POSITION DETECTION SYSTEM

• US 20090295386A1
• Filed: 10/06/2006
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Uchiyama, Akio, Kimura, Atsushi, Sato, Ryoji
• Granted Patent: US 8,164,334 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/309
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00158 using magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/732 arranged around the patient, e.g. in a gantry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/73 Manipulators for magnetic surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/062 using magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7257 using Fourier transforms

Abstract

A position detection system that does not require calibration measurement to be performed in advance and reduces the work required for detecting a position and so on is provided. The provided position detection system includes a device having a magnetic inductance coil; a drive coil that has a position-calculating frequency near a resonant frequency of the magnetic inductance coil and generates an alternating magnetic field which acts on the magnetic inductance coil; a plurality of magnetic-field sensors that is disposed outside the operating range of the device and detects an induced magnetic field generated by the magnetic inductance coil; amplitude-component detection section for detecting amplitude components whose phase is substantially orthogonal to the alternating magnetic field from the outputs of the magnetic sensors acquired by the plurality of magnetic sensors; and position analyzing section for calculating at least one of a position and an orientation of the device on the basis of the amplitude components.

Claims

1. A position detection system comprising:

a device having a magnetic inductance coil;

a drive coil configured to generate an alternating magnetic field;

a plurality of magnetic-field sensors disposed outside an operating range of the device and configured to detect an induced magnetic field generated by the magnetic inductance coil, which receives the alternating magnetic field;

a frequency determining section configured to determine a position-calculating frequency on the basis of a resonant frequency of the magnetic inductance coil;

amplitude-component detection section for detecting at least one of amplitude components substantially orthogonal to the alternating magnetic field and amplitude components having substantially the same phase as the alternating magnetic field from outputs of the plurality of magnetic-field sensors at the position-calculating frequency; and

position analyzing section for calculating at least one of a position and an orientation of the device on the basis of the amplitude components.

2. The position detection system according to claim 1, wherein the frequency determining section determines the position-calculating frequency by acquiring information about the resonant frequency in advance.

3. The position detection system according to claim 1, wherein the frequency determining section detects a change in the resonant frequency and determines the position-calculating frequency on the basis of the change.

4. The position detection system according to claim 1, wherein, when the amplitude-component detection section uses Fourier transformation to repeatedly calculate at least one of the position and the orientation of the device on the basis of the detected amplitude components, the amplitude-component detection section performs Fourier transformation while assuming that the difference between the timing of starting Fourier transformation and the phase of the alternating magnetic field generated by the drive coil is constant.

5. The position detection system according to claim 1, wherein the drive coil and the magnetic-field sensors are provided as separate bodies.

6. The position detection system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of magnetic-field sensors is provided as a single body.

7. The position detection system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a drive-coil driver configured to change at least one of the direction and the intensity of the alternating magnetic field generated at the drive coil in accordance with the relative position of the drive coil and the magnetic inductance coil.

8. The position detection system according to claim 1, wherein the drive coil and the magnetic-field sensors are attached to a subject disposed in the operating range.

9. The position detection system according to claim 1, wherein, when a plurality of the devices is used simultaneously, the magnetic inductance coils installed in the devices are set to different resonant frequencies.

10. A guidance system comprising:

a position detection system according to claim 1;

a guidance magnet installed in the device;

guidance-magnetic-field generating section for generating a guidance magnetic field that acts on the guidance magnet; and

guidance-magnetic-field-direction control section for controlling the direction of the guidance magnetic field.

11. The guidance system according to claim 10,

wherein the guidance-magnetic-field generating section includes three pairs of electromagnets that are disposed facing each other in an orthogonally intersecting manner,

wherein a space where the subject lies is provided on the inner side of the electromagnets, and

wherein the drive coil and the magnetic-field sensors are disposed around the space where the subject lies.

12. The guidance system according to claim 10, wherein a helical part configured to convert a rotational force around the longitudinal axis of the device to a propulsive force along the longitudinal axis is provided on an outer surface of the device.

13. The guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the device comprises a capsule medical device.

14. A position detection system comprising:

a device having a magnetic inductance coil;

a drive coil configured to generate an alternating magnetic field;

a plurality of magnetic-field sensors configured to detect an induced magnetic field generated by the magnetic inductance coil, which receives the alternating magnetic field;

a frequency determining section configured to determine a position-calculating frequency on the basis of a resonant frequency of the magnetic inductance coil;

measurement-reference-value calculating section for determining a measurement reference value at the position-calculating frequency on the basis of outputs from the magnetic-field sensors output when the alternating magnetic field and the induced magnetic field are applied at a second frequency away from the position-calculating frequency; and

position analyzing section for calculating at least one of a position and an orientation of the device on the basis of a difference between the outputs from the magnetic-field sensors output when the alternating magnetic field and the induced magnetic field are applied at the position-calculating frequency and the measurement reference value.

15. The position detection system according to claim 14, wherein the position-calculating frequency is two different frequencies.

16. The position detection system according to claim 14, wherein the frequency determining section determines the position-calculating frequency by acquiring information about the resonant frequency of the magnetic inductance coil in advance.

17. The position detection system according to claim 14, wherein the frequency determining section detects a change in the resonant frequency of the magnetic inductance coil and determines the position-calculating frequency on the basis of the change.

18. The position detection system according to claim 14, wherein the drive coil and the magnetic-field sensors are provided as separate bodies.

19. The position detection system according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of magnetic-field sensors is provided as a single body.

20. The position detection system according to claim 14, wherein, when a plurality of the devices is used simultaneously, the magnetic inductance coils installed in the devices are set to different resonant frequencies.

21. The position detection system according to claim 14, wherein the device comprises a capsule medical device.