Steerable shape sensing biopsy needle and catheter
First Claim
1. A force sensing steerable catheter having:
- a substantially cylindrical outer shell having a central axis;
a convex tip attached to one end of said outer shell;
a closure attached to the opposite end of said outer shell;
a plurality of optical fibers bonded to the inner surface of said outer shell;
one or more sensing regions in said outer shell, each of said one or more sensing regions operative over a central axis extent, each of said one or more sensing regions having a grating formed in each of said optical fibers, each of said gratings bonded to an inner surface of said outer shell where each of said gratings is operative substantially parallel to said central axis and each of said gratings is located in a substantially equal included angle with respect to said axis and to any other of said gratings;
each of said one or more sensing regions adjacent to a deflection region comprising an actuation optical fiber having an angled grating which directs optical energy in said actuation optical fiber into an adjacent shape memory alloy (SMA), each of said SMAs mechanically coupled to said outer shell;
a wavelength interrogator coupled to each of said optical fibers, said wavelength interrogator accepting optical energy reflected at particular wavelengths from each of said fibers of said sensing region gratings and converting said reflected optical energy wavelengths for each of said fibers into a sensed shape, said wavelength interrogator also providing optical energy at a wavelength responsive to a corresponding deflection region angled grating for steering said catheter.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A biopsy needle has a central axis and includes one or more sensing regions, each sensing region formed by a plurality of sensing optical fibers located over a particular extent of said central axis and inside the outer shell of the needle. The sensing optical fibers are coupled to a wavelength interrogator. A steerable catheter has a central axis and outer shell, the outer shell coupled to a plurality of optical fibers in sensing regions and actuation regions, the sensing regions formed over particular extents of the central axis by bonding gratings to the inner surface of the outer shell, and the actuation regions formed by coupling optical energy into shape memory alloys bonded to the outer shell.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A force sensing steerable catheter having:
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a substantially cylindrical outer shell having a central axis; a convex tip attached to one end of said outer shell; a closure attached to the opposite end of said outer shell; a plurality of optical fibers bonded to the inner surface of said outer shell; one or more sensing regions in said outer shell, each of said one or more sensing regions operative over a central axis extent, each of said one or more sensing regions having a grating formed in each of said optical fibers, each of said gratings bonded to an inner surface of said outer shell where each of said gratings is operative substantially parallel to said central axis and each of said gratings is located in a substantially equal included angle with respect to said axis and to any other of said gratings; each of said one or more sensing regions adjacent to a deflection region comprising an actuation optical fiber having an angled grating which directs optical energy in said actuation optical fiber into an adjacent shape memory alloy (SMA), each of said SMAs mechanically coupled to said outer shell; a wavelength interrogator coupled to each of said optical fibers, said wavelength interrogator accepting optical energy reflected at particular wavelengths from each of said fibers of said sensing region gratings and converting said reflected optical energy wavelengths for each of said fibers into a sensed shape, said wavelength interrogator also providing optical energy at a wavelength responsive to a corresponding deflection region angled grating for steering said catheter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A steerable force sensing catheter having:
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a substantially cylindrical outer shell having a central axis; one or more sensing regions in said outer shell, each of said one or more sensing regions formed by an optical fiber having a Bragg grating bonded to said cylindrical outer shell and responsive to a strain or stress in said outer shell; each of said one or more sensing regions adjacent to a shape memory alloy (SMA) which receives optical energy coupled to said SMA and causes said SMA to deflect; said SMA receiving said optical energy from an optical fiber having angled gratings which directs said optical energy in said optical fiber radially outwards to said SMA; whereby an application of said optical energy to an associated SMA causing a deflection of said outer shell, said deflection causes a stress or strain to be coupled to an associated Bragg grating, thereby allowing for control of deflection of said outer shell by said SMA and estimation of deflection of said outer shell by reflection of optical energy from said deflection region Bragg gratings. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification