Drive mechanism for articulation of a surgical instrument

摘要

A surgical instrument includes a housing, an end effector and an elongated shaft extending therebetween. The elongated shaft includes a distal portion that is movable between aligned and articulated configurations. A pair of drive cables extends through the elongated shaft and is coupled to the distal portion such that reciprocal longitudinal motion of the drive cables induces movement of the distal portion between the aligned and articulated configurations. An articulation drive mechanism is operable to induce reciprocal longitudinal motion of the drive cables. The drive mechanism includes an actuator and a pair of torsion members that are rotatable about two distinct axes in response to movement of the actuator. A respective follower is operatively coupled to each torsion member to translate in a respective longitudinal direction in response to rotation of the torsion members, and each follower is coupled to a respective drive cable to impart translational motion thereto.

主权项

1. A surgical instrument, comprising:
a housing; an end effector; an elongated shaft extending between the housing and the end effector, at least a portion of the elongated shaft defining an articulation section for articulating the end effector relative to the housing; first and second drive cables extending at least partially through the elongated shaft and coupled to the articulation section, the first and second drive cables configured for longitudinal movement in opposite directions to articulate the end effector relative to the housing; and an articulation drive mechanism including an actuator and first and second torsion members operably coupling the actuator to the first and second drive cables, respectively, wherein the actuator is selectively actuatable for simultaneously rotating the first and second torsion members in opposite directions to longitudinally move the first and second drive cables in opposite directions, thereby articulating the end effector relative to the housing, wherein the actuator includes a rotatable articulation wheel and wherein the first and second torsion members are coupled to the rotatable articulation wheel on opposing sides thereof, the rotatable articulation wheel including a plurality of teeth disposed on each lateral side thereof, and wherein each torsion member includes threading configured to engage the corresponding plurality of teeth of the rotatable articulation wheel.