Electric Motor Tracking System and Method

• US 20090069671A1
• Filed: 09/10/2007
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Anderson, Peter Traneus
• Application Number:
  US11/852,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20090069671A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/06 Devices, other than using radiation, for detecting or locating foreign bodies for removing same A61B17/50 ; determining position of probes within or on the body of the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/062 using magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4245 involving determining the position of the probe, e.g. with respect to an external reference frame or to the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/445 Details of catheter construction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4461 Features of the scanning mechanism, e.g. for moving the transducer within the housing of the probe

Abstract

Provided is a tracking system, including a motor coupled to a medical instrument and configured to generate at least one magnetic field, and at least one receiver coil configured to sense the magnetic field. Also provided is a method of tracking, including rotating a rotor of a motor, wherein the rotor comprises a permanent magnet that generates a rotating magnetic field when the rotor is rotated, sensing the rotating magnetic field with at least one receiver, transmitting to a processor a signal indicative of the rotating magnetic field, and processing the signal to determine a position of the motor. Further provided is a method of tracking, comprising energizing a stator coil of a motor to generate at least one magnetic field, sensing the at least one magnetic field with at least one receiver, transmitting to a processor a signal indicative of the at least one magnetic field, and processing the signal to determine a position of the motor.

Claims

1. A tracking system, comprising:

a motor coupled to a medical instrument and configured to generate at least one magnetic field; and

at least one receiver coil configured to sense the magnetic field.

2. The tracking system of claim 1, comprising a drive unit configured to drive a high frequency current across at least one stator coil of the motor to generate the at least one magnetic field.

3. The tracking system of claim 1, wherein the motor comprises a permanent magnet rotor.

4. The tracking system of claim 3, wherein permanent magnet rotor comprises an approximately dipole magnetic field.

5. The tracking system of claim 3, wherein rotating the permanent magnet rotor generates a rotating dipole magnetic field.

6. The tracking system of claim 1, wherein the motor comprises a three-phase synchronous motor.

7. The tracking system of claim 1, comprising a plurality of the at least one receiver coils.

8. The tracking system of claim 1, comprising a processor configured to determine a position of the motor based on the magnetic field.

9. A method of tracking, comprising:

rotating a rotor of a motor, wherein the rotor comprises a permanent magnet that generates a rotating magnetic field when the rotor is rotated;

sensing the rotating magnetic field with at least one receiver;

transmitting to a processor a signal indicative of the rotating magnetic field; and

processing the signal to determine a position of the motor.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising tracking the position of the motor based on the determined position.

11. The method of claim 9, comprising displaying an image indicative of the position of the motor.

12. The method of claim 9, comprising disposing a catheter internal to a patient, wherein the catheter is coupled to the motor.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising tracking the position of the catheter based on the position of the motor.

14. The method of claim 9, comprising imaging an internal region of a patient.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising associating an image of the internal region to an image location based on the determined position of the motor.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising acquiring a plurality of the images and combining the plurality of the images into a single combined image based on the image locations.

17. A method of tracking, comprising:

energizing a stator coil of a motor to generate at least one magnetic field;

sensing the at least one magnetic field with at least one receiver;

transmitting to a processor a signal indicative of the at least one magnetic field; and

processing the signal to determine a position of the motor.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein energizing the stator coil comprises providing three-phase power to each stator of the motor.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein energizing the stator coil comprises inducing a high frequency current across at least one stator of the motor.

20. The method of claim 17, comprising tracking the position of the motor based on the determined position.

21. The method of claim 17, comprising displaying an image indicative of the position of the motor.

22. The method of claim 17, comprising disposing a catheter internal to a patient, wherein the catheter is coupled to the motor.

23. The method of claim 22, comprising tracking the position of the catheter based on the position of the motor.

24. The method of claim 17, comprising imaging an internal region of a patient.

25. The method of claim 24, comprising associating an image of the internal region to an image position based on the determined position of the motor.