INTELLIGENT SYRINGE CHANGING CAPABILITY WITH MULTIPLE SYRINGE SEATS ON AUTOSAMPLER

Disclosed herein are scientific instrument support systems, as well as related methods, computing devices, and computer-readable media. For example, in some embodiments, a scientific instrument support apparatus includes evaluation logic to identify a first syringe has a bent needle, a bent plunger, a blocked needle, or a stuck plunger; syringe logic to switch from the first syringe to a second syringe; and reporting logic to notify a user of a syringe problem.

BACKGROUND

Scientific instruments may include a complex arrangement of movable components, sensors, input and output ports, energy sources, and consumable components. Failures or changes in any part of this arrangement may result in a “downed” instrument, one that is not able to perform its intended function.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect, a scientific instrument support apparatus can include evaluation logic to identify a first syringe has a bent needle, a bent plunger, a blocked needle, or a stuck plunger; syringe logic to switch from the first syringe to a second syringe; and reporting logic to generate an entry in an event log or notify a user when there is a syringe problem.

In various embodiments of the first aspect, the evaluation logic, the syringe logic, and the reporting logic can be implemented by a common computing device.

In various embodiments of the first aspect, at least one of the evaluation logic, the syringe logic, and the Reporting logic can be implemented by a computing device remote from the scientific instrument.

In various embodiments of the first aspect, at least one of the evaluation logic, the syringe logic, and the Reporting logic can be implemented by a user computing device.

In various embodiments of the first aspect, at least one of the evaluation logic, the syringe logic, and the Reporting logic can be implemented in the scientific instrument.

In various embodiments of the first aspect, the evaluation logic can further detect an injection anomaly based on an evaluation of a chromatographic dataset.

In various embodiments of the first aspect, the evaluation logic can identify the first syringe has a bent needle or a bent plunger based on image data.

In various embodiments of the first aspect, the syringe logic can further repeat an analysis of the sample when a bent needle or a bent plunger is not identified after the injection anomaly is detected.

In various embodiments of the first aspect, the evaluation logic can further includes pausing a sequence of sample analyses when the bent needle, the bent plunger, the blocked needle, or the stuck plunger is identified.

In various embodiments of the first aspect, the syringe logic can further includes performing an initialization routine on the second syringe prior.

In various embodiments of the first aspect, the reporting logic can generate an entry in an event log or can notify the user if the initialization routine fails or produces an error.

In various embodiments of the first aspect, the syringe logic can repeat the analysis of a sample when the initialization routine completes without errors.

In various embodiments of the first aspect, the syringe logic can resume the sequence of sample analyses after the initialization routine completes without errors.

In various embodiments of the first aspect, the evaluation logic can evaluate the chromatographic data set from the repeat analysis for a further injection anomaly.

In various embodiments of the first aspect, the syringe logic can resume the sequence of sample analyses when the evaluation logic does not detect an injection anomaly during the repeat analysis.

In various embodiments of the first aspect, the reporting logic can generate an entry in the event log or can notify the user when an injection anomaly is detected during the repeat analysis.

In a second aspect, a method for scientific instrument support can include identifying a first syringe has a bent needle, a bent plunger, a blocked needle, or a stuck plunger; switching from the first syringe to a second syringe; and generating an entry in an event log or notifying a user of a syringe problem.

In various embodiments of the second aspect, the method can further include detecting an injection anomaly based on an evaluation of a chromatographic dataset.

In various embodiments of the second aspect, the method can further include identifying the first syringe has a bent needle or a bent plunger based on image data.

In various embodiments of the second aspect, the method can further include repeating an analysis of the sample when a bent needle or a bent plunger is not identified after the injection anomaly is detected.

In various embodiments of the second aspect, the method can further include pausing a sequence of sample analyses when the bent needle, the bent plunger, the blocked needle, or the stuck plunger is identified.

In various embodiments of the second aspect, the method can further include performing an initialization routine on the second syringe prior.

In various embodiments of the second aspect, the method can further include generating an entry in an event log or notifying the user when the initialization routine fails or produces an error.

In various embodiments of the second aspect, the method can further include repeating analysis of a sample when the initialization routine completes without errors.

In various embodiments of the second aspect, the method can further include resuming the sequence of sample analyses after the initialization routine completes without errors.

