Hardware-Based Graphics Interface for Medical Device Sensors and Controllers

Abstract

A completely hardware-based graphics interface controller for reading values from sensors or outputting voltages, currents, or other electrical parameters to medical devices is proposed. The graphics interface controller accepts analog or digital input into a programmable logic device (PLD), whose logic gates convert the input value to memory addresses of bitmaps that represent digits or other characters. The bitmaps are copied to respective x, y coordinates in a frame buffer, which are then displayed on a matrix liquid crystal display (LCD) panel. The bitmaps can be simple or elaborate, mimicking the rich look and feel of general purpose computer fonts so that the display output is compelling and modern-looking despite being entirely hardware based. A ventilator or other medical device can be instrumented with one or more sensors whose outputs are to the graphics interface, and an alarm can be triggered for off-nominal conditions.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A hardware-based display apparatus for medical devices, the apparatus comprising:
 a sensor input;   a matrix liquid crystal display (LCD) panel;   a memory hosting two-dimensional, graphical bitmaps of digits  0  through  9 , each bitmap stored at a predetermined memory location within the memory;   a programmable logic device (PLD) comprising a series of logic gates, the PLD operatively connected with the display panel and the memory and configured to:
 automatically convert a value from the sensor input, through the series of logic gates, to a selected location of the memory locations storing the bitmaps of digits; and 
 copy the bitmap from the selected location to a random-access memory (RAM) frame buffer address corresponding to an x, y coordinate on the display panel; 
   wherein the display panel is configured to show the bitmap that is copied to the RAM frame buffer address at the x, y coordinate.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein automatically converting includes:
 converting the value from the sensor input to an integer or floating point number within the PLD. 
 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the PLD is further configured to:
 compare the integer or floating point number to a threshold; and 
 trigger an alarm based on the number exceeding the threshold. 
 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3  wherein the PLD is further configured to:
 copy, based on the trigger, a graphic from the memory to a second frame buffer address corresponding to a second x, y coordinate on the display panel. 
 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 3  further comprising:
 a speaker, 
 wherein the PLD is further configured to sound, based on the trigger, an audible alarm through the speaker. 
 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 3  further comprising:
 a timer, 
 wherein the PLD is further configured to trigger the alarm based on the number exceeding the threshold over a time period clocked by the timer. 
 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the PLD is further configured to:
 parse the value from an RS-232 serial stream, a universal serial bus (USB) data packet, or inter-integrated circuit (I 2 C) packet from the sensor input. 
 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the PLD is further configured to:
 convert the value from an analog voltage or analog current from the sensor input. 
 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a sensor coupled to the sensor input. 
 
     
     
         10 . An alarmed ventilator comprising:
 the hardware-based display apparatus of  claim 1 ;   a pneumatic valve assembly including:
 a housing with a fluidic input port configured to receive pressurized gas into the housing; 
 a diaphragm within the housing; 
 an adjustable knob configured to adjust force against the diaphragm; and 
   a pressure sensor within the housing coupled to the sensor input,   wherein the hardware-based display apparatus is configured to show a value from the pressure sensor.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the frame buffer address is on a static random-access memory (SRAM). 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a serializer-deserializer (SerDes) configured to read from the frame buffer address and transmit pixel values to the display panel. 
 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein a frame buffer associated with the frame buffer address only addresses a subset of x, y pixel areas of the display panel. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the PLD is a programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory EPROM, field programmable gate array (FPGA), programmable array logic (PAL), programmable logic array (PLA), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or application specific standard product (ASSP). 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the graphical bitmaps include a blank bitmap. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15  wherein the PLD is further configured to:
 display the blank bitmap rather than a leading zero or a tailing zero. 
 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the graphical bitmaps include characters A through Z. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the selected location is adjacent a colon separating minutes and seconds. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the apparatus includes no software. 
     
     
         20 . A hardware-based graphics controller and therapeutic electric current generator apparatus comprising:
 a timer;   a current source with a conditioning circuit and an output;   an ammeter configured to measure the current source output;   a liquid crystal display (LCD);   a random-access memory (RAM) frame buffer connected with the LCD;   a programmable logic device (PLD) comprising a series of logic gates, the PLD connected with the timer, the ammeter, and the LCD;   a memory operatively connected with the PLD, the memory hosting:
 two-dimensional pixel representations of digits 0 through 9; 
 a fixed image address in the RAM frame buffer for the LCD for displaying time; and 
 a permanent image address in the RAM frame buffer for the LCD for displaying current, 
   wherein the PLD is configured to select, through the series of logic gates, pixel representations from the memory based on values from the timer and write the selected pixel representations starting at the fixed image address in the RAM frame buffer; and   wherein the PLD is configured to look up pixel representations from the memory based on values from the ammeter and write the looked-up pixel representations starting at the permanent image address.