1. A device for interconnecting a hard-line coaxial cable to a connection housing, wherein said coaxial cable includes at least a central conductor, a layer of dielectric material covering the central conductor, and an outer conductor composed of hard-line material, said device comprising:
a connector body extending along a longitudinal axis;
a contact interconnected to and extending coaxially through said connector body;
for receiving said central conductor of said coaxial cable;
a compression body positioned radially adjacent a portion of said connector body for sliding axial movement relative thereto between first and second positions, wherein when said compression body is in its first position, said coaxial cable is removable from within said device;
a mandrel housed within said connector body; and
a sealing member housed within said connector body in continuous sealing relation to said outer conductor when said compression body is in its second position.
2. A device according to claim 1, further comprising a clamping member housed within said connector body, wherein a tapered surface of said clamping member directly engages a tapered surface of said compression body when said compression body is in its second position.
3. A device according to claim 2, further comprising a driving member housed within said connector body in ordered relationship between said clamping member and said sealing member such that when said compression body is moved from its first position to its second position, said compression body forces said clamping member against said driving member, and said driving member against said sealing member.
4. A device according to claim 3, further comprising a tapering surface on said sealing member which interacts with a tapering surface on said driving member by deforming said sealing member radially inward when said compression body is moved from its first position to its second position.
5. A device according to claim 4, wherein a radial distance between an inner diameter of said sealing member and an outer diameter of said mandrel is substantially equal to a radial distance between an inner diameter of said clamping member and said outer diameter of said mandrel.
6. A device according to claim 4, wherein said connector body is elongated beyond an amount required to contain said contact, said centering guide, said mandrel, said sealing member, said driving member, said clamping member, and said compression body.
7. A device according to claim 4, further comprising means for connecting said device to said connection housing, wherein said contact includes a conductive pin, and said connection housing is an equipment port.
8. A device according to claim 4, further comprising means for connecting said device to said connection housing, wherein said contact includes a solid end opposite said contact, and said connection housing is a male DIN connector.
9. A device according to claim 4, further comprising means for connecting said device to said connection housing, wherein said contact includes first and second collets, and said connection housing is a female DIN connector.
10. A device according to claim 4, further comprising means for connecting said device to said connection housing, wherein said connection housing is a hardline coaxial cable.
11. A device according to claim 4, wherein said portion of said compression body radially adjacent said connector body is inside said connector body.
12. A device according to claim 4, wherein a radial distance between an inner diameter of said sealing member and an outer diameter of said mandrel is less than a radial distance between an inner diameter of said clamping member and said outer diameter of said mandrel.
13. A device according to claim 12, further comprising:
a first annular groove in an outer surface of said compression body;
a second annular groove in an inner surface of said compression body;
a first O-ring in said first annular groove; and
a second O-ring in said second annular groove, wherein when said compression body is in its second position, said first O-ring forms a seal between said compression body and said connector body and said second O-ring form a a seal between said compression body and said coaxial cable.
14. A device according to claim 4, further comprising a centering guide having a first portion coupled to said contact and a second portion engaging a portion of said mandrel, and having a third portion between said first and second portions which guides said central conductor into said contact upon insertion of said central conductor into said connector body.
15. A device according to claim 14, further comprising:
an annular groove in an outer surface of said compression body; and
an O-ring in said annular groove, wherein when said compression body is in its second position, said O-ring forms a seal between said compression body and said connector body.
16. A device according to claim 4, wherein said portion of said compression body radially adjacent said connector body is outside said connector body.
17. A device according to claim 16, wherein said mandrel includes a tapered end coupled to said contact and a bushing which guides said central conductor into said contact upon insertion of said central conductor into said connector body.
18. A device according to claim 16, further comprising a seizurebushing member with a seizing end coupled to said contact and a bushing end coupled to said mandrel, wherein said bushing guides said central conductor into said contact upon insertion of said central conductor into said connector body.
19. A device according to claim 18, further comprising a spring inside said connector body which biases said seizurebushing member away from said contact.
20. A device for interconnecting a hard-line coaxial cable to a connection housing, wherein said coaxial cable includes at least a central conductor, a layer of dielectric material covering the central conductor, and an outer conductor composed of hard-line material, said device comprising:
a connector body extending along a longitudinal axis;
a contact interconnected to and extending coaxially through said connector body;
for receiving said central conductor of said coaxial cable;
a compression body positioned radially adjacent a portion of said connector body for sliding axial movement relative thereto between first and second positions, wherein when said compression body is in its first position, said coaxial cable is removable from within said device;
a mandrel housed within said connector body; and
means for clamping andor sealing said outer conductor to said mandrel.
21. A splice connector for interconnecting two hard-line coaxial cables, wherein each coaxial cable includes at least a central conductor, a layer of dielectric material covering the central conductor, and an outer conductor composed of hard-line material, said connector comprising:
a connector body extending along a longitudinal axis;
a contact interconnected to and extending coaxially through said connector body;
for receiving said central conductors of said coaxial cables;
first and second compression bodies positioned radially adjacent first and second portions of said connector body for sliding axial movement relative thereto between first and second positions, wherein when each compression body is in its first position, said coaxial cables are removable from within said splice connector;
first and second mandrels housed within said connector body; and
first and second sealing members housed within said connector body in continuous sealing relation to said respective outer conductor when said compression bodies are in their second position.
