Adhesive surgical reference marker unit
A surgical fiducial marker unit can include a main body, fiducial marker sites, and adhesive layer. The main body can have top and bottom surfaces, length, width, and thickness that is substantially less than the length and width. The fiducial marker sites can host surgical fiducial markers suitable for use with a separate augmented reality system and can be distributed across the main body top surface at fixed positions relative to each other to form a fixed positional arrangement that is asymmetrical. The adhesive layer can be disposed on the bottom surface of the main body and can securely adhere the main body to a patient during a surgical procedure. The surgical fiducial marker unit can include the surgical fiducial markers, each of which can define a circular disk having a flat upper surface. Each fiducial marker site can include a socket that receives a circular disk fiducial marker therein.
1 . A surgical fiducial marker unit, comprising:
a main body having a solid central region, a top surface, a bottom surface, a length, a width, and a thickness, wherein the thickness is substantially less than both the length and the width and is substantially the same across the entire main body;
a plurality of fiducial marker sites coupled to the main body and configured to host a plurality of surgical fiducial markers suitable for use with a separate augmented reality system, each of the plurality of fiducial marker sites including a socket having a size and shape that corresponds to the size and shape of an entire surgical fiducial marker and that is configured to receive the entire surgical fiducial marker therein, each socket having a socket wall that surrounds a recess and an open top such that an upper surface of the surgical fiducial marker fitted within the recess is optically visible, wherein the plurality of fiducial marker sites are distributed across the top surface at fixed positions relative to each other to form a fixed positional arrangement that is asymmetrical; and
an adhesive layer disposed on the bottom surface of the solid central region, wherein the adhesive layer is configured to securely adhere the main body to a patient during a surgical procedure.
2 . The surgical fiducial marker unit of claim 1 , further comprising:
the plurality of surgical fiducial markers coupled to the plurality of fiducial marker sites.
3 . The surgical fiducial marker unit of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of surgical fiducial markers defines a circular disk having a flat upper surface configured to be optically visible by a component of the separate augmented reality system when the circular disk is coupled to one of the fiducial marker sites.
4 . The surgical fiducial marker unit of claim 3 , wherein each socket is oriented at an angle with respect to the top surface of the main body such that the flat upper surface of an entire circular disk received therein faces a different direction than the direction faced by the top surface of the main body.
5 . The surgical fiducial marker unit of claim 4 , wherein all sockets at all fiducial marker sites are oriented at the same angle with respect to the top surface of the main body.
6 . The surgical fiducial marker unit of claim 1 , wherein the main body solid central region has at least some of the plurality of fiducial marker sites, and wherein the main body further includes multiple extensions from the solid central region that collectively have at least some of the plurality of fiducial marker sites at locations that are substantially removed from the solid central region.
7 . The surgical fiducial marker unit of claim 1 , wherein the main body defines a curved shape that conforms to a curved shape of the forehead of the patient.
8 . The surgical fiducial marker unit of claim 1 , wherein the main body is formed from a rigid material configured to maintain the fixed positions of the plurality of fiducial marker sites.
9 . The surgical fiducial marker unit of claim 1 , wherein the main body is formed from a flexible material configured to facilitate greater conformity between the main body and the patient when the main body is securely adhered to the patient.
10 . The surgical fiducial marker unit of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fiducial marker sites includes at least four fiducial marker sites.
11 . The surgical fiducial marker unit of claim 1 , further comprising:
an augmented reality system reference feature located on the top surface of the main body, wherein the augmented reality system reference feature is separate from the plurality of reference marker sites.
12 . The surgical fiducial marker unit of claim 11 , wherein the augmented reality system reference feature includes a divot extending into the top surface, the divot being configured as a known reference point for registering a point of a separate handheld localizer device.
13 . The surgical fiducial marker unit of claim 1 , wherein the main body further includes multiple extensions from the solid central region, each of the multiple extensions forming an arm shape that extends away from the solid central region in a lateral direction for a distance that is greater than the size of any of the fiducial marker sites.
14 . The surgical fiducial marker unit of claim 13 , wherein at least two of the arm shaped extensions extend away from the solid central region for a distance that is at least three times the size any of the fiducial marker sites.
15 . The surgical fiducial marker unit of claim 13 , wherein each of the multiple extensions includes a fiducial marker site situated at a distal end thereof.
16 . A fiducial device configured for use with a surgical augmented reality system, the fiducial device comprising: a surgical fiducial marker defining a circular disk having a flat upper surface configured to be detected by a detection component of the surgical augmented reality system; and a socket having a size and shape that corresponds to the surgical fiducial marker and that holds the surgical fiducial marker therein, the socket having a socket wall that surrounds a recess and an open top such that the flat upper surface of the surgical fiducial marker fitted within the recess protrudes above the top edge of the socket wall and is optically visible, wherein the socket is coupled to a separate surgical fiducial marker unit having multiple fiducial marker sites, wherein the socket is further oriented at an angle with respect to a surface of the separate fiducial marker unit.
17 . The fiducial device of claim 16 , further comprising:
a thin film located across the flat upper surface of the circular disk, wherein the thin film is configured to be detected by the detection component.
18 . The fiducial device of claim 16 , wherein the angle of orientation is adjustable.
19 . The fiducial device of claim 16 , wherein the socket is further configured to be able to coordinate with other similar sockets such that the fiducial device is configured to be part of an array of coordinated fiducial devices on the separate surgical fiducial marker unit.