Navigation system for endoscope

与传统的虚拟导航不同，我们开发了两个真实的体内导航系统，支持内窥镜检查和内窥镜手术。（1）超声波法将市售的超声波探头设置在水池中，另一个超声波换能器放置在分开的位置，其发射与超声波探头同步的超声波脉冲。超声波探头捕获来自换能器的发射脉冲，并在市售超声波诊断设备的监视器上显示为标记。因此，我们可以通过使用用于超声换能器的光学定位器来定位超声探头的位置（六个自由度）作为与超声换能器的相对位置，并且因此作为绝对位置。（2）磁光混合定位方法本研究中，利用光学定位器对超声内窥镜的硬夹持杆端部进行定位，利用磁传感器对硬夹持杆的另一端部进行定位，磁传感器用于磁场测量和位置校准/补偿。在硬lod的另一端，连接柔性超声探头lod。另一个微型磁传感器连接在柔性探头lod的尖端，以在五个自由度上定位超声探头。从而实现了超声探头的六自由度定位，定位精度由未补偿时的14.7mm提高到1.96mm。进一步推导了斜内窥镜的几何形状，并提出了一种简单的标定方法。

Different from conventional virtual navigation, we have developed two real intra-body navigation systems, which support endoscopic examination and endoscopic surgery.(1)Ultrasound methodCommercially available ultrasound probe is set in water pool and another ultrasound transducer is placed at separated position which transmits ultrasound pulses synchronized to the ultrasound probe. The ultrasound probe catches the transmitted pulse from the transducer and displays on a monitor of the commercially available ultrasound diagnostic equipment as a marker. Thus we can locate the position (six dgrees-of-freedom) of the ultrasound probe as the relative position from the ultrasound transducer, and consequently as the absolute position by using optical localizer for ultrasound transducer.(2)Hybrid method with magnetic and optical localizersIn this research, end of hard grip lod of an ultrasound endoscope is localized by an optical localizer and another end of the hard lod is localized bymagnetic sensor which is used for measuring magnetic field and location calibration/compensation. At another end of the hard lod, flexible ultrasound probe lod is connected. Another miniature magnetic sensor is attached at the tip of the flexible probe lod to locate the ultrasound probe in five degrees-of-freedom. Thus we can locate the ultrasound probe with six-degrees-of-freedom, whose locating precision is improved from 14.7mm without compensation to 1.96mm. Further we have derived the geometry of oblique endoscope and developed an easy calibration method.