Camera Tracking Warm-Up Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Optical tracking systems used in surgical navigation take a significant amount of time to warm up, leading to temporary impaired tracking accuracy and potential inaccuracies during initial use.
Innovation Solution
A control device for a camera-based tracking system that generates operation signals with calibration compensation instructions, including actively adjusting the temperature or adapting camera outputs, to quickly stabilize the system and match its current state with the calibration assumptions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the camera-based tracking system is operated in regular tracking mode from cold-start, then energy consumption is minimized, but the system takes up to half an hour or one hour to warm-up and stabilize, resulting in impaired tracking accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs a preliminary self-calibration routine during the starting phase before normal tracking operations begin. This preliminary action stabilizes the camera outputs and compensates for temperature-induced drifts in advance, ensuring that accurate tracking is available immediately when needed without requiring a lengthy warm-up period
2Measurement precision
If the camera-based tracking system is operated in regular tracking mode, then energy consumption is normal, but tracking accuracy is temporarily impaired during the starting phase
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts its operational mode based on the starting phase status. During the starting phase, it operates in a calibration mode with higher energy consumption to stabilize camera outputs and eliminate temperature drift. Once stabilized, it transitions to regular tracking mode with normal energy consumption, thus achieving high accuracy only when necessary rather than continuously
3Adaptability or versatility
If the camera-based tracking system is moved between operating rooms, then adaptability is improved, but the system requires significant warm-up time to stabilize after cold-start
Solution Approach 1:
The tracking system performs self-calibration automatically during the starting phase without requiring manual intervention or external calibration tools. The controller detects the starting phase condition and autonomously executes calibration routines to stabilize camera outputs, enabling the system to quickly adapt to new operating rooms and become operational in just a few minutes
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
This solution significantly reduces the warm-up time of the tracking system, improving its accuracy during the initial stages of operation and ensuring that it is ready for use within a few minutes.
Implementation Method 1
The control signal is configured to operate the camera in an increased energy consumption mode where a higher energy consumption by the camera takes place than in a regular tracking mode, and to thereby heat up the camera due to a higher energy consumption
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to operating a camera-based tracking system. In order to provide accurate tracking at an earlier stage, a control device (10) for operation of a camera-based tracking system is provided. The control device comprises a controller (12) and a control signal output (14). The controller is configured to generate at least one operation signal for the tracking system that comprises, at least during a starting phase of the tracking system, at least one calibration compensation instruction. The at least one calibration compensation instruction comprises instructions for at least one of the group of: i) actively adjusting a temperature of the camera-based tracking system, and ii) adapting a calibration-related camera output of the camera-based tracking system, which camera output is used for a tracking calculation. The control signal output is configured to provide the at least one operation signal to the tracking system. In one approach, a pre-heating is provided in order to achieve (steady) calibration state by providing a control signals to the cameras for operation in a high thermal energy production mode. In another approach, the calibration is provided as dynamic calibration model that allows a calibration also for states of the system outside the steady state.