Fiber optic shape sensing management

Inventors

Schneider, Mark Robert • Alarcon Herrera, Jose Luis • PARDASANI, Utsav

Assignees

Northern Digital Inc

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for tracking fiber optic shaping. In some implementations, a server obtains optical signals reflected through a fiber, the fiber comprising one or more embedded sensors and a nano-magnetometer embedded at a distal location of the fiber. The server determines a frequency shift of each of the reflected optical signals, the frequency shift imparted on the reflected optical signals by the one or more embedded sensors. The server determines a phase shift of each of the reflected optical signals, the phase shift imparted on the reflected optical signals by the nano-magnetometer. The server determines characteristics of the fiber using the determined frequency and the phase shift of each of the reflected optical signals, the characteristics comprises a shape of the fiber and a location of the fiber in relation to an external reference.

Core Innovation

The invention relates to electromagnetic tracking assisted fiber optic shape sensing, where a fiber comprising one or more embedded sensors and a nano-magnetometer embedded at a distal location of the fiber is interrogated by obtaining optical signals reflected through the fiber. The reflected optical signals include portions whose changes are imparted by the one or more embedded sensors and portions whose changes are imparted by the nano-magnetometer.

The method determines a frequency shift of each reflected optical signal that is imparted by the one or more embedded sensors, and determines a phase shift of each reflected optical signal that is imparted by the nano-magnetometer. The determined frequency shift and the determined phase shift are used to determine one or more characteristics of the fiber, including a shape of the fiber and a location of the fiber in relation to an external reference.

The invention further supports embodiments in which the nano-magnetometer contributes to fiber location relative to an external reference, including electromagnetic tracking in a surgical environment. The described architecture also includes options such as multi-core fiber and core subsets for routing different sensing elements, and a machine-learning model for predicting fiber characteristics based on the determined frequency shift and phase shift.

Claims Coverage

The document provides three independent claims: a computer device implemented method, a system, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Across these independent claims, the core inventive features are the combined determination of frequency shifts from embedded sensors and phase shifts from a distal nano-magnetometer, followed by determining fiber shape and fiber location relative to an external reference.

Each independent claim centers on using reflected optical signals from a fiber with embedded sensors and a distal nano-magnetometer, extracting frequency shifts and phase shifts from those signals, and determining fiber shape together with fiber location relative to an external reference.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications