Variable-Thickness Waveform Rendering with Pixel Area Coverage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing line drawing methods are inadequate for rendering animated medical waveforms on resource-limited devices, leading to visual artifacts and high resource consumption, especially when handling variable line thickness and dropouts in real-time data.
Innovation Solution
A method that chains separate line segments together, enabling progressive rendering with variable line thickness, suitable for hardware-acceleration, and supports smooth anti-aliasing, particularly effective on low-end hardware.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing line drawing methods are used to render animated waveforms, then the rendering can be performed, but visual artifacts occur and resource consumption is high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the waveform rendering into separate line segments that can be processed independently. Each line segment is rendered individually with proper anti-aliasing, avoiding the need to redraw the entire waveform and reducing visual artifacts while maintaining lower resource consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent pre-calculates and stores line segment data including intersection points with pixel boundaries before rendering. This preliminary preparation enables efficient progressive rendering of animated waveforms without requiring complex real-time calculations, thereby reducing resource consumption while maintaining visual quality.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the entire line is redrawn each time a small part is added in animated rendering, then continuity is maintained, but performance requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The waveform is divided into multiple line segments that can be rendered progressively. When new data arrives, only the affected line segments are updated and chained together with previous segments, maintaining visual continuity without requiring a complete redraw of the entire waveform, thus improving rendering performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements progressive rendering where line segments are added continuously to the existing waveform display. This maintains the visual continuity of the waveform while avoiding redundant rendering operations, allowing the system to keep up with real-time data updates without excessive performance demands.
3Adaptability or versatility
If variable line thickness is implemented for wave visibility, then medical information remains interpretable under variable conditions, but rendering complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies variable line thickness locally to line segments based on their specific characteristics and display requirements. Each line segment can have its own thickness parameters optimized for visibility, while the overall rendering process remains manageable through the segmented approach, balancing adaptability with complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a computer-implemented method of rendering a line at variable thickness and displaying the line on a display unit comprising a horizontal X-axis and a vertical Y-axis. The method comprises receiving at least a first pair of points and a second pair of points, the first pair of points and the second pair of points defining a line segment of the line intersecting a vertical column of pixels, the column of pixels comprising a plurality of pixels, wherein the first pair of points comprises a first upper point and a first lower point in respect to the direction of the Y-axis, and the second pair of points comprises a second upper point and a second lower point in respect to the direction of the Y-axis, wherein the first upper point and the second upper point define an upper edge of the line segment intersecting the column of pixels, and wherein the first lower point and the second lower point define a lower edge of the line segment intersecting the column of pixels. The method comprises further, for at least one pixel in the plurality of pixels of the column of pixels, determining an area coverage of the respective pixel by the line segment based on the upper edge and the lower edge of the line segment, and assigning a coloring to the respective pixel based on the determined area coverage. As coloring, also shading of the pixel on a greyscale can be understood. The method comprises further displaying the line segment at the display unit according to the assigned coloring of the respective pixel.