Abstract: A method of operating an apparatus for the layerwise manufacture of 3D objects. The method includes two or more operational cycles of a warm up phase, starting from ambient, followed by a build phase and a cooling phase. The warm up phase and the build phase each include a layer cycle of: (a) dosing build material to the work surface; (b) distributing a portion of the dosed amount over a build area; (c) heating the dosed amount; and (d) monitoring a temperature of the build material to determine a thermal state. The build phase includes melting layer-specific regions. These steps are repeated until the warm up and build phases are completed. A property of the subsequent warm up phases is determined such that the duration of a subsequent warm up phase is shorter than the duration of a preceding warm up phase.

Abstract: A method of operating an apparatus for the layerwise manufacture of 3D objects. The method includes a warm up phase followed by a build phase. The phases each include a cycle of (a) dosing an amount of build material from a dosing device; (b) pushing a portion of the dosed amount across a build area into a receiving chamber; (c) heating the dosed amount at one or both of (a) and (b); repeating (a) to (c) until each phase is complete. During the build phase, at step (b) a layer is formed over the build area and, at step (c), build material within a layer-specific region is selectively melted. Over a given duration of time, an aggregate volume of build material pushed into the receiving chamber during the warm up phase is larger than an aggregate volume of build material pushed into the receiving chamber during the build phase.

Abstract: The invention relates to an X-ray imaging system comprising a mobile base (10), a motorized arm (20), and a C-arm (30) adapted to be mounted on the mobile base (10) by means of the motorized arm (20), wherein the C-arm (30) comprises an X-ray source (31) and an X-ray detector (32), wherein the motorized arm (20) presents at least three rotation axes (Z1, Z2, Z3) directed along a substantially common vertical direction (Z).

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for optimizing a trajectory of a motorized C-arm for an acquisition of a 3D image of a region of interest (ROI) of a body (P) lying on an operating table (T), said C-arm comprising an X-ray source (S) and an X-ray image detector (D), said trajectory comprising at least two different angular positions of acquisition around a rotation axis of the C-arm, said method comprising the following steps: determining a center (C) of the region of interest (ROI) for each angular position of the C-arm of said trajectory, computing a translation (TA) of the C-arm along a central axis extending between the X-ray source (S) and a center of the X-ray image detector (D) and passing by said center (C) of the region of interest to reduce a distance between the X-ray image detector (D) and the center (C) of the region of interest whilst avoiding collisions between the X-ray source and detector and the operating table (T) and/or the body (P).

Abstract: The invention relates to a tracking assembly (1) for a surgical robotic system, comprising at least two tracking patterns, wherein at least one of said at least two tracking patterns is adapted to be rotatably mounted relative to a tool guide (2) of the surgical GT robotic system so as to be moveable in rotation around a tool guide axis (X) normal to a reference plane (P), wherein each of said at least two tracking patterns defines a range of visibility substantially directed along a visibility axis, wherein an inclination relative to the reference plane (P) of the visibility axis of a first tracking pattern of the tracking assembly (1) is different from an inclination relative to the reference plane (P) of the visibility axis of a second tracking pattern of the tracking assembly (1).

Abstract: A method for managing a home gateway of a local area communication network. The gateway includes a plurality of components, called sensitive components. The network includes at least one communicating object able to be connected to the network via the gateway. The method includes acquiring at least one security rule relating to at least one interaction of the object with at least one of the components of the gateway; observing at least one interaction of the communicating object with at least one of the components of the gateway; and deciding, on the basis of the observation, on an action on the connected object.

Abstract: A method for managing a request to pair a first item of equipment with a second item of equipment is implemented by a device for managing a pairing request. The managing device is configured to communicate with the first item of equipment via an optical communication channel. The managing method includes: reception, via the optical communication channel, of a pairing request including data representative of the identity of the first item of equipment; and if the pairing request is authorized, transmission, via the optical communication channel, of a security key to the first item of equipment to be used during communications between the first item of equipment and the second item of equipment once the items of equipment have been paired.

