Arrangement and method for spatial visualization

A graphics master module comprising:

• an external input unit;
• at least one signal input adapted to receive signals therefrom;
• a first message interface which is adapted to send and receive digitally encoded messages;
• a first random access memory for receiving at least one scene graphics data file which defines objects and/or events which can be represented in an image and which associates object and event parameter values with the objects and/or events respectively;
• image parameter computation means which are connected to the first random access memory and the signal input and to the message interface and which are adapted to compute object and/or event parameter values of the first scene graphics data file in dependence on the current object and/or event parameter values thereof and the current state of the signal input;
• and
• master control means which are connected to the image computation means and the message interface and which are adapted to produce and send a first message by way of the first message interface, wherein the first message contains at least a part of the computed object and/or event parameter values.

A graphics client module comprising

• a second message interface which is adapted to send and receive digitally encoded data;
• a second random access memory for receiving at least one second scene graphics data file which defines objects and/or events which can be represented in an image and associates object or event parameter values with the objects and/or events respectively;
• an image data output, and
• image data computation means which are connected to the second message interface and the second data memory and are adapted to store the object and/or event parameter values received at the second message interface in the second scene graphics data file, to produce image data of an image in dependence on current object and/or event parameter values of the second scene graphics data file, to output the produced image data at the image data output, client control means which are connected to the message interface and to the image data computation means and which are adapted to produce and send a second message to the graphics master unit by way of the second message interface which signals the conclusion of image data computation of the image.

An image switching module comprising:

• at least one first and at least one second image data input;
• an image data output, associated with each pair of first and second image data inputs;
• a first and a second image data intermediate memory which is associated with the first and the second image data input respectively, which is connected on an input side to the first and second image data input respectively and adapted to store image data and to output stored image data by way of the associated image data output in response to a first and a second control signal respectively;
• a switching control unit having a signal output by way of which it is connected to the first and the second image data intermediate memories and which is adapted to produce and deliver the first and second control signals in alternate sequence at a predeterminable signal delivery frequency.

A method of synchronously computing and outputting image data of at least two partial images of an image, in which the partial images are cyclically re-computed in the form of digital partial image data in dependence on image parameter values and/or current input signals and the partial image data are outputted after each computation cycle, characterized in that at the same time a master process and for each partial image a respective client process are executed,

• wherein the master process comprises the following steps:
• recomputing image parameter values in dependence on existing image parameter values and/or current input signals;
• sending at least a part of the re-computed image parameter values to all client processes;
• waiting to receive readiness signals from all client processes, and
• the respective client process comprises the following steps:
• receiving the re-computed image parameter values from the master process, after reception of the image parameter values computation of the respective partial image in the form of digitally encoded image data,
• sending a respective readiness signal to the master process, and outputting the respective partial image.