Power control arrangements for surgical instruments and batteries

1. A surgical system comprising:

a surgical device comprising a battery dock; and

a battery unit comprising at least one battery cell and a battery drain;

wherein, in a first state, the battery drain is not electrically coupled to the at least one battery cell, wherein, in a second state, the battery drain is electrically coupled to the at least one battery cell to discharge the at least one battery cell, and wherein the battery drain transitions from the first state to the second state upon attachment of the battery unit to the battery dock.

2. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the battery unit further comprises at least one switch, wherein the at least one switch has a first switch position in which the battery drain is not electrically coupled to the at least one battery cell and a second switch position in which the at least one switch electrically couples the battery drain to the at least one battery cell to discharge the at least one battery cell.

3. The surgical system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one switch is transitioned from the first switch position to the second switch position upon attachment of the battery unit to the battery dock, and wherein the at least one switch is configured to remain in the second switch position after detachment of the battery unit from the battery dock.

4. The surgical system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one battery cell comprises a first battery cell and a second battery cell, and wherein the at least one switch comprises a first switch and a second switch.

5. The surgical system of claim 4 , wherein when the at least one switch is in the first switch position, the first switch and the second switch are open, and wherein when the at least one switch is in the second switch position, the first switch is closed to electrically couple a first portion of the battery drain to the first battery cell to discharge the first battery cell and the second switch is closed to electrically couple a second portion of the battery drain to the second battery cell to discharge the second battery cell.

6. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the battery drain is at a first position within the battery unit when in the first state and at a second position within the battery unit when in the second state.

7. The surgical system of claim 6 , wherein the battery unit defines a first electrode and a second electrode, wherein the battery drain comprises a first contact and a second contact, and wherein, when the battery drain is in the second position within the battery unit the first and second contacts are in electrical communication with the first and second electrodes to electrically couple the battery drain to the at least one battery cell to discharge the at least one battery cell.

8. The surgical system of claim 7 , wherein, when the battery drain is in the first position within the battery unit, the first and second contacts are in contact with a non-conductive portion of the battery unit.

9. The surgical system of claim 7 , wherein the battery dock defines a protruding member extending along a protrusion axis and positioned such that, upon attachment of the battery unit to the battery dock, the protruding member contacts the battery drain and transitions the battery drain from the first position to the second position.

10. The surgical system of claim 9 , wherein the first and second electrodes are positioned on a surface of the battery unit that is substantially parallel to the protrusion axis.

11. The surgical system of claim 10 , wherein the first and second contacts extend substantially parallel to the protrusion axis.

12. The surgical system of claim 9 , wherein the first and second electrodes are positioned on a surface of the battery unit that is substantially perpendicular to the protrusion axis.

13. The surgical system of claim 12 , wherein the first and second contacts extend substantially parallel to the protrusion axis.

14. The surgical system of claim 6 , wherein the battery dock defines a protruding member positioned to be received into the battery unit when the battery unit is attached to the battery dock, wherein the protruding member transitions the battery drain from the first position to the second position.

15. The surgical system of claim 6 , wherein the at least one battery cell comprises a first battery cell and a second battery cell, wherein the battery unit defines a first electrode, a second electrode, a third electrode and a fourth electrode, wherein the battery drain comprises a first contact, a second contact, a third contact and a fourth contact and wherein, when the battery drain is in the second position within the battery unit:

the first and second contacts are in electrical communication with the first and second electrodes to electrically couple the battery drain to the first battery cell to discharge the first battery cell; and

the third and fourth contacts are in electrical communication with the third and fourth electrodes to electrically coupled the battery drain to the second battery cell to discharge the second battery cell.

16. A surgical system comprising:

a surgical device comprising a battery dock; and

a battery unit comprising at least one battery cell, a first electrode, a second electrode and a battery drain comprising a first and second contact wherein, in a first position, the battery drain is not in electrical communication with the at least one battery cell, wherein, when the battery drain is in a second position within the battery unit the first and second contacts are in electrical communication with the first and second electrodes to electrically couple the battery drain to the at least one battery cell to discharge the at least one battery cell and wherein the battery drain transitions from the first position to the second position upon attachment of the battery unit to the battery dock.

17. The surgical system of claim 16 , wherein, when the battery drain is in the first position within the battery unit, the first and second contacts are in contact with a non-conductive portion of the battery unit.

18. A surgical system comprising:

a surgical device;

a battery unit; and

a battery dock;

wherein the battery unit comprises at least one battery cell and a battery drain, wherein the surgical system defines a first state where the battery drain is not electrically coupled to the at least one battery cell and a second state where the battery drain is electrically coupled to the at least one battery cell to discharge the at least one battery cell, and wherein the battery drain transitions from the first state to the second state upon attachment of the battery unit to the battery dock.

19. The surgical system of claim 18 , wherein the surgical system comprises at least one switch, wherein the at least one switch has a first switch position in which the battery drain is not electrically coupled to the at least one battery cell and a second switch position in which the at least one switch electrically couples the battery drain to the at least one battery cell to discharge the at least one battery cell.