Reflective marker and method for its manufacture

1. A method for manufacturing reflective markers suitable for use in medical registration and medical navigation, said markers comprising an inner body and a reflective covering, the method comprising:

applying a reflective substance to the inner body;

applying pellets to the inner body, said pellets being applied together with the reflective substance or after application of the reflective substance, wherein the pellets and the reflective substance form the reflective covering, wherein the reflective covering is configured such that reflective properties of the marker are lost through a sterilization process.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein applying the pellets includes directly applying the pellets to the inner body.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising creating a cavity in the inner body.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein applying the reflective substance includes mixing the reflective substance with or from at least one of a granulated material, pellets, or a reflective material prior to application of the reflective substance.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4 , wherein the reflective material is selected from the group consisting of aluminum powder, silver powder and gold powder.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein applying pellets includes using pellets formed from transparent material.

7. The method as set forth in claim 6 , wherein using pellets formed from transparent material includes using glass as the transparent material.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein applying pellets includes using reflective elements having a diameter between about 10 and 250 μm.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein applying the reflective substance includes spraying, coating, painting, lacquering or immersing the reflective substance on the inner body.

10. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein applying the pellets includes spraying or firing the pellets on the reflective substance after application of the reflective substance.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10 , wherein spraying includes powder spraying.

12. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein applying the reflective substance includes forming an outer covering around the inner body, and the pellets are at least partially embedded in the outer covering.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12 , wherein forming the outer covering includes embedding the pellets in the outer covering such that about 50% of the pellets are within the outer covering.

14. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein markers are manufactured having a diameter between about 5 and 50 mm.

15. The method as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising sterilizing the markers using ethylene gas.

16. A reflective medical navigation marker suitable for use in medical registration and medical navigation for tracking a spatial position of the marker, said marker comprising:

an inner body;

a reflective covering comprising a reflective substance on the inner body and pellets on the inner body in contact with the reflective substance, wherein the reflective covering is configured such that reflective properties of the marker are lost through a sterilization process.

17. The marker as set forth in claim 16 , wherein the reflective substance and the pellets are provided directly on an outer surface of said inner body.

18. The marker as set forth in claim 16 , wherein the reflective substance includes at least one of the materials selected from the group consisting of granulated material, pellets, reflective material, aluminum powder, silver powder and gold powder.

19. The marker as set forth in claim 16 , wherein the reflective substance is applied to the inner body such that it forms an outer covering around the inner body, and the pellets are at least partially embedded in the outer covering.

20. The marker as set forth in claim 19 , wherein said covering is applied to the inner body to form a covering having a substantially uniform thickness.

21. The marker as set forth in claim 16 , wherein about one half of each pellet is embedded in the covering.

22. The marker as set forth in claim 16 , wherein the pellets are formed from a transparent material.

23. The marker as set forth in claim 16 , wherein the pellets are glass pellets.

24. The marker as set forth in claim 16 , wherein the pellets have a diameter between about 10 and 250 μm.

25. The marker as set forth in claim 16 , wherein the marker has a spherical, cylindrical, pyramidal or prismatic shape.

26. The marker as set forth in claim 16 , wherein the marker has a diameter between 5 and 50 mm.

27. A reference star comprising:

a plurality of markers as set forth in claim 16 ; and

a support, wherein said plurality of markers are attached to the support to form an array of markers.

28. The marker as set forth in claim 16 , wherein the fixing device does not include the reflective covering.

29. A reflective medical navigation marker suitable for use in medical registration and medical navigation for tracking a spatial position of the marker, said marker comprising:

an inner body;

a reflective substance on the inner body;

pellets in contact with the reflective substance, wherein the inner body includes a cavity, wherein the reflective substance is configured such that reflective properties of the marker are lost through a sterilization process.

30. A method for manufacturing reflective markers suitable for use in medical registration and medical navigation, said markers comprising an inner body and a reflective covering, the method comprising:

applying a reflective substance to the inner body;

applying pellets to the inner body, said pellets being applied together with the reflective substance or after application of the reflective substance, wherein the pellets and the reflective substance form the reflective covering, wherein the reflective covering is configured such that reflective properties of the marker are lost through a sterilization process.