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Catheter depth, position and orientation location system

  • US 5,645,065 A
  • Filed: 04/11/1995
  • Issued: 07/08/1997
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/04/1991
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. For externally locating a sensor in tissue, a system comprising:

  • a) an external probe including at least first and second output coils having respective non-parallel first and second output-coil axes;

    b) an output coil-driver circuit that alternately so energizes the first and second output coils as to generate first and second time-varying magnetic fields that penetrate the tissue;

    c) a sensor coil that has a sensor-coil axis and develops first and second sensor signals in response to the first and second time-varying magnetic fields, respectively; and

    d) a distance determinator that determines from the first and second sensor signals, independently of the relative angles between the projection of the sensor-coil axis and the projections of the first and second output-coil axes into a plane parallel to the first and second output-coil axes, the distance between the sensor coil and the output coils and generates a distance signal representative of the distance thus determined.

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