Claims
- 1. A system for tracking a position and an orientation of a probe, comprising:
(a) a plurality of first sensors, each of said first sensors for detecting a different component of a vector force field, each of said first sensors including two sensor elements disposed symmetrically about a common reference point in the probe, said first sensors being mounted inside the probe.
- 2. The system of claim 1, wherein said vector force field is an electromagnetic field.
- 3. The system of claim 1, wherein each of said sensor elements includes a coil.
- 4. The system of claim 3, wherein, for each of said first sensors, said coils are mutually parallel.
- 5. The system of claim 3, wherein, for each of said first sensors, said coils are connected in series.
- 6. The system of claim 5, wherein, for each of said first sensors, said coils have identical helicities.
- 7. The system of claim 5, wherein, for each of said first sensors, said coils have opposite helicities.
- 8. The system of claim 3, further comprising:
(b) for at least one of said first sensors: for each of said coils:
(i) a pair of diametrically opposed apertures in the probe, and (ii) a core, mounted in said pair of apertures, said each coil being wound about said core.
- 9. The system of claim 1, including three of said first sensors.
- 10. The system of claim 9, wherein said sensor elements are collinear.
- 11. The system of claim 1, further comprising:
(b) a second sensor including a sensor element centered on said common reference point.
- 12. The system of claim 11, wherein said sensor elements of said first and second sensors are coils.
Priority Claims (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
125626 |
Aug 1998 |
IL |
|
126814 |
Oct 1998 |
IL |
|
Parent Case Info
[0001] This file is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/463,177 filed Jan. 21, 2000, currently pending, which in National Phase of PCT/IL99/00371 filed Jul. 7, 1999 and claiming priority from Israel Patent Applications No. 125626 and Israel Patent Application No. 126814, both now abandoned.
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09463177 |
Jan 2000 |
US |
Child |
10408123 |
Apr 2003 |
US |