Navigation system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11660146-B2
Application number	US-202017064813-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 7, 2020
Priority date	Apr 20, 2017
Publication date	May 30, 2023
Grant date	May 30, 2023

Abstract

Disclosed is a localizer system. The localizer system may be incorporated into a navigation system for tracking a tracking device. Generally, the localizer may include a transmitting coil array and a field shaping assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A field shaping assembly, comprising:
a conductive member having a first surface with a first surface area;
a first magnetic permeable member having a second surface with a second surface area;
a second magnetic permeable member having a third surface with a third surface area;
a structural member having a first set of coil holding pockets, a second set of coil holding pockets, a first pocket, a second pocket, and a third pocket;
a first coil group positioned in the first set of coil holding pockets and having a first plurality of coils associated with the first magnetic permeable member; and
a second coil group positioned in the second set of coil holding pockets and having a second plurality of coils associated with the second magnetic permeable member;
wherein the first magnetic permeable member is positioned in the first pocket, the second magnetic permeable member is positioned in the second pocket, and the conductive member is positioned in the third pocket;
wherein the field shaping assembly is configured to selectively shape a magnetic field generated with the first and second coil groups.

2. The field shaping assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first surface area is greater than a combined surface area of the second surface area and the third surface area.

3. The field shaping assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a spacer member placed between at least two of the conductive member, the first magnetic permeable member, and the second magnetic permeable member.

4. The field shaping assembly of claim 1 ,
wherein the first and second coil groups in combination with the conductive member, the first magnetic permeable member, and the second magnetic permeable member forms a diverse field.

5. The field shaping assembly of claim 4 , wherein the field shaping assembly is configured to form the diverse field that includes a first vector of a first component of the emitted magnetic field that is diverse from a second vector of a second component of the emitted magnetic field.

6. The field shaping assembly of claim 5 , wherein the first component is a first component in time and the second component is a second component in time.

7. The field shaping assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first magnetic permeable member is cup shaped.

8. The field shaping assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first magnetic permeable member includes a plurality of the first magnetic permeable member;
wherein the conductive member is a single member; and
wherein the second magnetic permeable member is a single member.

9. The field shaping assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first magnetic permeable member includes a plurality of the first magnetic permeable member;
wherein the conductive member includes a plurality of the conductive member; and
wherein the second magnetic permeable member is a single member.

10. A field shaping assembly, comprising:
a conductive member having a first surface with a first surface area;
a first magnetic permeable member having a second surface with a second surface area;
a second magnetic permeable member having a third surface with a third surface area;
a structural member having a first set of coil holding pockets and a second set of coil holding pockets;
a first coil group positioned in the first set of coil holding pockets and having a first plurality of coils associated with the first magnetic permeable member; and
a second coil group positioned in the second set of coil holding pockets and having a second plurality of coils associated with the second magnetic permeable member;
wherein the first surface area is greater than a combined surface area of the second surface area and the third surface area;
wherein the first coil group is positioned over the first magnetic permeable member and the second coil group is positioned over the second magnetic permeable member;
wherein the first and second magnetic permeable members is positioned over the conductive member;
wherein the field shaping assembly is configured to selectively shape a magnetic field generated with the first and second coil groups.

11. The field shaping assembly of claim 10 , wherein the first magnetic permeable member and the second magnetic permeable are positioned on a single side of the conductive member.

12. The field shaping assembly of claim 10 , wherein the first magnetic permeable member is spaced apart from the second magnetic permeable and both the first magnetic permeable member and the second magnetic permeable are positioned on a single side of the conductive member.

13. The field shaping assembly of claim 10 , wherein at least one of the first magnetic permeable member or the second magnetic permeable are non-regular shapes.

14. The field shaping assembly of claim 10 , further comprising:
a spacer member that is inert to magnetic fields and electric current including substantially nonmagnetic and nonconductive;
wherein the spacer member is positioned between the conductive member and at least one of the first magnetic permeable member or the second magnetic permeable.

15. The field shaping assembly of claim 10 , wherein the conductive member is at least ten times as conductive as both the first magnetic permeable member and the second magnetic permeable member.

16. The field shaping assembly of claim 10 , further comprising:
the structural member having a first structural member surface, wherein the first structural member surface includes:
a first pocket having a first dimension configured to receive the first magnetic permeable member;
a second pocket having a second dimension configured to receive the second magnetic permeable member; and
a receiving area configured to receive the conductive member;
wherein the conductive member is positioned to sandwich the first magnetic permeable member and the second magnetic permeable member between the conductive member and the first structural member surface.

17. The field shaping assembly of claim 1 , wherein each coil of the first coil group is positioned at about 120 degrees from one another around a center point.

18. The field shaping assembly of claim 1 , wherein each coil of the first coil group has a shape selected from the group of elongated, ellipses, oval, and round.

19. The field shaping assembly of claim 10 , wherein the first plurality of coils includes a first coil, a second coil, and a third coil, the first coil positioned along a first plane, the second coil positioned along a second plane, and a third coil positioned along a third plane, wherein the conductive member is positioned along a fourth plane, wherein the first plane, the second plane, and the third plane, are each at an angle relative to the fourth plane.

20. The field shaping assembly of claim 19 , wherein the first, second and third coils are positioned at about 120 degrees from one another around a center point.

Assignees

• Medtronic Navigation Inc

Inventors

• Jacobsen Brad
• Danailov Danail G
• Bzostek Andrew
• Wald Andrew

Classifications

• A61B34/20 Primary

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

• H01F27/28

  Coils; Windings; Conductive connections · CPC title

• G01D5/204

  by influencing the mutual induction between two or more coils (G01D5/22 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61B5/062

  using magnetic field · CPC title

• A61B2034/2051

  Electromagnetic tracking systems · CPC title