Multi-Threaded Imaging Controller Reducing Slave Device Delay
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In multi-device systems, the delay time for operating multiple slave devices is excessively long due to the sequential processing and response handling by a single-threaded master device, leading to limited scalability and throughput, especially when the number of slave devices increases.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a control apparatus with a receiving unit, a queue for user commands, and a processor that processes commands before receiving device messages, allowing simultaneous command processing and reduced delay by using multiple threads for command distribution and sequential message processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the master device uses a single processing thread to control slave devices sequentially, then the device complexity is low, but the total delay time increases significantly with the number of slave devices
Solution Approach 1:
The master device divides the processing task into multiple independent threads (first processing thread and second processing thread), allowing parallel execution of command processing and message handling. This segmentation enables simultaneous operation on multiple slave devices, reducing the cumulative delay that occurs with sequential single-threaded processing.
2Loss of time
If the master device uses multiple processing threads to reduce delay time, then the total delay time decreases, but the computational load and system complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the message processing function from the command processing thread by introducing a dedicated second processing thread. This separation allows the first thread to focus solely on processing user commands while the second thread handles device messages independently, reducing the computational burden on each individual thread while maintaining parallel execution benefits.
3Device complexity
If the master device processes commands and waits for responses sequentially, then the processing logic is simple, but the throughput of the multi-device system is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent ensures continuous useful action by having the first processing thread continuously process user commands and the second processing thread continuously handle device messages in parallel. This eliminates idle waiting periods where the master device would otherwise be stuck waiting for slave device responses, thereby maintaining continuous productive operation and improving overall system throughput.
4Quantity of substance
If the number of slave devices increases in a single-threaded system, then the system can handle more devices, but the total delay time becomes unacceptably long
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the processing into multiple parallel threads, the system can handle multiple slave devices simultaneously rather than sequentially. This allows the number of slave devices to increase without proportionally increasing the total delay time, as the parallel thread structure processes multiple device operations at the same time.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus and method for controlling imaging devices are disclosed. According to certain embodiments, an apparatus for controlling a plurality of imaging devices includes a receiving unit configured to receive user commands for controlling the imaging devices; a first queue configured to store the user commands; an I/O unit configured to receive device messages from the imaging devices; and a processor configured to determine if the first queue is empty, process one of the user commands in the first queue when the first queue is not empty, and process one of device messages from the imaging devices only if the first queue is empty.