Patent Application
20230123013
Systems and methods consistent with this disclosure relate to location monitoring of objects in a medical environment. More particularly, this disclosure relates to location monitoring in medical environments that include physical and/or electronic obstructions.
Placement of implants in bones or soft tissue requires precise planning. For example, in joint replacement orthopedic surgery, precise boney cuts are essential to achieve optimum outcomes. Historically, to achieve this, manual cutting blocks that reference bony landmarks, limb anatomical alignment, and visual cues have been designed to help the surgeon place appropriate guides; however, these guides lack the necessary precision due to issues inherent to manual cutting jigs.
In recent years, computer-assisted surgery (CAS) has been used to improve the accuracy of implant positioning. Existing CAS systems can require optical trackers for the computer to identify bones that are in constant movement during surgery. These optical trackers include multiple large pins that need to be fixed into each bone, most of the time through separate incisions, that may cause fractures and more pain for the patients. Further, these optical trackers can require bulky optical apparatus that require an unobstructed line of sight for a camera, and a large amount of hardware and software to operate. Moreover, currently there is no systematic way to adjust the implant position based on a patient's individual soft-tissue tension. Most CAS are tailored to achieve a “balanced” soft tissue tension by surgeons' manual tests. These manual techniques are not accurate or reproducible since human anatomy varies.
Radar technology can use continuous wave RF waveform generation at various frequencies to track the distance and speed of an object based on the return of the signal and its modified frequency. An object traveling away from a radar source, for example, will return a longer time delay at each detection, and an object traveling towards the source will return a shorter time delay at each detection. Currently, there are radar applications available in the automobile and defense industries that aim to achieve high precision location tracking. One such radar module is commercially available, operating at 77 GHZ with wide 4 GHZ bandwidth that allows for high resolution and accuracy with the use of frequency modulate continuous wave (FMCW) radar. However, currently there are no applications available to achieve a resolution below one millimeter in short range.
As technological advances in tracking, location monitoring, and navigation have occurred, an operating room (OR) environment that seeks to take advantage of these advances tends to require ever-growing amounts of equipment and electronics. Each of these tendencies raise further issues. For example, the presence of additional equipment in an OR environment can raise a concern regarding the maintenance of a sterile environment. One of the simplest solutions to the maintenance of a sterile environment is to use sterile draping over OR equipment and objects. However, draping can degrade or prevent the operation, or otherwise obstruct the utility of a tracking, location monitoring, and/or navigation system—such as optics-based or computer-vision systems that require an unobstructed line-of-sight, with which drapery and other objects interfere. Further still, the presence of additional electronics in an OR environment typically increases the radio frequency (RF) “noise” in the environment, which can also interfere with or otherwise obstruct the effectiveness of tracking, location monitoring, and navigation systems.
Therefore, existing systems suffer from one or more issues.
The techniques of this disclosure generally relate to object location monitoring in a medical environment. More particularly, this disclosure relates to location monitoring in medical environments that include physical and/or electronic obstructions.
In one aspect, embodiments consistent with the present disclosure include a system for radio-frequency-based location determination in a draped environment. Consistent with this disclosure, the system can include a control device with a processor and a memory, where the memory includes a non-transitory computer readable medium for storing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform a method for location determination, where the method for location determination includes generating transmission instructions from the control device and analyzing received data received by the control device. Consistent with this disclosure, the system can also include a plurality of radio frequency transceivers in communication with the control device, where each of the plurality of radio frequency transceivers is configured to emit a radio frequency signal at a respective frequency value responsive to the transmission instructions from said control device. Consistent with this disclosure, the system can also include at least one active beacon, where the at least one active beacon is configured to transmit a modified radio frequency signal at a respective beacon frequency value responsive to receipt of the radio frequency signal from any of the plurality of radio frequency transceivers at any of the respective frequency values. Consistent with this disclosure, the respective beacon frequency value can be shifted by a first amount from the respective frequency value of the radio frequency signal received at the active beacon. In an embodiment consistent with this disclosure, each of the plurality of radio frequency transceivers can be configured to send the received data to the control device responsive to receipt of the modified radio frequency signal from the at least one active beacon, where the received data includes data based on the modified radio frequency signal. Furthermore, in an embodiment, the control device including the processor and the memory can be configured to determine a location of the at least one active beacon based upon the transmission instructions and the received data. Further still, in an embodiment, the draped environment can include draping material between at least one of the plurality of radio frequency transceivers and the at least one active beacon, where the draping material, each of the respective frequency values, and each of the respective beacon frequency values are selected such that the draping material is substantially transparent to the emitted radio frequency signals and substantially transparent to the modified radio frequency signals. Moreover, in an embodiment, each of the plurality of radio frequency transceivers can be in a fixed spatial relationship to each other.
In a further aspect, a system consistent with the present disclosure can include any of the above embodiments, and further include a second active beacon configured to transmit a second modified radio frequency signal at a respective second beacon frequency value responsive to receipt of the radio frequency signal from any of the plurality of radio frequency transceivers at any of the respective frequency values. In such a further aspect, the respective second beacon frequency value is shifted by a second amount from the respective frequency value of the radio frequency signal received at the second active beacon. Further, in an embodiment, the second amount is different from said first amount, each of the plurality of radio frequency transceivers is configured to send received second data to the control device responsive to receipt of the second modified radio frequency signal from the second active beacon, and the control device, including the processor and the memory, is configured to determine a location of the second active beacon based upon the transmission instructions and the received second data. Further still, in an embodiment, the draping material and each of the respective second beacon frequency values are selected such that the draping material is substantially transparent to the second modified radio frequency signals.
In a further aspect, a system consistent with the present disclosure can include any of the above embodiments where the modified radio frequency signal at the respective beacon frequency value is a first Doppler-shifted signal and the second modified radio frequency signal at said respective second beacon frequency value is a second Doppler-shifted signal.
In another aspect, a system consistent with the present disclosure can include any of the above embodiments where the control device, including the processor and the memory, is configured to use range-Doppler processing for the determination of the location of the at least one active beacon and for the determination of the location of the second active beacon.
In a further aspect, a system consistent with the present disclosure can include any of the above embodiments where the control device, including the processor and the memory, is configured to determine an orientation of the at least one active beacon relative to the second active beacon.
In another aspect, a system consistent with the present disclosure can include any of the above embodiments where the draped environment is a surgical environment, where the location of the at least one active beacon is an absolute location value of the at least one active beacon in the surgical environment, where the location of the second active beacon is an absolute location value of the second active beacon in the surgical environment, and where the orientation is an absolute orientation value within the surgical environment.
In a further aspect, a system consistent with the present disclosure can include any of the above embodiments further including a display device. In an aspect consistent with the present disclosure, the absolute location value of the at least one active beacon, the absolute location value of the second active beacon, the absolute orientation value, and the surgical environment are depicted in a representation on the display device.
In an additional aspect, a system consistent with the current disclosure can include any of the above embodiments further including a storage device, where the absolute location value of the at least one active beacon, the absolute location value of the second active beacon, and the absolute orientation value are stored in the storage device.
