Method, system and apparatus for controlling a surgical navigation system

Abstract

A method, system and apparatus for controlling a surgical navigation system are provided. The method 1 comprises receiving image data at a processor from a tracking system; receiving, at a processor, an identifier of a surgical instrument within a field of view of the tracking system; generating, at the processor, output data based on the identifier of the surgical instrument; and transmitting the output data to at least one output device connected to the processor, for controlling the output device.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method of controlling a surgical navigation system, comprising:
 receiving, at a processor, an identifier of a surgical instrument within a field of view of a tracking system;   generating, at the processor, output data based on the identifier of the surgical instrument; and   transmitting the output data to an output device connected to the processor, for controlling the output device.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving image data at a processor from a tracking system;   storing a surgical instrument definition; wherein receiving the identifier comprises determining the identifier of the surgical instrument by comparing the image data with the surgical instrument definition.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  or  claim 2 , further comprising:
 storing a plurality of selectable interface elements; 
 wherein generating the output data comprises retrieving a subset of the selectable interface elements; and 
 wherein transmitting the output data comprises presenting the subset on a display. 
 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 selecting one of the subset of elements presented on the display based on the identifier; and   generating further output data based on the selected one of the subset.   
     
     
         5 . The method of any one of  claims 1  to  4 , further comprising:
 storing gesture definitions; 
 receiving motion data representing movement of the surgical instrument; and 
 determining whether the motion data matches one of the gesture definitions. 
 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , comprising:
 when the motion data matches one of the gesture definitions, generating the output data based on the identifier of the surgical instrument and on the one of the gesture definitions.   
     
     
         7 . The method of any one of  claims 1  to  6 , further comprising:
 storing a plurality of output control rules each including an instrument identifier; wherein generating the output data comprises selecting one of the control rules having an instrument identifier matching the determined identifier. 
 
     
     
         8 . The method of any one of  claims 1  to  7 , wherein transmitting the output data comprises transmitting respective portions of the output data to at least one of a display, a projector, and a robotic arm. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving the identifier of the surgical instrument at the processor comprises receiving the identifier from the tracking system coupled to the processor. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the output device comprises a display, and wherein transmitting the output data comprises controlling the display to present a rotatable three dimensional slice in a model of brain tissue. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein transmitting the output data further comprises controlling the display to rotate the slice about an axis based on the identifier of the surgical instrument. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the output device comprises a display; the method further comprising:
 storing a tumour definition in the memory;   transmitting the output data by controlling the display to present a model of the tumour in conjunction with one of a video feed of an access port instrument, and a model of the access port instrument.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 ,   
     
     
         14 . A computing device, comprising:
 a memory;   a processor connected to the memory;   an interface connecting the processor to a tracking system; and   an output device connected to the processor;   the processor configured to:
 receive an identifier of a surgical instrument within a field of view of the tracking system; 
 generate output data based on the identifier of the surgical instrument; and 
 transmit the output data to the output device for controlling the output device. 
   
     
     
         15 . The computing device of  claim 14 , wherein the memory stores store a surgical instrument definition, and wherein the processor is further configured to:
 receive image data at a processor from a tracking system; and   determine the received identifier of the surgical instrument by comparing the image data with the surgical instrument definition.   
     
     
         16 . The computing device of  claim 14  or  claim 15 , wherein the memory stores a plurality of selectable interface elements; wherein the output device includes a display, and wherein the processor is further configured to:
 generate the output data by retrieving a subset of the selectable interface elements from the memory; and 
 transmit the output data by presenting the subset on the display. 
 
     
     
         17 . The computing device of  claim 16 , the processor further configured to:
 select one of the subset of elements presented on the display based on the identifier; and   generate further output data based on the selected one of the subset.   
     
     
         18 . The computing device of any one of  claims 14  to  17 , wherein the memory stores gesture definitions, and wherein the processor is further configured to:
 receive motion data representing movement of the surgical instrument; and 
 determine whether the motion data matches one of the gesture definitions. 
 
     
     
         19 . The computing device of  claim 18 , the processor further configured to:
 when the motion data matches one of the gesture definitions, generate the output data based on the identifier of the surgical instrument and on the one of the gesture definitions.   
     
     
         20 . The computing device of any one of  claims 14  to  19 , wherein the memory stores a plurality of output control rules each including an instrument identifier, and wherein the processor is further configured to:
 generate the output data by selecting one of the control rules having an instrument identifier matching the determined identifier. 
 
     
     
         21 . The computing device of any one of  claims 14  to  20 , wherein the output device includes one or more of a display, a projector and a robotic arm; the processor further configured to transmit the output data by transmitting respective portions of the output data to at least one of the display, the projector, and the robotic arm. 
     
     
         22 . The computing device of  claim 14 , the processor further configured to receive the identifier of the surgical instrument by receiving the identifier from the tracking system. 
     
     
         23 . The computing device of  claim 14 , wherein the output device comprises a display, the processor further configured to transmit the output data by controlling the display to present a rotatable three dimensional slice in a model of brain tissue. 
     
     
         24 . The computing device of  claim 23 , the processor further configured to transmit the output data further by controlling the display to rotate the slice about an axis based on the identifier of the surgical instrument. 
     
     
         25 . The computing device of  claim 14 , wherein the memory stores a tumour definition, and wherein the output device comprises a display; the processor further configured to transmit the output data by controlling the display to present a model of the tumour in conjunction with one of a video feed of an access port instrument, and a model of the access port instrument. 
     
     
         26 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a plurality of computer readable instructions executable by a processor for implementing the method of any one of  claims 1  to  13 .