Abstract: A device, as disclosed, may be suitable for use with a tomographic imager comprising an X-ray source and a plane detector that are movable in rotation. The device (e.g., radiopaque device) includes a registration phantom that includes several radiopaque markers and that is placeable along a part of the spine of a patient at a predetermined distance from a volume of interest to be imaged. Several radiopaque screens, integral with the registration phantom, include a lower face, an internal face oriented toward the registration phantom, and an external face oriented toward the X-ray source (410), respectively towards the detector. The radiopaque device is configured so that, when it is placed on the back of a patient, at least part of the X-rays that pass from the X-ray source to the plane detector through the registration phantom see their intensity attenuated by passing through the radiopaque screens.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining a safety criterion during an autonomous manipulation of a surgical tool (13) by a robotic system (1) to treat an anatomical structure (B) according to a planned trajectory (T3D) in a 3D image (I3D), said 3D image being registered with a patient tracker (30), and the robotic system (1) being servo-controlled on the movements of the patient tracker (30), the method comprising: a. acquiring at least one 2D X-ray image (I2D) containing the anatomical structure and the surgical tool by an X-ray imaging system (2), and for each at least one 2D X-ray acquisition: i. synchronously localizing the surgical tool and registering the 2D X-ray image (I2D) with the 3D image (I3D) in a region of interest around the anatomical structure, iii. generating a projection onto the 2D X-ray image (I2D) of a model of the surgical tool in its position relative to the 3D image computed in step (i) (‘projected localized position’), iv.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method and a data processing system for generating navigable images of at least one region of interest ROI of a patient for a fluoroscopy-based navigation system using an X-ray imaging system, a localization system and an imaging kit, said imaging kit being configured to allow images registration in a preferred referential and tracking of surgical tools.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for registration of 2D images of a region of interest of a patient, wherein the images are acquired using an X-ray imaging system and an imaging kit (1) comprising abase (2) and a registration phantom (3), wherein the method comprises the following steps: receiving a first (respectively second) set of 2D X-ray images of at least one first (respectively second) portion of a region of interest, said first and second sets of images comprising each at least two 2D images containing each at least one detectable radiopaque fiducial of the registration phantom (3); registering the first (respectively second) set of images in the coordinate system of the registration phantom in the first (respectively second) phantom fixation position; registering the first and second sets of 2D images in the coordinate system of the base.

Abstract: The invention relates to a system for determining an optimal position of a surgical instrument relative to a patient's bone tracker, the system comprising:—a medical imaging system configured to acquire at least one cone beam computed tomography intraoperative image of the patient;—a localization device;—a computer configured to receive images from the medical imaging system and localization data from the localization device and to implement the following method: the method comprising: ?(a) receiving at least one preoperative 2D X-ray image of the bone while the patient is in a position of interest; ?(b) acquiring an intraoperative 3D medical image of the bone by cone beam computed tomography while the patient is in an operative position different from the position of interest, the 3D image being registered with the coordinate system of the bone tracker; ?(c) registering the intraoperative 3D medical image onto the at least one preoperative 2D X-ray image, so as to obtain a registered 3D image representing th

Abstract: The invention relates to a surgical robotic system comprising a robotic arm (1) holding an end-effector (11) and a control unit (13) configured to controllably move the robotic arm and maintain the end-effector (11) in at least one target position relative to a patient, wherein the control unit is configured to: (i) based on a first input continuously applied by a user onto the robotic arm (1), activate a hand guiding mode wherein the robotic arm is freely movable by the user; (ii) based on a second input different from the first input, continuously applied by the user onto the robotic arm (1), activate a computed trajectory mode wherein the robotic arm moves to a target position according to a computed trajectory; (iii) when the computed trajectory is activated, detect that the end-effector (11) meets at least one predetermined safety condition and automatically switch to a servo-controlled mode wherein the robotic arm (1) is automatically movable to maintain the end-effector (11) in the target position rela

Abstract: A modular fluoro-navigation instrument including a base made of a substantially radiotransparent material. The base is intended to be rigidly secured to a patient's bone and a tracker rigidly attachable to the base. The instrument has a registration phantom separate from the tracker which includes a plurality of radiopaque fiducials. The base and the registration phantom includes respective attachment members for reproducibly attaching the registration phantom to the base.

