Linking of an intra-body tracking system to external reference coordinates

Claim 1

A method for determining a position and an orientation of a workpiece relative to a primary coordinate system, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a primary reference transducer that interacts with a primary field; (b) providing a plurality of secondary reference transducers that interact with a secondary field different from said primary field, said secondary transducers being in a fixed mutual spatial relationship so as to define a secondary coordinate system, said primary reference transducer being in a fixed spatial relationship to said secondary transducers; (c) measuring at least one value of said primary field, using said primary reference transducer; (d) inferring, from said at least one value of said primary field, a position and an orientation of said reference transducers relative to the primary coordinate system, thereby determining a position and an orientation of said secondary coordinate system relative to the primary coordinate system; (e) providing the workpiece with at least one workpiece transducer that interacts with said secondary field; (f) measuring a plurality of values of said secondary field, using said secondary reference transducers and said workpiece transducer; (g) inferring, from said values of said secondary field, a first measure of a position of the workpiece relative to said secondary coordinate system; and (h) combining said first measure of said position of the workpiece relative to said secondary coordinate system with said position and said orientation of said secondary coordinate system relative to the primary coordinate system to provide the position and the orientation of the workpiece relative to the primary coordinate system.

Claim 2

A method for determining a position and an orientation of a workpiece relative to a primary coordinate system, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a primary reference transducer that interacts with a primary field; (b) providing a plurality of secondary reference transducers that interact with a secondary field different from said primary field, said secondary transducers being in a fixed mutual spatial relationship so as to define a secondary coordinate system, said primary reference transducer being in a fixed spatial relationship to said secondary transducers; (c) measuring at least one value of said primary field, using said primary reference transducer; (d) inferring, from said at least one value of said primary field, a position and an orientation of said reference transducers relative to the primary coordinate system, thereby determining a position and an orientation of said secondary coordinate system relative to the primary coordinate system; (e) providing the workpiece with at least one workpiece transducer that interacts with said secondary field; (f) measuring a plurality of values of said secondary field, using said secondary reference transducers and said workpiece transducer; (g) inferring, from said values of said secondary field, a first measure of a position of the workpiece relative to said secondary coordinate system; and (h) combining said first measure of said position of the workpiece relative to said secondary coordinate system with said position and said orientation of said secondary coordinate system relative to the primary coordinate system to provide the position and the orientation of the workpiece relative to the primary coordinate system.

Claim 14

A method of navigating a probe inside a body, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a primary reference transducer that interacts with a primary field; (b) providing a plurality of secondary reference transducers that interact with a secondary field different from said primary field, said secondary transducers being in a fixed mutual spatial relationship and in a fixed spatial relationship to the body, said primary reference transducer being in a fixed spatial relationship to said secondary transducers; (c) providing a device for acquiring an image of the body; (d) simultaneously: (i) acquiring said image of the body, (ii) measuring at least one value of said primary field, using said primary reference transducer, and (iii) inferring, from said at least one value of said primary field, a position and an orientation of said reference transducers relative to the device, thereby determining a position and an orientation of the body relative to the image; (e) determining a position of the probe relative to the body by: (i) providing the probe with at least one probe transducer that interacts with said secondary field; (ii) measuring a plurality of values of said secondary field, using said secondary reference transducers and said probe transducer, and (iii) inferring, from said values of said secondary field, said position of the probe relative to the body; and (f) displaying said image of the body with a representation of the probe superposed thereon according to said positions and said orientation.

Claim 15

A method of navigating a probe inside a body, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a primary reference transducer that interacts with a primary field; (b) providing a plurality of secondary reference transducers that interact with a secondary field different from said primary field, said secondary transducers being in a fixed mutual spatial relationship and in a fixed spatial relationship to the body, said primary reference transducer being in a fixed spatial relationship to said secondary transducers; (c) providing a device for acquiring an image of the body; (d) simultaneously: (i) acquiring said image of the body, (ii) measuring at least one value of said primary field, using said primary reference transducer, and (iii) inferring, from said at least one value of said primary field, a position and an orientation of said reference transducers relative to the device, thereby determining a position and an orientation of the body relative to the image; (e) determining a position of the probe relative to the body by: (i) providing the probe with at least one probe transducer that interacts with said secondary field; (ii) measuring a plurality of values of said secondary field, using said secondary reference transducers and said probe transducer, and (iii) inferring, from said values of said secondary field, said position of the probe relative to the body; and (f) displaying said image of the body with a representation of the probe superposed thereon according to said positions and said orientation.

Claim 24

A system for navigating a probe through an opaque body, comprising: (a) a primary reference transducer that interacts with a primary field; (b) a plurality of secondary reference transducers that interact with a secondary field, said secondary field being an electric potential field; (c) a mechanism for deploying said reference transducers in a fixed mutual spatial relationship; and (d) at least one probe transducer, having a fixed spatial relationship to the probe, that interacts with said secondary field, wherein each of said secondary reference transducers and each of said at least one probe transducer includes an electrode.

