Robotic Catheter Master Controller Graphical Overlay
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current robotic interventional systems face challenges in performing minimally invasive medical procedures with high precision and control, particularly in accessing deep tissues through natural pathways or small wounds, requiring advanced control systems and imaging overlays for accurate navigation.
Innovation Solution
A robotic catheter system with a master controller and instrument drive assembly allows for precise positioning of a guide instrument within the body, using graphical overlays of fluoroscopic or ultrasonic images, and generates a graphic model of body tissue structures for enhanced navigation and procedure execution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If robotic interventional systems are used to perform minimally invasive procedures, then precision and control are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A master controller serves as an intermediary between the operator and the robotic catheter system. The master controller includes a user interface that receives operator inputs and translates them into precise control signals for the instrument drive assembly, which actuates the catheter. This intermediary architecture simplifies the operator's interaction while maintaining high positioning precision through sophisticated control algorithms running on the master controller.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a virtual copy of the catheter's position and orientation by generating a graphic model that is overlaid on fluoroscopic or ultrasonic images. This visual copy allows the operator to see the catheter's location in real-time without direct line-of-sight, enabling precise navigation through complex anatomical pathways while maintaining simplicity in the physical control interface.
2Manufacturing precision
If graphical overlays and imaging systems are used for navigation, then instrument placement accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple imaging modalities (fluoroscopy and ultrasonic imaging) into a single integrated display system. The master controller receives images from both sources and combines them with the virtual catheter model in a unified graphical overlay. This consolidation provides comprehensive navigation information in one view, improving placement accuracy while reducing the complexity of managing separate imaging systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system adds a virtual dimension by superimposing a 2D graphic model of the catheter onto the 2D fluoroscopic or ultrasonic images. This creates a composite visualization that displays both the anatomical structure and the catheter position in the same plane, enabling accurate spatial correlation and improving navigation precision without requiring complex 3D reconstruction or multiple display devices.
3Productivity
If real-time imaging and control are implemented, then procedure efficacy is improved, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic imaging rather than continuous imaging to reduce energy consumption. The fluoroscopic or ultrasonic images are acquired at specific intervals or triggered by specific events during the procedure, while the master controller continuously processes and displays the catheter model based on position data from sensors. This periodic acquisition maintains procedure efficacy by providing timely visual feedback while significantly reducing the energy required for imaging compared to continuous operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for performing an interventional procedure using a robotically controlled guide instrument coupled to an instrument drive assembly, includes manipulating a user interface of a master controller to actuate the drive assembly and thereby position a distal portion of the guide instrument at an interventional procedure site in a patient's body; and providing on a first display a graphically rendered image of the distal portion of the guide instrument overlaying an image of the interventional procedure site, wherein manipulation of the user interface causes a corresponding movement of the instrument model relative to the image in the first display.