Bendable Medical Device With Dual Distal Sensors for Precise Navigation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bendable medical devices lack precise tracking and navigation capabilities, particularly in navigating complex anatomical structures, limiting their effectiveness in medical procedures.
Innovation Solution
A tubular flexible body with dual sensors at its distal end, connected by wiring to a processor system that calculates the device's position and orientation using signal adjustments and calculations based on sensor orientations, enabling precise tracking and navigation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a single electromagnetic sensor is used to track the distal end position, then the device structure remains simple, but the navigation precision and orientation tracking accuracy are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The distal end of the flexible body is divided into multiple sensor mounting positions, with at least a first sensor and a second sensor placed at different locations. This segmentation allows independent measurement of position and orientation parameters at each sensor location, improving overall tracking precision without requiring a single complex sensor system
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple sensors (first sensor and second sensor) are combined at the distal end to work together for tracking both position and orientation. The sensors are integrated with the flexible body structure and connected through wiring to the control system, merging their functions to achieve precise six-degree-of-freedom tracking (three position parameters and three orientation parameters)
2Measurement precision
If sensors are placed at the distal end for accurate tracking, then position measurement improves, but the wiring complexity and signal management become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The wiring for multiple sensors is nested within the flexible body structure itself. The wiring extends from each sensor location through the flexible body to the proximal end, utilizing the existing tubular structure as a conduit. This nesting approach manages multiple sensor connections without adding external complexity to the device architecture
3Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are used to calculate distal end position and orientation, then navigation accuracy improves, but the computational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system receives signals from both the first sensor and the second sensor, processes these signals to calculate the distal end position and orientation, and uses this information to provide feedback for navigation. The system adjusts the orientation of the second sensor to be opposite to the first sensor, creating a balanced feedback mechanism that improves calculation accuracy while managing computational complexity through structured signal processing
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances the precision and accuracy of bendable medical devices in navigating through tortuous bodily lumens, allowing for more effective medical procedures such as biopsies and imaging.
Implementation Method 1
A bendable medical device may include an electromagnetic sensor that allows the location of the device's distal end to be tracked
Data Source
AI summary
Some embodiments of a device comprise a tubular flexible body that includes a channel though a longitudinal axis; a first sensor that is located in a distal end of the tubular flexible body; a second sensor that is located in the distal end of the tubular flexible body; and wiring that connects to the first sensor and the second sensor and that extends to a proximal end of the tubular flexible body, wherein a sensed orientation of the first sensor is oriented opposite to a sensed orientation of the second sensor.