Patent ID: 7954682

Claim:
A surgical instrument comprising: a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, the shaft comprising a first sensor element to wirelessly transmit an interrogation signal to a second sensor element and receive a wireless echo signal from the second sensor element in response to the wireless interrogation signal; an end effector coupled to the distal end of the shaft, the end effector comprising an articulating joint and the second sensor element located across the articulating joint relative to the first sensor element, wherein the second sensor element is not wiredly connected to an electrical power source and is configured to collect electrical power from the incoming wireless interrogation signal transmitted by the first sensor element, the second sensor element configured to generate a unique wireless echo signal for receipt by the first sensor element in response to the wireless interrogation signal transmitted by the first sensor element, wherein the unique wireless echo signal is indicative of a desired measurement associated with the second sensor element; and a handle connected to the proximal end of the shaft, the handle comprising a control unit configured to communicate with the first sensor element and the first sensor element is configured for wireless communication with the second sensor element, wherein the control unit is configured to process the unique echo signal transmitted by the second sensor element and received by the first sensor element to extract and provide information associated with the desired measurement associated with the second sensor element.