Touch-Sensitive Medical Instrument Tip for Marker-Free Registration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical instruments face inaccuracies and operational complexity in detecting the tip's contact with a patient's surface, especially in magnetic tracking systems without optical detection, due to reliance on manual inputs and potential skin deformation during registration.
Innovation Solution
A medical instrument with a tactile tip equipped with a touch sensor that automatically detects contact with an object, eliminating the need for separate manual inputs and enabling precise registration by transmitting a signal upon contact, which can be wirelessly communicated, and allowing for accurate surface-matching registration without markers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a pointer tip is used to move to points on the patient's surface for registration, then the navigation system can determine the current position of the patient, but the skin surface is deformed during contact leading to registration inaccuracies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical contact-based registration system with an optical measurement system. The optical measuring device captures three-dimensional surface data without physical contact, eliminating skin deformation. The system uses optical fields instead of mechanical force to acquire surface geometry information for navigation registration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an optical field as an intermediary between the measurement system and the patient's surface. Instead of direct mechanical contact with a pointer tip, the optical measuring device uses light to capture surface information, serving as a non-contact mediator that eliminates harmful mechanical interaction while enabling accurate registration.
2Ease of operation
If a separate action is required to inform the navigation system that a marker has been moved to for registration, then the navigation system can be updated with the marker position, but the operation becomes complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service automation where the optical measuring device automatically detects surface points and triggers registration without requiring manual confirmation actions. The system autonomously identifies when a surface point has been measured and communicates this information to the navigation system, eliminating the need for separate manual operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes an automated feedback loop where the optical measuring device continuously monitors surface contact and automatically signals the navigation system when registration conditions are met. This feedback mechanism replaces manual confirmation actions with automated detection and communication, simplifying the operational workflow.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a medical instrument comprising an instrument body (8), an instrument tip (5) and a tracking means (1,2, 4), characterized in that said instrument tip (5) is fitted with a touch-sensor (3) which detects a contact between said tip (5) and an object, for example a patient. It is preferably realized as an indicator device or pointer, in particular as a registering pointer for instrument tracking systems.