US 12,290,321 B2
Navigation systems and methods for indicating and reducing line-of-sight errors
Donald W. Malackowski, Schoolcraft, MI (US); and José Luis Moctezuma de la Barrera, Freiburg (DE)
Assigned to Stryker Corporation, Portage, MI (US)
Filed by Stryker Corporation, Kalamazoo, MI (US)
Filed on Apr. 27, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/730,607.
Application 15/407,639 is a division of application No. 14/156,856, filed on Jan. 16, 2014, granted, now 9,566,120, issued on Feb. 14, 2017.
Application 17/730,607 is a continuation of application No. 16/701,972, filed on Dec. 3, 2019, granted, now 11,369,438.
Application 16/701,972 is a continuation of application No. 15/407,639, filed on Jan. 17, 2017, granted, now 10,531,925, issued on Jan. 14, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/753,219, filed on Jan. 16, 2013.
Prior Publication US 2022/0249176 A1, Aug. 11, 2022
Int. Cl. A61B 34/20 (2016.01); A61B 17/88 (2006.01); A61B 34/00 (2016.01); A61B 34/30 (2016.01); A61B 90/10 (2016.01); A61B 17/00 (2006.01); A61B 17/80 (2006.01); A61B 17/92 (2006.01); A61B 90/00 (2016.01)
CPC A61B 34/20 (2016.02) [A61B 17/8875 (2013.01); A61B 34/30 (2016.02); A61B 34/70 (2016.02); A61B 90/10 (2016.02); A61B 2017/00115 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00119 (2013.01); A61B 17/8057 (2013.01); A61B 17/808 (2013.01); A61B 17/809 (2013.01); A61B 17/92 (2013.01); A61B 2034/2048 (2016.02); A61B 2034/2051 (2016.02); A61B 2034/2055 (2016.02); A61B 2034/2063 (2016.02); A61B 2034/2068 (2016.02); A61B 2090/3945 (2016.02); A61B 2090/3983 (2016.02); A61B 2090/3991 (2016.02)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A navigation system for tracking a surgical object, the navigation system comprising:
a localizer;
a tracking device affixed to, or configured to couple to, the surgical object and including:
a tracking body comprising a top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface, and a side surface between the top surface and the bottom surface;
at least one tracking element supported by and visible from the top surface of the tracking body and being configured to transmit a tracking signal for the localizer; and
a visual indicator supported by and visible from the side surface of the tracking body and comprising an emitter configured to generate a visible light; and
a control system configured to determine that the tracking signal from the at least one tracking element is being received by the localizer, and in response, control the visual indicator to activate the emitter to generate the visible light to produce a color to indicate to a user that the tracking signal is being received by the localizer.