Further still, in an aspect, a system consistent with the current disclosure can include any of the above embodiments where the at least one active beacon is removably attachable to a medical object, and where the system for radio-frequency-based location determination is a system for medical object tracking.
Moreover, in an aspect, a system consistent with the current disclosure can include any of the above embodiments where the at least one active beacon comprises a reflector configured to reflect the radio frequency signal at the respective frequency value, where the system for radio-frequency-based location determination is configured to detect the reflected radio signal, and where the system is configured to calibrate the control device for location determination based, at least in part, on the detected reflected radio signal.
In an additional aspect, a method for radio-frequency-based location determination in a draped environment consistent with the present disclosure can include generating radio frequency transmission instructions from a control device, the transmission instructions being communicated to at least three radio frequency transceivers. The method can further include emitting at least three radio frequency signals from the three radio frequency transceivers responsive to the transmission instructions, each radio frequency transceiver of the three radio frequency transceivers emitting a respective radio frequency signal at a respective frequency value such that the three radio frequency signals are emitted at three respective frequency values. Consistent with this disclosure, the method can further include: (1) receiving a first modified radio frequency signal from an active beacon, the first modified radio frequency signal being a frequency-shifted re-transmission of a first of the three emitted radio frequency signals at a first of the three respective frequency values; (2) receiving a second modified radio frequency signal from the active beacon, the second modified radio frequency signal being a frequency-shifted re-transmission of a second of the three emitted radio frequency signals at a second of the three respective frequency values; and (3) receiving a third modified radio frequency signal from the active beacon, the third modified radio frequency signal being a frequency-shifted re-transmission of an other of the three emitted radio frequency signals at an other of the three respective frequency values. In an aspect, the method can further include generating data from the received first modified radio frequency signal, the received second modified radio frequency signal, and the received third modified radio frequency signal, and transmitting the generated data to the control device, and analyzing the generated data received at the control device to determine location data for the active beacon. Consistent with the disclosure, the draped environment can include draping material between at least one of the three radio frequency transceivers and the active beacon, where the draping material, each of the three respective frequency values, and each frequency value of the frequency-shifted re-transmissions are selected such that the draping material is substantially transparent to the emitted radio frequency signals and substantially transparent to the modified radio frequency signals. Further still, consistent with this disclosure, each of the three radio frequency transceivers can be in a fixed spatial relationship to each other.
In a further aspect, a method consistent with this disclosure can include the previous embodiment, where the first modified radio frequency signal from the active beacon is a first Doppler-shifted signal, the second modified radio frequency signal from the active beacon is a second Doppler-shifted signal, and the third modified radio frequency signal from the active beacon is a third Doppler-shifted signal.
In an additional aspect, a method consistent with the present disclosure can include any of the previous method embodiments where the determination of the location data for the active beacon is performed using range-Doppler processing.
Further still, in an aspect, a method consistent with the present disclosure can include any of the previous method embodiments, further including: analyzing the generated data received at the control device to determine orientation data for the active beacon.
Moreover, in an aspect, a method consistent with the present disclosure can include any of the previous method embodiments, where the draped environment is a surgical environment, where the active beacon is removably attachable to a medical object, and where the method for radio-frequency-based location determination is a method for medical object tracking.
In an additional aspect, an embodiment consistent with the present disclosure can include a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor in a control device cause the processor to perform a method for radio-frequency-based location determination in a draped environment. In an aspect, the method can include: generating radio frequency transmission instructions, the transmission instructions being communicated from the control device to at least three radio frequency transceivers, where at least three radio frequency signals from the three radio frequency transceivers responsive to the transmission instructions are emitted, each radio frequency transceiver of the three radio frequency transceivers emitting a respective radio frequency signal at a respective frequency value such that the three radio frequency signals are emitted at three respective frequency values. Consistent with this disclosure, the method can further include receiving generated data from the three radio frequency transceivers, the generated data being data generated from: (1) a first modified radio frequency signal received from an active beacon, the first modified radio frequency signal being a frequency-shifted re-transmission of a first of the three emitted radio frequency signals at a first of the three respective frequency values; (2) a second modified radio frequency signal received from the active beacon, the second modified radio frequency signal being a frequency-shifted re-transmission of a second of the three emitted radio frequency signals at a second of the three respective frequency values; and (3) a third modified radio frequency signal received from the active beacon, the third modified radio frequency signal being a frequency-shifted re-transmission of an other of the three emitted radio frequency signals at an other of the three respective frequency values. Consistent with this disclosure, the method can also include analyzing the generated data received at the control device to determine location data for the active beacon, where the draped environment comprises draping material between at least one of the three radio frequency transceivers and the active beacon, where the draping material, each of the three respective frequency values, and each frequency value of the frequency-shifted re-transmissions are selected such that the draping material is substantially transparent to the emitted radio frequency signals and substantially transparent to the modified radio frequency signals, and where each of the three radio frequency transceivers are in a fixed spatial relationship to each other.
In a further aspect, a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions consistent with this disclosure can include the previous instructions where the first modified radio frequency signal from the active beacon is a first Doppler-shifted signal, the second modified radio frequency signal from the active beacon is a second Doppler-shifted signal, and the third modified radio frequency signal from the active beacon is a third Doppler-shifted signal.
Further still, in an aspect, a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions consistent with this disclosure can include any of the previous instructions where the determination of the location data for the active beacon is performed by the processor using range-Doppler processing.
In another aspect, a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions consistent with this disclosure can include any of the previous instructions where the method further includes: analyzing the generated data received at the control device to determine orientation data for the active beacon.
Moreover, in a further aspect a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions consistent with this disclosure can include any of the previous instructions where the draped environment is a surgical environment, where the active beacon is removably attachable to a medical object, and where the method for radio-frequency-based location determination is a method for medical object tracking.
A more complete understanding of the present invention, and the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
Exemplary embodiments described herein include combinations of apparatus components and processing steps related to object location monitoring. Components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the description.
As used herein, relational terms, such as “first” and “second,” “top” and “bottom,” and the like, may be used solely to distinguish one entity or element from another entity or element without necessarily requiring or implying any physical or logical relationship or order between such entities or elements. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the concepts described herein. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes” and/or “including” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
In embodiments described herein, the joining term, “in communication with” and the like, may be used to indicate electrical or data communication, which may be accomplished by physical contact, induction, electromagnetic radiation, radio signaling, infrared signaling or optical signaling, for example. One having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that multiple components may interoperate, and modifications and variations are possible of achieving the electrical and data communication.
In some embodiments described herein, the term “coupled,” “connected,” and the like, may be used herein to indicate a connection, although not necessarily directly, and may include wired and/or wireless connections.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skills in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of this specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
In accordance with various embodiments disclosed herein, in an OR, radar sources (e.g., RF transceivers) that can “see through” common OR obstructions can be used to trilaterate the location of an object that returns RF waves more efficiently than the surrounding objects. Furthermore, varying the frequency of the waves emitted by the RF sources can allow the positioning of objects to be isolated more easily and tracked more precisely compared to conventional optical tracking systems. For some embodiments where an object's positional accuracy and precision is required to be submillimeter, the systems described herein may use RF waves of multiple wavelengths to determine the object's position, so that the object's location is not misjudged if it is in between the wavelengths. In some implementations, submillimeter accuracy may be defined as 1 mm or less accuracy, such as 1 μm-1 mm accuracy (micrometer-millimeter).
