Patent ID: 11896439
Assignee: COVIDIEN LP
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 12:
13. A surgical instrument comprising:
a handle assembly including a controller and a power source;
a longitudinal shaft including a proximal end portion coupled to the handle assembly and a distal end portion; and
a surgical end effector having:
a housing;
a drive assembly movable within the housing; and
a strain gauge circuit disposed within the housing and electrically coupled to the controller and the power source, the strain gauge circuit configured to measure a strain imparted on the housing by the drive assembly and to transmit a measurement signal to the controller, the strain gauge circuit includes a flexible circuit, the flexible circuit having:
a first flexible dielectric substrate;
a resistive sensor layer disposed over the first flexible dielectric substrate;
a conductive layer disposed over the resistive sensor layer; and
a second flexible dielectric substrate disposed over the resistive sensor layer and the conductive layer.