Method and system for navigating a catheter probe
First Claim
1. A method of determining the location of a magnetically-sensitive, electrically conductive sensing coil affixed to a distal end of a catheter probe partially inserted into a body cavity within a navigational domain, comprising the steps of:
- inducing within said sensing coil a set of orientation signal values each representative of an orientation of said sensing coil and independent of a position of said sensing coil;
determining the orientation of said sensing coil using said induced orientation signal values;
inducing within said sensing coil a set of positional signal values each representative of the position of said sensing coil; and
determining the position of said sensing coil using said positional signal values and said determined orientation.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for navigating a catheter probe through a body cavity includes a sensing coil affixed to a distal end of the probe. Magnetic fields are projected into the body cavity to induce voltage signals in the sensing coil that are sufficient to describe the orientation and position of the probe. A set of magnetic coils each generates a substantially uniform field in a single respective dimension. The orientation angles of the sensing coil may be determined from known values of the unidirectional fields and the measured induced voltage signals. Gradient magnetic fields with components in two dimensions are projected into the body cavity to induce another group of voltage signals. The geometrical intersection of constant voltage surfaces developed by certain gradient fields that produce the measured induced voltage signals is a set of lines on which the catheter is located. The point of intersection of such lines yields the positional coordinates.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method of determining the location of a magnetically-sensitive, electrically conductive sensing coil affixed to a distal end of a catheter probe partially inserted into a body cavity within a navigational domain, comprising the steps of:
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inducing within said sensing coil a set of orientation signal values each representative of an orientation of said sensing coil and independent of a position of said sensing coil; determining the orientation of said sensing coil using said induced orientation signal values; inducing within said sensing coil a set of positional signal values each representative of the position of said sensing coil; and determining the position of said sensing coil using said positional signal values and said determined orientation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A system for determining the location of a magnetically-sensitive, electrically conductive sensing coil affixed to a distal end of a catheter probe partially inserted into a body cavity within a navigational domain, comprising:
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first transmit means for projecting into said navigational domain magnetic energy that is sufficient to induce signal values within said sensing coil representative of an orientation of said sensing coil and independent of the position of said sensing coil; second transmit means for projecting into said navigational domain magnetic energy that is sufficient to induce signal values within said sensing coil representative of the position of said sensing coil; and analysis means, coupled to said first transmit means and said second transmit means, for determining the position and orientation of said sensing coil from said induced signal values.
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8. A system for determining the location of a magnetically-sensitive, electrically conductive sensing coil affixed to a distal end of a catheter probe partially inserted into a body cavity within a navigational domain, comprising:
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first signal-inducing means for inducing within said sensing coil orientation signals that are representative of the orientation of said sensing coil; analysis means, coupled to said first signal-inducing means, for determining the orientation of said sensing coil using said induced orientation signals and independent from a position of said sensing coil; second signal-inducing means for inducing within said sensing coil position signals that are representative of the position of said sensing coil; and analysis means, coupled to said second signal-inducing means, for determining the position of said sensing coil using said determined orientation and said induced position signals. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of determining the location of a magnetically-sensitive, electrically conductive sensing coil affixed to a distal end of a catheter probe partially inserted into a body cavity within a navigational domain, comprising the steps of:
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defining the location of said sensing coil with a set of independent location parameters; and sequentially generating within said navigational domain a sequence of magnetic fields for inducing within said sensing coil a corresponding sequence of induced signals each defined by an induced signal expression that functionally relates said induced signal to certain ones of said location parameters, such that said set of location parameters is determinable by sequentially solving individual signal expression groups each including certain ones of said induced signal expressions and sufficient to represent a subset of said location parameters. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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19. A system for determining the location of a magnetically-sensitive, electrically conductive sensing coil affixed to a distal end of a catheter probe partially inserted into a body cavity within a navigational domain, comprising:
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means for defining the location of said sensing coil with a set of independent location parameters; and field generation means for sequentially generating within said navigational domain a sequence of magnetic fields for inducing within said sensing coil a corresponding sequence of induced signals each defined by an induced signal expression that functionally relates said induced signal to certain ones of said location parameters, such that said set of location parameters is determinable by sequentially solving individual signal expression groups each including certain ones of said induced signal expressions and sufficient to represent a subset of said location parameters. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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Specification