OPTICAL FIBER SHAPE SENSING SYSTEMS
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A medical instrument system, comprising:
- an elongate flexible instrument body;
an optical fiber substantially encapsulated in a wall of the instrument body, the optical fiber including one or more Bragg gratings;
a detector operatively coupled to the optical fiber and configured to detect respective light signals reflected by the one or more Bragg gratings; and
a controller operatively coupled to the detector and configured to determine a twist of at least a portion of the instrument body based on an analysis of detected reflected light signals.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A medical instrument system includes an elongate flexible instrument body with an optical fiber substantially encapsulated in a wall of the instrument body, the optical fiber including one or more fiber gratings. A detector is operatively coupled to the optical fiber and configured to detect respective light signals reflected by the one or more fiber gratings. A controller is operatively coupled to the detector, and configured to determine a twist of at least a portion of the instrument body based on detected reflected light signals. The instrument may be a guide catheter and may be robotically or manually controlled.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. A medical instrument system, comprising:
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an elongate flexible instrument body; an optical fiber substantially encapsulated in a wall of the instrument body, the optical fiber including one or more Bragg gratings; a detector operatively coupled to the optical fiber and configured to detect respective light signals reflected by the one or more Bragg gratings; and a controller operatively coupled to the detector and configured to determine a twist of at least a portion of the instrument body based on an analysis of detected reflected light signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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16. A medical instrument system, comprising:
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A flexible elongate instrument body; a plurality of optical fibers substantially encapsulated in a wall of the instrument body, each optical fiber including one or more Bragg gratings; a detector operatively coupled to the respective optical fibers and configured to detect light signals reflected by the respective Bragg gratings; and a controller operatively coupled to the detector and configured to determine a twist of at least a portion of the instrument body based upon an analysis of detected light signals. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. A medical instrument system, comprising:
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a flexible elongate instrument body; a plurality of optical fibers attached to or substantially encapsulated within a wall of the instrument body, each optical fiber including one or more Bragg gratings; a detector operatively coupled to the respective optical fibers and configured to detect light signals reflected by the respective Bragg gratings; and a controller operatively coupled to the detector and configured to determine a twist of at least a portion of the instrument body based on detected light signal reflections from Bragg gratings located in the respective optical fibers, and further based on known physical relationships of the optical fibers and instrument body.
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20. An instrument system, comprising:
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a first elongate body defining an interior lumen and having a distal opening in communication with the lumen; a second elongate body having a bendable distal end portion, the second elongate body at least partially positioned in the lumen of, and movable relative to, the first elongate body; an optical fiber including a plurality of spaced apart Bragg gratings, the optical fiber coupled to the second elongate body such that at least one of the Bragg gratings is located in the bendable distal end portion thereof; a detector operatively coupled to the optical fiber and configured to detect respective light signals reflected by the respective Bragg gratings; and a controller operatively coupled to the detector and configured to determine a length of the distal end portion of the second elongate body extending out of the distal opening of the first elongate body based on detected reflected light signals. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 36, 37)
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24. A medical instrument system, comprising:
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an elongate flexible instrument body; an optical fiber substantially encapsulated in a wall of the instrument body, the optical fiber including a plurality of Bragg gratings unevenly spaced along the optical fiber; a detector operatively coupled to the optical fiber and configured to detect respective light signals reflected by the Bragg gratings; and a controller operatively coupled to the detector and configured to determine one or both of a bending and a twist of at least a portion of the instrument body based upon an analysis of detected reflected light signals from the unevenly spaced gratings.
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25. An instrument system, comprising:
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an elongate body; an optical fiber coupled to the elongate body, the optical fiber including one or more Bragg gratings; a localization sensor coupled to the elongate body; a detector operatively coupled to the optical fiber and configured to detect respective light signals reflected by the one or more Bragg gratings; and a controller operatively coupled to the detector and configured to determine a bending, a twist, or both, of at least a portion of the elongate body based on detected reflected light signals and on a relative position of the localization sensor. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28)
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29. An instrument system, comprising:
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an elongate body having a longitudinal axis; an optical fiber coupled to the elongate body, the optical fiber including one or more Bragg gratings; a detector operatively coupled to the optical fiber and configured to detect light signals reflected by the respective Bragg gratings; and a controller operatively coupled to the detector and configured to determine a bending of at least a portion of the elongate body based on detected reflected light signals, wherein the optical fiber is coupled to the elongate body in a manner such that twisting of the elongate body about its longitudinal axis does not cause a corresponding twisting of the optical fiber. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31)
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38. A method of measuring twist of an elongate flexible medical instrument, the instrument having an optical fiber grating sensor coupled thereto such that a longitudinal axis of at least a portion of the optical fiber is substantially orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the instrument, the method comprising:
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detecting, with a detector operatively coupled to the optical fiber grating sensor, light signals reflected by respective fiber gratings in the portion of the optical fiber that is substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the instrument; and analyzing the light signals to determine a twist of at least a portion of the instrument body. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40)
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Specification