Systems and methods for monitoring wear and/or displacement of artificial joint members, vertebrae, segments of fractured bones and dental implants
First Claim
1. A distance measurement system for monitoring displacements over a joint between two substantially electrically isolated members, the system comprising at a first one of said members at least one resonant circuit;
- at a second one of said members at least one magnetic element having predetermined magnetic properties;
and externally to said members;
(c) a transmitter operable to transmit an electromagnetic pulse;
(d) a receiver operable to detect oscillations emitted by said resonant circuit in response to said electromagnetic pulse; and
(e) an analyzer operable to analyze an amplitude envelope property of said oscillations, to thereby determine a distance between said resonant circuit and said magnetic element, therefrom to determine a state of said elements at said joint.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A distance measurement system is provided. The distance measurement system includes at least one resonant circuit, at least one magnetic element with predetermined magnetic properties, a transmitter operable to transmit an electromagnetic pulse, a receiver operable to detect oscillations emitted by said resonant circuit in response to said electromagnetic pulse, and an analyzer operable to analyze an amplitude envelope property of said oscillations, to thereby determine a distance between the resonant circuit and the magnetic element.
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Citations
51 Claims
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1. A distance measurement system for monitoring displacements over a joint between two substantially electrically isolated members, the system comprising at a first one of said members at least one resonant circuit;
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at a second one of said members at least one magnetic element having predetermined magnetic properties;
and externally to said members;
(c) a transmitter operable to transmit an electromagnetic pulse;
(d) a receiver operable to detect oscillations emitted by said resonant circuit in response to said electromagnetic pulse; and
(e) an analyzer operable to analyze an amplitude envelope property of said oscillations, to thereby determine a distance between said resonant circuit and said magnetic element, therefrom to determine a state of said elements at said joint. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method for assembling a distance measurement system to measure displacement between substantially electrically isolated first and second elements over a joint, the method comprising:
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(a) placing a resonant circuit at a first location on said first element;
(b) placing a magnetic element with predetermined magnetic properties at a second location on said second element;
(c) providing a transmitter for transmitting an electromagnetic pulse to said resonant circuit;
(d) providing a detector for detecting oscillations emitted by said resonant circuit in response to said electromagnetic pulse; and
(e) providing an analyzer in association with said detector for analyzing an amplitude envelope property of said detected oscillations, to thereby determine a distance between said first location and said second location, therefrom to determine a state of said elements at said joint. - View Dependent Claims (19)
(i) transmitting an electromagnetic pulse to said resonant circuit;
(ii) detecting oscillations emitted by said resonant circuit in response to said electromagnetic pulse; and
(iii) measuring an amplitude envelope property of said detected oscillations, to thereby establish a look-up table value for said distance.
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20. A method for measuring the distance between a first location on a first element, said first location comprising a resonant circuit, and a second location on a second element, said second location comprising a magnetic element, said first and said second elements meeting at a joint, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) transmitting an electromagnetic pulse to said resonant circuit;
(b) detecting oscillations emitted by said resonant circuit in response to said electromagnetic pulse; and
(c) analyzing an amplitude envelope property of said detected oscillations, to thereby determine a distance between said first location and said second location, therefrom to determine a state of said elements at said joint. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A distance measurement system for measuring changes in displacement between a first element and a second element meeting at a joint, utilizing eddy currents for energy dissipation, the system comprising:
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(a) at least one resonant circuit located within said first element; and
(b) at least one magnetic element with predetermined magnetic properties located within said second element;
(c) a transmitter operable to transmit an electromagnetic pulse;
(d) a receiver operable to detect oscillations emitted by said resonant circuit in response to said electromagnetic pulse; and
(e) an analyzer operable to analyze an amplitude envelope property of said oscillations as an indicator of eddy current induced energy dissipation, to thereby determine a distance between said resonant circuit and said magnetic element, and therefrom to determine a state of said elements at said joint. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
said first element is an artificial joint member having an articulating surface and a bone attachment portion, said bone attachment portion being for attaching said artificial joint member, to said second element, said second element being a natural bone of a joint when implanted within an individual. -
33. The system of claim 31, wherein
said first element is a first articulating surface and a said second element is a second artificial joint assembly member having a second articulating surface, said first and said second articulating surfaces being in articulating engagement therebetween to form an artificial joint assembly. -
34. The system of claim 31, wherein said first element and said second element are respectively adjacent vertebrae.
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35. The system of claim 31, wherein said first element is a dental implant and said second element is a bone in which said dental implant is anchored.
