US 11,717,364 B2
Articulating surgical instrument
Matthew Robert Penny, Holly Springs, NC (US); Nicholas J. Jardine, Holly Springs, NC (US); and Paul Wilhelm Schnur, Pipersville, PA (US)
Assigned to Asensus Surgical US, Inc., Durham, NC (US)
Filed by Asensus Surgical US, Inc., Durham, NC (US)
Filed on Dec. 31, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/732,306.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/787,303, filed on Jan. 1, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/787,244, filed on Dec. 31, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2020/0315722 A1, Oct. 8, 2020
Int. Cl. A61B 34/37 (2016.01); A61B 90/00 (2016.01); A61B 34/00 (2016.01); A61B 18/08 (2006.01); A61B 34/30 (2016.01); A61B 17/29 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 34/37 (2016.02) [A61B 18/085 (2013.01); A61B 34/71 (2016.02); A61B 90/08 (2016.02); A61B 2017/2902 (2013.01); A61B 2017/2927 (2013.01); A61B 2034/305 (2016.02); A61B 2090/0808 (2016.02)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An electrosurgical instrument, comprising:
an elongate shaft;
a jaw member assembly on the elongate shaft, the jaw member assembly comprising
at least one electrically conductive jaw member having a distal jaw, a collar having a through hole, and a stem between the distal jaw and the collar, the jaw member including a pass-through extending through the stem, and
medial and lateral pulley sections disposed on opposite sides of the collar to define a cable channel between them, and
a pivot pin extending through the medial and lateral pulley sections and the through hole of the collar, the jaw member pivotable about the pivot pin;
an electrically conductive hypotube element disposed in the pass-through, the hypotube element having a lumen;
an electrically conductive cable extending through the lumen of the hypotube element, wherein
the hypotube is swaged at the pass-through to form an electrically conductive path between the cable and the jaw member, and
the cable, jaw member and shaft are arranged such that an alteration of tension on the cable causes articulation of the jaw member relative to the shaft; and
an actuator engaged with the cable, the actuator operable to selectively alter tension on the cable
wherein the cable includes first and second segments, the first segment extending from a first end of the hypotube element around a first portion of the cable channel and into the shaft, the second segment extending from a second end of the hypotube element around a second portion of the cable channel and into the shaft, wherein the first and second portions of the cable channel are different portions of the cable channel and first end and second end are opposite ends of the hypotube element.