Biologic magnetometer for determining an electric current distribution in a living organ

Abstract

In a method/apparatus of the present invention, a plurality or pickup coils are employed at a plurality of detection points so as to measure magnetic field intensities induced from electric current generated on living organ: the detection points are spatially interpolated/extrapolated; equations to determine relations of a hypothetically located current to the magnetic field intensities at the detection points and the interpolated detection points are established; the magnetic field intensities are measured with the pickup coils; magnetic field intensities are estimated at the interpolated/extrapolated detection points from the magnetic field intensities measured by the pickup coils; and the hypothetically located electric current is calculated by applying said magnetic field intensities at the detection points and said interpolated/extrapolated detection points to said equation. Thus, the electric current value is estimated. The calculation is preferably carried out by a SVD method, where the hypothetically located current is placed at plural current source positions. Matrix constants in the SVD calculation is determined in advance to allow a quick calculation. The interpolated/extrapolated point may be determined according to a linear method or a spline method, or depending on the current location, or on the spatial differentiation of the magnetic field intensity, or may be changed with time.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.