Claim 25

A system for navigating a probe through an opaque body, comprising: (a) a primary reference transducer that interacts with a primary field; (b) a plurality of secondary reference transducers that interact with a secondary field, said secondary field being an electric potential field; (c) a mechanism for deploying said reference transducers in a fixed mutual spatial relationship; and (d) at least one probe transducer, having a fixed spatial relationship to the probe, that interacts with said secondary field, wherein each of said secondary reference transducers and each of said at least one probe transducer includes an electrode.

Claim 29

A method for determining a position and an orientation of a first workpiece relative to both a second workpiece and a primary coordinate system, comprising the steps of: (a) providing the second workpiece with at least one primary transducer that interacts with a primary field and that defines a workpiece coordinate system that is fixed with respect to the second workpiece; (b) providing a mechanism for generating a secondary field and for defining a secondary coordinate system; (c) providing the first workpiece with at least one secondary transducer that interacts with said secondary field; (d) providing a transformation from said secondary coordinate system to said workpiece coordinate system; (e) measuring at least one value of said secondary field, using said at least one secondary transducer; (f) inferring, from said at least one value of said secondary field, a position of the first workpiece relative to said secondary coordinate system; (g) measuring at least one value of said primary field, using said at least one primary transducer: (h) inferring, from said at least one value of said primary field, a position and an orientation of said at least one primary transducer relative to the primary coordinate system, thereby providing a transformation from said workpiece coordinate system to the primary coordinate system; (i) combining said position of the first workpiece relative to said secondary coordinate system with said transformation from said secondary coordinate system to said workpiece coordinate system to provide the position and the orientation of the first workpiece relative to the second workpiece; and (j) combining the position and the orientation of the first workpiece relative to the second workpiece with said transformation from said workpiece coordinate system to the primary coordinate system to provide the position and the orientation of the first workpiece relative to the primary coordinate system.

Claim 30

A method for determining a position and an orientation of a first workpiece relative to both a second workpiece and a primary coordinate system, comprising the steps of: (a) providing the second workpiece with at least one primary transducer that interacts with a primary field and that defines a workpiece coordinate system that is fixed with respect to the second workpiece; (b) providing a mechanism for generating a secondary field and for defining a secondary coordinate system; (c) providing the first workpiece with at least one secondary transducer that interacts with said secondary field; (d) providing a transformation from said secondary coordinate system to said workpiece coordinate system; (e) measuring at least one value of said secondary field, using said at least one secondary transducer; (f) inferring, from said at least one value of said secondary field, a position of the first workpiece relative to said secondary coordinate system; (g) measuring at least one value of said primary field, using said at least one primary transducer: (h) inferring, from said at least one value of said primary field, a position and an orientation of said at least one primary transducer relative to the primary coordinate system, thereby providing a transformation from said workpiece coordinate system to the primary coordinate system; (i) combining said position of the first workpiece relative to said secondary coordinate system with said transformation from said secondary coordinate system to said workpiece coordinate system to provide the position and the orientation of the first workpiece relative to the second workpiece; and (j) combining the position and the orientation of the first workpiece relative to the second workpiece with said transformation from said workpiece coordinate system to the primary coordinate system to provide the position and the orientation of the first workpiece relative to the primary coordinate system.

Claim 37

A method of navigating a probe inside a body, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a device for acquiring an image of the body; (b) providing the body with at least one body transducer that is in a fixed spatial relationship to the body and that interacts with a primary field; (c) simultaneously: (i) acquiring said image of the body, (ii) measuring at least one value of said primary field, using said at least one body transducer, and (iii) inferring, from said at least one value of said primary field, a position and an orientation of said at least one body transducer relative to the device, thereby determining a position and an orientation of the body relative to the image; (d) determining a position of the probe relative to the body by: (i) providing the probe with at least one probe transducer that interacts with a secondary field; (ii) measuring a plurality of values of said secondary field, using said at least one probe transducer, and (iii) inferring, from said values of said secondary field, said position of the probe relative to the body; and (e) displaying said image of the body with a representation of the probe superposed thereon according to said positions and said orientation.

Claim 38

A method of navigating a probe inside a body, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a device for acquiring an image of the body; (b) providing the body with at least one body transducer that is in a fixed spatial relationship to the body and that interacts with a primary field; (c) simultaneously: (i) acquiring said image of the body, (ii) measuring at least one value of said primary field, using said at least one body transducer, and (iii) inferring, from said at least one value of said primary field, a position and an orientation of said at least one body transducer relative to the device, thereby determining a position and an orientation of the body relative to the image; (d) determining a position of the probe relative to the body by: (i) providing the probe with at least one probe transducer that interacts with a secondary field; (ii) measuring a plurality of values of said secondary field, using said at least one probe transducer, and (iii) inferring, from said values of said secondary field, said position of the probe relative to the body; and (e) displaying said image of the body with a representation of the probe superposed thereon according to said positions and said orientation.