Multi-priority messaging
AssigneeIntuitive Surgical, Inc.
InventorsMichael B. Druke, Philip L. Graves, Theodore C. Walker
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods, systems, and computer program products for transmitting first-priority data and second-priority data. The first-priority data and second-priority data are stored in separate data buffers, and the first-priority data is transmitted preferentially over the second-priority data.
Claims23
A robot-assisted surgical system comprising:
- a programmable processor operable to execute instructions;
- a first data buffer coupled to the programmable processor, the programmable processor being operable to transfer first-priority data to the first data buffer responsive to the instructions, the first data buffer being for use with only the first-priority data;
- a second data buffer coupled to the programmable processor, the programmable processor being operable to transfer second-priority data to the second data buffer responsive to the instructions, the second data buffer being for use with only the second-priority data;
- a data link;
- and
- transmission logic coupled to the first and second buffers and to the data link, the transmission logic being operable to transmit the first-priority data preferentially over the second-priority data over the data link in accordance with a messaging protocol.
A method comprising:
- providing a robot-assisted surgical system that includes a plurality of nodes, the plurality of nodes including at least a transmit node coupled by a data link to a receive node, and at the transmit node:
- generating first-priority data and second-priority data;
- placing the first-priority data in a first data buffer, the first data buffer being for use with only first-priority data;
- placing the second-priority data in a second data buffer, the second data buffer being for use with only second-priority data;
- and
- transmitting the first-priority data and the second-priority data from the first and second data buffers over the data link, the first-priority data being transmitted preferentially over the second-priority data.
A computer program product, tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium included in a transmit node of a robot-assisted surgical system, the transmit node coupled by a data link to a receive node, the computer-readable medium comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to perform the operations of:
- generating first-priority data and second-priority data;
- placing the first-priority data in a first data buffer, the first data buffer being for use with only first-priority data;
- placing the second-priority data in a second data buffer, the second data buffer being for use with only second-priority data;
- and
- transmitting the first-priority data and the second-priority data from the first and second data buffers over a same data link, the first-priority data being transmitted preferentially over the second-priority data.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.