Orthopedic surgical robots utilize near-infrared (NIR) optical locators to enable precise navigation during operations. Markers are crucial in the locator system, capturing the positions and orientations of surgical instruments and patients during operation. While spherical markers can be easily detected, they are less robust owing to limited feature points. In contrast, planar markers offer more feature points and greater resistance to occlusion. However, the demanding nature of orthopedic surgeries necessitates specific requirements for NIR-based planar markers, such as size, illumination, weight, and heat dissipation. To address these challenges, we designed an edge-lit NIR calibration board (300 mm × 300 mm) to calibrate the constructed NIR camera, with its effectiveness validated through extensive experimental studies. Based on the fundamental design data obtained from the designed edge-lit NIR calibration board, and considering the luminous flux density and the available 12 V battery on the market, we proposed an edge-lit active NIR planar marker with dimensions of 70 mm × 60 mm and equipped with eight LEDs (1.5 V, 0.085 W each). The experiential data illustrates the max relative standard deviation are around 0.93% and 0.78% for the measurement precision subjected to 10 mm × 10 mm square (5 × 5 squares) with 16 and 36 feature points, respectively. Further, we validated the following from the experimental results: (1) A 12 V 1000 mAh alkaline battery has an autonomy of approximately 16 h for the eight NIR LEDs. (2) The total heat energy conversion of 0.408 W for the marker is within acceptable limits for use in an operation room. (3) The total weight of approximately 21.6 g, including the planar marker and the selected battery, is manageable. Therefore, the designed edge-lit active NIR planar marker presents a viable option for integration into the locator system of orthopedic surgical robots.

骨科手术机器人利用近红外 (NIR) 光学定位器在手术过程中实现精确导航。标记在定位系统中至关重要，可在手术过程中捕获手术器械和患者的位置和方向。虽然球形标记很容易被检测到，但由于特征点有限，它们的鲁棒性较差。相比之下，平面标记提供更多的特征点和更强的抗遮挡能力。然而，整形外科手术的要求很高，因此需要对基于近红外的平面标记提出特定的要求，例如尺寸、照明、重量和散热。为了应对这些挑战，我们设计了侧光式近红外校准板（300 mm × 300 mm）来校准构建的近红外相机，其有效性通过大量实验研究得到验证。基于从设计的侧光式近红外校准板获得的基本设计数据，并考虑光通量密度和市场上可用的12V电池，我们提出了一种尺寸为70毫米×60的侧光式有源近红外平面标记毫米，配备八个 LED（每个 1.5 V，0.085 W）。经验数据表明，10 mm × 10 mm 方形（5 × 5 方形）、16 个和 36 个特征点的测量精度最大相对标准偏差分别约为 0.93% 和 0.78%。此外，我们还根据实验结果验证了以下内容：(1) 12 V 1000 mAh 碱性电池可为八个 NIR LED 提供大约 16 小时的续航时间。 (2) 标记器的总热能转换为 0.408 W，在手术室使用的可接受限度内。 (3) 包括平面标记和所选电池在内的总重量约为 21.6 克，易于控制。 因此，设计的侧光式主动近红外平面标记为集成到骨科手术机器人的定位系统中提供了可行的选择。