System and Method for Virtual Control of Laboratory Equipment

• US 20090259321A1
• Filed: 04/15/2008
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Stellari, Franco, Song, Peilin, Steen, Steven E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,041,437 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/9
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric

Abstract

A system for virtual control of electronic laboratory equipment includes a local computer system. One or more items of electronic laboratory equipment are connected to the local computer system. Each item of electronic laboratory equipment has a physical control panel including one or more displays or controls. A virtual control panel generation unit generates a virtual control panel accessible from a remote computer system. The virtual control panel is substantially similar to the physical control panel in appearance. A command interpretation unit monitors interaction between the remote user and the virtual control panel and generates electronic laboratory equipment commands for exploiting the functionality of the electronic laboratory equipment.

Claims

1. A system for virtual control of electronic laboratory equipment, comprising:

a local computer system;

one or more items of electronic laboratory equipment connected to the local computer system, each item of electronic laboratory equipment having a physical control panel including one or more displays or controls;

a virtual control panel generation unit generating a virtual control panel accessible from a remote computer system, the virtual control panel being substantially similar to the physical control panel in appearance; and

a command interpretation unit monitoring interaction between the remote user and the virtual control panel and generating electronic laboratory equipment commands for exploiting the functionality of the electronic laboratory equipment.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the local computer system is a general purpose computer system connected to the electronic laboratory equipment by a GPIB connection, a SCSI connection, or a USB connection.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the laboratory equipment includes a power supply unit.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote computer system is connected to the local computer system over a computer network.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the computer network is the Internet.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the virtual control panel generation unit is embodied in the remote computer system.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the virtual control panel generation unit is embodied in a computer server connected to the computer network.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual control panel generation unit is embodied in the local computer system.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein the local computer system is embodied in a dedicated interface box that connects the one or more items of electronic laboratory equipment to the computer network.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual control panel includes a virtual representation of substantially all controls and displays of the physical control panel.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic laboratory equipment comprises the local computer system, the virtual control panel generation unit, and a network interface adapter connecting the electronic laboratory equipment to the computer network.

12. A system for virtual control of electronic laboratory equipment in a virtual environment, comprising:

a local computer system executing a local client for interfacing with a virtual environment server;

one or more items of electronic laboratory equipment connected to the local computer system, each item of electronic laboratory equipment having a physical control panel including one or more displays or controls;

a server managing a virtual environment including a virtual space including virtual representations of the electronic laboratory equipment, each item of electronic laboratory equipment including a virtual control panel being substantially similar in appearance to the corresponding physical control panel; and

a remote computer executing a remote client for interacting with the virtual environment server, wherein a remote user interacts with the virtual representations of the electronic laboratory equipment in the virtual space of the virtual environment by controlling an avatar representing the remote user, and wherein the interactions between the avatar and the virtual representations of the electronic laboratory equipment are monitored and used to generate electronic laboratory equipment commands for exploiting the functionality of the electronic laboratory equipment.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the local computer system is a general purpose computer system connected to the electronic laboratory equipment by a GPIB connection, a SCSI connection, or a USB connection.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the local computer system, the server for managing the virtual environment and the remote computer system are connected over the Internet.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the electronic laboratory equipment comprises the local computer system, and a network interface adapter for connecting the electronic laboratory equipment to the Internet.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the local computer system is embodied in a dedicated interface box that connects the electronic laboratory equipment to the Internet.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the virtual control panel includes a virtual representation of substantially all controls and displays of the physical control panel.

18. A method for virtual control of electronic laboratory equipment, comprising:

displaying a virtual control panel on a remote computer system, the virtual control panel being substantially similar in appearance to a physical control panel of an item of electronic laboratory equipment;

monitoring interaction between a user of the remote computer system and the virtual control panel;

converting monitored interaction between a user of the remote computer system and the virtual control panel into instructions for exploiting the functionality of the electronic laboratory equipment;

sending the instructions for exploiting the functionality of the electronic laboratory equipment to a local computer system connected to the electronic laboratory equipment over a computer network; and

issuing commands to the electronic laboratory equipment from the local computer system based on the received instructions for exploiting functionality of the electronic laboratory equipment.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the virtual control panel includes a virtual representation of substantially all controls and displays of the physical control panel.

20. A method for virtual control of electronic laboratory equipment in a virtual environment, comprising:

controlling an avatar representing a remote user to interact with a virtual control panel of a virtual representation of an item of electronic laboratory equipment in a virtual space of a virtual environment, the virtual control panel being substantially similar in appearance to a physical control panel of an actual item of electronic laboratory equipment;

monitoring interaction between the avatar and the virtual control panel;

converting monitored interaction between the avatar and the virtual control panel into instructions for exploiting functionality of the actual item of electronic laboratory equipment;

sending the instructions for exploiting the functionality of the actual item of electronic laboratory equipment to a local computer system connected to the actual item of electronic laboratory equipment over a computer network; and

issuing commands to the electronic laboratory equipment from the local computer system based on the received instructions for exploiting the functionality of the electronic laboratory equipment.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the virtual control panel includes a virtual representation of substantially all controls and displays of the physical control panel.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the virtual space is a virtual representation of an actual laboratory where the actual item of electronic laboratory equipment is located.