Patent Publication Number: US-2023134883-A1

Title: Alternate means to establish resistive load force

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The present disclosure relates to surgical instruments and surgical robots, including robotic tool attachments for use with a surgical robot. 
    
    
     
       FIGURES 
       The various aspects described herein, both as to organization and methods of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings as follows. 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of a surgical instrument that has a shaft assembly and an end effector in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  2    is an exploded assembly view of a portion of the surgical instrument of  FIG.  1    according to one aspect of this disclosure. 
         FIG.  3    is an exploded view of an end effector of the surgical instrument of  FIG.  1    according to one aspect of this disclosure. 
         FIG.  4    illustrates a logic diagram of a control system of a surgical instrument or tool, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  5    illustrates a control circuit configured to control aspects of the surgical instrument or tool, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  6    illustrates a combinational logic circuit configured to control aspects of the surgical instrument or tool, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  7    illustrates a sequential logic circuit configured to control aspects of the surgical instrument or tool, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  8    illustrates a surgical instrument or tool comprising a plurality of motors which can be activated to perform various functions, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  9    is a schematic diagram of a robotic surgical instrument configured to operate a surgical tool described herein, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  10    illustrates a block diagram of a surgical instrument programmed to control the distal translation of a displacement member, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  11    is a schematic diagram of a surgical instrument configured to control various functions, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  12    is a logic flow diagram of a process depicting a control program or a logic configuration for determining a resistive load force based on battery voltage, velocity, and Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) according to one aspect of this disclosure. 
         FIG.  13    is a graphical illustration of a resistive load force versus velocity curve at various motor input voltages characterizing various firings of a surgical instrument according to one aspect of this disclosure. 
         FIG.  14    is a logic flow diagram of a process depicting a control program or a logic configuration for determining a resistive load force based on based on a baseline battery voltage, an activated battery voltage, and actuator velocity according to one aspect of this disclosure. 
         FIG.  15    is a graphical illustration of a battery power output, battery voltage decrease, actuator velocity, and resistive load force versus time cure characterizing the firing of a surgical instrument according to one aspect of this disclosure. 
     
    
    
     Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate various disclosed aspects, in one form, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope thereof in any manner. 
     DESCRIPTION 
     Applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. patent applications filed concurrently herewith, the disclosure of each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety:
         U.S. patent application entitled ELECTRICAL LEAD ARRANGEMENTS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS; Attorney Docket No. END9362USNP1/210195-1;   U.S. patent application entitled SURGICAL DEVICE WITH INTERNAL COMMUNICATION THAT COMBINES MULTIPLE SIGNALS PER WIRE; Attorney Docket No. END9362USNP2/210195-2;   U.S. patent application Serial entitled STAPLE CARTRIDGE IDENTIFICATION SYSTEMS; Attorney Docket No. END9362USNP3/210195-3;   U.S. patent application Serial entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT CARTRIDGE WITH UNIQUE RESISTOR FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENT IDENTIFICATION; Attorney Docket No. END9362USNP4/210195-4; and   U.S. patent application entitled METHOD AND DEVICE FOR TRANSMITTING UART COMMUNICATIONS OVER A SECURITY SHORT RANGE WIRELESS COMMUNICATION; Attorney Docket No. END9362USNP5/210195-5.       

     Applicant of the present application also owns U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/084,258, filed Oct. 29, 2020, and titled METHOD FOR OPERATING A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     Applicant of the present application also owns the following U.S. patent applications that were filed on Apr. 11, 2020 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties:
         U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/846,303, entitled METHODS FOR STAPLING TISSUE USING A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/846,304, entitled ARTICULATION ACTUATORS FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/846,305, entitled ARTICULATION DIRECTIONAL LIGHTS ON A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/846,307, entitled SHAFT ROTATION ACTUATOR ON A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/846,308, entitled ARTICULATION CONTROL MAPPING FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/846,309, entitled INTELLIGENT FIRING ASSOCIATED WITH A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/846,310, entitled INTELLIGENT FIRING ASSOCIATED WITH A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/846,311, entitled ROTATABLE JAW TIP FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/846,312, entitled TISSUE STOP FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT; and   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/846,313, entitled ARTICULATION PIN FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT.       

     The entire disclosure of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/840,715, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING AN ADAPTIVE CONTROL SYSTEM, filed Apr. 30, 2019, is hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
     Applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. patent applications that were filed on Feb. 21, 2019 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties:
         U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/281,658, entitled METHODS FOR CONTROLLING A POWERED SURGICAL STAPLER THAT HAS SEPARATE ROTARY CLOSURE AND FIRING SYSTEMS;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/281,670, entitled STAPLE CARTRIDGE COMPRISING A LOCKOUT KEY CONFIGURED TO LIFT A FIRING MEMBER;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/281,675, entitled SURGICAL STAPLERS WITH ARRANGEMENTS FOR MAINTAINING A FIRING MEMBER THEREOF IN A LOCKED CONFIGURATION UNLESS A COMPATIBLE CARTRIDGE HAS BEEN INSTALLED THEREIN;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/281,685, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING CO-OPERATING LOCKOUT FEATURES;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/281,693, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A LOCKOUT AND AN EXTERIOR ACCESS ORIFICE TO PERMIT ARTIFICIAL UNLOCKING OF THE LOCKOUT;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/281,704, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING DEVICES WITH FEATURES FOR BLOCKING ADVANCEMENT OF A CAMMING ASSEMBLY OF AN INCOMPATIBLE CARTRIDGE INSTALLED THEREIN;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/281,707, entitled STAPLING INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A DEACTIVATABLE LOCKOUT;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/281,741, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A JAW CLOSURE LOCKOUT;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/281,762, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING DEVICES WITH CARTRIDGE COMPATIBLE CLOSURE AND FIRING LOCKOUT ARRANGEMENTS;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/281,666, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING DEVICES WITH IMPROVED ROTARY DRIVEN CLOSURE SYSTEMS;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/281,672, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING DEVICES WITH ASYMMETRIC CLOSURE FEATURES;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/281,678, entitled ROTARY DRIVEN FIRING MEMBERS WITH DIFFERENT ANVIL AND CHANNEL ENGAGEMENT FEATURES; and   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/281,682, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING DEVICE WITH SEPARATE ROTARY DRIVEN CLOSURE AND FIRING SYSTEMS AND FIRING MEMBER THAT ENGAGES BOTH JAWS WHILE FIRING.       

     Applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. Provisional Patent Applications that were filed on Feb. 19, 2019 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties:
         U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/807,310, entitled METHODS FOR CONTROLLING A POWERED SURGICAL STAPLER THAT HAS SEPARATE ROTARY CLOSURE AND FIRING SYSTEMS;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/807,319, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING DEVICES WITH IMPROVED LOCKOUT SYSTEMS; and   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/807,309, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING DEVICES WITH IMPROVED ROTARY DRIVEN CLOSURE SYSTEMS.       

     Applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. Provisional Patent Applications, filed on Mar. 28, 2018, each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety:
         U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,302, entitled INTERACTIVE SURGICAL SYSTEMS WITH ENCRYPTED COMMUNICATION CAPABILITIES;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,294, entitled DATA STRIPPING METHOD TO INTERROGATE PATIENT RECORDS AND CREATE ANONYMIZED RECORD;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,300, entitled SURGICAL HUB SITUATIONAL AWARENESS;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,309, entitled SURGICAL HUB SPATIAL AWARENESS TO DETERMINE DEVICES IN OPERATING THEATER;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,310, entitled COMPUTER IMPLEMENTED INTERACTIVE SURGICAL SYSTEMS;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,291, entitled USE OF LASER LIGHT AND RED-GREEN-BLUE COLORATION TO DETERMINE PROPERTIES OF BACK SCATTERED LIGHT;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,296, entitled ADAPTIVE CONTROL PROGRAM UPDATES FOR SURGICAL DEVICES;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,333, entitled CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS FOR CUSTOMIZATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO A USER;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,327, entitled CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS FOR SECURITY AND AUTHENTICATION TRENDS AND REACTIVE MEASURES;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,315, entitled DATA HANDLING AND PRIORITIZATION IN A CLOUD ANALYTICS NETWORK;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,313, entitled CLOUD INTERFACE FOR COUPLED SURGICAL DEVICES;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,320, entitled DRIVE ARRANGEMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,307, entitled AUTOMATIC TOOL ADJUSTMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS; and   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,323, entitled SENSING ARRANGEMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS.       

     Applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. Provisional Patent Application, filed on Mar. 30, 2018, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety:
         U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/650,887, entitled SURGICAL SYSTEMS WITH OPTIMIZED SENSING CAPABILITIES.       

     Applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. patent application, filed on Dec. 4, 2018, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety:
         U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/209,423, entitled METHOD OF COMPRESSING TISSUE WITHIN A STAPLING DEVICE AND SIMULTANEOUSLY DISPLAYING THE LOCATION OF THE TISSUE WITHIN THE JAWS.       

     Applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. patent applications that were filed on Aug. 20, 2018 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties:
         U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/105,101, entitled METHOD FOR FABRICATING SURGICAL STAPLER ANVILS;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/105,183, entitled REINFORCED DEFORMABLE ANVIL TIP FOR SURGICAL STAPLER ANVIL;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/105,150, entitled SURGICAL STAPLER ANVILS WITH STAPLE DIRECTING PROTRUSIONS AND TISSUE STABILITY FEATURES;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/105,098, entitled FABRICATING TECHNIQUES FOR SURGICAL STAPLER ANVILS;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/105,140, entitled SURGICAL STAPLER ANVILS WITH TISSUE STOP FEATURES CONFIGURED TO AVOID TISSUE PINCH;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/105,081, entitled METHOD FOR OPERATING A POWERED ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/105,094, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH PROGRESSIVE JAW CLOSURE ARRANGEMENTS;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/105,097, entitled POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH CLUTCHING ARRANGEMENTS TO CONVERT LINEAR DRIVE MOTIONS TO ROTARY DRIVE MOTIONS;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/105,104, entitled POWERED ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH CLUTCHING AND LOCKING ARRANGEMENTS FOR LINKING AN ARTICULATION DRIVE SYSTEM TO A FIRING DRIVE SYSTEM;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/105,119, entitled ARTICULATABLE MOTOR POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH DEDICATED ARTICULATION MOTOR ARRANGEMENTS;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/105,160, entitled SWITCHING ARRANGEMENTS FOR MOTOR POWERED ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS; and   U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/660,252, entitled SURGICAL STAPLER ANVILS.       

     Applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. patent applications and U.S. patents that are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties:
         U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/386,185, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS AND REPLACEABLE TOOL ASSEMBLIES THEREOF, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168642;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/386,230, entitled ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168649;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/386,221, entitled LOCKOUT ARRANGEMENTS FOR SURGICAL END EFFECTORS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168646;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/386,209, entitled SURGICAL END EFFECTORS AND FIRING MEMBERS THEREOF, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168645;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/386,198, entitled LOCKOUT ARRANGEMENTS FOR SURGICAL END EFFECTORS AND REPLACEABLE TOOL ASSEMBLIES, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168644;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/386,240, entitled SURGICAL END EFFECTORS AND ADAPTABLE FIRING MEMBERS THEREFOR, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168651;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,939, entitled STAPLE CARTRIDGES AND ARRANGEMENTS OF STAPLES AND STAPLE CAVITIES THEREIN, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168629;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,941, entitled SURGICAL TOOL ASSEMBLIES WITH CLUTCHING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SHIFTING BETWEEN CLOSURE SYSTEMS WITH CLOSURE STROKE REDUCTION FEATURES AND ARTICULATION AND FIRING SYSTEMS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168630;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,943, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS AND STAPLE-FORMING ANVILS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168631;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,950, entitled SURGICAL TOOL ASSEMBLIES WITH CLOSURE STROKE REDUCTION FEATURES, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168635;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,945, entitled STAPLE CARTRIDGES AND ARRANGEMENTS OF STAPLES AND STAPLE CAVITIES THEREIN, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168632;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,946, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS AND STAPLE-FORMING ANVILS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168633;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,951, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH JAW OPENING FEATURES FOR INCREASING A JAW OPENING DISTANCE, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168636;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,953, entitled METHODS OF STAPLING TISSUE, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168637;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,954, entitled FIRING MEMBERS WITH NON-PARALLEL JAW ENGAGEMENT FEATURES FOR SURGICAL END EFFECTORS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168638;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,955, entitled SURGICAL END EFFECTORS WITH EXPANDABLE TISSUE STOP ARRANGEMENTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168639;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,948, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS AND STAPLE-FORMING ANVILS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168584;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,956, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH POSITIVE JAW OPENING FEATURES, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168640;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,958, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH LOCKOUT ARRANGEMENTS FOR PREVENTING FIRING SYSTEM ACTUATION UNLESS AN UNSPENT STAPLE CARTRIDGE IS PRESENT, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168641;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,947, entitled STAPLE CARTRIDGES AND ARRANGEMENTS OF STAPLES AND STAPLE CAVITIES THEREIN, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168634;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,896, entitled METHOD FOR RESETTING A FUSE OF A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SHAFT, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168597;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,898, entitled STAPLE-FORMING POCKET ARRANGEMENT TO ACCOMMODATE DIFFERENT TYPES OF STAPLES, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168599;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,899, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING IMPROVED JAW CONTROL, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168600;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,901, entitled STAPLE CARTRIDGE AND STAPLE CARTRIDGE CHANNEL COMPRISING WINDOWS DEFINED THEREIN, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168602;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,902, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A CUTTING MEMBER, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168603;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,904, entitled STAPLE FIRING MEMBER COMPRISING A MISSING CARTRIDGE AND/OR SPENT CARTRIDGE LOCKOUT, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168605;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,905, entitled FIRING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A LOCKOUT, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168606;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,907, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SYSTEM COMPRISING AN END EFFECTOR LOCKOUT AND A FIRING ASSEMBLY LOCKOUT, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168608;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,908, entitled FIRING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A FUSE, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168609;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,909, entitled FIRING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A MULTIPLE FAILED-STATE FUSE, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168610;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,920, entitled STAPLE-FORMING POCKET ARRANGEMENTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168620;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,913, entitled ANVIL ARRANGEMENTS FOR SURGICAL STAPLERS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168614;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,914, entitled METHOD OF DEFORMING STAPLES FROM TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF STAPLE CARTRIDGES WITH THE SAME SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168615;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,893, entitled BILATERALLY ASYMMETRIC STAPLE-FORMING POCKET PAIRS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168594;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,929, entitled CLOSURE MEMBERS WITH CAM SURFACE ARRANGEMENTS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH SEPARATE AND DISTINCT CLOSURE AND FIRING SYSTEMS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168626;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,911, entitled SURGICAL STAPLERS WITH INDEPENDENTLY ACTUATABLE CLOSING AND FIRING SYSTEMS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168612;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,927, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS WITH SMART STAPLE CARTRIDGES, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168625;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,917, entitled STAPLE CARTRIDGE COMPRISING STAPLES WITH DIFFERENT CLAMPING BREADTHS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168617;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,900, entitled STAPLE-FORMING POCKET ARRANGEMENTS COMPRISING PRIMARY SIDEWALLS AND POCKET SIDEWALLS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168601;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,931, entitled NO-CARTRIDGE AND SPENT CARTRIDGE LOCKOUT ARRANGEMENTS FOR SURGICAL STAPLERS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168627;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,915, entitled FIRING MEMBER PIN ANGLE, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168616;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,897, entitled STAPLE-FORMING POCKET ARRANGEMENTS COMPRISING ZONED FORMING SURFACE GROOVES, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168598;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,922, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH MULTIPLE FAILURE RESPONSE MODES, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168622;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,924, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH PRIMARY AND SAFETY PROCESSORS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168624;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,910, entitled ANVIL HAVING A KNIFE SLOT WIDTH, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168611;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,903, entitled CLOSURE MEMBER ARRANGEMENTS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168604;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,906, entitled FIRING MEMBER PIN CONFIGURATIONS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168607;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/386,188, entitled STEPPED STAPLE CARTRIDGE WITH ASYMMETRICAL STAPLES, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168585;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/386,192, entitled STEPPED STAPLE CARTRIDGE WITH TISSUE RETENTION AND GAP SETTING FEATURES, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168643;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/386,206, entitled STAPLE CARTRIDGE WITH DEFORMABLE DRIVER RETENTION FEATURES, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168586;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/386,226, entitled DURABILITY FEATURES FOR END EFFECTORS AND FIRING ASSEMBLIES OF SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168648;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/386,222, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS HAVING END EFFECTORS WITH POSITIVE OPENING FEATURES, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168647;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/386,236, entitled CONNECTION PORTIONS FOR DEPOSABLE LOADING UNITS FOR SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168650;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,887, entitled METHOD FOR ATTACHING A SHAFT ASSEMBLY TO A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT AND, ALTERNATIVELY, TO A SURGICAL ROBOT, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168589;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,889, entitled SHAFT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A MANUALLY-OPERABLE RETRACTION SYSTEM FOR USE WITH A MOTORIZED SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SYSTEM, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168590;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,890, entitled SHAFT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING SEPARATELY ACTUATABLE AND RETRACTABLE SYSTEMS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168591;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,891, entitled SHAFT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A CLUTCH CONFIGURED TO ADAPT THE OUTPUT OF A ROTARY FIRING MEMBER TO TWO DIFFERENT SYSTEMS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168592;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,892, entitled SURGICAL SYSTEM COMPRISING A FIRING MEMBER ROTATABLE INTO AN ARTICULATION STATE TO ARTICULATE AN END EFFECTOR OF THE SURGICAL SYSTEM, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168593;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,894, entitled SHAFT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A LOCKOUT, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168595;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,895, entitled SHAFT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND ARTICULATION LOCKOUTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168596;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,916, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEMS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168575;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,918, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEMS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168618;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,919, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEMS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168619;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,921, entitled SURGICAL STAPLE CARTRIDGE WITH MOVABLE CAMMING MEMBER CONFIGURED TO DISENGAGE FIRING MEMBER LOCKOUT FEATURES, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168621;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,923, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEMS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168623;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,925, entitled JAW ACTUATED LOCK ARRANGEMENTS FOR PREVENTING ADVANCEMENT OF A FIRING MEMBER IN A SURGICAL END EFFECTOR UNLESS AN UNFIRED CARTRIDGE IS INSTALLED IN THE END EFFECTOR, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168576;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,926, entitled AXIALLY MOVABLE CLOSURE SYSTEM ARRANGEMENTS FOR APPLYING CLOSURE MOTIONS TO JAWS OF SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168577;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,928, entitled PROTECTIVE COVER ARRANGEMENTS FOR A JOINT INTERFACE BETWEEN A MOVABLE JAW AND ACTUATOR SHAFT OF A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168578;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,930, entitled SURGICAL END EFFECTOR WITH TWO SEPARATE COOPERATING OPENING FEATURES FOR OPENING AND CLOSING END EFFECTOR JAWS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168579;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,932, entitled ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL END EFFECTOR WITH ASYMMETRIC SHAFT ARRANGEMENT, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168628;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,933, entitled ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH INDEPENDENT PIVOTABLE LINKAGE DISTAL OF AN ARTICULATION LOCK, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168580;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,934, entitled ARTICULATION LOCK ARRANGEMENTS FOR LOCKING AN END EFFECTOR IN AN ARTICULATED POSITION IN RESPONSE TO ACTUATION OF A JAW CLOSURE SYSTEM, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168581;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,935, entitled LATERALLY ACTUATABLE ARTICULATION LOCK ARRANGEMENTS FOR LOCKING AN END EFFECTOR OF A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT IN AN ARTICULATED CONFIGURATION, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168582;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/385,936, entitled ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH ARTICULATION STROKE AMPLIFICATION FEATURES, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0168583;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/318,996, entitled FASTENER CARTRIDGES INCLUDING EXTENSIONS HAVING DIFFERENT CONFIGURATIONS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0297228;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/319,006, entitled FASTENER CARTRIDGE COMPRISING FASTENER CAVITIES INCLUDING FASTENER CONTROL FEATURES, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,010,324;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/318,991, entitled SURGICAL FASTENER CARTRIDGES WITH DRIVER STABILIZING ARRANGEMENTS, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,833,241;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/319,004, entitled SURGICAL END EFFECTORS WITH FIRING ELEMENT MONITORING ARRANGEMENTS, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,844,369;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/319,008, entitled FASTENER CARTRIDGE COMPRISING NON-UNIFORM FASTENERS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0297232;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/318,997, entitled FASTENER CARTRIDGE COMPRISING DEPLOYABLE TISSUE ENGAGING MEMBERS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0297229;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/319,002, entitled FASTENER CARTRIDGE COMPRISING TISSUE CONTROL FEATURES, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,877,721;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/319,013, entitled FASTENER CARTRIDGE ASSEMBLIES AND STAPLE RETAINER COVER ARRANGEMENTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0297233; and   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/319,016, entitled FASTENER CARTRIDGE INCLUDING A LAYER ATTACHED THERETO, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0297235.       

     Applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. patent applications that were filed on Jun. 24, 2016 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties:
         U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/191,775, entitled STAPLE CARTRIDGE COMPRISING WIRE STAPLES AND STAMPED STAPLES, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0367695;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/191,807, entitled STAPLING SYSTEM FOR USE WITH WIRE STAPLES AND STAMPED STAPLES, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0367696;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/191,834, entitled STAMPED STAPLES AND STAPLE CARTRIDGES USING THE SAME, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0367699;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/191,788, entitled STAPLE CARTRIDGE COMPRISING OVERDRIVEN STAPLES, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0367698; and   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/191,818, entitled STAPLE CARTRIDGE COMPRISING OFFSET LONGITUDINAL STAPLE ROWS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0367697.       

     Applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. patent applications that were filed on Jun. 24, 2016 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties:
         U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/569,218, entitled SURGICAL FASTENER, now U.S. Design Pat. No. D826,405;   U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/569,227, entitled SURGICAL FASTENER, now U.S. Design Pat. No. D822,206;   U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/569,259, entitled SURGICAL FASTENER CARTRIDGE; and   U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/569,264, entitled SURGICAL FASTENER CARTRIDGE.       

     Applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications that were filed on Apr. 1, 2016 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety:
         U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/089,325, entitled METHOD FOR OPERATING A SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0281171;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/089,321, entitled MODULAR SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A DISPLAY, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,271,851;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/089,326, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A DISPLAY INCLUDING A RE-ORIENTABLE DISPLAY FIELD, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0281172;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/089,263, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT HANDLE ASSEMBLY WITH RECONFIGURABLE GRIP PORTION, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0281165;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/089,262, entitled ROTARY POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH MANUALLY ACTUATABLE BAILOUT SYSTEM, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0281161;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/089,277, entitled SURGICAL CUTTING AND STAPLING END EFFECTOR WITH ANVIL CONCENTRIC DRIVE MEMBER, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0281166;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/089,296, entitled INTERCHANGEABLE SURGICAL TOOL ASSEMBLY WITH A SURGICAL END EFFECTOR THAT IS SELECTIVELY ROTATABLE ABOUT A SHAFT AXIS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0281168;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/089,258, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A SHIFTABLE TRANSMISSION, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0281178;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/089,278, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM CONFIGURED TO PROVIDE SELECTIVE CUTTING OF TISSUE, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0281162;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/089,284, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A CONTOURABLE SHAFT, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0281186;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/089,295, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A TISSUE COMPRESSION LOCKOUT, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0281187;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/089,300, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING AN UNCLAMPING LOCKOUT, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0281179;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/089,196, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A JAW CLOSURE LOCKOUT, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0281183;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/089,203, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A JAW ATTACHMENT LOCKOUT, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0281184;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/089,210, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A SPENT CARTRIDGE LOCKOUT, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0281185;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/089,324, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A SHIFTING MECHANISM, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0281170;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/089,335, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT COMPRISING MULTIPLE LOCKOUTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0281155;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/089,339, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0281173;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/089,253, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM CONFIGURED TO APPLY ANNULAR ROWS OF STAPLES HAVING DIFFERENT HEIGHTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0281177;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/089,304, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A GROOVED FORMING POCKET, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0281188;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/089,331, entitled ANVIL MODIFICATION MEMBERS FOR SURGICAL STAPLERS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0281180;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/089,336, entitled STAPLE CARTRIDGES WITH ATRAUMATIC FEATURES, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0281164;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/089,312, entitled CIRCULAR STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING AN INCISABLE TISSUE SUPPORT, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0281189;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/089,309, entitled CIRCULAR STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING ROTARY FIRING SYSTEM, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0281169; and   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/089,349, entitled CIRCULAR STAPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING LOAD CONTROL, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0281174.       

     Applicant of the present application also owns the U.S. patent applications identified below which were filed on Dec. 30, 2015 which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety:
         U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/984,488, entitled MECHANISMS FOR COMPENSATING FOR BATTERY PACK FAILURE IN POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0189018;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/984,525, entitled MECHANISMS FOR COMPENSATING FOR DRIVETRAIN FAILURE IN POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0189019; and   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/984,552, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH SEPARABLE MOTORS AND MOTOR CONTROL CIRCUITS, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,265,068.       

     Applicant of the present application also owns the U.S. patent applications identified below which were filed on Feb. 9, 2016, which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety:
         U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/019,220, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH ARTICULATING AND AXIALLY TRANSLATABLE END EFFECTOR, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,245,029;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/019,228, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH MULTIPLE LINK ARTICULATION ARRANGEMENTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0224342;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/019,196, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT ARTICULATION MECHANISM WITH SLOTTED SECONDARY CONSTRAINT, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0224330;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/019,206, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH AN END EFFECTOR THAT IS HIGHLY ARTICULATABLE RELATIVE TO AN ELONGATE SHAFT ASSEMBLY, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0224331;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/019,215, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH NON-SYMMETRICAL ARTICULATION ARRANGEMENTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0224332;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/019,227, entitled ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH SINGLE ARTICULATION LINK ARRANGEMENTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0224334;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/019,235, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH TENSIONING ARRANGEMENTS FOR CABLE DRIVEN ARTICULATION SYSTEMS, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,245,030;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/019,230, entitled ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH OFF-AXIS FIRING BEAM ARRANGEMENTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0224335; and   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/019,245, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH CLOSURE STROKE REDUCTION ARRANGEMENTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0224343.       

     Applicant of the present application also owns the U.S. patent applications identified below which were filed on Feb. 12, 2016, which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety:
         U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/043,254, entitled MECHANISMS FOR COMPENSATING FOR DRIVETRAIN FAILURE IN POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,258,331;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/043,259, entitled MECHANISMS FOR COMPENSATING FOR DRIVETRAIN FAILURE IN POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0231626;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/043,275, entitled MECHANISMS FOR COMPENSATING FOR DRIVETRAIN FAILURE IN POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0231627; and   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/043,289, entitled MECHANISMS FOR COMPENSATING FOR DRIVETRAIN FAILURE IN POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0231628.       

     Applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications that were filed on Jun. 18, 2015 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety:
         U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/742,925, entitled SURGICAL END EFFECTORS WITH POSITIVE JAW OPENING ARRANGEMENTS, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,182,818;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/742,941, entitled SURGICAL END EFFECTORS WITH DUAL CAM ACTUATED JAW CLOSING FEATURES, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,052,102;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/742,933, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS WITH LOCKOUT ARRANGEMENTS FOR PREVENTING FIRING SYSTEM ACTUATION WHEN A CARTRIDGE IS SPENT OR MISSING, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,154,841;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/742,914, entitled MOVABLE FIRING BEAM SUPPORT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0367255;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/742,900, entitled ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH COMPOSITE FIRING BEAM STRUCTURES WITH CENTER FIRING SUPPORT MEMBER FOR ARTICULATION SUPPORT, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0367254;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/742,885, entitled DUAL ARTICULATION DRIVE SYSTEM ARRANGEMENTS FOR ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0367246; and   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/742,876, entitled PUSH/PULL ARTICULATION DRIVE SYSTEMS FOR ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,178,992.       

     Applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications that were filed on Mar. 6, 2015 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety:
         U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/640,746, entitled POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENT, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,808,246;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/640,795, entitled MULTIPLE LEVEL THRESHOLDS TO MODIFY OPERATION OF POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/02561185;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/640,832, entitled ADAPTIVE TISSUE COMPRESSION TECHNIQUES TO ADJUST CLOSURE RATES FOR MULTIPLE TISSUE TYPES, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0256154;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/640,935, entitled OVERLAID MULTI SENSOR RADIO FREQUENCY (RF) ELECTRODE SYSTEM TO MEASURE TISSUE COMPRESSION, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0256071;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/640,831, entitled MONITORING SPEED CONTROL AND PRECISION INCREMENTING OF MOTOR FOR POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,895,148;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/640,859, entitled TIME DEPENDENT EVALUATION OF SENSOR DATA TO DETERMINE STABILITY, CREEP, AND VISCOELASTIC ELEMENTS OF MEASURES, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,052,044;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/640,817, entitled INTERACTIVE FEEDBACK SYSTEM FOR POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,924,961;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/640,844, entitled CONTROL TECHNIQUES AND SUB-PROCESSOR CONTAINED WITHIN MODULAR SHAFT WITH SELECT CONTROL PROCESSING FROM HANDLE, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,045,776;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/640,837, entitled SMART SENSORS WITH LOCAL SIGNAL PROCESSING, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,993,248;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/640,765, entitled SYSTEM FOR DETECTING THE MIS-INSERTION OF A STAPLE CARTRIDGE INTO A SURGICAL STAPLER, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0256160;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/640,799, entitled SIGNAL AND POWER COMMUNICATION SYSTEM POSITIONED ON A ROTATABLE SHAFT, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,901,342; and   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/640,780, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A LOCKABLE BATTERY HOUSING, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,245,033.       

     Applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications that were filed on Feb. 27, 2015, and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety:
         U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/633,576, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SYSTEM COMPRISING AN INSPECTION STATION, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,045,779;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/633,546, entitled SURGICAL APPARATUS CONFIGURED TO ASSESS WHETHER A PERFORMANCE PARAMETER OF THE SURGICAL APPARATUS IS WITHIN AN ACCEPTABLE PERFORMANCE BAND, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,180,463;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/633,560, entitled SURGICAL CHARGING SYSTEM THAT CHARGES AND/OR CONDITIONS ONE OR MORE BATTERIES, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0249910;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/633,566, entitled CHARGING SYSTEM THAT ENABLES EMERGENCY RESOLUTIONS FOR CHARGING A BATTERY, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,182,816;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/633,555, entitled SYSTEM FOR MONITORING WHETHER A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT NEEDS TO BE SERVICED, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0249916;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/633,542, entitled REINFORCED BATTERY FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,931,118;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/633,548, entitled POWER ADAPTER FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,245,028;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/633,526, entitled ADAPTABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT HANDLE, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,993,258;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/633,541, entitled MODULAR STAPLING ASSEMBLY, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,226,250; and   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/633,562, entitled SURGICAL APPARATUS CONFIGURED TO TRACK AN END-OF-LIFE PARAMETER, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,159,483.       

     Applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications that were filed on Dec. 18, 2014 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety:
         U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/574,478, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SYSTEMS COMPRISING AN ARTICULATABLE END EFFECTOR AND MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE FIRING STROKE OF A FIRING MEMBER, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,844,374;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/574,483, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING LOCKABLE SYSTEMS, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,188,385;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/575,139, entitled DRIVE ARRANGEMENTS FOR ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,844,375;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/575,148, entitled LOCKING ARRANGEMENTS FOR DETACHABLE SHAFT ASSEMBLIES WITH ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL END EFFECTORS, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,085,748;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/575,130, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH AN ANVIL THAT IS SELECTIVELY MOVABLE ABOUT A DISCRETE NON-MOVABLE AXIS RELATIVE TO A STAPLE CARTRIDGE, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,245,027;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/575,143, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH IMPROVED CLOSURE ARRANGEMENTS, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,004,501;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/575,117, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH ARTICULATABLE END EFFECTORS AND MOVABLE FIRING BEAM SUPPORT ARRANGEMENTS, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,943,309;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/575,154, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH ARTICULATABLE END EFFECTORS AND IMPROVED FIRING BEAM SUPPORT ARRANGEMENTS, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,968,355;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/574,493, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A FLEXIBLE ARTICULATION SYSTEM, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,987,000; and   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/574,500, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A LOCKABLE ARTICULATION SYSTEM, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,117,649.       

     Applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications that were filed on Mar. 1, 2013 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety:
         U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/782,295, entitled ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH CONDUCTIVE PATHWAYS FOR SIGNAL COMMUNICATION, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,700,309;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/782,323, entitled ROTARY POWERED ARTICULATION JOINTS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,782,169;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/782,338, entitled THUMBWHEEL SWITCH ARRANGEMENTS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0249557;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/782,499, entitled ELECTROMECHANICAL SURGICAL DEVICE WITH SIGNAL RELAY ARRANGEMENT, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,358,003;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/782,460, entitled MULTIPLE PROCESSOR MOTOR CONTROL FOR MODULAR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,554,794;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/782,358, entitled JOYSTICK SWITCH ASSEMBLIES FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,326,767;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/782,481, entitled SENSOR STRAIGHTENED END EFFECTOR DURING REMOVAL THROUGH TROCAR, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,468,438;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/782,518, entitled CONTROL METHODS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH REMOVABLE IMPLEMENT PORTIONS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0246475;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/782,375, entitled ROTARY POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH MULTIPLE DEGREES OF FREEDOM, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,398,911; and   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/782,536, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SOFT STOP, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,307,986.       

     Applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications that were filed on Mar. 14, 2013 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety:
         U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/803,097, entitled ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A FIRING DRIVE, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,687,230;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/803,193, entitled CONTROL ARRANGEMENTS FOR A DRIVE MEMBER OF A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,332,987;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/803,053, entitled INTERCHANGEABLE SHAFT ASSEMBLIES FOR USE WITH A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,883,860;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/803,086, entitled ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING AN ARTICULATION LOCK, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0263541;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/803,210, entitled SENSOR ARRANGEMENTS FOR ABSOLUTE POSITIONING SYSTEM FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,808,244;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/803,148, entitled MULTI-FUNCTION MOTOR FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0263554;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/803,066, entitled DRIVE SYSTEM LOCKOUT ARRANGEMENTS FOR MODULAR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,629,623;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/803,117, entitled ARTICULATION CONTROL SYSTEM FOR ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,351,726;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/803,130, entitled DRIVE TRAIN CONTROL ARRANGEMENTS FOR MODULAR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,351,727; and   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/803,159, entitled METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR OPERATING A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,888,919.       

     Applicant of the present application also owns the following patent application that was filed on Mar. 7, 2014 and is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety:
         U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/200,111, entitled CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,629,629.       

     Applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications that were filed on Mar. 26, 2014 and are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety:
         U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/226,106, entitled POWER MANAGEMENT CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0272582;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/226,099, entitled STERILIZATION VERIFICATION CIRCUIT, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,826,977;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/226,094, entitled VERIFICATION OF NUMBER OF BATTERY EXCHANGES/PROCEDURE COUNT, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0272580;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/226,117, entitled POWER MANAGEMENT THROUGH SLEEP OPTIONS OF SEGMENTED CIRCUIT AND WAKE UP CONTROL, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,013,049;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/226,075, entitled MODULAR POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH DETACHABLE SHAFT ASSEMBLIES, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,743,929;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/226,093, entitled FEEDBACK ALGORITHMS FOR MANUAL BAILOUT SYSTEMS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,028,761;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/226,116, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT UTILIZING SENSOR ADAPTATION, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0272571;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/226,071, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT CONTROL CIRCUIT HAVING A SAFETY PROCESSOR, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,690,362;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/226,097, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING INTERACTIVE SYSTEMS, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,820,738;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/226,126, entitled INTERFACE SYSTEMS FOR USE WITH SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,004,497;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/226,133, entitled MODULAR SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SYSTEM, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0272557;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/226,081, entitled SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING A SEGMENTED CIRCUIT, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,804,618;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/226,076, entitled POWER MANAGEMENT THROUGH SEGMENTED CIRCUIT AND VARIABLE VOLTAGE PROTECTION, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,733,663;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/226,111, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT SYSTEM, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,750,499; and   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/226,125, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A ROTATABLE SHAFT, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,201,364.       

     Applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications that were filed on Sep. 5, 2014 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety:
         U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/479,103, entitled CIRCUITRY AND SENSORS FOR POWERED MEDICAL DEVICE, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,111,679;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/479,119, entitled ADJUNCT WITH INTEGRATED SENSORS TO QUANTIFY TISSUE COMPRESSION, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,724,094;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/478,908, entitled MONITORING DEVICE DEGRADATION BASED ON COMPONENT EVALUATION, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,737,301;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/478,895, entitled MULTIPLE SENSORS WITH ONE SENSOR AFFECTING A SECOND SENSOR&#39;S OUTPUT OR INTERPRETATION, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,757,128;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/479,110, entitled POLARITY OF HALL MAGNET TO IDENTIFY CARTRIDGE TYPE, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,016,199;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/479,098, entitled SMART CARTRIDGE WAKE UP OPERATION AND DATA RETENTION, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,135,242;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/479,115, entitled MULTIPLE MOTOR CONTROL FOR POWERED MEDICAL DEVICE, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,788,836; and   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/479,108, entitled LOCAL DISPLAY OF TISSUE PARAMETER STABILIZATION, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0066913.       

     Applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications that were filed on Apr. 9, 2014 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety:
         U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/248,590, entitled MOTOR DRIVEN SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH LOCKABLE DUAL DRIVE SHAFTS, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,826,976;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/248,581, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A CLOSING DRIVE AND A FIRING DRIVE OPERATED FROM THE SAME ROTATABLE OUTPUT, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,649,110;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/248,595, entitled SURGICAL SYSTEM COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND DRIVE SYSTEMS, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,844,368;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/248,588, entitled POWERED LINEAR SURGICAL STAPLER, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0309666;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/248,591, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A GAP SETTING SYSTEM, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,149,680;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/248,584, entitled MODULAR MOTOR DRIVEN SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH ALIGNMENT FEATURES FOR ALIGNING ROTARY DRIVE SHAFTS WITH SURGICAL END EFFECTOR SHAFTS, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,801,626;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/248,587, entitled POWERED SURGICAL STAPLER, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,867,612;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/248,586, entitled DRIVE SYSTEM DECOUPLING ARRANGEMENT FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,136,887; and   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/248,607, entitled MODULAR MOTOR DRIVEN SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH STATUS INDICATION ARRANGEMENTS, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,814,460.       

     Applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications that were filed on Apr. 16, 2013 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety:
         U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/812,365, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS PERFORMED BY A SINGLE MOTOR;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/812,376, entitled LINEAR CUTTER WITH POWER;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/812,382, entitled LINEAR CUTTER WITH MOTOR AND PISTOL GRIP;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/812,385, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT HANDLE WITH MULTIPLE ACTUATION MOTORS AND MOTOR CONTROL; and   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/812,372, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS PERFORMED BY A SINGLE MOTOR.       

     Applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. Provisional Patent Applications, filed on Dec. 28, 2017, the disclosure of each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety:
         U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/611,341, entitled INTERACTIVE SURGICAL PLATFORM;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/611,340, entitled CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS; and   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/611,339, entitled ROBOT ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORM.       

     Applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. Provisional Patent Applications, filed on Mar. 28, 2018, each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety:
         U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,302, entitled INTERACTIVE SURGICAL SYSTEMS WITH ENCRYPTED COMMUNICATION CAPABILITIES;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,294, entitled DATA STRIPPING METHOD TO INTERROGATE PATIENT RECORDS AND CREATE ANONYMIZED RECORD;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,300, entitled SURGICAL HUB SITUATIONAL AWARENESS;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,309, entitled SURGICAL HUB SPATIAL AWARENESS TO DETERMINE DEVICES IN OPERATING THEATER;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,310, entitled COMPUTER IMPLEMENTED INTERACTIVE SURGICAL SYSTEMS;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,291, entitled USE OF LASER LIGHT AND RED-GREEN-BLUE COLORATION TO DETERMINE PROPERTIES OF BACK SCATTERED LIGHT;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,296, entitled ADAPTIVE CONTROL PROGRAM UPDATES FOR SURGICAL DEVICES;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,333, entitled CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS FOR CUSTOMIZATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO A USER;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,327, entitled CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS FOR SECURITY AND AUTHENTICATION TRENDS AND REACTIVE MEASURES;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,315, entitled DATA HANDLING AND PRIORITIZATION IN A CLOUD ANALYTICS NETWORK;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,313, entitled CLOUD INTERFACE FOR COUPLED SURGICAL DEVICES;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,320, entitled DRIVE ARRANGEMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS;   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,307, entitled AUTOMATIC TOOL ADJUSTMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS; and   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/649,323, entitled SENSING ARRANGEMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS.       

     Applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. patent applications, filed on Mar. 29, 2018, each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety:
         U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,641, entitled INTERACTIVE SURGICAL SYSTEMS WITH ENCRYPTED COMMUNICATION CAPABILITIES;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,648, entitled INTERACTIVE SURGICAL SYSTEMS WITH CONDITION HANDLING OF DEVICES AND DATA CAPABILITIES;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,656, entitled SURGICAL HUB COORDINATION OF CONTROL AND COMMUNICATION OF OPERATING ROOM DEVICES;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,666, entitled SPATIAL AWARENESS OF SURGICAL HUBS IN OPERATING ROOMS;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,670, entitled COOPERATIVE UTILIZATION OF DATA DERIVED FROM SECONDARY SOURCES BY INTELLIGENT SURGICAL HUBS;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,677, entitled SURGICAL HUB CONTROL ARRANGEMENTS;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,632, entitled DATA STRIPPING METHOD TO INTERROGATE PATIENT RECORDS AND CREATE ANONYMIZED RECORD;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,640, entitled COMMUNICATION HUB AND STORAGE DEVICE FOR STORING PARAMETERS AND STATUS OF A SURGICAL DEVICE TO BE SHARED WITH CLOUD BASED ANALYTICS SYSTEMS;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,645, entitled SELF DESCRIBING DATA PACKETS GENERATED AT AN ISSUING INSTRUMENT;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,649, entitled DATA PAIRING TO INTERCONNECT A DEVICE MEASURED PARAMETER WITH AN OUTCOME;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,654, entitled SURGICAL HUB SITUATIONAL AWARENESS;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,663, entitled SURGICAL SYSTEM DISTRIBUTED PROCESSING;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,668, entitled AGGREGATION AND REPORTING OF SURGICAL HUB DATA;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,671, entitled SURGICAL HUB SPATIAL AWARENESS TO DETERMINE DEVICES IN OPERATING THEATER;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,686, entitled DISPLAY OF ALIGNMENT OF STAPLE CARTRIDGE TO PRIOR LINEAR STAPLE LINE;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,700, entitled STERILE FIELD INTERACTIVE CONTROL DISPLAYS;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,629, entitled COMPUTER IMPLEMENTED INTERACTIVE SURGICAL SYSTEMS;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,704, entitled USE OF LASER LIGHT AND RED-GREEN-BLUE COLORATION TO DETERMINE PROPERTIES OF BACK SCATTERED LIGHT;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,722, entitled CHARACTERIZATION OF TISSUE IRREGULARITIES THROUGH THE USE OF MONO-CHROMATIC LIGHT REFRACTIVITY; and   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,742, entitled DUAL CMOS ARRAY IMAGING.       

     Applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. patent applications, filed on Mar. 29, 2018, each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety:
         U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,636, entitled ADAPTIVE CONTROL PROGRAM UPDATES FOR SURGICAL DEVICES;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,653, entitled ADAPTIVE CONTROL PROGRAM UPDATES FOR SURGICAL HUBS;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,660, entitled CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS FOR CUSTOMIZATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO A USER;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,679, entitled CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS FOR LINKING OF LOCAL USAGE TRENDS WITH THE RESOURCE ACQUISITION BEHAVIORS OF LARGER DATA SET;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,694, entitled CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS FOR MEDICAL FACILITY SEGMENTED INDIVIDUALIZATION OF INSTRUMENT FUNCTION;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,634, entitled CLOUD-BASED MEDICAL ANALYTICS FOR SECURITY AND AUTHENTICATION TRENDS AND REACTIVE MEASURES;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,706, entitled DATA HANDLING AND PRIORITIZATION IN A CLOUD ANALYTICS NETWORK; and   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,675, entitled CLOUD INTERFACE FOR COUPLED SURGICAL DEVICES.       

     Applicant of the present application owns the following U.S. patent applications, filed on Mar. 29, 2018, each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety:
         U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,627, entitled DRIVE ARRANGEMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,637, entitled COMMUNICATION ARRANGEMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,642, entitled CONTROLS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,676, entitled AUTOMATIC TOOL ADJUSTMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,680, entitled CONTROLLERS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,683, entitled COOPERATIVE SURGICAL ACTIONS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,690, entitled DISPLAY ARRANGEMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS; and   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,711, entitled SENSING ARRANGEMENTS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLATFORMS.       

