Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110196199 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATICALLY MAINTAINING AN OPERATOR SELECTED ROLL ORIENTATION AT A DISTAL TIP OF A ROBOTIC ENDOSCOPE - In a robotic endoscope system, the orientation of a captured camera view at a distal tip of a robotic endoscope and displayed on a screen viewable by an operator of the endoscope is automatically maintained at a roll orientation associated with a setpoint so as not to disorient the operator as the endoscope is moved, flexed and its tip turned in different orientations. A processor generates a current commanded state of the tip from operator input and modifies it to maintain the setpoint roll orientation. To generate the modified current commanded state, the current commanded roll position and velocity are constrained to be a modified current commanded roll position and velocity that have been modified according to a roll angular adjustment indicated by a prior process period commanded state of the tip and the setpoint. The processor then commands the robotic endoscope to be driven to the modified commanded state. | 08-11-2011 |
20120209253 | JOINTED LINK STRUCTURES EXHIBITING PREFERENTIAL BENDING, AND RELATED METHODS - In accordance with various exemplary embodiments of the present teachings, a surgical device can include a first pair of articulably coupled links, a second pair of articulably coupled links, and a tension member coupled to the first pair of links and the second pair of links such that altering tension in the tension member exerts a force tending to articulate the first pair of links and the second pair of links so as to bend the first pair of links and the second pair of links. The surgical device can be configured such that the first pair of links has a lower resistance to bending than the second pair of links upon altering the tension in the tension member. | 08-16-2012 |
20120289777 | MEDICAL SYSTEM PROVIDING DYNAMIC REGISTRATION OF A MODEL OF AN ANATOMICAL STRUCTURE FOR IMAGE-GUIDED SURGERY - A medical system provides navigation assistance to a surgeon so that the surgeon may navigate a flexible medical device through linked passages of an anatomical structure to a target in or adjacent to the anatomical structure. As the medical device moves through the linked passages, images are captured by an image capturing element at its distal end and pose and shape information for the medical device are received from sensors disposed in the medical device. A 4-D computer model of the anatomical structure is registered to the medical device using one or both of 4-D shape registration and virtual camera registration so that the captured image and a virtual image generated from the perspective of a virtual camera are registered to each other and displayed while providing an indication of a navigational path to the target. | 11-15-2012 |
20120289843 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING INFORMATION OF EXTREMA DURING EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION CYCLES OF AN OBJECT - A medical system provides navigation assistance to a surgeon for navigating a flexible medical device through linked passages of an anatomical structure to a target area. For tracking, navigation, and other purposes, information of extrema is determined during expansion and contraction cycles of an object by receiving time sampled information from sensors distributed along a length of a flexible device so as to indicate the shape of the device over time while the device extends through a lumen of the object so as to conform to and resemble the shape of the lumen, displacements over time of a selected point at a selected insertion length of the flexible device into the lumen of the object relative to a reference point are determined, extrema time points are determined by identifying sign changes of the slope of the determined displacements over time, and extrema types are determined using extrema type characteristics. | 11-15-2012 |
20130096377 | CATHETER WITH REMOVABLE VISION PROBE - A medical system includes a catheter and a vision probe that can be removed from the catheter and replaced with a medical probe. The vision probe can thus be used to steer and pose the catheter, and then be removed and replaced with the medical probe when a medical task such as a lung biopsy is performed. A sensor system in the catheter at least partly measures a pose of the catheter, and control logic controls actuation of the catheter to maintain the desired working configuration when the medical probe is used. A small diameter catheter can thus provide vision and biopsy functionality. | 04-18-2013 |
20130096572 | CATHETER SENSOR SYSTEMS - A medical system including a catheter or other flexible structure uses a combination of two different sensor systems to measure a pose of a section or tip of the catheter or flexible structure. The first sensor system, which may include an electromagnetic sensor, can measure a pose of a first section of the catheter, and the second sensor system can measure a pose of the second section relative to the first section. The second sensor system may employ a technology such as fiber shape sensing that permits the second section to be smaller than the first section, so that a distal tip of the catheter or flexible structure can fit within smaller natural lumens. | 04-18-2013 |
20130345719 | Systems and Methods for Reducing Measurement Error in Optical Fiber Shape Sensors - A shape sensing apparatus comprises an instrument including an elongated shaft with a neutral axis. The shape sensor also includes a first shape sensor with an elongated optical fiber extending within the elongated shaft at a first radial distance from the neutral axis. The apparatus also includes a shape sensor compensation device extending within the elongated shaft. The apparatus also comprises a tracking system for receiving shape data from the first shape sensor and compensating data from the shape sensor compensation device for use in calculating a bend measurement for the instrument. | 12-26-2013 |
