Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.

Jeffrey T LaCroix

Mark Earl Froggatt

Dawn K Gifford

Alexander K Sang

Patrick Roye

Eric E Sanborn

Stephen Tod Kreger

An optical fiber includes multiple optical cores configured in the fiber including a set of primary cores and an auxiliary core. An interferometric measurement system uses measurements from the multiple primary cores to predict a response from the auxiliary core. The predicted auxiliary core response is compared with the actual auxiliary core response to determine if they differ by more than a predetermined amount, in which case the measurements from the multiple primary cores may be deemed unreliable.

Redundant core in multicore optical fiber for safety

A system and method are used for an optical fiber having a core multiple, closely-spaced optical gratings written along the core that create a repeated pattern in the core. A memory stores predetermined reference reflection data and measurement reflection data determined for a length of the core detected from interferometric patterns corresponding to scatter reflections received from the core. Data processing circuitry reduces or removes from the measurement reflection data information that corresponds to reflections due to the repeated pattern in the core to produce filtered measurement data. One or more portions of the filtered measurement data is/are correlated with one or more portions of the reference reflection data to produce multiple correlation values. The greatest of the multiple correlation values is determined, and a location along the fiber corresponding to the greatest correlation value is identified.

Registering measured optical fiber interferometric data with reference optical fiber interferometric data

Shape sensing with a multi-core fiber can achieve high accuracy as well as accommodate small bend radii by measuring signals with peripheral waveguide cores placed at multiple different radial distances from the center axis of the fiber, and computing strain metrics from signals of cores selected based on the respective radial distances and a determination of whether the waveguide cores have strained out of range.

Shape sensing with multi-core fiber sensor

An interferometric measurement system measures a spun optical fiber sensor that includes multiple optical cores configured in the fiber sensor. A calibration machine includes a calibration fixture having known dimensions, one or more automatically controllable actuators for wrapping the fiber sensor starting at one end of the fiber sensor onto a calibration fixture having known dimensions, and an actuator controller configured to control the one or more actuators with actuator control signals. Interferometric detection circuitry, coupled to the actuator controller and to the other end of the fiber sensor, detects measured interferometric pattern data associated with each of the multiple cores when the fiber sensor is wrapped onto the calibration fixture. Data processing circuitry determines compensation parameters that compensate for variations between an optimal configuration of the multiple cores and an actual configuration of the multiple cores in the fiber sensor based on the detected measured interferometric pattern data. The compensation parameters compensate subsequently-obtained measurement interferometric pattern data for the fiber sensor.

Methods and apparatus for calibration for a fiber optic shape sensor

The ends of sensing and interrogating multicore fibers are brought into proximity for connection in a first orientation with one or more cores in the sensing fiber being paired up with corresponding one or more cores in the interrogating fiber. Optical interferometry is used to interrogate at least one core pair and to determine a first reflection value that represents a degree of alignment for the core pair in the first orientation. The relative position is adjusted between the ends of the fibers to a second orientation. Interferometry is used to interrogate the core pair and determine a second reflection value that represents a degree of alignment for the core pair in the second orientation. The first reflection value is compared with the second reflection value, and an aligned orientation is identified for connecting the sensing and interrogating fibers based on the comparison.

Interferometric alignment of optical multicore fibers to be connected

An optical fiber includes multiple optical waveguides configured in the fiber. An interferometric measurement system mitigates or compensates for the errors imposed by differences in a shape sensing optical fiber's response to temperature and strain. A 3-D shape and/or position are calculated from a set of distributed strain measurements acquired for a multi-core optical shape sensing fiber that compensates for these non-linear errors using one or more additional cores in the multicore fiber that react differently to temperature changes than the existing cores.

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Blacksburg, VA, United States of America

Jeffrey T LaCroix