Method and system for dynamic image processing

• US 8,793,301 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2007
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AGFA Healthcare NV (Agfa-Gevaert N.V.)
• Original Assignee: AGFA Healthcare NV (Agfa-Gevaert N.V.)
• Inventors: Wegenkittl, Rainer, Dennison, Donald K., Potwarka, John J., Mroz, Lukas, Kanitsar, Armin, Zeilinger, Gunter
• Primary Examiner(s): Moise, Emmanuel L
• Assistant Examiner(s): DRABIK, SARAH E
• Application Number:
  US11/944,220
• Publication Number:
  US 20090138544A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,442 Days
• Field of Search: 709201-203, 709/219, 709/246
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5083 Techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/20 Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/16 involving adaptation to the client's capabilities

Abstract

A method of processing an image wherein one or more processing functions are executed. Firstly, the steps involved in the one or more processing functions are determined where each of the one or more processing functions can include one or more processing steps. Secondly, the resource requirements associated with each of the processing functions are determined. The resource availability for the one or more resource requirements on a client is determined. Thirdly, and finally, each of the one or more processing functions are selectively allocated to the at least one of the client and the server in the case where the client does not have the required resource availability.

Claims

1. A method of processing an image wherein two or more processing functions are executed, the method comprising:

determining a plurality of steps involved in the two or more processing functions wherein each of the two or more processing functions may comprise one or more processing steps and wherein executing the two or more processing functions to process the image generates a resultant image;

determining one or more resource requirements associated with each of the two or more processing functions;

determining a resource availability upon a client device for each of the one or more resource requirements, the client device comprising means for displaying the resultant image and means for a user to engage with the displayed resultant image;

assigning a weighting factor to each of the resource requirements based on the resource availability upon the client device for each of the one or more resource requirements, the weighting factor identifying one of;

the processing function associated with the resource requirement cannot be performed with the determined resource availability for the resource requirement, the processing function associated with the resource requirement can be performed with the determined resource availability for the resource requirement, or the processing function associated with the resource requirement can optionally be performed with the determined resource availability for the resource requirement; and

during processing of the image, a processor dynamically selectively allocating each of the two or more processing functions to the client device and a server depending on the determined resource availability and the weighting factor for any of the one or more resource requirements;

wherein if the weighting factor for any of the one or more resource requirements associated with one of the one or more processing functions identifies that the processing function cannot be performed with the determined resource availability for the resource requirement, then the processing function is allocated to the server; and

wherein if any two of the two or more processing functions are executed first on the client device and second on the server, the client device is operable to pass output data generated by the processing function executed on the client device to the processing function executed on the server.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the two or more processing functions are executed sequentially to process the image.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more resource requirements are determined based on data associated with the image.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more resource requirements may be selected from a group comprising:

hardware requirements, memory requirements, processor requirements, network requirements and available renderers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more resource requirements comprise specialized hardware requirements, wherein the specialized hardware requirements may be selected from a group comprising:

graphics processor and cell processor.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium upon which a plurality of instructions executable by a processor are stored, the instructions for performing the steps of:

determining a plurality of steps involved in two or more processing functions for processing an image wherein each of the two or more processing functions may comprise one or more processing steps and wherein executing the two or more processing functions to process the image generates a resultant image;

determining one or more resource requirements associated with each of the two or more processing functions;

determining a resource availability upon a client device for each of the one or more resource requirements, the client device comprising means for displaying the resultant image and means for a user to engage with the displayed resultant image;

assigning a weighting factor to each of the resource requirements based on the resource availability upon the client device for each of the one or more resource requirements, the weighting factor identifying one of;

the processing function associated with the resource requirement cannot be performed with the determined resource availability for the resource requirement, the processing function associated with the resource requirement can be performed with the determined resource availability for the resource requirement, or the processing function associated with the resource requirement can optionally be performed with the determined resource availability for the resource requirement; and

during processing of the image, dynamically selectively allocating each of the two or more processing functions to the client device and a server depending on the determined resource availability and the weighting factor for any of the one or more resource requirements;

wherein if the weighting factor for any of the one or more resource requirements associated with one of the one or more processing functions identifies that the processing function cannot be performed with the determined resource availability for the resource requirement, then the processing function is allocated to the server; and

wherein if any two of the two or more processing functions are executed first on the client device and second on the server, the client device is operable to pass output data generated by the processing function executed on the client device to the processing function executed on the server.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the one or more resource requirements comprise specialized hardware requirements, wherein the specialized hardware requirements may be selected from a group comprising:

graphics processor and cell processor.

8. A system for processing an image, wherein two or more processing functions are executed, the system comprising:

a memory for storing a plurality of instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory, said processor configured for;

determining a plurality of steps involved in the two or more processing functions wherein each of the two or more processing functions may comprise one or more processing steps and wherein executing the two or more processing functions to process the image generates a resultant image;

determining one or more resource requirements associated with each of the two or more processing functions;

determining a resource availability upon a client device for each of the one or more resource requirements, the client device comprising means for displaying the resultant image and means for a user to engage with the displayed resultant image;

assigning a weighting factor to each of the resource requirements based on the resource availability upon the client device for each of the one or more resource requirements, the weighting factor identifying one of;

the processing function associated with the resource requirement cannot be performed with the determined resource availability for the resource requirement, the processing function associated with the resource requirement can be performed with the determined resource availability for the resource requirement, or the processing function associated with the resource requirement can optionally be performed with the determined resource availability for the resource requirement; and

during processing of the image, dynamically selectively allocating each of the two or more processing functions to the client device and a server depending on the determined resource availability and the weighting factor for any of the one or more resource requirements;

wherein if the weighting factor for any of the one or more resource requirements associated with one of the one or more processing functions identifies that the processing function cannot be performed with the determined resource availability for the resource requirement, then the processing function is allocated to the server; and

wherein if any two of the two or more processing functions are executed first on the client device and second on the server, the client device is operable to pass output data generated by the processing function executed on the client device to the processing function executed on the server.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the two or more processing functions are executed sequentially to process the image.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the one or more resource requirements are determined based on data associated with the image.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the one or more resource requirements, may be selected from a group comprising:

hardware requirements, memory requirements, processor requirements, network requirements and available renderers.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more resource requirements comprise specialized hardware requirements, wherein the specialized hardware requirements may be selected from a group comprising:

graphics processor and cell processor.