Patent · US Active

Virtual mapping of an anatomical pivot point and alignment therewith

US8864686B2 · kind B2 · utility

25Cited by
27References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 10, 2010
Grant dateOct 21, 2014
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 22, 2033

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F3/04847
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A system and method is provided for resolving a pivot point via touchless interaction. It applies to situations where one end of a rigid object is inaccessible but remains stationary at a pivot point, while the other end is free to move and is accessible to an input pointing device. As an example, the rigid object can be a leg bone where the proximal end is at the hip joint and the distal end is at the knee. The system comprises a wand and a receiver that are spatially configurable to touchlessly locate the pivot point without contact. The receiver tracks a relative displacement of the wand and geometrically resolves the location of the pivot point by a spherical mapping. The system can use a combination of ultrasonic sensing and/or accelerometer measurements. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.