Methods and servers for synchronously updating content on multiple user interfaces of control panels

Abstract

Method for synchronously updating content on multiple user interfaces of control panels (P1, P2) that work together as a single user interface for a medical device, comprising the following steps: - Sending operating information regarding at least one change made to at least one content on at least one user interface of the control panels via a network (V) to at least one server, and - server-side processing (S) of the operating information into a data stream that includes the content necessary for the update and - Server-side sending of the data stream over the network to the control panels, wherein the operating information additionally includes at least one safety information if the change of at least one content leads to the triggering of X-ray radiation or an influence on a device movement of the medical device.

Description

Background of the invention

[0001] The invention relates to a method and a server for synchronously updating content on multiple user interfaces of control panels.

[0002] The invention is primarily in the fields of medical technology and medical informatics. Other applications, such as industrial manufacturing, are also conceivable.

[0003] In medical devices such as C-arm X-ray machines, graphical user interfaces on control panels with touch-based input are increasingly being used. These are used to operate the device and display acquired data such as X-ray images. To increase user comfort, a medical device can be equipped with multiple, spatially distributed control panels or screens. This allows users to operate the device from different positions. The user expects the control panels to behave identically and each to reflect the current system status.

[0004] The software of a control panel is divided into basic software, which includes device drivers and operating system, and application software, which implements the device-specific application including the user interface (GUI - Graphical User Interface).

[0005] The control panels use the same application software and the user interface of the different control panels is synchronized by means of corresponding messages via a common network in the application software.

[0006] This approach requires a relatively high level of effort when implementing the application software, since all operator inputs—e.g., pressing a button—must be processed individually on one control panel and distributed to all other control panels via the aforementioned messages. Furthermore, this type of multi-panel operation must be reimplemented for different application software packages.

[0007] A correct, as delay-free as possible, and synchronized or identical display on all control panels is particularly important for medical devices to prevent errors in diagnosis or incorrect operation / control. It is characteristic of many medical devices that some of the actions triggered by operation are safety-relevant, meaning a malfunction of the device can endanger people. Examples of such hazardous actions include the movement of a patient couch, a C-arm, or the triggering of X-rays for medical imaging.

[0008] The prior art documents include US 2014 / 0 258 404 A1, US 2012 / 0 054 793 A1, US 2008 / 0 091 778 A1, US 2012 / 0 030 288 A1, KR 10 0 901 967 B1 and US 8 605 132 B1.

[0009] The object of the present invention is to ensure content synchronization of the various control panels with minimal effort for the development of the application software of the control panels. Description of the invention

[0010] This object is achieved by a method and a device according to the independent patent claims. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent patent claims or can be derived from the following description and the exemplary embodiments.

[0011] The invention claims a method for synchronously updating content on multiple user interfaces of control panels that interact as a user interface for a device, comprising the following steps: - Sending operating information regarding at least one change made to at least one content on at least one user interface of the control panels via a network to at least one server, and - server-side processing of the operating information into a data stream that includes the content necessary for updating and - server-side sending of the data stream via the network to the control panels.

[0012] Two or more control panels in the network display this data stream of content on their user interfaces and, in turn, send local operator inputs to one or more servers in the form of operating information. The data stream can be transmitted unidirectionally or bidirectionally.

[0013] The advantage of the invention is that the replication of the user interface on the clients can be implemented using software created once for the control panels and does not need to be considered in the application software. This allows application software to be implemented only on the server side without considering simultaneous operation on multiple control panels, which significantly reduces the development effort.

[0014] Optionally, this data stream can be compressed and / or encrypted and / or supplemented with checksums for error detection and, if necessary, correction.

[0015] The changes made can include (new) input, changes, and deletion of content. They can be made through a so-called "single touch," e.g., pressing a control button, or through a so-called "multi-touch," e.g., simultaneous touches or inputs with multiple fingers.

[0016] The device can be designed as a medical device, e.g. an X-ray machine, a computer tomograph or a C-arm device.

[0017] The data stream to be transmitted can be sent continuously or at regular intervals. The data stream can contain the entire content of the user interface, or only the content affected by the change can be sent as a data stream. On the server side, only changes to at least one piece of content on a user interface of one of the control panels can be permitted. This permission can be implemented using appropriate arbitration logic.

[0018] Since the transmission of operating information may trigger safety-critical / relevant functions on the device, this procedure is supplemented by several safety functions: The operating information is supplemented by safety information, for example, in the form of an enable signal. Such a safety function can also be transmitted unidirectionally and / or bidirectionally alongside the operating functions in a separate channel or data stream. The separate channel can be implemented as a hardware enable signal or as a safety-protected data transmission.

[0019] The transmission of operating information can be carried out reliably in the event of a hardware failure of the user interface. The transmission of operating information and the transmission of the data stream can be carried out using a data transmission protocol to ensure correct content and timing.

[0020] A display of the aforementioned contents on at least one of the control panels can be monitored by a control unit.

[0021] A safety-critical / relevant function can be the triggering of X-rays or the influencing of device movements - as already described at the beginning.

[0022] A further aspect of the invention is a device, in particular a server, which is designed in hardware and / or firmware and / or software to carry out the above-mentioned method.

[0023] The above-mentioned developments of the invention with regard to the method apply accordingly to the device.

[0024] The above-mentioned developments and embodiments of the invention apply to the method according to the invention and to the device according to the invention. Description of one or more embodiments

[0025] Further advantages, details, and developments of the invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the drawings. The drawing shows: The figure is a schematic representation of a network arrangement in which various control panels, e.g. P1 and P2, can be connected to a server G via a wired or wireless connection V.

