Covidien LP

Michael R Weisenberger

Keith E Jasperson

H Aaron Christmann

Sean M Morgan

Electromagnetic navigation systems and methods detect ambient or extraneous magnetic interference by inhibiting the navigation system from generating an electromagnetic field and measuring, with a sensor, the strength of a magnetic field at one or more frequencies of and at one or more phases associated with the electromagnetic field generated by the navigation system. The systems and methods may further determine whether the strength of the magnetic field is greater than a threshold. Based on this determination, an alert or message may be generated.

Magnetic interference detection systems and methods

A medical instrument includes a printed ultrasound sensor, a surface, at least one non-conductive material, and at least one pair of contacts. The ultrasound sensor includes an array of ultrasound transducers printed on a non-conductive surface of the medical instrument. The medical instrument contains multiple conductive and nonconductive layers. The at least one pair of contacts are electrically coupled to the ultrasound sensor and operably coupled to the conductive layer, the conductive layer coupled to a measurement device, which converts electrical signals from the ultrasound sensor into images displayed on a display unit. The location of the medical instrument can be visualized in real time on the display unit.

Surgical tool with flex circuit ultrasound sensor

An apparatus for mapping and accuracy-testing an electromagnetic navigation system includes a sensor sensing electromagnetic vectors of an electromagnetic field, a carriage moving the sensor along a first direction and a second direction different from the first direction, a first position detector operatively associated with the sensor and detecting a first position of the sensor along the first direction, a second position detector operatively associated with the sensor and detecting a second position of the sensor along the second direction, and a controller operatively associated with the sensor and controlling movements of the carriage along the first and second directions and mapping the electromagnetic field based on the sensed electromagnetic vectors at predetermined positions in a coordinate system defined by the first direction, the second direction, and a third direction perpendicular to a plane defined by the first and second directions.

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Minneapolis, MN, United States of America

Michael R Weisenberger