System and method for electromagnetic tracking operable with multiple coil architectures

• US 8,354,837 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2003
• Issued: 01/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.), Stryker European Operations Holdings, LLC (Stryker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Anderson, Peter Traneus
• Primary Examiner(s): Patidar, Jay M
• Application Number:
  US10/670,054
• Publication Number:
  US 20050065433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,401 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 324/207.17
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/102 Modelling of surgical devices, implants or prosthesis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2051 Electromagnetic tracking systems
• 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

Abstract

Certain embodiments of the present invention provide a system and method for software configurable electromagnetic tracking. Certain embodiments of the system include a transmitter and/or a receiver for measuring a position in a coordinate system. The system also includes tracker electronics for determining position of the transmitter and/or receiver using information from the transmitter and/or receiver. The tracker electronics are configurable for a plurality of tracking system architectures. The tracker electronics may generate a processing scheme for a tracking system architecture. Additionally, the tracker electronics may simultaneously support a plurality of tracking system architectures. The tracker electronics may be modular, configurable tracker electronics. The tracker electronics may use software to generate support for a plurality of tracking system architectures.

Claims

1. A configurable electromagnetic tracking system, said system comprising:

at least one of a transmitter and a receiver for measuring a position in a coordinate system;

a single tracker electronics sub-system for determining position of said at least one of a transmitter and a receiver using information from said at least one of a transmitter and a receiver, wherein said single tracker electronics sub-system is used with a plurality of tracking system coil architectures.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said tracker electronics sub-system generates a processing scheme for a tracking system coil architecture.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said tracker electronics sub-system simultaneously supports the plurality of tracking system coil architectures.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said tracker electronics sub-system comprises modular, configurable tracker electronics.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said tracker electronics sub-system uses software to generate support for the plurality of tracking system coil architectures.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said tracker electronics sub-system is configured by software to accommodate the plurality of tracking system coil architectures.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said tracker electronics sub-system stores waveforms in memory for the plurality of tracking system coil architectures.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said tracker electronics sub-system generates waveforms on demand for at least one of the plurality of tracking system coil architectures.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said tracker electronics sub-system stores software in memory for the plurality of tracking system coil architectures.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said tracker electronics sub-system generates software code on demand for at least one of the plurality of tracking system coil architectures.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one of a transmitter and a receiver includes both the transmitter and the receiver, and wherein the tracker electronics sub-system determines at least one of a position and an orientation of the receiver using information from the transmitter.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one of a transmitter and a receiver includes both the transmitter and the receiver, and wherein the tracker electronics sub-system determines at least one of a position and an orientation of the transmitter using information from the receiver.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of tracking system coil architectures comprises:

a first tracking system coil architecture that uses three colocated orthogonal dipole transmitter coils and three colocated quasi-dipole receiver coils; and

a second tracking system coil architecture using non-dipole, non-colocated transmitter coils and three colocated quasi-dipole receiver coils.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of tracking system coil architectures further comprises:

a third tracking system coil architecture that uses an array of six or more transmitter coils and one or more quasi-dipole receiver coils; and

a fourth tracking system coil architecture that uses a single quasi-dipole transmitter coil and an array of six or more receiver coils.