| 摘要 |
The present invention is a system and method for determining the shape, positioning and orientation of a passageway (18), such as the lumen of a catheter within an human or animal body. An array of optical fibers (20, 21, 22) are placed within a passageway (18), and as the fiber flexes or bends within the passageway (18), a property of light travelling in the fiber is modified. Light is passed through the fiber (20, 21,22) and variations in a physical property of this light are measured (32) to determine the flex or bend of the fiber. Preferably, an array of three or more optical fibers (20. 21, 22) are affixed together and changes in wavelength of the light passed through these fibers allows for determination of the amount of strain within these optical fibers and in turn, the shape of the fiber array. Utilizing three or more optical fibers allows for determining the shape of the array in three dimensions. Additional methods are disclosed for determining the position and orientation of the optical fiber array, within the selected passageway (18). |
