X-ray imaging component communication system and protocol

1. A method of communicating between imaging components of an X-ray imaging system; the method comprising:

determining, by an initiator imaging component, whether a target imaging component is a primary manufacturer imaging component;

responsive to the target imaging component not being a manufacturer imaging component:

generating a communication message including a communication packet according to a packet protocol; and

sending the communication message to the target imaging component as a secondary manufacturer imaging component; and

responsive to the target imaging component being the primary manufacturer imaging component:

generating a message including a header packet and one or more data packets according to a message protocol; and

sending the message to the target imaging component as the primary manufacturer imaging component.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the communication message including the communication packet further comprises:

setting a value of a communication packet identifier portion and a communication packet data portion in the communication packet according to the packet protocol, prior to generating the communication message including the communication packet; and wherein generating the message including the header packet and one or more data packets further comprises:

setting a value of a header packet identifier portion and a header packet data portion in the header packet according to the message protocol.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein setting the value of the communication packet identifier portion in the communication packet includes using a first predetermined value of a command code field and setting the value of the header packet identifier portion in the header packet includes using a second predetermined value of the command code field that is different from the first predetermined value.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein when the target imaging component is a secondary manufacturer imaging component, the method further comprising:

sending, by the target imaging component, packet command and data included in the message to an incoming packet queue; and wherein

when the target imaging component is the primary manufacturer imaging component, the method further comprising:

determining, by the target imaging component, whether a frame of a current packet is a header frame;

responsive to the frame being the header frame:

obtaining header data from the header packet; and

responsive to the frame not being the header frame:

performing a command included in the message.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the target imaging component is the primary manufacturer imaging component and setting the value of the communication packet identifier portion in the communication packet according to the packet protocol further comprises:

setting a value in a secondary manufacturer command code field in the communication packet identifier portion to a command code to indicate the target imaging component is the secondary manufacturer imaging component; and

setting a command field in the communication packet data portion to include a command code value to request a function on the secondary manufacturer imaging component.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the target imaging component is a first primary manufacturer imaging component, and setting the value of the header packet identifier portion in the header packet according to the message protocol further comprises:

setting a value in a primary manufacturer command code field to a command code to indicate the target imaging component is a second primary manufacturer imaging component, wherein the value in the primary manufacturer command code field also requests a function on the second primary manufacturer imaging component; and

setting a data packet data portion in the one or more data packets to include data associated with the value in the primary manufacturer command code field to be sent to the second primary manufacturer imaging component.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the packet protocol provides open communication between imaging components and the message protocol provides secure communication between primary manufacturer imaging components.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the target imaging component is a first primary manufacturer imaging component and the initiator imaging component is a second primary manufacturer imaging component.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the target imaging component is a secondary imaging component, the method further comprising:

receiving a second communication message from the target imaging component using the packet protocol;

sending an authentication challenge according to the message protocol to a target imaging component authentication daughter board associated with the target imaging component;

receiving an authentication response, from the target imaging component authentication daughter board according to the message protocol; and

determining, by the initiator imaging component, whether the target imaging component is authenticated based on the authentication response, wherein the second communication message is sent to component incoming message queue for processing responsive to the target imaging component being authenticated.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that when executed by a machine result in operation of the method of claim 1 .

11. An X-ray imaging system comprising:

a tube control unit configured to communicate via a packet protocol and a message protocol;

a secondary manufacturer imaging component configured to communicate via the packet protocol;

a primary manufacturer imaging component configured to communicate via at least one of the message protocol and the packet protocol; and

a flexible communication bus communicatively coupling the tube control unit, the secondary manufacturer imaging component, and the primary manufacturer imaging component, wherein the tube control unit is configured to communicate with the secondary manufacturer imaging component via the flexible communication bus by way of the packet protocol and the primary manufacturer imaging component via the flexible communication bus by way of the message protocol, and the primary manufacturer imaging component is configured to communicate with the secondary manufacturer imaging component via the flexible communication bus by way of the packet protocol.

12. The X-ray imaging system of claim 11 , wherein the packet protocol comprises a communication packet comprising a communication packet identifier portion and a communication packet data portion, and the message protocol comprises a header packet and one or more data packets, each including a packet identifier portion and a packet data portion.

13. The X-ray imaging system of claim 12 , wherein the communication packet identifier portion comprises a source field; a destination field, a secondary manufacturer command code field, and a packet number field, and the communication packet data portion comprises one or more data fields and one or more command fields.

14. The X-ray imaging system of claim 12 , wherein the packet identifier portion and the packet data portion comprises one or more cyclic redundancy check (CRC) fields, an encryption field, a response code field, an acknowledge field, and a total message data bytes fields.

15. The X-ray imaging system of claim 12 , wherein packet identifier portion of the header packet and the one or more data packets comprise a primary manufacturer source field, a primary manufacturer destination field, a primary manufacturer command code field, a packet number field, and a data packet data portion.

16. The X-ray imaging system of claim 15 , wherein the primary manufacturer source field comprises a component identification (ID) associated with at least one of the tube control unit, the secondary manufacturer imaging component, and the primary manufacturer imaging component.

17. The X-ray imaging system of claim 12 , wherein the tube control unit and the primary manufacturer imaging component are manufactured by a first manufacturer and the secondary manufacturer imaging component is manufactured by a second manufacturer and the flexible communication bus includes at least one of a controller area network (CAN) bus, a transmission control protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) bus, inter-integrated circuit (I2C) bus, or serial peripheral interface (SPI) bus.

18. The X-ray imaging system of claim 11 , the X-ray imaging system further comprises a target imaging component authentication daughter board associated with the secondary manufacturer imaging component, wherein the target imaging component authentication daughter board is configured to communicate via the message protocol, the tube control unit is further configured to communicate via the message protocol, the flexible communication bus communicatively couples the target imaging component authentication daughter board and the tube control unit, and the tube control unit is further configured to communicate with the target imaging component authentication daughter board via the flexible communication bus by way of the message protocol.

19. A system including a means for:

determining, by an initiator imaging component, whether a target imaging component is a primary manufacturer imaging component;

responsive to the target imaging component not being the primary manufacturer imaging component:

generating a communication message including a communication packet according to a packet protocol; and

sending the communication message to the target imaging component as a secondary manufacturer imaging component; and

responsive to the target imaging component being the primary manufacturer imaging component:

generating a message including a header packet and one or more data packets according to a message protocol; and

sending the message to the target imaging component as the primary manufacturer imaging component.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein

the means for generating the communication message including the communication packet further comprises:

setting a value in a secondary manufacturer command code field in a communication packet identifier portion in the communication packet to a command code to indicate the target imaging component is the secondary manufacturer imaging component according to the packet protocol and a value in a command field in a communication packet data portion in the communication packet to include a command code value to request a function on the secondary manufacturer imaging component according to the packet protocol, prior to generating the communication message including the communication packet; and wherein

the means for generating the message including the header packet and one or more data packets further comprises:

setting a value of a header packet identifier portion and a header packet data portion in the header packet according to the message protocol.