Patent ID: 8357152

Claim:
A medical probe, comprising: a flexible insertion tube, having a distal end for insertion into a body cavity of a patient; a distal tip, which is disposed distal to the distal end of the flexible insertion tube and is configured to be brought into contact with tissue in the body cavity; a resilient member, which couples the distal tip to the distal end of the flexible insertion tube and is configured to deform in response to pressure exerted on the distal tip when the distal tip engages the tissue; and a position sensor within the medical probe for sensing a position of the distal tip relative to the distal end of the flexible insertion tube, which changes in response to deformation of the resilient member, wherein the position sensor is configured to generate a signal indicative of the position of the distal tip responsively to a magnetic field that is generated in a vicinity of the distal tip, wherein the position sensor is disposed in the distal end of the flexible insertion tube, and wherein the medical probe comprises a magnetic field generator within the distal tip for generating the magnetic field.