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Controller for measuring prostate volume

  • US 9,538,952 B2
  • Filed: 10/30/2012
  • Issued: 01/10/2017
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2012
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A system for estimating the volume of a prostate, comprising:

  • a transmitting fiber;

    a light source that produces light to be transmitted through the transmitting fiber;

    first and second receiver fibers;

    a first detector circuit that receives light transmitted through the first receiver fiber after being transmitted through the transmitting fiber and reflected back from a reference pattern of a measurement assembly;

    a second detector circuit that receives light transmitted through the second receiver fiber after being transmitted through the transmitting fiber and reflected back from the reference pattern of the measurement assembly;

    a processor programmed to provide;

    a sensor input module configured to receive a first signal from the first detector circuit indicative of light reflected from the reference pattern through the first receiver fiber and a second signal from the second detector circuit indicative of light reflected from the reference pattern through the second receiver fiber as at least a portion of the measurement assembly is moved across the reference pattern from a first prostate lateral margin to a second prostate lateral margin, the sensor module being configured to detect based on a timing at which light reflected from the reference pattern is detected through the first and second receiver fibers when a change in the direction in which the portion of the measurement assembly moves relative to the reference pattern occurs,a distance measuring module configured to convert the first and second signals into a measured prostate palpable surface width (PSW),a volume estimation module configured to estimate a volume (V) of the prostate based on the measured palpable surface width (PSW), andan error detection module configured to detect that a measurement error has occurred when the sensor module detects that the direction of movement changed and, in response to the error, at least one of (i) adjust the measured palpable surface width (PSW) to compensate for the change in direction and (ii) alert a user that a change in direction occurred.

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