Techniques, systems, and computer-readable media disclosed herein relate to systems for the precise tracking of an object in an area of interest. The techniques and systems can include one or more radio frequency (RF) transceivers, which may also be referred to as radar transceivers. A plurality of RF transceivers operating as transmitters and receivers at fixed locations relative to each other will be referred to herein as a “constellation” of transceivers.
As used herein, transceivers that are at “fixed” locations relative to each other are not necessarily at fixed locations in a larger environment. By way of example, only, a surgical operating bed or table may be configured to exhibit mobility within an OR; however, a constellation of transceivers, consistent with this disclosure, can be fixed to a frame or other apparatus that, in turn, is fixed to the surgical operating bed or table. In this way, a constellation of transceivers can be configured to be at fixed locations relative to each other (as well as at fixed locations relative to the surgical operating bed or table), but, nonetheless, can be configured to exhibit mobility within the OR region as a whole.
Further still, as used herein, transceivers that are at “fixed” locations relative to each other during a surgical operation are not necessarily at the same “fixed” locations at all times and during other surgical operations. Again, by way of example only, during a surgical operation on a first patient, three transceivers in a first constellation configuration can be configured to lie in a plane that, itself, exhibits an angle or a skew, such as a 60° skew, relative to a plane defined by a surgical operating table or bed on which the first patient rests. Furthermore, relative to a narrow surgical region of interest, the three transceivers can be configured to lie in an arc, with the first and second transceivers separated by 45°, and the second and third transceivers separated by 45° (with the first and third transceivers necessarily separated by 90°) with respect to the triangle formed by the three transceivers. During a subsequent surgical operation on a second patient, the same three transceivers in a second constellation configuration can be configured to lie in a different plane that exhibits (for example) a 90° angle or skew relative to a plane defined by a surgical operating table or bed on which the second patient rests. Furthermore, relative to a different, narrow, surgical region of interest, the three transceivers can be configured to lie in an arc, with the first and second transceivers separated by 60°, and the second and third transceivers separated by 60° (with the first and third transceivers necessarily separated by 120°). Consistent with embodiments disclosed herein, a tracking system can be “preset” to operate according to both the first constellation configuration at a first time, and the second constellation configuration at a second time. Furthermore, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that any number of “preset” constellation configurations (with varying skew angles, varying arc separations, and varying numbers of transceivers) can be accommodated consistent with this disclosure.
As disclosed herein, each of the transceivers can be configured to transmit RF signals at a particular, distinct RF frequency. Techniques and systems disclosed herein can also include one or more active beacons. As disclosed herein, an active beacon can be configured to be responsive to incoming RF signals from the plurality of transceivers discussed above. Specifically, upon receipt of an incoming RF signal from one of the plurality of transceivers, an active beacon consistent with this disclosure can be configured to emit an RF signal that is modified relative to the RF signal it receives. More specifically, consistent with this disclosure, the modified RF signal emitted by an active beacon (i.e., the modified outgoing RF signal) can be a signal at a RF frequency that is shifted relative to the incoming RF signal received by the active beacon. Such a modified signal may be referred to herein as a “frequency-shifted modified RF signal.” Further still, the frequency-shifted modified RF signal emitted by an active beacon can be configured to transmit over short- to mid-range distances. As used herein, short- to mid-range distances can encompass the sterile field portion associated with a conventional surgical environment, such as the sterile field area within a typical OR. For example, and without limitation, an exemplary distance between radar and beacon can be between 3 feet and 5 feet, representing a sterile field portion of a typical OR, where a typical OR can be 400 to 600 square feet.
Accordingly, consistent with this disclosure, active beacons disclosed herein can be configured to actively re-transmit the frequency-shifted RF signals upon receipt of, or in response to, the RF signals from a plurality of transceivers. Each active beacon can be configured to re-transmit at a unique or distinct frequency-shifted value that is different from each of the other active beacons in use during an operation or surgical procedure.
Consistent with techniques and systems disclosed herein, a control device, in communication with the plurality of transceivers, can be configured to provide transmission instructions to each of the plurality of transceivers. Each of the transceivers, in turn, can be configured to transmit an RF signal at a unique (e.g., distinct with respect to the other transceivers) frequency into the surgical environment, responsive to the transmission instructions from the control device. Moreover, because each of the transceivers can be configured to transmit at a unique RF frequency into the surgical environment, and each of the active beacons can be configured to re-transmit a unique (e.g., distinct with respect to the other active beacons) frequency-shifted RF signal back into the surgical environment based on the RF signal it receives, the control device (together with each of the transceivers) can be configured to recognize each re-transmitted signal from a single active beacon, where each re-transmitted signal is based upon and/or responsive to one of the independently-emitted RF signals from the plurality of transceivers in the constellation.
In various embodiments, based upon this information (i.e., the time of the original transmission from each of the transceivers, the time at which the re-transmitted frequency-shifted signal is received back at each of the transceivers, and the fixed location of each of the transceivers in the constellation), the control device determines a location of the active beacon relative to the constellation by trilateration. For example, in a system consisting of three transceivers (T1, T2, T3) and one active beacon (A), where the distance between each of the transceivers is fixed and known (i.e., the distances T1T2, T1T3, and T2T3), the transmission/re-transmission information associated with each transceiver and the active beacon A is used to calculate the distance between each transceiver and the active beacon (i.e., the distances T1A, T2A, and T3A). Accordingly, the control device can be configured to recognize that there are three different triangles formed between any two pairs of the transceivers and the active beacon A (i.e., the triangles formed with the vertices: (T1, T2, A), (T1, T3, A), and (T2, T3, A)). Based upon this information, trilateration techniques can be used to determine the position of the active beacon A relative to the constellation in three-dimensional space.
Moreover, because each active beacon can be configured to re-transmit at a unique/distinct frequency-shifted value, the re-transmitted signals from each active beacon can be independently recognized, and so the location of each active beacon relative to the constellation in three-dimensional space can be separately determined.
Furthermore, because the re-transmitted signals are frequency-shifted values, a set of re-transmitted RF signals from one active beacon can correspond to a unique or distinct “Doppler shift” set of signals from the plurality of transceivers, creating a pseudo-velocity profile for the active beacon that is well beyond clutter noise limits. This can create an isolated environment for each active beacon within an environment's “Doppler” map. Additionally, these active beacons: (1) can be designed to achieve accuracy and precision required for surgical tracking; (2) can be configured, through signal amplification, to increase the signal to noise ratio; (3) can exhibit a small footprint; (4) can be disposable; and (5) can be used with off-the-shelf batteries.