22. A splice connector for interconnecting two hard-line coaxial cables, wherein each coaxial cable includes at least a central conductor, a layer of dielectric material covering the central conductor, and an outer conductor composed of hard-line material, said connector comprising:
a connector body extending along a longitudinal axis;
a contact interconnected to and extending coaxially through said connector body;
for receiving said central conductors of said coaxial cables;
first and second compression bodies positioned radially adjacent first and second portions of said connector body for sliding axial movement relative thereto between first and second positions, wherein when each compression body is in its first position, said coaxial cables are removable from within said splice connector;
first and second mandrels housed within said connector body; and
means for clamping andor sealing said outer conductors to respective ones of said mandrels.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A medical apparatus to be used during an invasive surgery comprising:
a sheath capable of deploying a multitude of medical tools and adapted for insertion into the body of a patient;
at least one electrode coupled to the sheath;
a position detection system coupled to the sheath capable of sensing said electrode coupled to the sheath;
a computer software program coupled to the position detection system capable of compensating for the unwanted motion of the sheath by subtracting said sheath motion from the motion of the sheath-hosted tool; and
a computer software program coupled to the position detection system capable of tracking the sheath’s progress through the surrounding tissue of a patient by means of fiducial alignment.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of electrodes coupled to the sheath.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the computer software program capable of compensating for unwanted sheath motion further comprises a subsystem coupled to the position detection system for averaging the electrode position.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the computer software program capable of compensating for unwanted sheath motion further comprises a subsystem for calculating the electrode position error coupled to both the position detection system and the subsystem for averaging the electrode position.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the computer software program capable of compensating for unwanted sheath motion further comprises a subsystem that compensates for tool motion coupled to the subsystem for calculating the electrode position error.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the computer software program capable of tracking the sheath’s progress through the surrounding tissue of a patient by means of fiducial alignment further comprises a subsystem coupled to the position detection system that generates a fiducial quaternion.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the computer software program capable of tracking the sheath’s progress through the surrounding tissue of a patient by means of fiducial alignment further comprises a fiducial alignment subsystem coupled to the subsystem that generates a fiducial quaternion.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a means for incorporating the device into a catheter guidance control and imaging system.
9. A method of tracking and compensating for medical tool motion during an invasive surgery within the body a patient comprising:
inserting a medical sheath capable of deploying a multitude of medical tools comprising at least one electrode coupled to the sheath into an incision or other body orifice of the patient;
detecting the position and orientation of the electrode using a position detection system;
sending the data collected by the position detection system through a series of computer software subsystems that produce from a series of calculations a motion compensation filter for the sheath-hosted tool; and
sending the data collected by the position detection system through a series of computer software subsystems that track the motion of the sheath and sheath-hosted tool by a means of fiducial alignment.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein detecting the position and orientation of the electrode using a position detection system further comprises incorporating the device into a catheter guidance control and imaging system.
11. The method of claim 9 further comprising inserting a medical sheath capable of deploying a multitude of medical tools comprising a plurality of electrodes coupled to the sheath.
12. The method of claim 9 wherein sending the data collected by the position detection system through a series of computer software subsystems that produce from a series of calculations a motion compensation filter for the sheath-hosted tool further comprises providing a reference position and orientation for motion compensation for sheath-hosted tools by an average position and orientation of the sheath’s distal end being continuously determined with respect to several measured positions over a set time period.
13. The method of claim 9 wherein sending the data collected by the position detection system through a series of computer software subsystems that produce from a series of calculations a motion compensation filter for the sheath-hosted tool further comprises providing a position and orientation error value by defining the sheath’s motion with respect to an average position and orientation of the sheath.
14. The method of claim 9 wherein sending the data collected by the position detection system through a series of computer software subsystems that produce from a series of calculations a motion compensation filter for the sheath-hosted tool further comprises providing a stable fiducial reference for a tool position control system of the position detection system by subtracting position error values from the motion of the sheath-hosted tool.
15. The method of claim 9 wherein sending the data collected by the position detection system through a series of computer software subsystems that track the motion of the sheath and sheath-hosted tool by a means of fiducial alignment further comprises employing the electrode to determine a six-degree of freedom reference frame.
16. The method of claim 9 wherein sending the data collected by the position detection system through a series of computer software subsystems that track the motion of the sheath and sheath-hosted tool by a means of fiducial alignment further comprises employing a six-degree of freedom reference frame to track changes in a patient’s or local organ’s orientation.
17. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the subsystem for averaging the electrode position further comprises a means for determining the average position of the distal electrode coupled to the sheath.
18. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the subsystem for averaging the electrode position further comprises a means for determining the average exit vector of the deployed medical tool as it leaves the distal end of the sheath.
19. The method of claim 9 wherein sending the data collected by the position detection system through a series of computer software subsystems that track the motion of the sheath and sheath-hosted tool by a means of fiducial alignment further comprises a means for determining the average position of the distal electrode coupled to the sheath.
20. The method of claim 9 wherein sending the data collected by the position detection system through a series of computer software subsystems that track the motion of the sheath and sheath-hosted tool by a means of fiducial alignment further comprises a means for determining the average exit vector of the deployed medical tool as it leaves the distal end of the sheath.
21. A medical apparatus to be used during an invasive surgery comprising:
a sheath capable of deploying a multitude of medical tools and adapted for insertion into the body of a patient;
at least one electrode coupled to the sheath;
means for compensating for the unwanted motion of the sheath from the desired motion of the sheath-hosted tool; and
means for tracking the sheath and sheath-hosted tool through the surrounding tissue of a patient by means of fiducial alignment.
22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the sheath capable of deploying a multitude of medical tools and adapted for insertion into the body of a patient further comprises a plurality of electrodes coupled to the sheath.