Flexible Tracking Article And Method Of Using The Same

• US 20110077510A1
• Filed: 12/08/2010
• Published: 03/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Donald W. Malackowski, Jose Luis Moctezuma De La Barrera
• Original Assignee: Donald W. Malackowski, Jose Luis Moctezuma De La Barrera
• Inventors: Moctezuma de la Barrera, Jose Luis, Malackowski, Donald W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,457,719 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/426
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00716 simulating physical properties
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/105 Modelling of the patient, e.g. for ligaments or bones
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2055 Optical tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2057 Details of tracking cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2072 Reference field transducer attached to an instrument or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3983 Reference marker arrangements for use with image guided surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis

Abstract

An article to enable the creation of a model of a surface includes a flexible substrate and multiple optical tracking points attached to the flexible substrate at predetermined location. The optical tracking points can be tracked by a tracking system, and a data link enables communication from the flexible substrate to a tracking system. Also disclosed is an article that enables the creation of a model of a surface including multiple light emitting diodes attached to the flexible substrate at predetermined locations. Finally, a method of registering an article and a method for creating a model of a surface having a shape are disclosed.

Claims

1. A surgical navigation system comprising:

a tracking device comprising a flexible substrate and multiple tracking points disposed on the flexible substrate at predetermined locations thereon;

a surgical tracking system that tracks the positions of the tracking points;

a data link that enables communication from the flexible substrate to the tracking system; and

a registration routine associated with the tracking system, wherein the registration routine registers the positions of the tracking points to an image of a patient.

2. The surgical navigation system of claim 1, wherein the substrate is shaped to fit the nose and forehead of the patient.

3. The surgical navigation system of claim 2, wherein the registration routine registers the positions of each tracking point in a model with previously created scan data of the patent by determining if the locations of the tracking points in the model match the scan data of the patient within a predetermined error level.

4. The surgical navigation system of claim 3, wherein the tracking points comprise optical tracking points.

5. The surgical navigation system of claim 4, wherein the tracking system comprises a computer implemented navigation system including a plurality of cameras for viewing the optical tracking points.

6. The surgical navigation system of claim 5, wherein the tracking points are disposed on a first surface of the flexible substrate, and wherein an adhesive layer is disposed on a second surface of the flexible substrate opposite the first surface to attach the substrate to a portion of the patient.

7. The surgical navigation system of claim 6, wherein the optical tracking points are light emitting diodes.

8. The surgical navigation system of claim 7, wherein the light emitting diodes are connected to a power source comprising a battery by flexible conductive circuits.

9. The surgical navigation system of claim 8, wherein each light emitting diode has its own separate conductive circuit.

10. The surgical navigation system of claim 9, wherein the conductive circuits and the tracking points are arranged such that the flexible substrate can be trimmed to fit a given surface without deactivating any tracking points that remain attached to the flexible substrate.

11. The surgical navigation system of claim 4, comprising at least ten optical tracking points.

12. The surgical navigation system of claim 11, comprising at least twenty-five optical tracking points.

13. The surgical navigation system of claim 1, wherein the data link comprises an infrared communication transceiver.

14. A tracking device comprising:

a flexible substrate;

a plurality of tracking points on the flexible substrate spaced at predetermined fixed known intervals thereon; and

a data link that enables communication from the flexible substrate to a surgical tracking system.

15. The tracking device of claim 14, wherein the flexible substrate is in the shape of a mask that conforms to a portion of the face of a patient including the bony structures of the nose, forehead, and cheekbones.

16. The tracking device of claim 15, wherein the tracking points comprise light emitting diodes.

17. The tracking device of claim 16, comprising at least ten light emitting diodes.

18. The tracking device of claim 16, wherein the surgical tracking system comprises a computer implemented navigation system including a plurality of cameras for viewing the light emitting diodes.

19. The tracking device of claim 16, wherein an adhesive layer is disposed on a side of the substrate opposite the light emitting diodes to attach the substrate to a patient.

20. The tracking device of claim 14, wherein the data link comprises an infrared communication transceiver.