US Patent 10363033 Robotically-controlled surgical instruments

A surgical instrument for use with a robotic surgical system including a drive assembly is disclosed. The surgical instrument comprises a first transmission including a first drive element configured to be driven by the drive assembly to apply a first control motion to an end effector. The surgical instrument also comprises a second transmission including a second drive element configured to be driven by the drive assembly to apply a second control motion to the end effector when the second drive element is in a first position and to apply a third control motion to the end effector when the second drive element is in a second position. The second transmission includes a shifting element that is configured to selectively switch the second drive element between the first position and the second position. The first transmission and the second transmission are operable independent of each other.