Abstract: A fluoro-navigation system for navigating a tool relative to a medical image. The system includes a motorized X-ray imaging system for acquiring a plurality of images of a region of interest of a patient, the position of each image being known. Also included is a localization system, a registration phantom with a plurality of radiopaque fiducials, a tracker for being tracked by the localization system, a processor for receiving the plurality of images and for reconstructing a 3D medical image from the images using radiopaque fiducials visible in the plurality of images. Also included is base made of a substantially radiotransparent material, to be rigidly secured to a patient's bone and having a reproducible fixation system for attaching the registration phantom and/or tracker.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for minimally invasive attachment of a tracker (20) and/or a registration phantom (30) to a patient's bone, comprising a base (10) made of a substantially radiotransparent material, characterized in that the base (10) comprises: a support surface (11) intended to face the bone, a plurality of non-parallel through holes (14) for passing a respective percutaneous pin (2) through the base (10); at least one slot (15) extending from an edge of the base (10) in a direction transversal to the through holes (14), said slot (15) passing throughout the base (10) until the support surface (11) and being intended to engage a percutaneous pin (2) implanted into the patient's bone so as to allow the base (10) to slide along said pin (2); and a reproducible fixation system for attaching the tracker (20) and/or the registration phantom (30) to the base.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining a trajectory of a motorized X-ray imaging system for acquiring images of a patient to whom a phantom comprising radiopaque fiducials having a known spatial arrangement has been attached so as to be visible on at least one 2D image of a body region of interest acquired by the X-ray imaging system by acquiring one first 2D image of the phantom by the X-ray imaging system in a given position; detecting the fiducials of the phantom in the acquired first image; based on the detected fiducials, determining the position of the phantom in a referential of the X-ray imaging system; determining a set of positions of the X-ray imaging system configured to acquire a set of 2D X-ray images of the region of interest such that the set of 2D X-ray images complies with at least one imposed requirement on the position of the phantom relative to a part of the set of images and combining the set of determined positions to determine a trajectory of the X-ray imaging system with re

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for controlling movement of a motorized C-arm, comprising: receiving position information of a user (U) relative to the C-arm (1), continuously receiving current position information of the C-arm (1) relative to a reference position of the C-arm, from said current position information and from the position information of the user, computing a graphical representation of the current position of the C-arm according to the user's point of view, from the computed graphical representation of the current position of the C-arm, computing a graphical representation of at least one command button suited to the current position information of the C-arm and to the user's point of view to move the C-arm in a determined direction according to a respective degree of freedom, displaying on a control panel a graphical user interface (7) comprising said computed representation (70) of the current position of the C-arm and said at least one command button (710).

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining a trajectory of a motorized X-ray imaging system for acquiring images of a patient to whom a phantom (30) comprising radiopaque fiducials having a known spatial arrangement has been attached so as to be visible on at least one 2D image of a body region of interest acquired by the X-ray imaging system, the method comprising the following steps: acquiring one first 2D image of the phantom (30) by the X-ray imaging system in a given position; detecting the fiducials of the phantom (30) in said acquired first image; based on said detected fiducials, determining the position of the phantom in a referential of the X-ray imaging system; determining a set of positions of the X-ray imaging system adapted to acquire a set of 2D X-ray images of the region of interest such that said set of 2D X-ray images complies with at least one imposed requirement on the position of the phantom relative to a part of said set of images, combining said set of determined positions to

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for minimally invasive attachment of a tracker (20) and/or a registration phantom (30) to a patient's bone, comprising a base (10) made of a substantially radiotransparent material, characterized in that the base (10) comprises: a support surface (11) intended to face the bone, a plurality of non-parallel through holes (14) for passing a respective percutaneous pin (2) through the base (10); at least one slot (15) extending from an edge of the base (10) in a direction transversal to the through holes (14), said slot (15) passing throughout the base (10) until the support surface (11) and being intended to engage a percutaneous pin (2) implanted into the patient's bone so as to allow the base (10) to slide along said pin (2); and a reproducible fixation system for attaching the tracker (20) and/or the registration phantom (30) to the base.