Opposing Transducers for Catheter Probe Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical probe navigation in walled cavities and passages is hindered by signal blanking regions due to close proximity of sensors to walls, leading to inaccurate tracking and positioning of the probe tip.
Innovation Solution
Employing opposing transducers mounted on the distal end of the probe, which track movement relative to walls, allowing for compensation of signal blanking regions by using tracking information from other transducers when one transducer is unable to sense the wall, enabling precise positioning and contact determination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single transducer is used to track probe movement relative to walls, then the device structure is simple, but signal blanking regions occur when the probe closely approaches the wall causing tracking failure
Solution Approach 1:
The single transducer is segmented into multiple transducers positioned at different locations on the probe. Each transducer monitors a specific direction, and when one enters a blanking region, others continue providing tracking data. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by maintaining tracking reliability through distributed sensing while keeping each individual transducer simple.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple transducers are merged into a unified tracking system where their signals are combined and processed together. The system integrates data from all transducers, switching between them based on which are operational, thereby merging their functions to ensure continuous reliable tracking while managing the overall device complexity through coordinated operation.
2Measurement precision
If the probe closely approaches the wall to enter a specific area, then positioning precision is improved, but the transducer enters a blanking region and can no longer properly sense the wall
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from single-point sensing to multi-dimensional sensing by positioning transducers at different spatial locations and orientations. When the probe approaches the wall, transducers at different positions provide complementary information, allowing the system to maintain measurement precision by utilizing data from multiple dimensions rather than relying on a single transducer that may enter a blanking region.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system acts as an intermediary that processes signals from multiple transducers and reconstructs wall position information even when individual transducers fail. By mediating between the physical transducers and the final positioning output, the system compensates for information loss from any single transducer entering a blanking region.
3Adaptability or versatility
If opposing transducers are employed to compensate for blanking regions, then tracking coverage is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Transducers are positioned with specific local qualities - opposing transducers are placed at strategically chosen locations and orientations to cover specific directional盲区. Each transducer is optimized for its local sensing zone, and the opposing arrangement ensures that when one transducer's local coverage is compromised by a blanking region, the opposing transducer provides complementary coverage from the opposite direction.
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
Enables accurate and precise tracking and positioning of the probe tip within walled cavities, overcoming the limitations of signal blanking regions and ensuring effective navigation and treatment in medical procedures.
Implementation Method 1
a first transducer mounted on one side of the balloon and a second transducer mounted on an opposing side of the balloon... The transducers track movement of the probe distal end with respect to the walls of the walled area
Data Source
AI summary
A probe navigation methods and devices for use in medical diagnoses and procedures are provided. A probe that is inserted in a walled area within a subject has a distal end on which at least first and second opposing transducers are mounted. The transducers track movement of the probe end with respect to the walls of the walled area. The distal end of the probe may closely approach a wall to enter an area such that the first transducer is no longer able to properly sense it, commonly referred to as a blanking region. Tracking information of the movement of the probe away from an opposing wall generated by the second transducer is then used to provide tracking of the distal end of the probe relative to the wall the first transducer is no longer able to sense.