Consistent with this disclosure, active beacon trilateration (e.g., as described above) can be used for navigational tracking of medical objects, such as anatomical parts and surgical instruments. Examples can include bone tracking for orthopedic applications and tool tracking, such as tracking a bone saw, robotic arm or robotic end effector for orthopedic applications. All transceivers can be configured to emit RF waves at varying frequencies in continuous waves or pulses of microseconds. For example, and without limitation, RF signal generation in a transceiver consistent with this disclosure can be digitally synthesized, which allows each transceiver to generate an RF signal with distinguishable, or unique characteristics. Moreover, each active beacon can be configured to introduce a distinguishable variation (or shift) from each other beacon. Furthermore, each returning or responsive wave (provided by each active beacon) provides scene, or environmental, information with the encoded different frequencies from the active beacons. The scene, or environmental, information from the responsive waves can be used to generate a Range/Doppler map. Given the calibrated (or fixed) locations of the transceivers with respect to each other within a known coordinate system (i.e., a constellation configuration), and given that the system with fixed transceivers can be provided with a “range zero” calibration (i.e., initial calibration) to account for any range inaccuracies, each active beacon can be accurately tracked in three-dimensional space during the duration of the tracking frame or a known range can be established to account for any range inaccuracies. In this manner, each active beacon can be accurately tracked in three-dimensions during the duration of a tracking frame.
In one or more embodiments, the systems described herein improve over existing optical systems and simplify the tracking of medical objects, such as bones, using radar-wave-based technology (i.e., RF signals) that can penetrate through obstructions that impede the operation of conventional, optical-based surgical tracking systems, such as obstructions made of cloth, fabric, paper, plastic, and glass, among other things. The radar-wave-based systems described herein can allow a surgeon to disrupt, either fully or partially, the direct line-of-sight between the transceiver(s) and the beacon(s) without loss of signal, which can increase the safety of the surgery, as the system is able to track the objects despite the line-of-sight disruption. Although an obstruction may cause an undesirable drop in signal strength, the systems described herein can address this by being configured to operate with additional (e.g., more than three) transceivers (which will increase the available data for trilateration calculations) and can maintain tracking and accuracy provided that a minimum of three transceivers are configured to interact with (e.g., receive a usable signal from), and thereby detect, all active beacons of interest.
In various embodiments, a set of transceivers, static or moving, can be configured to emit RF signals in the area of interest. The area of interest can contain a set of active RF beacons, each configured to re-radiate a unique signal back to the transceivers so that the three-dimensional position of each active RF beacon can be determined through signal processing and calculations, such as trilateration. In some embodiments, the system may also determine the inclination or orientation of each beacon, for example, based on data from sensors in each beacon.
In various embodiments, the RF beacons, which are typically disseminated in the area of interest, can be configured to receive the RF signals from the transceivers, shift the frequencies of the incident RF signal within prescribed values, and actively re-transmit the frequency-shifted RF signal. Each beacon can be configured to impose a unique frequency shift to the incoming RF signal relative to the frequency shifts of the other RF beacon(s), thus permitting its identification after signal processing. Specifically, these beacon-generated frequency shifts can be processed by a control device coupled to the transceivers in a manner similar to radar targets exhibiting specific Doppler-shifted frequency values.
In various embodiments, through known Range-Doppler processing, or similar Moving-Target-Indication techniques, the control device can be configured to determine the range (e.g., the distance from a given transceiver) and Doppler shift of each of the beacon signals and echoes in the area of interest. Echoes exhibiting zero or near-zero Doppler values can correspond to clutter, i.e. environmental or human, and can be removed by a signal processor. “Echoes” that are in fact signals from beacons corresponding to specific Doppler frequencies associated with active beacon(s) in the area of interest can also be isolated, processed and tracked. The three-dimensional location of each RF beacon can be determined through trilateration of the range information collected across all the transceivers radiating within the area of interest.
In some embodiments, an RF beacon may include or be coupled with an accelerometer(s), which provides data describing the orientation of the RF beacon to the system, for example, via signals to a transceivers. In such embodiments, the control device can further be configured to calculate or determine both position and orientation information of an object, for example, a bone, to which an accelerometer-equipped RF beacon is affixed. The motion of such an object can be determined and tracked using the RF transceivers as described herein, and can be displayed on a display device that is in communication with the control device, to allow a user to manipulate the object based on its defined location with external tools. In some embodiments, the control device, coupled with the display device, can be configured with augmented reality (such as using a virtual reality representation of the area of interest, overlaid on the tracked object) to allow the user to view the user's manipulation of the object on the display.
According to one aspect of the invention, a system for medical object tracking is provided. The system can include a plurality of radio frequency transceivers where each of the plurality of radio frequency transceivers can be configured to emit a radio frequency signal at a respective frequency. The system can further include a radio frequency active beacon removably attached to a medical object, which may be a boney structure, where the radio frequency active beacon is configured to actively (or passively, in some instances) modify the radio frequency signals from the plurality of radio frequency transceivers. The system can further include a control device in communication with the plurality of radio frequency transceivers where the control device includes processing circuitry and/or software code (implemented by a processor and memory) configured to determine a location of the medical object in three-dimensional space based at least in part on the re-transmitted, modified radio frequency signals.
In one embodiment, six degrees of freedom and tilt measurement can be obtained through the use of one or more accelerometers and/or multiple re-radiating antennas associated with a single active beacon (i.e., two or more re-radiating antennas affixed to a single beacon) and/or multiple active beacons (each with a single re-radiating antenna). More specifically, multiple re-radiating antennas can be placed on the same beacon or multiple separate beacons (each with a single re-radiating antenna) can be placed in fixed positions on the bone or other object to be tracked.
In instances where a single beacon is configured with more than a single re-radiating antenna, consistent with this disclosure, each separate re-radiating antenna can be configured to re-radiate at a different frequency-shifted frequency relative to the other antennae in order to provide a distinct, re-radiated, frequency-shifted RF signal from each antenna of the beacon.
According to one or more embodiments, the radio frequency beacon includes a conical (or horn) component or other antenna, the conical (or horn) component or antenna configured to re-radiate radio frequency signals. According to one or more embodiments, the plurality of radio frequency transceivers can be configured to interrogate a respective predefined area at a predefined sweep frequency. The control device can be configured to modify the respective predefined area and predefined sweep frequency based at least in part on the location of the medical object.
According to one or more embodiments, the medical object is one of a surface of a bone and a medical device. According to one or more embodiments, the determination of the location of a reference point on the medical object in three-dimensional space includes determining, for each respective re-transmitted radio frequency signal, a respective location in three-dimensional space of the reference point on the medical object. The determined location of the reference point of the medical object in three-dimensional space can be based on the determined respective locations in three-dimensional space of one or more active beacons and their known affixed positions on the medical object.
According to one or more embodiments, the radio frequency beacon can include at least one accelerometer configured to generate accelerometer data. At least one of the re-transmitted radio frequency signals can include the accelerometer data. According to one or more embodiments, the control device can be further configured to determine an orientation of the radio frequency beacon in three-dimensional space based at least in part on the accelerometer data. According to further embodiments, the control device can be configured to determine an orientation of a radio frequency beacon with multiple antennae in three-dimensional space based at least in part on trilateration data associated with each separate antenna.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method implemented in a system for medical object tracking is provided. A radio frequency signal is emitted at a respective frequency by each radio frequency transceiver of a plurality of radio frequency transceivers. The radio frequency signals can then be re-transmitted by a radio frequency beacon removably attachable to the medical object, to be received at the plurality of radio frequency transceivers. The re-transmitted signals may be frequency-shifted signals that are emitted by the radio frequency beacon. The radio frequency beacon may be affixed to a medical object, and a location of the medical object in three-dimensional space is determined based at least in part on the re-transmitted radio frequency signal.
