507 results about "Tip position" patented technology

A staple cartridge is provided for retaining fully formed staples not clenched through body tissue. The staple cartridge generally includes staple pockets containing surgical staples having a backspan and first and second legs projecting from the backspan and staple pushers positioned within the staple pockets beneath the surgical staples. The staple pushers include body portions having first and second flexible fingers extending from the body portions and removably engagable with the backspan of the surgical staples. The flexible fingers include flexible stems extending from the body portions and head portions extending from the flexible stems. Each head portion includes a rounded distal tip positioned offset from and outward of a central axis of the stem and an inwardly projecting grasping portion for engaging the backspan of the surgical staple. Distal ends of sidewalls of the staple pockets are flared outwardly to accommodate movement of the head portions of the flexible fingers.

A medical device having enhanced ultrasonic visibility is provided. The device permits localized drug delivery, probe positioning, fluid drainage, biopsy, or ultrasound pulse delivery, through the real-time ultrasound monitoring of the needle tip position within a patient. The device permits controlled dispersion of a drug into solid tissue, the lodging of particles into solid tissue, and drug delivery into specific blood vessels. As a needle is inserted, a fluid that contrasts echogenically with the organ environment is injected into the patient. The fluid travels a brief distance before being slowed and stopped by the patient's tissue and this fluid flow will be detectable by ultrasound. The needle position during insertion will be monitored using ultrasound until it is at the desired point of action. A therapeutic drug is then delivered or a probe inserted

A Catheter Guidance Control and Imaging (CGCI) system whereby a magnetic tip attached to a surgical tool is detected, displayed and influenced positionally so as to allow diagnostic and therapeutic procedures to be performed is described. The tools that can be so equipped include catheters, guidewires, and secondary tools such as lasers and balloons. The magnetic tip performs two functions. First, it allows the position and orientation of the tip to be determined by using a radar system such as, for example, a radar range finder or radar imaging system. Incorporating the radar system allows the CGCI apparatus to detect accurately the position, orientation and rotation of the surgical tool embedded in a patient during surgery. In one embodiment, the image generated by the radar is displayed with the operating room imagery equipment such as, for example, X-ray, Fluoroscopy, Ultrasound, MRI, CAT-Scan, PET-Scan, etc. In one embodiment, the image is synchronized with the aid of fiduciary markers located by a 6-Degrees of Freedom (6-DOF) sensor. The CGCI apparatus combined with the radar and the 6-DOF sensor allows the tool tip to be pulled, pushed, turned, and forcefully held in the desired position by applying an appropriate magnetic field external to the patient's body. A virtual representation of the magnetic tip serves as an operator control. This control possesses a one-to-one positional relationship with the magnetic tip inside the patient's body. Additionally, this control provides tactile feedback to the operator's hands in the appropriate axis or axes if the magnetic tip encounters an obstacle. The output of this control combined with the magnetic tip position and orientation feedback allows a servo system to control the external magnetic field.

A Catheter Guidance Control and Imaging (CGCI) system whereby a magnetic tip attached to a surgical tool is detected, displayed and influenced positionally so as to allow diagnostic and therapeutic procedures to be performed is described. The tools that can be so equipped include catheters, guidewires, and secondary tools such as lasers and balloons. The magnetic tip performs two functions. First, it allows the position and orientation of the tip to be determined by using a radar system such as, for example, a radar range finder or radar imaging system. Incorporating the radar system allows the CGCI apparatus to detect accurately the position, orientation and rotation of the surgical tool embedded in a patient during surgery. In one embodiment, the image generated by the radar is displayed with the operating room imagery equipment such as, for example, X-ray, Fluoroscopy, Ultrasound, MRI, CAT-Scan, PET-Scan, etc. In one embodiment, the image is synchronized with the aid of fiduciary markers located by a 6-Degrees of Freedom (6-DOF) sensor. The CGCI apparatus combined with the radar and the 6-DOF sensor allows the tool tip to be pulled, pushed, turned, and forcefully held in the desired position by applying an appropriate magnetic field external to the patient's body. A virtual representation of the magnetic tip serves as an operator control. This control possesses a one-to-one positional relationship with the magnetic tip inside the patient's body. Additionally, this control provides tactile feedback to the operator's hands in the appropriate axis or axes if the magnetic tip encounters an obstacle. The output of this control combined with the magnetic tip position and orientation feedback allows a servo system to control the external magnetic field.

