EP1269111A1 - Reperage d'objet au moyen d'un detecteur unique ou d'une paire de detecteurs - Google Patents

Reperage d'objet au moyen d'un detecteur unique ou d'une paire de detecteurs

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Publication number
EP1269111A1
EP1269111A1 EP01912092A EP01912092A EP1269111A1 EP 1269111 A1 EP1269111 A1 EP 1269111A1 EP 01912092 A EP01912092 A EP 01912092A EP 01912092 A EP01912092 A EP 01912092A EP 1269111 A1 EP1269111 A1 EP 1269111A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
vector field
component
sensor
reference frame
equations
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP01912092A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP1269111A4 (fr
Inventor
Pinhas Gilboa
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Covidien LP
Original Assignee
SuperDimension Ltd
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by SuperDimension Ltd filed Critical SuperDimension Ltd
Publication of EP1269111A1 publication Critical patent/EP1269111A1/fr
Publication of EP1269111A4 publication Critical patent/EP1269111A4/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B5/00—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
    • A61B5/06—Devices, other than using radiation, for detecting or locating foreign bodies ; determining position of probes within or on the body of the patient
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B5/00—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
    • A61B5/06—Devices, other than using radiation, for detecting or locating foreign bodies ; determining position of probes within or on the body of the patient
    • A61B5/061—Determining position of a probe within the body employing means separate from the probe, e.g. sensing internal probe position employing impedance electrodes on the surface of the body
    • A61B5/062—Determining position of a probe within the body employing means separate from the probe, e.g. sensing internal probe position employing impedance electrodes on the surface of the body using magnetic field
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01B—MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
    • G01B7/00—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of electric or magnetic techniques
    • G01B7/004—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of electric or magnetic techniques for measuring coordinates of points
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01D—MEASURING NOT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC VARIABLE; ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING TWO OR MORE VARIABLES NOT COVERED IN A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; TARIFF METERING APPARATUS; MEASURING OR TESTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G01D5/00—Mechanical means for transferring the output of a sensing member; Means for converting the output of a sensing member to another variable where the form or nature of the sensing member does not constrain the means for converting; Transducers not specially adapted for a specific variable
    • G01D5/12—Mechanical means for transferring the output of a sensing member; Means for converting the output of a sensing member to another variable where the form or nature of the sensing member does not constrain the means for converting; Transducers not specially adapted for a specific variable using electric or magnetic means
    • G01D5/14—Mechanical means for transferring the output of a sensing member; Means for converting the output of a sensing member to another variable where the form or nature of the sensing member does not constrain the means for converting; Transducers not specially adapted for a specific variable using electric or magnetic means influencing the magnitude of a current or voltage
    • G01D5/20—Mechanical means for transferring the output of a sensing member; Means for converting the output of a sensing member to another variable where the form or nature of the sensing member does not constrain the means for converting; Transducers not specially adapted for a specific variable using electric or magnetic means influencing the magnitude of a current or voltage by varying inductance, e.g. by a movable armature
    • G01D5/204—Mechanical means for transferring the output of a sensing member; Means for converting the output of a sensing member to another variable where the form or nature of the sensing member does not constrain the means for converting; Transducers not specially adapted for a specific variable using electric or magnetic means influencing the magnitude of a current or voltage by varying inductance, e.g. by a movable armature by influencing the mutual induction between two or more coils
    • G01D5/2073—Mechanical means for transferring the output of a sensing member; Means for converting the output of a sensing member to another variable where the form or nature of the sensing member does not constrain the means for converting; Transducers not specially adapted for a specific variable using electric or magnetic means influencing the magnitude of a current or voltage by varying inductance, e.g. by a movable armature by influencing the mutual induction between two or more coils by movement of a single coil with respect to two or more coils
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01V—GEOPHYSICS; GRAVITATIONAL MEASUREMENTS; DETECTING MASSES OR OBJECTS; TAGS
    • G01V3/00—Electric or magnetic prospecting or detecting; Measuring magnetic field characteristics of the earth, e.g. declination, deviation
    • G01V3/08—Electric or magnetic prospecting or detecting; Measuring magnetic field characteristics of the earth, e.g. declination, deviation operating with magnetic or electric fields produced or modified by objects or geological structures or by detecting devices
    • G01V3/10—Electric or magnetic prospecting or detecting; Measuring magnetic field characteristics of the earth, e.g. declination, deviation operating with magnetic or electric fields produced or modified by objects or geological structures or by detecting devices using induction coils
    • G01V3/104—Electric or magnetic prospecting or detecting; Measuring magnetic field characteristics of the earth, e.g. declination, deviation operating with magnetic or electric fields produced or modified by objects or geological structures or by detecting devices using induction coils using several coupled or uncoupled coils

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to vector field tracking of a moving object and, more particularly, to a method of tracking a moving object with a small number (one or two) of vector field sensors attached thereto.
