Elongate Instrument Tip Localization Without Distal Sensors
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Medical procedures such as PCNL require precise navigation and positioning of instruments within the body, which is challenging due to factors like physician skill and patient anatomy, often leading to potential damage and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A system with a sensor on the proximal portion of an instrument, coupled with a controller, determines the position and orientation of the distal portion based on sensor data and known instrument length, enabling precise localization and navigation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a sensor is placed on the distal portion of the instrument to directly measure position and orientation, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to the need for additional sensors, wiring, and power sources in the distal segment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the proximal portion of the instrument as an intermediary to indirectly measure the position and orientation of the distal portion. Instead of placing sensors directly at the distal tip, the system uses sensors at the proximal end combined with a mathematical model of the instrument's geometry and transformation matrices to calculate the distal pose, thereby avoiding the complexity of distal sensor integration while maintaining measurement capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/sensor-based direct measurement system with a computational approach. By using transformation matrices and mathematical models to calculate the distal position and orientation from proximal sensor data, the system substitutes physical sensing at the distal end with computational inference, reducing hardware complexity while preserving measurement functionality
2Manufacturing precision
If the instrument shaft is made more rigid to improve positioning accuracy, then manufacturing precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to reduced flexibility in navigating curved anatomical paths
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic mathematical model that accounts for the instrument shaft's flexibility and deformation. The system uses transformation matrices that can adapt to changes in the shaft's configuration, allowing the instrument to navigate curved anatomical paths while maintaining positioning accuracy through real-time computational compensation rather than relying on rigid mechanical structures
3Productivity
If real-time pose sensing is implemented to improve procedural efficiency, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional sensors, data processing requirements, and integration with existing medical systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-calculating and storing transformation matrices and geometric models of the instrument during the manufacturing process. These pre-computed data structures enable rapid real-time pose calculation during procedures without requiring complex on-the-fly computations, thereby improving productivity while limiting the increase in device complexity to primarily data storage and processing rather than computational complexity
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure provides methods, devices, and systems for localizing medical instruments. The present implementations more specifically relate to techniques for localizing a distal tip of an elongate medical instrument based at least in part on first sensor data received from one or more first sensors disposed in a proximal hub of the instrument. For example, the first sensor data may indicate a position and/or orientation of the proximal hub, which can be used to determine a position and/or orientation of the distal tip based on a known length of the instrument. In some implementations, the controller may further determine a shape of the instrument based on second sensor data received from one or more second sensors disposed on a shaft and/or distal tip of the instrument. In such implementations, the position and/or orientation of the distal portion may be further determined based on the shape of the instrument.