Patent ID: 11944336
Assignee: CILAG GMBH INTERNATIONAL
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A  B | IPC A

Claim 12:
13. A surgical instrument comprising:
a shaft assembly defining a shaft axis;
a surgical end effector operably coupled to said shaft assembly by an articulation joint, wherein said articulation joint defines a first articulation axis about which said surgical end effector is articulatable relative to said shaft assembly, wherein said first articulation axis is transverse to said shaft axis, wherein said articulation joint further defines a second articulation axis about which said surgical end effector is articulatable relative to said shaft assembly, wherein said second articulation axis is transverse to said shaft axis and said first articulation axis, and wherein said articulation joint comprises:
a shaft guide comprising a shaft guide proximal end adjacent said shaft assembly, a shaft guide distal end adjacent said surgical end effector, and a shaft guide body spanning said articulation joint and said first articulation axis and said second articulation axis, wherein said shaft guide body defines a shaft guide axis, aft axis and the first articulation axis, wherein said shaft guide proximal end comprises a proximal oval shape aligned on a proximal long axis, wherein said shaft guide distal end comprises a distal oval shape aligned on a distal long axis that is transverse to said proximal long axis, and wherein said shaft guide further comprises:
a first passage extending through said shaft guide body from said shaft guide proximal end to said shaft guide distal end and configured to operably support a portion of a first drive shaft, wherein said first passage opens through said shaft guide proximal end on a first side of a first reference plane extending through the shaft guide axis, wherein said first passage opens through said shaft guide distal end on a first side of a second reference plane that extends through the shaft guide axis and is transverse to the first reference plane, and wherein a first central portion of said first passage passes through at least one of the first reference plane and the second reference plane; and
a second passage extending through said shaft guide body from said shaft guide proximal end to said shaft guide distal end and configured to operably support a portion of a second drive shaft therethrough, wherein said second passage opens through said shaft guide proximal end on a second side of the first reference plane, wherein said second passage opens through said shaft guide distal end on a second side of the second reference plane, and wherein a second central portion of said second passage passes through at least one of the first reference plane and the second reference plane.