Gear driven coupling between ultrasonic transducer and waveguide in surgical instrument

US10143513B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Ethicon, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Kevin L. Houser · Springboro, US
• Matthew C. Miller · Cincinnati, US
• Cory G. Kimball · Cincinnati, US
• John W. Willis · Cincinnati, US
• Timothy G. Dietz · Wayne, US
• Foster B. Stulen · Mason, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 17, 2011
• Grant date: Dec 4, 2018
• Expiry date: Jan 20, 2035

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T29/53913
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A surgical instrument is separable into a transducer unit and a lower body portion. The lower body portion includes a waveguide and a casing. The transducer unit includes a transducer and a geared mechanism operable to couple the transducer to the waveguide. In some versions the geared mechanism includes bevel gears coupled to a rack and pinion such that linear motion may be used to rotatably couple a transducer to a waveguide. The rack gear may further include a handle extending out of the transducer unit casing to be actuatable by a user. The rack gear may also be flexible or rigid. In other versions, the bevel gears may be coupled to a threaded shaft that is operable to translate the transducer into the waveguide to form an interference fit. The transducer unit may also include a slide lock mechanism to couple to the casing of the lower body portion.