  • the moving object is equipped with a receiver, and a transmitter is placed in a known and fixed position in the fixed frame of reference.
  • the moving object is equipped with a generator that generates a static magnetic field, and a magnetometer is substituted for the receiver.
  • the moving object may be equipped with a magnetometer, and a generator of a static magnetic field may be placed in a known and fixed position in the fixed frame of reference.
  • the transmitter includes three orthogonal magnetic dipole transmitting antennas; the receiver includes three orthogonal magnetic dipole receiving sensors; and the transmitter and the receiver are sufficiently close to each other, and the frequencies of the signals are sufficiently low, that the signals are near field signals.
  • Such orthogonal transmitting antennas also can be used to generate a static magnetic field; the magnetometer in that case typically is a three component vector magnetometer.
  • Gilboa et al. provides expressions for the three position coordinates and the three orientation angles of a three component receiver in terms of signals received from three spatially extended transmitters.
  • the restricted space in which the moving object moves, imposes the constraint that the moving object can be equipped with only one transmitter component or only one receiver component.
  • a borehole logging tool must be slender enough to move through a borehole, and a catheter must be slender enough to move through a blood vessel. In both these cases, there is room in the object for only one transmitter or receiver coil, aligned with the longitudinal axis of the object.
  • Rorden et al. (US 4,710,708), Bladen et al.
  • a method of tracking an object including the steps of: (a) providing the object with at least one vector field component sensor for measuring a respective component of a vector field; (b) for each at least one vector field component sensor, empirically determining parameters of a set of equations that relate the respective component only to a position of the object with respect to a reference frame; (c) providing a plurality of vector field generators for generating respective instances of the vector field, each generator having a fixed respective position in the reference frame; (d) for each generator: (i) generating the respective instance of the vector field, and (ii) for each at least one sensor, measuring the respective component of the respective instance of the vector field; and (e) solving the set of equations for the position of the object.
  • a method of tracking an object including the steps of: (a) providing the object with at most two vector field component sensors for measuring respective components of a vector field; (b) for each at most two vector field component sensors, determining parameters of a set of equations that relate the respective component only to a position of the object with respect to a reference frame; (c) providing at least three vector field generators for generating respective instances of the vector field, each generator having a fixed respective position in the reference frame; (d) for each generator: (i) generating the respective instance of the vector field, and (ii) for each at most two sensors, measuring the respective component of the respective instance of the vector field; and (e) solving the set of equations for the position of the object.
  • a system for tracking an object that moves in three dimensions including: (a) at least one vector field component sensor, associated with the object, for measuring a respective component of a vector field; (b) a processor for solving a set of equations that relate, for each at least one sensor, the respective component of the vector field only to a position of the object with respect to a reference frame; (c) a memory for storing empirically determined parameters of the equations; and (d) a plurality of vector field generators, having fixed respective positions in the reference frame, for generating respective instances of the vector field.
  • a system for tracking an object that moves in three dimensions including: (a) at most two vector field component sensors, associated with the object, for measuring respective components of a vector field; (b) a processor for solving a set of equations that relate, for each sensor, the respective component of the vector field only to a position of the object with respect to a reference frame; (c) a memory for storing parameters of the equations; and (d) at least three vector field generators, having fixed respective positions in the reference frame, for generating respective instances of the vector field.
