Medical tracking system comprising two or more communicating sensor devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11076133-B2
Application number	US-201816110645-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2018
Priority date	Oct 13, 2011
Publication date	Jul 27, 2021
Grant date	Jul 27, 2021

Abstract

A medical tracking system comprising at least two sensor devices which are independently maneuverable and can be positioned in a fixed position relative to targets, each sensor device comprising at least one of an orientation sensor and a position sensor for respectively determining sensor data, the system further comprising a control unit configured to receive and combine the at least two sensor data of the at least two sensor devices in order to determine a relative position between at least two of the at least two sensor devices.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A medical tracking system for determining a relative position between first and second associated targets, the medical tracking system comprising:
a reference object disposed at a fixed position;
a first independently maneuverable sensor device comprising:
a first housing configured to be rigidly attached with the first associated target;
a first memory device in the first housing, the first memory device storing first registration data representative of a relationship between the first sensor device and the first associated target when the first sensor device is rigidly attached with the first associated target;
a first processing unit in the first housing and operatively coupled with the first memory device; and
a first camera in the first housing and operatively coupled with the first processing unit, wherein the first camera is operable to generate first image data representative of a first image of the reference object captured by the first camera,
wherein the first processing unit is operable to calculate based on the first image data a first relative position comprising a first calculated position of the reference object relative to the first sensor device comprising:
a first spatial location in three translational dimensions between the reference object and the first sensor device; and/or
a first alignment in three rotational dimensions between the reference object and the first sensor device;

a second independently maneuverable sensor device comprising:
a second housing different than the first housing, the second housing being configured to be rigidly attached with the second associated target;
a second memory device in the second housing, the second memory device storing second registration data representative of a relationship between the second sensor device and the second associated target when the second sensor device is rigidly attached with the second associated target;
a second processing unit in the second housing and operatively coupled with the second memory device; and
a second camera in the second housing and operatively coupled with the second processing unit, wherein the second camera is operable to generate second image data representative of a second image of the reference object captured by the second camera,
wherein the second processing unit is operable to calculate based on the second image data a second relative position comprising a second calculated position of the reference object relative to the second sensor device comprising:
a second spatial location in three translational dimensions between the reference object and the second sensor device; and/or
a second alignment in three rotational dimensions between the reference object and the second sensor device; and

a control unit operable to calculate based on: i) the first relative position comprising the first calculated position of the reference object relative to the first sensor device; ii) the second relative position comprising the second calculated position of the reference object relative to the second sensor device; and iii) one or more of the first registration data and/or the second registration data, at least one of:
a third relative position comprising a third calculated position of the first associated target relative to the second associated target; and/or
a fourth relative position comprising a fourth calculated position of the second associated target relative to the first associated target.

2. The medical tracking system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first distance sensor in the first housing operable to determine a first distance of the reference object relative to the first sensor device; and
a second distance sensor in the second housing operable to determine a second distance of the reference object relative to the second sensor device,
wherein the first processing unit is operable to calculate the first relative position comprising the first calculated position of the reference object relative to the first sensor device based on:
i) the first image data; and
ii) the determined first distance,

wherein the second processing unit is operable to calculate the second relative position comprising the second calculated position of the reference object relative to the second sensor device based on:
i) the second image data; and
ii) the determined second distance.

3. The medical tracking system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first sensor device comprises a first transmitter configured to transmit the first registration data, and the first relative position comprising the first calculated position of the reference object relative to the first sensor device;
the second sensor device comprises a second transmitter configured to transmit the second registration data, and the second relative position comprising the second calculated position of the reference object relative to the second sensor device;
the control unit is operable to:
receive the first registration data and the first relative position comprising the first calculated position of the reference object relative to the first sensor device from the first transmitter of the first sensor device; and
receive the second registration data and the second relative position comprising the second calculated position of the reference object relative to the second sensor device from the second transmitter of the second sensor device.

4. The medical tracking system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first sensor device comprises a transmitter;
the second sensor device comprises a receiver;
the second processing unit comprises the control unit; and
the control unit is operable to receive from the transmitter of the first sensor device via the receiver the first registration data and the first relative position comprising the first calculated position of the reference object relative to the first sensor device.

5. The medical tracking system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first processing unit comprises a first part of the control unit; and
the second processing unit comprises a second part of the control unit.

6. A medical tracking system for determining a relative position between first and second associated targets, the medical tracking system comprising:
a reference object disposed at a fixed position;
a first independently maneuverable sensor device comprising:
a first housing configured to be rigidly attached with the first associated target;
a first memory device in the first housing the first memory device storing first registration data representative of a relationship between the first sensor device and the first associated target when the first sensor device is rigidly attached with the first associated target;
a first processing unit in the first housing and operatively coupled with the first memory device;
a first transmitter in the first housing and operatively coupled with the first processing unit; and
a first camera in the first housing and operatively coupled with the first processing unit, wherein the first camera is operable to generate first image data representative of a first image of the reference object captured by the first camera,
wherein the first processing unit is operable to calculate based on the first image data a first relative position comprising a first calculated position of the reference object relative to the first sensor device comprising:
a first spatial location in three translational dimensions between the reference object and the first sensor device; and/or
a first alignment in three rotational dimensions between the reference object and the first sensor device; and

a second independently maneuverable sensor device comprising:
a second housing different than the first housing, the second hous

Assignees

• Brainlab Ag

Inventors

• Vilsmeier Stefan
• Neubauer Timo
• Brack Christian
• Hook Ingmar

Classifications

• A61B34/20 Primary

  Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis · CPC title

• A61B2034/2057

  Details of tracking cameras · CPC title

• A61B2034/2055

  Optical tracking systems · CPC title

• H04N7/183 Primary

  for receiving images from a single remote source · CPC title

• A61B2034/2046

  Tracking techniques · CPC title