US 6,618,612 B1Granted

Independently positionable transducers for location system

AssigneeBiosense, Inc.

InventorsDavid E. Acker, Robert Pacheco, Yong Zou, Yoel Zilberstein

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Abstract

A system for determining the disposition of a probe within the body of a patient includes a probe having probe field transducers and a plurality of reference field transducers. The reference field transducers are independently movable with respect to one another to desired, customizable positions close to the body of the patient. Calibration transducers determine the relative positions of the field transducers with respect to one another after they are located in their desired positions. Non-ionizing fields are transmitted and detected between the probe and reference field transducers. From the detected fields, the relative disposition of the probe with respect to the reference field transducers is determined.

Claims31

Dependent claims

A system for determining the disposition of a probe within the body of a patient, comprising:

(a) a probe having one or more probe field transducers mounted thereon;
(b) a plurality of reference field transducers independently movable with respect to one another and locatable in desired, customizable positions with respect to the body of the patient;
(c) calibration means for determining the relative dispositions of said one or more probe field transducers with respect to one another while said reference field transducers are located in their desired positions;
(d) transmission means to actuate said reference field transducers and said one or more probe field transducers to transmit one or more non-ionizing fields and detect the transmitted field, so that each such field is transmitted by one element of a transmitter-receiver pair including a reference field transducer and a probe field transducer, and detected by the other element of such pair;
and
(e) calculation means to determine the relative disposition of the probe with respect to said reference field transducers from properties of the detected fields and from the relative dispositions of said reference field transducers with respect to one another.

3 more elements

A method for determining the disposition of a probe within the body of a patient, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a probe having one or more probe field transducers mounted thereon;
(b) positioning a plurality of reference field transducers independently with respect to one another in desired, customizable positions with respect to the body of the patient;
(c) determining the relative dispositions of said reference field transducers with respect to one another while said reference field transducers are located in their desired positions;
(d) transmitting one or more non-ionizing fields between said probe field transducers and said reference field transducers and detecting each such transmitted field so that each such field is transmitted by one element of a transmitter-receiver pair including a reference field transducer and a probe field transducer, and detected by the other element of such pair;
and
(e) determining the relative disposition of the probe with respect to said reference field transducers from properties of the detected fields and from the relative dispositions of said reference field transducers with respect to one another.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/125,080Filed 16 Feb 1999 · us provisional application
Priority: 15 Feb 1996
Granted: 9 Sep 2003
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification16 codes

A61B 5/06
Measuring for diagnostic purposes ; Identification of persons: devices, other than using radiation, for detecting or locating foreign bodies ;…
A61B 5/064
Determining position of a probe within the body employing means separate from the probe, e.g. sensing internal probe position employing…
A61B 34/20
Computer-aided surgery; Manipulators or robots specially adapted for use in surgery: surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding…
A61B 90/36
Instruments, implements or accessories specially adapted for surgery or diagnosis and not covered by any of the groups A61B1/00 - A61B50/00,…