  • a guide wire including:
  • a method of tracking an object including the steps of: (a) providing the object with at least one vector field component sensor for measuring a respective component of a vector field; (b) empirically deteraiining a rotationally invariant operator that relates the at least one respective component to a position of the object with respect to a reference frame; (c) providing a plurality of vector field generators for generating respective instances of the vector field, each generator having a fixed respective position in the reference frame; (d) for each generator: (i) generating the respective instance of the vector field, and (ii) for each at least one sensor, measuring the respective component of the respective instance of the vector field; and (e) computing the position of the object, using the operator.
  • a method of tracking an object including the steps of: (a) providing the object with at most two vector field component sensors for measuring respective components of a vector field; (b) determining a rotationally invariant operator that relates the at most two respective components to a position of the object with respect to a reference frame; (c) providing at least three vector field generators for generating respective instances of the vector field, each generator having a fixed respective position in the reference frame; (d) for each generator: (i) generating the respective instance of the vector field, and (ii) for each at most two sensors, measuring the respective component of the respective instance of the vector field; and (e) computing the position of the object, using the operator.
  • a system for tracking an object that moves in three dimensions including: (a) at least one vector field component sensor, associated with the object, for measuring a respective component of a vector field; (b) a memory for storing an empirically determined, rotationally invariant operator that relates the at least one respective component of the vector field to a position of the object with respect to a reference frame; (c) a processor for computing the position, using the operator; and (d) a plurality of vector field generators, having fixed respective positions in the reference frame, for generating respective instances of the vector field.
  • a system for tracking an object that moves in three dimensions including: (a) at most two vector field component sensors, associated with the object, for measuring respective components of a vector field; (b) a memory for storing a rotationally invariant operator that relates the at most two respective components of the vector field to a position of the object with respect to a reference frame; (c) a processor for computing the position, using the operator; and (d) at least three vector field generators, having fixed respective positions in the reference frame, for generating respective instances of the vector field.
  • a method of tracking an object including the steps of: (a) providing the object with at most two vector field component sensors for measuring respective components of a vector field; (b) for each at most two vector field component sensors, determining parameters of a set of equations that relate the respective component to a position of the object with respect to a reference frame, independent of an orientation of the object; (c) providing at least three vector field generators for generating respective instances of the vector field, each generator having a fixed respective position in the reference frame; (d) for each generator: (i) generating the respective instance of the vector field, and (ii) for each at most two sensors, measuring the respective component of the respective instance of the vector field; and (e) solving the set of equations for the position of the object.
  • a system for tracking an object that moves in three dimensions including: (a) at most two vector field component sensors, associated with the object, for measuring respective components of a vector field; (b) a processor for solving a set of equations that relate, for each sensor, the respective component of the vector field to a position of the object with respect to a reference frame, independent of an orientation of the object; (c) a memory for storing parameters of the equations; and (d) at least three vector field generators, having fixed respective positions in the reference frame, for generating respective instances of the vector field.
  • the vector field of the present invention may be any suitable vector field, for example, an elastic force field. Nevertheless, the present invention is directed primarily at the use of static magnetic fields and quasistatic electromagnetic fields, and the examples presented herein all are static magnetic fields or quasistatic electromagnetic fields.
  • the term "magnetic field" as used herein encompasses both a static (DC) magnetic field and the magnetic component of a time varying, preferably quasistatic, electromagnetic field.
  • the sensor preferably is based on at least one loop of an electrical conductor, for example, a coil of electrically conducting wire.
  • the senor preferably is a single component magnetometer, based, for example, on a generally planar magnetically sensitive film, such as a magneto-resistive film or a Hall effect sensing film, as described in WO 95/09562.
  • a generally planar magnetically sensitive film such as a magneto-resistive film or a Hall effect sensing film, as described in WO 95/09562.
  • Other suitable magnetometers include magneto-optical sensors, flux gate magnetometers and Hall effect diodes.
  • the present invention is based on the discovery that the responses of a single magnetic field component sensor to a suitable set of independent generators of a static or quasistatic magnetic field can be formulated in a set of equations in which the positional coordinates of the sensor appear but in which the orientational angles of the sensor do not appear.