20140031625 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR STEERABLE MEDICAL DEVICE PATH DEFINITION AND FOLLOWING DURING INSERTION AND RETRACTION - Waypoints for a steerable medical device are stored as the steerable medical device is moved within a patient. The stored waypoints are an ordered sequence of locations. The ordered sequence of locations defines a safe path within the patient for moving an articulatable portion of the steerable medical device. The articulatable portion of the steerable medical device is constrained to follow the safe path as the articulatable portion moves within the patient. For example, the articulatable portion of the steerable medical device is constrained to remain within a boundary region enclosing the safe path as the articulatable portion of the steerable medical device follows the safe path. | 01-30-2014 |
20140051987 | Systems and Methods for Configuring Components in a Minimally Invasive Instrument - A catheter system comprises an elongate flexible catheter and a support structure mounted on the catheter. The support structure comprises a first alignment feature and a second alignment feature. The system further comprises a first sensor component mated with the first alignment feature and a second sensor component mated with the second alignment feature. The first sensor component is fixed relative to the second sensor component in at least one degree of freedom at the support structure by the first alignment feature. | 02-20-2014 |
20140058364 | JOINTED LINK STRUCTURES EXHIBITING PREFERENTIAL BENDING, AND RELATED METHODS - In accordance with various exemplary embodiments of the present teachings, a surgical device can include a first pair of articulably coupled links, a second pair of articulably coupled links, and a tension member coupled to the first pair of links and the second pair of links such that altering tension in the tension member exerts a force tending to articulate the first pair of links and the second pair of links so as to bend the first pair of links and the second pair of links. The surgical device can be configured such that the first pair of links has a lower resistance to bending than the second pair of links upon altering the tension in the tension member. | 02-27-2014 |
20140188440 | Systems And Methods For Interventional Procedure Planning - A method of planning a procedure to deploy an interventional instrument comprises receiving a model of an anatomic structure. The anatomic structure includes a plurality of passageways. The method further includes identifying a target structure in the model and receiving information about an operational capability of the interventional instrument within the plurality of passageways. The method further comprises identifying a planned deployment location for positioning a distal tip of the interventional instrument to perform the procedure on the target structure based upon the operational capability of the interventional instrument. | 07-03-2014 |
20140200407 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATICALLY MAINTAING AN OPERATOR SELECTED ROLL ORIEINTATION AT A DISTAL TIP OF A ROBOTIC ENDOSCOPE - In a robotic endoscope system, the orientation of a captured camera view at a distal tip of a robotic endoscope and displayed on a screen viewable by an operator of the endoscope is automatically maintained at a roll orientation associated with a setpoint so as not to disorient the operator as the endoscope is moved, flexed and its tip turned in different orientations. A processor generates a current commanded state of the tip from operator input and modifies it to maintain the setpoint roll orientation. To generate the modified current commanded state, the current commanded roll position and velocity are constrained to be a modified current commanded roll position and velocity that have been modified according to a roll angular adjustment indicated by a prior process period commanded state of the tip and the setpoint. The processor then commands the robotic endoscope to be driven to the modified commanded state. | 07-17-2014 |
20150148690 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING A SHAPE OF A LUMEN IN AN ANATOMICAL STRUCTURE - A medical system provides navigation assistance to a surgeon so that the surgeon may navigate a flexible medical device through linked passages of an anatomical structure to a target in or adjacent to the anatomical structure. As the medical device moves through the linked passages, images are captured by an image capturing element at its distal end and pose and shape information for the medical device are received from sensors disposed in the medical device. A 4-D computer model of the anatomical structure is registered to the medical device using one or both of 4-D shape registration and virtual camera registration so that the captured image and a virtual image generated from the perspective of a virtual camera are registered to each other and displayed while providing an indication of a navigational path to the target. | 05-28-2015 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100278995 | INSTANT BEVERAGE PRODUCT - The present invention relates to a method for the production of instant beverage granules which, upon reconstitution with water, form a foamy upper surface. The method makes use of a porous base powder to which the present invention also relates. | 11-04-2010 |
20110039007 | INSTANT BEVERAGE PRODUCT - The present invention relates to an instant beverage powder and, more particularly, to an instant soluble beverage powder which forms foam on its upper surface when reconstituted with water. The powder has a foaming porosity of at least 35% an open pore volume of less than 3 ml/g and a closed pore average diameter D | 02-17-2011 |
20120021115 | INSTANT BEVERAGE PRODUCT - The present invention relates to a method for the production of instant beverage products which, upon reconstitution with liquid, form a foamy upper surface. The method makes use of a porous base powder to which the present invention also relates. | 01-26-2012 |
20130230628 | INSTANT BEVERAGE PRODUCT - The present invention relates to a method for the production of instant beverage granules which, upon reconstitution with water, form a foamy upper surface. The method makes use of a porous base powder to which the present invention also relates. | 09-05-2013 |
20130280396 | INSTANT BEVERAGE PRODUCT - The present invention relates to an instant beverage powder and, more particularly, to an instant soluble beverage powder which forms foam on its upper surface when reconstituted with water. The powder has a foaming porosity of at least 35% an open pore volume of less than 3 ml/g and a closed pore average diameter D50 of less than 80 micrometres. | 10-24-2013 |