Automatically-initialized robotic systems for navigation of luminal networks

A system configured to facilitate navigation of an anatomical luminal network of a patient, the system comprising:

• an imaging device at a distal end of an instrument;
• at least one computer-readable memory having stored thereon executable instructions;
• and
• one or more processors in communication with the at least one computer-readable memory and configured to execute the instructions to cause the system to at least:
• receive imaging data captured by the imaging device with the distal end of the instrument positioned within the anatomical luminal network;
• access a virtual feature derived from a virtual depth map associated with a virtual image, the virtual image simulated from a viewpoint of a virtual imaging device positioned at a virtual location within a virtual luminal network representative of the anatomical luminal network, wherein the virtual feature represents a first spatial relationship between two or more depth criteria in the virtual depth map;
• generate a depth map based on the imaging data;
• derive a feature from the depth map, the feature representing a second spatial relationship between two or more depth criteria in the depth map;
• calculate a correspondence between the feature derived from the depth map and the virtual feature derived from the virtual depth;
• and
• determine a pose of the distal end of the instrument relative within the anatomical luminal network based on the virtual location associated with the virtual feature based on the calculated correspondence.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed, cause at least one computing device to at least:

• access a virtual three-dimensional model of internal surfaces of an anatomical luminal network of a patient;
• identify a plurality of virtual locations within the virtual three-dimensional model;
• for each virtual location of the plurality of virtual locations within the virtual three-dimensional model:
• generate a virtual depth map representing virtual distances between a virtual imaging device positioned at the virtual location and a portion of the internal surfaces within a field of view of the virtual imaging device when positioned at the virtual location, and
• derive at least one virtual feature from the virtual depth map, wherein the virtual feature represents a spatial relationship between two or more depth criteria in the virtual depth map;
• and
• generate a database associating the plurality of virtual locations with the at least one virtual feature derived from the corresponding virtual depth map.

A method of facilitating navigation of an anatomical luminal network of a patient, the method, executed by a set of one or more computing devices, comprising:

• receiving a stereoscopic image set representing an interior of the anatomical luminal network;
• generating a depth map based on the stereoscopic image set;
• deriving a feature from the depth map, the feature representing a second spatial relationship between two or more depth criteria in the depth map;
• accessing a virtual feature derived from a virtual depth map associated with a virtual image, the virtual image simulated from a viewpoint of a virtual imaging device positioned at a virtual location within a virtual luminal network, wherein the virtual feature represents a first spatial relationship between two or more depth criteria in the virtual depth map;
• calculating a correspondence between the feature derived from the depth map and the virtual feature derived from the virtual depth map;
• and
• determining a pose of the distal end of the instrument within the anatomical luminal network based on the virtual location associated with the virtual feature based on the calculated correspondence.