Registration of frames of reference

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11123144-B2
Application number	US-202016748993-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2020
Priority date	Jan 25, 2019
Publication date	Sep 21, 2021
Grant date	Sep 21, 2021

Abstract

Apparatus, including a patient tracker, attached to a subject, having magnetic field sensors and optical landmarks with known spatial relationships to each other. A camera acquires a 3D optical image, in a first frame of reference (FOR), of the subject's face. A magnetic radiator assembly generates magnetic fields at the subject's head, thereby defining a second FOR. A processor: processes field sensor signals to acquire location coordinates of the sensors in the second FOR; segments a tomographic image of the subject, having a third FOR, to identify the subject's face in the third FOR; computes a first transformation between the third and first FORs to map the tomographic face image to the 3D optical image; maps the optical landmarks to the third FOR; maps the respective location coordinates of the sensors to the first FOR; and computes a second transformation between the second FOR and the third FOR.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising: a patient tracker, which is configured to be attached to a head of a subject and comprises one or more magnetic field sensors; a plurality of optical landmarks having respective known spatial relationships to the one or more magnetic field sensors; a camera configured to acquire a three-dimensional (3D) optical image, in a first frame of reference, of a face of the subject with the patient tracker attached to the head; a magnetic radiator assembly, which generates one or more magnetic fields in a vicinity of the head of the subject, thereby defining a second frame of reference; and a processor, configured to: receive and process signals output by the one or more magnetic field sensors in response to the one or more magnetic fields so as to acquire respective location coordinates of the magnetic field sensors in the second frame of reference, segment a tomographic image of the subject, having a third frame of reference, so as to identify the face of the subject in the third frame of reference, compute a first transformation between the third frame of reference and the first frame of reference so as to map the face in the segmented tomographic image to the 3D optical image of the face, using the first transformation, map the optical landmarks to the third frame of reference, using the known spatial relationships between the magnetic field sensors and the optical landmarks, map the respective location coordinates of the magnetic field sensors to the first frame of reference, and using the mapped location coordinates and the first transformation, compute a second transformation between the second frame of reference and the third frame of reference.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the patient tracker further comprises the plurality of optical landmarks.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the one or more magnetic field sensors and plurality of optical landmarks of the planar tracker are formed on a planar flexible sheet.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the camera comprises a 3D camera using two lenses to form the 3D optical image of the face of the subject.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the camera comprises a 2D camera using a single lens, the apparatus further comprising a photo registration device to which the 2D camera is connected, and which is operative to enable the 2D camera to acquire multiple 2D images of the face of the subject.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , and comprising at least one marker configured to be attached to the face of the subject.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the photo registration device is configured to enable the 2D camera to acquire multiple 2D images of the face of the subject from respective different positions having a static orientation with respect to the face.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the photo registration device is configured to enable the 2D camera to acquire multiple 2D images of the face of the subject from respective different positions having different orientations with respect to the face.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein computing the first transformation comprises adding an image of the patient tracker to the identified face of the subject in the third frame of reference.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein computing the first transformation comprises selecting portions of the identified face of the subject in the third frame of reference that do not include a region corresponding to the patient tracker.

11. A method, comprising: attaching a patient tracker to a head of a subject, the patient tracker comprising one or more magnetic field sensors; attaching a plurality of optical landmarks having respective known spatial relationships to the one or more magnetic field sensors; using a camera to acquire a three-dimensional (3D) optical image, in a first frame of reference, of a face of the subject with the patient tracker attached to the head; generating, with a magnetic radiator assembly, one or more magnetic fields in a vicinity of the head of the subject, thereby defining a second frame of reference; receiving and processing signals output by the one or more magnetic field sensors in response to the one or more magnetic fields so as to acquire respective location coordinates of the magnetic field sensors in the second frame of reference; segmenting a tomographic image of the subject, having a third frame of reference, so as to identify the face of the subject in the third frame of reference; computing a first transformation between the third frame of reference and the first frame of reference so as to map the face in the segmented tomographic image to the 3D optical image of the face; using the first transformation, mapping the optical landmarks to the third frame of reference; using the known spatial relationships between the magnetic field sensors and the optical landmarks, mapping the respective location coordinates of the magnetic field sensors to the first frame of reference; and using the mapped location coordinates and the first transformation, computing a second transformation between the second frame of reference and the third frame of reference.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the patient tracker further comprises the plurality of optical landmarks of the planar tracker.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the one or more magnetic field sensors and plurality of optical landmarks of the planar tracker are formed on a planar flexible sheet.

14. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the camera comprises a 3D camera using two lenses to form the 3D optical image of the face of the subject.

15. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the camera comprises a 2D camera using a single lens, the method further comprising connecting a photo registration device to the 2D camera, the device being operative to enable the 2D camera to acquire multiple 2D images of the face of the subject.

16. The method according to claim 15 , and comprising attaching at least one marker to the face of the subject.

17. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the photo registration device is configured to enable the 2D camera to acquire multiple 2D images of the face of the subject from respective different positions having a static orientation with respect to the face.

18. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the photo registration device is configured to enable the 2D camera to acquire multiple 2D images of the face of the subject from respective different positions having different orientations with respect to the face.

19. The method according to claim 11 , wherein computing the first transformation comprises adding an image of the patient tracker to the identified face of the subject in the third frame of reference.

20. The method according to claim 11 , wherein computing the first transformation comprises selecting portions of the identified face of the subject in the third frame of reference that do not include a region corresponding to the patient tracker.

Assignees

• Biosense Webster Israel Ltd
• Acclarent Inc

Inventors

• Bustan Itamar
• Shameli Ehsan
• Levi Moran
• Fang Itzhak
• Hod Uriel
• Ebrahimi Babak
• Pinsky Yoav
• Akbarian Fatemeh
• Racheli Noam

Classifications

• A61B34/32 Primary

  operating autonomously · CPC title

• A61B34/20 Primary

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

• G06T2207/30204

  Marker · CPC title

• G06T7/337

  involving reference images or patches · CPC title

• A61B5/062

  using magnetic field · CPC title