164 results about "Electromagnetic tracking" patented technology

Devices and methods for registering, dynamically referencing, and navigating an anatomical region of interest of a patient are provided using a tracked Kirschner wire (K-wire), where the K-wire includes a position-indicating element.

A medical system tracks the position of a medical instrument within a body of a patient. The medical instrument includes an electromagnet structure having an inductor coil wound around a core. A control circuit applies a low frequency excitation signal across the inductor coil. The inductor coil and the core generate a magnetic field. A plurality of sensors sense parameters of the generated magnetic field and produce sensor signals. The control circuit calculates the position of the medical instrument based on the produced sensor signals.

Provided is an electromagnetic tracking system, including at least one electromagnetic field receiver having at least one scalar-magnetometer, at least one electromagnetic field transmitter, and tracker electronics. Also provided is a method for electromagnetic tracking, including generating at least one magnetic field, sensing the at least one magnetic field with at least one scalar-magnetometer, and determining a relative position of the at least one scalar-magnetometer based on the sensed at least one magnetic field.

A method for tracking a moving platform (MP) wherein the MP uses an on-board navigation system (NS). Data provided by the navigation system on board the moving platform (MP) is merged with data obtained using a tracking system that tracks the MP from another location. A typical navigation system on board the moving platforms is an inertial navigation system (INS). State data of one or more MP is sent to a processing facility and state data of one or more electromagnetic tracking (EMT) is collected by one or more processing facility. The collected states data from the sources are processed, using the one or more processing facilities for calculating tracking data are used to direct one or more antennas for MP tracking. The state data from one or more MP's are sent using a communications channel.

An electromagnetic tracking coil arrangement, comprising three co-planar electromagnetic sensors and a fourth electromagnetic sensor that is not co-planar with the three co-planar sensors, wherein the three co-planar electromagnetic sensors and the fourth electromagnetic sensor are each located at a vertex of a tetrahedron.

A system and method of minimizing the mutual inductance coupling between two or more coils of a coil array of an electromagnetic tracking system. The system involves a geometric arrangement of two or more coils, which significantly reduces any mutual inductance coupling between the two or more coils. The method involves characterization of two or more coils and compensating for mutual inductance coupling between the characterized two or more coils.

Certain embodiments of the present invention provide a system and method for software configurable electromagnetic tracking. Certain embodiments of the system include a transmitter and / or a receiver for measuring a position in a coordinate system. The system also includes tracker electronics for determining position of the transmitter and / or receiver using information from the transmitter and / or receiver. The tracker electronics are configurable for a plurality of tracking system architectures. The tracker electronics may generate a processing scheme for a tracking system architecture. Additionally, the tracker electronics may simultaneously support a plurality of tracking system architectures. The tracker electronics may be modular, configurable tracker electronics. The tracker electronics may use software to generate support for a plurality of tracking system architectures.

A system and method for instrument identification in an electromagnetic tracking system. The system and method comprising at least one electromagnetic transmitter and receiver assembly; at least one medical device or instrument removably coupled to the at least one electromagnetic transmitter or receiver assembly; and an RFID transponder attached to the medical device or instrument. The RFID transponder is programmed with data including a unique identifier for identifying the medical device or instrument it is attached to. The at least one electromagnetic receiver or transmitter assembly is configured to read data including the unique identifier from the RFID transponder for identifying the medical device or instrument removably coupled to the to the at least one electromagnetic transmitter or receiver assembly.

An RF ablation system has a hollow conductive coaxial cable comprising inner and outer coaxial tubular conductors, and an ablating member mounted at the distal end portion of the cable for delivery of radio frequency energy including microwaves to the target body tissue. The inner conductor has a central lumen and extends at least up to the ablating member. At least one electromagnetic tracking sensor coil with a magnetic core is located in the central lumen at the distal end portion of the cable, close to the distal tip of the cable, and connected to a signal processing unit. An electromagnetic field generator positioned in the vicinity of a patient undergoing treatment generates an electromagnetic field which induces a voltage in the sensor coil. The signal processing unit uses the induced voltage to calculate the position and orientation of the distal end portion or tip of the catheter in a patient's body.

