Intra-operative determination of a focal length of a camera for medical applications

1. A computer-implemented method of determining a focal length of a camera, the method comprising:

providing uncalibrated camera data of a camera, wherein the uncalibrated camera data comprise an image of at least a part of a tracking system;

specifying an initial value of a focal length of the camera;

specifying a working distance value of a distance between the camera and the at least part of the tracking system;

calculating a distance value of the distance between the camera and the at least part of the tracking system based on the uncalibrated camera data and based on the specified initial value of the focal length of the camera;

calculating a change factor based on the specified working distance value and the calculated distance value, the calculating comprising calculating a ratio of the specified working distance value and the calculated distance value, and/or wherein the change factor correlates with and/or is indicative of a ratio of the specified working distance value and the calculated distance value; and

calculating an adapted value of the focal length of the camera based on the initial value of the focal length and based on the change factor.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein calculating the distance value comprises:

determining a deviation of the calculated distance value with respect to the specified working distance value; and

comparing the determined deviation to a threshold value for the deviation of the calculated distance value with respect to the specified working distance value.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least the calculating of the distance value, the calculating of the change factor, and the calculating of the adapted value are repeated in an iteration process.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the iteration process is terminated, if a deviation of the calculated distance value with respect to the specified working distance value reaches and/or falls below a threshold value for the deviation of the calculated distance value with respect to the specified working distance value.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

comparing the determined change factor to a clamp factor, wherein the clamp factor is indicative of a maximum allowed value of the change factor.

6. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising:

reducing the change factor if the determined change factor reaches and/or exceeds the clamp factor.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the tracking system comprises a marker device with at least one surface, wherein at least one optical marker is arranged on the surface of the marker device.

8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

detecting one or more optical markers arranged on one or more surfaces of a marker device of the tracking system based on the adapted focal length value and based on the uncalibrated camera data; and

determining a position of a reference point of the marker device with respect to the camera; and/or

determining an orientation of the marker device of the tracking system with respect to the camera.

9. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising:

displaying, on a graphical user interface, a graphical representation of a pre-operative image of at least a part of a patient; and

adjusting a viewing direction of the graphical representation of the pre-operative image based on the determined position of the reference point of the marker device and/or based on the determined orientation of the marker device with respect to the camera.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the viewing direction of the graphical representation is adjusted according and/or corresponding to the orientation of the marker device with respect to the camera.

11. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising:

providing further uncalibrated camera data of the camera, wherein the further uncalibrated camera data comprise a further image of the at least part of the tracking system;

detecting the one or more optical markers of the marker device of the tracking system based on the further uncalibrated camera data;

determining a further orientation of the marker device of the tracking system with respect to the camera based on the further uncalibrated camera data; and

determining an orientation change of the marker device, the orientation change being indicative of a change of the further orientation of the marker device, as determined based on the further camera data, with respect to the determined orientation of the marker device, as determined based on the camera data.

12. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising:

translating the determined orientation change of the marker device into a viewing change of the viewing direction of the graphical representation of the pre-operative image.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the determined orientation change is translated into the viewing change based on weighting the determined orientation change with a weighting factor, such that the viewing change is increased or decreased relative to the orientation change.

14. The method according to claim 13 , further comprising:

registering a longitudinal axis of the patient based on pointing at least a part of the tracking system to at least two longitudinal points on the patient, wherein the at least two longitudinal points are spaced apart from each other in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the patient; and/or

registering a transverse axis of the patient based on pointing at least a part of the tracking system to at least two transverse points on the patient, wherein the at least two transverse points are spaced apart from each other in a direction parallel to the transverse axis of the patient.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the camera is a standard operating room camera; and/or

wherein the camera is a two-dimensional camera.

16. A program logic stored in a memory device of a computer that when executed on the computer or when loaded onto the computer, causes the computer to perform a method comprising:

providing uncalibrated camera data of a camera, wherein the uncalibrated camera data comprise an image of at least a part of a tracking system;

specifying an initial value of a focal length of the camera;

specifying a working distance value of a distance between the camera and the at least part of the tracking system;

calculating a distance value of the distance between the camera and the at least part of the tracking system based on the uncalibrated camera data and based on the specified initial value of the focal length of the camera;

calculating a change factor based on the specified working distance value and the calculated distance value, the calculating comprising calculating a ratio of the specified working distance value and the calculated distance value, and/or wherein the change factor correlates with and/or is indicative of a ratio of the specified working distance value and the calculated distance value; and

calculating an adapted value of the focal length of the camera based on the initial value of the focal length and based on the change factor.

17. A medical system, comprising:

a) at least one computer configured to perform a method including:

providing uncalibrated camera data of a camera, wherein the uncalibrated camera data comprise an image of at least a part of a tracking system;

specifying an initial value of a focal length of the camera;

specifying a working distance value of a distance between the camera and the at least part of the tracking system;

calculating a distance value of the distance between the camera and the at least part of the tracking system based on the uncalibrated camera data and based on the specified initial value of the focal length of the camera;

calculating a change factor based on the specified working distance value and the calculated distance value, the calculating comprising calculating a ratio of the specified working distance value and the calculated distance value, and/or wherein the change factor correlates with and/or is indicative of a ratio of the specified working distance value and the calculated distance value; and

calculating an adapted value of the focal length of the camera based on the initial value of the focal length and based on the change factor;

b) at least one electronic data storage device storing at least the uncalibrated camera data; and

c) a medical device for carrying out a medical procedure on the patient,

wherein the at least one computer is operably coupled with:

the at least one electronic data storage device for acquiring, from the at least one data storage device, at least the uncalibrated camera data, and

the medical device for issuing a control signal to the medical device for controlling an operation of the medical device.

18. The medical system according to claim 17 , wherein the medical device comprises:

a graphical user interface for displaying a graphical representation of a pre-operative image of at least a part of the patient;

wherein the at least one computer is operably coupled with the graphical user interface for controlling a viewing direction of the graphical representation based on the calculated adapted value of the focal length of the camera.