1. A medical imaging and alignment system for use in performing a medical procedure on a patient, comprising:
a manually positionable beam emitter adjustable in more than three degrees of freedom, the emitter including an actuator for performing the medical procedure along an axis of operation;
a generally planar detector that detects a beam from the emitter, the beam oriented along an axis parallel to the axis of operation of the actuator, and generates an original image of a region of interest between the detector and emitter;
a position monitoring system that monitors a position and an orientation of the emitter in the more than three degrees of freedom;
a processor operably connected to the position monitoring system and the detector and configured to execute an image correction algorithm, the image correction algorithm operable to provide a corrected image from the original image, the original image of the region of interest skewed when the axis along which the beam is emitted is at an angle that is not perpendicular to the detector relative to an actual appearance of the region of interest from the angle and the corrected image showing the actual appearance of the region of interest from the angle; and
a video display that displays the corrected image in real-time to a surgeon performing the medical procedure on the patient.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the image correction algorithm operates directly on texture coordinates of the original skewed image recorded by the detector using matrix transforms.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the image correction algorithm utilizes rasterization to provide the corrected image.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the position monitoring system is a kinematic or mechanical tracking system.
5. The system of claim 4, wherein the emitter is connected to an arm of the kinematic or mechanical tracking system.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the position monitoring system is an optical tracking system.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the emitter is manually positionable in at least 5 degrees of freedom.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the position monitoring system is at least partially located within the emitter.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the actuator is selected from the group consisting of a drill, a cutting blade and a needle.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein the axis of operation of the actuator and the axis along which the beam is emitted are coaxial.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein at least a portion of the actuator that is coaxial with the axis along which the beam is emitted is formed of a material that is translucent to the beam.
12. The system of claim 1, wherein the emitter is an X-ray emitter and the detector is an X-ray detector.
13. A method comprising:
providing a system for performing a medical procedure on a patient, the system comprising:
a manually positionable beam emitter adjustable in more than three degrees of freedom, the emitter including an actuator for performing the medical procedure along an axis of operation;
a generally planar detector that detects the beam from the emitter, the beam oriented along an axis parallel to the axis of operation of the actuator;
a position monitoring system that monitors a position and an orientation of the emitter in the more than three degrees of freedom;
a processor operably connected to the position monitoring system and detector that is configured to execute an image correction algorithm; and
a video display; and
providing instructions for using the system to perform the medical procedure on the patient, the instructions comprising:
manually positioning the emitter in more than three degrees of freedom and generating an original image of a region of interest of the patient with the detector, the emitter being aligned along the axis of operation of the actuator at an angle that is not perpendicular to the detector resulting in the original image being skewed relative to an actual appearance of the region of interest from the angle;
viewing a corrected image of the region of interest on the video display showing the actual appearance of the region of interest from the angle, the corrected image resulting from application of the image-correction algorithm to the skewed original image; and
performing the medical procedure on the patient using the actuator along the axis of operation while viewing the corrected image on the imaging system in real-time.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of manually positioning the emitter includes moving the emitter and an arm of a kinematic or mechanical tracking system to which the emitter is attached.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of manually positioning the emitter in more than three degrees of freedom includes manually positioning the emitter in at least five degrees of freedom.
16. The method of claim 13, wherein the emitter is an X-ray emitter and the detector is an X-ray detector.
17. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of performing the medical procedure includes inserting a needle that comprises at least a portion of the actuator into the region of interest.
18. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of performing the medical procedure includes utilizing a drill assembly that comprises at least a portion of the actuator to drill into the region of interest.
19. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of performing the medical procedure includes resecting a bone with at least a portion of the actuator.
20. A system for performing a medical procedure on a patient comprising:
means for emitting a beam, the means for emitting being manually positionable in more than three degrees of freedom and including a means for performing a medical procedure on a patient along an axis of operation;
means for detecting a beam from the emitter, the beam emitted along an axis parallel to the axis of operation of the means for performing a medical procedure, and generating an original image of a region of interest between the means for emitting and the means for detecting;
means for generating data representative of the position and orientation of the means for emitting in the more than three degrees of freedom;
processing means operably connected to the means for detecting and the means for generating data representative of the position and orientation of the means for emitting, the processing means configured to execute a means for providing a corrected image from the original image, the original image of the region of interest skewed when the means for emitting is at an angle that is not perpendicular to the means for detecting relative to an actual appearance of the region of interest from the angle and the corrected image showing the actual appearance of the region of interest; and
means for displaying the corrected image in real-time to a surgeon performing the medical procedure on the patient.
21. The system of claim 20, wherein the means for providing a corrected image executed by the processing means operates directly on texture coordinates of the original skewed image detected by the means for detecting using matrix transforms.
22. The system of claim 20, wherein the means for providing the corrected image executed by the processing means utilizes rasterization to provide the corrected image.
23. The system of claim 20, wherein the means for generating data representative of the position and orientation of the means for emitting is a kinematic or mechanical tracking system.
24. The system of claim 23, wherein the means for emitting is connected to an arm of the kinematic or mechanical tracking system.
25. The system of claim 20, wherein the means for generating data representative of the position and orientation of the means for emitting is an optical tracking system.
26. The system of claim 20, wherein the means for generating data representative of the position and orientation of the means for emitting is at least partially located within the means for emitting.
27. The system of claim 20, wherein the means for emitting is manually positionable in at least five degrees of freedom.
28. The system of claim 20, wherein the axis of operation of the means for performing the medical procedure and the axis along which the beam is emitted are coaxial.
29. The system of claim 28, wherein at least a portion of the means for performing the medical procedure that is coaxial with the axis along which the beam is emitted is formed of a material that is translucent to the beam.
30. The system of claim 20, wherein the means for emitting a beam emits X-rays and the means for detecting a beam detects X-rays.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A solid light emitting element comprising a light emitting region having at least one layer, wherein at least a portion of a side surface of the light emitting region has surface irregularities thereon.
2. A light emitting element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the surface irregularities comprise curves of varying curvature.
3. A light emitting element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the portion of the side surface having the surface irregularities is tapered at an angle with respect to the light emitting region.
4. A light emitting element as claimed in claim 2, wherein the portion of the side surface having the surface irregularities is tapered at an angle with respect to the light emitting region.
5. A light emitting element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the surface irregularities are formed by etching.
6. A light emitting element as claimed in claim 4, wherein the surface irregularities are formed by etching.
7. A light emitting element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the surface irregularities are formed by patterning of the light emitting region.
8. A light emitting element as claimed in claim 6, wherein the surface irregularities are formed by patterning of the light emitting region.
9. A light emitting element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the surface irregularities are formed when the light emitting element is separated from another light emitting element.
10. A light emitting element as claimed in claim 8, wherein the surface irregularities are formed when the light emitting element is separated from another light emitting element.
11. A light emitting element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light emitting element is formed atop a substrate, and the refractive index of the substrate is smaller than the refractive index of the light emitting region.
11. A light emitting element as claimed in claim 10, wherein the light emitting element is formed atop a substrate, and the refractive index of the substrate is smaller than the refractive index of the light emitting region.
12. A light emitting element as claimed in claim 1, wherein each layer formed on the substrate comprises a Group-III nitride compound semiconductor.
13. A light emitting element as claimed in claim 11, wherein each layer formed on the substrate comprises a Group-III nitride compound semiconductor.
14. A light emitting element as claimed in claim 1, wherein a top surface of the light emitting element has surface irregularities thereon.
15. A light emitting element as claimed in claim 14, wherein a top surface of the light emitting element has surface irregularities thereon.