Methods and apparatus for electromagnetic position and orientation tracking with distortion compensation
US6400139B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 1, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jun 4, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 1, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B2090/3975
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for position/orientation tracking within a bounded volume employ at least one stationary sensor, called a “witness sensor,” having a fixed position and orientation near or within the volume to account for electromagnetic distortion. One or more probe sensors are placed on an object to be tracked within the volume, and the output of each witness sensor is used to compute the parameters of a non-real effective electromagnetic source. The parameters of the effective source are used as inputs to the computation of position and orientation as measured by each probe sensor, as if the object were in the non-distorted electromagnetic field produced by the effective source or sources. In addition to trackers for helmet-mounted displays in aircraft, tank, and armored-vehicle applications, the invention finds utility in any electromagnetic tracking system which might be subject to electromagnetic distortion or interference. Such application areas include electromagnetic motion capture systems, and medical systems and instruments, among others.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.