Patent ID: 8641603
Filing Date: 2014-02-04
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A coil system for contact-free magnetic navigation of a magnetic body with a magnetic dipole moment in a working space, comprising: a plurality of coils respectively located at different positions surrounding the working space; a current control unit that controls respective currents in the plurality of coils; a user interface in communication with said current control unit and with said magnetic body, said user interface being configured to allow a user to identify, from information provided to said user interface by said magnetic body, a position of said magnetic body within said working space, and to estimate and define an edge of a volume, having a size between 0.5 cm and 10 cm, in said working space, said volume surrounding an estimated position of the magnetic body in said working space determined from information communicated to said user interface from said magnetic body, and said user interface being configured to communicate information defining said volume to said current control unit; and said current control unit being configured, in response to said information from said user interface, to generate a force on the magnetic body in a predefined direction by setting the currents in the plurality of coils to produce a magnetic field in said volume that causes a direction of a force on the magnetic body produced by said magnetic field at each position among a plurality of positions of the magnetic body in the volume to be uniform in said volume and to substantially correspond to the predefined direction of force.