A staple cartridge is provided for retaining fully formed staples not clenched through body tissue. The staple cartridge generally includes staple pockets containing surgical staples having a backspan and first and second legs projecting from the backspan and staple pushers positioned within the staple pockets beneath the surgical staples. The staple pushers include body portions having first and second flexible fingers extending from the body portions and removably engagable with the backspan of the surgical staples. The flexible fingers include flexible stems extending from the body portions and head portions extending from the flexible stems. Each head portion includes a rounded distal tip positioned offset from and outward of a central axis of the stem and an inwardly projecting grasping portion for engaging the backspan of the surgical staple. Distal ends of sidewalls of the staple pockets are flared outwardly to accommodate movement of the head portions of the flexible fingers.

A system for measuring the position of a hand-held tool relative to a body in six degrees of freedom employs a camera attached via a mechanical linkage to the tool so that the camera moves together with the proximal portion of the tool and has a field of view including the distal end of the tool. A processing system processes images from the camera to determine a position of at least part of the tool. By employing optically identifiable fiducial reference points defined on the external surface of the body, a projection of the tool tip position onto a plane containing the target can be derived and displayed together with the target position, thereby facilitating guiding the tool to the target.

A system whereby a magnetic tip attached to a surgical tool is detected, displayed and positioned. A Virtual Tip serves as an operator control. Movement of the operator control produces corresponding movement of the magnetic tip inside the patient's body. Additionally, the control provides tactile feedback to the operator's hand in the appropriate axis or axes if the magnetic tip encounters an obstacle. The output of the control combined with the magnetic tip position and orientation feedback allows a servo system to control the external magnetic field by pulse width modulating the positioning electromagnet. Data concerning the dynamic position of a moving body part such as a beating heart offsets the servo systems response in such a way that the magnetic tip, and hence the secondary tool is caused to move in unison with the moving body part.

A system whereby a magnetic tip attached to a surgical tool is detected, displayed and influenced positionally so as to allow diagnostic and therapeutic procedures to be performed rapidly, accurately, simply, and intuitively is described. The tools that can be so equipped include catheters, guidewires, and secondary tools such as lasers and balloons, in addition biopsy needles, endoscopy probes, and similar devices. The magnetic tip allows the position and orientation of the tip to be determined without the use of x-rays by analyzing a magnetic field. The magnetic tip further allows the tool tip to be pulled, pushed, turned, and forcefully held in the desired position by applying an appropriate magnetic field external to the patient's body. A Virtual Tip serves as an operator control. Movement of the operator control produces corresponding movement of the magnetic tip inside the patient's body. Additionally, the control provides tactile feedback to the operator's hand in the appropriate axis or axes if the magnetic tip encounters an obstacle. The output of the control combined with the magnetic tip position and orientation feedback allows a servo system to control the external magnetic field by pulse width modulating the positioning electromagnet. Data concerning the dynamic position of a moving body part such as a beating heart offsets the servo systems response in such a way that the magnetic tip, and hence the secondary tool is caused to move in unison with the moving body part. The tip position and orientation information and the dynamic body part position information are also utilized to provide a display that allows three dimensional viewing of the magnetic tip position and orientation relative to the body part.

A system whereby a magnetic tip attached to a surgical tool is detected, displayed and influenced positionally so as to allow diagnostic and therapeutic procedures to be performed rapidly, accurately, simply, and intuitively is described. The tools that can be so equipped include catheters, guidewires, and secondary tools such as lasers and balloons, in addition biopsy needles, endoscopy probes, and similar devices. The magnetic tip allows the position and orientation of the tip to be determined without the use of x-rays by analyzing a magnetic field. The magnetic tip further allows the tool tip to be pulled, pushed, turned, and forcefully held in the desired position by applying an appropriate magnetic field external to the patient's body. A Virtual Tip serves as an operator control. Movement of the operator control produces corresponding movement of the magnetic tip inside the patient's body. Additionally, the control provides tactile feedback to the operator's hand in the appropriate axis or axes if the magnetic tip encounters an obstacle. The output of the control combined with the magnetic tip position and orientation feedback allows a servo system to control the external magnetic field by pulse width modulating the positioning electromagnet. Data concerning the dynamic position of a moving body part such as a beating heart offsets the servo systems response in such a way that the magnetic tip, and hence the secondary tool is caused to move in unison with the moving body part. The tip position and orientation information and the dynamic body part position information are also utilized to provide a display that allows three dimensional viewing of the magnetic tip position and orientation relative to the body part.

