System for locating relative positions of objects in three dimensional space

• US 5,920,395 A
• Filed: 11/12/1997
• Issued: 07/06/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Image Guided Technologies, Inc. (Stryker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Image Guided Technologies, Inc. (Stryker Corporation)
• Inventors: Schulz, Waldean A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Hoa Q.
• Application Number:
  US08/967,890
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: 356/372, 356/375, 356/376, 356/373, 356/141.1, 128/653.1, 128/653.02, 128/653.05, 606/130, 250/203.1, 250/203.2, 250/203.3, 250/206.1, 250/561
• US Class Current: 356/622
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/7074 Tools specially adapted for spinal fixation operations other than for bone removal or filler handling A61B17/7062, A61B17/808, A61B17/8858 take precedence; for spinal image producing devices A61B90/36, A61B34/20; markers A61B90/39
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/105 Modelling of the patient, e.g. for ligaments or bones
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/107 Visualisation of planned trajectories or target regions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2055 Optical tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2068 using pointers, e.g. pointers having reference marks for determining coordinates of body points
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2072 Reference field transducer attached to an instrument or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/363 Use of fiducial points
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/364 Correlation of different images or relation of image positions in respect to the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3929 Active markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3945 Active visible markers, e.g. light emitting diodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3954 magnetic, e.g. NMR or MRI
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3979 infrared
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3983 Reference marker arrangements for use with image guided surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0064 Body surface scanning
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0073 by tomography, i.e. reconstruction of 3D images from 2D projections A61B5/0066 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• 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 5/1077 Measuring of profiles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/12 Arrangements for detecting or locating foreign bodies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/501 : for diagnosis of the head, e.g. neuroimaging or craniography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5235 : combining images from the same or different ionising radiation imaging techniques, e.g. PET and CT
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 : Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5238 : for combining image data of patient, e.g. merging several images from different acquisition modes into one image for image registration algorithms G06T7/30
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/10 : for stereotaxic surgery, e.g. frame-based stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/14 : Fixators for body parts, e.g. skull clamps; Constructional details of fixators, e.g. pins
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/36 : Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/39 : Markers, e.g. radio-opaque or breast lesions markers

Abstract

Locating and displaying the relative positions of two objects in a three-dimensional space where one object is a three-dimensional object and the second object has at least three collinear points, at least two of which are sensible by a detector. The detector supplies signals providing azimuth and altitude information related to the two sensible points of the second object for locating the position of at least the third point of the second object relative to the first object which may be positioned inside or outside the boundaries of the first object. The first object may have fixed thereto at least three points sensible by the detector for establishing the position and attitude of the first object within the three-dimensional space.

Claims

1. A system for determining the positions and orientations of at least two physically unconnected, separately moveable objects absolutely and with respect to each other in the same three dimensional space, and electronically displaying the relationship between said objects, comprising:

at least one electronically displayable image of an interior portion of at least a first of said objects;

an electronically stored file comprising said at least one image having the capability of being sorted and electronically displayed on an electronic screen;

computer means for storing and sorting said image, and for causing at least one said sorted image to be electronically displayed;

electronic display means for displaying said sorted image;

a three dimensional volume described by a fixed coordinate system;

a first object, which is said internally imaged object, having at least three light emitting first sensible points associated therewith, which is located within said three dimensional space and is moveable therein, and whose position and orientation within said three dimensional space is defined in said fixed coordinate system;

means to move said first object in said three dimensional space;

a second object, physically unconnected to said first object, having at least two light emitting second sensible points associated therewith, which is located within said coordinate system and is moveable in said three dimensional space in relation to said first moveable object, whose position and orientation within said three dimensional space is defined in said fixed coordinate system;

means to move said second object in said three dimensional space;

at least three spaced apart light detecting means, situated in known positions in said fixed coordinate system, for independently, respectively detecting light radiation from at least three of said first light emitting sensible points and for detecting at least two of said second light emitting sensible points, which number of detected light emitting sensible points are sufficient to determine the position and orientation of said first and second objects, respectively;

means, responsive to said light sensing detecting means, for converting the detection of said at least three first sensible points and said at least two second sensible points to locations of said first points and said second points, respectively, in said fixed coordinate system in said three dimensional space;

wherein said detection of said first light emitting sensible points and the determination of the locations of said first sensible points are determined independently of the detection of said second light emitting sensible points and the determination of the locations of said second sensible points;

means for converting the locations of said first sensible points into a determined position and orientation of said first moveable object in said three dimensional space;

means for converting the locations of said second sensible points into a determined position and orientation of said second moveable object in said three dimensional space;

means for cross correlating said determined position and orientation of said first moveable object with the independently determined position and orientation of said second moveable object to establish the spacial relationship of said first moveable object and said second moveable object, respectively, in said three dimensional space;

means for automatically repeating said independent detecting, converting and cross correlating functions sufficiently frequently to track and correlate the movement of said first and said second objects absolutely and relative to each other in real time;

means to select at least one of said internal images which includes at least one preselected sensible point of said first object;

means for displaying said at least one previously taken, selected image of an interior of said first object on said electronic screen;

means to display a representation of said second object on said electronic screen superimposed on said displayed interior image of said first object such that at least a preselected point of said representation of said second object appears accurately positioned in relation to said selected interior image;

means to automatically change the selected interior image as a function of the movement of said first and second objects relative to each other; and

means to maintain said representation of said second object on said electronic screen superimposed on the correct changing interior image such that at least said preselected point of said representation of said second object continues to be accurately positioned in relation to said changing selected interior image taking into account the movement of said first and second objects relative to each other.