  • these equations relate the component of the respective fields, generated by the generators, that is measured by the sensor only to the position of the sensor and not to the orientation of the sensor.
  • the generators include radiators of respective instances of the vector field. These radiators may be spatially extended.
  • a "spatially extended" radiator is a radiator that is too large relative to the sensor, and/or too close to the sensor, to be treated as a point radiator.
  • a "spatially extended" radiator is a radiator that is too large relative to the sensor, and/or too close to the sensor, to be treated as a point dipole radiator.
  • each radiator preferably includes one or more loops of an electrical conductor.
  • the equations are formulated in terms of certain parameters. If three or more sensors are used, then the parameters are determined empirically. If only one or two sensors are used, then the parameters are determined either theoretically or experimentally. If two sensors are used, then at least three generators are used. If only one sensor is used, then at least five generators are used.
  • the orientation of the object is determined too.
  • the equations of the present invention are mathematically equivalent to a rotationally invariant operator that relates the field component(s) measured by the sensor(s) to the position of the object.
  • the scope of the present invention also includes a system for implementing the method of the present invention.
  • the system includes one or more vector field sensors associated with the object, a suitable number of vector field generators, a memory for storing the parameters of the equations, and a processor for solving the equations.
  • the one or more vector field sensors are tandem sections of the distal portion of a guide wire.
  • the guide wire is configured as a helical coil of electrically conducting and insulating materials.
  • the vector field sensors are electrically conducting sections of the coil. If there are two or more vector field sensors, successive vector field sensors are separated by electrically insulating sections of the coil. The remainder of the coil includes an electrically insulating medial portion and an electrically conducting proximal portion.
  • the helical coil defines an axial channel.
  • a respective first electrically conducting wire is electrically coupled to a distal end of each vector field sensor.
  • a respective second electrically conducting wire is electrically coupled to a proximal end of each vector field sensor.
  • the electrically conducting wires extend through the axial channel, substantially parallel to the channel axis.
  • two vector field sensors are mounted in the distal portion of a guide wire.
  • One of the vector field sensors is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the guide wire.
  • the other vector field sensor is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the guide wire.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic depiction of prior art hardware that is useful in explaining the theory of the present invention
  • FIG. 2 illustrates one convention for defining orientation angles
  • FIG. 3 shows a minimal set of radiators for tracking a moving object with a single sensor
  • FIG. 4 shows another set of radiators for tracking a moving object with a single sensor
  • FIG. 5 shows a set of radiators for tracking a moving object that is equipped with both a single sensor and a set of three orthogonal sensors
  • FIGs. 6 and 11 are schematic block diagrams of systems of the present invention.
  • FIG. 7 shows a preferred single sensor coil of the present invention and some of the associated electronics;
  • FIGs. 8-10 illustrate guide wires of the present invention. THEORY
  • Figure 1 shows a moving object 10 provided with three orthogonal sensor coils 12, 14 and 16 of electrically conducting wire, electrically coupled to reception circuitry 18. Also provided are three independent transmitters of quasistatic electromagnetic radiation, each of which includes a respective spatially extended antenna 20, 22 or 24.
  • independent generators is meant that the field generated by one generator can not be expressed as a linear combination of the fields generated by the other two generators.
  • Transmission circuitry 26 includes the remainder of the three transmitters, as well as circuitry for synchronizing the transmissions.
  • Each antenna 20, 22 or 24 radiates a respective quasistatic electromagnetic field, the magnetic component of which excites a respective electrical current in each of sensor coils 12, 14 and 16. It is assumed that sensor coils 12, 14 and 16 are sufficiently small that the gradient of the magnetic field at sensor coils 12, 14 and 16 is spatially uniform. This magnetic field is referred to in the subsequent discussion as the magnetic field "at" object 10.
  • the rotation matrix R accounts for sensor coils 12, 14 and 16 in generally not being aligned with the Cartesian axis of the reference frame.
  • R is an identity matrix.
  • the three signals received by reception circuitry 18 from antennas 20, 22 and 24 are the elements of the first row of 5, i.e., a row vector v whose elements are v is obtained from S by left-multiplying S by the row vector (1,0,0).
  • the matrix B is non-singular.
