Fiber optic tracking system and method for tracking a substantially rigid object
First Claim
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1. A fiber optic tracking system for tracking a substantially rigid object, comprising:
- a light source that provides optical signals;
an optical fiber having a sensing component configured to modify optical signals from the light source, the optical fiber being configured to attach to the substantially rigid object;
a detection unit arranged to receive the modified optical signals from the sensing component; and
a calculation unit configured to determine a pose of the substantially rigid object in six degrees of freedom based on the modified optical signals,wherein the sensing component includes at least a first set of optical elements comprising a first sensing point and a second set of optical elements comprising a second sensing point, wherein the first and second sensing points are separated at a distance along the optical fiber, andwherein a position and orientation of the first set of optical elements is fixed relative to a position and orientation of the second set of optical elements and the positions and orientations of the first and second sets of optical elements are fixed with non-collinear fiber orientations relative to the same substantially rigid object.
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Abstract
A fiber optic tracking system for tracking substantially rigid object(s) is described. The fiber optic tracking system includes a light source, an optical fiber having a sensing component configured to modify optical signals from the light source, the optical fiber being configured to attach to the substantially rigid object, a detection unit arranged to receive the modified optical signals from the sensing component, and a calculation unit configured to determine a pose of the substantially rigid object in six degrees of freedom based on the modified optical signals.
29 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A fiber optic tracking system for tracking a substantially rigid object, comprising:
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a light source that provides optical signals; an optical fiber having a sensing component configured to modify optical signals from the light source, the optical fiber being configured to attach to the substantially rigid object; a detection unit arranged to receive the modified optical signals from the sensing component; and a calculation unit configured to determine a pose of the substantially rigid object in six degrees of freedom based on the modified optical signals, wherein the sensing component includes at least a first set of optical elements comprising a first sensing point and a second set of optical elements comprising a second sensing point, wherein the first and second sensing points are separated at a distance along the optical fiber, and wherein a position and orientation of the first set of optical elements is fixed relative to a position and orientation of the second set of optical elements and the positions and orientations of the first and second sets of optical elements are fixed with non-collinear fiber orientations relative to the same substantially rigid object. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for tracking a substantially rigid object using a fiber optic tracking system, comprising:
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providing a light source; attaching an optical fiber, having a sensing component configured to modify the optical signals from the light source, to the substantially rigid object, wherein the sensing component includes at least a first set of optical elements comprising a first sensing point and a second set of optical elements comprising a second sensing point, wherein the first and second sensing points are separated at a distance along the optical fiber; constraining the optical fiber such that a position and orientation of the first set of optical elements is fixed relative to a position and orientation of the second set of optical elements and the positions and orientations of the first and second sets of optical elements are fixed with non-collinear fiber orientations relative to the same substantially rigid object; and determining a pose of the substantially rigid object in six degrees of freedom based on the modified optical signals. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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23. A computer program product embedded on a non transitory computer readable medium storing a program for tracking a substantially rigid object using a fiber optic tracking system, which when executed by a computer performs a method comprising:
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determining a pose of the substantially rigid object in six degrees of freedom based on modified optical signals received from a sensing component of an optical fiber attached to the substantially rigid object, wherein the sensing component includes at least a first set of optical elements comprising a first sensing point and a second set of optical elements comprising a second sensing point, wherein the first and second sensing points are separated at a distance along the optical fiber, and wherein a position and orientation of the first set of optical elements is fixed relative to a position and orientation of the second set of optical elements and the positions and orientations of the first and second sets of optical elements are fixed with non-collinear fiber orientations relative to the same substantially rigid object. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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Specification