# US 12,004,899 B2 · Tracking a feature of an interventional device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,004,899 B2 - Document ID: US12004899B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/842,416 - Filed: 2022-06-16 - Published: 2022-09-29 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2016-09-30 - Assignees: Koninklijke Philips N.V. - Applicants: Koninklijke Philips N.V. - Inventors: Hendrik Roelof Stapert; Mustafa Hakan Gökgürler; Jeroen Kortsmit; Stefan Van De Pas - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12004899B2 ## CPC - A61B 8/0841: {for locating instruments} - A61B 5/066: {Superposing sensor position on an image of the patient, e.g. obtained by ultrasound or x-ray imaging} - A61B 8/12: in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters - A61B 8/4245: {involving determining the position of the probe, e.g. with respect to an external reference frame or to the patient} - A61B 8/445: {Details of catheter construction} - A61B 8/4477: {using several separate ultrasound transducers or probes} - A61B 8/463: {characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display} - A61B 8/483: {involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data} - A61B 8/5246: {combining images from the same or different imaging techniques, e.g. color Doppler and B-mode} - G06T 12/00: Tomographic reconstruction from projections - A61B 8/469: {for selection of a region of interest} - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL ## Abstract The present invention relates to a system for indicating a position of an interventional device feature (11a) of an interventional device (11) respective an image plane (12) defined by an ultrasound imaging probe (18) of a beamforming ultrasound imaging system (15) in which the position of the interventional device feature (11a) is determined based on ultrasound signals transmitted between the ultrasound imaging probe (18) and an ultrasound transducer (16) attached to the interventional device at a predetermined distance (Lp) from the interventional device feature (11a). An icon providing unit (IPU) provides a first icon (Cde) indicative of a circular zone with a radius corresponding to the predetermined distance (Lp). The first icon (Cde) is displayed in a fused image that includes a reconstructed ultrasound image (RUI) from the beamforming ultrasound imaging system. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A controller for indicating a position of an interventional device feature, the system comprising: an image reconstruction processor configured to provide a reconstructed ultrasound image corresponding to an image plane defined by an ultrasound imaging probe of a beamforming ultrasound imaging system; a position determination processor configured to (i) compute a position of a ultrasound transducer respective the image plane based on ultrasound signals transmitted between the ultrasound imaging probe and the ultrasound transducer, wherein the ultrasound transducer is attached to an interventional device at a predetermined distance from an interventional device feature attached to the interventional device, and (ii) project the position of the ultrasound transducer onto the image plane; an icon providing processor configured to provide a first icon indicative of a circular zone with a radius corresponding to the predetermined distance between the ultrasound transducer and the interventional device feature; and an image fusion processor configured to provide a fused image comprising the reconstructed ultrasound image and the first icon, wherein the image fusion processor is configured to provide the fused image by: (i) locating, in the reconstructed ultrasound image, an insertion point corresponding to the projected position of the ultrasound transducer onto the image plane and (ii) centering the first icon at the insertion point so that the first icon indicates possible positions of the interventional device feature within the image plane. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The controller according to claim 1, wherein the first icon defines a portion of the image plane corresponding to a range of possible positions of the interventional device feature. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The controller according to claim 1, wherein the position computed by the position determination processor includes an out-of-plane distance corresponding to a distance between the ultrasound transducer and the image plane; and wherein the image fusion processor is further configured to provide in the fused image a second icon indicative of a circular zone with a radius that varies in accordance with the out-of-plane distance. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The controller according to claim 3, wherein the first icon and the second icon share a common center. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The controller according to claim 3, wherein the image fusion processor is further configured to cause the appearance of at least one of the first icon and the second icon to change when the out-of-plane distance is less than or equal to the predetermined distance. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The controller according to claim 5, wherein the first icon and the second icon each has a perimeter, and wherein the appearance of at least one of the first icon and the second icon is configured to change by at least one of: changing a color of the perimeter of the first icon or the second icon; changing a contrast of the perimeter of the first icon or the second icon; indicating the perimeter of the first icon or the second icon with dots or dashes; and/or causing the perimeter of the first icon or the second icon to pulse over time. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The controller according to claim 3, wherein the radius of the second icon has a minimum value that is equal to the radius of the first icon, and wherein the radius of the second icon is limited to the minimum value when the out-of-plane distance is less than or equal to the predetermined distance. