Medical Device Position Sensing With Multi-Unit Signal Synchronization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional medical device positioning hardware is limited in its capacity to determine the positions of a large plurality of position sensors on medical devices, particularly those with flexible sections, such as catheters used in cardiac arrhythmia treatment, due to insufficient channels for collecting location signals from these sensors.
Innovation Solution
The system extends the capabilities of existing medical device positioning hardware by adding an additional interface unit with extra input channels and a synchronization processor to accommodate and synchronize position signals from a larger number of sensors, without replacing existing equipment, using additional signal acquisition devices to process and display the positions accurately.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional medical device positioning hardware is used, then the system structure remains simple and existing equipment is maintained, but the capacity to determine positions of a large plurality of position sensors is insufficient due to limited input channels
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the signal acquisition functionality into multiple independent signal acquisition devices, each capable of receiving signals from multiple position sensors. This segmentation allows the system to track a large plurality of sensors without requiring a single complex acquisition device, thereby increasing sensor capacity while managing system complexity through modular architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning system is designed to universally accommodate multiple types of medical devices and position sensors through a common framework of signal acquisition devices, synchronization processor, and reference transmitters. This multi-functional design enables the system to track various sensors simultaneously without requiring device-specific hardware, thus increasing the number of trackable sensors while maintaining relatively simple individual component designs
2Quantity of substance
If multiple signal acquisition devices are added to track more sensors, then the position determination capacity increases, but synchronization between devices becomes necessary to maintain accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The synchronization processor continuously monitors and adjusts the operation of multiple signal acquisition devices based on reference transmitters, creating a feedback loop that maintains temporal alignment. This feedback mechanism ensures that all acquisition devices remain synchronized without requiring complex manual coordination, thereby enabling tracking of multiple sensors while managing synchronization complexity through automated control
Solution Approach 2:
The synchronization processor acts as an intermediary between multiple signal acquisition devices and reference transmitters, coordinating their operations and ensuring temporal alignment. This intermediary component simplifies the synchronization task by centralizing the coordination function, allowing multiple devices to work together seamlessly without each device needing direct complex interactions with every other device
3Quantity of substance
If additional interface units with extra input channels are added, then more position signals can be accommodated, but the system hardware becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the signal acquisition capacity across multiple independent interface units, each with its own input channels. Rather than requiring one complex interface unit with numerous channels, the system uses several simpler units with fewer channels each, collectively providing the necessary capacity. This segmentation increases the number of processable signals while keeping individual hardware components relatively simple
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a positioning system adapted to determine positions of medical devices/instruments from position signals acquired by at least a first and second signal acquisition devices sampling outputs from different position sensors of the medical devices and transmitting them in packets. The system includes a calibration signal generator which is connectable to each of the acquisition devices and generates a calibration signal whose frequency is switched between a plurality of frequencies. A synchronization processor processes concurrent packets including the calibration signal sampled by the first and second acquisition devices and thereby determines synchronization parameters for synchronizing between the position signals sampled by the different acquisition devices. For example, the synchronization processor is adapted to determine respective transition times between two frequencies in the calibration signal sampled by each of the acquisition devices, and based on the transition times, determine time shift(s) between the samplings made by the different acquisition devices.