Surgical Navigation Pose Comparison for Obscured Marker Detection

The patent segments the fiducial markers into two distinct groups: fully visible markers and partially obscured markers. By treating these groups separately in the pose computation process, the system can identify which markers are compromised and exclude them from the calculation, thereby preventing the compensation effect that masks tip offsets. This segmentation enables the system to maintain registration completion while improving detection accuracy.

The patent introduces an intermediary criterion that compares poses computed from different subsets of fiducial markers. This intermediary comparison mechanism acts as a mediator to detect inconsistencies that indicate partially obscured markers, thereby revealing tip offsets that would otherwise be masked by the RMS error compensation effect.

The patent applies preliminary action by first identifying and classifying fiducial markers as fully visible or partially obscured before completing the image registration. This preliminary classification step ensures that compromised markers are excluded from the pose computation, thereby maintaining clinical relevance without significantly increasing overall system complexity.

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the system continuously monitors the visibility status of fiducial markers and adjusts the pose computation accordingly. When partially obscured markers are detected, the system provides feedback to exclude these markers from the calculation, thereby maintaining reliable and clinically relevant navigation information throughout the surgical procedure.