Patent ID: 11871998
Assignee: STRYKER EUROPEAN OPERATIONS LIMITED
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A  G | IPC A  G

Claim 5:
6. A method for acquiring x-ray images of an anatomical structure with a C-arm imaging device and identifying the x-ray images on a display, wherein a navigation system is provided and includes a localizer unit including a tracking sensor connected to the localizer unit and a gravity vector sensor mounted to the localizer unit and configured to detect a direction toward center of Earth gravity regardless of an orientation of the tracking sensor, a tracking device coupled to the C-arm imaging device and including a tracking element detectable by the tracking sensor, and a computer processor, said method comprising: acquiring a first x-ray image with the C-arm imaging device at a first angular position, wherein the tracking sensor detects a first pose of the tracking device as the first x-ray image is acquired; generating with the computer processor a first image vector based on the first pose of the tracking device; generating a gravity vector based on the gravity vector sensor; determining with the computer processor a first angle between the first image vector and the gravity vector; assigning with the computer processor a first image identifier to the first x-ray image based on the first determined angle; displaying the first x-ray image on the display; acquiring a second x-ray image with the C-arm imaging device at a second angular position different than the first angular position, wherein the tracking sensor detects a second pose of the tracking device as the second x-ray image is acquired; generating with the computer processor a second image vector based on the second pose of the tracking device; determining with the computer processor a second angle between the second image vector and the gravity vector; assigning with the computer processor a second image identifier to the second x-ray image based on the second determined angle;
updating the x-ray image on the display with the second x-ray image on the display responsive to the second x-ray image being assigned a second image identifier the same as the first image identifier.