Catheter simulation device

• US 6,038,488 A
• Filed: 01/12/1998
• Issued: 03/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bertec Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bertec Corporation
• Inventors: Barnes, Scott Z., Berme, Necip, Morr, Douglas R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel, Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US09/006,058
• Time in Patent Office: 792 Days
• Field of Search: 700/70, 700/71, 700/72, 700/160, 700/245, 607/122, 600/431-435, 600/466, 600/585, 600/424, 600/411, 427/2.1, 606/130, 128/95, 128/97, 128/920
• US Class Current: 700/161
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/28 for medicine
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 Computer assisted medical diagnostics

Abstract

A device for tracking the translational and rotational displacement of an object having two degrees of freedom using a single point of contact with the object. The device is particularly useful in a catheter simulation device for surgery and interventional radiology applications. A spherical contact member is mounted for free rotation about all axes in force-transmitting contact with the surface of the object and a pair of shafts are mounted in tangential engagement with the spherical member to reflect the displacement imparted to the object relative to a reference position. This arrangement provides simultaneous tracking of the combined translational and rotational displacement of the object. Measuring the displacement of the object and a haptic applicator are included such that a load may be applied to the object to precisely control the degree of force required to cause displacement of the object. The actual forces applied to displace the object are also measured such that the device is capable of providing a realistic force reflection to simulate the feel of a surgical procedure, for example. A computerized control system and conventional recording device are employed to provide a programmed procedure which provides realistic "feel" to a user of an actual surgical procedure. The device is readily adaptable for interfacing with a virtual reality type program to simultaneously provide a visual simulation of the surgical procedure.

Claims

1. In a device for tracking the translational and rotational displacement of an object comprising, in combination;

a) a base;

b) a housing mounted on said base;

c) a passage provided in said base adjacent to said housing and conformed to movably receive an elongate object disposed within said passage and limited to displacement longitudinally along the length of said passage and rotationally about the axis of said longitudinal displacement;

d) a spherical member contained within said housing for rotation about all axes, a portion of an outer surface of said member extended through an opening in said housing into said passage for force-transmitting tangential contact with the surface of an elongate object disposed within said passage;

e) a first shaft rotatably mounted within said housing in force-transmitting tangential engagement with said spherical member;

f) a second shaft rotatably mounted within said housing in force-transmitting tangential engagement with said spherical member and disposed at generally a right angle relative to said first shaft;

g) the rotation of said first and second shafts being proportionally responsive to the rotational displacement of said spherical member induced by translational and rotational displacement of the elongate object movably disposed in said passage to generate signals representing a measure of the translational and rotational displacement of said object in said passage relative to a predetermined reference position.

2. The device defined in claim 1 wherein said elongate object disposed in said passage has a cylindrical configuration.

3. The device defined in claim 1 further comprising a haptics applicator mounted on said base means and including a contact member moveable into force-transmitting engagement with an object disposed within said passage at a location spaced from the location of said point of contact between said object and said spherical member to resist the translational and rotational displacement of said object within said passage, an actuator operatively connected to said contact member to move said contact member into and out of engagement with said object.

4. The device defined in claim 3 wherein said force transducer measures both axial tension and compressive forces applied to said object.

5. The device defined in claim 4 wherein said force transducer measures the torque applied to said object in opposite directions about the axis of translational movement.

6. The device defined in claim 3 wherein said force transducer is a multiple axis strain gauge configured to measure 3 orthogonal forces and 3 orthogonal moments applied to said object.

7. The device defined in claim 6 wherein the data from said force transducer is employed in a feed-back loop to control the intermittent application of force to said object to simulate forward and reverse manipulation of said object in one or both the longitudinal and rotational directions.

8. The device defined in claim 3 further comprising a force transducer mounted on said base in force-transmitting relationship to an object disposed within said passage to sense and generate a signal representative of the actual forces applied to said object.

9. The device defined in claim 8 wherein said force transducer is a multi-axis strain gage.

10. The device defined in claim 1 further including a second housing mounted on said base in spaced relationship to said first mentioned housing and adjacent to said passage, a second spherical member contained within said second housing for rotation about all axes, a portion of an outer surface of said second spherical member extended through an opening in said housing and into said passage for force-transmitting engagement with the surface of an elongate object disposed within said passage downstream from said first mentioned housing;

a third and fourth shaft rotatably mounted within said second housing in force-transmitting engagement with said second spherical member and disposed at generally a right angle to one another to rotate proportionally to rotation of said second spherical member caused by the longitudinal or rotational movement of an elongate object disposed within said passage and having a surface in tangential contact with said second spherical member.

11. The device defined in claim 10 including a first elongate hollow object disposed within said passage with an outer surface in contact with said first mentioned spherical member in said first mentioned housing and a second elongate object independently movably disposed within said first elongate object, said second object confined to longitudinal and rotational displacement within said first elongate object and including a length portion extending within said passage beyond a terminal end of said first elongate object and in force-transmitting engagement with said second spherical member in said second housing.

12. The device defined in claim 11 further comprising a second haptics applicator mounted to said base means and including a contact member movable into variable force-transmitting engagement with said second elongate object at a location spaced from the location of the point of contact between said second object and said second spherical member to resist the translational and rotational displacement of said second object within said first object and said passage.

13. The device defined in claim 10 further comprising a second haptics applicator mounted to said base means and including a contact member movable into variable force-transmitting engagement with an object in said passage at a location spaced from the location of the point of contact between said object and said spherical member to resist the translational and rotational displacement of said object within said passage.