Surgical Tracker Calibration Using Dual-Spectrum Image Correlation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surgical navigation systems require multiple sensors and a navigation pointer for initial calibration, which is time-consuming and requires precision, limiting the efficiency of object registration and tracking during surgical operations.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that capture short and long exposure images using a camera system to estimate a tracker pose and correlate virtual object data, eliminating the need for a navigation pointer by recognizing physical objects based on virtual data, thereby simplifying the calibration and registration process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional navigation systems use multiple sensors and a navigation pointer for initial calibration, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the navigation pointer from the calibration process. Instead of requiring a separate navigation pointer device, the system uses the camera system to directly capture images of trackers and identify their positions, thereby simplifying the overall system while maintaining calibration precision
Solution Approach 2:
The camera system is given multiple functions: it serves both as the primary imaging device for surgical visualization and as the calibration tool for tracker identification. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for dedicated calibration equipment, reducing device complexity while preserving measurement precision
2Measurement precision
If conventional navigation systems use multiple sensors and a navigation pointer for initial calibration, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs tracker identification and calibration data extraction directly from captured images without requiring sequential manual operations. The camera captures images that contain all necessary calibration information simultaneously, allowing the system to process multiple calibration points in parallel rather than sequentially, thereby reducing calibration time while maintaining precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical navigation pointer system with an optical/image-processing-based system. The camera system captures images and uses image processing algorithms to identify tracker positions and extract calibration data, eliminating the need for manual mechanical operations and significantly reducing calibration time
3Measurement precision
If the camera system uses short exposure images, then tracking precision is improved, but object recognition completeness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the image processing into two distinct stages: first, using short exposure images to precisely identify tracker marker positions and estimate tracker pose; second, using the estimated tracker pose to guide identification of object features in longer exposure images. This segmentation allows each stage to optimize for its specific purpose without compromise
4Loss of information
If the camera system uses long exposure images, then object recognition completeness is improved, but tracking precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs tracker pose estimation using short exposure images as a preliminary step before processing long exposure images for object recognition. This preliminary action establishes an accurate reference frame that guides subsequent object feature identification, ensuring that the longer exposure images are processed with precise spatial context
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for defining a relationship between a surgical object and a tracker coupled to the surgical object. A first optical sensor senses light in an infrared spectrum or a near-infrared spectrum. A second optical sensor senses light in a visible light spectrum. Controller(s) acquire one or more first images of the tracker from the first optical sensor and acquire one or more second images of the surgical object from the second optical sensor. The controller(s) recognize a pose of the tracker based on the one or more first image and recognize a geometry of the surgical object based on the one or more second images. The controller(s) correlate the recognized pose of the tracker and the recognized geometry of the surgical object to define a relationship between the tracker and the surgical object.