In various embodiments of the second aspect, the method can further include evaluating the chromatographic data set from the repeat analysis for a further injection anomaly.

In various embodiments of the second aspect, the method can further include resuming the sequence of sample analyses when the evaluation logic does not detect an injection anomaly during the repeat analysis.

In various embodiments of the second aspect, the method can further include generating an entry in the event log or notifying the user when an injection anomaly is detected during the repeat analysis.

In various embodiments of the second aspect, one or more non-transitory computer readable media can have instructions thereon that, when executed by one or more processing devices of a scientific instrument support apparatus, cause the scientific instrument support apparatus to perform the method of the second aspect.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed herein are scientific instrument support systems, as well as related methods, computing devices, and computer-readable media. For example, in some embodiments, A scientific instrument support apparatus, comprising evaluation logic to identify a first syringe has a bent needle, a bent plunger, a blocked needle, or a stuck plunger; syringe logic to switch from the first syringe to a second syringe; and reporting logic to notify a user of a syringe problem.

The scientific instrument support embodiments disclosed herein may achieve improved performance relative to conventional approaches. For example, the automatic detection of a syringe problem and switching to an alternate syringe without user intervention can improve system utilization by reducing downtime associated with syringe malfunctions. Additionally, the automatic recovery from a syringe problem reduces the risk of wasted instrument time and reagents from an undetected syringe malfunction when operating the system unattended for extended periods. The embodiments disclosed herein thus provide improvements to scientific instrument technology (e.g., improvements in the computer technology supporting such scientific instruments, among other improvements).

The embodiments disclosed herein may achieve improved reliability and data collection and higher throughput relative to conventional approaches. For example, conventional approaches rely upon user intervention to detect and mitigate the syringe malfunction. However, these approaches suffer from a number of technical problems and limitations, including multiple unusable datasets being collected for samples the instrument attempts to analyze after the syringe malfunction, wasting both instrument time and reagents. Conventional approaches can lead to decreased laboratory throughput if the syringe malfunction cannot be detected and corrected when it occurs.

Various ones of the embodiments disclosed herein may improve upon conventional approaches to achieve the technical advantages of higher throughput and improved data quality by reducing attempts to analyze samples when there is a syringe malfunction and automatically switching to an alternate syringe to correct the syringe malfunction. Such technical advantages are not achievable by routine and conventional approaches, and all users of systems including such embodiments may benefit from these advantages. The technical features of the embodiments disclosed herein are thus decidedly unconventional in the field of autosamplers, as are the combinations of the features of the embodiments disclosed herein. The computational disclosed herein do not only involve the collection and comparison of information but apply new analytical and technical techniques to change the operation of the autosampler. The present disclosure thus introduces functionality that neither a conventional computing device, nor a human, could perform.

Accordingly, the embodiments of the present disclosure may serve any of a number of technical purposes, such as controlling a specific technical system or process; determining from measurements how to control a machine; digital image analysis; identifying a vaccine candidate (e.g., based on a phylogenetic tree); or providing a medical diagnosis by an automated system processing physiological measurements. In particular, the present disclosure provides technical solutions to technical problems, including but not limited to detecting and recovering from syringe malfunctions in an autosampler.

The embodiments disclosed herein thus provide improvements to autosampler technology (e.g., improvements in the computer technology supporting autosamplers, among other improvements).

For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrases “A and/or B” and “A or B” mean (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrases “A, B, and/or C” and “A, B, or C” mean (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B, and C). Although some elements may be referred to in the singular (e.g., “a processing device”), any appropriate elements may be represented by multiple instances of that element, and vice versa. For example, a set of operations described as performed by a processing device may be implemented with different ones of the operations performed by different processing devices.

The description uses the phrases “an embodiment,” “various embodiments,” and “some embodiments,” each of which may refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. Furthermore, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like, as used with respect to embodiments of the present disclosure, are synonymous. When used to describe a range of dimensions, the phrase “between X and Y” represents a range that includes X and Y. As used herein, an “apparatus” may refer to any individual device, collection of devices, part of a device, or collections of parts of devices. The drawings are not necessarily to scale.

