on the drive wheels (18, 19) are designed as pulleys. The towing mechanism (27) operationally connects the pulley (36) positioned on the drive shaft (17.1) with the drive rim portion (18.2, 19.2) designed as a towing mechanism plate, and the drive shaft (D) extends parallel to the common rotation axis (A) of the two drive wheels (18, 19). The steering gear (13) according to claim 8, characterized in that...

14. A surgical instrument (1) comprising a shaft (2), an operating unit (4) positioned at the proximal end (3) of the shaft (2), and a tool (7) positioned at the distal end (5) of the shaft (2), wherein the tool (7) has a tool tip (6), the tool tip (6) is deflectable by a distal deflection mechanism (9), and is controllable by a oscillating plate (14) that is spatially oriented by two drive wheels. The surgical instrument (1) is characterized by having a steering gear (13) according to any one of claims 1 to 3 for spatially orienting the oscillating plate (14).

15. The oscillating plate (14) is gimbal-connected to a main shaft (21) that extends coaxially with the longitudinal axis (B) of the shaft (2), and / or The operating element (8) is mounted within the shaft (2) so as to be displaceable in the axial direction, and is operationally connected to the proximal side of the operating unit (4), and / or The distal deflection mechanism (9) of the deflectable tooltip (6) consists of a pivot member (11) positioned at the distal end (5) of the shaft (2) and connected to the steering gear (13) by a steering wire (12) extending in the longitudinal direction of the shaft (2), and a fan plate (22) positioned on the main shaft (21) distal to the spatially oriented oscillating plate (14), and the fan plate increases the radial distance of the steering wire (12) from the longitudinal axis (B) of the shaft (2). The surgical instrument (1) according to claim 14, characterized in that

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