# US 10,478,092 B2 · Hybrid registration method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,478,092 B2 - Document ID: US10478092B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/372,776 - Filed: 2019-04-02 - Published: 2019-07-25 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2008-06-06 - Assignees: Covidien LP - Applicants: Covidien LP - Inventors: Dorian Averbuch; Oded Zur; Oren P. Weingarten - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10478092B2 ## CPC - A61B 5/066: {Superposing sensor position on an image of the patient, e.g. obtained by ultrasound or x-ray imaging} - A61B 1/2676: {Bronchoscopes} - A61B 5/06: Devices, other than using radiation, for detecting or locating foreign bodies {; Determining position of diagnostic devices within or on the body of the patient} - A61B 5/064: {using markers (A61B5/062 takes precedence)} - A61B 5/7246: {using correlation, e.g. template matching or determination of similarity} - A61B 34/20: Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis - G06T 7/0016: {involving temporal comparison} - G06T 7/33: using feature-based methods - A61B 90/361: {Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras} - A61B 2017/00699: {correcting for movement caused by respiration, e.g. by triggering} - A61B 2034/2072: {Reference field transducer attached to an instrument or patient} - A61B 2090/365: {augmented reality, i.e. correlating a live optical image with another image} - A61B 2090/3762: {using computed tomography systems [CT]} - A61B 2576/00: Medical imaging apparatus involving image processing or analysis (A61B1/00009, A61B6/52 and A61B8/52 take precedence) - G06T 2207/10068: Endoscopic image - G06T 2207/10081: Computed x-ray tomography [CT] - G06T 2207/30061: Lung - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL ## Abstract A registration method whereby a sensor-based approach is used to establish initial registration and whereby upon the commencement of navigating an endoscope, image-based registration methods are used in order to more accurately maintain the registration between the endoscope location and previously-acquired images. A six-degree-of-freedom location sensor is placed on the probe in order to reduce the number of previously-acquired images that must be compared to a real-time image obtained from the endoscope. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for registering sensor location data to images of at least one body part, comprising: an endoscope including: a sensor configured to generate data corresponding to a location of the sensor relative to at least one body part in a patient, and an image sensor configured to generate image data; and a computing device having a memory configured to store a plurality of previously acquired images of the at least one body part, and including thereon a software application that, when executed by the computing device, displays a three-dimensional (3D) model derived from the plurality of previously acquired images, detects a location of the sensor, receives image data from the image sensor, and registers the location of the sensor to a subgroup of images selected from the plurality of previously acquired images, wherein registration is achieved by parsing the plurality of previously acquired images based on the location data to generate the subgroup of the plurality of previously acquired images, and comparing images in the subgroup to images received from the image sensor to identify an image that substantially matches an image generated by the image sensor. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the software application, when executed by the computing device, displays the previously acquired image after the comparison confirms a substantial match. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the software application, when executed by the computing device, updates an initial registration of the location of the sensor based on comparisons to the images in the subgroup with images from the image sensor. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, wherein the updating of the initial registration commences on detecting a change in location of the sensor. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein detecting the location of the sensor requires recording a segment of an airway and shape-matching the segment to a segment in the 3D model. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is an electromagnetic sensor and generating location data includes sensing electromagnetic fields. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the previously acquired images are virtual images generated from computer tomography (CT) images stored in memory, and a matching virtual image defines a subgroup of the virtual images corresponding to the detected location of the sensor. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the software application, when executed by the computing device, selects a virtual image from the subgroup of the virtual images that most accurately corresponds to the detected location of the sensor to update an initial registration using an image-based registration technique when the endoscope and the sensor are moved. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the virtual images and the subgroup are stored in a database. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the subgroup is a single image. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the single image is displayed. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein generating data corresponding to a location of the sensor relative to at least one body part in a patient includes recording a segment of an airway and shape-matching the segment to a segment in the 3D model.