Surgical instrument handpiece with resiliently biased coupling to modular shaft and end effector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9375255-B2
Application number	US-201113271352-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2011
Priority date	Nov 5, 2010
Publication date	Jun 28, 2016
Grant date	Jun 28, 2016

Abstract

An ultrasonic surgical instrument includes a reusable handle assembly and a removable and disposable transmission assembly. The handle assembly includes a trigger, a housing having a distal aperture formed in a distal end of the housing, a button disposed on a top surface of the housing, and a biasing member in communication with the button. The transmission assembly includes a proximal shaft, a rotator knob having a coupling feature, a distal shaft assembly extending distally from the proximal shaft, and an end effector at the distal end of the distal shaft assembly. The biasing member of the handle assembly is adjustably coupled to the coupling feature of the transmission assembly. Another version includes a movable yoke configured to engage an inner tube of the transmission assembly. Yet another version includes a waveguide of the transmission assembly non-threadably coupled to a transducer via a biasing force.

First claim

We claim:

1. A surgical instrument comprising:
(a) a body assembly comprising:
i. a housing defining a cavity having a distal cavity portion and a proximal cavity portion, wherein the proximal cavity portion is configured to receive an ultrasonic transducer, and
ii. a resilient member, wherein at least a portion of the resilient member is positioned within the distal cavity portion and is configured to selectively move between an engagement position and a disengagement position; and

(b) a transmission assembly comprising:
i. a proximal shaft portion having a proximal end configured to receive the ultrasonic transducer extending proximally therefrom, wherein the proximal shaft portion is configured to be received within the distal cavity portion of the housing,
ii. a coupling feature disposed at the proximal shaft portion,
iii. a distal shaft assembly extending distally relative to the coupling feature, and
iv. an end effector coupled to a distal end of the distal shaft assembly;

wherein the resilient member is configured to selectively engage the coupling feature to mechanically secure at least a part of the transmission assembly to the body assembly in the engagement position, and the resilient member is further configured to selectively disengage from the coupling feature to mechanically release at least the part of the transmission assembly to the body assembly, and
wherein the resilient member in the engagement position extends through the housing and engages the coupling feature such that each of the proximal end of the proximal shaft portion and the proximal cavity portion of the housing remain configured to receive the ultrasonic transducer for operating the surgical instrument.

2. The surgical instrument of claim 1 , wherein the body assembly further comprises a user input feature, wherein the resilient member is in communication with the user input feature, and wherein the user input feature is operable to selectively mechanically secure the resilient member to the coupling feature of the transmission assembly.

3. The surgical instrument of claim 1 , wherein the transmission assembly further comprises a rotator knob having a proximal portion, wherein the proximal portion of the rotator knob comprises a cylindrical proximal portion.

4. The surgical instrument of claim 1 , wherein the coupling feature comprises a recess, and wherein the resilient member of the body assembly comprises a U-shaped spring member, and the U-shaped spring member is configured to be received within the recess.

5. The surgical instrument of claim 4 , wherein the U-shaped spring member is defined by a pair of sides connected by an intermediate portion extending therebetween, and wherein the pair of sides are configured to be resiliently spread apart from the engagement to the disengagement positions.

6. The surgical instrument of claim 5 , wherein the user input feature is operable to communicate with the pair of sides of the U-shaped spring member, to thereby direct the pair of sides of the U-shaped spring member away from the proximal portion of the rotator knob in the disengagement position.

7. The surgical instrument of claim 6 , wherein the recess comprises an annular groove.

8. The surgical instrument of claim 1 , further comprising:
(a) the shaft assembly, including:
(i) an outer sheath;
(ii) a waveguide extending through the outer sheath and operatively connected to the end effector; and
(iii) the proximal end including a rotation knob, the rotation knob having a knob and a cylindrical portion extending therefrom, wherein the knob is connected to the outer sheath and the waveguide such that rotating the knob simultaneously rotates the outer sheath and the waveguide relative to the housing, and wherein the cylindrical portion includes the coupling features.

9. A surgical instrument comprising:
(a) a body housing, wherein the body housing has a distal end defining an opening;
(b) a resilient member having a pair of sides connected by an intermediate portion extending therebetween, the pair of sides and the intermediate portion defining a U-shape, wherein the resilient member is configured to selectively move between an engagement position and a disengagement position, wherein the pair of sides are configured to be resiliently spread apart from the engagement position to the disengagement position; and
(c) a shaft assembly, wherein the shaft assembly comprises:
(i) a distal end, wherein the distal end of the shaft assembly comprises an end effector, and
(ii) a proximal end, wherein the proximal end of the shaft assembly is sized and configured for insertion in the opening of the distal end of the body housing, wherein the proximal end includes a coupling feature, wherein the pair of sides of the resilient member are configured to selectively retain the shaft assembly relative to the body housing by simultaneously engaging a pair of opposing lateral sides of the coupling feature in the engagement position, and wherein the pair of sides of the resilient member are configured to selectively release the shaft assembly relative to the body housing by simultaneously spreading apart the pair of sides of the resilient member in order to disengage from the pair of opposing lateral sides of the coupling feature in the disengagement position.

10. The surgical instrument of claim 9 , further comprising a user input feature, wherein the user input feature is operable to deform the resilient member to spread the pair of sides apart from each other and thereby disengage the resilient member from the two opposing lateral sides of the coupling feature.

11. The surgical instrument of claim 10 , wherein the user input feature is operable to deform the pair of sides of the resilient member outwardly from an axis passing through the coupling feature to thereby disengage the pair of sides of the resilient member from the two opposing lateral sides of the coupling feature.

12. The surgical instrument of claim 9 , wherein the proximal end of the shaft assembly further comprises a rotation knob, wherein the rotation knob is operable to rotate the shaft assembly relative to the body housing.

13. The surgical instrument of claim 12 , further comprising a rotation knob having a knob and a cylindrical portion extending therefrom wherein the coupling feature is located on the cylindrical portion of the rotation knob.

14. The surgical instrument of claim 13 , wherein the coupling feature comprises a recess formed in the cylindrical portion of the rotation knob.

Assignees

• Houser Kevin L
• Worrell Barry C
• Balek Stephen J
• Robertson Galen C
• Shelton Iv Frederick E
• Timm Richard W
• Moore Kyle P
• Johnson Gregory W
• Schulte John B
• Mumaw Daniel J
• Ethicon Endo Surgery Llc

Inventors

• Houser Kevin L
• Worrell Barry C
• Balek Stephen J
• Robertson Galen C
• Shelton Iv Frederick E
• Timm Richard W
• Moore Kyle P
• Johnson Gregory W
• Schulte John B
• Mumaw Daniel J

Classifications

• H02J7/82

  Control of state of charge [SOC] · CPC title

• H02J7/751

  concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries · CPC title

• H02J7/731

  specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries (H02J7/751 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61B2050/005

  with a lid or cover · CPC title

• G16H40/63

  for local operation · CPC title