A stylus for use with a digitizer sensor includes a housing confined by a first and second end, a primary tip positioned at the first end of the housing and associated with a first transmitting element, the first transmitting element having a first diameter, a secondary tip positioned at the second end of the housing and associated with a second transmitting element, the second transmitting element having a second diameter that is larger than the first diameter, a transmitting unit for transmitting a first signal with a first amplitude via the first transmitting element and for transmitting a second signal with a second amplitude via the second transmitting element, wherein the first amplitude is at least twice the second amplitude and a powering unit for powering transmission of the first and second signal.

An electronic component is disclosed, having a plurality of microelectronic spring contacts mounted to a planar face of the component. Each of the microelectronic spring contacts has a contoured beam, which may be formed of an integral layer of resilient material deposited over a contoured sacrificial substrate, and comprises a base mounted to the planar face of the component, a beam connected to the base at a first end of the beam, and a tip positioned at a free end of the beam opposite to the base. The beam has an unsupported span between its free end and its base. The microelectronic spring contacts are advantageously formed by depositing a resilient material over a molded, sacrificial substrate. The spring contacts may be provided with various innovative contoured shapes. In various embodiments of the invention, the electronic component comprises a semiconductor die, a semiconductor wafer, a LGA socket, an interposer, or a test head assembly.

Portable microwave plasma systems including supply lines for providing microwaves and gas flow are disclosed. The supply line includes at least one gas line or conduit and a microwave coaxial cable. A portable microwave plasma system includes a microwave source, a waveguide-to-coax adapter and a waveguide that interconnects the microwave source with the waveguide-to-coax adapter, a portable discharge unit and the supply line. The portable discharge unit includes a gas flow tube coupled to the supply line to receive gas flow and a rod-shaped conductor that is axially disposed in the gas flow tube and has an end configured to receive microwaves from the microwave coaxial cable and a tapered tip positioned adjacent the outlet portion of the gas flow tube. The tapered tip is configured to focus microwave traveling through the rod-shaped conductor and generate plasma from the gas flow.

A single use lancet assembly having a housing, with an open interior and a piercing aperture defined therein, a lancet, with a body and a piercing tip positioned in the open interior of the housing and movable between a cocked orientation and a piercing orientation, a driving assembly structured to move the lancet into the piercing orientation, and a single use trigger assembly structured to actuate an actuating mechanism thereby allowing the lancet to move, at least temporarily, from its cocked orientation to its piercing orientation. The single use trigger assembly is structured such that it may not be positioned to actuate the actuating mechanism more than one time, thereby preventing inadvertent or intentional re-use of a contaminated piercing tip.

A computer-based method for positioning an endovascular device in or near the heart using electrocardiogram (ECG) signals is provided. The computer-based method includes receiving an endovascular ECG signal, associated with an endovascular device, including a plurality of waveforms, each waveform having at least a P-wave component, processing the endovascular ECG signal, over a plurality of predetermined time periods, to calculate a P-wave amplitude and a spectral power for each predetermined time period, determining a maximum P-wave amplitude from the plurality of P-wave amplitudes, and an associated maximum spectral power from the plurality of spectral powers, associating the maximum P-wave amplitude and the maximum spectral power with a predetermined location in or near the heart, calculating a location of the endovascular device, for each predetermined time period, based on a ratio of the P-wave amplitude to the maximum P-wave amplitude and a ratio of the spectral power to the maximum spectral power, and displaying the location of the endovascular device to a user.

