Surgical Reference Plane Distortion Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In operating rooms, multiple surgical imaging devices often operate in close proximity, creating electromagnetic fields that distort the accuracy of sensors tracking the location of imaging devices. This lack of awareness and communication about electromagnetic distortion can lead to inaccuracies in device positioning, affecting the safety and precision of surgical operations.
Innovation Solution
A common reference plane is created for multiple imaging streams to compensate for distortion. This involves using a reference plane from one imaging system to correct for distortion in another system, aligning oblique reference planes, and utilizing a second coordinate system to form a common coordinate system for both local reference planes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple surgical imaging devices operate in close proximity, then the imaging coverage and functionality are improved, but electromagnetic distortion affects the accuracy of device positioning
Solution Approach 1:
A common reference plane is introduced as an intermediary element that mediates between multiple imaging systems. Each imaging system uses the common reference plane to establish its own coordinate system, allowing distortion compensation without requiring direct communication or coordination between devices. The reference plane acts as a shared mediator that enables accurate positioning despite electromagnetic interference from nearby devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The common reference plane serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides a shared coordinate system for multiple imaging systems, enables distortion compensation, and establishes a universal framework for spatial alignment. This universal reference structure allows different imaging devices to operate independently while maintaining accurate positioning through the shared reference framework.
2Device complexity
If devices operate independently without communication, then device complexity is reduced, but distortion compensation capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
Each imaging system independently uses the common reference plane to compensate for its own distortion without requiring communication with other devices. The systems self-correct their positioning errors by referencing the shared coordinate system, maintaining measurement precision while avoiding complex inter-device coordination or communication protocols.
3Measurement precision
If a common reference plane is established, then coordinate accuracy across multiple systems is improved, but the need for alignment and calibration increases complexity
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple independent coordinate systems from different imaging devices are merged into a unified common reference plane. This merging process combines the strengths of each system while eliminating their individual distortions, creating a single coherent coordinate framework that simplifies the overall system architecture despite the alignment requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
Devices, systems, and techniques for alignment and distortion compensation of reference planes used by surgical devices. A first surgical instrument may include a processor and an electromagnetic (EM) sensor. The first surgical instrument may sense, using the EM sensor, a predicted location of the EM sensor. The predicted location may be distorted by an EM field. The first surgical instrument may receive, from a second surgical instrument, a coordinate system associated with imaging of an area around the EM sensor. The first surgical instrument may determine an adjusted location of the EM sensor based on the received coordinate system.