Optical fiber grating sensors and methods of manufacture

• US 8,989,528 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2008
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Auris Health, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Hansen Medical Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Udd, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): TAVLYKAEV, ROBERT FUATOVICH
• Application Number:
  US12/236,478
• Publication Number:
  US 20090123111A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,373 Days
• Field of Search: 385/10, 385/12, 385/13, 385/37, 604/528, 604523-525, 604/534, 901/47
• US Class Current: 385/13
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2061 using shape-sensors, e.g. fiber shape sensors with Bragg gratings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/301 for introducing or steering flexible instruments inserted into the body, e.g. catheters or endoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/305 Details of wrist mechanisms at distal ends of robotic arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/064 for measuring force, pressure or mechanical tension
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/77 Manipulators with motion or force scaling
• 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 5/065 Determining position of the probe employing exclusively positioning means located on or in the probe, e.g. using position sensors arranged on the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/066 Superposing sensor position on an image of the patient, e.g. obtained by ultrasound or x-ray imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/35303 using a reference fibre, e.g. interferometric devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/35316 using a Bragg gratings
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/35354 Sensor working in reflection

Abstract

Systems and methods comprise or involve optical fibers having Bragg gratings. The optical fibers can be assembled in a parallel manner into a fiber sensor configuration. Bragg gratings can be written onto different cores of optical fibers. Bragg gratings may be written at a same or nearly same axial position for all optical fibers in the configuration and may be written at the same time and may have a substantially equal index of refraction variation and unequal lengths. Spaced Bragg gratings may also have characteristic sidelobe spectrums for tagging the respective gratings. Gratings can also be written at different wavelengths and over another grating at the same location.

Claims

1. A Bragg sensor system, comprising:

a plurality of single core optical fibers assembled into a fiber sensor configuration in which the respective fiber cores are aligned substantially parallel to one another, each fiber core having written thereon one or more Bragg grating arrays,

wherein at least one of the optical fibers has a distribution of Bragg gratings in which a density of gratings in a proximal portion of the respective fiber is lower than a density of gratings in a distal portion of the respective fiber.

2. The system of claim 1, the plurality of optical fibers comprising three optical fibers bonded together in a triangular geometry and having lengths suitable to support bending measurements.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a hard coating material applied over a grating region of the bonded optical fibers to facilitate transfer of strain between fibers during subsequent bending.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein respective ends of the optical fibers are separated from one another extending out of one end of the coated grating region.

5. A system of claim 4, wherein the separated fiber ends of the sensor configuration are coupled to respective coupling connectors configured for interfacing with a grating output unit.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the separated fiber ends are fusion spliced to respective larger diameter fibers that in turn are secured to the respective coupling connectors.

7. The system of claim 6, each optical fiber having written thereon one or more Bragg grating arrays, the system further comprising a multi-port tunable light source system having at least three ports configured for coupling to the respective coupling connectors, the one or more Bragg grating arrays comprising respective multiplexed Bragg grating arrays on the respective fiber cores of the fiber sensor configuration, the tunable light source system further comprising respective beamsplitter and detector assemblies used to read out the respective multiplexed grating arrays.

8. The system of claim 7, the tunable light source system further comprising an array of Bragg gratings on a fourth port to measure temperature.

9. The system of claim 7, further comprising a spectrally broadband light source including a dispersive output unit coupled to the bonded optical fibers via the respective connectors.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the dispersive output unit comprises one or more bulk gratings and a detector array.

11. A medical treatment system including the Bragg sensor system of claim 1, the treatment system including an elongate instrument to which the fiber sensor configuration is coupled.

12. The medical treatment system of claim 11, wherein movement of the elongate instrument is robotically controlled based at least in part upon position information obtained from the Bragg sensor system.

13. The medical treatment system of claim 11, the instrument comprising an elongate guide catheter having a bendable distal section, the Bragg sensor system being coupled to the bendable distal section of the instrument, wherein bending of the instrument distal section is robotically controlled based at least in part upon position information provided by the Bragg sensor system.

14. A medical treatment system of claim 11, further comprising a tissue manipulation tool coupled to a distal end portion of the instrument.

15. A medical treatment system of claim 11, wherein the instrument comprises a plurality of joints, and wherein respective movements of the joints are controlled based at least in part upon position information obtained from the Bragg sensor system.

16. A medical treatment system of claim 11, wherein the instrument further comprises an interface, and wherein an orientation of the interface is controlled based at least in part upon position information obtained from the Bragg sensor system.

17. The system of claim 1, the optical fibers having diameters in a range of about 40 microns to about 70 microns.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical fibers are aligned substantially parallel to one another and bonded together to form a fiber sensor configuration having a length of about 1.5 meters to about 2.0 meters.

19. A system, comprising:

an elongate catheter instrument having a distal portion and a proximal portion that is more rigid than the distal portion; and

a Bragg sensor optical fiber coupled to the catheter instrument and comprising at least one optical fiber core having a distribution of Bragg gratings in which a number of gratings in a portion of the fiber core coupled to the proximal portion of the catheter instrument is lower than a number of gratings in a portion of the fiber core coupled to the distal portion of the catheter.

20. The system of claim 19, comprising a plurality of single core optical fibers assembled in a configuration in which the respective fiber cores are aligned substantially parallel to one another, each fiber core having written thereon respective multiplexed Bragg grating arrays.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the multiplexed fiber gratings are supported by each of amplitude, spectrum and wavelength measurements.