Three-axis coil sensor

• US 6,161,032 A
• Filed: 03/22/1999
• Issued: 12/12/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Biosense, Inc. (Cardinal Health, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Biosense, Inc. (Cardinal Health, Inc.)
• Inventors: Acker, David E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lateef, Marvin M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANTIS MERCADER, ELENI M
• Application Number:
  US09/273,683
• Time in Patent Office: 631 Days
• Field of Search: 600/424, 600/421, 600/422, 600/407, 128/899, 324/207.11, 324/207.13, 324/207.17, 324/207.22
• US Class Current: 600/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2905 flexible
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2051 Electromagnetic tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2072 Reference field transducer attached to an instrument or patient
• 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 5/06 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 5/062 using magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 5/00 Coils superconducting coils H01F6/06; fixed inductances of the signal type H01F17/00

Abstract

The present invention relates to magnetic field sensors used to detect the position and orientation of medical probes within the body of a patient. The sensors of the present invention are especially adapted for use as independently positionable reference transducer assemblies.

Claims

1. A foldable three-axis coil sensor comprising:

(a) an initially planar base panel having at least three coil carrying subpanels separated from one another by one or more fold lines in said base panel, and

(b) three calibration coils each positioned on a respective one of said coil-carrying subpanels,

whereby the folding of at least two of said subpanels at said fold lines allows said calibration coils to be positioned along three mutually orthogonal axes upon set-up of the sensor.

2. A foldable reference field transducer assembly comprising:

(a) a main coil provided on a main planar substrate, said main planar substrate having an outer peripheral edge, and

(b) one or more three-axis magnetic field sensing elements each comprising

(i) an initially planar base panel having at least three element-carrying subpanels separated from one another by one or more fold lines in said base panel, wherein at least a portion of said base panel is attached to said outer peripheral edge of said main planar substrate, and

(ii) three calibration elements each positioned on a respective one of said element-carrying subpanels,

whereby the folding of at least two of said subpanels at said fold lines allows said calibration elements to be positioned along three mutually orthogonal axes upon set-up of said three-axis sensors.

3. A foldable reference field transducer assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of said base panels is initially coplanar with said main planar substrate prior to set-up of said three-axis sensors.

4. A foldable reference field transducer assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said main planar substrate and said base panel are formed from a single substrate.

5. A foldable reference field transducer assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said three-axis magnetic field sensing elements comprise coil sensors and said calibration elements comprise calibration coils.

6. A system for determining the disposition of a probe within the body of a patient, comprising:

(a) a probe having one or more probe field transducers mounted thereon;

(b) a plurality of reference field transducers independently movable with respect to one another and locatable in desired, customizable positions with respect to the body of the patient;

(c) calibration means for determining the relative dispositions of said field transducers with respect to one another while said reference field transducers are located in their desired positions;

(d) transmission means to actuate said reference field transducers and said one or more probe field transducers to transmit one or more non-ionizing fields and detect the transmitted field, so that each such field is transmitted by one element of a transmitter-receiver pair including a reference field transducer and a probe field transducer, and detected by the other element of such pair; and

(e) calculation means to determine the relative disposition of the probe with respect to said reference field transducers from properties of the detected fields and from the relative dispositions of said reference field transducers with respect to one another;

wherein said reference field transducers each comprise;

A foldable three-axis coil sensor comprising;

(a) an initially planar base panel having at least three coil carrying subpanels separated from one another by one or more fold lines in said base panel, and

(b) three calibration coils each positioned on a respective one of said coil-carrying subpanels,

whereby the folding of at least two of said subpanels at said fold lines allows said calibration coils to be positioned along three mutually orthogonal axes upon set-up of the sensor.

7. A method for determining the disposition of a probe within the body of a patient, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a probe having one or more probe field transducers mounted thereon;

(b) positioning a plurality of reference field transducers independently with respect to one another in desired, customizable positions with respect to the body of the patient;

(c) determining the relative dispositions of said reference field transducers with respect to one another while said reference field transducers are located in their desired positions;

(d) transmitting one or more non-ionizing fields between said probe field transducers and said reference field transducers and detecting each such transmitted field so that each such field is transmitted by one element of a transmitter-receiver pair including a reference field transducer and a prove field transducer, and detected by the other element of such pair; and

(e) determining the relative disposition of the probe with respect to said reference field transducers from properties of the detected fields and from the relative dispositions of said reference field transducers with respect to one another;

wherein said reference field transducers each comprise;

A foldable three-axis coil sensor comprising;

(a) an initially planar base panel having at least three coil carrying subpanels separated from one another by one or more fold lines in said base panel, and

(b) three calibration coils each positioned on a respective one of said coil-carrying subpanels,

whereby the folding of at least two of said subpanels at said fold lines allows said calibration coils to be positioned along three mutually orthogonal axes upon set-up of the sensor.

8. Apparatus for generating non-ionizing fields inside the body of a patient, comprising:

(a) a plurality of reference field transducers, and

(b) means for positioning each of said reference field transducers independently with respect to one another to desired, customizable positions in close proximity to the body of the patient; and

a foldable three-axis coil sensor comprising;

(a) an initially planar base panel having at least three coil carrying subpanels separated from one another by one or more fold lines in said base panel, and

(b) three calibration coils each positioned on a respective one of said coil-carrying subpanels,

whereby the folding of at least two of said subpanels at said fold lines allows said calibration coils to be positioned along three mutually orthogonal axes upon set-up of the sensor.

9. A kit comprising a plurality of separate reference assemblies each including a field transducer for generating or detecting non-ionizing fields and means for securing the transducer assembly to the body of a medical patient independently of the other reference assemblies;

and

a foldable three-axis coil sensor comprising;

(a) an initially planar base panel having at least three coil carrying subpanels separated from one another by one or more fold lines in said base panel, and

(b) three calibration coils each positioned on a respective one of said coil-carrying subpanels,

whereby the folding of at least two of said subpanels at said fold lines allows said calibration coils to be positioned along three mutually orthogonal axes upon set-up of the sensor.

10. A reference transducer assembly for mounting on the body of a medical patient comprising a structure, a reference field transducer for generating or detecting non-ionizing fields mounted to said structure, means for holding one or more calibration field transducers adapted to generate or detect a non-ionizing field in a predetermined dispositions relative to the structure, and means for securing the structure to the body of the patient.

11. A reference transducer assembly for mounting on the body of a medical patient comprising a structure, a reference field transducer for generating or detecting non-ionizing fields mounted to said structure, means for securing the structure to the body of the patient, and means for limiting heating of the patient by the heat generated in said reference field transducer;

and

a foldable three-axis coil sensor comprising;

(a) an initially planar base panel having at least three coil carrying subpanels separated from one another by one or more fold lines in said base panel, and

(b) three calibration coils each positioned on a respective one of said coil-carrying subpanels,

whereby the folding of at least two of said subpanels at said fold lines allows said calibration coils to be positioned along three mutually orthogonal axes upon set-up of the sensor.

12. An assembly as claimed in claim 11 wherein said reference field transducer includes one or more coils.