Surgical Drape Marker Monitoring for Navigation Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surgical drapes used to separate sterile and non-sterile components can shift over time, affecting the accuracy of navigation systems due to optical distortion and improper placement, leading to reduced navigation accuracy and cumbersome robotic actions.
Innovation Solution
A system using printed markings or indicia on the drape, monitored by an HD camera, to verify correct installation and alignment, ensuring the drape is in a predetermined configuration, compatible with the surgical setup, and allowing navigation systems to function accurately.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the drape is used to separate sterile and non-sterile components, then sterility is maintained, but the drape may shift over time causing navigation accuracy to deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors the drape configuration using sensors and provides feedback to the navigation system. The sensors detect the position of indicia on the drape, and this information is fed back to update the navigation calculations, compensating for drape movement and maintaining navigation accuracy throughout the surgical procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
Indicia are pre-marked on the drape at specific locations before the surgical procedure begins. These predetermined markings serve as reference points that the navigation system can track, allowing the system to anticipate and compensate for potential drape movements by having reference markers already in place.
2Reliability
If the drape shifts due to movement of non-sterile components, then the sterile barrier function is maintained, but optical distortion increases reducing navigation precision
Solution Approach 1:
The indicia serve as an intermediary between the drape and the navigation system. Instead of directly tracking the drape material itself, the navigation system tracks the stable, high-contrast markings on the drape, which provide reliable reference points that are less susceptible to optical distortion from drape movement and material properties.
3Device complexity
If traditional drape monitoring is used, then the system is simple, but detection precision of drape configuration is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual visual inspection of drape configuration with an automated sensor-based detection system. Sensors optically detect the indicia on the drape and transmit this information to a processor that automatically determines drape configuration, eliminating the need for manual assessment and providing superior detection precision.
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems and methods for detecting and monitoring a drape configuration are provided. The system may include a drape and one or more indicia. The one or more indicia may be visible when at least a portion of the drape is in a predetermined configuration. Information about the one or more indicia may be received and whether or not the portion of the drape is in the predetermined configuration may be determined based on the information.