According to one or more embodiments, the re-transmitted radio frequency signals can be emitted by a conical (or horn) component of the radio frequency beacon and/or an antenna. According to one or more embodiments, the emitting, at each radio frequency transceivers, of the radio frequency signal at the respective frequency corresponds to interrogating a respective predefined area at a predefined sweep frequency. The respective predefined area and predefined sweep frequency is modified based at least in part on the reflected radio frequency signals and frequency-shifted re-transmitted signals.
According to one or more embodiments, an orientation of the active radio frequency beacon in the three-dimensional space can determined based at least in part on accelerometer data and/or location information associated with two or more antennae.
Referring now to the drawing figures, in which like elements are referred to by like reference numerals, there is shown in
In the embodiment shown, the hardware 22 of the control device 12 further includes processing circuitry 26. The processing circuitry 26 may include a processor 28 and a memory 30. In some embodiments, in addition to or instead of a processor, such as a central processing unit, and memory, the processing circuitry 26 may comprise integrated circuitry for processing and/or control, e.g., one or more processors and/or processor cores and/or FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Array) and/or ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuitry) adapted to execute instructions. The processor 28 may be configured to access (e.g., write to and/or read from) the memory 30, which may comprise any kind of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory, e.g., cache and/or buffer memory and/or RAM (Random Access Memory) and/or ROM (Read-Only Memory) and/or optical memory and/or EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). Memory 31, allowing additional storage capability, such as for instructions or data associated with received RF signals, can also be accessed by control device 12 and processing circuitry 26, including processor 28 and location unit 16.
As shown in the example of
The system 10 further includes an RF transceiver 14 that includes hardware 32 enabling it to communicate with the control device 12 and/or active RF beacon 18. The hardware 32 may include a communication interface 34 for setting up and maintaining a wired or wireless connection with an interface of different devices of the system 10 such as control device 12, as well as a radio interface 36 for wirelessly communicating with RF beacon 18, as described herein. The radio interface 36 may be formed as or may include, for example, one or more RF transmitters, one or more RF receivers, and/or one or more RF transceivers.
In the embodiment shown, the hardware 32 of the RF transceiver 14a further includes processing circuitry 38. The processing circuitry 38 may include a processor 40 and a memory 42. In some embodiments, in addition to or instead of a processor, such as a central processing unit, and memory, the processing circuitry 38 may comprise integrated circuitry for processing and/or control, e.g., one or more processors and/or processor cores and/or FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Array) and/or ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuitry) adapted to execute instructions. The processor 40 may be configured to access (e.g., write to and/or read from) the memory 42, which may comprise any kind of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory, e.g., cache and/or buffer memory and/or RAM (Random Access Memory) and/or ROM (Read-Only Memory) and/or optical memory and/or EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory).
As shown in the example of
System 10 includes one or more active RF beacons 18 where each active RF beacon 18 may include a frequency shifter 48, antenna 50 (which can be a conical or horn component in some implementations), an optional accelerometer 52, and an optional second antenna 56. In particular, the RF transceivers 14 and control device 12 can be configured to track the active RF beacon 18, which may be removably attached to the exposed surface of a bone (in which case, attaching the RF beacon 18 does not require separate incisions). The active RF beacon 18 is configured to emit re-transmitted, frequency shifted RF signals (such as using frequency shifter emitter 48) to generate pseudo Doppler shifts. This frequency-shifted signal may provide additional interference waves to indicate the RF beacon 18's location down to sub millimeter accuracy, e.g., 1 millimeter accuracy with an error of less than 1 millimeter.
In one or more embodiments, a motor in a device such as surgical saw or drill may provide vibrations that, for particular frequency-shifted values though frequency shifter 48—where the pseudo Doppler shifts from the frequency shifter 48 interfere with receding and approaching surfaces of the motor blade—have the ability to average the determined location based on the re-transmitted RF signal to a point (or approximately a point) and that improves location determination of the vibrating device in combination with the active RF beacon 18.
Accelerometer(s) 52 may be used to detect and monitor movement and/or orientation of the active RF beacon 18 and provide instantaneous feedback of the X, Y and Z coordinates to control device 12 for real-time tracking. For example, in a single accelerometer/gyro 52 combination, pitch roll yaw can be determined for orienting RF beacon 18 in 3D space. The data from accelerometer 52 may be transmitted to control device 12 via one or more wireless communication protocols via a radio interface of active RF beacon 18 and the control device 12 can use the data to determine a point location of active RF beacon 18 and accelerometer orientation for plane. The plane may define the bone or other medical object orientation with respect to RF transceivers 14. The wireless communication protocols may include BLUETOOTH.
In one or more embodiments, antenna 50 (which can be a conical or horn component) can be configured to re-transmit RF signals from one or more RF transceivers 14, in an efficient path back to one or more RF transceivers 14. In some embodiments, the antenna 50 may be a device that spins to reflect the RF signals from RF transceiver 14. In one or more embodiments, the spinning of the antenna 50 may be triggered by receiving the RF signal and/or it may spin periodically or continuously while powered. In one or more embodiments, active RF beacon 18 may include a radio frequency identification (RFID) 53 that may be embedded on the reflected signal and/or RFID 53 may generate a separate RF signal indicating the RFID. In embodiments, active RF beacon 18 can include a second antenna 56 which can emit a further modified RF signal. In an embodiment, control device 12 can be configured to separately determine the locations of antenna 50 and antenna 56 which, together, can provide information about the orientation of active RF beacon 18.
In one or more embodiments, the one or more frequencies used herein may be modified to keep the RF beacons 18 within a predefined band. The system 10 may be calibrated with other frequency generators such as a saw or drill at least in part by determining the unique signal signatures for these devices or frequency generators. The software described herein may filter these frequencies and assign unique frequencies to the beacons to prevent noise generation. Once the system uniquely identifies the active RF beacons 18, the location and/or position of the active RF beacons 18 may be used for determining final implant placement, for example.
In one or more embodiments, RF transceiver 14, such as via one or more of signal unit 46, processing circuitry 38, processor 40, radio interface 36, etc., is configured to communicate data relating to the at least one received frequency-shifted re-transmitted RF signal to the control device 12 (Block S106), as described herein. In one or more embodiments, RF transceiver 14 in cooperation with control device 12, such as via one or more of signal unit 46, processing circuitry 38, processor 40, processor 28, etc., is configured to determine whether the at least one received frequency-shifted re-transmitted RF signal is a re-transmission of the emitted radio frequency signal at the respective frequency (Block S108), as described herein. Such a determination may be made according to timing, and/or may be made according to the uniqueness or distinctiveness of a frequency-shift associated with a particular active RF beacon 18 and/or associated with one antenna (50 or 56) on one particular active beacon 18. For example, each RF transceiver 14 in a constellation may emit RF signals or pulses in a timed sequence, thereby ensuring that re-transmitted signals (from all active RF beacons) will return to the RF transceiver 14 that emitted the RF signal before a different RF transceiver 14 sends out its own RF signal pulse.
