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System for locating relative positions of objects in three dimensional space    

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United States Patent5920395   
Link to this pagehttp://www.wikipatents.com/5920395.html
Inventor(s)Schulz; Waldean A. (Boulder, CO)
AbstractLocating and displaying the relative positions of two objects in a three-dimensional space where one object is a three-dimensional object and the second object has at least three collinear points, at least two of which are sensible by a detector. The detector supplies signals providing azimuth and altitude information related to the two sensible points of the second object for locating the position of at least the third point of the second object relative to the first object which may be positioned inside or outside the boundaries of the first object. The first object may have fixed thereto at least three points sensible by the detector for establishing the position and attitude of the first object within the three-dimensional space.
   














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Drawing from US Patent 5920395
System for locating relative positions of objects in three dimensional

     space - US Patent 5920395 Drawing
System for locating relative positions of objects in three dimensional space
Inventor     Schulz; Waldean A. (Boulder, CO)
Owner/Assignee     Image Guided Technologies, Inc. (Boulder, CO)
Patent assignment
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Company News
Publication Date     July 6, 1999
Application Number     08/967,890
PAIR File History     Application Data   Transaction History
Image File Wrapper   Patent Term   Fees
Litigation
Filing Date     November 12, 1997
US Classification     356/622 356/141.1 600/407 606/130
Int'l Classification     G01B 011/14 A61B 017/00
Examiner     Pham; Hoa Q.
Assistant Examiner    
Attorney/Law Firm     Lowe Hauptman Gopstein Gilman & Berner
Address
Parent Case     This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/052,045 filed Apr. 22, 1993 now abandoned.
Priority Data    
USPTO Field of Search     356/372 356/375 356/376 356/373 356/141.1 128/653.1 128/653.02 128/653.05 606/130 250/203.1 250/203.2 250/203.3 250/206.1 250/561
Patent Tags     locating relative positions objects three dimensional space
   
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5383454
Bucholz

Jan,1995

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5309913
Kormos
600/429
May,1994

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5305091
Gelbart
356/620
Apr,1994

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5198877
Schulz
356/614
Mar,1993

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5059789
Salcudean
250/206.1
Oct,1991

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4836778
Baumrind
433/69
Jun,1989

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Roberts

Jan,1988

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4585350
Pryor
356/625
Apr,1986

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Stephenson
356/141.5
Dec,1983

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DiMatteo
348/139
Aug,1983

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356/139.03
Jun,1980

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I claim:

1. A system for determining the positions and orientations of at least two physically unconnected, separately moveable objects absolutely and with respect to each other in the same three dimensional space, and electronically displaying the relationship between said objects, comprising:

at least one electronically displayable image of an interior portion of at least a first of said objects;

an electronically stored file comprising said at least one image having the capability of being sorted and electronically displayed on an electronic screen;

computer means for storing and sorting said image, and for causing at least one said sorted image to be electronically displayed;

electronic display means for displaying said sorted image;

a three dimensional volume described by a fixed coordinate system;

a first object, which is said internally imaged object, having at least three light emitting first sensible points associated therewith, which is located within said three dimensional space and is moveable therein, and whose position and orientation within said three dimensional space is defined in said fixed coordinate system;

means to move said first object in said three dimensional space;

a second object, physically unconnected to said first object, having at least two light emitting second sensible points associated therewith, which is located within said coordinate system and is moveable in said three dimensional space in relation to said first moveable object, whose position and orientation within said three dimensional space is defined in said fixed coordinate system;

means to move said second object in said three dimensional space;

at least three spaced apart light detecting means, situated in known positions in said fixed coordinate system, for independently, respectively detecting light radiation from at least three of said first light emitting sensible points and for detecting at least two of said second light emitting sensible points, which number of detected light emitting sensible points are sufficient to determine the position and orientation of said first and second objects, respectively;

means, responsive to said light sensing detecting means, for converting the detection of said at least three first sensible points and said at least two second sensible points to locations of said first points and said second points, respectively, in said fixed coordinate system in said three dimensional space;

wherein said detection of said first light emitting sensible points and the determination of the locations of said first sensible points are determined independently of the detection of said second light emitting sensible points and the determination of the locations of said second sensible points;

means for converting the locations of said first sensible points into a determined position and orientation of said first moveable object in said three dimensional space;

