CONSISTENCY STUDY OF POSITION TRACKER FOR ULTRASOUND IMAGING

Abstract

This paper presents a hybrid-manipulator position tracking system for ultrasound imaging and a consistency study of the tracker system. The aim of the study is to see the consistency and accuracy of the proposed position tracker in order to apply it in ultrasound imaging. The experiment is performed by using ABB Robot as the reference path where the position tracker is attached as end effector to an ABB Robot. The ABB Robot is programmed to move in linear direction and the experiment is repeated for five times. The result showed that, each joint gives consistent reading for all experiments. However, there is a small vibration on the Z-axis data and inaccuracy of the reading for X-Y axis, due to the structural damping effect and inconsistency of the inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor. The consistency proved the capability of the position tracker to give consistent positional data without any mechanical or interference problems, hence possible to be used in ultrasound imaging.