Patent ID: 8622935
Filing Date: 2014-01-07
Classification: A61B,A61M

Abstract:
1. A method for determining a location of and a contact force exerted on an end effector of a catheter during use in a medical procedure, comprising: providing a manipulator including a flexing portion and a distal portion, at least one distal fiber Bragg grating being disposed in said distal portion and operatively coupled to said distal portion to sense said contact force exerted on said end effector, a plurality of flexing portion fiber Bragg gratings being disposed within said flexing portion and conforming to a shape of said flexing portion, said plurality of flexing portion fiber Bragg gratings defining a plurality of sensor triplets, each sensor triplet being disposed within a corresponding segment of said flexing portion; causing electromagnetic radiation to propagate through said at least one distal fiber Bragg grating and said plurality of sensor triplets; measuring a plurality of reflected components of said electromagnetic radiation, the reflected components being reflected from said at least one distal fiber Bragg gratings and from said flexing portion fiber Bragg gratings of said sensor triplets; determining a plurality of bend direction and bend radius values, one for each of said corresponding segments of said flexing portion, based on said reflected components returned by said plurality of sensor triplets; accumulating said plurality of bend direction and bend radius values from a starting point on said flexing portion to determine a location in three-dimensional space for each of said corresponding segments; determining at least one elastic strain, one for each of said at least one distal fiber Bragg grating, from said reflected components returned by said at least one distal fiber Bragg grating; and resolving said contact force exerted on said end effector from said at least one elastic strain.