[0026] The server G can be implemented, for example, as a conventional PC, a workstation, or similar computing device. Such a server G typically has a processor P, which includes application software A, GUI server software S, and basic software B. The control panels, for example, P1 and P2, generally have a (GUI) client C, usually implemented as software, and basic software.

[0027] A server G is tasked with executing application software A and continuously updating the user interface on a screen D. In this example, the server functionality is implemented in a GUI server software S. For this purpose, user inputs or changes to the user interface content, e.g., so-called touch inputs, are processed. These inputs are made by users on control panels P1 and P2, for example. Such user inputs are made by the user on a touchscreen TS, which is normally controlled by a touchscreen controller TC.

[0028] The clients, in turn, send operating inputs in the form of operating information, which are performed locally on them, to server G, which processes the operating information into a (GUI) data stream containing the content required for updating. To update the user interface on clients C, server G continuously and / or at regular intervals sends the (screen) content of the user interface as a (GUI) data stream over the network to clients C (e.g., 30 times per second). All clients continuously display this data stream of content on their user interfaces. The data stream can be transmitted unidirectionally or bidirectionally.

[0029] Optionally, this data stream can be compressed and / or encrypted and / or supplemented with checksums for error detection and, if necessary, correction. The data stream can be supplemented with checksums in both directions (e.g., per video frame or image line) to enable appropriate response in the event of transmission errors. If the checksum at client C does not match the received operating information, it may happen that the thus detected defective data stream containing medical image data is not displayed on the user interface on screen D.

[0030] These operating inputs can include, for example, simple button operations (e.g., so-called single-touch), but also gestures with multiple fingers (so-called multi-touch). Furthermore, it is possible to transmit additional information in addition to the pure operating inputs, such as safety information in the form of an approval signal. This can be useful, for example, if changing at least one of the contents triggers a safety-critical or relevant function of the device. A safety-critical or relevant function could be the triggering of X-rays or the influencing of device movements.

[0031] The content- and time-correct transmission of the image data and user inputs between the GUI server G and the clients C is secured with an appropriate data transmission protocol.

[0032] The display of image data on the respective control panel is monitored by a corresponding control unit, such as the TC touchscreen controller in the control panel. Operator inputs on the TS touchscreen are protected against hardware failures.

[0033] The GUI server sends commands resulting from the operator input to the medical device and releases them via a second channel. The second channel can be used to transmit at least one piece of safety information regarding one or more hardware releases. It can be implemented as a hardware release or approval signal, or it can be used for safety-protected data transmission.

[0034] In order to avoid contradictory inputs by multiple users on the different control panels, only one control panel, e.g. P1 or P2, can be enabled for inputs using an appropriate algorithm, also called arbitration logic.

[0035] If the server is a PC, the user interface can be output not only on a real screen but also on a virtual screen.

[0036] As an extension to transmitting a pure data stream of screen contents from the GUI server G to the GUI clients C, additional information (e.g., audio data) can be sent. Furthermore, it is advisable to compress the data stream using a lossless (e.g., if image data is to be transmitted for diagnostic purposes) or lossy algorithm and, if necessary, to equip it with additional mechanisms to detect, for example, transmission errors or connection interruptions.

Claims

[1] Method for synchronously updating contents on multiple user interfaces of control panels (P1, P2) that interact as a user interface for a medical device, comprising the following steps: - Sending operating information regarding at least one change made to at least one content on at least one user interface of the control panels via a network (V) to at least one server, and - server-side processing (S) of the operating information into a data stream that includes the content necessary for updating and - server-side sending of the data stream via the network to the control panels, wherein the control information additionally contains at least one safety information if the change in the at least one content leads to the triggering of X-ray radiation or an influence on a device movement of the medical device. [2] Method according to claim 1,characterized by that the sending of operating information is carried out reliably in the event of a hardware failure of the user interface. [3] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the data stream is sent continuously. [4] Method according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized by that the data stream is sent at regular intervals. [5] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the operating information additionally contains checksums for error detection and / or error correction. [6] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that on the server side only changes to at least one content on a user interface of one of the control panels are permitted. [7] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the sending of the operating information and the sending of the data stream is carried out using a data transmission protocol for the correct transmission of the content and time. [8] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the display of said contents on at least one of the control panels is monitored by a control unit (TC). [9] Server (S) for synchronously updating contents on multiple user interfaces of control panels (P1, P2) that interact as a user interface for a medical device, comprising: - means for receiving operating information regarding at least one change made to at least one content on at least one user interface of the control panels via a network, - means for processing the operating information into a data stream that includes the content necessary for updating and - Means for sending the data stream via the network to the control panels, wherein the control information additionally contains at least one safety information if the change in the at least one content leads to the triggering of X-ray radiation or an influence on a device movement of the medical device. [10] Server according to claim 9, characterized by that the sending of operating information is guaranteed in the event of a hardware failure of the user interface. [11] Server according to claim 9 or 10, characterized by that the data stream can be sent continuously. [12] Server according to one of claims 9 to 11, characterized by that the data stream can be sent at regular intervals. [13] Server according to one of claims 9 to 12, characterized by that the operating information may additionally contain checksums for error detection and / or error correction. [14] Server according to one of claims 9 to 13, characterized by that on the server side only changes to at least one content on a user interface of one of the control panels are permitted. [15] Server according to one of claims 9 to 14, characterized by that the sending of the operating information and the sending of the data stream can be carried out using a data transmission protocol for the correct transmission of the content and time. [16] Server according to one of claims 9 to 15, characterized by that the device comprises a control unit (TC) which can monitor a display of said contents on at least one of the control panels (TC). [17] Server according to one of claims 9 to 16, characterized by that the means for receiving and / or the means for transmitting are designed such that they are suitable for radio transmission and / or wired transmission.

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