Method and apparatus for concurrently displaying respective images representing real-time data and non-real-time data

• US 20020147389A1
• Filed: 11/06/2001
• Published: 10/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dragerwerk AG & Company KGaA (FPS Vermögensverwaltung GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Draeger Medical Systems Incorporated (FPS Vermögensverwaltung GmbH)
• Inventors: Cavallaro, Samuel, Ortlam, Dieter T.
• Granted Patent: US 6,793,625 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/339 Displays specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

A method and apparatus for concurrently displaying respective images representing real-time data and non-real-time data operates by receiving non-real-time data and receiving real-time data. A windowing operating system is executed for controlling the operation of an application program which is responsive to the non-real-time data, for conditioning a display device to display respective images representing the non-real-time data. A real-time display process is executed concurrently with, but independently from, the windowing operating system, for conditioning the display device to display respective images representing the real-time data concurrently with the display of the non-real-time data.

Claims

1. A system for concurrently displaying respective images representing real-time data and non-real-time data, comprising:

a source of signals representing real-time data;

a source of signals representing non-real-time data;

a display device for displaying images;

a processor, coupled to the real-time data source, the non-real-time data source and the display device, the processor;

executing a windowing operating system controlling the operation of an application program for receiving non-real-time data and conditioning the display device to display an image representing the non-real-time data; and

executing a real-time display process, independent of the execution of the operating system, for receiving the real-time data and conditioning the display device to display an image representing the real-time data concurrently with the display of the non-real-time data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the real-time data signal source is a network with a specified latency limit; and

the real-time display process receives the real-time data and displays the real-time data representative image within the specified latency limit.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the real-time display process operates as a single thread.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the real-time display process thread is assigned a priority higher than the application program.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein:

the windowing operating system provides a graphics display interface for conditioning the display device to display a specified image; and

the real-time display process thread provides instructions to the graphics display interface to display the real-time image.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the application program may malfunction such that the non-real-time data representative image obscures the real-time data representative image;

the system further comprises a source of user input signals; and

the processor, in response to a user input signal, reveals the real-time data representative image.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the user input signal source comprises a keyboard, and the user input signal comprises a key combination.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the user input signal source comprises a mouse, and the user input signal comprises a mouse click.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the windowing operating system maintains information relating to the availability of resources; and

the processor further executes a monitor process for monitoring the resource information and for taking corrective action if the resource information indicate that the availability of a resource is below a predetermined level.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the resource information maintained by the windowing operating system maintains comprises information related to:

memory resources;

system resources;

computer resources; and

process resources.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the corrective action taken by the processor comprises:

modifying execution parameters of the application program;

terminating the application program; and

sending a notification to the user.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of executing the real-time display process as a single thread.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of assigning the real-time display process thread a higher priority than the application program.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein

the windowing operating system execution step comprises the step of executing a graphics display interface to receive instructions for generating images;

and

the real-time display process execution step comprises the step of providing instructions to the graphics display interface to display the respective images representing the real-time data

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising the steps of, if the application program malfunctions such that the non-real-time data representative image obscure the real-time data representative image:

receiving user input data; and

revealing the real-time representative data in response to the user input data.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of receiving user input data comprises the step of receiving a key combination from a keyboard.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of receiving user input data comprises the step of receiving a mouse click from a mouse.

19. The method of claim 12 wherein:

the step of executing the windowing operating system comprises the step of maintaining information relating to the availability of resources; and

the method further comprises the step of;

executing a monitor process for monitoring the resource information; and

taking corrective action if the resource information indicates that the availability of a resource is below a predetermined level.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the step of monitoring the resource information comprises the steps of:

monitoring memory resources;

monitoring system resources;

monitoring computer resources; and

monitoring process resources.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the step of taking correcting action comprises the steps of:

modifying execution parameters of the application program;

terminating the application program; and

sending a notification to the user.

12. A method for concurrently displaying respective images representing real-time data and non-real-time data, comprising the steps of:

receiving non-real-time data;

receiving real-time data;

executing a windowing operating system for controlling the operation of an application program responsive to the non-real-time data, for conditioning a display device to display respective images representing the non-real-time data;

executing a real-time display process, independently of the windowing operating system, for conditioning the display device to display respective images representing the real-time data concurrently with the display of the non-real-time data.