As noted with respect to
As noted previously, in some embodiments, each radio frequency beacon 18, e.g., RF beacon 18a, may be removably attachable to a medical object (e.g., to a bone or a medical tool), and the radio frequency beacon 18a may be configured to re-transmit or emit a frequency-shifted RF signal in response to receiving a different respective radio frequency signal from each of the plurality of radio frequency transceivers 14a-n. In some embodiments, the frequency-shifted RF signal may be produced using the frequency-shifter 48. In one or more embodiments, the re-transmitted frequency-shifted radio frequency signals are received or detected by one or more of the radio frequency transceivers 14a-n in the constellation. In various embodiments, the radio frequency transceivers 14a-n communicate data describing or representing the received frequency-shifted radio frequency signals to the control device 12, which processes the data as described herein.
Referring again to
In some embodiments, an active RF beacon 18a can be configured with a reflector component, (which can be a conical component, a horn, and/or also function as antenna 50), which can be used by the system 10 to calibrate any inherent, constant, time delay that is associated with active beacon 18a re-transmitting a frequency-shifted signal. For example, RF transceiver 14a configured to function as conventional radar can observe, receive, or detect a reflected RF signal from active beacon 18a, as well as the re-transmitted frequency-shifted signal, and the system 10 can use the data describing or representing the reflected RF signal to calculate or determine the time delay added by the active RF beacon 18a before it emits a re-transmitted frequency-shifted signal back to the RF transceiver 14a. In some embodiments, such a time delay may be associated with the time it takes for the RF beacon 18a to process the incoming, received RF signal and to produce the outgoing frequency-shifted RF signal that it emits. Control device 12 can be configured to use this time-delay calibration information in determining the distance to active beacon 18a based on the re-transmitted frequency-shifted signal.
Based upon the determined distances from each RF transceiver 14a-n to a particular active RF beacon 18a and upon the known configuration of the constellation of RF transceiver 14a-n, the control device 12 can determine the location of active beacon 18a in three-dimensional space (Block S114), e.g., using trilateration or similar techniques known in the art. This is described further in
Referring again to
According to one or more embodiments, the medical object is one of a surface of a bone and a medical device. According to one or more embodiments, the determination of the location of the medical object in three-dimensional space includes determining, for each respective reflected radio frequency signal, a respective location in three-dimensional space of the medical object. The determined location of the medical object in three-dimensional space is based on the determined respective locations in three-dimensional space of the medical object.
According to one or more embodiments, the active radio frequency beacon 18a includes at least one accelerometer 52 configured to generate accelerometer data where at least one of the reflected radio frequency signals including the accelerometer data. According to one or more embodiments, the control device 12 is further configured to determine an orientation of the radio frequency beacon 18 in the three-dimensional space based at least in part on the accelerometer data.
In one or more embodiments, pulsed waves, i.e., RF signals, at various frequencies, for example, 3 to 300 GHz, are transmitted by RF transceiver 14 such as via radio interface 36 to track the distance and speed of an object based on the return of the signal and its modified frequency. Such changes in frequency response can be identified, characterized, and classified as unique signals such as by RF transceiver 14a and/or control device 12. In one or more embodiments, RF transceivers 14a-n can be used to triangulate (and/or trilaterate) the location of an RF beacon 18a that returns or provides RF waves more efficiently than the surrounding objects. In one or more embodiments, the RF transceivers 14a-n may triangulate (or trilaterate) the location of the active RF beacon 18a based at least in part on the frequency-shifted signals from frequency shifter 48 of RF beacon 18a, where the results of the object triangulation (or trilateration) for the various signals (e.g., re-transmitted and frequency-shifted radio frequency signals) can be combined or processed such as, for example, into a final waveform such as, for example, via Fourier transform.
In other configuration, varying the frequency of the waves emitted by the RF transceivers 14a-n can allow the locating and positioning of the object to be more accurate. If the object's positional accuracy is required to be submillimeter, waves of multiple wavelengths may be used by control device 12 to determine the location and avoid misjudging the location of an object whose location is in between the wavelength.
Having generally described arrangements for RF beacon 18a location monitoring, examples of details for these arrangements, functions and processes are provided as follows, and various of these arrangements, functions and processes may be implemented by the control device 12 and/or RF transceiver 14 in some embodiments.
Object Triangulation or Trilateration:
In one or more embodiments, signals radiated from an RF transceiver 14a may be scattered from any material in the operating room, i.e., predefined area/environment, including from the personnel performing the surgery. These scattered signals can be filtered out by looking at Doppler offsets since each of the active RF beacons 18a-n may be configured to return specific frequency-shifted signals (or re-radiate signals at known “Doppler” offsets). In one or more embodiments, Doppler filtering is configured to allow for the detection of weak signals in the presence of strong clutter by, at least in part, differentiating moving object signatures from static object signatures. An object signature may correspond to one or more RF signal transmitted and/or reflected (or re-transmitted) by an object.
In one or more embodiments, three RF transceivers 14a-c are located around the region of interest which contains an RF beacons 18a, which may be configured, for example, for bone tracking for orthopedic applications, or for tool tracking, for example tracking a bone saw or drill for surgical applications. In one or more embodiments, the three RF transceivers 14a-c emit waves at varying frequencies in cascading pulses of milliseconds, therefore each returning wave to the RF transceivers 14a-c may be from a different frequency.
In one or more embodiments, the three RF transceivers 14a-c may be in a circular configuration, for example located on an OR light handle, and a fourth RF transceiver 14d for better triangulation or trilateration of the active RF beacons 18 may also be used. In some embodiments, an active RF beacon 18a may be removably attached to a bone or the like using pins. A method for tracking active RF beacons 18a using all three RF transceivers 14a-c, fixed with respect to each other in a circular arc with 120 degrees of separation between the RF transceivers may be used.
In some embodiments, control device 12 may be used to determine how the submillimeter differences in the location of the radar transceivers affect each change in distance. In one or more embodiments, a laser range finder may be attached to the RF transceivers 14a-n to determine true distance from the radars prior to the surgery (referred to herein as preoperative, or preop calibration). Once the ranges are set, wavelengths of appropriate frequency for each RF transceiver 14 may be used for that range of distance to yield the readings for the tools and bones, which may help improve accuracy of the distance determination.
In one or more embodiments, Fourier transforms may be implemented by RF transceiver 14, such a via processing circuitry 38 and/or signal unit 46, to be used for each wave, i.e., RF signal, that is emitted from each RF transceiver 14 at varied time stamps and frequencies. For example, in one or more embodiments, the three sets of waves, (RF signals), may be sent out in different time stamps with different frequencies where each wave packet with a combination of waves constitute the final waveform. The objects that return the wave, such as a femoral, tibial, or tool RF beacon 18, may return waves, i.e., RF signals, that are distinctly different from the transmitted waves. Depending on the returned waves, inverse Fourier transform can be used, such as by processing circuitry 38 and/or processing circuitry 26, to determine the missing wave type, and therefore, the tool associated with the missing wave type. In one or more embodiments, wave type may include one or more characteristics of the wave such as frequency, power, etc.
