Surgical navigation system, and imaging method of the same

Abstract

A surgical navigation system includes a first tracking unit, a second tracking unit and a processing unit. The first tracking unit captures a first infrared image of a position identification unit that includes a reference target fixed on a patient and an instrument target disposed on a surgical instrument. The second tracking unit captures a second infrared image of the position identification unit. The processing unit performs image recognition on the first and second infrared images with respect to the position identification unit, and uses, based on a result of the image recognition, a pathological image and one of the first and second infrared images to generate an augmented reality image.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A surgical navigation system adapted for use with a pathological image and a position identification unit to assist a medical staff in operating a surgical instrument to perform surgery on a subcutaneous diseased portion of a patient, the position identification unit including a reference target detachably fixed on the patient, and an instrument target disposed on the surgical instrument, said surgical navigation system comprising:
 a first tracking unit including a first support, a display device, and a first infrared camera device disposed on said first support, wherein said first infrared camera device is configured to capture a first image of the position identification unit;   a second tracking unit including a second support, and a second infrared camera device disposed on said second support, wherein said second infrared camera device is configured to capture a second image of the position identification unit; and   a processing unit in signal connection with said display device, said first infrared camera device and said second infrared camera device, receiving the first image and the second image respectively from said first infrared camera device and said second infrared camera device, and configured to perform image recognition on the first image and the second image with respect to the reference target and the instrument target, to use, based on a result of the image recognition, one of the first image and the second image to generate an augmented reality image by adding a first target-related pattern that corresponds to the position identification unit into the pathological image, and to output the augmented reality image to said display device for display thereby.   
     
     
         2 . The surgical navigation system of  claim 1 , wherein said second tracking unit further includes a display goggle disposed on said second support and to be worn by the medical staff, and said processing unit is in signal connection with said display goggle, and is further configured to output, based on the second image, image data for generating a second target-related pattern that constitutes part of a mixed reality view to said display goggle, wherein the image data makes said display goggle display the second target-related pattern that corresponds to the position identification unit, and wherein a combination of the second target-related pattern and an actual view, which the medical staff sees through said display goggle, forms the mixed reality view perceived by the medical staff. 
     
     
         3 . The surgical navigation system of  claim 2 , wherein said second tracking unit further includes a visible light camera device for capturing a visible light image of the position identification unit;
 wherein said processing unit is in signal connection with said visible light camera device, receives the visible light image from said visible light camera device, and is further configured to generate a mixed reality image by adding, based on the second image, a third target-related pattern that corresponds to the position identification unit into the visible light image, and to output the mixed reality image to said display device for display thereby.   
     
     
         4 . The surgical navigation system of  claim 3 , wherein said second infrared camera device includes two lenses spaced apart from each other, and said visible light camera device includes two lenses spaced apart from each other and positioned between said lenses of said second infrared camera device. 
     
     
         5 . The surgical navigation system of  claim 4 , wherein said second support is a head-mounted device, said second infrared camera device and said visible light camera device are disposed above eyes of the medical staff when the medical staff wears said second support, and said display goggle is disposed below said visible light camera device and in front of the eyes of the medical staff when the medical staff wears said second support. 
     
     
         6 . The surgical navigation system of  claim 3 , wherein said display device is disposed on said first support, and has a pathological image area for displaying the pathological image, an augmented reality area for displaying the augmented reality image, and a mixed reality area for displaying the mixed reality image. 
     
     
         7 . The surgical navigation system of  claim 1 , wherein said first support includes a base, a placement frame disposed on said base, and a balance arm connected to said placement frame and having said first infrared camera device disposed thereon; and
 wherein said base is configured to switch between a movable state where said base is movable, and a locked state where said base is fixed in position.   
     
     
         8 . The surgical navigation system of  claim 7 , wherein said processing unit includes a first processor and a second processor, said first processor being disposed on said placement frame and in signal connection with said display device and said first infrared camera device, said second processor being in signal connection with said first processor and said second infrared camera device and is adapted to be carried by the medical staff. 
     
     
         9 . The surgical navigation system of  claim 1 , further comprising the position identification unit. 
     
