SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USING X-RAY FIELD EMISSION TO DETERMINE INSTRUMENT POSITION AND ORIENTATION

1 . A device comprising:

a flexible body;

a position sensor located at the flexible body; and

a field emission x-ray device located at the flexible body.

2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the flexible body includes a distal end portion and a proximal end portion, and further including:

multiple field emission x-ray devices located at the distal end portion.

3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the flexible body includes a distal end portion and a proximal end portion, and further including:

multiple field emission x-ray devices located at the distal end portion,

wherein the distal end portion includes a circumference, and

wherein the multiple field emission x-ray devices are disposed angularly displaced about the circumference of the distal end portion.

4 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the flexible body includes a distal end portion and a proximal end portion, and further including:

multiple field emission x-ray devices located at the distal end portion,

wherein the multiple field emission x-ray devices are configured to emit x-rays on adjacent paths.

5 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the flexible body includes a distal end portion and a proximal end portion, and further including:

multiple field emission x-ray devices located at the distal end portion,

wherein the multiple field emission x-ray devices are configured to emit x-rays on parallel paths.

6 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the flexible body includes a distal end portion and a proximal end portion, and further including:

multiple field emission x-ray devices located at the distal end portion; and

an effector located at the distal end portion,

wherein the multiple field emission x-ray devices are configured to emit x-rays on paths incident upon a working volume located within a human body.

7 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the flexible body includes a distal end portion and a proximal end portion, and further including:

multiple field emission x-ray devices located at the distal end portion; and

an effector located at the distal end portion,

wherein the multiple field emission x-ray devices are configured to emit x-rays on paths that are incident upon a volume that is displaced from a working volume located within a human body.

8 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the flexible body includes a distal end portion and a proximal end portion, wherein the distal end portion is sized and shaped to be inserted within a human body, and wherein the field emission x-ray device is located at the distal end portion; and further including:

a communications interface located at the proximal end portion.

9 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the field emission x-ray device includes a carbon nanotube.

10 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the position sensor includes an electromagnetic (EM) sensor.

11 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the position sensor includes a shape sensor.

12 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the position sensor includes an image capture element.

13 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the flexible body includes a distal end portion and a proximal end portion, and wherein the field emission x-ray device is located at the distal end portion, and further including:

a communications interface located at the proximal end portion; and

steering controls that are housed within the flexible body and that extend between the communications interface and the distal end portion.

14 . The device of claim 1 , further including steering controls that include cables.

15 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the flexible body includes a plurality of segments.

16 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the flexible body defines at least one internal lumen.

17 . A system comprising:

a flexible body sized and shaped to be inserted within a human body;

a detector configured to capture one or more x-ray images produced using a field emission x-ray device; and

one or more processors configured to determine similarity between the captured one or more x-ray images and a reference image.

18 . The system of claim 17 , further comprising:

a position sensor located at the flexible body; and

wherein the one or more processors are configured to:

use the position sensor to sense a pose of the flexible body;

determine an estimated detected pose of the flexible body as a function of a determined similarity between the captured one or more x-ray images and a reference image;

determine an estimated offset between the sensed pose and the estimated detected pose; and

change a pose of a distal end portion of the flexible body as a function of the determined estimated offset.

19 . The system of claim 18 , wherein sensing a pose of the distal end portion of the flexible body includes shape sensing.

20 . The system of claim 18 , wherein sensing a pose of the distal end portion of the flexible body includes electromagnetic sensing.

21 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to convert the one or more captured x-ray images to at least one tomosynthesis image and wherein determining similarity includes searching for similarity between the at least one tomosynthesis image and a reference image.

22 . A method comprising:

locating a field emission x-ray device at a distal end portion of a flexible body;

inserting the flexible body and the field emission x-ray device into an anatomical cavity within a patient's anatomy;

emitting x-ray radiation from the x-ray device; and

detecting the x-ray radiation emitted at a location outside the anatomical cavity.

23 . The method of claim 22 , wherein inserting includes inserting into a body organ.

24 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the anatomical cavity includes a natural lung passage.

25 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the anatomical cavity includes a natural heart passage.

26 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the anatomical cavity includes a natural digestive system passage.

27 . The method of claim 22 , wherein detecting the emitted x-ray radiation includes capturing an x-ray image that includes an x-ray attenuation pattern indicative of anatomical structures traversed by the x-ray radiation, and further including:

determining a similarity between the captured x-ray image and a reference image obtained from a three-dimensional (3-D) reference image of a portion of the patient's anatomy that includes the anatomical cavity.

28 . The method of claim 27 , further including:

sensing a pose of a distal end portion of the flexible body;

determining an estimated detected pose of the distal end portion as a function of the determined similarity of the reference image;

determining an estimated offset between the sensed pose and the estimated detected pose; and

changing the pose of the distal end portion as a function of the determined offset.

29 . The method of claim 28 , wherein sensing the pose of the distal end portion of the flexible body includes shape sensing.

30 . The method of claim 28 , wherein sensing the pose of the distal end portion of the flexible body includes electromagnetic sensing.

