System and method for sensing shape of elongated instrument

• US 9,404,734 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2012
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Ramamurthy, Bhaskar S., Tanner, Neal A., Younge, Robert G., Schlesinger, Randall L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stanfield, Cherie M
• Application Number:
  US13/603,068
• Publication Number:
  US 20130085382A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,428 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00004 characterised by electronic signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00013 using optical means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00045 Display arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00057 provided with means for testing or calibration
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00165 with light-conductive means, e.g. fibre optics A61B1/07 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0017 Details of single optical fibres, e.g. material or cladding
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/009 with bending or curvature detection of the insertion part
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/082 Probes or electrodes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1492 having a flexible, catheter-like structure, e.g. for heart ablation A61B18/1477 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/22 the beam being directed along or through a flexible conduit, e.g. an optical fibre; Couplings or hand-pieces therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00699 correcting for movement caused by respiration, e.g. by triggering
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00725 Calibration or performance testing
• 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 2034/715 Cable tensioning mechanisms for removing slack
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/741 Glove like input devices, e.g. "data gloves"
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/374 NMR or MRI
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/376 using X-rays, e.g. fluoroscopy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/378 using ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 : Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/37 : Master-slave robots A61B34/35 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/71 : Manipulators operated by drive cable mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/77 : Manipulators with motion or force scaling
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0059 : using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence A61B5/0093, A61B5/1455, A61B5/02416 and A61B5/0261 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0064 : Body surface scanning
• 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: A61B 5/4887 : Locating particular structures in or on the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7285 : for synchronising or triggering a physiological measurement or image acquisition with a physiological event or waveform, e.g. an ECG signal A61B6/5205, A61B6/541, A61B8/5207, A61B8/543 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/12 : Arrangements for detecting or locating foreign bodies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 : Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/48 : Diagnostic techniques A61B8/13 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/39 : Markers, e.g. radio-opaque or breast lesions markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/96 : using barcodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/98 : using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0166 : Sensors, electrodes or the like for guiding the catheter to a target zone, e.g. image guided or magnetically guided
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/16 : for measuring the deformation in a solid, e.g. optical strain gauge
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/165 : by means of a grating deformed by the object
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/242 : the material being an optical fibre

Abstract

An instrument system that includes an elongate body, an optical fiber, a localization sensor and a controller is provided. The optical fiber is operatively coupled to the elongate body and has a strain sensor provided on the optical fiber. The localization sensor is operatively coupled to the elongate body. The controller is operatively coupled to the optical fiber and to the localization sensor and is adapted to receive a first signal from the strain sensor, receive a second signal from the localization sensor, and determine a position or orientation of the elongate body based on the first signal and the second signal.

Claims

1. An instrument system, comprising:

an elongate body;

an optical fiber coupled to the elongate body and having a strain sensor provided on the optical fiber;

a localization sensor positioned upon the elongate body; and

a controller operatively coupled to the optical fiber and to the localization sensor and adapted to;

receive a first signal from the strain sensor;

receive a second signal from the localization sensor; and

determine shape, position and orientation of the elongate body based on both the first signal from the strain sensor and the second signal from the localization sensor.

2. The instrument system of claim 1, wherein the localization sensor comprises an electromagnetic sensor, a potential difference sensor, or an ultrasound sensor.

3. The instrument system of claim 1, wherein the localization sensor comprises a radio-opaque marker adapted to interact with a fluoroscope.

4. The instrument system of claim 3, wherein the controller is adapted to determine the position of the elongate body in two dimensions based on the second signal and is adapted to determine the position of the elongate body in a third dimension based on the first signal.

5. The instrument system of claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to determine the shape, position and orientation of the elongate body with respect to a coordinate system associated with both the strain sensor and the localization sensor.

6. The instrument system of claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to determine the shape, position and orientation of the elongate body with respect to a first coordinate system and determine the shape, position and orientation of the elongate body with respect to a second coordinate system, wherein the first coordinate system is associated with the strain sensor and the second coordinate system is associated with the localization sensor, and wherein the controller is adapted to spatially associate the first coordinate system with the second coordinate system.

7. The instrument system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the position of the elongate body, in a two-dimensional space, based on the second signal from the localization sensor.

8. The instrument system of claim 7, wherein the position of the elongate body in the two-dimensional space includes X-Y dimensional positional data.

9. The instrument system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the position of the elongate body in a third dimension based on the first signal from the strain sensor.

10. The instrument system of claim 9, wherein the position of the elongate body in the third dimension includes Z dimensional positional data.

11. The instrument system of claim 10, wherein the Z dimensional positional data includes depth information.

12. The instrument system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the orientation and shape of the elongate body based on the first signal from the strain sensor.

13. The instrument system of claim 1, wherein the localization sensor is an ultrasound sensor that is operatively associated with an ultrasound device.

14. A method for tracking position, comprising:

receiving a first signal from an optical fiber coupled to an elongate body and having a strain sensor provided on the optical fiber;

receiving a second signal from a localization sensor positioned upon the elongate body; and

determining shape, position and orientation of the elongate body based on both the first signal from the strain sensor and the second signal from the localization sensor.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the localization sensor comprises an electromagnetic sensor, a potential difference sensor, or an ultrasound sensor.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the determining the shape, position and orientation of the elongate body comprises determining the shape, position and orientation with respect to a first coordinate system, determining the shape, position and orientation with respect to a second coordinate system, and spatially associating the first coordinate system with the second coordinate system, wherein the first coordinate system is associated with the strain sensor and the second coordinate system is associated with the localization sensor.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the localization sensor comprises a radio-opaque marker adapted to interact with a fluoroscope.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the determining the shape, position and orientation comprises determining a position of the elongate body in two dimensions based on the second signal and determining the position of the elongate body in a third dimension based on the first signal.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining the shape, position and orientation of the elongate body comprises determining the shape, position and orientation with respect to a coordinate system associated with both the strain sensor and the localization sensor.