In one or more embodiments, RF transceivers 14a-n may trace their available field of vision with an arrayed approach with fixed vision. This means that the RF transceivers 14a-n, such as via one or more of processing circuitry 38, signal unit 46, radio interface 36, etc., can sweep the area at a high frequency with constructive and destructive waves that couple. Once the RF transceivers 14a-n detect the returned waves or re-transmitted waves such as from active RF beacon 18a, the RF transceivers 14a-n may “lock” in on this region of interest (ROI) and sweep this area at a higher frequency, i.e., processing circuitry 38 reduces the field of vision for frequency sweeping. If the object associated with the active RF beacon 18a moves out of this area as may be determined by processing circuitry 38 due to a lack of a detected return signal, the RF transceiver 14a may re-sweep the available field of vision to find the active RF beacon 18a and corresponding object, and provide feedback to control device 12 if the object associated with an active RF beacon 18a is not found. Further, in one or more embodiments, laser range finders can be utilized to improve the accuracy of the distance determined from radar; e.g., to improve radar wavelength determination. Further, while system 10 is often described as using three RF transceivers 14a-c, the teachings herein are equally applicable to other quantities of RF transceivers such as less than 3 and/or greater than 3.
Example Technique for Using Objection Location
After exposure for performing knee arthroplasty (total or partial), prior to scanning the bone, two screws may be placed in each bone, one in the distal femur and one over the proximal tibia. In some embodiments, the pin or screw is hollow and can accept an active RF beacon 18. Each active RF beacon 18 may have an RFID device 53 and a resonating feature and may have a QR code printed on the surface. This QR code can be customized based on the patient's anatomy, choice of implant and surgeon's preference prior to surgery.
In some embodiments, a 3D laser scanner may be used during surgery to scan the bony and cartilage surface, including the active RF beacon 18. In some embodiments, radio Frequency Identifiers (RFID) are used to determine the unique part number of each pin and differentiate the pins in surgery. The code from the RFID is recognized by the RF transceiver 14 and/or control device 12 and the pre-operative loaded library of joint images, preferences and implant sizes are loaded.
The scan may then be uploaded to a cloud-based platform that is accessible by at least control device 12. The data is analyzed by, for example, an AI/ML algorithm based on an automated script that identifies landmarks for the featured bone and bony/soft-tissue landmarks are identified. This scan may then be superimposed on pre-operative images, if available, for a better registration process. A masking feature may be used to train the script to identify and better overlay the point clouds to each other with an RMS error minimizing algorithm.
While the scan is being analyzed, the patient's joint may be put through range of motion, for the example of a knee, flexion and extension of the knee is assessed. Then the knee is subjected to testing, through manual varus/valgus tests, to assess the soft tissue. The two active RF beacons 18a-b can be tracked during this process by system 10 and the change in the distance is analyzed, such as by control device 12 via processing circuitry 26 and/or location unit 16, as a change in the gaps during knee range of motion.
A cutting tool (e.g., medical object), such as a bone saw or a cutting block that helps the surgeon make the cuts, can be tracked during surgery using a third active RF beacon 18c and can be placed in the appropriate location to achieve the planned surgery. Cutting devices may also have an active RF beacon 18 and/or RF transceiver 14 attached to them to track and find landmarks that identify the location of cut planes or bone interaction locations to modify the surface.
In various embodiments, machine learning algorithms implemented, for example, by control device 12 and/or RF transceiver 14, are used to assess the optimum position of the implant based on prior patient outcomes. For example, patient types are clustered to individual specialized groups based on multiple parameters using regression analysis, such as via processing circuitry 26. Control device 12 may identify the patient and find the best outcomes from previous surgeries performed on this patient type to prescribe the best cutting planes to replicate the best outcomes. Parameters of the implant alignment can be set pre-operatively to expedite this process.
In some alternative embodiments, a 3D scanner can be mounted over the cutting tool, such as an oscillating saw or drill. The scanner can detect the already scanned surface through object recognition software and demonstrate the proposed cutting/drilling planes that are to be executed.
In some alternative embodiments, a universal cutting jig is used that accommodates the tracking pin, i.e., the pin 72 used with an RF beacon 18, as a fixed point. A manual jig that is tracked by the RF transceivers 14 and that has a flat surface is positioned over the cutting block. The cutting block is now being tracked as compared to other tracking pins, i.e., with RF beacon 18, for both the femur and the tibia, separately, and pinned in place. The accurate position of the cutting block is shown on the monitor.
In some alternative embodiments, augmented reality while the surgeon is wearing a headset in communication with control device 12 is used to assess the accurate positioning of the cutting block or the cutting plane of the saw.
In some alternative embodiments, a robotic cutting tool can be used to execute the bony cuts. After the cuts are made and trial implants are placed, the knee is put through its range of motion and stressed to assess soft-tissue tension and post-cut kinematic data. In some embodiments, artificial intelligence implemented by control device 12, for example, is used to determine the landmarks and detect the axes of the bone based on prior cases.
In various embodiments, the combination of artificial intelligence and machine learning software, which may be implemented in the cloud and/or control device 12, may eliminate the typically required advanced pre-operative imaging such as MRI or CT over time. X-rays can be used in adjunct to the intra-operative scan to determine the bone alignments.
In various embodiments, the 3D scan and radar coordinates are relayed and stored in the cloud computing service in communication with control device 12 and/or stored at control device 12. The coordinates may be converted into machine learning algorithms, which are then used to build a mathematical model of training data. Every surgery builds a library of data and algorithms. These datasets may be continuously fed into the machine learning platform that may then cycle back to each, as described herein, for purposes such as identifying bony surfaces and generating cutting planes, which may be tailored to the patient's unique soft tissue balance and alignment, as well as the surgeon's preference. The RF transceivers 14a-n can also be used to make measurements after the cuts to determine the accuracy of the cuts to report back to the surgeon and/or to conduct validation.
Referring now to
Continuing to refer to
In another embodiment, a wireless, radio frequency (RF) communicating device (e.g. Bluetooth, wifi) is utilized to achieve a six degree of freedom (DOF) tracking system where position and orientation of tracking is provided by one or more Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensor (such as an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a magnetometer, or the like). A secondary positional tracking source using RF signals can establish three DOF positions. Using the 3 DOF radar data will achieve the correct interpolation noise or drift errors from IMU based tracking. The secondary system can operate synchronously or asynchronously from a primary IMU based tracking system.
In one embodiment, as shown, support 820 has an “arc” shape (e.g., the shape of a portion of a circle or of another curve) that is able to accommodate a patient 19 within or beneath the arc. Support 820 can include other elements (not shown in
In one embodiment, multiple radar transceivers can be mounted in or affixed to a frame that encompasses a computer monitor/display. The shape of the radar frame can be similar to the outer shape of the monitor. Further still, the monitor and frame can be held on an articulating arm.
