Surgical communication and power system

• US 6,474,341 B1
• Filed: 10/28/1999
• Issued: 11/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Navigation Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Surgical Navigation Technologies, Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Jascob, Brad, Hunter, Mark W., Kessman, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaver, Kevin
• Assistant Examiner(s): SZMAL, BRIAN SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US09/428,722
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 128/899, 600/300, 600/301, 600/549, 600/509, 607/32, 340/10.6, 324/652
• US Class Current: 128/899
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00084 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00411 actuated by application of energy from an energy source outside the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2051 Electromagnetic tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2072 Reference field transducer attached to an instrument or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3975 active
• 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 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 5/062 using magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/36 Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/73 for taking measurements, e.g. using sensing coils

Abstract

An apparatus for determining the position of a wireless catheter probe being used during a surgical procedure. Magnetic fields are projected into an anatomical body to induce voltage signals in a sensing coil that are sufficient to describe the position of a wireless sensor/transmitter. The voltage signals are wirelessly re-transmitted by the sensor/transmitter as positional signals indicative of a current location of the sensor/transmitter in the anatomical body. In a preferred embodiment, the wireless catheter probe is self-powered using the induced voltage signals on a sensing coil. In another embodiment, induced voltage signals of a separate coil are used to power the device.

Claims

1. A surgical navigation apparatus for locating a wireless sensor/transmitter within an anatomical body during a surgical procedure, the apparatus comprising:

at least one signal generator remote from the anatomical body for sending reference signals through the anatomical body to be received by the sensor/transmitter and to be wirelessly re-transmitted by the sensor/transmitter as positional signals indicative of a current location of the sensor/transmitter within the anatomical body;

a receiver for receiving positional signals from the wireless sensor/transmitter;

a processor for computing a position of the wireless sensor/transmitter as a function of the positional signals transmitted to the receiver; and

a circuit associated with the processor for outputting position image information to a display device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the said at least one signal generator includes an electromagnetic field generator coil.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the sensor/transmitter includes a sensing coil and wherein the signal generator is configured to induce a voltage in the sensing coil sufficient to power a transmitting portion of the sensor/transmitter.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the receiver is adapted to receive RF mode positional signals transmitted by the sensor/transmitter.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the receiver is adapted to receive digital RF mode positional signals transmitted by the sensor/transmitter.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the receiver is adapted to receive magnetic field mode positional signals transmitted by the sensor/transmitter.

19. The surgical navigation apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said sensor/transmitter is attached to a surgical instrument.

7. A wireless sensor/transmitter for use in surgical procedures to track the movement of structures within an anatomical body, comprising:

a portion for receiving a reference signal from a reference signal generator that is remote from the anatomical body; and

a portion for wirelessly transmitting the reference signal as a positional signal indicative of a current position of the sensor.

8. The wireless sensor/transmitter of claim 7, wherein the receiving portion includes a coil adapted to have a voltage induced by the signal generator.

9. The wireless sensor/transmitter of claim 8 further including a circuit for powering the transmitter using the induced voltage.

10. The wireless sensor/transmitter of claim 7, wherein the transmitting portion includes a voltage to frequency converter.

11. The wireless sensor/transmitter of claim 10, wherein the transmitting portion further includes an antenna.

12. The wireless sensor/transmitter of claim 10, wherein the transmitting portion further includes a coil.

13. The wireless sensor/transmitter of claim 7, wherein the transmitting portion includes an A/D converter and a signal transmission module.

14. The wireless sensor/transmitter of claim 10, wherein the transmitting portion includes an LC tank circuit.

15. The wireless sensor/transmitter of claim 13, wherein the transmitting portion further includes a DSP for processing and compressing the positional signal to be transmitted.

20. The wireless sensor/transmitter as defined in claim 7 wherein said wireless sensor/transmitter is attached to a surgical instrument.

16. A surgical navigation apparatus for navigating a surgical instrument within an anatomical body during a surgical procedure, said surgical navigation apparatus comprising:

a signal generator operable to transmit reference signals into the anatomical body from a site remote from the anatomical body; and

a wireless sensor/transmitter attached to the surgical instrument, said wireless sensor/transmitter operable to receive said reference signals from said signal generator and operable to wirelessly transmit position signals indicative of a current location of the surgical instrument during the surgical procedure.

17. The surgical navigation apparatus as defined in claim 16 wherein said wireless sensor/transmitter further includes a coil operable to receive a signal from said signal generator to induce a voltage sufficient to power said wireless sensor/transmitter.

18. The surgical navigation apparatus as defined in claim 17 wherein said coil is both a sensing coil operable to sense said reference signals from said signal generator and a power coil operable to generate a voltage sufficient to power said wireless sensor/transmitter.