means for converting the locations of said second sensible points into a determined position and orientation of said second moveable object in said three dimensional space;

means for cross correlating said determined position and orientation of said first moveable object with the independently determined position and orientation of said second moveable object to establish the spacial relationship of said first moveable object and said second moveable object, respectively, in said three dimensional space;

means for automatically repeating said independent detecting, converting and cross correlating functions sufficiently frequently to track and correlate the movement of said first and said second objects absolutely and relative to each other in real time;

means to select at least one of said internal images which includes at least one preselected sensible point of said first object;

means for displaying said at least one previously taken, selected image of an interior of said first object on said electronic screen;

means to display a representation of said second object on said electronic screen superimposed on said displayed interior image of said first object such that at least a preselected point of said representation of said second object appears accurately positioned in relation to said selected interior image;

means to automatically change the selected interior image as a function of the movement of said first and second objects relative to each other; and

means to maintain said representation of said second object on said electronic screen superimposed on the correct changing interior image such that at least said preselected point of said representation of said second object continues to be accurately positioned in relation to said changing selected interior image taking into account the movement of said first and second objects relative to each other.

2. The system of claim 1 comprising a first and a second light sensing detecting means wherein at least one of said detecting means include:

linear receptor means adapted to create a signal indicative of the direction from which an incident light ray impinges on said receptor means; and

optical means for focussing light rays from the light emitters onto said linear receptor means.

3. The system of claim 2 further including:

means for receiving said direction indicative signal from the linear receptor means; and

means, responsive to said direction indicative signals from said receiving means, for ascertaining the coordinates of at least one point at a time of said second moveable object in said three-dimensional space.

4. The system of claim 3 further including means responsive to said direction indicative signal for finding the location of at least one point at a time of said second moveable object relative to said first moveable object in said three dimensional space.

5. The system of claim 1 including:

means fixedly attached to the first moveable object for supporting said at least three first sensible means and

means coupled to the detecting means for establishing the location of said sensible points, and therefore to establish the position and orientation of the first three-dimensional object relative to the second moveable object in said three-dimensional space.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said preselected point of said second moveable object is out of line of sight of said detecting means, and wherein system further comprises means for determining the location of said point on said out of sight portion of said second moveable object in relation to said first moveable object from the determined location of said at least two non-linear sensible points which are within lines of sight of said detecting means.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6 wherein said first moveable object is a part of body of an animal and said second moveable object is a surgical tool.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the same detecting means detects the locations of all of said detected first and second sensible points.

9. The system as claimed in claim 8 further including means to distinguish between detectable emissions from each of said sensible points.

10. The system as claimed in claim 8 further including means to determine the location of each of said first sensible points at a different frequency than the determination of the location of each of said second sensible points.

11. The system as claimed in claim 8 further including means to determine the location of each of said first sensible points at substantially the same frequency as the determination of the location of each of said second sensible points.

12. The system as claimed in claim 1 further including:

means to determine the angles, respectively, between lines extending between said at least three first sensible points, respectively, and said detecting means, and between said at least two second sensible points and said detecting means, respectively; and means for converting said angles to a specific location in said fixed coordinate system of each of said detected sensible means.

13. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first sensible points are disposed on frame means attached to said first object and said second sensible points are disposed in a manner which is not attached to said frame means.

14. A method of determining, and electronically visualizing, the relative spatial relationship of at least first and second objects, which are in physical contact with each other, but are not physically connected to each other, in a fixed coordinate system in the same three dimensional space, wherein each object is moveable in relation to the other, both objects are moveable into and out of physical contact with the other, and both objects are moveable in relation to said three dimensional coordinate system, which method comprises:

emitting light from at least three first sensible points on said first object and emitting light from at least two second sensible points on said second object;

detecting emitted light from at least three of said first sensible points and at least two of said second sensible points at a multiplicity of spaced apart light sensing means, capable of independently determining the locations of at least three of said first sensible points and at least two of said second sensible points which number and location of sensed sensible points are sufficient to independently determine the position and orientation of each of said physically unconnected first and second objects, respectively, in said fixed coordinate system;

sensing a set of first straight light lines between each of said at least three of said first sensible points and at least two of said sensing means, and independently sensing a set of second straight light lines between each of said at least two of said second sensible points and at least two of said sensing means, respectively;

