Method for the management of workcell systems based on an automation management system

• US 6,721,615 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2002
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Inpeco Holding Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Inpeco SRL
• Inventors: Garghentino, Elisabetta, Fava, Daniele, Pedrazzini, Gianandrea
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shechtman, Sean P
• Application Number:
  US10/113,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20020147515A1
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 700/11, 700/95, 700/99-101, 700/104, 700/112, 700/245-247, 700/257, 700/266, 422/63-67, 718/104, 718/105
• US Class Current: 700/99
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0093 random access not determined by physical position
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00603 Reinspection of samples
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/0092 Scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/0099 comprising robots or similar manipulators robots per se B25J
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/021 having a flexible chain, e.g. "cartridge belt", conveyor for reaction cells or cuvettes
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41865 characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32247 Real time scheduler
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32287 Medical, chemical, biological laboratory
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32298 Designate at least two group of articles, first with priority, reschedule second
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32328 Dynamic scheduling, resource allocation, multi agent negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A method for the management of a Workcell System capable to control concurrent processes that use pieces of equipment, here called Resources, interacting with each other according to the needs and the changes that have not been forecast in advance in their process cycles, by means of a continuous real-time re-scheduling of automatic tasks. According to an embodiment, the method for the management of Workcell Systems, using an Automation Management System to control a plurality of Resources, designated to handle Samples along the Workcell Systems to perform operations on the Samples, includes associating a Sample Protocol to each Sample, associating to each Resource a Resource Driver, controlling the Resource Drivers by a Process Controller which communicates with the Resource Drivers by means of variables associated to each Resource, executing the Sample Protocols by the Process Controller in a concurrent way, and automatically modifying the Sample Protocols by continuously re-scheduling automatic tasks on different Resources, according to the results of the execution of the Sample Protocols and the status of the Resources, as indicated by the status of the variables, and thus obtaining an intelligent and reactive control of the workflow, automatically and dynamically taking the appropriate decisions.

Claims

1. Method for the management of Workcell Systems, using an Automation Management System to control a plurality of Resources, designated to handle a plurality of Samples along said Workcell Systems to perform operations on said Samples, comprising the following steps:

associating a Sample Protocol to each Sample,

associating to each Resource a Resource Driver, capable to drive said Resource,

controlling each of said Resource Driver by a Process Controller which communicates with the other Resource Drivers by means of variables associated to each Resource, said variables defining and modifying the status of said Resources,

executing said Sample Protocols by said Process Controller in a concurrent way to achieve multi-threading, bottleneck avoidance, dynamic assignment of Resources in mutual exclusion, sample priority handling, Resource load balancing and automatic error recovery,

automatically modifying said Sample Protocols by continuously re-scheduling automatic tasks on different Resources, according to results of the step of executing said Sample Protocols and the status of said Resources as indicated by a status of said variables, such that an intelligent and reactive workflow control process that automatically and dynamically adjusts to resource status is performed.

2. Method according to claim 1 wherein the Workcell System is a Laboratory Automation Workcell System, and each Sample is a biological specimen collected in a Sample Container which includes one or more Samples.

3. Method according to claim 1 wherein said Workcell System includes a Data Manager handling Sample data and Sample Protocols, said Data Manager operating in co-ordination with the other Workcell System Resources by means of a set of variables used for communication.

4. Method according to claim 1 wherein said Workcell System includes a Graphic User Interface for interfacing with a User;

said Graphic User Interface operating in co-ordination with the other Workcell System Resources by means of a set of variables indicating the status of the Resources.

5. Method according to claim 1 wherein said Workcell System includes a Laboratory Information System Driver for handling communication with a Laboratory Information System, said Laboratory Information System Driver operating in co-ordination with the other Workcell System Resources by means of a set of variables indicating a status of the Driver.

6. Method according to claim 2 wherein said Workcell System includes as Resources one or more Sample Carrier Devices, designed to move Samples along the Laboratory Automation Workcell System.

7. Method according to claim 1 wherein said Workcell System includes as Resources one or more Sample Treatment Devices for modifying the Samples for required assays.

8. Method according to claim 1 wherein said Workcell System includes as Resources one or more Sample Container Handling Devices, dedicated to dispense, store, dispose or alter properties of a Sample Container.

9. Method according to claim 1 wherein said Workcell System includes as Resources one or more Sample Assay Devices, dedicated to determine a quantity of one or more components in a Sample.

10. Method according to claim 2 wherein the Automation Management System controls and integrates said Resources in order to have a homogeneous and concurrent treatment of Samples along the Workcell System, by associating to each Sample Container a Sample Protocol, and executing all the Sample Protocols in a concurrent way.

11. Method according to claim 2 wherein each Sample Container is associated to an unique identifier and each identifier is associated to a Sample Protocol, whereas said Sample Protocol must be executed on the Sample or the set of Samples contained in the associated Sample Container.

12. Method according to claim 5 wherein the Automation Management System foresees the automatic modification of the Protocols, while they are running, depending on a user request, a Laboratory Information System request or an automatic request.

13. Method according to claim 1 wherein each Sample Protocol is associated to a Priority Level updateable during the execution of said Protocol.

14. Method according to claim 1 wherein each Resource used in a Sample Protocol is associated to a Wait Parameter to indicate a time when the Resource completes its task in that Sample Protocol, and a Critical Time Parameter at completion which the Resource must have absolute priority with respect to any other Protocol.

15. Method according to claim 6 wherein said Laboratory Automation Workcell System is an automated Sample screening or assaying system and wherein said at least one Sample Carrier device is able to transfer a plurality of Sample Containers, each Container including at least one Sample, between said plurality of Resources.

16. Method according to claim 1 wherein said variables used in said step of controlling said Resource Drivers by said Process Controller include Resource Logical Status (RLS), that expresses various logical conditions of associated Resource and Resource Physical Status (RPS), expressing various physical conditions of the associated Resource.

17. Method according to claim 1 wherein the Process Controller, according to the status of the various Resources can automatically decide to re-schedule Sample Protocol activities at any time.

18. Method according to claim 3 wherein the Data Manager, according to the status of Sample Results and expert-system rules taught to the System, is capable to generate automatic requests to modify Sample Protocols or ask for User intervention to treat special and unforeseen cases.

19. Method according to claim 1 dedicated to the control of an In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) Workcell, that performs sample treatment and test analyses on biological samples using Diagnostics Instruments as Sample Assay Devices.

20. Method according to claim 1 dedicated to the control of a High Throughput Screening (HTS) Laboratory Automation Workcell System, that performs screening analyses of biological samples on Sample Assay Devices following different protocols.

21. Method according to claim 1 dedicated to the control of a Nucleic Acid Technology (NAT) Workcell, having a NAT Laboratory Automation Workcell System that performs sample treatment and test analyses on nucleic acids of biological samples.

22. Method according to claim 1 dedicated to the control of a Bio-Repository Laboratory Automation Workcell System, that is used as a permanent storage for biological samples, that may be kept refrigerated for years, and used upon request.