31 . The method of claim 28 , wherein sensing includes sensing a pose of the distal end portion of the flexible body.

32 . The method of claim 27 , wherein determining the similarity includes comparing captured x-ray image information with information for multiple different reference images obtained from the three-dimensional (3-D) reference image.

33 . The method of claim 27 , wherein determining the similarity includes comparing a visual display representing captured x-ray images with visual displays for multiple different reference images obtained from the three-dimensional (3-D) reference image.

34 . The method of claim 22 , further comprising:

wherein detecting the emitted x-ray radiation includes capturing multiple x-ray images that include x-ray attenuation patterns indicative of anatomical structures traversed by the x-ray radiation;

converting the multiple x-ray images to at least one tomosynthesis image;

determining a similarity between the at least one tomosynthesis image and a reference image obtained from a three-dimensional (3-D) reference image of a portion of a patient's body that includes the anatomical cavity.

35 . The method of claim 34 further including:

sensing a pose of the distal end portion of the flexible body;

determining an estimated detected pose of the distal end portion as a function of the determined similarity of the reference image;

determining an estimated offset between the sensed pose and the detected pose; and

changing the pose of the distal end portion as a function of the determined offset.

36 . The method of claim 35 , wherein sensing the pose of the distal end portion of the flexible body includes shape sensing.

37 . The method of claim 35 , wherein sensing the pose of the distal end portion of the flexible body includes electromagnetic sensing.

38 . The method of claim 35 , wherein sensing includes sensing a pose of the distal end portion of the flexible body.

39 . The method of claim 35 , further including comparing tomosynthesis image information with information for multiple different reference images obtained from the three-dimensional (3-D) reference image to determine a match.

40 . The method of claim 34 , further including comparing a visual display representing tomosynthesis image information with visual displays for multiple different reference images obtained from the three-dimensional (3-D) reference image to determine a match.

41 . A system comprising:

a flexible body;

a field emission x-ray device located at the flexible body;

a detector configured to capture one or more x-ray images produced by the field emission x-ray device; and

one or more processors configured to:

sense a pose of a distal end of the flexible body;

select a predicted reference image, as a function of the sensed pose, from a three-dimensional (3-D) reference image; and

search for similarity between the captured one or more x-ray images and a reference image obtained from a prescribed region of the three-dimensional (3-D) reference image about the predicted reference image.

42 . The system of claim 41 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to convert the one or more captured x-ray images to at least one tomosynthesis image, and wherein searching for similarity includes searching for similarity between the at least one tomosynthesis image and a reference image.

43 . A system comprising:

a flexible body;

a field emission x-ray device located at the flexible body;

a position sensor located at the flexible body;

a detector configured to detect one or more x-ray images produced using the field emission x-ray device; and

one or more processors configured to:

use the position sensor to sense a pose of the flexible body;

select a predicted reference image, as a function of the sensed pose, from a three-dimensional (3-D) reference image;

search for a match between the detected one or more x-ray images and a reference image obtained from a prescribed region of the three-dimensional (3-D) reference image about the predicted reference image;

determine an estimated detected pose of the flexible body as a function of a determined match between the one or more detected x-ray images and a reference image;

determine an estimated offset between the sensed pose and the detected pose; and

change the pose of the flexible body as a function of the determined offset.

44 . A method comprising:

providing a field emission x-ray device at a distal end portion of a flexible body;

inserting the flexible body and the field emission x-ray device into an anatomical cavity within a patient's body;

emitting x-ray radiation from the x-ray device;

capturing an x-ray image that includes an x-ray attenuation pattern indicative of anatomical structures traversed by the x-ray radiation;

sensing a pose of the distal end portion of the flexible body;

selecting a predicted reference image, as a function of the sensed pose, from a three-dimensional (3-D) reference image of a portion of a patient's anatomy that includes the anatomical cavity; and

searching for similarity between the captured x-ray image and a reference image obtained from a prescribed region of the three-dimensional (3-D) reference image about the predicted reference image.

45 . The method of claim 44 , wherein capturing the x-ray image includes capturing multiple x-ray images; and

wherein searching for similarity includes converting the multiple captured x-ray images to at least one tomosynthesis image and searching for similarity between the at least one tomosynthesis image and a reference image obtained from a prescribed region of the three-dimensional (3-D) reference image about the predicted reference image.

46 . A method comprising:

inserting a flexible body that includes a position sensor and a field emission x-ray device into a human body cavity;

detecting one or more x-ray images emitted from the field emission x-ray device;

using the position sensor to sense a pose of the flexible body;

selecting a predicted reference image, as a function of the sensed pose, from a three-dimensional (3-D) reference image;

searching for a match between the one or more detected x-ray images and a reference image obtained from a prescribed region of the three-dimensional (3-D) reference image about the predicted reference image;

determining an estimated detected pose of the flexible body as a function of a determined match between the one or more detected x-ray images and a reference image;

determining an estimated offset between the sensed pose and the estimated detected pose; and

changing the pose of the flexible body as a function of the determined estimated offset.