Patent ID: 8210411

Claim:
A surgical cutting and fastening instrument comprising: an end effector comprising a cutting instrument that, when actuated, longitudinally traverses the end effector along a cutting travel path to cut tissue clamped in the end effector, wherein the cutting travel path has an initial position at a beginning of the cutting travel path and an end-of-stroke position at an end of the cutting travel path; a cutting instrument position sensor that senses a position of the cutting instrument in the end effector along the cutting travel path; a shaft connected at its distal end to the end effector; and a handle connected to a proximate end of the shaft, wherein the handle comprises: an electric motor for actuating the cutting instrument; a motor control circuit for controlling the motor, wherein the motor control circuit comprises: a power source connected to the motor for electrically powering the motor; and a current control circuit, connected to the power source, for varying the current supplied to the motor from the power source, wherein the current control circuit controls the motor according to a switching architecture and based on a position of the cutting instrument along the cutting travel path relative to the end-of-stroke position and the initial position, as sensed by the cutting instrument position sensor, wherein the switching architecture comprises: a first, low power operational mode for a first portion of a cutting travel path of the cutting instrument when the cutting instrument is within a first non-zero threshold distance along the cutting travel path from the initial position; and a second, high power operational mode for a second portion the cutting travel path of the cutting instrument when the cutting instrument is between the first non-zero threshold distance and a second non-zero threshold distance from the initial position of the cutting travel path, wherein the first non-zero threshold distance is less than the second non-zero threshold distance, and where greater current is supplied to the motor during the second, higher power operational mode than during the first, low power operational mode.