The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 08, 2014
Filed:
Sep. 02, 2010
Mark E. Froggatt, Blacksburg, VA (US);
Justin W. Klein, Blacksburg, VA (US);
Dawn K. Gifford, Blacksburg, VA (US);
Stephen Tod Kreger, Blacksburg, VA (US);
Mark E. Froggatt, Blacksburg, VA (US);
Justin W. Klein, Blacksburg, VA (US);
Dawn K. Gifford, Blacksburg, VA (US);
Stephen Tod Kreger, Blacksburg, VA (US);
Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Abstract
An accurate measurement method and apparatus are disclosed for shape sensing with a multi-core fiber. A change in optical length is detected in ones of the cores in the multi-core fiber up to a point on the multi-core fiber. A location and/or a pointing direction are/is determined at the point on the multi-core fiber based on the detected changes in optical length. The accuracy of the determination is better than 0.5% of the optical length of the multi-core fiber up to the point on the multi-core fiber. In a preferred example embodiment, the determining includes determining a shape of at least a portion of the multi-core fiber based on the detected changes in optical length.