A method and apparatus for detecting position and orientation of catheter distal magnetic element end while moving in a patient's heart is described. The apparatus includes magnetic sensors for to detect the magnetic field of a generated by the catheter tip. Each sensor transmits the field magnitude and direction to a detection unit, which filters the signals and removes other field sources, such as generated by CGCI coils and external medical hardware. The method allows the measurements of magnitude corresponding to the catheter tip distance from the sensor and the orientation of the field showing the magnetic tip orientation. Since the tip's magnetic field is not necessarily symmetric, the position and orientation computation technique are not independent of each other. Hence, an iterative calculation is used to converge to a solution. The method of determining tip position is calculated by triangulation from each sensor. In one embodiment, the tip orientation is calculated by an intersecting-planes algorithm. The orientation is used to adjust the distances from each sensor, and the process is repeated until convergence for both position and orientation is achieved. The resultant value provides the actual catheter tip position and orientation (AP). The actual position is further filtered by synchronizing the AP measurements with the QRS signal of the heart, allowing the operator and CGCI controller to view the organ as a static object.

A single use lancet assembly having a housing, with an open interior and a piercing aperture defined therein, a lancet, with a body and a piercing tip positioned in the open interior of the housing and movable between a cocked orientation and a piercing orientation, a driving assembly structured to move the lancet into the piercing orientation, and a single use trigger assembly structured to actuate an actuating mechanism thereby allowing the lancet to move, at least temporarily, from its cocked orientation to its piercing orientation. The single use trigger assembly is structured such that it may not be positioned to actuate the actuating mechanism more than one time, thereby preventing inadvertent or intentional re-use of a contaminated piercing tip.

An improved system and method for macroscopic and microscopic surgical navigation and visualization are presented. In exemplary embodiments of the present invention an integrated system can include a computer which has stored three dimensional representations of a patient's internal anatomy, a display, a probe and an operation microscope. In exemplary embodiments of the present invention reference markers can be attached to the probe and the microscope, and the system can also include a tracking system which can track the 3D position and orientation of each of the probe and microscope. In exemplary embodiments of the present invention a system can include means for detecting changes in the imaging parameters of the microscope, such as, for example, magnification and focus, which occur as a result of user adjustment and operation of the microscope. The microscope can have, for example, a focal point position relative to the markers attached to the microscope and can, for example, be calibrated in the full range of microscope focus. In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the position of the microscope can be obtained from the tracking data regarding the microscope and the focus can be obtained from, for example, a sensor integrated with the microscope. Additionally, a tip position of the probe can also be obtained from the tracking data of the reference markers on the probe, and means can be provided for registration of virtual representations of patient anatomical data with real images from one or more cameras on each of the probe and the microscope. In exemplary embodiments of the present invention visualization and navigation can be provided by each of the microscope and the probe, and when both are active the system can intelligently display a microscopic or a macroscopic (probe based) augmented image according to defined rules.

A disclosed method comprises scanning a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag on a package to generate scanned data, and generating a handling instruction for the package based on the scanned data. The handling instruction can be executed to route the package to a tip position within a hub facility for directing the package to the next location along its route, and / or to pre-load the package in a vehicle for delivery to the package's final destination. Related systems and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

A device (1) for data entry into an electronic device such as a computer, personal digital assistant (PDA) or mobile phone is provided, comprising thumb and finger touch pads (5,3), arranged on the device in a pattern corresponding to the natural thumb and finger tip positions of the thumb and fingers when relaxed; each finger pad (3) extending in backward and forward directions; the thumb pad (5) extending in left and right directions; position detecting means to detect the position of the thumb and each finger tip along each of the thumb and finger pads (5,3); finger data selection means to select for each finger a character or instruction corresponding to the detected position of a finger tip when in contact with a finger pad (3); thumb option selection means to select an option corresponding to the detected position of the thumb when in contact with the thumb pad (5); selection display means to display the character or instruction selected on each finger pad (3) according to the option selected on the thumb pad (5); and data entry detecting means to detect lifting of a finger from a finger pad (3) and enter a character or instruction into the electronic device based on the character or instruction selected on the finger pad (3) for which lifting is detected and based on the option selected on the thumb pad (5). Instead of touch pads, pressure cups can be used.

