×

Steerable shape sensing biopsy needle and catheter

  • US 8,649,847 B1
  • Filed: 09/18/2009
  • Issued: 02/11/2014
  • Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2009
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
Patent Images

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.

View all claims
  • 1 Assignment
Timeline View
Assignment View
    ×
    ×