  • independent sets is meant that the magnetic field matrix B generated by one set can not be expressed as a linear combination of the magnetic field matrices B generated by the other two sets.
  • equations (4) may be solved iteratively for the position of object 10.
  • B ⁇ k ⁇ is as polynomials in x, v and z.
  • the orientation of object 10 may be determined.
  • the elements of R generally, and the three elements Rn, Rn and R 13 of the first row of __ in particular, are trigonometric functions of the angles that define the orientation of object 18. Equations (3) thus constitute three independent equations for these orientation angles.
  • FIG. 2 shows the local Cartesian coordinate axes (x',y',z') of object 10 rotated with respect to the Cartesian coordinate axes (x,y,z) of the frame of reference.
  • YAW is the angle between the x-axis and the projection on the xy plane of the x ' axis.
  • PITCH is the angle between the xy plane and the x ' axis.
  • ROLL is the rotation of the y ' and z ' axes about the x ' axis.
  • R ' 11; R 'n,R _ 3 is the first row of a rotation matrix R' that is related to R by the rotation that transforms the direction in which sensor coil 12 points into the direction in which sensor coil 14 points, so that R n , R , Rn, R 'n, R 'n and R' all are trigonometric functions of the same YAW, PITCH and ROLL of object 10.
  • the third equation is obtained from the dot product of (R ⁇ ,Ri 2 ,R ⁇ 3 ) and
  • the present invention is of a method and system for tracking a moving object.
  • the present invention can be used to determine the position of a moving object without having to determine the orientation of the object, and with the use of only one or two vector field sensors on the object.
  • Figure 3 illustrates the minimal set of radiators needed to implement the present invention in the case of a single magnetic field component sensor on object 10: five planar loop antennas 30, 32, 34, 36 and 38.
  • antennas 30, 32, 34, 36 and 38 are nonoverlapping and coplanar.
  • Object 10 moves in the space 39 adjacent to antennas 30, 32, 34, 36 and 38, off to one side of the common plane of antennas 30, 32, 34, 36 and 38, so that antennas 30, 32, 34, 36 and 38 all are spatially extended relative to object 10.
  • the first independent set (set ⁇ ) of transmitting antennas consists of antennas 30, 34 and 36.
  • the second independent set (set b) of transmitting antennas consists of antennas 32, 36 and 38.
  • the third set (set c) of transmitting antennas consists of antennas 34, 36 and 38.
  • FIG. 4 shows one preferred layout of transmitting antennas, in three sets of orthogonal coils.
  • Set a includes coils 40, 40' and 40".
  • Set b includes coils 42, 42' and 42".
  • Set c includes coils 44, 44' and 44".
  • the method of the present invention presupposes the availability of algebraic expressions for the matrices B a , B b and B c as functions of position r.
  • One way to obtain these algebraic expressions is theoretical, as in the prior art of Acker (US 5,729,129), Blood (US 5,600,330) and Gilboa et al. (EP 922,966).
  • spatially localized transmitting antennas such as the transmitting antennas of Figure 4
  • spatially extended transmitting antennas such as the transmitting antennas of Figure 3
  • the constant k is obtained by measuring the signals received by reception circuitry 18 at one standard position and one standard orientation of object 10 and by comparing these signals to the theoretically predicted fields at that position and orientation. Note that in the present context this calibration of the method of the present invention is considered a theoretical calibration, despite the single empirical set of measurements needed to obtain k, because the functional forms of the magnetic fields, as functions of position r, are obtained theoretically.
  • each component M of each inverse matrix is expressed as a parametrized function of position coordinates (x,y,z).
  • Many such functional forms are known in the art of numerical analysis, for example, rational functions and continued fractions; but the preferred functional form is a polynomial:
  • Equation (7) are the polynomial coefficients (_ ⁇ & . If N is greater than the number of coefficients i, then the N equations
  • Equations (4) then look like:
  • object 10 is pointed so that sensor 12 is oriented, first in the +x direction, then in the +y direction, and finally in the +z direction.
