End Effector Collision Modeling for Low-Latency Surgical Tracking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical navigation systems face computational challenges in tracking non-spherical surgical instruments relative to patient boundaries, leading to undesirable latency and potential compromises in precision and accuracy during surgical procedures.
Innovation Solution
A surgical navigation system that includes a handheld surgical instrument with an end effector, a localizer, and a control system to associate an end effector model with a selected security margin, modify its spatial dimensions, and determine poses relative to patient boundaries, using an alert module for notifications when collisions are imminent.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a detailed end effector model is used to track non-spherical surgical instruments, then measurement precision is improved, but computational cost and latency increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a simplified virtual representation (copy) of the end effector model rather than computing with the full complex geometry. The system creates a virtual end effector model that replicates the essential spatial characteristics needed for collision detection without requiring computationally intensive processing of the actual complex geometry, thus reducing latency while maintaining tracking precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the collision detection process into discrete steps: determining the pose of the virtual end effector model, determining the pose of the patient boundary, and then checking for collisions between these segmented representations. This segmentation allows the system to handle complex geometries by breaking down the computation into manageable portions, reducing overall computational load and latency.
2Productivity
If real-time tracking of surgical instruments is performed, then productivity is improved, but computational expense increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a simplified virtual model copy of the end effector that maintains the essential geometric information needed for collision detection while significantly reducing computational requirements. This virtual representation allows real-time tracking to be performed with lower computational expense by avoiding complex geometric calculations while preserving the productivity benefit of real-time operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters of the end effector representation from complex detailed geometry to a simplified virtual model with adjusted spatial dimensions. By modifying these parameters to create a computationally efficient representation that still accurately reflects the end effector's position and orientation, the system achieves real-time tracking with reduced computational expense.
3Reliability
If security margin is added to end effector model, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the safety functionality into a separate security margin parameter rather than integrating it into the complex geometry of the end effector model. The virtual end effector model maintains its simplified structure, and safety is achieved through the addition of a security margin that creates a buffer zone between the model and patient boundaries, improving reliability without increasing model complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The security margin acts as an intermediary element between the simplified virtual end effector model and the patient boundary. This intermediary buffer zone provides safety by ensuring that even with the simplified model, the system maintains reliable protection against unintended contact with critical anatomical structures, improving reliability while keeping the model itself simple.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical navigation system is provided, which includes a handheld surgical instrument configured to receive an end effector, a localizer configured to determine a pose of the handheld surgical instrument, an alert module for providing notifications to a user, and a control system in communication with the localizer and the alert module. The control system configured to receive a selection of the end effector, associate an end effector model with the handheld surgical instrument based on the selection of the end effector, receive a selection of a security margin, modify a spatial dimension of the end effector model based on the selected security margin, determine a pose of the modified end effector model, determine a pose of a patient boundary associated with a target anatomical feature, and control the alert module based on the pose of the patient boundary and the pose of the modified model of the end effector.