US 5,630,101 A · System for communication of image information between multiple-protocol imaging devices

Abstract

A medical imaging system for communicating image information between a plurality of different input imaging devices having different input protocols and a plurality of different output imaging devices having different output protocols takes advantage of a reusable software architecture having a plurality of functionally independent components. The individual components can be configured in a communication pipeline to communicate image information between an input imaging device and an output imaging device according to desired protocols. Each component can be interchanged with a differently configured component to facilitate communication of image information according to a different protocol, thereby reconfiguring the pipeline to achieve significant flexibility. Moreover, the software architecture is scalable to produce a plurality of communication pipelines, each of which can be configured according to desired protocols. Thus, the system of the present invention can support a different protocol by either swapping components to reconfigure a single communication pipeline, or by simply selecting an alternative among a plurality of differently configured communication pipelines in the scalable architecture. Because each of the components is isolated and functionally independent, if redesign of a component is necessary, several programmers can be allocated to the effort with little added overhead, saving time and expense. The modularity of the architecture also enables necessary modifications or corrections to be made to a single component with little impact to the overall system.

Claims32

Dependent claims

A software system for communicating image information between at least one of a plurality of different input imaging devices and at least one of a plurality of different output imaging devices, said software system comprising:

one or more input driver components, each of said input driver components being configured to receive image information from one of said input imaging devices, said image information being received according to one of a plurality of different input driver protocols, wherein each of said input driver protocols is specifically associated with one of said input imaging devices;
one or more input interpreter components, each of said input interpreter components being configured to generate first imaging requests based on the image information received by one of said input driver components, said first imaging requests being generated according to one of a plurality of different input interpreter protocols, wherein each of said input interpreter protocols is specifically associated with one of said input imaging devices;
one or more output interpreter components, each of said output interpreter components being configured to generate second imaging requests based on the first imaging requests generated by one of said input interpreter components, said second imaging requests being generated according to one of a plurality of different output interpreter protocols, wherein each of said output interpreter protocols is specifically associated with one of said output imaging devices;
one or more output driver components, each of said output driver components being configured to communicate the second imaging requests generated by one of said output interpreter components to one of said output imaging devices, said second imaging requests being communicated according to one of a plurality of different output driver protocols, wherein each of said output driver protocols is specifically associated with one of said output imaging devices;
and
an interface executive component for defining one or more communication pipelines, each of said pipelines communicatively interconnecting one of said input imaging devices, one of said input driver components, one of said input interpreter components, one of said output interpreter components, one of said output driver components, and one of said output imaging devices.

3 more elements

An imaging system having a software system for communicating image information between at least one of a plurality of different input imaging devices and at least one of a plurality of different output imaging devices, said imaging system comprising:

one or more input driver components, each of said input driver components being configured to receive image information from one of said input imaging devices, said image information being received according to one of a plurality of different input driver protocols, wherein each of said input driver protocols is specifically associated with one of said input imaging devices;
one or more input interpreter components, each of said input interpreter components being configured to generate first imaging requests based on the image information received by one of said input driver components, said first imaging requests being generated according to one of a plurality of different input interpreter protocols, wherein each of said input interpreter protocols is specifically associated with one of said input imaging devices;
one or more output interpreter components, each of said output interpreter components being configured to generate second imaging requests based on the first imaging requests generated by one of said input interpreter components, said second imaging requests being generated according to one of a plurality of different output interpreter protocols, wherein each of said output interpreter protocols is specifically associated with one of said output imaging devices;
one or more output driver components, each of said output driver components being configured to communicate the second imaging requests generated by one of said output interpreter components to one of said output imaging devices, said second imaging requests being communicated according to one of a plurality of different output driver protocols, wherein each of said output driver protocols is specifically associated with one of said output imaging devices;
and
an interface executive component for defining one or more communication pipelines, each of said pipelines communicatively interconnecting one of said input imaging devices, one of said input driver components, one of said input interpreter components, one of said output interpreter components, one of said output driver components, and one of said output imaging devices.

3 more elements

one or more input interface components, each of said input interface components being configured to receive image information from one of said input imaging devices, said image information being received according to one of a plurality of different input interface protocols, wherein each of said input interface protocols is specifically associated with one of said input imaging devices, and to generate first imaging requests based on the received image information, said first imaging requests being generated according to said one of said input interface protocols;
one or more output interface components, each of said output interface components being configured to generate second imaging requests based on the first imaging requests generated by one of said input interface components, said second imaging requests being generated according to one of a plurality of different output interface protocols, wherein each of said output interface protocols is specifically associated with one of said output imaging devices, and to communicate the second imaging requests generated by one of said output interface components to one of said output imaging devices, said second imaging requests being communicated according to said one of said output interface protocols;
and
an interface executive component for defining one or more communication pipelines, each of said pipelines communicatively interconnecting one of said input imaging devices, one of said input interface components, one of said output interface components, and one of said output imaging devices.

1 more element

one or more input interface components, each of said input interface components being configured to receive image information from one of said input imaging devices, said image information being received according to one of a plurality of different input interface protocols, wherein each of said input interface protocols is specifically associated with one of said input imaging devices, and to generate first imaging requests based on the received image information, said first imaging requests being generated according to said one of said different input interface protocols;
one or more output interface components, each of said output interface components being configured to generate second imaging requests based on the first imaging requests generated by one of said input interface components, said second imaging requests being generated according to one of a plurality of different output interface protocols, wherein each of said output interface protocols is specifically associated with one of said output imaging devices, and to communicate the second imaging requests generated by one of said output interface components to one of said output imaging devices, said second imaging requests being communicated according to said one of said output interface protocols;
and
an interface executive component for defining one or more communication pipelines, each of said pipelines communicatively interconnecting one of said input imaging devices, one of said input interface components, one of said output interface components, and one of said output imaging devices.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

System for communication of image information between multiple-protocol imaging devices

Life of this patent

System for communication of image information between multiple-protocol imaging devices

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims32