Patent ID: 7933007
Filing Date: 2011-04-26
Classification: A61B,G01V

Abstract:
1. An electro-magnetic tracking system comprising: a system controller having a sensor interface; a generator responsive to the system controller, for generating an electro-magnetic field, the electro-magnetic field including a portion thereof characterized as a tracking volume of highest accuracy, wherein the highest accuracy corresponds to an accuracy of the sensor interface and system controller to detect a sensor physically located within the tracking volume versus a lesser accuracy of the sensor interface and system controller to detect the sensor if the sensor is located outside of the tracking volume; a device coupled to the electro-magnetic field generator for visibly optimizing one or both of (i) a positioning and (ii) an angular orientation of the electro-magnetic field generator such that the tracking volume lies within a centroid of a physical volume of interest, thereby enabling a detection of a sensor within the tracking volume with a highest accuracy; and a rangefinder for determining a distance between a remote object and the electro-magnetic field generator, the rangefinder providing a rangefinder output signal representative of the distance, whereby a positioning and orientation of the electro-magnetic field generator can be adjusted and visibly verified via the rangefinder output signal so that the center of the tracking volume substantially corresponds to the centroid of the physical volume of interest.