Surgical instrument and steering gear for same

1 . A steering gear for a surgical instrument, arrangeable at the proximal end of a shaft defining a longitudinal axis and has a deflection mechanism at the distal end, wherein the steering gear comprises:

two motorized drives and is designed to spatially orient a wobble plate by way of an adjustment angle of the two motorized drives, the wobble plate is designed to control the distal deflection mechanism of the surgical instrument, wherein the two motorized drives include a first drive and a second drive, the first drive includes a first drive wheel that is driven by a first motor and designed as a double wheel with a first bevel gear rim and a first drive rim,

and the second drive includes a second drive wheel that is driven by a second motor and designed as a double wheel with a second bevel gear rim and a second drive rim,

wherein

the wobble plate is arranged between the two drive wheels, the two drive wheels have a common axis of rotation, and the bevel gear rims are arranged facing one another, and

wherein

the first drive rim and the second drive rim of the corresponding first drive wheel and the second drive wheel are operatively connected to a respective first pinion and a second pinion, respectively,

wherein the first pinion that is operatively connected to the first drive rim is drivable by the first motor via a first drive shaft, the first drive shaft defining a first drive axis, and

the second pinion that is operatively connected to the second drive rim is drivable by the second motor via a second drive shaft, the second drive shaft defining a second drive axis, and

wherein the two drive axes run parallel to one another and parallel to the common axis of rotation of the two drive wheels.

2 . The steering gear as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the two double wheels of the steering gear are arranged relative to the wobble plate in such a way that the two drive axes and the common axis of rotation of the two double wheels run perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the surgical instrument,

wherein the motors are arranged next to one another on one side in relation to the longitudinal axis.

3 . The steering gear as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the first drive wheel is designed as a hollow double wheel and the second drive wheel is designed as a hollow double wheel, and the two hollow double wheels of the steering gear are arranged relative to the wobble plate in such a way that the common axis of rotation of the two hollow double wheels is flush with the longitudinal axis of the surgical instrument, and the two drive axes run parallel to the longitudinal axis of the surgical instrument.

4 . The steering gear as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the first drive rim and the second drive rim are gear rims, and the first pinion and the second pinion are gear wheels which that mesh with a corresponding one of the first drive rim and the second drive rim.

5 . The steering gear as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the first drive rim, the second drive rim, the first pinion and the second pinion are pulleys configured to engage a first drive belt and a second drive belt, wherein

the first drive belt provides the operative connection between the first drive rim and the first pinion and

the second drive belt provides the operative connection between the second drive rim and the second pinion.

6 . The steering gear as set forth in claim 5 , wherein each drive belt is a flat belt, round belt, V-belt, ribbed V-belt, or toothed belt, and the all-round profile of the first drive rim, the second drive rim and the first pinion and the second pinion accordingly is a flat profile, round profile, V-profile, ribbed V-profile or toothed profile.

7 . The steering gear as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the wobble plate is coupled to a third gearwheel that meshes with the two bevel gear rims of the two double wheels and an axis of rotation of the third gear wheel is at right angles to the common axis of the double wheels,

wherein the wobble plate is coupled to a fourth gear wheel that is coupled to the two bevel gear rims of the two double wheels and arranged on the side facing away from the third gear wheel.

8 . A surgical instrument comprising:

a shaft a manipulation unit arranged at the proximal end of the shaft, and an instrument arranged at the distal end of the shaft with a tool tip, wherein the tool tip is configured to be deflected by means of a distal deflection mechanism and the tool tip is configured to be controlled by the wobble plate that can be spatially oriented by means of two drives, characterized in that the surgical instrument comprises:

the steering gear as set forth in claim 1 , being designed to transfer the adjustment angle of the two motorized drives to the spatial alignment of the wobble plate.

9 . The surgical instrument as set forth in claim 8 , characterized in that for the purpose of coupling with a third gear wheel that meshes with the two bevel gear rims of the two double wheels, the wobble plate, via a bearing ring, is mounted so as to be rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the shaft in a steering ring that is coupled for conjoint rotation with the third gear wheel, the wobble plate being coupled to a main shaft running coaxially with a longitudinal axis of the shaft so as to move in three degrees of freedom.

10 . The surgical instrument as set forth in claim 9 , characterized in that the wobble plate is pivotably mounted on a universal joint plate by way of two bearing pins arranged offset from one another by 180°, wherein the universal joint plate is pivotably mounted on the main shaft by way of two bearing pins arranged offset from one another by 180°, and wherein the bearing pins of the wobble plate and the universal joint plate are arranged offset from one another by 90°, or

pivotably mounted by two longitudinally extending guide grooves diametrically present in the main shaft and two diametrically and radially inwardly pointing pins arranged on the wobble plate, wherein each pin engages in one of the guide grooves such that a rotary angle of the main shaft is transferable to the wobble plate.

11 . The surgical instrument as set forth in claim 8 , wherein a plurality of steering wires are connected to the wobble plate of the steering gear run in the longitudinal direction of the shaft.

12 . The surgical instrument as set forth in claim 11 , characterized in that a fourth gear wheel is coupled to the wobble plate via a bearing ring with a steering ring, wherein the fourth gear wheel freely rotatable vis-A-vis a third gear wheel.

13 . The surgical instrument as set forth in claim 11 , further including a manipulation element that is axially displaceably mounted in the shaft and is operatively connected to the manipulation unit on the proximal side, wherein the distal deflection mechanism consists of pivot members that are arranged at the distal end of the shaft and connected to the steering gear by way of steering wires running in the longitudinal direction of the shaft.

14 . The surgical instrument as set forth in claim 11 , wherein a radial distance of the steering wires from the longitudinal axis of the shaft at the wobble plate is greater than the radial distance of the steering wires from the longitudinal axis of the shaft at the proximal end of the shaft, wherein—the steering wires extend directly to the wobble plate from the proximal end of the shaft, with the steering wires running at an angle with respect to the wobble plate that deviates from 90°, or

a fan plate is arranged on the main shaft and on a distal side of the wobble plate, the distal side opposite of the first and second drive wheels, said fan plate fixing the radial distance of the steering wires from the longitudinal axis of the shaft so as to place the steering wires in parallel to one another and the shaft between the fan plate and the wobble plate and, in relation to a plate surface of the wobble plate, form an angle of 90°.

15 . The steering gear as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the first drive rim, the second drive rim, the first pinion and the second pinion are designed as sprockets for a first drive chain and a second drive chain, wherein the first drive chain provides the operative connection between the first drive rim and the first pinion; and the second drive chain provides the operative connection between the second drive rim and the second pinion.