Patent attributes
A surgical instrument comprising an end effector, a firing member configured to move longitudinally within the end effector, a drive system coupled to the firing member, an electric motor configured to drive the drive system, a battery, and a control circuit coupled to the electric motor is disclosed. The control circuit comprises a first switching device and a second switching device. The control circuit is configured to deliver a maximum voltage from the battery to the electric motor to apply a first torque to the drive system and selectively deliver an increased voltage to the electric motor to apply a second torque to the drive system. The second torque is greater than the first torque. The increased voltage is greater than the maximum voltage from the battery.