     The present disclosure relates to surgical instruments and, in various arrangements, to surgical stapling and cutting instruments that are designed to staple and cut tissue. As surgical instruments are used to staple and cut tissue, aspects of the instruments&#39; operation may be monitored, analyzed, or adjusted based on various operating parameters, such as, for example, a resistive load force encountered when firing the instrument. Accordingly, it may be useful to measure, calculate, or otherwise determine various operating parameters of a surgical instrument. Moreover, it may be useful to store data related to these operating parameters in a storage medium associated with the surgical instrument. 
     Before explaining various aspects of surgical systems, instruments, and staple cartridges in detail, it should be noted that the illustrative examples are not limited in application or use to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings and description. The illustrative examples may be implemented or incorporated in other aspects, variations and modifications, and may be practiced or carried out in various ways. Further, unless otherwise indicated, the terms and expressions employed herein have been chosen for the purpose of describing the illustrative examples for the convenience of the reader and are not for the purpose of limitation thereof. Also, it will be appreciated that one or more of the following-described aspects, expressions of aspects, and/or examples, can be combined with any one or more of the other following-described aspects, expressions of aspects and/or examples. 
       FIGS.  1 - 3    depict a motor-driven surgical instrument  10  for cutting and fastening that may or may not be reused. In the illustrated examples, the surgical instrument  10  includes a housing  12  that comprises a handle assembly  14  that is configured to be grasped, manipulated, and actuated by the clinician. The housing  12  is configured for operable attachment to an interchangeable shaft assembly  200  that has an end effector  300  operably coupled thereto that is configured to perform one or more surgical tasks or procedures. In accordance with the present disclosure, various forms of interchangeable shaft assemblies may be effectively employed in connection with robotically controlled surgical systems. The term “housing” may encompass a housing or similar portion of a robotic system that houses or otherwise operably supports at least one drive system configured to generate and apply at least one control motion that could be used to actuate interchangeable shaft assemblies. The term “frame” may refer to a portion of a handheld surgical instrument. The term “frame” also may represent a portion of a robotically controlled surgical instrument and/or a portion of the robotic system that may be used to operably control a surgical instrument. Interchangeable shaft assemblies may be employed with various robotic systems, instruments, components, and methods disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,072,535, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS WITH ROTATABLE STAPLE DEPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
       FIG.  1    is a perspective view of a surgical instrument  10  that has an interchangeable shaft assembly  200  operably coupled thereto according to one aspect of this disclosure. The housing  12  includes an end effector  300  that comprises a surgical cutting and fastening device configured to operably support a surgical staple cartridge  304  therein. The housing  12  may be configured for use in connection with interchangeable shaft assemblies that include end effectors that are adapted to support different sizes and types of staple cartridges, have different shaft lengths, sizes, and types. The housing  12  may be employed with a variety of interchangeable shaft assemblies, including assemblies configured to apply other motions and forms of energy such as, radio frequency (RF) energy, ultrasonic energy, and/or motion to end effector arrangements adapted for use in connection with various surgical applications and procedures. The end effectors, shaft assemblies, handles, surgical instruments, and/or surgical instrument systems can utilize any suitable fastener, or fasteners, to fasten tissue. For instance, a fastener cartridge comprising a plurality of fasteners removably stored therein can be removably inserted into and/or attached to the end effector of a shaft assembly. 
     The handle assembly  14  may comprise a pair of interconnectable handle housing segments  16 ,  18  interconnected by screws, snap features, adhesive, etc. The handle housing segments  16 ,  18  cooperate to form a pistol grip portion  19  that can be gripped and manipulated by the clinician. The handle assembly  14  operably supports a plurality of drive systems configured to generate and apply control motions to corresponding portions of the interchangeable shaft assembly that is operably attached thereto. 
       FIG.  2    is an exploded assembly view of a portion of the surgical instrument  10  of  FIG.  1    according to one aspect of this disclosure. The handle assembly  14  may include a frame  20  that operably supports a plurality of drive systems. The frame  20  can operably support a “first” or closure drive system  30 , which can apply closing and opening motions to the interchangeable shaft assembly  200 . The closure drive system  30  may include an actuator such as a closure trigger  32  pivotally supported by the frame  20 . The closure trigger  32  is pivotally coupled to the handle assembly  14  by a pivot pin  33  to enable the closure trigger  32  to be manipulated by a clinician. When the clinician grips the pistol grip portion  19  of the handle assembly  14 , the closure trigger  32  can pivot from a starting or “unactuated” position to an “actuated” position and more particularly to a fully compressed or fully actuated position. 
     The handle assembly  14  and the frame  20  may operably support a firing drive system  80  configured to apply firing motions to corresponding portions of the interchangeable shaft assembly attached thereto. The firing drive system  80  may employ an electric motor  82  located in the pistol grip portion  19  of the handle assembly  14 . The electric motor  82  may be a DC brushed motor having a maximum rotational speed of approximately 25,000 RPM, for example. In other arrangements, the motor may include a brushless motor, a cordless motor, a synchronous motor, a stepper motor, or any other suitable electric motor. The electric motor  82  may be powered by a power source  90  that may comprise a removable power pack  92 . The removable power pack  92  may comprise a proximal housing portion  94  configured to attach to a distal housing portion  96 . The proximal housing portion  94  and the distal housing portion  96  are configured to operably support a plurality of batteries  98  therein. Batteries  98  may each comprise, for example, a Lithium Ion (LI) or other suitable battery. The distal housing portion  96  is configured for removable operable attachment to a control circuit board  100 , which is operably coupled to the electric motor  82 . Several batteries  98  connected in series may power the surgical instrument  10 . The power source  90  may be replaceable and/or rechargeable. 
     The electric motor  82  can include a rotatable shaft (not shown) that operably interfaces with a gear reducer assembly  84  mounted in meshing engagement with a with a set, or rack, of drive teeth  122  on a longitudinally movable drive member  120 . The longitudinally movable drive member  120  has a rack of drive teeth  122  formed thereon for meshing engagement with a corresponding drive gear  86  of the gear reducer assembly  84 . 
     In use, a voltage polarity provided by the power source  90  can operate the electric motor  82  in a clockwise direction wherein the voltage polarity applied to the electric motor by the battery can be reversed in order to operate the electric motor  82  in a counter-clockwise direction. When the electric motor  82  is rotated in one direction, the longitudinally movable drive member  120  will be axially driven in the distal direction “DD.” When the electric motor  82  is driven in the opposite rotary direction, the longitudinally movable drive member  120  will be axially driven in a proximal direction “PD.” The handle assembly  14  can include a switch that can be configured to reverse the polarity applied to the electric motor  82  by the power source  90 . The handle assembly  14  may include a sensor configured to detect the position of the longitudinally movable drive member  120  and/or the direction in which the longitudinally movable drive member  120  is being moved. 
     Actuation of the electric motor  82  can be controlled by a firing trigger  130  that is pivotally supported on the handle assembly  14 . The firing trigger  130  may be pivoted between an unactuated position and an actuated position. 
     Turning back to  FIG.  1   , the interchangeable shaft assembly  200  includes an end effector  300  comprising an elongated channel  302  configured to operably support a surgical staple cartridge  304  therein. The end effector  300  may include an anvil  306  that is pivotally supported relative to the elongated channel  302 . The interchangeable shaft assembly  200  may include an articulation joint  270 . Construction and operation of the end effector  300  and the articulation joint  270  are set forth in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0263541, entitled ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING AN ARTICULATION LOCK, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. The interchangeable shaft assembly  200  may include a proximal housing or nozzle  201  comprised of nozzle portions  202 ,  203 . The interchangeable shaft assembly  200  may include a closure tube  260  extending along a shaft axis SA that can be utilized to close and/or open the anvil  306  of the end effector  300 . 
     Again referring to  FIG.  1   , the closure tube  260  is translated distally (direction “DD”) to close the anvil  306 , for example, in response to the actuation of the closure trigger  32  in the manner described in the aforementioned reference U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0263541. The anvil  306  is opened by proximally translating the closure tube  260 . In the anvil-open position, the closure tube  260  is moved to its proximal position. 
       FIG.  3    is an exploded view of one aspect of an end effector  300  of the surgical instrument  10  of  FIG.  1    in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The end effector  300  may include the anvil  306  and the surgical staple cartridge  304 . In this non-limiting example, the anvil  306  is coupled to an elongated channel  302 . For example, apertures  199  can be defined in the elongated channel  302  which can receive pins  152  extending from the anvil  306  and allow the anvil  306  to pivot from an open position to a closed position relative to the elongated channel  302  and surgical staple cartridge  304 . A firing bar  172  is configured to longitudinally translate into the end effector  300 . The firing bar  172  may be constructed from one solid section, or in various examples, may include a laminate material comprising, for example, a stack of steel plates. The firing bar  172  comprises an E-beam  178  and a cutting edge  182  at a distal end thereof. In various aspects, the E-beam may be referred to as an I-beam. A distally projecting end of the firing bar  172  can be attached to the E-beam  178  element in any suitable manner and can, among other things, assist in spacing the anvil  306  from a surgical staple cartridge  304  positioned in the elongated channel  302  when the anvil  306  is in a closed position. The E-beam  178  also can include a sharpened cutting edge  182  that can be used to sever tissue as the E-beam  178  is advanced distally by the firing bar  172 . In operation, the E-beam  178  also can actuate, or fire, the surgical staple cartridge  304 . The surgical staple cartridge  304  can include a molded cartridge body  194  that holds a plurality of staples  191  resting upon staple drivers  192  within respective upwardly open staple cavities  195 . A wedge sled  190  is driven distally by the E-beam  178 , sliding upon a cartridge tray  196  that holds together the various components of the surgical staple cartridge  304 . The wedge sled  190  upwardly cams the staple drivers  192  to force out the staples  191  into deforming contact with the anvil  306  while the cutting edge  182  of the E-beam  178  severs clamped tissue. 
     The E-beam  178  can include upper pins  180  that engage the anvil  306  during firing. The E-beam  178  can further include middle pins  184  and a bottom foot  186  that can engage various portions of the cartridge body  194 , cartridge tray  196 , and elongated channel  302 . When a surgical staple cartridge  304  is positioned within the elongated channel  302 , a slot  193  defined in the cartridge body  194  can be aligned with a longitudinal slot  197  defined in the cartridge tray  196  and a slot  189  defined in the elongated channel  302 . In use, the E-beam  178  can slide through the aligned longitudinal slots  193 ,  197 , and  189  wherein, as indicated in  FIG.  3   , the bottom foot  186  of the E-beam  178  can engage a groove running along the bottom surface of elongated channel  302  along the length of slot  189 , the middle pins  184  can engage the top surfaces of cartridge tray  196  along the length of longitudinal slot  197 , and the upper pins  180  can engage the anvil  306 . In such circumstances, the E-beam  178  can space, or limit the relative movement between, the anvil  306  and the surgical staple cartridge  304  as the firing bar  172  is moved distally to fire the staples from the surgical staple cartridge  304  and/or incise the tissue captured between the anvil  306  and the surgical staple cartridge  304 . Thereafter, the firing bar  172  and the E-beam  178  can be retracted proximally allowing the anvil  306  to be opened to release the two stapled and severed tissue portions. 
       FIG.  4    illustrates a logic diagram of a control system  470  of a surgical instrument or tool in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The system  470  comprises a control circuit. The control circuit includes a microcontroller  461  comprising a processor  462  and a memory  468 . One or more of sensors  472 ,  474 ,  476 , for example, provide real-time feedback to the processor  462 . A motor  482 , driven by a motor driver  492 , operably couples a longitudinally movable displacement member to drive the I-beam knife element. A tracking system  480  is configured to determine the position of the longitudinally movable displacement member. The position information is provided to the processor  462 , which can be programmed or configured to determine the position of the longitudinally movable drive member as well as the position of a firing member, firing bar, and I-beam knife element. Additional motors may be provided at the tool driver interface to control I-beam firing, closure tube travel, shaft rotation, and articulation. A display  473  displays a variety of operating conditions of the instruments and may include touch screen functionality for data input. Information displayed on the display  473  may be overlaid with images acquired via endoscopic imaging modules. 
     In one aspect, the microcontroller  461  may be any single-core or multicore processor such as those known under the trade name ARM Cortex by Texas Instruments. In one aspect, the main microcontroller  461  may be an LM4F230H5QR ARM Cortex-M4F Processor Core, available from Texas Instruments, for example, comprising an on-chip memory of 256 KB single-cycle flash memory, or other non-volatile memory, up to 40 MHz, a prefetch buffer to improve performance above 40 MHz, a 32 KB single-cycle SRAM, and internal ROM loaded with StellarisWare® software, a 2 KB EEPROM, one or more PWM modules, one or more QEI analogs, and/or one or more 12-bit ADCs with  12  analog input channels, details of which are available for the product datasheet. 
     In one aspect, the microcontroller  461  may comprise a safety controller comprising two controller-based families such as TMS570 and RM4x, known under the trade name Hercules ARM Cortex R4, also by Texas Instruments. The safety controller may be configured specifically for IEC 61508 and ISO 26262 safety critical applications, among others, to provide advanced integrated safety features while delivering scalable performance, connectivity, and memory options. 
     The microcontroller  461  may be programmed to perform various functions such as precise control over the speed and position of the knife and articulation systems. In one aspect, the microcontroller  461  includes a processor  462  and a memory  468 . The electric motor  482  may be a brushed direct current (DC) motor with a gearbox and mechanical links to an articulation or knife system. In one aspect, a motor driver  492  may be an A3941 available from Allegro Microsystems, Inc. Other motor drivers may be readily substituted for use in the tracking system  480  comprising an absolute positioning system. A detailed description of an absolute positioning system is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0296213, titled SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING A SURGICAL STAPLING AND CUTTING INSTRUMENT, which published on Oct. 19, 2017, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     The microcontroller  461  may be programmed to provide precise control over the speed and position of displacement members and articulation systems. The microcontroller  461  may be configured to compute a response in the software of the microcontroller  461 . The computed response is compared to a measured response of the actual system to obtain an “observed” response, which is used for actual feedback decisions. The observed response is a favorable, tuned value that balances the smooth, continuous nature of the simulated response with the measured response, which can detect outside influences on the system. 
     In one aspect, the motor  482  may be controlled by the motor driver  492  and can be employed by the firing system of the surgical instrument or tool. In various forms, the motor  482  may be a brushed DC driving motor having a maximum rotational speed of approximately 25,000 RPM. In other arrangements, the motor  482  may include a brushless motor, a cordless motor, a synchronous motor, a stepper motor, or any other suitable electric motor. The motor driver  492  may comprise an H-bridge driver comprising field-effect transistors (FETs), for example. The motor  482  can be powered by a power assembly releasably mounted to the handle assembly or tool housing for supplying control power to the surgical instrument or tool. The power assembly may comprise a battery which may include a number of battery cells connected in series that can be used as the power source to power the surgical instrument or tool. In certain circumstances, the battery cells of the power assembly may be replaceable and/or rechargeable. In at least one example, the battery cells can be lithium-ion batteries which can be couplable to and separable from the power assembly. 
     The motor driver  492  may be an A3941 available from Allegro Microsystems, Inc. The A3941  492  is a full-bridge controller for use with external N-channel power metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) specifically designed for inductive loads, such as brush DC motors. The driver  492  comprises a unique charge pump regulator that provides full (&gt;10 V) gate drive for battery voltages down to 7 V and allows the A3941 to operate with a reduced gate drive, down to 5.5 V. A bootstrap capacitor may be employed to provide the above battery supply voltage required for N-channel MOSFETs. An internal charge pump for the high-side drive allows DC (100% duty cycle) operation. The full bridge can be driven in fast or slow decay modes using diode or synchronous rectification. In the slow decay mode, current recirculation can be through the high-side or the lowside FETs. The power FETs are protected from shoot-through by resistor-adjustable dead time. Integrated diagnostics provide indications of undervoltage, overtemperature, and power bridge faults and can be configured to protect the power MOSFETs under most short circuit conditions. Other motor drivers may be readily substituted for use in the tracking system  480  comprising an absolute positioning system. 
     The tracking system  480  comprises a controlled motor drive circuit arrangement comprising a position sensor  472  according to one aspect of this disclosure. The position sensor  472  for an absolute positioning system provides a unique position signal corresponding to the location of a displacement member. In one aspect, the displacement member represents a longitudinally movable drive member comprising a rack of drive teeth for meshing engagement with a corresponding drive gear of a gear reducer assembly. In other aspects, the displacement member represents the firing member, which could be adapted and configured to include a rack of drive teeth. In yet another aspect, the displacement member represents a firing bar or the I-beam, each of which can be adapted and configured to include a rack of drive teeth. Accordingly, as used herein, the term displacement member is used generically to refer to any movable member of the surgical instrument or tool such as the drive member, the firing member, the firing bar, the I-beam, or any element that can be displaced. In one aspect, the longitudinally movable drive member is coupled to the firing member, the firing bar, and the I-beam. Accordingly, the absolute positioning system can, in effect, track the linear displacement of the I-beam by tracking the linear displacement of the longitudinally movable drive member. In various other aspects, the displacement member may be coupled to any position sensor  472  suitable for measuring linear displacement. Thus, the longitudinally movable drive member, the firing member, the firing bar, or the I-beam, or combinations thereof, may be coupled to any suitable linear displacement sensor. Linear displacement sensors may include contact or non-contact displacement sensors. Linear displacement sensors may comprise linear variable differential transformers (LVDT), differential variable reluctance transducers (DVRT), a slide potentiometer, a magnetic sensing system comprising a movable magnet and a series of linearly arranged Hall effect sensors, a magnetic sensing system comprising a fixed magnet and a series of movable, linearly arranged Hall effect sensors, an optical sensing system comprising a movable light source and a series of linearly arranged photo diodes or photo detectors, an optical sensing system comprising a fixed light source and a series of movable linearly, arranged photo diodes or photo detectors, or any combination thereof. 
     The electric motor  482  can include a rotatable shaft that operably interfaces with a gear assembly that is mounted in meshing engagement with a set, or rack, of drive teeth on the displacement member. A sensor element may be operably coupled to a gear assembly such that a single revolution of the position sensor  472  element corresponds to some linear longitudinal translation of the displacement member. An arrangement of gearing and sensors can be connected to the linear actuator, via a rack and pinion arrangement, or a rotary actuator, via a spur gear or other connection. A power source supplies power to the absolute positioning system and an output indicator may display the output of the absolute positioning system. The displacement member represents the longitudinally movable drive member comprising a rack of drive teeth formed thereon for meshing engagement with a corresponding drive gear of the gear reducer assembly. The displacement member represents the longitudinally movable firing member, firing bar, I-beam, or combinations thereof. 
     A single revolution of the sensor element associated with the position sensor  472  is equivalent to a longitudinal linear displacement d 1  of the of the displacement member, where d 1  is the longitudinal linear distance that the displacement member moves from point “a” to point “b” after a single revolution of the sensor element coupled to the displacement member. The sensor arrangement may be connected via a gear reduction that results in the position sensor  472  completing one or more revolutions for the full stroke of the displacement member. The position sensor  472  may complete multiple revolutions for the full stroke of the displacement member. 
     A series of switches, where n is an integer greater than one, may be employed alone or in combination with a gear reduction to provide a unique position signal for more than one revolution of the position sensor  472 . The state of the switches are fed back to the microcontroller  461  that applies logic to determine a unique position signal corresponding to the longitudinal linear displacement d 1 +d 2 + . . . dn of the displacement member. The output of the position sensor  472  is provided to the microcontroller  461 . The position sensor  472  of the sensor arrangement may comprise a magnetic sensor, an analog rotary sensor like a potentiometer, or an array of analog Hall-effect elements, which output a unique combination of position signals or values. 
     The position sensor  472  may comprise any number of magnetic sensing elements, such as, for example, magnetic sensors classified according to whether they measure the total magnetic field or the vector components of the magnetic field. The techniques used to produce both types of magnetic sensors encompass many aspects of physics and electronics. The technologies used for magnetic field sensing include search coil, fluxgate, optically pumped, nuclear precession, SQUID, Hall-effect, anisotropic magnetoresistance, giant magnetoresistance, magnetic tunnel junctions, giant magnetoimpedance, magnetostrictive/piezoelectric composites, magnetodiode, magnetotransistor, fiber-optic, magneto-optic, and microelectromechanical systems-based magnetic sensors, among others. 
     In one aspect, the position sensor  472  for the tracking system  480  comprising an absolute positioning system comprises a magnetic rotary absolute positioning system. The position sensor  472  may be implemented as an AS5055EQFT single-chip magnetic rotary position sensor available from Austria Microsystems, AG. The position sensor  472  is interfaced with the microcontroller  461  to provide an absolute positioning system. The position sensor  472  is a low-voltage and low-power component and includes four Hall-effect elements in an area of the position sensor  472  that is located above a magnet. A high-resolution ADC and a smart power management controller are also provided on the chip. A coordinate rotation digital computer (CORDIC) processor, also known as the digit-by-digit method and Volder&#39;s algorithm, is provided to implement a simple and efficient algorithm to calculate hyperbolic and trigonometric functions that require only addition, subtraction, bitshift, and table lookup operations. The angle position, alarm bits, and magnetic field information are transmitted over a standard serial communication interface, such as a serial peripheral interface (SPI) interface, to the microcontroller  461 . The position sensor  472  provides 12 or 14 bits of resolution. The position sensor  472  may be an AS5055 chip provided in a small QFN 16-pin 4×4×0.85 mm package. 
     The tracking system  480  comprising an absolute positioning system may comprise and/or be programmed to implement a feedback controller, such as a PID, state feedback, and adaptive controller. A power source converts the signal from the feedback controller into a physical input to the system: in this case the voltage. Other examples include a PWM of the voltage, current, and force. Other sensor(s) may be provided to measure physical parameters of the physical system in addition to the position measured by the position sensor  472 . In some aspects, the other sensor(s) can include sensor arrangements such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,345,481, titled STAPLE CARTRIDGE TISSUE THICKNESS SENSOR SYSTEM, which issued on May 24, 2016, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0263552, titled STAPLE CARTRIDGE TISSUE THICKNESS SENSOR SYSTEM, which published on Sep. 18, 2014, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/628,175, titled TECHNIQUES FOR ADAPTIVE CONTROL OF MOTOR VELOCITY OF A SURGICAL STAPLING AND CUTTING INSTRUMENT, filed Jun. 20, 2017, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. In a digital signal processing system, an absolute positioning system is coupled to a digital data acquisition system where the output of the absolute positioning system will have a finite resolution and sampling frequency. The absolute positioning system may comprise a compare-and-combine circuit to combine a computed response with a measured response using algorithms, such as a weighted average and a theoretical control loop, that drive the computed response towards the measured response. The computed response of the physical system takes into account properties like mass, inertial, viscous friction, inductance resistance, etc., to predict what the states and outputs of the physical system will be by knowing the input. 
     The absolute positioning system provides an absolute position of the displacement member upon power-up of the instrument, without retracting or advancing the displacement member to a reset (zero or home) position as may be required with conventional rotary encoders that merely count the number of steps forwards or backwards that the motor  482  has taken to infer the position of a device actuator, drive bar, knife, or the like. 
     A sensor  474 , such as, for example, a strain gauge or a micro-strain gauge, is configured to measure one or more parameters of the end effector, such as, for example, the amplitude of the strain exerted on the anvil during a clamping operation, which can be indicative of the closure forces applied to the anvil. The measured strain is converted to a digital signal and provided to the processor  462 . Alternatively, or in addition to the sensor  474 , a sensor  476 , such as, for example, a load sensor, can measure the closure force applied by the closure drive system to the anvil. The sensor  476 , such as, for example, a load sensor, can measure the firing force applied to an I-beam in a firing stroke of the surgical instrument or tool. The I-beam is configured to engage a wedge sled, which is configured to upwardly cam staple drivers to force out staples into deforming contact with an anvil. The I-beam also includes a sharpened cutting edge that can be used to sever tissue as the I-beam is advanced distally by the firing bar. Alternatively, a current sensor  478  can be employed to measure the current drawn by the motor  482 . The force required to advance the firing member can correspond to the current drawn by the motor  482 , for example. The measured force is converted to a digital signal and provided to the processor  462 . 
     In one form, the strain gauge sensor  474  can be used to measure the force applied to the tissue by the end effector. A strain gauge can be coupled to the end effector to measure the force on the tissue being treated by the end effector. A system for measuring forces applied to the tissue grasped by the end effector comprises a strain gauge sensor  474 , such as, for example, a micro-strain gauge, that is configured to measure one or more parameters of the end effector, for example. In one aspect, the strain gauge sensor  474  can measure the amplitude or magnitude of the strain exerted on a jaw member of an end effector during a clamping operation, which can be indicative of the tissue compression. The measured strain is converted to a digital signal and provided to a processor  462  of the microcontroller  461 . A load sensor  476  can measure the force used to operate the knife element, for example, to cut the tissue captured between the anvil and the staple cartridge. A magnetic field sensor can be employed to measure the thickness of the captured tissue. The measurement of the magnetic field sensor also may be converted to a digital signal and provided to the processor  462 . 