from angles between said straight light lines and reference lines in known relationship to said sensing means, respectively, determining the locations of said sufficient number of said first sensible points and of said sufficient number of said second sensible points, respectively, in said fixed coordinate system, to determine the position and orientation of said first and second objects;

converting locations of said first sensible points into a position and orientation of said first object in relation to said three dimensional coordinate system, and independently converting locations of said second sensible points into a position and orientation of said second object in relation to said three dimensional coordinate system;

correlating the independently determined positions and orientations of said first and second objects in relation to said fixed coordinate system, respectively, and thereby determining the position and orientation of each of said first and second objects relative to the other;

storing said independently determined positions and orientations of said first and second objects in a first searchable electronic file;

prior to said independent determination of the positions and orientations of said first and second objects in real time and the storage of said information in said electronic file, imaging at least one interior portion of said first object and storing at least one of said first object interior portion images in a second searchable electronic file;

correlating said searchable electronic files to determine at least one electronic image which corresponds to the real time position and orientation of at least one point on said second object;

selecting at least one of said sorted interior portion images;

electronically displaying at least one of said selected images and a representation of said second object superimposed thereon accurately showing at least one point on said second object in accurate real time position and orientation with respect to said selected interior portion image;

moving at least one of said objects in said three dimensional space relative to the other in real time;

repeating said independent sensing, determining, converting, selecting and correlating steps sufficiently frequently, relative to said movement, to automatically track said movement of both of said objects relative to each other and relative to said three dimensional coordinate system in the same real time;

as a function of the real time movement of said first and second objects relative to each other, selecting other of said stored internal images to maintain superposition of the current real time position and orientation of said at least one point on said second object on the correct location of the correct internal portion image of said first object; and

electronically displaying the movement of said first and second objects relative to each other in the form of an accurate real time position and orientation of said point on said second object relative to an accurately selected, previously taken, image of an internal portion of said first object.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14 wherein said sensible points comprise energy emitting means, and wherein said method further includes sensing said straight lines between each of said energy emission points and each of a single set of at least three spaced apart energy detection means; and distinguishing between energy emitted from each of said energy emission means; whereby distinguishing between each of said lines.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15 wherein said energy is light radiation.

17. The method as claimed in claim 14 wherein said energy emissions are light beams of different wave lengths.

18. A method as claimed in claim 14 further including disposing said first sensible points on a frame means attached to said first object, and disposing said second sensible points on said second object in a manner which is not physically attached to said frame means.
 Description Submit all comments and votes
 


BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to locating the position of an object relative to a three-dimensional object in a three-dimensional space.

2. Brief Description of the Prior Art

Computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and other methods provide important detailed internal diagnostic images of human medical patients. However, during surgery there often is no obvious, clear-cut relationship between points of interest in the diagnostic images and the corresponding points on the actual patient. While anomalous tissue may be obviously distinct from normal healthy tissue in the images, the difference may not be as visible in the patient on the operating table. Furthermore, in intracranial surgery, the region of interest may not always be accessible to direct view. Thus, there exists a need for apparatus to help a surgeon relate locations in the diagnostic images to the corresponding locations in the actual anatomy and vice versa.

The related prior art can be divided into art which is similar to the present invention as a whole and art which is related to individual components of this invention.

Prior art similar to the present invention as a whole includes methods of correlating three-dimensional internal medical images of a patient with the corresponding actual physical locations on the patient in the operating room during surgery. U.S. Pat. No. 4,791,934 does describe a semi-automated system which does that, but it requires additional radiographic imaging in the operating room at the time of surgery as the means to correlate the coordinate systems of the diagnostic image and the live patient. Furthermore, the system uses a computer-driven robot arm to position a surgical tool. In particular, it does not display the location of an input probe positioned interactively by the surgeon.

There have been other attempts to solve the three-dimensional location problem specifically for stereotactic surgery. One class of solutions has been a variety of mechanical frames, holders, or protractors for surgery (usually intracranial surgery). For examples see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,931,056; 4,875,478; 4,841,967; 4,809,694; 4,805,615; 4,723,544; 4,706,665; 4,651,732; and 4,638,798. Generally, these patents are intended to reproduce angles derived from the analysis of internal images, and most require rigidly screwing a stereotactic frame to the skull. In any case, these methods are all inconvenient, time-consuming, and prone to human error.

A more interactive method uses undesirable fluoroscopy in the operating room to help guide surgical tools (U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,487).

