Intravascular Imaging Position Sensor for Transducer Tracking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Intravascular imaging systems face inaccuracies in determining the translation distance of catheter components, leading to errors in constructing 360-degree images due to unreliable measurement of translation velocity.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a position sensor with a reference element and a movable element to accurately determine the position of the catheter's transducer relative to the reference element, allowing for more precise image construction and display generation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If translation velocity is used to estimate translation distance, then the system can operate without additional sensors, but measurement precision deteriorates due to unreliable velocity measurement
Solution Approach 1:
A position sensor is introduced as an intermediary device to directly measure translation distance. The sensor includes a reference element positioned relative to the transducer and a detection mechanism that measures the position of the transducer along the longitudinal axis, providing accurate translation distance measurement without relying on velocity integration
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/computational method of estimating distance from velocity over time with a direct position sensing mechanism. This substitution eliminates the accumulation of velocity measurement errors and provides more reliable translation distance data for image construction
2Reliability
If commanded velocity is used to calculate translation distance, then the system remains simple, but reliability deteriorates when actual velocity differs from commanded velocity
Solution Approach 1:
The position sensor provides real-time feedback on the actual translation distance of the transducer. This feedback mechanism allows the system to accurately determine translation distance regardless of variations between commanded and actual velocity, improving reliability of image construction
Solution Approach 2:
The position sensor acts as an intermediary that directly measures translation distance, eliminating reliance on velocity commands. The sensor system includes a reference element and detection mechanism that provide accurate position data independent of velocity control accuracy
Data Source
AI summary
An intravascular imaging system can include a catheter, a position sensor, and an intravascular imaging engine for receiving information from the catheter and the position sensor. The position sensor can include a reference element and a movable element, which can have a movable element position that is correlated to the position of an imaging transducer in the catheter. The relative position between the movable element and a reference element can be determined and can correspond to the relative movement of the transducer within a patient's vasculature. The imaging engine can receive position information from the position sensor and image information from the catheter and generate a display using the received information. Because relative movement of the transducer can be determined, spatial relationships between sets of imaging data can be determined, and image data from multiple transducer locations can be combined into one image.