A hand-held antenna system allows medical personnel to ascertain the presence or absence of objects (e.g., medical supplies) tagged with transponders in an environment in which medical procedures are performed. In use, the hand-held antenna system may be positioned proximate a patient at a time after a medical procedure, such as after child birth, so the system can scan the patient's body to determine the presence of objects tagged with transponders. The antenna system includes three antenna elements arranged mutually orthogonal to each other to transmit and receive signals in three coordinate directions. A controller is coupled to the antenna elements to transmit signals to the transponders and to receive response signals. The antenna system may operate in a static scan mode wherein the antenna system is held in a fixed position by a user and a dynamic scan mode wherein the antenna system is moved by a user.

An apparatus for self-generating power and a wireless switch applying same are provided. The apparatus includes a coil assembly and a permanent magnet assembly. In an initial state, left and right ends of a soft magnetic plate come into contact with a first permanent magnet and a second upper soft magnetic plate respectively to form a first closed magnetic circuit, when the soft magnetic plate is rotated relative to the permanent magnet assembly, the left and the ends of the soft magnetic plate come into contact with a first upper soft magnetic plate and a second permanent magnet respectively to form a second closed magnetic circuit, and a direction of a magnetic line of force passing through the soft magnetic plate in the first closed magnetic circuit is opposite to that of a magnetic line of force passing through the soft magnetic plate in the second closed magnetic circuit.

Disclosed is a compact 3-axis coil design for a magnetic tracking system. In an embodiment, compactness is achieved by using a 3-axis coil in the transmitter that includes a scaffold design with a side surface having a curved groove for guiding one or more windings of a z-axis coil, such that the physical geometry is not increased.

Embodiments of an apparatus that includes a substrate and an inductor residing in the substrate are disclosed. In one embodiment, the inductor is formed as a conductive path that extends from a first terminal to a second terminal. The conductive path has a shape corresponding to a two-dimensional (2D) lobe laid over a three-dimensional (3D) volume. Since the shape of the conductive path corresponds to the 2D lobe laid over a 3D volume, the magnetic field generated by the inductor has magnetic field lines that are predominately destructive outside the inductor and magnetic field lines that are predominately constructive inside the inductor. In this manner, the inductor can maintain a high quality (Q) factor while being placed close to other components.

Provided is a sensor chip including: a board; a three-dimensional object provided on the board, the three-dimensional object being a cuboid or a cube having a first surface and a second surface facing the first surface and including an insulating material; a first coil provided on the first surface; a second coil provided on the second surface, the second coil being electrically connected to the first coil; and a magnetic measurement element provided in the three-dimensional object. Directions of magnetic fields generated in the first coil and the second coil by current for electrically conducting the first coil and the second coil are the same.

An electromagnetic tracking system includes a magnetic transmitter configured to output magnetic fields, a receiver responsive to the magnetic fields, an electronics assembly having conductive elements that cause distortion to the magnetic fields, and an output mechanism configured to output a position of the receiver relative to the magnetic transmitter, wherein the magnetic transmitter has at least one winding disposed around a hollow ferromagnetic core comprised of conductive material through which current is made to flow by the electronics, wherein the electronics assembly is at least partially contained within the hollow portion of the hollow ferromagnetic core. Methods of manufacturing include shaping walls into a hollow shell to surround an electronics assembly, covering the hollow shell with ferromagnetic material, inserting the wrapped hollow shell into a plastic bobbin, and winding the plastic bobbin with coil wire to produce three orthogonal windings.

A power transmitting device for a contactless power supply, can include: a power transmitting antenna having a plurality of transmitting coils; where each of the plurality of transmitting coils comprises a coil turn or a plurality of concentric coil turns with a substantially coplanar setting and having a coil surface; where an axis of each of the plurality of transmitting coils is axially perpendicular to the power transmitting antenna; and where the axis of each of the plurality of transmitting coils forms a predetermined angle with respect to each other.

An instrument manipulator and a robotic surgical system including an instrument manipulator are provided. In one embodiment, an instrument manipulator includes a plurality of independent actuator drive modules, each of the plurality of actuator drive modules including an actuator output, wherein each of the actuator outputs are configured to independently actuate a corresponding actuator input of a surgical instrument without force input from another actuator output. The instrument manipulator further includes a frame housing the plurality of independent actuator drive modules, the frame including a distal end from which each of the actuator outputs distally protrude for engaging the corresponding actuator inputs of the surgical instrument.

In various specific embodiments, a localizer can include a plurality of coil groups, where each coil group includes three coils that are formed around a single center. Each of the three coils can be formed around separate jigs and the jigs can be interconnected to form the coil group. The jigs need not be annular, but may be formed in any appropriate configuration of shape or geometry for forming the final coil group.

An electromagnetic tracking system includes a magnetic transmitter configured to output magnetic fields, a receiver responsive to the magnetic fields, an electronics assembly having conductive elements that cause distortion to the magnetic fields, and an output mechanism configured to output a position of the receiver relative to the magnetic transmitter, wherein the magnetic transmitter has at least one winding disposed around a hollow ferromagnetic core comprised of conductive material through which current is made to flow by the electronics, wherein the electronics assembly is at least partially contained within the hollow portion of the hollow ferromagnetic core. Methods of manufacturing include shaping walls into a hollow shell to surround an electronics assembly, covering the hollow shell with ferromagnetic material, inserting the wrapped hollow shell into a plastic bobbin, and winding the plastic bobbin with coil wire to produce three orthogonal windings.