More relevant prior art discloses a system built specifically for stereotactic surgery and is discussed in the following reference:

David W. Roberts, M.D., et al; "A Frameless Stereotaxic Integration of Computerized Tomographic Imaging and the Operating Microsope", J. Neurosurgery 65, October 1986.

It reports how a sonic three-dimensional digitizer was used to track the position and orientation of the field of view of a surgical microscope. Superimposed on the view in the microscope was the corresponding internal planar slice of a previously obtained computed tomographic (CT) image. The major disadvantages reported about this system were the inaccuracy and instability of the sonic mensuration apparatus.

Although the present invention does not comprise the imaging apparatus used to generate the internal three-dimensional image or model of the human patient or other object, the invention does input the data from such an apparatus. Such an imaging device might be a computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance (MRI) imager. The invention inputs the data in an electronic digital format from such an imager over a conventional communication network or through magnetic tape or disk media.

The following description concentrates on the prior art related specifically to the localizing device, which measures the position of the manual probe and which is a major component of this invention. Previous methods and devices have been utilized to sense the position of a probe or object in three-dimensional space, and employ one of various mensuration methods.

Numerous three-dimensional mensuration methods project a thin beam or a plane of light onto an object and optically sense where the light intersects the object. Examples of simple distance rangefinding devices using this general approach are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,660,970; 4,701,049; 4,705,395; 4,709,156; 4,733,969; 4,743,770; 4,753,528; 4,761,072; 4,764,016; 4,782,239; and 4,825,091. Examples of inventions using a plane of light to sense an object's shape include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,821,200, 4,701,047, 4,705,401, 4,737,032, 4,745,290, 4,794,262, 4,821,200, 4,743,771, and 4,822,163. In the latter, the accuracy of the surface sample points is usually limited by the typically low resolution of the two-dimensional sensors usually employed (currently about 1 part in 512 for a solid state video camera). Furthermore, these devices do not support the capability to detect the location and orientation of a manually held probe for identifying specific points. Additionally, because of line-of-sight limitations, these devices are generally useless for locating a point within recesses, which is necessary for intracranial surgery.

The internal imaging devices themselves (such as computed tomography, magnetic resonance, or ultrasonic imaging) are unsuited for tracking the spatial location of the manually held probe even though they are unencumbered by line-of-sight restrictions.

A few other methods and apparatus relate to the present invention. They track the position of one or more specific moveable points in three-dimensional space. The moveable points are generally represented by small radiating emitters which move relative to fixed position sensors. Some methods interchange the roles of the emitters and sensors. The typical forms of radiation are light (U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,778), sound (U.S. Pat. No. 3,821,469), and magnetic fields (U.S. Pat. No. 3,983,474). Other methods include clumsy mechanical arms or cables (U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,212). Some electro-optical approaches use a pair of video cameras plus a computer to calculate the position of homologous points in a pair of stereographic video images (for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,836,778 and 4,829,373). The points of interest may be passive reflectors or flashing light emitters. The latter simplify finding, distinguishing, and calculating the points.

Probes with a pointing tip and sonic localizing emitters on them have been publicly marketed for several years. The present invention also utilizes a stylus, but it employs tiny light emitters, not sound emitters, and the method of sensing their positions is different.

Additional prior art related to this patent is found in these references:

Fuchs, H.; Duran, J.; Johnson, B.; "Acquisition and 10 Modeling of Human Body Form Data", Proc. SPIE, vol. 166, 1978, pp. 94-102.

Mesqui, F.; Kaeser, F.; Fischer, P.; "Real-time, Non-invasive Recording and 3-D Display of the Functional Movements of an Arbitrary Mandible Point", SPIE Biostereometrics, Vol. 602, 1985, pp. 77-84.

Yamashita, Y.; Suzuki, N.; Oshima, M. "Three-Dimensional Stereometric Measurement System Using Optical Scanners, Cylindrical Lenses, and Line Sensors", Proc. SPIE, vol. 361, 1983, pp. 67-73.