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36. The system of claim 31, wherein said first and second elements are respectively bone segments of a fractured or a broken bone.
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37. The distance measuring system of claim 32, wherein said at least one artificial joint member includes at least two artificial joint members, each attached to a specific natural bone of said joint of said at least one natural bone of said joint, whereas said articulating surfaces of said at least two artificial joint members are configured to allow articulating engagement therebetween.
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38. The distance measuring system of claim 32, wherein said at least one resonance circuit element includes a plurality of distinct resonance circuit elements each producing a distinct signal of oscillating frequency upon reception of said electromagnetic pulse, said distinct signal being a function of a distance between a specific resonance circuit element of said plurality of distinct resonance circuit elements and said at least one magnetic element.
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39. The distance measuring system of claim 32, wherein least one artificial joint member forms a part of an artificial joint selected from the group consisting of an artificial shoulder joint, an artificial hip joint, an artificial knee joint, an artificial elbow joint, an artificial ankle joint, an artificial wrist joint, an artificial carpo-metacarpal joint, an artificial metacarpo-phalangeal joint, an artificial interphalangeal joint and an artificial metatarso-phalangeal joint.
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40. The distance measuring system of claim 32, wherein said at least one artificial joint member is fabricated from at least one material selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, titanium alloy, cobalt alloy, a polymer, ceramics and composites materials.
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41. The distance measuring system of claim 32, wherein said at least one resonance circuit element is implanted within, or attached to, said bone attachment portion of said at least one artificial joint member, and further wherein said at least one magnetic element is implanted within, attached to, or forms a part of said bone attachment portion of said at least one artificial joint member.
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42. The system of claim 33, wherein said at least one resonance circuit element includes plurality of distinct resonance circuit elements implanted within or attached to said first artificial joint assembly member, each of said plurality of distinct resonance circuit elements producing a distinct signal of oscillating frequency upon being energized with said electromagnetic pulse, said distinct signal being proportional to a distance between a resonance circuit element of said plurality of distinct resonance circuit elements and said at least one magnetic element.
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43. The system of claim 33, wherein said artificial joint assembly is any one of a group comprising an artificial shoulder joint, an artificial hip joint, an artificial elbow joint, an artificial ankle joint, an artificial wrist joint, an artificial carpo-metacarpal joint, an artificial metacarpo-phalangeal joint, an artificial interphalangeal joint and an artificial metatarso-phalangeal joint.
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44. The system of claim 33, wherein said artificial joint assembly further includes a third artificial joint assembly member having a third articulating surface, said third articulating surface being in articulating engagement with at least one of said first and said second articulating surfaces.
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45. The system of claim 33, wherein said artificial joint assembly is an artificial knee joint.
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46. The system of claim 33, wherein said first and said second artificial joint assembly members are each fabricated from at least one material selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, titanium alloy, cobalt alloy, polymer, ceramics and composite materials.
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47. The system of claim 33, wherein said first and said second artificial joint assembly members each include a portion distant to said articulating surface thereof, said portion being for attaching each of said first and said second artificial joint assembly members to a natural bone of a joint when implanted within the individual.
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48. The system of claim 34, wherein at least one of the vertebrae is an artificial vertebra.
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49. The system of claim 36, further comprising at least one anchor element being for attaching said detection system to the bone segments.
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50. The system of claim 49, wherein said at least one anchor element forms a part of an implant.
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51. The system of claim 50, wherein said implant serves for inter fixating the bone segments.
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Specification