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The controller according to claim 1, wherein the interventional device feature is one of the following: a distal end of the interventional device; an opening of a channel in the interventional device; a biopsy sampling point of the interventional device; a cutting edge of the interventional device; a sensor of the interventional device; a surgical tool integrated into the interventional device; a drug delivery point of the interventional device; or an energy delivery point of the interventional device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The controller according to claim 8, wherein the ultrasound imaging probe further comprises either i) an ultrasound transceiver array, or ii) at least three ultrasound emitters attached to the ultrasound imaging probe, and wherein the position determination processor is configured to compute the position of the ultrasound transducer respective the image plane based on ultrasound signals transmitted between the ultrasound transceiver array and the ultrasound transducer, or between the at least three ultrasound emitters attached to the ultrasound imaging probe and the ultrasound transducer, respectively. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The controller according to claim 9, wherein the ultrasound imaging probe is selected from the group consisting of: a 2D ultrasound imaging probe, a 3D ultrasound imaging probe, a transrectal ultrasonography probe, an intravascular ultrasound probe, a transesophageal probe, a transthoracic probe, a transnasal probe, and an intracardiac probe. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The controller according to claim 1, further comprising the interventional device and the ultrasound imaging probe. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The controller according to claim 1, wherein the interventional device is selected from the group consisting of: a medical needle, a catheter, a guidewire, a probe, an endoscope, an electrode, a robot, a filter device, a balloon device, a stent, a mitral clip, a left atrial appendage closure device, an aortic valve, a pacemaker, an intravenous line, a drainage line, a surgical tool, an ablation device, a tissue sealing device, a tissue cutting device, a drug delivery device, and an implantable device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The controller according to claim 12, wherein the interventional device has a data carrier that comprises data representative of the predetermined distance. ### Claim 14 A method of indicating a position of an interventional device feature, the method comprising: providing, by an image reconstruction processor, a reconstructed ultrasound image corresponding to an image plane defined by an ultrasound imaging probe of a beamforming ultrasound imaging system; computing, by a position determination processor, (i) a position of a ultrasound transducer respective the image plane based on ultrasound signals transmitted between the ultrasound imaging probe and the ultrasound transducer, wherein the ultrasound transducer is attached to an interventional device at a predetermined distance from an interventional device feature attached to the interventional device, and (ii) a projection of the position of the ultrasound transducer onto the image plane; providing, by an icon providing processor, a first icon indicative of a circular zone with a radius corresponding to the predetermined distance between the ultrasound transducer and the interventional device feature; and providing, by an image fusion processor, a fused image comprising the reconstructed ultrasound image and the first icon, wherein the fused image is provided by (i) locating, in the reconstructed ultrasound image, an insertion point corresponding to the projected position of the ultrasound transducer onto the image plane and (ii) centering the first icon at the insertion point so that the first icon indicates possible positions of the interventional device feature within the image plane. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, wherein the position computed by the position determination processor includes an out-of-plane distance corresponding to a distance between the ultrasound transducer and the image plane. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method according to claim 15, wherein the image fusion processor is further configured to cause the appearance of the first icon to change when the out-of-plane distance is less than or equal to the predetermined distance. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method according to claim 16, wherein the first icon has a perimeter, and wherein the appearance of the first icon is configured to change by at least one of: changing a color of the perimeter of the first icon; changing a contrast of the perimeter of the first icon; indicating the perimeter of the first icon with dots or dashes; and/or causing the perimeter of the first icon to pulse over time. ### Claim 18 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to: provide a reconstructed ultrasound image corresponding to an image plane defined by an ultrasound imaging probe of a beamforming ultrasound imaging system; compute (i) a position of an ultrasound transducer respective the image plane based on ultrasound signals transmitted between the ultrasound imaging probe and the ultrasound transducer, wherein the ultrasound transducer is attached to an interventional device at a predetermined distance from an interventional device feature attached to the interventional device, and (ii) a projection of the position of the ultrasound transducer onto the image plane; provide a first icon indicative of a circular zone with a radius corresponding to the predetermined distance between the ultrasound transducer and the interventional device feature; and provide a fused image comprising the reconstructed ultrasound image and the first icon, wherein the fused image is provided by (i) locating, in the reconstructed ultrasound image, an insertion point corresponding to the projected position of the ultrasound transducer onto the image plane and (ii) centering the first icon at the insertion point so that the first icon indicates possible positions of the interventional device feature within the image plane. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 18, wherein the position computed by the position determination processor includes an out-of-plane distance corresponding to a distance between the ultrasound transducer and the image plane. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 18, wherein the first icon has a perimeter, and wherein appearance of the first icon is configured to change by at least one of: changing a color of the perimeter of the first icon; changing a contrast of the perimeter of the first icon; indicating the perimeter of the first icon with dots or dashes; and/or causing the perimeter of the first icon to pulse over time.