Surgical instrument including an adapter assembly and an articulating surgical loading unit
An adapter assembly includes an articulation nut, an articulation link, and a drive belt operably coupled to a distal portion of the articulation link. The articulation link has a proximal end portion operably coupled to the articulation nut, such that rotation of the articulation nut results in translation of the articulation link. The drive belt has a distal end portion configured to be operably coupled to a proximal end portion of a surgical loading unit, such that movement of the drive belt articulates the surgical loading unit relative to the adapter assembly.
1. An adapter assembly, comprising:
an articulation nut;
an articulation link having a proximal end portion operably coupled to the articulation nut, such that rotation of the articulation nut results in translation of the articulation link;
a drive belt operably coupled to a distal end portion of the articulation link, wherein the drive belt has a distal end portion configured to be operably coupled to a proximal end portion of a surgical loading unit, such that movement of the drive belt articulates the surgical loading unit relative to the adapter assembly;
an outer housing having the articulation nut rotationally supported therein;
an outer tube extending distally from the outer housing, the outer tube having the articulation link axially supported therein; and
a rotation gear disposed about the articulation nut and within the outer housing, wherein the rotation gear is non-rotationally fixed to the outer tube, such that the outer tube is configured to rotate about a longitudinal axis thereof in response to a rotation of the rotation gear.
2. The adapter assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising a pulley operably coupled to a proximal end portion of the drive belt, the drive belt being wrapped about the pulley.
3. The adapter assembly according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a proximal housing having the pulley rotationally supported therein;
a distal housing having a distal end portion configured to be pivotably coupled to the proximal end portion of the surgical loading unit; and
a tension screw disposed between the proximal and distal housings and configured to adjust a distance from which the proximal housing is spaced from the distal housing and, in turn, adjust a tension in the belt drive.
4. The adapter assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the distal end portion of the articulation link is operably coupled to a linear section of the drive belt.
5. The adapter assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the distal end portion of the articulation link has teeth, and the drive belt has teeth on an inner surface thereof interfacing with the teeth of the articulation link.
6. The adapter assembly according to claim 5 , wherein the articulation link includes a fin extending from the distal end portion thereof, the teeth of the articulation link being disposed on an outwardly-facing surface of the fin.
7. The adapter assembly according to claim 6 , wherein the fin of the articulation link is enclosed by the drive belt.
8. The adapter assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the proximal end portion of the articulation link is received in the articulation nut.
9. The adapter assembly according to claim 8 , wherein the proximal end portion of the articulation link has a threaded outer surface interfacing with a threaded inner surface of the articulation nut.
10. The adapter assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising an articulation input shaft, wherein the articulation nut has teeth on an outer surface thereof interfacing with teeth on the articulation input shaft.
11. A surgical instrument, comprising:
an adapter assembly including:
an articulation nut;
an articulation link having a proximal end portion operably coupled to the articulation nut, such that rotation of the articulation nut results in translation of the articulation link;
a drive belt operably coupled to a distal end portion of the articulation link;
a second pulley operably coupled to a proximal end portion of the drive belt; and
a proximal housing having the second pulley rotationally supported therein; and
a surgical loading unit having a first pulley non-rotationally fixed in a proximal end portion thereof, wherein the drive belt has a distal end portion operably coupled to the first pulley, such that movement of the drive belt rotates the first pulley to articulate the surgical loading unit relative to the adapter assembly, the drive belt being wrapped about the first and second pulleys, the adapter assembly further including:
a distal housing having the first pulley rotationally supported therein; and
a tension screw disposed between the proximal and distal housings and configured to adjust a distance from which the proximal housing is spaced from the distal housing and, in turn, adjust a tension in the belt drive.
12. The surgical instrument according to claim 11 , wherein the distal end portion of the articulation link has teeth, and the drive belt has teeth on an inner surface thereof interfacing with the teeth of the articulation link.
13. The surgical instrument according to claim 12 , wherein the articulation link includes a fin extending from the distal end portion thereof, the teeth of the articulation link being disposed on an outwardly-facing surface of the fin.
14. The surgical instrument according to claim 11 , wherein the proximal end portion of the articulation link is received in the articulation nut and has a threaded outer surface interfacing with a threaded inner surface of the articulation nut.
15. The surgical instrument according to claim 11 , wherein the surgical loading unit includes:
an anvil;
a staple cartridge assembly pivotably coupled to the anvil;
a lead screw disposed within the staple cartridge assembly; and
a knife operably coupled to the lead screw, the knife being configured to move through the staple cartridge assembly to pivot the staple cartridge assembly toward the anvil in response to a rotation of the lead screw.
16. The surgical instrument according to claim 15 , wherein the adapter assembly further includes a rotatable drive shaft having a distal end portion coupled to a proximal end portion of the lead screw via a universal joint.
17. An adapter assembly, comprising:
an articulation nut;
an articulation link having a proximal end portion operably coupled to the articulation nut, such that rotation of the articulation nut results in translation of the articulation link; and
a drive belt operably coupled to a distal end portion of the articulation link, wherein the drive belt has a distal end portion configured to be operably coupled to a proximal end portion of a surgical loading unit, such that movement of the drive belt articulates the surgical loading unit relative to the adapter assembly, wherein the distal end portion of the articulation link has teeth, and the drive belt has teeth on an inner surface thereof interfacing with the teeth of the articulation link, and wherein the articulation link includes a fin extending from the distal end portion thereof, the teeth of the articulation link being disposed on an outwardly-facing surface of the fin.
18. The adapter assembly according to claim 17 , wherein the fin of the articulation link is enclosed by the drive belt.
19. The adapter assembly according to claim 17 , wherein the proximal end portion of the articulation link is received in the articulation nut.
20. The adapter assembly according to claim 19 , wherein the proximal end portion of the articulation link has a threaded outer surface interfacing with a threaded inner surface of the articulation nut.