     The measurements of the tissue compression, the tissue thickness, and/or the force required to close the end effector on the tissue, as respectively measured by the sensors  474 ,  476 , can be used by the microcontroller  461  to characterize the selected position of the firing member and/or the corresponding value of the speed of the firing member. In one instance, a memory  468  may store a technique, an equation, and/or a lookup table which can be employed by the microcontroller  461  in the assessment. 
     The control system  470  of the surgical instrument or tool also may comprise wired or wireless communication circuits to communicate with a modular communication hub, for example, as discussed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,632, entitled DATA STRIPPING METHOD TO INTERROGATE PATIENT RECORDS AND CREATE ANONYMIZED RECORD; Attorney Docket No. END8500USNP/170767, and which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
       FIG.  5    illustrates a control circuit  500  configured to control aspects of the surgical instrument or tool according to one aspect of this disclosure. The control circuit  500  can be configured to implement various processes described herein. The control circuit  500  may comprise a microcontroller comprising one or more processors  502  (e.g., microprocessor, microcontroller) coupled to at least one memory circuit  504 . The memory circuit  504  stores machine-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor  502 , cause the processor  502  to execute machine instructions to implement various processes described herein. The processor  502  may be any one of a number of single-core or multicore processors known in the art. The memory circuit  504  may comprise volatile and non-volatile storage media. The processor  502  may include an instruction processing unit  506  and an arithmetic unit  508 . The instruction processing unit may be configured to receive instructions from the memory circuit  504  of this disclosure. 
       FIG.  6    illustrates a combinational logic circuit  510  configured to control aspects of the surgical instrument or tool according to one aspect of this disclosure. The combinational logic circuit  510  can be configured to implement various processes described herein. The combinational logic circuit  510  may comprise a finite state machine comprising a combinational logic  512  configured to receive data associated with the surgical instrument or tool at an input  514 , process the data by the combinational logic  512 , and provide an output  516 . 
       FIG.  7    illustrates a sequential logic circuit  520  configured to control aspects of the surgical instrument or tool according to one aspect of this disclosure. The sequential logic circuit  520  or the combinational logic  522  can be configured to implement various processes described herein. The sequential logic circuit  520  may comprise a finite state machine. The sequential logic circuit  520  may comprise a combinational logic  522 , at least one memory circuit  524 , and a clock  529 , for example. The at least one memory circuit  524  can store a current state of the finite state machine. In certain instances, the sequential logic circuit  520  may be synchronous or asynchronous. The combinational logic  522  is configured to receive data associated with the surgical instrument or tool from an input  526 , process the data by the combinational logic  522 , and provide an output  528 . In other aspects, the circuit may comprise a combination of a processor (e.g., processor  502 ,  FIG.  5   ) and a finite state machine to implement various processes herein. In other aspects, the finite state machine may comprise a combination of a combinational logic circuit (e.g., combinational logic circuit  510 ,  FIG.  6   ) and the sequential logic circuit  520 . 
       FIG.  8    illustrates a surgical instrument or tool comprising a plurality of motors which can be activated to perform various functions. In certain instances, a first motor can be activated to perform a first function, a second motor can be activated to perform a second function, a third motor can be activated to perform a third function, a fourth motor can be activated to perform a fourth function, and so on. In certain instances, the plurality of motors of robotic surgical instrument  600  can be individually activated to cause firing, closure, and/or articulation motions in the end effector. The firing, closure, and/or articulation motions can be transmitted to the end effector through a shaft assembly, for example. 
     In certain instances, the surgical instrument system or tool may include a firing motor  602 . The firing motor  602  may be operably coupled to a firing motor drive assembly  604  which can be configured to transmit firing motions, generated by the motor  602  to the end effector, in particular to displace the I-beam element. In certain instances, the firing motions generated by the motor  602  may cause the staples to be deployed from the staple cartridge into tissue captured by the end effector and/or the cutting edge of the I-beam element to be advanced to cut the captured tissue, for example. The I-beam element may be retracted by reversing the direction of the motor  602 . 
     In certain instances, the surgical instrument or tool may include a closure motor  603 . The closure motor  603  may be operably coupled to a closure motor drive assembly  605  which can be configured to transmit closure motions, generated by the motor  603  to the end effector, in particular to displace a closure tube to close the anvil and compress tissue between the anvil and the staple cartridge. The closure motions may cause the end effector to transition from an open configuration to an approximated configuration to capture tissue, for example. The end effector may be transitioned to an open position by reversing the direction of the motor  603 . 
     In certain instances, the surgical instrument or tool may include one or more articulation motors  606   a ,  606   b , for example. The motors  606   a ,  606   b  may be operably coupled to respective articulation motor drive assemblies  608   a ,  608   b , which can be configured to transmit articulation motions generated by the motors  606   a ,  606   b  to the end effector. In certain instances, the articulation motions may cause the end effector to articulate relative to the shaft, for example. 
     As described above, the surgical instrument or tool may include a plurality of motors which may be configured to perform various independent functions. In certain instances, the plurality of motors of the surgical instrument or tool can be individually or separately activated to perform one or more functions while the other motors remain inactive. For example, the articulation motors  606   a ,  606   b  can be activated to cause the end effector to be articulated while the firing motor  602  remains inactive. Alternatively, the firing motor  602  can be activated to fire the plurality of staples, and/or to advance the cutting edge, while the articulation motor  606  remains inactive. Furthermore the closure motor  603  may be activated simultaneously with the firing motor  602  to cause the closure tube and the I-beam element to advance distally as described in more detail hereinbelow. 
     In certain instances, the surgical instrument or tool may include a common control module  610  which can be employed with a plurality of motors of the surgical instrument or tool. In certain instances, the common control module  610  may accommodate one of the plurality of motors at a time. For example, the common control module  610  can be couplable to and separable from the plurality of motors of the robotic surgical instrument individually. In certain instances, a plurality of the motors of the surgical instrument or tool may share one or more common control modules such as the common control module  610 . In certain instances, a plurality of motors of the surgical instrument or tool can be individually and selectively engaged with the common control module  610 . In certain instances, the common control module  610  can be selectively switched from interfacing with one of a plurality of motors of the surgical instrument or tool to interfacing with another one of the plurality of motors of the surgical instrument or tool. 
     In at least one example, the common control module  610  can be selectively switched between operable engagement with the articulation motors  606   a ,  606   b  and operable engagement with either the firing motor  602  or the closure motor  603 . In at least one example, as illustrated in  FIG.  8   , a switch  614  can be moved or transitioned between a plurality of positions and/or states. In a first position  616 , the switch  614  may electrically couple the common control module  610  to the firing motor  602 ; in a second position  617 , the switch  614  may electrically couple the common control module  610  to the closure motor  603 ; in a third position  618   a , the switch  614  may electrically couple the common control module  610  to the first articulation motor  606   a ; and in a fourth position  618   b , the switch  614  may electrically couple the common control module  610  to the second articulation motor  606   b , for example. In certain instances, separate common control modules  610  can be electrically coupled to the firing motor  602 , the closure motor  603 , and the articulations motor  606   a ,  606   b  at the same time. In certain instances, the switch  614  may be a mechanical switch, an electromechanical switch, a solid-state switch, or any suitable switching mechanism. 
     Each of the motors  602 ,  603 ,  606   a ,  606   b  may comprise a torque sensor to measure the output torque on the shaft of the motor. The force on an end effector may be sensed in any conventional manner, such as by force sensors on the outer sides of the jaws or by a torque sensor for the motor actuating the jaws. 
     In various instances, as illustrated in  FIG.  8   , the common control module  610  may comprise a motor driver  626  which may comprise one or more H-Bridge FETs. The motor driver  626  may modulate the power transmitted from a power source  628  to a motor coupled to the common control module  610  based on input from a microcontroller  620  (the “controller”), for example. In certain instances, the microcontroller  620  can be employed to determine the current drawn by the motor, for example, while the motor is coupled to the common control module  610 , as described above. 
     In certain instances, the microcontroller  620  may include a microprocessor  622  (the “processor”) and one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums or memory units  624  (the “memory”). In certain instances, the memory  624  may store various program instructions, which when executed may cause the processor  622  to perform a plurality of functions and/or calculations described herein. In certain instances, one or more of the memory units  624  may be coupled to the processor  622 , for example. 
     In certain instances, the power source  628  can be employed to supply power to the microcontroller  620 , for example. In certain instances, the power source  628  may comprise a battery (or “battery pack” or “power pack”), such as a lithium-ion battery, for example. In certain instances, the battery pack may be configured to be releasably mounted to a handle for supplying power to the surgical instrument  600 . A number of battery cells connected in series may be used as the power source  628 . In certain instances, the power source  628  may be replaceable and/or rechargeable, for example. 
     In various instances, the processor  622  may control the motor driver  626  to control the position, direction of rotation, and/or velocity of a motor that is coupled to the common control module  610 . In certain instances, the processor  622  can signal the motor driver  626  to stop and/or disable a motor that is coupled to the common control module  610 . It should be understood that the term “processor” as used herein includes any suitable microprocessor, microcontroller, or other basic computing device that incorporates the functions of a computer&#39;s central processing unit (CPU) on an integrated circuit or, at most, a few integrated circuits. The processor is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and provides results as output. It is an example of sequential digital logic, as it has internal memory. Processors operate on numbers and symbols represented in the binary numeral system. 
     In one instance, the processor  622  may be any single-core or multicore processor such as those known under the trade name ARM Cortex by Texas Instruments. In certain instances, the microcontroller  620  may be an LM 4F230H5QR, available from Texas Instruments, for example. In at least one example, the Texas Instruments LM4F230H5QR is an ARM Cortex-M4F Processor Core comprising an on-chip memory of 256 KB single-cycle flash memory, or other non-volatile memory, up to 40 MHz, a prefetch buffer to improve performance above 40 MHz, a 32 KB single-cycle SRAM, an internal ROM loaded with StellarisWare® software, a 2 KB EEPROM, one or more PWM modules, one or more QEI analogs, one or more 12-bit ADCs with  12  analog input channels, among other features that are readily available for the product datasheet. Other microcontrollers may be readily substituted for use with the module  4410 . Accordingly, the present disclosure should not be limited in this context. 
     In certain instances, the memory  624  may include program instructions for controlling each of the motors of the surgical instrument  600  that are couplable to the common control module  610 . For example, the memory  624  may include program instructions for controlling the firing motor  602 , the closure motor  603 , and the articulation motors  606   a ,  606   b . Such program instructions may cause the processor  622  to control the firing, closure, and articulation functions in accordance with inputs from algorithms or control programs of the surgical instrument or tool. 
     In certain instances, one or more mechanisms and/or sensors such as, for example, sensors  630  can be employed to alert the processor  622  to the program instructions that should be used in a particular setting. For example, the sensors  630  may alert the processor  622  to use the program instructions associated with firing, closing, and articulating the end effector. In certain instances, the sensors  630  may comprise position sensors which can be employed to sense the position of the switch  614 , for example. Accordingly, the processor  622  may use the program instructions associated with firing the I-beam of the end effector upon detecting, through the sensors  630  for example, that the switch  614  is in the first position  616 ; the processor  622  may use the program instructions associated with closing the anvil upon detecting, through the sensors  630  for example, that the switch  614  is in the second position  617 ; and the processor  622  may use the program instructions associated with articulating the end effector upon detecting, through the sensors  630  for example, that the switch  614  is in the third or fourth position  618   a ,  618   b.    
       FIG.  9    is a schematic diagram of a robotic surgical instrument  700  configured to operate a surgical tool described herein according to one aspect of this disclosure. The robotic surgical instrument  700  may be programmed or configured to control distal/proximal translation of a displacement member, distal/proximal displacement of a closure tube, shaft rotation, and articulation, either with single or multiple articulation drive links. In one aspect, the surgical instrument  700  may be programmed or configured to individually control a firing member, a closure member, a shaft member, and/or one or more articulation members. The surgical instrument  700  comprises a control circuit  710  configured to control motor-driven firing members, closure members, shaft members, and/or one or more articulation members. 
     In one aspect, the robotic surgical instrument  700  comprises a control circuit  710  configured to control an anvil  716  and an I-beam  714  (including a sharp cutting edge) portion of an end effector  702 , a removable staple cartridge  718 , a shaft  740 , and one or more articulation members  742   a ,  742   b  via a plurality of motors  704   a - 704   e . A position sensor  734  may be configured to provide position feedback of the I-beam  714  to the control circuit  710 . Other sensors  738  may be configured to provide feedback to the control circuit  710 . A timer/counter  731  provides timing and counting information to the control circuit  710 . An energy source  712  may be provided to operate the motors  704   a - 704   e , and a current sensor  736  provides motor current feedback to the control circuit  710 . The motors  704   a - 704   e  can be operated individually by the control circuit  710  in an  718  open-loop or closed-loop feedback control. 
     In one aspect, the control circuit  710  may comprise one or more microcontrollers, microprocessors, or other suitable processors for executing instructions that cause the processor or processors to perform one or more tasks. In one aspect, a timer/counter  731  provides an output signal, such as the elapsed time or a digital count, to the control circuit  710  to correlate the position of the I-beam  714  as determined by the position sensor  734  with the output of the timer/counter  731  such that the control circuit  710  can determine the position of the I-beam  714  at a specific time (t) relative to a starting position or the time (t) when the I-beam  714  is at a specific position relative to a starting position. The timer/counter  731  may be configured to measure elapsed time, count external events, or time external events. 
     In one aspect, the control circuit  710  may be programmed to control functions of the end effector  702  based on one or more tissue conditions. The control circuit  710  may be programmed to sense tissue conditions, such as thickness, either directly or indirectly, as described herein. The control circuit  710  may be programmed to select a firing control program or closure control program based on tissue conditions. A firing control program may describe the distal motion of the displacement member. Different firing control programs may be selected to better treat different tissue conditions. For example, when thicker tissue is present, the control circuit  710  may be programmed to translate the displacement member at a lower velocity and/or with lower power. When thinner tissue is present, the control circuit  710  may be programmed to translate the displacement member at a higher velocity and/or with higher power. A closure control program may control the closure force applied to the tissue by the anvil  716 . Other control programs control the rotation of the shaft  740  and the articulation members  742   a ,  742   b.    
     In one aspect, the control circuit  710  may generate motor set point signals. The motor set point signals may be provided to various motor controllers  708   a - 708   e . The motor controllers  708   a - 708   e  may comprise one or more circuits configured to provide motor drive signals to the motors  704   a - 704   e  to drive the motors  704   a - 704   e  as described herein. In some examples, the motors  704   a - 704   e  may be brushed DC electric motors. For example, the velocity of the motors  704   a - 704   e  may be proportional to the respective motor drive signals. In some examples, the motors  704   a - 704   e  may be brushless DC electric motors, and the respective motor drive signals may comprise a PWM signal provided to one or more stator windings of the motors  704   a - 704   e . Also, in some examples, the motor controllers  708   a - 708   e  may be omitted and the control circuit  710  may generate the motor drive signals directly. 
     In one aspect, the control circuit  710  may initially operate each of the motors  704   a - 704   e  in an open-loop configuration for a first open-loop portion of a stroke of the displacement member. Based on the response of the robotic surgical instrument  700  during the open-loop portion of the stroke, the control circuit  710  may select a firing control program in a closed-loop configuration. The response of the instrument may include a translation distance of the displacement member during the open-loop portion, a time elapsed during the open-loop portion, the energy provided to one of the motors  704   a - 704   e  during the open-loop portion, a sum of pulse widths of a motor drive signal, etc. After the open-loop portion, the control circuit  710  may implement the selected firing control program for a second portion of the displacement member stroke. For example, during a closed-loop portion of the stroke, the control circuit  710  may modulate one of the motors  704   a - 704   e  based on translation data describing a position of the displacement member in a closed-loop manner to translate the displacement member at a constant velocity. 
     In one aspect, the motors  704   a - 704   e  may receive power from an energy source  712 . The energy source  712  may be a DC power supply driven by a main alternating current power source, a battery, a super capacitor, or any other suitable energy source. The motors  704   a - 704   e  may be mechanically coupled to individual movable mechanical elements such as the I-beam  714 , anvil  716 , shaft  740 , articulation  742   a , and articulation  742   b  via respective transmissions  706   a - 706   e . The transmissions  706   a - 706   e  may include one or more gears or other linkage components to couple the motors  704   a - 704   e  to movable mechanical elements. A position sensor  734  may sense a position of the I-beam  714 . The position sensor  734  may be or include any type of sensor that is capable of generating position data that indicate a position of the I-beam  714 . In some examples, the position sensor  734  may include an encoder configured to provide a series of pulses to the control circuit  710  as the I-beam  714  translates distally and proximally. The control circuit  710  may track the pulses to determine the position of the I-beam  714 . Other suitable position sensors may be used, including, for example, a proximity sensor. Other types of position sensors may provide other signals indicating motion of the I-beam  714 . Also, in some examples, the position sensor  734  may be omitted. Where any of the motors  704   a - 704   e  is a stepper motor, the control circuit  710  may track the position of the I-beam  714  by aggregating the number and direction of steps that the motor  704  has been instructed to execute. The position sensor  734  may be located in the end effector  702  or at any other portion of the instrument. The outputs of each of the motors  704   a - 704   e  include a torque sensor  744   a - 744   e  to sense force and have an encoder to sense rotation of the drive shaft. 
     In one aspect, the control circuit  710  is configured to drive a firing member such as the I-beam  714  portion of the end effector  702 . The control circuit  710  provides a motor set point to a motor control  708   a , which provides a drive signal to the motor  704   a . The output shaft of the motor  704   a  is coupled to a torque sensor  744   a . The torque sensor  744   a  is coupled to a transmission  706   a  which is coupled to the I-beam  714 . The transmission  706   a  comprises movable mechanical elements such as rotating elements and a firing member to control the movement of the I-beam  714  distally and proximally along a longitudinal axis of the end effector  702 . In one aspect, the motor  704   a  may be coupled to the knife gear assembly, which includes a knife gear reduction set that includes a first knife drive gear and a second knife drive gear. A torque sensor  744   a  provides a firing force feedback signal to the control circuit  710 . The firing force signal represents the force required to fire or displace the I-beam  714 . A position sensor  734  may be configured to provide the position of the I-beam  714  along the firing stroke or the position of the firing member as a feedback signal to the control circuit  710 . The end effector  702  may include additional sensors  738  configured to provide feedback signals to the control circuit  710 . When ready to use, the control circuit  710  may provide a firing signal to the motor control  708   a . In response to the firing signal, the motor  704   a  may drive the firing member distally along the longitudinal axis of the end effector  702  from a proximal stroke start position to a stroke end position distal to the stroke start position. As the firing member translates distally, an I-beam  714 , with a cutting element positioned at a distal end, advances distally to cut tissue located between the staple cartridge  718  and the anvil  716 . 
     In one aspect, the control circuit  710  is configured to drive a closure member such as the anvil  716  portion of the end effector  702 . The control circuit  710  provides a motor set point to a motor control  708   b , which provides a drive signal to the motor  704   b . The output shaft of the motor  704   b  is coupled to a torque sensor  744   b . The torque sensor  744   b  is coupled to a transmission  706   b  which is coupled to the anvil  716 . The transmission  706   b  comprises movable mechanical elements such as rotating elements and a closure member to control the movement of the anvil  716  from the open and closed positions. In one aspect, the motor  704   b  is coupled to a closure gear assembly, which includes a closure reduction gear set that is supported in meshing engagement with the closure spur gear. The torque sensor  744   b  provides a closure force feedback signal to the control circuit  710 . The closure force feedback signal represents the closure force applied to the anvil  716 . The position sensor  734  may be configured to provide the position of the closure member as a feedback signal to the control circuit  710 . Additional sensors  738  in the end effector  702  may provide the closure force feedback signal to the control circuit  710 . The pivotable anvil  716  is positioned opposite the staple cartridge  718 . When ready to use, the control circuit  710  may provide a closure signal to the motor control  708   b . In response to the closure signal, the motor  704   b  advances a closure member to grasp tissue between the anvil  716  and the staple cartridge  718 . 
     In one aspect, the control circuit  710  is configured to rotate a shaft member such as the shaft  740  to rotate the end effector  702 . The control circuit  710  provides a motor set point to a motor control  708   c , which provides a drive signal to the motor  704   c . The output shaft of the motor  704   c  is coupled to a torque sensor  744   c . The torque sensor  744   c  is coupled to a transmission  706   c  which is coupled to the shaft  740 . The transmission  706   c  comprises movable mechanical elements such as rotating elements to control the rotation of the shaft  740  clockwise or counterclockwise up to and over 360°. In one aspect, the motor  704   c  is coupled to the rotational transmission assembly, which includes a tube gear segment that is formed on (or attached to) the proximal end of the proximal closure tube for operable engagement by a rotational gear assembly that is operably supported on the tool mounting plate. The torque sensor  744   c  provides a rotation force feedback signal to the control circuit  710 . The rotation force feedback signal represents the rotation force applied to the shaft  740 . The position sensor  734  may be configured to provide the position of the closure member as a feedback signal to the control circuit  710 . Additional sensors  738  such as a shaft encoder may provide the rotational position of the shaft  740  to the control circuit  710 . 
     In one aspect, the control circuit  710  is configured to articulate the end effector  702 . The control circuit  710  provides a motor set point to a motor control  708   d , which provides a drive signal to the motor  704   d . The output shaft of the motor  704   d  is coupled to a torque sensor  744   d . The torque sensor  744   d  is coupled to a transmission  706   d  which is coupled to an articulation member  742   a . The transmission  706   d  comprises movable mechanical elements such as articulation elements to control the articulation of the end effector  702  ±65°. In one aspect, the motor  704   d  is coupled to an articulation nut, which is rotatably journaled on the proximal end portion of the distal spine portion and is rotatably driven thereon by an articulation gear assembly. The torque sensor  744   d  provides an articulation force feedback signal to the control circuit  710 . The articulation force feedback signal represents the articulation force applied to the end effector  702 . Sensors  738 , such as an articulation encoder, may provide the articulation position of the end effector  702  to the control circuit  710 . 
     In another aspect, the articulation function of the robotic surgical system  700  may comprise two articulation members, or links,  742   a ,  742   b . These articulation members  742   a ,  742   b  are driven by separate disks on the robot interface (the rack) which are driven by the two motors  708   d ,  708   e . When the separate firing motor  704   a  is provided, each of articulation links  742   a ,  742   b  can be antagonistically driven with respect to the other link in order to provide a resistive holding motion and a load to the head when it is not moving and to provide an articulation motion as the head is articulated. The articulation members  742   a ,  742   b  attach to the head at a fixed radius as the head is rotated. Accordingly, the mechanical advantage of the push-and-pull link changes as the head is rotated. This change in the mechanical advantage may be more pronounced with other articulation link drive systems. 
     In one aspect, the one or more motors  704   a - 704   e  may comprise a brushed DC motor with a gearbox and mechanical links to a firing member, closure member, or articulation member. Another example includes electric motors  704   a - 704   e  that operate the movable mechanical elements such as the displacement member, articulation links, closure tube, and shaft. An outside influence is an unmeasured, unpredictable influence of things like tissue, surrounding bodies, and friction on the physical system. Such outside influence can be referred to as drag, which acts in opposition to one of electric motors  704   a - 704   e . The outside influence, such as drag, may cause the operation of the physical system to deviate from a desired operation of the physical system. 
     In one aspect, the position sensor  734  may be implemented as an absolute positioning system. In one aspect, the position sensor  734  may comprise a magnetic rotary absolute positioning system implemented as an AS5055EQFT single-chip magnetic rotary position sensor available from Austria Microsystems, AG. The position sensor  734  may interface with the control circuit  710  to provide an absolute positioning system. The position may include multiple Hall-effect elements located above a magnet and coupled to a CORDIC processor, also known as the digit-by-digit method and Volder&#39;s algorithm, that is provided to implement a simple and efficient algorithm to calculate hyperbolic and trigonometric functions that require only addition, subtraction, bitshift, and table lookup operations. 
