US 11,903,595 B2
Surgical alignment by magnetic field gradient localization
Saransh Sharma, Pasadena, CA (US); Abhinav Agarwal, Pasadena, CA (US); Mikhail Shapiro, Pasadena, CA (US); and Azita Emami, Pasadena, CA (US)
Assigned to CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, Pasadena, CA (US)
Filed by CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, Pasadena, CA (US)
Filed on Jul. 18, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/813,177.
Application 17/813,177 is a division of application No. 16/409,727, filed on May 10, 2019, granted, now 11,399,848.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/688,235, filed on Jun. 21, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0346811 A1, Nov. 3, 2022
Int. Cl. A61B 17/17 (2006.01); G01B 7/31 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 17/1707 (2013.01) [A61B 17/1725 (2013.01); G01B 7/31 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
providing a system comprising:
a first sensor configured to be inserted in a patient during a surgical procedure, the first sensor comprising:
a first magnetic sensor configured to detect a first magnetic field value,
a first integrated circuit chip configured to process data from the first magnetic sensor, and
a first radiofrequency coil configured to transmit data processed by the first integrated circuit chip based on the first magnetic field;
a second sensor attached to a surgical instrument, the second sensor comprising:
a second magnetic sensor configured to detect a second magnetic field value, and
a second integrated circuit chip configured to process data from the second magnetic sensor;
generating, by a plurality of coils, a magnetic field gradient within a volume in which the surgical procedure takes place, wherein the magnetic field gradient has a unique field value at each spatial location;
sensing, by the first sensor, a first location of the first sensor based on the magnetic field gradient;
sensing, by the second sensor, a second location of the second sensor based on the magnetic field gradient;
displaying, on a display, the first and second locations, and a relative alignment between the first location and the second location; and
aligning the surgical instrument based on the displayed relative alignment;
wherein the plurality of coils comprises at least:
a first elliptical x coil and a second elliptical x coil configured to accept currents flowing in opposite directions to each other;
a first elliptical y coil and a second elliptical y coil configured to accept currents flowing in opposite directions to each other, the first and second elliptical y coils laying in a plane parallel to the first and second elliptical x coils, and rotated 90° relative to the first and second elliptical x coils; and
a z coil.