  • the transmitters that contribute to B a , B b and B c are excited successively. So, for example, with object 10 at position r,, and pointed so that sensor 12 is oriented in the +x direction, exciting the transmitter that generates the first column of B a produces a signal in reception circuitry 18 that is equal to the x-component of the first column of B a (r,l), multiplied by k.
  • kB a , kB and kB c are measured at all N calibration points rrind, and then are inverted to give the inverse matrices.
  • the empirical method of obtaining the inverse matrices is effected using a calibration object with all three orthogonal sensors 12, 14 and 16. At each calibration point, the calibration object is pointed so that sensor 12 is oriented in the +x direction, sensor 14 is oriented in the +y direction, and sensor 16 is oriented in the +z direction. At each calibration point, the transmitters that contribute to B a , B b an B c are excited successively.
  • the antennas used to generate the magnetic fields are chosen to minimize the polynomial order that gives adequate numerical accuracy.
  • the antennas taught by Gilboa in US 5,853,327 and illustrated in Figure 13 of that patent and the antennas taught by Gilboa et al. in WO 00/10456 (which is incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein) and illustrated in Figure 6 of that PCT application, generate magnetic fields that can be represented by low order polynomials, as illustrated in Figure 14 of US 5,853,327.
  • Another set of eight antennas 80 that minimize the polynomial order is shown in Figure 5. With such antennas, polynomials of fifth order, with 56 coefficients CJU each, are adequate. Note that the minimal radiator set illustrated in Figure 3 is in fact antennas 80a through 80e.
  • Antennas 80 have the further advantage of allowing the convenient use of both a single magnetic field component sensor and a three-component sensor in object 10.
  • the antennas of Figure 6 of that PCT application are energized to produce magnetic fields that are symmetric, antisymmetric horizontally as seen in Figure 6 of that PCT application, or antisymmetric vertically as seen in Figure 6 of that PCT application, or, most preferably, magnetic fields that can be combined linearly to produce total magnetic fields of such symmetries.
  • running direct electrical current in all eight antennas 80 in a common (clockwise or anticlockwise) direction produces a symmetric total DC magnetic field
  • running electrical current in antennas 80a, 80d and 80f in one direction and in antennas 80c, 80e and 80h in the opposite direction produces a total DC magnetic field that is horizontally antisymmetric as seen in Figure 5
  • running electrical current in antennas 80a, 80b and 80c in one direction and in antennas 80f, 80g and 80h in the opposite direction produces a total DC magnetic field that is vertically antisymmetric as seen in Figure 5.
  • running alternating electrical current in all eight antennas 80 with a common phase produces a symmetric total AC magnetic field
  • running alternating electrical current in antennas 80c, 80e and 80h with a phase opposite to the phase of alternating electrical current in antennas 80a, 80d and 80f produces a total AC magnetic field that is horizontally antisymmetric as seen in Figure
  • the antennas of Figure 4 may be used similarly in conjunction with an object 10 that bears both a single magnetic field component sensor and a three-component sensor.
  • coils 40, 40', 40", 42, 42', 42", 44, 44' and 44" used successively as transmitters, let the total field magnitudes measured by the three-component sensor at any particular position of object 10 be 40 , 40 . 0 ", 42 , 42 ', M ⁇ ", 44 , 44 ' and M44", respectively.
  • Let and These three expressions are approximately proportional to the distance of object 10 from antenna sets a, b and c, respectively.
  • the most suitable inputs to a polynomial operator for computing the position of object 10 from these measurements are the following three expressions: two normalized antisymmetric expressions:
  • equations (3) become three simultaneous linear equations for R 11; R 12 and R 13 ; and the YAW and PITCH of object 10 are simple inverse trigonometric functions of Rn, R 12 and R 13 .
  • Equations (6) are solved for the position r of object 10. If desired, equations (5a), (5b) and (6c) are solved for all three orientation angles (YAW, PITCH and ROLL) of object 10.
  • the scope of the present invention also includes the use of three or more sensors on object 10.
  • the prior art does not teach the use of empirically determined parameters in equations such as equations (4) for locating a moving object, even when three or more sensors are used.
  • Figure 6 is a schematic block diagram of a system of the present invention for tracking moving object 10 using a single vector field sensor 52 that supplies signals to reception circuitry 58.
