US 12,072,185 B2
Magnetic tracking systems and methods of determining position and orientation
Jude L. Sasing, Quezon (PH); and Ramon B. Gustilo, Eden Prairie, MN (US)
Assigned to Orthopaedic International, Inc., Laguna (PH)
Filed by Orthopaedic International, Inc., Laguna (PH)
Filed on Oct. 20, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/506,157.
Prior Publication US 2023/0122966 A1, Apr. 20, 2023
Int. Cl. G01B 7/004 (2006.01); G06F 3/0346 (2013.01); H01F 7/06 (2006.01)
CPC G01B 7/004 (2013.01) [G06F 3/0346 (2013.01); H01F 7/064 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
17. A method of determining position and orientation of an object in three-dimensional space, comprising the steps of:
activating first, second and third electromagnets of an electromagnet assembly, wherein the first and second electromagnets are coaxial, non-coincident, and spaced from each other by a fixed distance, and the third electromagnet is oriented with its axis orthogonal to the common axis of the first and second electromagnets;
positioning at least one magnetometer at a movable location relative to the electromagnet assembly;
measuring three orthogonal components of a magnetic field vector with the at least one magnetometer; and
computing the relative position and orientation of the electromagnet assembly and the at least one magnetometer in six degrees of freedom using at least two equations with two unknowns and coordinate transformation equations relating the coordinate frames of the electromagnet assembly and the at least one magnetometer;
wherein the step of computing is performed by a microcontroller unit operably connected the at least one magnetometer, and wherein the microcontroller unit controls the measurement of magnetic field vectors by the at least one magnetometer.