Endoscope Tracker Using Trackballs and Cameras for Motion Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current endoscopic practices face challenges in accurately localizing lesions during procedures, leading to inaccuracies in preoperative endoscopy and requiring changes to surgical plans.
Innovation Solution
A real-time endoscope tracker system using a sensor cuff with trackballs and cameras to track the endoscope's position and orientation, correcting for accumulated errors with image data from the cameras.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If Magnetic Endoscopic Imaging (MEI) is used to improve localization accuracy, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to requiring new endoscopes with magnetic coils
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary tracking system consisting of external sensors (optical or magnetic) and computational algorithms that mediate between the endoscope and the localization system. This allows existing endoscopes to be tracked without modifying their core structure, resolving the contradiction by improving measurement precision through a separate tracking layer rather than integrating complex components into the endoscope itself
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical integration of magnetic coils into the endoscope with non-contact sensing methods using external optical or magnetic fields. This substitution eliminates the need to modify the endoscope's mechanical structure while achieving the same localization function through field-based detection outside the endoscope
2Measurement precision
If MEI is used for motion tracking, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to requiring new endoscopes or accessories
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the endoscope to be tracked using its existing features and structure without requiring additional specialized components. The tracking system utilizes the endoscope's own geometry, markings, or inherent properties to determine its position and orientation, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating the need for separate magnetic coil assemblies or specialized accessories
3Productivity
If real-time tracking is implemented, then productivity is improved through faster lesion localization, but device complexity increases due to multiple sensors and computing resources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the tracking system into modular functional segments: sensors for detecting endoscope position, processing units for calculating motion, display systems for visualizing tracking data, and communication interfaces. This segmentation allows real-time processing by distributing computational tasks across separate modules rather than requiring a single complex integrated system, thereby improving productivity while managing device complexity through modular architecture
Data Source
AI summary
An endoscope tracker that measures the endoscope's motion using a pair of trackballs and two video cameras is provided. The trackballs measure real-time changes in the scope's position and rotation during an endoscopic procedure. The cameras detect scale lines on the scope's surface to correct accumulated trackball measurement errors. A dual modality tracking method measures the motion of the endoscope's insertion tube in real time, including insertion length, rotation angle, and their velocities. Optical trackballs measure the endoscope insertion tube's motion, and cameras correct cumulative errors. A purely optical endoscope tracker that measures the endoscope's motion is also provided, using video cameras and software that processes the images obtained from the video cameras to determine how the endoscope moves over time.