Methods and systems for directing movement of a tool in hair transplantation procedures
First Claim
1. A method of selecting a follicular unit harvesting or implanting site, the method comprising:
- processing at least one image of a body surface containing follicular units, using at least one processing unit, to identify multiple rows;
determining, using the at least one processing unit or at least one different processing unit, whether a number of harvested or implanted follicular units in a first row is within a range of a desired number of harvested or implanted follicular units for the first row;
automatically suggesting a direction of movement of a tool for harvesting or implantation follicular units based on the results of the determining step as follows;
a) if the number of harvested or implanted follicular units in the first row is within the range of the desired number of harvested or implanted follicular units for the first row, indicating movement of the tool to a subsequent row; and
b) if the number of harvested or implanted follicular units in the first row is less than a lower threshold value of the range of the desired number of harvested or implanted follicular units for the first row, indicating continuance of harvesting or implanting the at least one additional follicular unit in the first row.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and systems are provided useful in various procedures, including hair harvesting and implantation, and further including computer-implemented and/or robotic hair transplantation. Methodologies are provided which enable selection of follicular unit harvesting or implanting sites within the same row in a direction of travel of the tool, or by incrementing to another row. In various cases, such selection may be made using a lowest and closest method, overlap-based methods, position-based methods, pattern-based methods, and/or a combination of these methods. In various combinations of the methods, the output selection from one of the methods may be used as an input for one of the other methods.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of selecting a follicular unit harvesting or implanting site, the method comprising:
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processing at least one image of a body surface containing follicular units, using at least one processing unit, to identify multiple rows; determining, using the at least one processing unit or at least one different processing unit, whether a number of harvested or implanted follicular units in a first row is within a range of a desired number of harvested or implanted follicular units for the first row; automatically suggesting a direction of movement of a tool for harvesting or implantation follicular units based on the results of the determining step as follows; a) if the number of harvested or implanted follicular units in the first row is within the range of the desired number of harvested or implanted follicular units for the first row, indicating movement of the tool to a subsequent row; and b) if the number of harvested or implanted follicular units in the first row is less than a lower threshold value of the range of the desired number of harvested or implanted follicular units for the first row, indicating continuance of harvesting or implanting the at least one additional follicular unit in the first row. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A system for selecting a follicular unit harvesting or implanting site, the system comprising:
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at least one non-transitory storage medium storing instructions, and at least one processor that executes instructions for; processing at least one image of a body surface containing follicular units to identify multiple rows; determining whether a number of harvested or implanted follicular units in a first row is within a range of a desired number of harvested or implanted follicular units for the first row; suggesting a direction of the movement of a tool for harvesting or implantation follicular units based on the results of the determining step as follows; a) if the number of harvested or implanted follicular units in the first row is within the range of the desired number of harvested or implanted follicular units for the first row, indicating movement of the tool to a subsequent row; and b) if the number of harvested or implanted follicular units in the first row is less than a lower threshold value of the range of the desired number of harvested or implanted follicular units for the first row, indicating continuance of harvesting or implanting the at least one additional follicular unit in the first row. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification