System and method for displaying input data on a remote display device

• US 20120044086A1
• Filed: 08/05/2011
• Published: 02/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Inventors: Ruther, Timothy G., Lattanzi, Ronald A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,754,779 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/870.02
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2205/02 using a vehicle scan tool
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction

Abstract

A system comprising multiple devices that are operable when servicing a device-under service is described. A DAQ device is operable to generate input data from input signals received from the device-under-service and to transmit the input data to a display device via a wireless network. The DAQ device comprises multiple buffers to store the input data. One of the buffers stores two frames of the input data, which can be live input data or historical input data. At any one time, a display at the display device visually presents one frame of input data for each respective input channel of the DAQ device. At any one time, a display at the DAQ device visually presents a half-frame of input data for each respective input channel of the DAQ device. Another buffer at the DAQ device can store more than two frames of input data including historical input data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating first input data from a first input signal received at a data acquisition (DAQ) device, wherein generating the first input data comprises repeatedly generating input data from a respective most-recently received portion of the first input signal, wherein the DAQ device comprises a first buffer that is operable to store two frames of the first input data, wherein the DAQ device comprises a first display for displaying at least a half-frame of the first input data, and wherein the DAQ device is operable in a first display mode and in a second display mode;

wherein, while the DAQ device is operating in the first display mode or the second display mode, repeatedly updating the first buffer to store two frames of first input data, generated from the most-recently received portion of the first input signal, instead of any other generated first input data;

wherein, while the DAQ device is operating in the first display mode, the DAQ device repeatedly providing the first display with at least a half-frame portion of the two frames of first input data stored in the first buffer; and

wherein, while the DAQ device is operating in the second display mode, the DAQ device repeatedly receiving, via a wireless network, a respective request to transmit live data to a remote display device and the DAQ device responsively transmitting, via the wireless network, a respective one frame portion of the two frames of first input data stored in the first buffer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating second input data from a second input signal received at the DAQ device, wherein generating the second input data comprises repeatedly generating input data from a respective most-recently received portion of the second input signal, wherein the first buffer is operable to store two frames of the second input data, and wherein the first display is operable to display at least a half-frame of the second input data;

wherein, while the DAQ device is operating in the first display mode or the second display mode, repeatedly updating the first buffer to store two frames of second input data, generated from the most-recently received portion of the second input signal, instead of any other generated second input data;

wherein, while the DAQ device is operating in the first display mode, the DAQ device repeatedly providing the first display with at least a half-frame portion of the two frames of second input data stored in the first buffer; and

wherein, while the DAQ device is operating in the second display mode, in response to the DAQ device repeatedly receiving, via a wireless network, the respective request to transmit live data to the remote display device, the DAQ device transmitting, via the wireless network, a respective one frame portion of the two frames of second input data stored in the first buffer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first input signal received at the DAQ device is received at a first input channel of the DAQ device and wherein the second input signal received at the DAQ device is received at a second input channel of the DAQ device.

4. The method of claim 2,

wherein each frame of the first input data comprises a given number of data bytes,

wherein each frame of the second input data comprises the given number of data bytes,

wherein each half-frame portion of the two frames of first input data stored in the first buffer comprises one half the given number of data bytes,

wherein each one frame portion of the two frames of first input data and each one frame portion of the two frames of second input data comprise the given number of data bytes.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the given number of data bytes is 580 data bytes.

6. The method of claim 2,

wherein a given two frames of first input data stored in the first buffer comprise a first frame of input data and a second frame of input data,

wherein a given two frames of second input data, stored in the first buffer at the same time the given two frames of first input data are stored in the first buffer, comprise a third frame of input data and a fourth frame of input data,

wherein the second frame of input data and the fourth frame of input data follow the first frame of input data and the third frame of input data,

wherein the first buffer comprises a trigger point located after a last byte of the first frame of input data and a last byte of the third frame of input data and prior to a first byte of the second frame of input data and a first byte of the fourth frame of input data,

wherein, when the given two frames of first input data are stored in the first buffer, providing the first display with the at least a half-frame portion of the two frames of first input data comprises providing the first display with a quarter-frame portion of the first frame of input data closest to the trigger point and a quarter-frame portion of the second frame of input data closest to the trigger point, and

wherein, when the given two frames of second input data are stored in the first buffer, providing the first display with the at least a half-frame portion of the two frames of second input data comprises providing the first display with a quarter-frame portion of the third frame of input data closest to the trigger point and a quarter-frame portion of the fourth frame of input data closest to the trigger point.

7. The method of claim 6,

wherein the first frame of input data is interleaved with the third frame of input data and the second frame of input data is interleaved with the fourth frame of input data.

8. The method of claim 2,

wherein each at least a half-frame portion of the two frames of first input data stored in the first buffer does not exceed one half frame of the first input data, and

wherein each at least a half-frame portion of the two frames of second input data stored in the first buffer does not exceed one half-frame of the second input data.

9. The method of claim 1,

wherein the DAQ device comprises a second buffer for storing historical first input data,

wherein the historical first input data comprises the first input data generated from portions of the first input signal received at the DAQ device prior to the most-recently received portion of the first input signal,

wherein the DAQ device is operable in a third display mode and in a fourth display mode,

wherein, while the DAQ device is operating in the third display mode and the fourth display mode, repeatedly updating the first buffer to store two frames of the historical first input data stored in the second buffer instead of any other generated first input data,

herein, while the DAQ device is operating in the third display mode, the DAQ device repeatedly providing the first display with at least a half-frame portion of the two frames of historical first input data stored in the first buffer,

wherein, while the DAQ device is operating in the fourth display mode, in response to the DAQ device repeatedly receiving, via the wireless network, a respective request to transmit historical data to the remote display device and the DAQ device responsively transmitting, via the wireless network, a respective one frame portion of the two frames of historical first input data stored in the first buffer,

wherein, at any given time, the DAQ device operates in only one of the first display mode, the second display mode, the third display mode, and the fourth display mode.

10. The method of claim 9,

wherein the second buffer is operable to store historical second input data,

wherein the historical second input data comprises the second input data generated from portions of the second input signal received at the DAQ device prior to the most-recently received portion of the second input signal,

wherein, while the DAQ device is operating in the third display mode and the fourth display mode, repeatedly updating the first buffer to store two frames of the historical second input data stored in the second buffer instead of any other generated second input data,

wherein, while the DAQ device is operating in the third display mode, the DAQ device repeatedly providing the first display with at least a half-frame portion of the two frames of historical second input data stored in the first buffer, and

wherein, while the DAQ device is operating in the fourth display mode, in response to the DAQ device repeatedly receiving, via the wireless network, the respective request to transmit historical data to the remote display device and the DAQ device responsively transmitting, via the wireless network, a respective one frame portion of the two frames of historical second input data stored in the first buffer.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

the DAQ device receiving a first user input entered via a user interface of the DAQ device and responsively causing the DAQ device to operate in a fifth display mode,

wherein operating in the fifth display mode comprises repeatedly displaying at least a half-frame portion of the historical first input data stored in the first buffer and at least a half-frame portion of the historical second input data stored in the first buffer.

12. A data acquisition (DAQ) device comprising:

one or more input channels operable to receive input signals from a device-under-service;

a first buffer operable to store more than two frames of historical input data generated from the input signals received at the one or more input channels;

a second buffer operable to store, for each input channel of the one or more input channels, two frames of live input data generated at the DAQ device or two frames of historical input data stored in the first buffer;

a first display operable to visually present input data generated at the DAQ device, wherein, when the first display visually presents the input data, the first display visually presents, for one or more input channels of the DAQ device, at least a half-frame portion of the input data stored in the second buffer; and

a wireless transceiver operable to receive a request for input data, wherein the request for input data is transmitted to the wireless transceiver from a display device comprising a second display operable to visually present input data generated at the DAQ device, and wherein the wireless transceiver is operable to transmit, to the display device, a respective one-frame portion of input data for one or more of the input channels of the DAQ device.

13. The DAQ device of claim 12, further comprising:

a third buffer operable to store the respective one-frame portions of input data for the one or more of the input channels of the DAQ device prior to transmission of the respective one-frame portions of input data to the display device.

14. The DAQ device of claim 12, wherein the live input data or the historical input data stored in the first buffer is interleaved.

15. The DAQ device of claim 12,

wherein first frames of the live input data or the historical input data are stored in a first portion of the first buffer,

wherein second frames of the live input data or the historical input data are stored in a second portion of the first buffer,

wherein a point within the first buffer is designated as a trigger point that identifies starting point of each respective one-frame portion of input data, and

wherein the request for input data comprises an offset to adjust the designated trigger point.

16. The DAQ device of claim 15,

wherein the point within the first buffer comprises a point between the first portion of the first buffer and the second portion of the first buffer.

17. The DAQ device of claim 12,

wherein the request for the input data comprises a field that identifies historical input data is being requested,

wherein, in response to historical input data being requested, two frames of historical data from the second buffer are stored into the first buffer and a one-frame portion of the historical data stored in the first buffer is provided to the wireless transceiver for transmission to the display device.

18. The DAQ device of claim 12,

wherein, while the first buffer contains two given frames of historical input data for each input channel of the DAQ device, the wireless transceiver is operable to receive another request for input data,

wherein the other request for input data is transmitted to the wireless transceiver from the display device,

wherein the other request for input data comprises a request for previous historical input data or next historical input data,

wherein if the other request comprise a request for previous historical input data, the first buffer receives from the second buffer two frames of historical input data generated for each input channel of the DAQ device prior to generation of the two given frames of historical input data for each input channel, and the wireless transceiver transmits, to the display device, a respective one-frame portion of the historical input data generated for each input channel of the DAQ device prior to generation of the two given frames of historical input data for each input channel, and

wherein if the other request comprises a request for next historical input data, the first buffer receives from the second buffer two frames of historical input data generated for each input channel of the DAQ device immediately after generation of the two given frames of historical input data for each input channel, and the wireless transceiver transmits, to the display device, a respective one-frame portion of the historical input data generated for each input channel of the DAQ device immediately after generation of the two given frames of historical input data for each input channel.

19. A display system comprising:

a display device operable to visually present input data;

a wireless transceiver operable to transmit from the display device a request for the input data to a data acquisition (DAQ) device via a wireless network, wherein the wireless transceiver is operable to receive the input data from the DAQ device via the wireless network; and

a user interface operable to receive a selection of whether the requested input data is live input data or historical input data,

wherein, when the display device operates to visually present the input data, the display device visually presents one frame of input data for one or more input channels at the DAQ device, and

wherein, when the DAQ device operates to visually present input data, a display at the DAQ device visually presents at least a half frame of input data for one or more of the input channels at the DAQ device.

20. The display system of claim 19,

wherein the request for the input data identifies an offset for determining which one or more one-frame portions of a buffer at the DAQ device is to be transmitted to the display device in response to the request for the input data, and

wherein the buffer comprises storage capacity for storing two frames of input data for each of the one or more input channels at the DAQ device.

21. The display system of claim 20,

wherein, if the selection of whether the input data is live input data or historical data comprises a selection of historical input data, the user interface is further operable to receive a selection to request a previous frame of historical input data or a next frame of historical input data, and

wherein the request for input data further comprises data identifying the selection to request a previous frame of historical input data or a next frame of historical input data.

22. The display system of claim 19,

wherein the at least a half frame of input data visually presented via the display at the DAQ device does not exceed one half frame of the input data.

23. The display system of claim 19,

wherein the request for the input data comprises a single request for multiple frames of data from a particular input channel of the one or more input channels at the DAQ device,

wherein the input data received by the wireless transceiver comprises the multiple frames of data from the particular input channel, and

wherein the display device further comprises:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable data storage device comprising computer-readable program instructions executable by the processor to compress the received multiple frames of data from the particular input channel into one frame of input data for the particular input channel to be displayed via the display device.

24. The display system of claim 19,

wherein the received multiple frames of data are stored within the data storage device,

wherein the processor is operable to execute the computer-readable program instructions to compress at least a portion of the multiple frames of data stored within the data storage device at multiple zoom levels ranging from 2 frames to a quantity of the multiple received frames, and

wherein the compressed frames for each of the multiple zoom levels are displayed as one frame on the display device.