The paper by Fuchs, et al., (1978) best describes the method used by the present invention to track the surgical probe in three-dimensional space. It is based on using three or more one-dimensional sensors, each comprising a cylindrical lens and a linear array of photodetectors such as a charge-coupled semiconductor device (CCD) or a differential-voltage position sensitive detector (PSD). The sensors determine intersecting planes which all contain a single radiating light emitter. Calculation of the point of intersection of the planes gives the location of the emitter. The calculation is based on the locations, orientations, and other details concerning the one-dimensional sensors and is a straightforward application of analytic geometry. This electro-optical method, however, has not been previously used for the purpose of the present invention.

Thus, there still remains a need for a complete apparatus which provides fast, accurate, safe, convenient mensuration of the three-dimensional position of a manual probe and which visually relates that position to the corresponding position on the image of a previously-generated three-dimensional model of an object.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A first objective of the present invention is to provide accurate, three-dimensional mensuration of the location and orientation of an instrument on or inside an object, which could be (but is not limited to) a surgical patient in an operating room.

A second objective of this invention is to provide an electro-optical mensuration system which is inexpensive, easy to use, reliable, and portable and which employs a manually positioned probe or other pointing instrument.

A third objective of this invention is to provide a simple, non-invasive means of establishing a correspondence between a predetermined coordinate system of the object and a coordinate system of a three-dimensional, geometrical computer model of that object where the computer model has been provided as input data to this invention.

A fourth objective of this invention is to relate a measured location on or inside the object to the corresponding location in the computer model of that object according to the established correspondence between the coordinate systems of the object and the model.

A fifth objective of this invention is to display a cut-away view or a cross-sectional slice of that model on the graphics screen of the invention, where the slice may be a planar cross-section of the geometrical model, where the slice approximately intersects the location in the model corresponding to the measured location. A marker may then be superimposed on the displaced slice to indicate the location on the slice corresponding to the measured location.

A sixth objective of this invention, is specifically to help a surgeon locate diseased tissue while avoiding healthy critical structures, especially in cranial neurosurgery.

Additional objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention shall be set forth in part in the following description and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by the practice of the invention. The objects and the advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and in combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

To achieve the foregoing and other objects and in accordance with the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the optical mensuration and correlation apparatus comprises a hand held probe having an invasive tip for touching or for inserting into an object. Two or more light emitters mounted in spaced relation to each other on the external portion of the probe remaining outside the object are sequentially strobed to emit light. Three or more light sensors or detectors, the positions of which are known with respect to a predetermined coordinate system, detect the positions of the two or more light emitters positioned on the probe as they are strobed. A computer coupled to the probe and to the light sensors receives data from the sensors and calculates the position and orientation of the probe with respect to the predetermined coordinate system. The computer then determines the position and orientation of the invasive portion of the probe inside the object by correlating the position of the invasive portion of the probe relative to the predetermined coordinate system with a model of the object defined relative to the predetermined coordinate system. A display device coupled to the computer indicates the location of the invasive portion of the probe in the object by displaying a representation of the location of the invasive portion of the probe with respect to the model of the object.

The method of this invention includes the steps of detecting the position of the probe relative to the predetermined coordinate system, computing the position and orientation of the invasive portion of the probe relative to the predetermined coordinate system, determining the position and orientation of the invasive portion of the probe inside the object by correlating the position of the invasive portion of the probe relative to the predetermined coordinate system with the model of the object, and indicating the location of the invasive portion of the probe in the object by displaying a representation of the location of the invasive portion of the probe with respect to the model of the object.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawing figures, illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are a block diagram of the optical mensuration and correlation apparatus of the present invention showing the major components.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram similar to FIG. 1A, but also showing an additional set of emitters in fixed relation to the object for automatic correlation of reference points to the system.

FIG. 2 is a perspective drawing illustrating the invention in use by a surgeon performing intracranial surgery on a patient, and showing a cursor on the display screen that marks the corresponding position of the invasive tip of the probe within the image of previously obtained model data.

FIG. 3 is a sample of the display showing a position of tip of the probe with respect to previously obtained model data and showing the reference points on the patient's skull display as triangles.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective representation of one of the one-dimensional photodetectors of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a graph of the image intensity (manifested as a voltage or current) versus locations on the photodetector surface for a typical light detector used by the optical mensuration and correlation apparatus of the present invention.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are diagrams of the major steps performed by the computer to calculate the position of the invasive portion of the probe with respect to the model of the object and to display the image slice.

