Patent ID: 6434507
Filing Date: 2002-08-13
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
A medical instrument with at least one electrically energizable energy emitter array thereon for use with a computer controlled surgical navigation system employing an energy-detecting digitizer array to track positions of the instrument in three dimensional space relative to a known reference point, said instrument comprising:a tool body; at least one instrument attachment removably coupled to said tool body, said at least one instrument attachment including at least one tool tip and at least one emitter coupled to said at least one instrument attachment; an attachment member mountable about said instrument attachment and said tool body for removably coupling said at least one tool tip to said tool body; at least one sensor positioned to be operated in response to said tool tip being changed by either coupling to or removal from said tool body; a controller operatively connected to said sensor to detect when said sensor has been operated and said tool tip has been changed; and an indicator responsive to said controller for communicating to a user of said instrument that the tool tip of said instrument has been changed.