US 11,737,747 B2
Hand-held surgical instruments
David A. Nicholas, North Haven, CT (US); Russell Pribanic, North Haven, CT (US); David A. Zeichner, North Haven, CT (US); and Robert H. Knapp, North Haven, CT (US)
Assigned to COVIDIEN LP, Mansfield, MA (US)
Filed by Covidien LP, Mansfield, MA (US)
Filed on Nov. 4, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/88,769.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/948,870, filed on Dec. 17, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0177406 A1, Jun. 17, 2021
Int. Cl. A61B 17/064 (2006.01); A61B 17/29 (2006.01); A61B 17/068 (2006.01); A61B 17/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 17/0686 (2013.01) [A61B 2017/00407 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A hand-held surgical instrument, comprising:
a handle housing;
a shaft portion extending distally relative to the handle housing;
a first motor disposed within the handle housing;
a screw operably coupled to the first motor;
a nut non-rotationally supported in the shaft portion and operably coupled to the screw;
a firing shaft having a proximal end portion attached to the nut, and a distal end portion configured to fire staples from an end effector, wherein the nut is configured to translate the firing shaft along a longitudinal axis defined by the shaft portion in response to a rotation of the screw;
a knob housing coupled to the handle housing, the shaft portion extending distally from the knob housing;
an articulation lever rotationally coupled to the knob housing;
a first articulation shaft operably coupled to the articulation lever, such that a rotation of the articulation lever translates the first articulation shaft to articulate an end effector;
a cam plate coupling the articulation lever with a proximal end portion of the first articulation shaft, the cam plate being configured to urge the first articulation shaft in one of a proximal direction or a distal direction upon rotation of the cam plate, wherein the cam plate includes a pair of pins extending therefrom, wherein the pair of pins of the cam plate are located on opposed sides of the longitudinal axis defined by the shaft portion; and
an articulation locking assembly including:
a first ratchet gear operably coupled to the cam plate, the first ratchet gear defining a pair of elongate slots formed therein, wherein each pin of the pair of pins of the cam plate is slidably received in a respective slot of the pair of elongate slots formed in the first ratchet gear; and
a pawl engaged with the first ratchet gear and configured to restrict the rotation of the cam plate, the first ratchet gear being non-rotationally coupled to the articulation lever and coupled to the cam plate, such that a rotation of the articulation lever rotates the cam plate, wherein the first ratchet gear is configured to rotate the cam plate after a delay.