     In one aspect, the control circuit  710  may be in communication with one or more sensors  738 . The sensors  738  may be positioned on the end effector  702  and adapted to operate with the robotic surgical instrument  700  to measure the various derived parameters such as the gap distance versus time, tissue compression versus time, and anvil strain versus time. The sensors  738  may comprise a magnetic sensor, a magnetic field sensor, a strain gauge, a load cell, a pressure sensor, a force sensor, a torque sensor, an inductive sensor such as an eddy current sensor, a resistive sensor, a capacitive sensor, an optical sensor, and/or any other suitable sensor for measuring one or more parameters of the end effector  702 . The sensors  738  may include one or more sensors. The sensors  738  may be located on the staple cartridge  718  deck to determine tissue location using segmented electrodes. The torque sensors  744   a - 744   e  may be configured to sense force such as firing force, closure force, and/or articulation force, among others. Accordingly, the control circuit  710  can sense (1) the closure load experienced by the distal closure tube and its position, (2) the firing member at the rack and its position, (3) what portion of the staple cartridge  718  has tissue on it, and (4) the load and position on both articulation rods. 
     In one aspect, the one or more sensors  738  may comprise a strain gauge, such as a micro-strain gauge, configured to measure the magnitude of the strain in the anvil  716  during a clamped condition. The strain gauge provides an electrical signal whose amplitude varies with the magnitude of the strain. The sensors  738  may comprise a pressure sensor configured to detect a pressure generated by the presence of compressed tissue between the anvil  716  and the staple cartridge  718 . The sensors  738  may be configured to detect impedance of a tissue section located between the anvil  716  and the staple cartridge  718  that is indicative of the thickness and/or fullness of tissue located therebetween. 
     In one aspect, the sensors  738  may be implemented as one or more limit switches, electromechanical devices, solid-state switches, Hall-effect devices, magneto-resistive (MR) devices, giant magneto-resistive (GMR) devices, magnetometers, among others. In other implementations, the sensors  738  may be implemented as solid-state switches that operate under the influence of light, such as optical sensors, IR sensors, ultraviolet sensors, among others. Still, the switches may be solid-state devices such as transistors (e.g., FET, junction FET, MOSFET, bipolar, and the like). In other implementations, the sensors  738  may include electrical conductorless switches, ultrasonic switches, accelerometers, and inertial sensors, among others. 
     In one aspect, the sensors  738  may be configured to measure forces exerted on the anvil  716  by the closure drive system. For example, one or more sensors  738  can be at an interaction point between the closure tube and the anvil  716  to detect the closure forces applied by the closure tube to the anvil  716 . The forces exerted on the anvil  716  can be representative of the tissue compression experienced by the tissue section captured between the anvil  716  and the staple cartridge  718 . The one or more sensors  738  can be positioned at various interaction points along the closure drive system to detect the closure forces applied to the anvil  716  by the closure drive system. The one or more sensors  738  may be sampled in real time during a clamping operation by the processor of the control circuit  710 . The control circuit  710  receives real-time sample measurements to provide and analyze time-based information and assess, in real time, closure forces applied to the anvil  716 . 
     In one aspect, a current sensor  736  can be employed to measure the current drawn by each of the motors  704   a - 704   e . The force required to advance any of the movable mechanical elements such as the I-beam  714  corresponds to the current drawn by one of the motors  704   a - 704   e . The force is converted to a digital signal and provided to the control circuit  710 . The control circuit  710  can be configured to simulate the response of the actual system of the instrument in the software of the controller. A displacement member can be actuated to move an I-beam  714  in the end effector  702  at or near a target velocity. The robotic surgical instrument  700  can include a feedback controller, which can be one of any feedback controllers, including, but not limited to a PID, a state feedback, a linear-quadratic (LQR), and/or an adaptive controller, for example. The robotic surgical instrument  700  can include a power source to convert the signal from the feedback controller into a physical input such as case voltage, PWM voltage, frequency modulated voltage, current, torque, and/or force, for example. Additional details are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/636,829, titled CLOSED LOOP VELOCITY CONTROL TECHNIQUES FOR ROBOTIC SURGICAL INSTRUMENT, filed Jun. 29, 2017, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
       FIG.  10    illustrates a block diagram of a surgical instrument  750  programmed to control the distal translation of a displacement member according to one aspect of this disclosure. In one aspect, the surgical instrument  750  is programmed to control the distal translation of a displacement member such as the I-beam  764 . The surgical instrument  750  comprises an end effector  752  that may comprise an anvil  766 , an I-beam  764  (including a sharp cutting edge), and a removable staple cartridge  768 . 
     The position, movement, displacement, and/or translation of a linear displacement member, such as the I-beam  764 , can be measured by an absolute positioning system, sensor arrangement, and position sensor  784 . Because the I-beam  764  is coupled to a longitudinally movable drive member, the position of the I-beam  764  can be determined by measuring the position of the longitudinally movable drive member employing the position sensor  784 . Accordingly, in the following description, the position, displacement, and/or translation of the I-beam  764  can be achieved by the position sensor  784  as described herein. A control circuit  760  may be programmed to control the translation of the displacement member, such as the I-beam  764 . The control circuit  760 , in some examples, may comprise one or more microcontrollers, microprocessors, or other suitable processors for executing instructions that cause the processor or processors to control the displacement member, e.g., the I-beam  764 , in the manner described. In one aspect, a timer/counter  781  provides an output signal, such as the elapsed time or a digital count, to the control circuit  760  to correlate the position of the I-beam  764  as determined by the position sensor  784  with the output of the timer/counter  781  such that the control circuit  760  can determine the position of the I-beam  764  at a specific time (t) relative to a starting position. The timer/counter  781  may be configured to measure elapsed time, count external events, or time external events. 
     The control circuit  760  may generate a motor set point signal  772 . The motor set point signal  772  may be provided to a motor controller  758 . The motor controller  758  may comprise one or more circuits configured to provide a motor drive signal  774  to the motor  754  to drive the motor  754  as described herein. In some examples, the motor  754  may be a brushed DC electric motor. For example, the velocity of the motor  754  may be proportional to the motor drive signal  774 . In some examples, the motor  754  may be a brushless DC electric motor and the motor drive signal  774  may comprise a PWM signal provided to one or more stator windings of the motor  754 . Also, in some examples, the motor controller  758  may be omitted, and the control circuit  760  may generate the motor drive signal  774  directly. 
     The motor  754  may receive power from an energy source  762 . The energy source  762  may be or include a battery, a super capacitor, or any other suitable energy source. The motor  754  may be mechanically coupled to the I-beam  764  via a transmission  756 . The transmission  756  may include one or more gears or other linkage components to couple the motor  754  to the I-beam  764 . A position sensor  784  may sense a position of the I-beam  764 . The position sensor  784  may be or include any type of sensor that is capable of generating position data that indicate a position of the I-beam  764 . In some examples, the position sensor  784  may include an encoder configured to provide a series of pulses to the control circuit  760  as the I-beam  764  translates distally and proximally. The control circuit  760  may track the pulses to determine the position of the I-beam  764 . Other suitable position sensors may be used, including, for example, a proximity sensor. Other types of position sensors may provide other signals indicating motion of the I-beam  764 . Also, in some examples, the position sensor  784  may be omitted. Where the motor  754  is a stepper motor, the control circuit  760  may track the position of the I-beam  764  by aggregating the number and direction of steps that the motor  754  has been instructed to execute. The position sensor  784  may be located in the end effector  752  or at any other portion of the instrument. 
     The control circuit  760  may be in communication with one or more sensors  788 . The sensors  788  may be positioned on the end effector  752  and adapted to operate with the surgical instrument  750  to measure the various derived parameters such as gap distance versus time, tissue compression versus time, and anvil strain versus time. The sensors  788  may comprise a magnetic sensor, a magnetic field sensor, a strain gauge, a pressure sensor, a force sensor, an inductive sensor such as an eddy current sensor, a resistive sensor, a capacitive sensor, an optical sensor, and/or any other suitable sensor for measuring one or more parameters of the end effector  752 . The sensors  788  may include one or more sensors. 
     The one or more sensors  788  may comprise a strain gauge, such as a micro-strain gauge, configured to measure the magnitude of the strain in the anvil  766  during a clamped condition. The strain gauge provides an electrical signal whose amplitude varies with the magnitude of the strain. The sensors  788  may comprise a pressure sensor configured to detect a pressure generated by the presence of compressed tissue between the anvil  766  and the staple cartridge  768 . The sensors  788  may be configured to detect impedance of a tissue section located between the anvil  766  and the staple cartridge  768  that is indicative of the thickness and/or fullness of tissue located therebetween. 
     The sensors  788  may be is configured to measure forces exerted on the anvil  766  by a closure drive system. For example, one or more sensors  788  can be at an interaction point between a closure tube and the anvil  766  to detect the closure forces applied by a closure tube to the anvil  766 . The forces exerted on the anvil  766  can be representative of the tissue compression experienced by the tissue section captured between the anvil  766  and the staple cartridge  768 . The one or more sensors  788  can be positioned at various interaction points along the closure drive system to detect the closure forces applied to the anvil  766  by the closure drive system. The one or more sensors  788  may be sampled in real time during a clamping operation by a processor of the control circuit  760 . The control circuit  760  receives real-time sample measurements to provide and analyze time-based information and assess, in real time, closure forces applied to the anvil  766 . 
     A current sensor  786  can be employed to measure the current drawn by the motor  754 . The force required to advance the I-beam  764  corresponds to the current drawn by the motor  754 . The force is converted to a digital signal and provided to the control circuit  760 . 
     The control circuit  760  can be configured to simulate the response of the actual system of the instrument in the software of the controller. A displacement member can be actuated to move an I-beam  764  in the end effector  752  at or near a target velocity. The surgical instrument  750  can include a feedback controller, which can be one of any feedback controllers, including, but not limited to a PID, a state feedback, LQR, and/or an adaptive controller, for example. The surgical instrument  750  can include a power source to convert the signal from the feedback controller into a physical input such as case voltage, PWM voltage, frequency modulated voltage, current, torque, and/or force, for example. 
     The actual drive system of the surgical instrument  750  is configured to drive the displacement member, cutting member, or I-beam  764 , by a brushed DC motor with gearbox and mechanical links to an articulation and/or knife system. Another example is the electric motor  754  that operates the displacement member and the articulation driver, for example, of an interchangeable shaft assembly. An outside influence is an unmeasured, unpredictable influence of things like tissue, surrounding bodies and friction on the physical system. Such outside influence can be referred to as drag which acts in opposition to the electric motor  754 . The outside influence, such as drag, may cause the operation of the physical system to deviate from a desired operation of the physical system. 
     Various example aspects are directed to a surgical instrument  750  comprising an end effector  752  with motor-driven surgical stapling and cutting implements. For example, a motor  754  may drive a displacement member distally and proximally along a longitudinal axis of the end effector  752 . The end effector  752  may comprise a pivotable anvil  766  and, when configured for use, a staple cartridge  768  positioned opposite the anvil  766 . A clinician may grasp tissue between the anvil  766  and the staple cartridge  768 , as described herein. When ready to use the instrument  750 , the clinician may provide a firing signal, for example by depressing a trigger of the instrument  750 . In response to the firing signal, the motor  754  may drive the displacement member distally along the longitudinal axis of the end effector  752  from a proximal stroke begin position to a stroke end position distal of the stroke begin position. As the displacement member translates distally, an I-beam  764  with a cutting element positioned at a distal end, may cut the tissue between the staple cartridge  768  and the anvil  766 . 
     In various examples, the surgical instrument  750  may comprise a control circuit  760  programmed to control the distal translation of the displacement member, such as the I-beam  764 , for example, based on one or more tissue conditions. The control circuit  760  may be programmed to sense tissue conditions, such as thickness, either directly or indirectly, as described herein. The control circuit  760  may be programmed to select a firing control program based on tissue conditions. A firing control program may describe the distal motion of the displacement member. Different firing control programs may be selected to better treat different tissue conditions. For example, when thicker tissue is present, the control circuit  760  may be programmed to translate the displacement member at a lower velocity and/or with lower power. When thinner tissue is present, the control circuit  760  may be programmed to translate the displacement member at a higher velocity and/or with higher power. 
     In some examples, the control circuit  760  may initially operate the motor  754  in an open loop configuration for a first open loop portion of a stroke of the displacement member. Based on a response of the instrument  750  during the open loop portion of the stroke, the control circuit  760  may select a firing control program. The response of the instrument may include, a translation distance of the displacement member during the open loop portion, a time elapsed during the open loop portion, energy provided to the motor  754  during the open loop portion, a sum of pulse widths of a motor drive signal, etc. After the open loop portion, the control circuit  760  may implement the selected firing control program for a second portion of the displacement member stroke. For example, during the closed loop portion of the stroke, the control circuit  760  may modulate the motor  754  based on translation data describing a position of the displacement member in a closed loop manner to translate the displacement member at a constant velocity. Additional details are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/720,852, titled SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING A DISPLAY OF A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT, filed Sep. 29, 2017, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
       FIG.  11    is a schematic diagram of a surgical instrument  790  configured to control various functions according to one aspect of this disclosure. In one aspect, the surgical instrument  790  is programmed to control distal translation of a displacement member such as the I-beam  764 . The surgical instrument  790  comprises an end effector  792  that may comprise an anvil  766 , an I-beam  764 , and a removable staple cartridge  768  which may be interchanged with an RF cartridge  796  (shown in dashed line). 
     In one aspect, sensors  788  may be implemented as a limit switch, electromechanical device, solid-state switches, Hall-effect devices, MR devices, GMR devices, magnetometers, among others. In other implementations, the sensors  638  may be solid-state switches that operate under the influence of light, such as optical sensors, IR sensors, ultraviolet sensors, among others. Still, the switches may be solid-state devices such as transistors (e.g., FET, junction FET, MOSFET, bipolar, and the like). In other implementations, the sensors  788  may include electrical conductorless switches, ultrasonic switches, accelerometers, and inertial sensors, among others. 
     In one aspect, the position sensor  784  may be implemented as an absolute positioning system comprising a magnetic rotary absolute positioning system implemented as an AS5055EQFT single-chip magnetic rotary position sensor available from Austria Microsystems, AG. The position sensor  784  may interface with the control circuit  760  to provide an absolute positioning system. The position may include multiple Hall-effect elements located above a magnet and coupled to a CORDIC processor, also known as the digit-by-digit method and Volder&#39;s algorithm, that is provided to implement a simple and efficient algorithm to calculate hyperbolic and trigonometric functions that require only addition, subtraction, bitshift, and table lookup operations. 
     In one aspect, the I-beam  764  may be implemented as a knife member comprising a knife body that operably supports a tissue cutting blade thereon and may further include anvil engagement tabs or features and channel engagement features or a foot. In one aspect, the staple cartridge  768  may be implemented as a standard (mechanical) surgical fastener cartridge. In one aspect, the RF cartridge  796  may be implemented as an RF cartridge. These and other sensors arrangements are described in commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/628,175, titled TECHNIQUES FOR ADAPTIVE CONTROL OF MOTOR VELOCITY OF A SURGICAL STAPLING AND CUTTING INSTRUMENT, filed Jun. 20, 2017, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     The position, movement, displacement, and/or translation of a linear displacement member, such as the I-beam  764 , can be measured by an absolute positioning system, sensor arrangement, and position sensor represented as position sensor  784 . Because the I-beam  764  is coupled to the longitudinally movable drive member, the position of the I-beam  764  can be determined by measuring the position of the longitudinally movable drive member employing the position sensor  784 . Accordingly, in the following description, the position, displacement, and/or translation of the I-beam  764  can be achieved by the position sensor  784  as described herein. A control circuit  760  may be programmed to control the translation of the displacement member, such as the I-beam  764 , as described herein. The control circuit  760 , in some examples, may comprise one or more microcontrollers, microprocessors, or other suitable processors for executing instructions that cause the processor or processors to control the displacement member, e.g., the I-beam  764 , in the manner described. In one aspect, a timer/counter  781  provides an output signal, such as the elapsed time or a digital count, to the control circuit  760  to correlate the position of the I-beam  764  as determined by the position sensor  784  with the output of the timer/counter  781  such that the control circuit  760  can determine the position of the I-beam  764  at a specific time (t) relative to a starting position. The timer/counter  781  may be configured to measure elapsed time, count external events, or time external events. 
     The control circuit  760  may generate a motor set point signal  772 . The motor set point signal  772  may be provided to a motor controller  758 . The motor controller  758  may comprise one or more circuits configured to provide a motor drive signal  774  to the motor  754  to drive the motor  754  as described herein. In some examples, the motor  754  may be a brushed DC electric motor. For example, the velocity of the motor  754  may be proportional to the motor drive signal  774 . In some examples, the motor  754  may be a brushless DC electric motor and the motor drive signal  774  may comprise a PWM signal provided to one or more stator windings of the motor  754 . Also, in some examples, the motor controller  758  may be omitted, and the control circuit  760  may generate the motor drive signal  774  directly. 
     The motor  754  may receive power from an energy source  762 . The energy source  762  may be or include a battery, a super capacitor, or any other suitable energy source. The motor  754  may be mechanically coupled to the I-beam  764  via a transmission  756 . The transmission  756  may include one or more gears or other linkage components to couple the motor  754  to the I-beam  764 . A position sensor  784  may sense a position of the I-beam  764 . The position sensor  784  may be or include any type of sensor that is capable of generating position data that indicate a position of the I-beam  764 . In some examples, the position sensor  784  may include an encoder configured to provide a series of pulses to the control circuit  760  as the I-beam  764  translates distally and proximally. The control circuit  760  may track the pulses to determine the position of the I-beam  764 . Other suitable position sensors may be used, including, for example, a proximity sensor. Other types of position sensors may provide other signals indicating motion of the I-beam  764 . Also, in some examples, the position sensor  784  may be omitted. Where the motor  754  is a stepper motor, the control circuit  760  may track the position of the I-beam  764  by aggregating the number and direction of steps that the motor has been instructed to execute. The position sensor  784  may be located in the end effector  792  or at any other portion of the instrument. 
     The control circuit  760  may be in communication with one or more sensors  788 . The sensors  788  may be positioned on the end effector  792  and adapted to operate with the surgical instrument  790  to measure the various derived parameters such as gap distance versus time, tissue compression versus time, and anvil strain versus time. The sensors  788  may comprise a magnetic sensor, a magnetic field sensor, a strain gauge, a pressure sensor, a force sensor, an inductive sensor such as an eddy current sensor, a resistive sensor, a capacitive sensor, an optical sensor, and/or any other suitable sensor for measuring one or more parameters of the end effector  792 . The sensors  788  may include one or more sensors. 
     The one or more sensors  788  may comprise a strain gauge, such as a micro-strain gauge, configured to measure the magnitude of the strain in the anvil  766  during a clamped condition. The strain gauge provides an electrical signal whose amplitude varies with the magnitude of the strain. The sensors  788  may comprise a pressure sensor configured to detect a pressure generated by the presence of compressed tissue between the anvil  766  and the staple cartridge  768 . The sensors  788  may be configured to detect impedance of a tissue section located between the anvil  766  and the staple cartridge  768  that is indicative of the thickness and/or fullness of tissue located therebetween. 
     The sensors  788  may be is configured to measure forces exerted on the anvil  766  by the closure drive system. For example, one or more sensors  788  can be at an interaction point between a closure tube and the anvil  766  to detect the closure forces applied by a closure tube to the anvil  766 . The forces exerted on the anvil  766  can be representative of the tissue compression experienced by the tissue section captured between the anvil  766  and the staple cartridge  768 . The one or more sensors  788  can be positioned at various interaction points along the closure drive system to detect the closure forces applied to the anvil  766  by the closure drive system. The one or more sensors  788  may be sampled in real time during a clamping operation by a processor portion of the control circuit  760 . The control circuit  760  receives real-time sample measurements to provide and analyze time-based information and assess, in real time, closure forces applied to the anvil  766 . 
     A current sensor  786  can be employed to measure the current drawn by the motor  754 . The force required to advance the I-beam  764  corresponds to the current drawn by the motor  754 . The force is converted to a digital signal and provided to the control circuit  760 . 
     An RF energy source  794  is coupled to the end effector  792  and is applied to the RF cartridge  796  when the RF cartridge  796  is loaded in the end effector  792  in place of the staple cartridge  768 . The control circuit  760  controls the delivery of the RF energy to the RF cartridge  796 . 
     Additional details are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/636,096, titled SURGICAL SYSTEM COUPLABLE WITH STAPLE CARTRIDGE AND RADIO FREQUENCY CARTRIDGE, AND METHOD OF USING SAME, filed Jun. 28, 2017, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     Having described a general implementation the of the various surgical instruments, such as surgical instrument  10 , and control systems thereof, such as control system  470 , the disclosure now turns to describe various other aspects of other surgical instruments. For the sake of brevity, various details of the other surgical instruments and control systems being described in the following sections, which are similar to the various surgical instruments and control systems described above, are not repeated herein. Any aspect of the other surgical instruments and control systems described below can be brought into the above surgical instruments and control systems. 
     Various surgical instruments described herein may be used to cut and fasten tissue. This may be accomplished by causing a motor of the surgical instrument to drive a firing bar to actuate an end effector. For example, as explained in more detail above, end effector  300  of  FIG.  3    includes a firing bar  172  and an I-beam  178 . Longitudinally translating firing bar  172  into end effector  300  can cause the actuation, or firing, of staple cartridge  304 . The force required to cause this actuation (e.g., firing the surgical instrument) is sometimes referred to herein as a resistive load force, a firing force, or a force-to-fire (FTF). 
     The data generated by measuring or otherwise determining the resistive load force may be utilized in various ways. For example, based on this force data, an operating parameter of the surgical instrument may be adjusted. Operating parameters that may be adjusted based on force data may include the firing speed or the maximum allowable force of the surgical instrument. Additionally, a target cutline position of the surgical instrument may be adjusted based on force data. Further, the firing force may be determined through multiple means and may be used for redundant force control monitoring. Yet further, as discussed in detail below, firing force data may be logged in a non-volatile storage medium. 
     In some aspects, the force required to fire the surgical instrument may be measured by a load sensor for sensing the force applied to the firing bar or I-beam. Alternatively, this force may be determined by measuring the current drawn by the motor used to drive the firing bar. For example, as explained in more detail above, sensor  476  of  FIG.  4    may be a load sensor that is used to measure the firing force applied to an I-beam during a firing stroke of the surgical instrument or tool. Additionally, current sensor  478  can be employed to measure the current drawn by the motor  482 , wherein the motor current draw corresponds to the force required to advance the firing member. However, it may be desirable to determine the force required to fire or actuate the surgical instrument using means that do not involve a direct measurement of the load on the I-beam or the current draw of the motor. Various aspects of determining the force required to fire a surgical instrument are discussed below. 
     In various aspects, a resistive load encounter by the surgical instrument (i.e, the force required to fire the surgical instrument) may be determined based on a measured voltage of one or more batteries used to power the surgical instrument, an actuator velocity (e.g., a firing member velocity), and, in some cases, a pulse width modulation (PWM) value. Each of the measured battery voltage, actuation velocity, and PWM value may be determined as described below. 
     With respect to the measured battery voltage, the surgical instrument may include an electric motor powered by a power source that includes one or more batteries. During the firing or actuation of the surgical instrument, the motor is activated and the voltage across the motor power source (e.g., the voltage across the one or more batteries) is measured by a control system associated with the surgical instrument. For example, the control system may be similar to control system  470  shown in  FIG.  4   , including motor  482 , motor driver  492 , and microcontroller  461 . Additionally, the power source may be similar to power source  90  described above. 
     With respect to the actuator velocity, the surgical instrument may include an actuator (e.g., a firing member) that, when translated into an end effector by the motor, causes the surgical instrument to fire. The position (e.g., displacement) of the actuator is monitored by a position sensor in communication with a microcontroller. For example, the position sensor and microcontroller may be similar to position sensor  472  and microcontroller  461  shown in  FIG.  4   , respectively. The microcontroller determines the actuator velocity by comparing the sensed position change of the actuator over time. 
     With respect to the PWM value, the control system associated with the surgical instrument may be configured to control the power delivered to the motor using pulse width modulation. The pulse width modulation may be controlled by a microcontroller or motor driver similar to microcontroller  461  and motor driver  492  shown in  FIG.  4   , respectively. The PWM value is determined by the microcontroller based on the PWM percentage used to control power delivery to the motor during firing of the surgical instrument. 
     In various aspects, an instrument velocity constant and an open loop velocity are used to determine the resistive load encountered when firing the surgical instrument. As used herein, the instrument velocity constant is a constant describing the velocity at which the actuator (e.g. firing member) will travel when a given voltage is applied to the motor (i.e. the motor volt characterization). The instrument velocity constant may be predetermined for a given surgical instrument. The open loop velocity is calculated according to the following relationship: 
         v   ol   =K   v   ×V   m ×PWM
 
