MEDICAL APPARATUS SYSTEM HAVING OPTICAL FIBER LOAD SENSING CAPABILITY
First Claim
1. Apparatus for diagnosis or treatment of a vessel or organ, the apparatus comprising:
- an elongated body having proximal and distal ends and a distal extremity, the distal extremity comprising a deformable material;
three optical fibers extending through the elongated body and affixed within the distal extremity so that the optical fibers are not co-planar;
each of the three optical fibers being coupled with at least one optical strain sensor disposed within the distal extremity; and
a storage device associated with the elongated body, the storage device containing a force-strain conversion matrix that enables computation of a three-dimensional force vector corresponding to a contact force between the distal extremity and a tissue wall of the organ or vessel.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus is provided for diagnosing or treating an organ or vessel, wherein a device having at least two optical fiber sensors disposed in a distal extremity thereof is coupled to processing logic programmed to compute a multi-dimensional force vector responsive to detected changes in the optical characteristics of the optical fiber sensors arising from deflection of the distal extremity resulting from contact with the tissue of the wall of the organ or vessel. The force vector may be used to facilitate manipulation of the catheter either directly or automatically using a robotic system.
55 Citations
15 Claims
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1. Apparatus for diagnosis or treatment of a vessel or organ, the apparatus comprising:
an elongated body having proximal and distal ends and a distal extremity, the distal extremity comprising a deformable material;
three optical fibers extending through the elongated body and affixed within the distal extremity so that the optical fibers are not co-planar;
each of the three optical fibers being coupled with at least one optical strain sensor disposed within the distal extremity; and
a storage device associated with the elongated body, the storage device containing a force-strain conversion matrix that enables computation of a three-dimensional force vector corresponding to a contact force between the distal extremity and a tissue wall of the organ or vessel.- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
Specification