Patent ID: 6263230
Filing Date: 2001-07-17
Classification: A61B,G01V

Abstract:
A system for detecting a position of a plurality of magnets within a patient from a measurement location outside the patient, the system comprising:a housing;a plurality of magnetic sensors supported by the housing, each of the plurality of sensors being oriented in a known direction and generating a set of signals as a function of static magnetic field strength and direction due to the plurality of magnets within the patient;a processor configured to calculate an estimated position of each of the plurality of magnets in a three-dimensional space and to calculate values of a predicted magnetic field strength for at least a portion of the plurality of sensors based on the estimated positions of each of the plurality of magnets, the processor further configured to calculate values of an actual magnetic field strength using the set of signals and determining values of the location of each of the plurality of magnets based on the difference between the values of the predicted magnetic field strength and the values of the actual magnetic field strength; anda display providing a visual display of the position of each of the plurality of magnets in the three-dimensional space.