     In the equation above, v ol  is the open loop velocity, K v  is the instrument velocity constant, V m  is the measured battery voltage during actuation of the firing member, and PWM is the pulse width modulation value used during actuation of the firing member. For a given firing, the open loop velocity v o  represents the velocity at which the actuator would have traveled if no resistive load was applied to the surgical instrument. The open loop velocity may be calculated by a microcontroller, such as microcontroller  461 . 
     In various aspects, a maximum output force is used to determine the resistive load encountered when firing the surgical instrument. As used herein, the maximum output force is the maximum force the motor is capable of applying at a given power level. Further, the maximum output force may be determined based on the properties of the motor, the measured battery voltage during actuation of the firing member, and/or the PWM value used during actuation of the firing member. In some aspects, for a given firing, a microprocessor determines the maximum output force based on a characterization table or a characterization equation that accounts for the measured battery voltage and, if applicable, the PWM value. 
     In various aspects, the maximum output force, the open loop velocity, and the actuator velocity during the firing are used to determine the resistive load encountered when firing the surgical instrument. Specifically, the resistive load force may be calculated based on the following relationship: 
     
       
         
           
             
               F 
               r 
             
             = 
             
               
                 F 
                 max 
               
               ⁢ 
               
                 x 
                 ( 
                 
                   
                     
                       v 
                       ol 
                     
                     - 
                     
                       v 
                       a 
                     
                   
                   
                     v 
                     ol 
                   
                 
                 ) 
               
             
           
         
       
     
     In the equation above, F r  is the resistive load force, F max  is the maximum output force, v o  is the open loop velocity, and v a  is the actuator velocity. This calculation may be performed by a control system of the surgical instrument. Thus, without directly measuring motor current or using load sensors, the resistive load force can be derived based on the battery voltage, PWM value, and actuator velocity during firing of the surgical instrument. 
       FIG.  12    is a logic flow diagram  2100  of a process depicting a control program or a logic configuration for determining a resistive load force based on battery voltage, velocity, and PWM according to various aspects of this disclosure. In one aspect, a microcontroller, such as microcontroller  416 , comprises a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory stores instructions executable by the processor to:  2102  measure an activated battery voltage during an activation of a motor of the surgical instrument;  2104  identify a pulse width modulation (PWM) value associated with the motor activation;  2106  calculate an actuator velocity based on a sensed position change of an actuator of the surgical instrument;  2108  identify a velocity constant based on the actuator and a volt characterization of the motor;  2110  determine an open loop actuator velocity based on the activated battery voltage, the PWM, and the velocity constant;  2112  determine a maximum output force of the surgical instrument; and  2114  calculate a resistive load force based on the maximum output force, the open loop actuator velocity, and the actuator velocity. In other aspects, instructions  2102 ,  2104 ,  2106 ,  2108 ,  2110 ,  2112 , and  2114  may be stored on a memory and executed by a processor, wherein both the memory and processor are comprised in a surgical hub communicably coupled to the surgical instrument, such as, for example, one of the hubs discussed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,632, entitled DATA STRIPPING METHOD TO INTERROGATE PATIENT RECORDS AND CREATE ANONYMIZED RECORD; Attorney Docket No. END8500USNP/170767, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
       FIG.  13    is a graphical illustration of an approximated resistive load force versus velocity curve at various motor input voltages according to one aspect of this disclosure. Specifically,  FIG.  13    illustrates the inverse relationship between resistive load force and actuator firing velocity when various input voltages are applied to power the drive motor. For example, as shown by data points  2122 , the calculated resistive load forces decrease as actuator firing velocity increase when a voltage of 6V, is applied to the drive motor. A similar relationship is shown by data points  2124  and  2126  at input voltages of 9V and 12V, respectively. Thus, using this relationship, measuring the voltage across the motor power supply (i.e. the battery voltage) and determining an actuator velocity based on position sensor data allows the resistive load force encountered during the firing of the surgical instrument to be approximated. 
     As explained in detail above, data generated by the surgical instrument control system related to the resistive load force may be utilized in various ways. For example, based on this data, an operating parameter of the surgical instrument may be adjusted. Additionally, this data may be logged in a non-volatile storage medium for future access or used for redundant force control monitoring. 
     In various aspects, a resistive load encountered by the surgical instrument (i.e. the force required to fire the surgical instrument) may be determined based on an activated voltage across one or more batteries during firing, a baseline voltage across the one or more batteries when the instrument is not firing, and actuator velocity (e.g., a firing member velocity). Each of the activated battery voltage, the baseline voltage, and the actuator velocity may be determined as described below. 
     With respect to the activated battery voltage and the baseline battery voltage, the surgical instrument may include an electric motor powered by a power source that includes one or more batteries. During the firing or actuation of the surgical instrument, the motor is activated and the voltage across the motor power source (e.g., the voltage across the one or more batteries) is measured by a control system associated with the surgical instrument. This measured voltage is the activated battery voltage. Similarly, the voltage across the power source may be measured when the surgical instrument is under a low load condition. This measured voltage is the baseline battery voltage. A low load condition may exist, for example, when the surgical instrument is powered on but is not being fired. Further, the control system associated with the surgical instrument may be similar to control system  470  shown in  FIG.  4   , including motor  482 , motor driver  492 , and microcontroller  461 . Additionally, the power source may be similar to power source  90  described above. 
     With respect to the actuator velocity, the surgical instrument may include an actuator (e.g., a firing member) that, when translated into an end effector by the motor, causes the surgical instrument to fire. The position (e.g., displacement) of the actuator is monitored by a position sensor in communication with a microcontroller. For example, the position sensor and microcontroller may be similar to position sensor  472  and microcontroller  461  shown in  FIG.  4   , respectively. The microcontroller determines the actuator velocity by comparing the sensed position change of the actuator over time. 
     In various aspects, a battery voltage decrease and a battery output power may be calculated to determine the resistive load encountered when firing the surgical instrument. As used herein, the battery voltage decrease is the difference between the activated battery voltage during firing and the baseline battery voltage. Based on this battery voltage decrease, the battery output power may be approximated (i.e. the amount of power output by the battery during the firing of the surgical instrument). 
     In various aspects, the battery output power and the actuator velocity during the firing, and in some cases, an efficiency factor, are used to determine the resistive load encountered when firing the surgical instrument. Specifically, the resistive load force may be calculated based on the following relationship: 
     
       
         
           
             
               F 
               r 
             
             = 
             
               
                 c 
                 eff 
               
               ( 
               
                 
                   P 
                   battery 
                 
                 
                   v 
                   a 
                 
               
               ) 
             
           
         
       
     
