Patent ID: 7832114

Claim:
A device for positioning and tracking in three dimensions the position of an ultrasound imaging probe, comprising: a base element; a linkage of at least three rigid arms, wherein said rigid arms are hingedly connected and a first end of the linkage is hingedly connected to said base element and a second end of said linkage is a free end that is operative to move in three dimensions; encoders disposed between each hinged connection of said linkages and said base element, wherein said encoders generate an output indicative of an angular position of hingedly connected arms; a rotational shaft interconnected to the free end of said linkage; and an encoder operative to generate an output indicative of rotation of said rotational shaft about a rotational axis: an ultrasound probe holder attached to said rotational shaft for releasable holding an ultrasound probe; an ultrasound probe releasably interconnected to said ultrasound probe holder, said ultrasound probe having an elongated acquisition end designed for insertion into a patient orifice and a probe handle, wherein the acquisition end is offset from the handle end and wherein the ultrasound probe holder engages the probe handle to align a long axis of the acquisition end with the rotational axis of the rotational shaft; wherein said outputs from all said encoders provide information for calculating a location of said acquisition end of said probe relative to said base element.