Consistent with this disclosure, at least one embodiment of a system for medical object tracking is able to operate in an environment where one or more part(s) of the system is obstructed, e.g., “draped,” for example as shown in
As is known in the medical industry, a sterile drape 1010 is typically made of cloth, (such as a Polypropylene cotton fabric, a polyester fabric, a cotton-polyester blend fabric, or the like), plastic, or paper; all of which are transparent or essentially transparent to the radio frequency signals used by the embodiments described herein. In various other embodiments, the sterile drape 1010 may be made of any material that is transparent or essentially transparent to the radio frequency signals used by the embodiments described herein.
Although the embodiments shown in
In one embodiment, support 1120 fixes the relative positions of first transceiver 1125-1, second transceiver 1125-2, and third transceiver 1125-3 to each other, but the overall height of the fixed transceiver constellation or array can be adjustable (as depicted by arrow 1135). Similar to what was described previously with respect to support 820, support 1120 can include other elements associated with the embodiment, such as control circuitry for selecting a frequency range value, and for processing received frequency values from a plurality of beacons (not shown in
Further still, as discussed above, multiple radar transceivers can be mounted in or affixed to a frame that encompasses a computer monitor/display where the shape of the radar frame can be similar to the outer shape of the monitor, and the monitor and frame can be held on an articulating arm. Consistent with this disclosure, the articulating arm can be affixed to any appropriate object in the tracking environment. For example, an articulating arm may be affixed to an surgical table or bed, where a monitor may be in use. As shown in
Further still, in one configuration, the absolute location and orientation of RF-transceivers 1414-1, 1414-2, and 1414-3 (and any additional fixed RF transceivers consistent with this disclosure) in a surgical operating environment can be registered and stored, for example, by the control device 12 in memory 31, thereby allowing the control device 12 to determine an absolute location and absolute orientation of any active RF Beacon(s) 18 with respect to the surgical environment. Such a determined absolute location value and absolute orientation value of active RF Beacon(s) 18 (at either a single time point, or as a function of time) can also be stored in memory 31. Where a representation of the surgical environment is provided on the computer monitor/display 1365, then the determination of the absolute location (and absolute orientation) of the RF Beacon(s) 18 also permits a representation of the active RF Beacon(s) 18, in the surgical environment, to be shown on the computer monitor/display 1365 consistent with this disclosure, either statically, or as a function of time.
As disclosed herein, each of the transceivers (RF transceivers 1414-1, 1414-2, and 1414-3) can be configured to transmit RF signals at a particular, distinct RF frequency, (which is also referred to herein as a respective frequency for each of the transceivers). Techniques and systems disclosed herein can also include one or more active beacons (1418). As disclosed herein, an active beacon (1418) can be configured to be responsive to incoming RF signals from the plurality of transceivers (RF transceivers 1414-1, 1414-2, and 1414-3). Specifically, upon receipt of an incoming RF signal from one of the plurality of transceivers, an active beacon (1418) consistent with this disclosure can be configured to emit an RF signal that is modified relative to the RF signal it receives. More specifically, consistent with this disclosure, the modified RF signal emitted by an active beacon (i.e., the modified outgoing RF signal) can be a signal at a RF frequency that is shifted relative to the incoming RF signal received by the active beacon. For example, if the incoming RF signal has a 299 GHz frequency, then in response, the active beacon 1418 may shift it up (e.g., increase the frequency) by 5 GHz to 304 GHz and emit the 304 GHz RF signal back to the RF transceivers. Similarly, if the incoming RF signal has a 320 GHz frequency, then in response, the active beacon 1418 may shift it up by 5 GHz to 325 GHz and emit the 315 GHz RF signal back to the RF transceivers. As a further example, a second active beacon (not shown in
Accordingly, consistent with this disclosure, an active beacon (1418) disclosed herein can be configured to actively re-transmit the frequency-shifted RF signals upon receipt of the RF signals from a plurality of transceivers (RF transceivers 1414-1, 1414-2, and 1414-3). Each active beacon can be configured to re-transmit at a unique (or distinct) frequency-shifted value different from any other active beacon in the surgical environment.
Consistent with techniques and systems disclosed herein, a control device 12, (not shown in
Based upon this information (i.e., the time of the original transmission from each of the transceivers, the time at which the re-transmitted frequency-shifted signal is received back at each of the transceivers, and the fixed location of each of the transceivers in the constellation relative to each other), the control device can be configured to determine a location of the active beacon (1418) relative to the constellation by trilateration or the like. For example, in a system consisting of three transceivers (RF transceivers 1414-1, 1414-2, and 1414-3) and one active beacon (1418) as shown in
For example, through the above-described technique, or using any method known to one of ordinary skill in the art, distances, 1418X, 1418Y, and 1418Z can be determined relative to an axis-system 1401, 1402, and 1403 fixed relative to the constellation configuration associated with the RF transceivers (RF transceivers 1414-1, 1414-2, and 1414-3).
As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the concepts described herein may be embodied as a method, data processing system, computer program product and/or computer storage media storing an executable computer program. Accordingly, the concepts described herein may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects all generally referred to herein as a “circuit” or “module.” Any process, step, action and/or functionality described herein may be performed by, and/or associated to, a corresponding module, which may be implemented in software and/or firmware and/or hardware. Furthermore, the disclosure may take the form of a computer program product on a tangible computer usable storage medium having computer program code embodied in the medium that can be executed by a computer. Any suitable tangible computer readable medium may be utilized including hard disks, CD-ROMs, electronic storage devices, optical storage devices, or magnetic storage devices.
Some embodiments are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, systems and computer program products. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer (to thereby create a special purpose computer), special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable memory or storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
It is to be understood that the functions/acts noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the operational illustrations. For example, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved. Although some of the diagrams include arrows on communication paths to show a primary direction of communication, it is to be understood that communication may occur in the opposite direction to the depicted arrows.
Computer program code for carrying out operations of the concepts described herein may be written in an object-oriented programming language such as Java® or C++. However, the computer program code for carrying out operations of the disclosure may also be written in conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).
Many different embodiments have been disclosed herein, in connection with the above description and the drawings. It will be understood that it would be unduly repetitious and obfuscating to describe and illustrate every combination and subcombination of these embodiments. Accordingly, all embodiments can be combined in any way and/or combination, and the present specification, including the drawings, shall be construed to constitute a complete written description of all combinations and subcombinations of the embodiments described herein, and of the manner and process of making and using them, and shall support claims to any such combination or subcombination.
It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein are not limited to what has been particularly shown and described herein above. In addition, unless mention was made above to the contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawings are not to scale. A variety of modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings.
It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described herein above. In addition, unless mention was made above to the contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawings are not to scale. A variety of modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, which is limited only by the following claims.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/901,475, filed Sep. 1, 2022, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/017,015 filed Sep. 10, 2020, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 11,432,882, which is a continuation-in-part and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/573,095, filed on Sep. 17, 2019, entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MEDICAL OBJECT TRACKING, the entirety of all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 17017015 | Sep 2020 | US |
| Child | 17901475 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 17901475 | Sep 2022 | US |
| Child | 18069338 | US | |
| Parent | 16573095 | Sep 2019 | US |
| Child | 17017015 | US |