     In the equation above, F r  is the resistive load force, P battery  is the battery output power, v a  is the actuator velocity, and c eff  is an efficiency factor. In some aspects, the efficiency factor may depend on the actuator velocity. For example, c eff  may be determined based on a characterization table or a characterization equation that is dependent upon v a . In other aspects, the efficiency factor may be a constant that is predetermined for a given surgical instrument. Thus, using the equation above, and without directly measuring motor current or using load sensors, the resistive load force may be approximated based on a baseline voltage across one or more batteries of a surgical instrument when the instrument is not firing, an activated voltage across the one or more batteries during firing, and an actuator velocity during firing. 
       FIG.  14    is a logic flow diagram  2200  of a process depicting a control program or a logic configuration for determining a resistive load force based on a baseline battery voltage, an activated battery voltage, and actuator velocity according to various aspects of this disclosure. In one aspect, a microcontroller, such as microcontroller  416 , comprises a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory stores instructions executable by the processor to:  2202  determine a baseline battery voltage of the surgical instrument;  2204  measure an activated battery voltage during an activation of a motor of the surgical instrument;  2206  calculate a battery voltage decrease based on a difference between the activated battery voltage and the baseline battery voltage;  2208  calculate a battery output power based on the battery voltage decrease;  2210  calculate an actuator velocity based on a sensed position change of an actuator of the surgical instrument;  2212  determine an efficiency factor of the surgical instrument; and  2214  calculate a resistive load force based on the efficiency factor, the battery output power, and the actuator velocity. In other aspects, instructions  2202 ,  2204 ,  2206 ,  2208 ,  2210 ,  2212 , and  2214  may be stored on a memory and executed by a processor, wherein both the memory and processor are comprised in a surgical hub communicably coupled to the surgical instrument, such surgical, for example one of the hubs discussed in the aforementioned reference, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,632, entitled DATA STRIPPING METHOD TO INTERROGATE PATIENT RECORDS AND CREATE ANONYMIZED RECORD; Attorney Docket No. END8500USNP/170767. 
       FIG.  15    is a graphical illustration of a resistive load force, battery output power, battery voltage decrease, and actuator velocity versus time curve for an exemplary firing of a surgical instrument according to one aspect of this disclosure. Specifically,  FIG.  15    illustrates an average resistive load force calculated based on a baseline voltage, an activated voltage, and an actuator velocity, as described in various aspects above. At time point  2220 , the voltage drop is approximately zero, representing a battery voltage near the baseline voltage. At time point  2222 , a sudden decrease in the battery voltage drop is observed as the instrument is firing. As the battery voltage drop decreases, the calculated battery output power and average resistive load force (FTF) shows a corresponding increase. After the battery output power and average resistive load force spike, these values show a relative leveling out at time point  2224 . 
     As explained in detail above, data generated by the surgical instrument control system related to the resistive load force may be utilized in various ways. For example, based on this data, an operating parameter of the surgical instrument may be adjusted. Additionally, this data may be logged in a non-volatile storage medium for future access or used for redundant force control monitoring. 
     As discussed in detail above, during the operation of the various surgical instruments discussed herein, instrument operating parameters may be measured, calculated, or otherwise determined. For example, instrument operating parameters may be determined by a control system (e.g., control system  470  of  FIG.  4   ) during an actuation or firing of the surgical instrument. 
     It may be useful to access data related to measured, calculated, or otherwise determined instrument operating parameters following a use of the surgical instrument (e.g., after the instrument has been actuated or fired). For example, it may be useful to analyze operating parameter data corresponding to the firing of a surgical instrument as part of a clinical study related to the instrument. In other cases, in may be useful to analyze operating parameter data corresponding to the firing of a surgical instrument as part of design and verification testing for the instrument. In yet other cases, it may be useful to access and present this operating parameter data as part of a device product inquiry analysis. Accordingly, there is a need for devices, systems, and methods for logging and storing data related to various operating parameters that are measured, calculated, or otherwise determined during the operation of surgical instruments. 
     In various aspects, instrument operating parameter data associated with the actuation or firing of a surgical instrument may be stored in a non-volatile storage medium so that it may be retrieved following a use of the instrument. For example, during a firing of a surgical instrument, operating parameter data may be generated by a control system of the surgical instrument (e.g., control system  470  of  FIG.  4   ). After the firing, the control system may cause the generated data to be written to a non-volatile storage medium. In some aspects, the non-volatile storage medium may be located local to the surgical instrument (e.g., memory  448  of  FIG.  4    may be a non-volatile storage medium). In other aspects, the non-volatile storage medium may be located in a surgical hub communicably coupled to the control system of surgical instrument, for example, one of the surgical hubs discussed in the aforementioned reference, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,632, entitled DATA STRIPPING METHOD TO INTERROGATE PATIENT RECORDS AND CREATE ANONYMIZED RECORD; Attorney Docket No. END8500USNP/170767. As used herein, a non-volatile storage medium refers to any type of storage medium that is configured to store data even when power is removed from the storage device. 
     In other aspects, the surgical instrument control system may cause the generated data to be written to a non-volatile storage medium upon an event other than the successful firing of the instrument. For example, there may be instances where a stall event occurs when attempting to fire the surgical instrument. As used herein, a stall event may be described as an event that prevents the surgical instrument from completely firing. Such a stall event may occur if something causes the instrument motor to stop (e.g., something obstructs the end effector of the surgical instrument), preventing the instrument from completing an actuation. As the result of a stall event, a processor of the instrument control system, such as processor  462  of  FIG.  4   , may need to devote additional processing power to motion control of the instrument. Accordingly, the control system may cause operating parameter data generated during the attempted firing of the instrument to be written to the non-volatile storage medium after a stall event has accrued. This may minimize processing resources allocated to writing operating data in order to ensure that there is minimal interference with the motion control processing needs of the control system. 
     A control system of the surgical instrument may cause many different types of operating parameter data to be generated during the firing of a surgical instrument and to be stored in a non-volatile storage medium. For example, a control system of the surgical instrument may cause timestamp data that is related to the firing of the instrument to be generated and stored. In some aspects, this timestamp data may be based on microseconds of device operation relative to a reference time. 
     Position data related the firing of a surgical instrument may be generated and stored to a non-volatile storage medium. For example, as discussed in detail above, position (e.g., displacement of the actuator compared to a reference point) data may be generated by a position sensor in communication with a microcontroller. For example, the position sensor and microcontroller may be similar to position sensor  472  and microcontroller  461  shown in  FIG.  4   , respectively. 
     Velocity data related the firing of a surgical instrument may be generated and stored to a non-volatile storage medium. For example, as discussed in detail above, the control system may generate data related to actuator velocity by comparing the sensed position change of the actuator over time (i.e. the position change of the actuator is monitored by a position sensor in communication with a microcontroller). 
     Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) data related the firing of a surgical instrument may be generated and stored to a non-volatile storage medium. For example, as discussed in detail above, the control system may select a PWM value to control the power delivered to the motor using pulse width modulation. Further, in some aspects, this PMW value may be determined by the control system based on an error in the calculation of the velocity data. 
     Battery voltage data related the firing of a surgical instrument may be generated and stored to a non-volatile storage medium. For example, as discussed in detail above, the surgical instrument may include an electric motor powered by a power source that includes one or more batteries. During the firing or actuation of the surgical instrument, the motor is activated and the voltage across the motor power source (e.g., the voltage across the one or more batteries) may be measured by the control system associated with the surgical instrument. 
     Force data related the firing of a surgical instrument may be generated and stored to a non-volatile storage medium. As discussed in detail above, there may be numerous ways to generate force data. For example, the force required to fire the surgical instrument may be measured by a load sensor for sensing the force applied to a firing bar or I-beam. Alternatively, this force may be determined by measuring the current drawn by the motor used to drive the firing bar. In yet other aspects, force data may be generated using alternate means such as calculating force based on battery voltage, velocity, and PWM values or based on velocity and battery voltage decrease. 
     Moreover, in various aspects, the rate at which the various operating parameter data is generated and captured may be determined by the control system using a parameterized value. This parameterized value may be adjusted and optimized based on the data generation and data analysis needs. 
     In various aspects, a control program or a logic configuration for a method of storing data associated with a firing of a surgical stapling instrument to a non-volatile computer readable storage medium is disclosed. In one aspect, a microcontroller, such as microcontroller  416 , comprises a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory stores instructions executable by the processor to: capture an activation timestamp during activation of a motor of the surgical instrument; measure a position of an actuator of the surgical instrument during the activation; calculate an actuator velocity based on a sensed position change of the actuator during the activation; identify a pulse width modulation (PWM) value associated with the activation; measure an activated battery voltage the activation; calculate a resistive load force encountered during the activation; and write data associated with any of the activation timestamp, actuator position, actuator velocity, PWM value, activated battery voltage, and resistive load force to the non-volatile computer readable storage medium. 
     Various aspects of the systems, devices, and methods for identifying a staple cartridge installed in a surgical instrument described herein are set out in the following examples. 
     Various aspects of the systems, devices, and methods for identifying a staple cartridge installed in a surgical instrument described herein are set out in the following examples. 
     Example 1—A surgical instrument, comprising a battery, a motor powered by the battery, an end effector configured to grasp tissue, and an actuator coupled to the end effector, wherein the motor is configured to cause the actuator to move to yield a surgical treatment of the tissue by the end effector. The surgical instrument further comprises a control circuit. The control circuit is configured to measure an activated battery voltage during an activation of the motor to move the actuator, identify a pulse width modulation (PWM) value associated with the motor activation, calculate an actuator velocity based on a sensed position change of the actuator, and calculate the resistive load force based on the activated battery voltage, the PWM value, and the actuator velocity. 
     Example 2—The surgical instrument of Example 1, wherein the control circuit further is configured to identify a velocity constant based on the actuator and a volt characterization of the motor, and determine an open loop actuator velocity based on the activated battery voltage, the PWM, and the velocity constant. 
     Example 3—The surgical instrument of Examples 1 or 2, wherein the control circuit is further configured to determine a maximum output force of the motor. 
     Example 4—The surgical instrument of Example 3, wherein the control circuit is configured to calculate the resistive load force based on the open loop actuator velocity and the maximum output force. 
     Example 5—The surgical instrument of Examples 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein the control circuit is further configured to store the calculated resistive load force. 
     Example 6—The surgical instrument of Examples 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, wherein the control circuit is configured to optimize a target firing position of the surgical instrument based on the calculated resistive load force. 
     Example 7—A surgical instrument, comprising a battery, a motor powered by the battery, and an end effector configured to grasp tissue. The surgical instrument further comprises an actuator coupled to the end effector, wherein the motor is configured to cause the actuator to move to yield a surgical treatment of the tissue by the end effector. The surgical instrument further comprises a control circuit, configured to determine a baseline battery voltage, and measure an activated battery voltage during an activation of the motor. The control circuit is further configured to calculate a velocity of the actuator based on a sensed position change of the actuator, and calculate a resistive load force based on the baseline battery voltage, the activated battery voltage, and the actuator velocity. 
     Example 8—The surgical instrument of Example 7, wherein the control circuit is further configured to calculate a battery voltage decrease based on a difference between the activated battery voltage and the baseline battery voltage. 
     Example 9—The surgical instrument of Examples 7 or 8, wherein the control circuit is further configured to calculate a battery output power based on the battery voltage decrease. 
     Example 10—The surgical instrument of Example 9, wherein the control circuit is configured to calculate the resistive load force based on the battery output power. 
     Example 11—The surgical instrument of Examples 7, 8, 9, or 10, wherein the control circuit is further configured to determine an efficiency factor of the surgical instrument, and wherein the resistive load force is calculated based on the efficiency factor. 
     Example 12—The surgical instrument of Example 11, wherein the efficiency factor is dependent upon the actuator velocity. 
     Example 13—The surgical instrument of Examples 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12, wherein the control circuit is further configured to store the calculated resistive load force. 
     Example 14—The surgical instrument of Examples 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, or 13, wherein the control circuit is further configured to optimize a target firing position of the surgical instrument based on the calculated resistive load force. 
     Example 15—A method of storing data associated with a firing of a surgical stapling instrument. The method comprises measuring an activated battery voltage during an activation of a motor of the surgical instrument, calculating an actuator velocity based on a sensed position change of an actuator of the surgical instrument, and writing data associated with the activated battery voltage and the actuator velocity to a non-volatile computer readable storage medium. 
     Example 16—The method of Example 15, further comprising identifying a pulse width modulation (PWM) value associated with the motor activation, and writing data associated with the PWM value to the non-volatile computer readable storage medium. 
     Example 17—The method of Examples 15 or 16, further comprising capturing an activation timestamp during the motor activation, measuring a position of the actuator during the motor activation, and writing data associated with the activation timestamp and the position of the actuator to the non-volatile computer readable storage medium. 
     Example 18—The method of Examples 15, 16, or 17, further comprising calculating a resistive load force encountered when firing a surgical stapling instrument, and writing data associated with the resistive force to the non-volatile computer readable storage medium. 
     Example 19—The method of Examples 15, 16, 17, or 18, wherein the step of writing data occurs after a successful firing of the surgical instrument. 
     Example 20—The method of Examples 15, 16, 17, or 18, wherein the step of writing data occurs after a stall event related to the firing of the surgical instrument. 
     While several forms have been illustrated and described, it is not the intention of Applicant to restrict or limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Numerous modifications, variations, changes, substitutions, combinations, and equivalents to those forms may be implemented and will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Moreover, the structure of each element associated with the described forms can be alternatively described as a means for providing the function performed by the element. Also, where materials are disclosed for certain components, other materials may be used. It is therefore to be understood that the foregoing description and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications, combinations, and variations as falling within the scope of the disclosed forms. The appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications, variations, changes, substitutions, modifications, and equivalents. 
     The foregoing detailed description has set forth various forms of the devices and/or processes via the use of block diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples. Insofar as such block diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples contain one or more functions and/or operations, it will be understood by those within the art that each function and/or operation within such block diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples can be implemented, individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or virtually any combination thereof. Those skilled in the art will recognize that some aspects of the forms disclosed herein, in whole or in part, can be equivalently implemented in integrated circuits, as one or more computer programs running on one or more computers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computer systems), as one or more programs running on one or more processors (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors), as firmware, or as virtually any combination thereof, and that designing the circuitry and/or writing the code for the software and or firmware would be well within the skill of one of skill in the art in light of this disclosure. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein are capable of being distributed as one or more program products in a variety of forms, and that an illustrative form of the subject matter described herein applies regardless of the particular type of signal bearing medium used to actually carry out the distribution. 
     Instructions used to program logic to perform various disclosed aspects can be stored within a memory in the system, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), cache, flash memory, or other storage. Furthermore, the instructions can be distributed via a network or by way of other computer readable media. Thus a machine-readable medium may include any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer), but is not limited to, floppy diskettes, optical disks, compact disc, read-only memory (CD-ROMs), and magneto-optical disks, read-only memory (ROMs), random access memory (RAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic or optical cards, flash memory, or a tangible, machine-readable storage used in the transmission of information over the Internet via electrical, optical, acoustical or other forms of propagated signals (e.g., carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals, etc.). Accordingly, the non-transitory computer-readable medium includes any type of tangible machine-readable medium suitable for storing or transmitting electronic instructions or information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). 
     As used in any aspect herein, the term “control circuit” may refer to, for example, hardwired circuitry, programmable circuitry (e.g., a computer processor including one or more individual instruction processing cores, processing unit, processor, microcontroller, microcontroller unit, controller, digital signal processor (DSP), programmable logic device (PLD), programmable logic array (PLA), or field programmable gate array (FPGA)), state machine circuitry, firmware that stores instructions executed by programmable circuitry, and any combination thereof. The control circuit may, collectively or individually, be embodied as circuitry that forms part of a larger system, for example, an integrated circuit (IC), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on-chip (SoC), desktop computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, servers, smart phones, etc. Accordingly, as used herein “control circuit” includes, but is not limited to, electrical circuitry having at least one discrete electrical circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one integrated circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one application specific integrated circuit, electrical circuitry forming a general purpose computing device configured by a computer program (e.g., a general purpose computer configured by a computer program which at least partially carries out processes and/or devices described herein, or a microprocessor configured by a computer program which at least partially carries out processes and/or devices described herein), electrical circuitry forming a memory device (e.g., forms of random access memory), and/or electrical circuitry forming a communications device (e.g., a modem, communications switch, or optical-electrical equipment). Those having skill in the art will recognize that the subject matter described herein may be implemented in an analog or digital fashion or some combination thereof. 
     As used in any aspect herein, the term “logic” may refer to an app, software, firmware and/or circuitry configured to perform any of the aforementioned operations. Software may be embodied as a software package, code, instructions, instruction sets and/or data recorded on non-transitory computer readable storage medium. Firmware may be embodied as code, instructions or instruction sets and/or data that are hard-coded (e.g., nonvolatile) in memory devices. 
     As used in any aspect herein, the terms “component,” “system,” “module” and the like can refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. 
     As used in any aspect herein, an “algorithm” refers to a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result, where a “step” refers to a manipulation of physical quantities and/or logic states which may, though need not necessarily, take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It is common usage to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like. These and similar terms may be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities and/or states. 
     A network may include a packet switched network. The communication devices may be capable of communicating with each other using a selected packet switched network communications protocol. One example communications protocol may include an Ethernet communications protocol which may be capable permitting communication using a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). The Ethernet protocol may comply or be compatible with the Ethernet standard published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) titled “IEEE 802.3 Standard”, published in December, 2008 and/or later versions of this standard. Alternatively or additionally, the communication devices may be capable of communicating with each other using an X.25 communications protocol. The X.25 communications protocol may comply or be compatible with a standard promulgated by the International Telecommunication Union-Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T). Alternatively or additionally, the communication devices may be capable of communicating with each other using a frame relay communications protocol. The frame relay communications protocol may comply or be compatible with a standard promulgated by Consultative Committee for International Telegraph and Telephone (CCITT) and/or the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Alternatively or additionally, the transceivers may be capable of communicating with each other using an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) communications protocol. The ATM communications protocol may comply or be compatible with an ATM standard published by the ATM Forum titled “ATM-MPLS Network Interworking 2.0” published August 2001, and/or later versions of this standard. Of course, different and/or after-developed connection-oriented network communication protocols are equally contemplated herein. 
     Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the foregoing disclosure, it is appreciated that, throughout the foregoing disclosure, discussions using terms such as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” “displaying,” or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system&#39;s registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices. 
     One or more components may be referred to herein as “configured to,” “configurable to,” “operable/operative to,” “adapted/adaptable,” “able to,” “conformable/conformed to,” etc. Those skilled in the art will recognize that “configured to” can generally encompass active-state components and/or inactive-state components and/or standby-state components, unless context requires otherwise. 
     The terms “proximal” and “distal” are used herein with reference to a clinician manipulating the handle portion of the surgical instrument. The term “proximal” refers to the portion closest to the clinician and the term “distal” refers to the portion located away from the clinician. It will be further appreciated that, for convenience and clarity, spatial terms such as “vertical”, “horizontal”, “up”, and “down” may be used herein with respect to the drawings. However, surgical instruments are used in many orientations and positions, and these terms are not intended to be limiting and/or absolute. 
     Those skilled in the art will recognize that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to claims containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. 
     In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that typically a disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms unless context dictates otherwise. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be typically understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.” 
     With respect to the appended claims, those skilled in the art will appreciate that recited operations therein may generally be performed in any order. Also, although various operational flow diagrams are presented in a sequence(s), it should be understood that the various operations may be performed in other orders than those which are illustrated, or may be performed concurrently. Examples of such alternate orderings may include overlapping, interleaved, interrupted, reordered, incremental, preparatory, supplemental, simultaneous, reverse, or other variant orderings, unless context dictates otherwise. Furthermore, terms like “responsive to,” “related to,” or other past-tense adjectives are generally not intended to exclude such variants, unless context dictates otherwise. 
     It is worthy to note that any reference to “one aspect,” “an aspect,” “an exemplification,” “one exemplification,” and the like means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the aspect is included in at least one aspect. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one aspect,” “in an aspect,” “in an exemplification,” and “in one exemplification” in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same aspect. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more aspects. 
     Any patent application, patent, non-patent publication, or other disclosure material referred to in this specification and/or listed in any Application Data Sheet is incorporated by reference herein, to the extent that the incorporated materials is not inconsistent herewith. As such, and to the extent necessary, the disclosure as explicitly set forth herein supersedes any conflicting material incorporated herein by reference. Any material, or portion thereof, that is said to be incorporated by reference herein, but which conflicts with existing definitions, statements, or other disclosure material set forth herein will only be incorporated to the extent that no conflict arises between that incorporated material and the existing disclosure material. 
     In summary, numerous benefits have been described which result from employing the concepts described herein. The foregoing description of the one or more forms has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting to the precise form disclosed. Modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The one or more forms were chosen and described in order to illustrate principles and practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the various forms and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the claims submitted herewith define the overall scope.