2. The system of claim 1 comprising a first and a second light sensing detecting means wherein at least one of said detecting means include:

linear receptor means adapted to create a signal indicative of the direction from which an incident light ray impinges on said receptor means; and

optical means for focussing light rays from the light emitters onto said linear receptor means.

3. The system of claim 2 further including:

means for receiving said direction indicative signal from the linear receptor means; and

means, responsive to said direction indicative signals from said receiving means, for ascertaining the coordinates of at least one point at a time of said second moveable object in said three-dimensional space.

4. The system of claim 3 further including means responsive to said direction indicative signal for finding the location of at least one point at a time of said second moveable object relative to said first moveable object in said three dimensional space.

5. The system of claim 1 including:

means fixedly attached to the first moveable object for supporting said at least three first sensible means and

means coupled to the detecting means for establishing the location of said sensible points, and therefore to establish the position and orientation of the first three-dimensional object relative to the second moveable object in said three-dimensional space.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said preselected point of said second moveable object is out of line of sight of said detecting means, and wherein system further comprises means for determining the location of said point on said out of sight portion of said second moveable object in relation to said first moveable object from the determined location of said at least two non-linear sensible points which are within lines of sight of said detecting means.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6 wherein said first moveable object is a part of body of an animal and said second moveable object is a surgical tool.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the same detecting means detects the locations of all of said detected first and second sensible points.

9. The system as claimed in claim 8 further including means to distinguish between detectable emissions from each of said sensible points.

10. The system as claimed in claim 8 further including means to determine the location of each of said first sensible points at a different frequency than the determination of the location of each of said second sensible points.

11. The system as claimed in claim 8 further including means to determine the location of each of said first sensible points at substantially the same frequency as the determination of the location of each of said second sensible points.

12. The system as claimed in claim 1 further including:

means to determine the angles, respectively, between lines extending between said at least three first sensible points, respectively, and said detecting means, and between said at least two second sensible points and said detecting means, respectively; and

means for converting said angles to a specific location in said fixed coordinate system of each of said detected sensible means.

13. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first sensible points are disposed on frame means attached to said first object and said second sensible points are disposed in a manner which is not attached to said frame means.

14. A method of determining, and electronically visualizing, the relative spatial relationship of at least first and second objects, which are in physical contact with each other, but are not physically connected to each other, in a fixed coordinate system in the same three dimensional space, wherein each object is moveable in relation to the other, both objects are moveable into and out of physical contact with the other, and both objects are moveable in relation to said three dimensional coordinate system, which method comprises:

emitting light from at least three first sensible points on said first object and emitting light from at least two second sensible points on said second object;

detecting emitted light from at least three of said first sensible points and at least two of said second sensible points at a multiplicity of spaced apart light sensing means, capable of independently determining the locations of at least three of said first sensible points and at least two of said second sensible points which number and location of sensed sensible points are sufficient to independently determine the position and orientation of each of said physically unconnected first and second objects, respectively, in said fixed coordinate system;

sensing a set of first straight light lines between each of said at least three of said first sensible points and at least two of said sensing means, and independently sensing a set of second straight light lines between each of said at least two of said second sensible points and at least two of said sensing means, respectively;

from angles between said straight light lines and reference lines in known relationship to said sensing means, respectively, determining the locations of said sufficient number of said first sensible points and of said sufficient number of said second sensible points, respectively, in said fixed coordinate system, to determine the position and orientation of said first and second objects;

converting locations of said first sensible points into a position and orientation of said first object in relation to said three dimensional coordinate system, and independently converting locations of said second sensible points into a position and orientation of said second object in relation to said three dimensional coordinate system;

correlating the independently determined positions and orientations of said first and second objects in relation to said fixed coordinate system, respectively, and thereby determining the position and orientation of each of said first and second objects relative to the other;

storing said independently determined positions and orientations of said first and second objects in a first searchable electronic file;

prior to said independent determination of the positions and orientations of said first and second objects in real time and the storage of said information in said electronic file, imaging at least one interior portion of said first object and storing at least one of said first object interior portion images in a second searchable electronic file;

correlating said searchable electronic files to determine at least one electronic image which corresponds to the real time position and orientation of at least one point on said second object;

selecting at least one of said sorted interior portion images;

electronically displaying at least one of said selected images and a representation of said second object superimposed thereon accurately showing at least one point on said second object in accurate real time position and orientation with respect to said selected interior portion image;

moving at least one of said objects in said three dimensional space relative to the other in real time;

repeating said independent sensing, determining, converting, selecting and correlating steps sufficiently frequently, relative to said movement, to automatically track said movement of both of said objects relative to each other and relative to said three dimensional coordinate system in the same real time;

as a function of the real time movement of said first and second objects relative to each other, selecting other of said stored internal images to maintain superposition of the current real time position and orientation of said at least one point on said second object on the correct location of the correct internal portion image of said first object; and

electronically displaying the movement of said first and second objects relative to each other in the form of an accurate real time position and orientation of said point on said second object relative to an accurately selected, previously taken, image of an internal portion of said first object.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14 wherein said sensible points comprise energy emitting means, and wherein said method further includes sensing said straight lines between each of said energy emission points and each of a single set of at least three spaced apart energy detection means;

and distinguishing between energy emitted from each of said energy emission means;

whereby distinguishing between each of said lines.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15 wherein said energy is light radiation.

17. The method as claimed in claim 14 wherein said energy emissions are light beams of different wave lengths.

18. A method as claimed in claim 14 further including disposing said first sensible points on a frame means attached to said first object, and disposing said second sensible points on said second object in a manner which is not physically attached to said frame means.