System and method for sensing shape of elongated instrument

• US 9,500,472 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2012
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• 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:
  US13/602,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20130090552A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• Field of Search: 600/424, 600/117
• 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 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 a first optical fiber, a second optical fiber and a controller is provided. The first optical fiber is operatively coupled to an elongate body that is adapted to be placed inside a patient. The second optical fiber is operatively coupled to the patient, to an actuating element adapted to actuate the elongate body, or to a portion of an imaging system adapted to identify a location of the portion relative to the elongate body. The controller is operatively coupled to the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber and is adapted to receive a first signal from the strain sensor provided on the first optical fiber, receive a second signal from the strain sensor provided on the second optical fiber; and determine a position or orientation of the elongate body based on the first signal and based on the second signal.

Claims

1. An instrument system comprising:

an elongate body;

an optical fiber operatively coupled to the elongate body and having a strain sensor provided on the optical fiber, the optical fiber associated with a first coordinate system;

a localization sensor associated with a second coordinate system; and

a controller operatively coupled to the optical fiber and the localization sensor and adapted to receive a first signal from the strain sensor and a second signal from the localization sensor, wherein the first signal is associated with the first coordinate system and the second signal is associated with the second coordinate system, wherein the controller is adapted to;

determine first information indicative of a location of the elongate body based on the first signal from the strain sensor;

determine second information indicative of the same location of the elongate body based on the second signal from the localization sensor; and

spatially associate the first coordinate system and the second coordinate system based on the first information and the second information,

wherein the second information indicates the location of the elongate body in only two dimensions of a three dimensional coordinate system, and wherein the controller is configured to determine the same location of the

elongate body in a third dimension based on the first information, and wherein the third dimension of the three dimensional coordinate system is the depth.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the localization sensor comprises a marker or a beacon adapted to interact with a fluoroscopy, ultrasound, electromagnetic, or laser source.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the localization sensor comprises a radio-opaque marker adapted to interact with a fluoroscopy gun.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the second coordinate system is a coordinate system of an imaging system.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the imaging system is selected from the group consisting of an image capture device, a fluoroscope, an optical camera, an infrared camera, an ultrasound imager, a magnetic resonance imager, and a computer tomography imager.