An electromagnetic needle tracking system includes a needle assembly, a calibration system and a computing system. The needle assembly includes a needle stylet and a sensor assembly. The sensor assembly includes a sensor that measures position and angular orientation data when placed within an electromagnetic field. The calibration system measures the sensor's position and angular orientation for a known needle tip position and angular orientation within a calibration fixture and calculates a position offset and an angular orientation offset of the sensor relative to the needle tip position and angular orientation. The computing system computes position and angular orientation data of the needle tip by adding the sensor position offset and angular orientation offset to the measured position and angular orientation data, respectively.

A system for measuring the position of a hand-held tool relative to a body in six degrees of freedom employs a camera attached via a mechanical linkage to the tool so that the camera moves together with the proximal portion of the tool and has a field of view including the distal end of the tool. A processing system processes images from the camera to determine a position of at least part of the tool. By employing optically identifiable fiducial reference points defined on the external surface of the body, a projection of the tool tip position onto a plane containing the target can be derived and displayed together with the target position, thereby facilitating guiding the tool to the target.

A harmonic cantilever for use in a tapping-mode atomic force microscope includes a cantilever arm and a probe tip. The cantilever arm has a shape selected to tune the fundamental resonance frequency or a resonance frequency of a selected higher order mode so that the fundamental and higher-order resonance frequencies have an integer ratio or near integer ratio. In one embodiment, the cantilever arm can be shaped to tune the fundamental resonance frequency. Alternately, the cantilever arm can include a geometric feature for tuning the resonance frequency of the fundamental mode or the selected higher order mode. An imaging method using the harmonic cantilever is disclosed whereby signals at the higher harmonics are measured to determine the material properties of a sample. In other embodiment, a cantilever includes a probe tip positioned at a location of minimum displacement of unwanted harmonics for suppressing signals associated with the unwanted harmonics.

The adaptation of a regular pocket size computer for use by a visually impaired person is provided. A framework is firstly provided for building adapted applications, having adapted input and output services, a system resources library including tools for interacting with these adapted services and an adaptation library. A tactile keyboard is further provided to allow data entry through the screen interface of the computer. The tactile keyboard includes a membrane having raised keys on one side and corresponding screen activating tips on the other. Means for mounting the keyboard above the computer with the screen activating tips positioned in contact less alignment with the corresponding selected areas of the screen interface are also provided.

An ultrasound imaging diagnosis apparatus and a method for supporting safe and exact puncturing operation into a target region in a living body of a patient are provided. In the ultrasound imaging diagnosis apparatus, a regions setting unit sets a target tumor region for puncturing and blood vessel regions and organ region that are located near the tumor region based on the volume data acquired by 3-D scans on the object. To avoid insertions into the blood vessel regions and organ region, a puncturing needle position detecting unit detects the tip position and the inserting direction of the puncturing needle at just before and during insertion into the object. An expected inserting position calculating unit calculates an expected inserting position and an insertion error region to the tumor region based on the tip position data, inserting direction data and characteristic data of the puncturing needle. A puncturing navigation data generating unit generates a puncturing navigation data by composing the tumor region data, the organ region and blood vessel regions data, and the data relating to the expected inserting position and the insertion error region.

A data storage medium from which information is reproduced by scanning a surface of the medium with a probe-based tip, such as an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) tip positioned in contact therewith. The medium comprises a substrate; and a polymer recording surface within which data bit values are determined by the topographical state at the bit location. The polymer contains thermally reversible crosslinkages. The data bit value is a function of the depth of the pit at the bit location.

An optical coupling assembly for coupling light from an optical fiber including an angled tip into a planar waveguide via a waveguide coupling element is provided. In one embodiment, the optical fiber extends along the planar waveguide with the angled tip positioned such that light propagating in the optical fiber is coupled by the waveguide coupling element to propagate in the planar waveguide in counter propagation with respect to a fiber propagation direction. In another embodiment, the optical fiber includes a tapered peripheral portion tapering toward the angled tip and is disposed over the planar waveguide with the tapered peripheral portion extending therealong such that light propagating in the optical fiber is coupled to propagate in the planar waveguide with either forward or counter propagation. Embodiments of the present invention may be part of various photonic integrated circuits and may be manufactured more easily than known optical coupling assemblies.