Redundant core in multicore optical fiber for safety
AssigneeIntuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
InventorsMark E. Froggatt, Dawn K. Gifford, Jeffrey T. LaCroix, Patrick Roye, Alexander K. Sang
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Abstract
An optical fiber includes multiple optical cores configured in the fiber including a set of primary cores and an auxiliary core. An interferometric measurement system uses measurements from the multiple primary cores to predict a response from the auxiliary core. The predicted auxiliary core response is compared with the actual auxiliary core response to determine if they differ by more than a predetermined amount, in which case the measurements from the multiple primary cores may be deemed unreliable.
Claims20
An interferometric measurement system for measuring an optical shape sensor comprising multiple primary cores in the optical shape sensor and an auxiliary core in the optical shape sensor, the system comprising:
- interferometric detection circuitry configured to detect measurement interferometric pattern data associated with each of the multiple primary cores and the auxiliary core;
- and
- data processing circuitry configured to:
- determine a shape of the optical shape sensor based on the detected measurement interferometric pattern data for the multiple primary cores,
- determine a predicted phase or strain value of the auxiliary core based in part on the detected measurement interferometric pattern data for the multiple primary cores,
- determine a measurement-based phase or strain value of the auxiliary core based on the detected measurement interferometric pattern data for the auxiliary core,
- determine a difference between the predicted phase or strain value of the auxiliary core and the measurement-based phase or strain value of the auxiliary core, and
- detect an error associated with the determined shape of the optical shape sensor based on the difference.
A method for measuring an optical shape sensor, the optical shape sensor comprising multiple primary cores and an auxiliary core, the method comprising:
- detecting measurement interferometric pattern data associated with each of the multiple primary cores and the auxiliary core;
- processing the detected measurement interferometric pattern data for the multiple primary cores to determine a shape of the optical shape sensor;
- processing the detected measurement interferometric pattern data for the multiple primary cores to determine a predicted phase or strain value of the auxiliary core;
- processing the detected measurement interferometric pattern data for the auxiliary core to determine a measurement-based phase or strain value of the auxiliary core;
- determining a difference between the predicted phase or strain value of the auxiliary core and the measurement-based phase or strain value of the auxiliary core;
- and
- detecting an error associated with the determined shape of the optical shape sensor based on the difference.
A system for measuring an optical shape sensor, the optical shape sensor comprising multiple primary cores and an auxiliary core, the system comprising:
- means to interferometrically interrogate the multiple primary cores and the auxiliary core to detect measurement interferometric pattern data for the multiple primary cores and the auxiliary core;
- and
- means to process the measurement interferometric pattern data to:
- determine a shape of the optical shape sensor from the measurement interferometric pattern data for the multiple primary cores,
- determine a predicted phase or strain value of the auxiliary core based in part on the detected measurement interferometric pattern data for the multiple primary cores,
- determine a measurement-based phase or strain value of the auxiliary core based on the detected measurement interferometric pattern data for the auxiliary core,
- determine a difference between the predicted phase or strain value of the auxiliary core and the measurement-based phase or strain value of the auxiliary core, and
- detect an error associated with the determined shape of the optical shape sensor based on the difference.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.