A method for carrying out a medical procedure using a 3-D tracking and imaging system (1600). A surgical instrument, such as a catheter, probe, sensor, pacemaker lead, needle, or the like is inserted into a living being, and the position of the surgical instrument is tracked as it moves through a medium in a bodily structure. The location of the surgical instrument relative to its immediate surroundings is displayed to improve a physician's ability to precisely position the surgical instrument. The medical procedures including targeted drug delivery, sewing sutures, removal of an obstruction from the circulatory system, a biopsy, amniocentesis, brain surgery, measurement of cervical dilation, evaluation of knee stability, assessment of myocardial contractibility, eye surgery, prostate surgery, trans-myocardial revascularization (TMR), robotic surgery, and evaluation of RF transmissions.

A method for carrying out a medical procedure using a three-dimensional tracking and imaging system

An occupant sensing apparatus for use in an occupant restraint system comprises a film having an electrical characteristic with changeable states and a contact member. When an occupant sits in a vehicle seat, the contact member pushes on the film and changes the state of the electrical characteristic. An electric circuit is connected to the film for providing a first signal when the film indicates an occupant is not present, a second signal when an occupant is present, and a third signal if the film and the circuit become disconnected. The occupant restraint system is enabled when either an occupant is present or an electrical fault condition occurs. In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, an array of sensors located in the seat determines the occupant's position and weight and controls deployment of the occupant restraint system in response to the determined position and weight.

Occupant sensing apparatus

A system for carrying out surgery on a bodily structure (e.g., breast and liver) with greater precision, accuracy, comfort and minimal invasiveness. A 3-dimensional tracking and imaging system (1000) is used to obtain an accurate position of an instrument as it is maneuvered by an operator, and to mark a location on the subject bodily structure. The system is particularly advantageous for surgical procedures for biopsying and destroying tumors in bodily structures which are easily deformable.

System for carrying out surgery biopsy and ablation of a tumor or other physical anomaly

A method and apparatus for simultaneous measurement of multiple distances by means of networked piezoelectric transducers Through the use of high frequency digital counters, the propagation delay between the activation of an ultrasonic transducer and the reception by similar transducers is quickly and accurately defined By alternating the duty cycle between transmit and receive modes, the system can track and triangulate the three-dimensional positions for each transducer

Three-dimensional digital ultrasound tracking system

A system for displaying a 2-D ultrasound image in a 3-D viewing environment. Within the same 3-D viewing environment, various surgical instruments can be tracked and displayed, thus correlating 3-D virtual surgery with ultrasound imaging for verification. A detachable housing (220) containing position transducers (222) is attached to a conventional 2-D ultrasound imaging head (200) to provide position data of an imaging plane generated by an image transducer (204).

System for displaying a 2-d ultrasound image within a 3-d viewing environment

Anordnung zur messung von kraftverteilungen

Measuring arrangement, preferably in the form of a measuring platform

System for measuring force distributions with individual force-measurement sensors that can be polled in sequence, providing a high level of mechanical and electric security against interference at a low cost in circuitry and controls. The measurement-sensor matrix can be designed to prevent crosstalk between the measurement sensors.

System for measuring force distributions

With the measurement of spatial movement of test points by means of ultrasonic signals, the problem exists that often interferences occur which may lead to distortion of test results It is proposed to check the space between sound transmitter and sound receiver by means of electromagnetic waves, in particular light waves, for absence of obstacles, and/or not to use for the derivation of the distances those ultrasonic signals whose transit time and/or amplitude lie outside a given expectancy range, but to discard them

Method and apparatus for error reduction when measuring movement in space of test points by means of ultrasonic signals

The measuring mat contains a matrix of capacitative pressure transducers, which are formed from the intersecting surfaces of row conductors and column conductors. According to the invention, the dielectric is formed from individual flexible flat bodies, of which the dimensions correspond essentially to the intersection surfaces of the row and column conductors. The separations of the bodies are so great that, on bending the measuring mat, the row or column conductors and the insulation and screening materials stuck to them can arch into the interspaces or can be stuck therein. Metallised textile fibres and mats knitted from metallic fibres can be used for the line and column conductors and the screening.

Wolfgang Brunner

Papers

Anordnung zur messung von kraftverteilungen

Measuring arrangement, preferably in the form of a measuring platform

System for measuring force distributions

Method and apparatus for error reduction when measuring movement in space of test points by means of ultrasonic signals

Measuring mat for determining pressure distributions