  • vector field sensor 52 may be a coil of electrically conductive wire, in the manner of sensors 12, 14 and 16, for sensing quasistatic magnetic fields, or one of the single component magnetometers listed above, for sensing static magnetic fields.
  • the vector fields are generated using five vector field radiators 62, 64, 66, 68 and 70.
  • Antennas 30, 32, 34, 36 and 38 are examples of vector field radiators 62, 64, 66, 68 and 70 in the case of the vector fields being static or quasistatic magnetic fields.
  • Radiators 62, 64, 66, 68 and 70 are excited using transmission circuitry 60.
  • Transmission circuitry 60 and reception circuitry 58 are under the overall control of a control unit 76 that includes a memory 74 for storing coefficients # and a processor 72 for solving equations (4).
  • control unit 76 that includes a memory 74 for storing coefficients # and a processor 72 for solving equations (4).
  • Figure 7 shows a preferred configuration of a sensor coil 12 mounted within an elongated object 10 that has an electrically conducting outer housing 110, and that is configured to suppress electromagnetic coupling.
  • sensor coil 12 has two subcoils, 12a and 12b, connected in series by inner leads 112a and 112b thereof.
  • An outer lead 212a of subcoil 12a is connected by a wire 82a of a twisted wire pair 82 to a positive input 84a of a differential amplifier 86 of reception circuitry 58.
  • An outer lead 212b of subcoil 12b is connected by a wire 82b of twisted wire pair 82 to a negative input 84b of differential amplifier 86.
  • Inner leads 112a and 112b also are grounded to outer housing 110, as shown.
  • the sensor coil or coils of the present invention are integrated into a guide wire such as is used to aid in the insertion of a catheter into the body of a medical or veterinary patient and to evaluate the body cavity (for example a blood vessel) tlirough which the catheter will travel.
  • a guide wire is inserted into a body system such as a blood vessel and the vessel is probed with the guide wire. The catheter is slipped over the guide wire and the guide wire is withdrawn. The catheter is then eased through the vessel to the desired location. To position the guide wire at a particular location within the body, it is useful to have a means of detecting the location of the distal tip of the guide wire.
  • Figures 8 A and 8B illustrate one such guide wire 300 of the present invention.
  • Figure 8A is an external view of guide wire 300.
  • Figure 8B is a cut away view of guide wire 300.
  • Guide wire 300 consists of a helical coil 302 that is wound about a longitudinal axis 314 of a central channel 312 and that is capped on the distal end thereof by a hemispherical cap 304.
  • Coil 302 includes a distal portion 306, a medial portion 308 and a proximal portion 310. Portions 306, 308 and 310 are in tandem, meaning that these portions are situated successively along axis 314. Ellipses defined indicate that proximal portion 310 continues to the left.
  • Distal portion 306 and proximal portion 310 are made of an electrically conducting material, preferably a metal such as copper, silver, gold, platinum, palladium or the like, most preferably copper.
  • Distal portion 306 and proximal portion 310 preferably are coated with an electrical insulator, such as a thin layer of polyurethane.
  • Medial portion 308 is made of an electrical insulator, as indicated by the shading of medial portion 308.
  • Distal portion 306 constitutes a sensor coil for sensing a magnetic field component of a quasistatic electromagnetic field.
  • a first electrically conducting wire 316 is electrically coupled, for example by soldering, to a distal end 320 of distal portion 306. Wire 316 runs, substantially parallel to axis 314, towards the proximal end of guide wire 300.
  • a second electrically conducting wire 318 is electrically coupled, for example by soldering, to a proximal end 322 of distal portion 306.
  • Wire 318 runs, substantially parallel to axis 314, towards the proximal end of guide wire 300.
  • wires 316 and 318 form a twisted pair.
  • wires 316 and 318 lead to reception circuitry such as reception circuitry 58.
  • Figure 9 illustrates another such guide wire 400 of the present invention.
  • Guide wire 400 consists of a helical coil 402 that is capped on the distal end thereof by a hemispherical cap 404.
  • guide wire 400 includes a distal portion 406, a medial portion 408 and a proximal portion 410, all in tandem. The ellipsis indicates that proximal portion 410 continues to the left.
