System for automating scientific and engineering experimentation

• US 20060259158A1
• Filed: 10/28/2005
• Published: 11/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: S-Matrix
• Original Assignee: S-Matrix
• Inventors: Verseput, Richard P., Cooney, George A. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,239,966 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A system for automating experimentation is disclosed. The system comprises an automated experimentation platform (AEP) for automating research, development, and engineering experimentation processes and work and a generalized exchange module (GEM) for automating data exchanges between the AEP and external software applications, devices, or the instrument control programs (ICPs) controlling the devices; a generalization of the exchange module enables all automated data exchanges to be generic. Through the use of the automated experimentation platform (AEP) and the generalized exchange module (GEM), the automation can be adapted to any targeted external software application, device or a devices'"'"' controlling software program.

Claims

1. A system for automating experimentation comprising:

an automated experimentation platform (AEP) for automating experimentation processes; and

a generalized exchange module (GEM) for automating data exchanges between the AEP and one or more target applications and for enabling the data exchange to be generic.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more target applications can be any of or any combination of external software applications, devices, or instrument control programs (ICPs).

3. The system of claim 1 wherein experimentation processes comprises one or any combination of research, development, scientific and engineering processes.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the generalized exchange module (GEM) comprises a plurality of processes for importing data from an independent company and providing the data in a generic language to the plurality of kernel processes and importing and exporting data from a target application to and from the kernel processes using file-less data exchange.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the GEM further comprises:

an instrument control program (ICP) importer that transforms an ICP native device description into the GEM native data structure;

a template importer that transforms experiment type settings descriptions, analysis settings descriptions, and report settings descriptions into the AEP native data structure;

a GEM graphical user interface (GUI) builder that transforms the GEM native data structure device descriptions into a dynamically configurable GEM GUI;

an experiment set up GUI that enables construction of experiments for automatic execution using a physical device description;

a design of experiments (DOE) exporter that writes control point settings for the experimenter; and

a DOE importer that reads experiment result output data from the device.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the AEP comprises a plurality of kernel processes for generating designs, analysis results, and reports and processes for constructing and interpreting report templates.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the enabling step comprises a generalized exchange module (GEM), the GEM further comprising:

an instrument control program (ICP) importer that transforms an ICP native device description into the GEM native data structure;

a template importer that transforms experiment type settings descriptions, analysis settings descriptions, and report settings descriptions into the AEP native data structure;

a GEM graphical user interface (GUI) builder that transforms the GEM native data structure device descriptions into a dynamically configurable GEM GUI;

an experiment set up GUI that enables construction of experiments for automatic execution using a physical device description;

a design of experiments (DOE) exporter that writes control point settings for the experimenter; and

a DOE importer that reads experiment result output data from the device.

7. A method for automating experimentation comprising:

automating experimentation processes; and

automating data exchange between an automated experimentation platform (AEP) and one or more target applications; and

enabling the data exchange to be generic.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the one or more target applications can be any of or any combination of external software applications, devices, or instrument control programs (ICPs).

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the experimentation processes comprises one or any combination of research, development, scientific and engineering processes.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the data exchange automating step includes a plurality of kernel processes and a plurality of processes for constructing and interpreting templates.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the enabling step comprises a plurality of processes for importing data and results from a company and providing the data in a generic language to the plurality of kernel processes and importing and exporting data from a target application and from the kernel processes using file-less data exchange.

13. A computer readable medium containing program instructions for automating experimentation comprising:

automating experimentation processes; and

automating data exchange between an automated experimentation platform (AEP) and one or more target applications; and

enabling the data exchange to be generic.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the one or more target applications can be any of or any combination of external software applications, devices, or instrument control programs (ICPs).

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the experimentation processes comprises one or any combination of research, development, scientific and engineering processes.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 13 wherein the data exchange automating step includes a plurality of kernel processes and a plurality of processes for constructing and interpreting templates.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 13 wherein the enabling step comprises a plurality of processes for importing data from a company and providing the data in a generic language to the plurality of kernel processes and importing and exporting data and results from program to and from the kernel processes using file-less data exchange.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein the enabling step comprises providing a generalized exchange module (GEM), the GEM further comprising:

an instrument control program (ICP) importer that transforms an ICP native device description into the GEM native data structure;

a template importer that transforms experiment type settings descriptions, analysis settings descriptions, and report settings descriptions into the AEP native data structure;

a GEM graphical user interface (GUI) builder that transforms the GEM native data structure device descriptions into a dynamically configurable GEM GUI;

an experiment set up GUI that enables construction of experiments for automatic execution using a physical device description;

a design of experiments (DOE) exporter that writes control point settings for the experimenter; and

a DOE importer that reads experiment result output data from the device.

19. A system for automating experimentation comprising:

a generalized data exchange module (GEM) that (a) imports (i) experiment type definitions specific to an experimental environment or area of application, (ii) device setup and control definitions of all involved instruments, devices, and ICPs, (iii) analysis template definitions specific to individual subroutine complement and sequence requirements, and (iiii) reporting template definitions specific to individual user and area of application requirements;

the definitions enabled to be independently developed according to public data structures without the need for programming, and (b) automates data exchanges between the automated experimentation platform (AEP) and various external software applications, instruments, devices, and ICPs and contains a public interface for allowing the data exchanges to be generic; and

an automated experimentation platform (AEP) that contains (a) an experiment setup interface that dynamically configures to the defined experiment types and their involved instrument platforms and devices, (b) an analysis setup interface that dynamically configures to the defined complement and sequence of subroutines selected from an internal library, (c) a report setup interface that dynamically configures to the defined report data and results complement and sequence settings, (d) design of experiments (DOE) engines that generate statistically designed experiments correct to the defined experiment types and their involved instrument platforms and devices, and (e) numerical analysis, graphing, optimization, and reporting software engines that process data and results from external software applications, instruments, devices, and ICPs, execute data analysis processes according to the defined complement and sequence of analysis subroutines settings, and construct reports according to the defined report data and results complement and sequence settings.