     
         10 . The surgical navigation system of  claim 9 , wherein said reference target has a clamp, a reference adapter and four reference locator balls, said clamp extending along an axis and being configured to be detachably fixed on the patient, said reference adapter being connected to said clamp, said four reference locator balls being connected to said reference adapter, being coplanar to each other, and lying on a plane that is nonparallel to the axis along which said clamp extends. 
     
     
         11 . The surgical navigation system of  claim 9 , wherein said instrument target has a fastener adapted to be mounted to the surgical instrument which extends along an axis, an instrument adapter connected to said fastener, and four instrument locator balls connected to said instrument adapter, being coplanar to each other, and lying on a plane that is nonparallel to the axis along which the surgical instrument extends. 
     
     
         12 . The surgical navigation system of claim wherein, through performing the image recognition, said processing unit determines whether the first image has the reference target, whether the first image has the instrument target, whether the second image has the reference target, and whether the second image has the instrument target;
 wherein, upon determining that the first image has both of the reference target and the instrument target, and that the second image does not have both of the reference target and the instrument target, said processing unit uses the first image to determine a position of the first target-related pattern in the pathological image, generates the augmented reality image by adding the first target-related pattern into the pathological image at the position thus determined, and outputs the augmented reality image to said display device for display thereby; and   wherein, upon determining that the second image has both of the reference target and the instrument target, and that the first image does not have both of the reference target and the instrument target, said processing unit uses the second image to determine a position of the first target-related pattern in the pathological image, generates the augmented reality image by adding the first target-related pattern into the pathological image at the position thus determined, and outputs the augmented reality image to said display device for display thereby.   
     
     
         13 . An imaging method for surgical navigation, comprising:
 (A) preparing the surgical navigation system of  claim 1 ;   (B) capturing the first image of the position identification unit by the first infrared camera device, and capturing the second image of the position identification unit by the second infrared camera device;   (C) by the processing unit, determining whether the first image has the reference target, whether the first image has the instrument target, whether the second image has the reference target, and whether the second image has the instrument target;   (D) by the processing unit, upon determining that one of the first and second images has the reference target and the instrument target in step (C), generating the augmented reality image by adding, based on the one of the first and second images, the first target-related pattern into the pathological image; and   (E) by the processing unit, outputting the augmented reality image to the display device for display thereby.   
     
     
         14 . The imaging method of  claim 13 , the second tracking unit further including a display goggle disposed on the second support, said imaging method further comprising:
 (F) by the processing unit, outputting, based on the second image, image data for generating a second target-related pattern that constitutes part of a mixed reality view to the display goggle, wherein the image data makes the display goggle display the second target-related pattern that corresponds to the position identification unit, and wherein a combination of the second target-related pattern and an actual view, which the medical staff sees through said display goggle, forms the mixed reality view perceived by the medical staff.   
     
     
         15 . The imaging method of  claim 14 , wherein step (F) is performed when the second image is determined as having one of the reference target and the instrument target in step (C), and step (F) includes calculating spatial coordinates of the one of the reference target and the instrument target, and outputting the image data to make the display goggle display the second target-related pattern based on the spatial coordinates. 
     
     
         16 . The imaging method of  claim 14 , the second tracking unit further including a visible light camera device, said method further comprising:
 (G) capturing a visible light image of the position identification unit by the visible light camera device; and   (H) by the processing unit, generating a mixed reality image by adding, based on the second image, a third target-related pattern that corresponds to the position identification unit into the visible light image, and outputting the mixed reality image to the display device for display thereby.   
     
     
         17 . The imaging method of  claim 16 , wherein step (H) is performed when the second image is determined as having one of the reference target and the instrument target in step (C), and step (H) includes calculating spatial coordinates of the one of the reference target and the instrument target, and generating the mixed reality image by adding, based on the spatial coordinates, the third target-related pattern into the visible light image. 
     
     
         18 . The imaging method of  claim 13 , wherein step (D) includes:
 by the processing unit, calculating spatial coordinates of the reference target and the instrument target based on the reference target and the instrument target in one of the first image and the second image, and generating the augmented reality image by adding the first target-related pattern into the pathological image based on the spatial coordinates of the instrument target.