Patent ID: 6226546
Filing Date: 2001-05-01
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
A system for determining a position of a head of a catheter with reference to a body part of a human or animal body from mapping information appertaining to a three-dimensional map of said body, said system comprising a first plurality of acoustic transducers disposed about said catheter head in spaced apart relationship, which catheter head in use is positionable at a predetermined location in said body part, and a signal processing unit which operates to determine said three dimensional map of said body part, based upon a first set of measurement data appertaining to measured times of flight of acoustic signals generated by at least one of said first plurality of acoustic transducers acting as an acoustic signal source and received by said first plurality of acoustic transducers acting as acoustic receivers, said times of flight of said acoustic signals being representative of a distance traveled between said acoustic signal source and said acoustic receivers reflected from said body part.