Multi-Plane Surgical Tool Tracking Arrays for Continuous XR Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing navigation systems in surgery are prone to intermittent pauses and obstructions when tracked objects move outside the camera's view or are obstructed, affecting accuracy, robustness, and ergonomics.
Innovation Solution
A surgical tool tracking array with multiple marker holders in independent planes and an extended reality (XR) headset system that allows for real-time tracking and control of surgical tools using a see-through display, enabling continuous tracking and improved ergonomics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single stereo camera system is used for tracking surgical instruments, then the device complexity is reduced, but the tracking reliability deteriorates due to intermittent pauses when objects move outside the tracking area or become obstructed
Solution Approach 1:
The tracking system is segmented into multiple independent camera systems rather than using a single camera. Each camera provides an independent tracking volume, and the system seamlessly switches between cameras to maintain continuous tracking of surgical instruments even when objects move outside one camera's view or become obstructed.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple tracking arrays with different geometries are nested within the same surgical field, each providing redundant tracking capabilities. The system can switch between different arrays depending on which provides the best tracking signal, ensuring continuous reliable tracking without requiring a single complex camera system.
2Reliability
If the tracking area is expanded to cover the entire surgical field, then the tracking reliability improves, but the device complexity increases due to multiple camera systems required
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches between multiple cameras and tracking arrays based on real-time tracking quality and object position. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maintain reliable tracking across the entire surgical field without requiring all cameras to operate simultaneously at full capacity, effectively managing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system ensures continuous tracking by having overlapping tracking volumes from multiple cameras and seamlessly transitioning between them. This continuity of useful action maintains reliable tracking throughout the surgical procedure without interruptions, even as instruments move through different areas of the surgical field.
3Measurement precision
If markers are placed in multiple independent planes on the tracking array, then the measurement precision improves for 3D position determination, but the device complexity increases due to additional marker holders and planes
Solution Approach 1:
The tracking array incorporates markers arranged in multiple independent planes (first plane, second parallel plane, and third perpendicular plane). This multi-dimensional arrangement provides redundant geometric constraints that significantly improve 3D position and orientation measurement precision, allowing accurate tracking even when some markers are partially obscured.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the geometric parameters of the marker array by using multiple planes with different orientations and spacings. This parameter variation provides multiple independent measurement baselines, improving the precision of 3D position determination through enhanced geometric diversity in the marker configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical tool tracking array can include a first marker holder, a second marker holder, and a tool holder. The first marker holder is configured to couple a first marker to the surgical tracking array in a first plane. The second marker holder is configured to couple a second marker to the surgical tool tracking array in a second plane that is independent and substantially parallel to the first plane. The tool holder is configured to couple a portion of a surgical tool to the surgical tool tracking array in a third plane that is independent from the first plane and the second plane.