FIG. 8 is an illustration of the manner in which the three one-dimensional measurements determine three intersecting planes intersecting at a uniquely determined point.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The optical mensuration and correlation apparatus 10 of the present invention is shown schematically in FIG. 1A and comprises a hand-held invasive probe 12 housing at least two light emitters 14, 16, mounted co-linear with one another and with the tip 18 of the probe 12. At least three remotely located, one-dimensional light sensors 20, 22, and 24 are mounted in fixed, spaced relationship to each other and are located at known positions and orientations with respect to a predetermined reference coordinate system frame 80. Three light sensors 20, 22, and 24 sense the light projected by the individual light emitters 14, 16 and generate electrical output signals from which are derived the location of the probe 12 and, consequently, the probe tip 18, with respect to the fixed coordinate system 80. In addition, the three sensors 20, 22, 24 could sense and derive the locations of other, optional reference emitters 70, 72, and 74 (FIG. 1B) in the same manner as for the probe emitters 14 and 16. The role of these reference emitters is to automate the calculation of the transformation matrix between the coordinate system of the model's image 13 (FIG. 2) of the object and the coordinate system of the sensors and the object itself 11.

A control unit 30 connected to the moveable probe 12 via a data line 26 and coupled to the remotely located sensors 20, 22, and 24 via data lines 28, 32, and 34, respectively, synchronizes the time multiplexing of the two light emitters 14, 16, controls the operation of the sensors 20, 22, and 24, and receives data from these sensors as will be completely described below. A coordinate computer 36, coupled to the control unit 30 by a data line 38, calculates the three-dimensional spatial positions of the probe 12 and the probe tip 18 (not shown in FIG. 2), and correlates those positions with data from a model 40 of the object 11 which has been previously stored electronically in an electronically accessible database 40 and from correlation information 42. The model data 40 with the spacial position of the probe tip 18 are shown at 13 on a display screen 44 (FIG. 2) as will be fully described below. The probe 12 can be used without the cable 26 coupling it to the control unit 30 by employing distinctive modulation of the light emitters 14 and 16. For example, the pulse durations or frequencies of each can be different. The controller 30, by detecting the pulse duration or frequency, can determine to which light emitter the sensors 20, 22, and 24 are reacting.

The optical mensuration and correlation apparatus 10 of the present invention is primarily designed to aid surgeons performing delicate intracranial surgery, and the remaining description is directed to such a surgical embodiment although many other surgical applications besides cranial surgery are possible. Moreover, the optical mensuration and correlation apparatus 10 of this invention may be used for other purposes in many various non-medical fields. In the described embodiment, the physical object 11 of interest is the head or cranium of a patient, and the model of the cranium is constructed using a series of parallel internal image slices (of known mutual spatial relationship) such as those obtained by means of computed tomography (CT) or nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). These image slices are then digitized, forming a three-dimensional computer model of the patient's cranium which is then stored in the electronically accessible database 40.

As shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2, and 3 a surgeon places the tip 18 of the probe 12 at any point on or inside the cranium 11 of the patient. The position sensors 20, 22, and 24 detect the locations of the emitters 14, 16 attached to the portion of the probe 12 that remains outside the patient's body. That is, the light produced by the emitters 14, 16 must be visible to the sensors 20, 22, and 24. These point emitters 14, 16 radiate light through a wide angle so that they are visible at the sensors over a wide range of probe orientations.

The sensors 20, 22, and 24, the control unit 30, and the computer 36 determine the three-dimensional location of each emitter 14, 16, and compute its coordinates in the predetermined coordinate system 80. The computer 36 can then calculate the location of the tip 18 of the probe 12 with respect to the predetermined coordinate system 80, according to the locations of the emitters with respect to the predetermined coordinate system 80 and the dimensions of the probe, which dimensions have been placed into the memory (not shown) of the computer 36 beforehand as will be described filly below. Once the computer 36 has calculated the location of the probe tip 18 with respect to the predetermined coordinate system 80, the computer 36 then uses the relationship between the model of the cranium stored in the database 40 and the coordinate system 80 to calculate the location of the probe tip 18 in relation to the model 11. Finally, the computer 36 displays the model-relative location of the tip 18 on a display screen 44. In a simple form of the preferred embodiment, the computer 36 accomplishes this display by accessing a CT or NMR image slice 13 stored in the database 40 that is closest to the location of the probe tip 18, and then superimposes a suitable icon 76 representing the tip 18 on the image 13 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Thus, the surgeon knows the preci