Certain embodiments of the present invention provide a system and method for electromagnetic tracking using a single-coil transmitter. The system includes a single coil transmitter emitting a signal, a receiver receiving a signal from the single coil transmitter, and electronics for processing the signal received by the receiver. The electronics determine a position of the single coil transmitter. The transmitter may be a wireless or wired transmitter. The receiver may be a printed circuit board. In an embodiment, the receiver may be a twelve receiver circuit printed circuit board including single coils and / or pairs of coils. The electronics may determine position, orientation, and / or gain of the transmitter.

This invention is an RFID system and method to determine the physical outer edges or perimeters of athletic objects of play in relationship to the outside edges or perimeters and relevant scoring or rules of play zones contained on an athletic field of play. It contemplates the electro magnetic tracking of objects of play and the adjudication of the rules of play as they relate to professional athletic competitions. This invention is designed as a replacement for, or adjunct to, a video referee or instant replay judge. This invention contemplates embedding an RFID transponder into an object of play and tracking it from interrogator controlled antennas embedded into the boundaries of play. A back end computer host system calibrates the electro magnetic digital data regarding the physical location of the object of play in relationship to its physical location on the field of play which electro magnetic data is interpreted and then displayed on the scoreboard at the field of play. The calibration is made through algorithms programmed into the middleware. This invention contemplates sensors encompassing the objects of play and laser guided interrogation beams to assist in precise measurements of the boundaries of play and relevant scoring or rules of play areas.

In order to increase the accuracy and speed of catheter reconstruction in surgical procedures such as an HDR prostate implant procedure, an automatic tracking system is provided preferably using an electromagnetic tracking device. The system uses a transmitter with a sensor used for catheter position. Due to substantial interference in the electromagnetic field from the surgical table, implant stepper / stabilizer etc, a calibration algorithm using a scattered data interpolation scheme is implemented to correct tracking location errors. The invention includes methods and systems used to carry out the methods.

A system for providing integrated guidance for positioning a needle in a body has two levels of guidance: a coarse guidance and a fine guidance. The system comprises a non-invasive tracking system (400) for tracing the biopsy device (100) in the body, for providing the coarse guidance. Furthermore, the system comprises an optical detector (101′, 102′, 103′) mounted on the needle (100) for obtaining optical information discriminating tissue in the body, for providing the fine guidance.

The present invention provides an electromagnetic tracking system that includes a field generator and a field sensor arranged to generate and detect, respectively, an electromagnetic field. Both the transmitter and receiver coils are connected to signal conditioning and processing circuitry to provide outputs indicative of the coil signals. A processor operates on the signals to determine the coordinates of the sensing assembly relative to the generator assembly. The signal processor produces ratiometric outputs, and applies a mutual inductance model to solve for position / orientation coordinates. In some embodiments, a disturber in the form of a conductive ring or a sheath is disposed about an interfering piece of equipment to moderate and standardize disturbances due to eddy currents.

Disclosed are systems for performing a microwave ablation procedure comprising an ablation probe, an electromagnetic tracking system configured to track the location of the ablation probe inside a patient's body while the ablation probe is navigated inside the patient's body, an ultrasound imager configured to generate real-time ultrasound images, and a computing device configured to display guidance for navigating the ablation probe to at least one ablation target within the patient's body, display the tracked location of the ablation probe on the real-time ultrasound images based on the tracked location of the ablation probe inside the patient's body, iteratively update the displayed location of the ablation probe as the location of the ablation probe is tracked while the ablation probe is navigated inside the patient's body, and display guidance for ablating the at least one target when the ablation probe is navigated proximate to the at least one target.

A system and method for improved ultrasound strain imaging includes using data from a tracking system to enhance the quality of ultrasound strain image and to reduce the dependency of image quality of the user's expertise. The tracking information is synchronized with the RF frames and interpolated to find the transformation corresponding to each frame. The RF frames with their transformations are incorporated into calculation of ultrasound strain images. The tracking system may be an optical tracker, electromagnetic tracker, accelerometer, or a structured light system. The structured light system may also be used for probe calibration, by calibrating the surface of the probe pre-operatively. In addition, a relative Young's Modulus may be calculated using tracking information that is independent from the distribution of input force.

A soft over-the-needle (OTN) catheter that has been treated at a distal end to provide a higher durometer (i.e., harder) surface to facilitate insertion of the catheter into a patient is provided. The catheter preferably comprises a soft flexible tube made of polyurethane and having a hardness in the range of 50A to 90A where the treated distal end has a hardness of above 90A. The OTN catheter may also include an annular abutment shoulder formed at a distance from the distal end of the catheter. An insertion needle also comprises an abutment means, preferably a collar positioned on the exterior of the insertion needle, to abut the abutment shoulder of the catheter. Where the catheter is to be fed significantly into the vascular system, an optional metal ring may be secured within the catheter, adjacent the internal shoulder. When the needle is removed, the metal ring remains in place, permitting electromagnetic tracking of the catheter as it is fed through the vascular system. In an alternative embodiment, rather than chemically treating the distal end of a soft catheter, a discrete segment of hard tubing is press fit into the interior of the distal end of a soft catheter.

A device for use in an image-guided procedure on a patient is disclosed. The device includes an EM sensor assembly, a frame assembly (e.g., a base portion from which a plurality of legs project upward to a common point) and a plurality of attachment members. Each attachment member is arranged to be releasably (e.g., adhesively) secured to the skin of a patient and to be coupled to the frame assembly to secure the frame assembly on the skin of the patient. The EM sensor assembly is arranged to be releasably secured to the frame assembly (e.g., pivotably snap-fit into a socket in the frame assembly). The device additionally includes plural visualizable elements (e.g., metal balls) that are adapted to be readily imaged to establish imaging reference points and a plurality of asymmetrically disposed apertures to enable tattooing indicia on the skin of the patient through the apertures.

An electromagnetic tracking system includes a transmitter assembly having a transmitter coil trio, a receiver assembly having a receiver coil trio, and a single coil mounted on one of the receiver assembly and the transmitter assembly. The single coil is positioned a fixed and known distance away from one of the receiver coil trio and the transmitter coil trio. When the receiver assembly is moved relative to the transmitter assembly, relative motion between at least two of the transmitter coil trio, the receiver coil trio and the single coil is asymmetrical, thereby generating different magnetic fields therebetween. The sensed magnetic field, or mutual inductances, between the transmitter assembly and the receiver assembly is different at each position. Thus, each position within a detectable area of the system is distinguishable.

Provided is an electromagnetic coil arrangement comprising a set of electromagnetic sensors at fixed locations with respect to each other, each of the electromagnetic sensors comprising a planar coil coupled to a conductive layer, the planar coil comprising non-concentric rings. Further, provided is an electromagnetic tracking system, comprising an electromagnetic coil arrangement, at least one complementary electromagnetic sensor and a processor configured to process a signal comprising data indicative of a mutual inductance between the at least one complementary electromagnetic sensor and each of the set of the electromagnetic sensors of the electromagnetic coil arrangement. Also, provided are a method of tracking and a method of manufacturing an electromagnetic coil arrangement.

Certain embodiments of the present invention provide a system and method for electromagnetic tracking using a three-coil wireless transmitter. The electromagnetic tracking system includes an instrument manipulated by a user to perform a task, a wireless transmitter for broadcasting a wireless signal, a receiver assembly for receiving the wireless signal, and electronics for determining positioning information for the instrument based on a relationship between the receiver assembly and the wireless transmitter. In an embodiment, the wireless transmitter includes a wireless transmitter coil trio. In an embodiment, the receiver assembly includes two receiver coil trios.

The invention belongs to the technical field of electromagnetic tracking, and particularly discloses an electromagnetic tracking system and method based on rapid determination of a vector rotation angle of maximum magnetic induction intensity. The electromagnetic tracking system disclosed by the invention consists of a three-axis magnetic-field sensor device, magnetic-field source devices, a controllable constant-current source device and a control processing display device; the controllable constant-current source device stimulates three coils which are wound on a magnetic core made of soft magnetic ferrite material and are mutually orthometric, and the central points of the coils are overlapped, so that one magnetic-field source device is formed; the three-axis magnetic-field sensor device is used for detecting the magnetic induction intensity of the magnetic-field source devices, and the control processing display device can control the controllable constant-current source device to stimulate the coils and can perform positioning calculation according to the magnetic induction intensity detected by the three-axis magnetic-field sensor device. Due to the adoption of the electromagnetic tracking system disclosed by the invention, positioning can be realized by only stimulating the three coils once, the searching process is avoided, the real-time performance is significantly improved, the stability is high, the calculating complexity is low, and the electromagnetic tracking system can be applied to the navigation of minimally invasive surgery and other fields, such as virtual (enhancing) reality, and three-dimension ultrasonic imaging.