  • proximal portion 310 of guide wire 300 proximal portion 410 of guide wire 400 is made of an electrically conducting material.
  • medial portion 408 of guide wire 400 is made of an electrical insulator.
  • distal portion 406 of guide wire 400 includes three sections in tandem: an electrically conducting distal section 424, an electrically insulating medial section 426 and an electrically conducting proximal section 428.
  • Electrically conducting section 424 and 428 constitute sensor coils for sensing respective magnetic field components of a quasistatic electromagnetic field.
  • electrically conducting sections 424 and 428 are connected to reception circuitry such as reception circuitry 58 by respective twisted wire pairs.
  • distal portion 406 is sufficiently long to be significantly flexible, and if medial section 426 is relatively long compared to distal section 424 and proximal section 428, then the measured positions and orientations of distal section 424 and proximal section 428 indicate both the location of distal portion 406 and the extent to which distal portion 406 is bent. If distal portion 406 is relatively short, so that distal section 424 and proximal section 428 always are nearly aligned with each other, then distal section 424 and proximal section 428 preferably are connected as illustrated in Figure 7 to provide a single sensor coil. Because of the inherent flexibility of coil 402, distal section 424 and proximal section 428 in general are not exactly aligned with each other. Consequently, the orientation that is measured using distal section 424 and proximal section 428 in the configuration of Figure 7 is an average orientation of distal portion 406.
  • FIG 10 illustrates, schematically, a guide wire 400 of the present invention, the distal portion whereof is equipped with two sensor coils 404 and 406.
  • Sensor coil 404 at the distal tip of guide wire 400, is substantially parallel to longitudinal axis 402 of guide wire 400.
  • Sensor coil 406 is positioned proximal of sensor coil 404 and is substantially perpendicular to axis 402.
  • the present invention measures the position (r ) of the center of coil 404, as well as a unit vector ⁇ that points in the direction of the axis of coil 404.
  • the present invention also measures the position fe) of the center of coil 406, as well as a unit vector ⁇ 2 that points in the direction of the axis of coil 406. Assuming that the distal portion of guide wire 400 is bent in a circle, this circle is fully determined by position vectors r and r 2 and by unit vector w, . Note that unit vector u ⁇ is tangent to the circle. Unit vector ⁇ 2 then determines the degree to which guide wire 400 is twisted.
  • Figure 11 is a schematic block diagram of a system of the present invention for tracking moving object 10 using two vector field sensors 52 and 54. The system of Figure 11 is almost identical to the system of Figure 6, the two main differences being that the system of Figure 11 includes two vector field sensors 52 and 54 but only three vector field radiators 62, 64 and 66.

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Abstract

On décrit un procédé et un système de repérage d'un objet mobile. L'objet (10) est équipé d'au moins un détecteur à composant unique d'un champ vectoriel. Des générateurs de champ vectoriel (40, 40', 40'', 42, 42', 42'', 44, 44', 44'') sont également décrits. Des paramètres des équations qui relient les champs vectoriels, mesurés par les détecteurs, par rapport à la position de l'objet, et non pas par rapport à l'orientation dudit objet, sont déterminés de manière empirique ou théorique. Les équations sont résolues pour déterminer la position de l'objet sans qu'il soit nécessaire de déterminer l'orientation de l'objet. Cette invention concerne également un fil-guide hélicoïdal dans lequel sont intégralement inclus au moins un détecteur à composant unique d'un champ magnétique quasi statique.
EP01912092.2A 2000-03-09 2001-03-09 Reperage d'objet au moyen d'un detecteur unique ou d'une paire de detecteurs Withdrawn EP1269111A4 (fr)

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US18802500P 2000-03-09 2000-03-09
US188025P 2000-03-09
PCT/IL2001/000224 WO2001067035A1 (fr) 2000-03-09 2001-03-09 Reperage d'objet au moyen d'un detecteur unique ou d'une paire de detecteurs

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EP1269111A1 true EP1269111A1 (fr) 2003-01-02
EP1269111A4 EP1269111A4 (fr) 2016-08-10

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