FIG.1is a block diagram of a scientific instrument support module1000for performing support operations, in accordance with various embodiments. The scientific instrument support module1000may be implemented by circuitry (e.g., including electrical and/or optical components), such as a programmed computing device. The logic of the scientific instrument support module1000may be included in a single computing device or may be distributed across multiple computing devices that are in communication with each other as appropriate. Examples of computing devices that may, singly or in combination, implement the scientific instrument support module1000are discussed herein with reference to the computing device4000ofFIG.4, and examples of systems of interconnected computing devices, in which the scientific instrument support module1000may be implemented across one or more of the computing devices, is discussed herein with reference to the scientific instrument support system5000ofFIG.5.

The scientific instrument support module1000may include first logic1002, second logic1004, and third logic1006. As used herein, the term “logic” may include an apparatus that is to perform a set of operations associated with the logic. For example, any of the logic elements included in the support module1000may be implemented by one or more computing devices programmed with instructions to cause one or more processing devices of the computing devices to perform the associated set of operations. In a particular embodiment, a logic element may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media having instructions thereon that, when executed by one or more processing devices of one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform the associated set of operations. As used herein, the term “module” may refer to a collection of one or more logic elements that, together, perform a function associated with the module. Different ones of the logic elements in a module may take the same form or may take different forms. For example, some logic in a module may be implemented by a programmed general-purpose processing device, while other logic in a module may be implemented by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). In another example, different ones of the logic elements in a module may be associated with different sets of instructions executed by one or more processing devices. A module may not include all of the logic elements depicted in the associated drawing; for example, a module may include a subset of the logic elements depicted in the associated drawing when that module is to perform a subset of the operations discussed herein with reference to that module.

The first logic1002may detect injection anomalies during analysis of a sample and identify a bent needle or plunger, a blocked needle, or a stuck plunger. In various embodiment, the first logic1002may detect injection anomalies by obtaining a chromatogram and determining if the chromatogram is representative of a successful result or if a problem such as a missed injection occurred. In various embodiments, when a missed injection occurs, the first logic can use image data to determine the cause of the missed injection such as by using image data to detect a bent needle or plunger, a blocked needle, or a stuck plunger.

In various embodiments, the first logic1002can instruct the scientific instrument to process a sample, such as by using an autosampler to take an aliquot from a sample vial, inject the aliquot onto a chromatography column, elute the components of the sample from the column, and use an analyzer to collect data on the components of the sample. First logic1002can further receive the data from the analyzer and store the data into a database, filesystem, or the like for further processing.

In various embodiments, first logic1002can include calculating an intensity score for the chromatogram and comparing the score to a threshold. Alternatively, first logic1002can apply a machine learning model to the chromatogram to classify the chromatogram as successful or abnormal.

In various embodiments, the first logic1002can instruct an image capture device to capture an image of the syringe and analyze the image data to determine if the needle or plunger is bent or misaligned. In various embodiments, first logic1002can analyze the image data to identify the location of the tip of the needle within the image, such as by pattern matching. Additionally, first logic1002can determine if the tip location is inside or outside of an acceptable area of the image. Alternatively, first logic1002can apply a machine learning model to the image data to classify the needle or plunger as bent or not bent.

The second logic1004may switch to an alternate syringe, perform a syringe precheck, and repeat an analysis of a sample.

In various embodiments, second logic1004may instruct an autosampler to rotate a syringe holder from a first position in which the bent syringe is in an active location to a second position in which an alternate syringe is in the active location. Alternatively, the second logic1004may instruct the autosampler to place the bent syringe in an empty location on a syringe rack and grab the alternate syringe from another location on a syringe rack.

In various embodiments, second logic1004may instruct the autosampler to perform a self-alignment check of the alternate syringe on an injection port, sample vials, and wash vials. The second logic1004may also instruct the autosampler to perform a calibration on the syringe, such as by finding the zero point for the syringe plunger and finding a bottom out position of the syringe needle. The second logic1004may also instruct the autosampler to perform a vial check to ensure there are no missing or misaligned vials.

The third logic1006may notify a user and/or log a syringe problem, such as within a secure audit trail. In various embodiments, the third logic1006may log the detection of an anomaly and corrective actions taken, and if operation was successfully restored or not. In various embodiments, the third logic1006may send a message, such as an email, a push message, a text message, or other forms of electronic communication to the user to notify them of the detected problem. In various embodiments, the third logic1006may send a message to the user if operation is not successfully restored. The third logic1006can also track the number of available alternate syringes and notify the user when the number of available alternate syringes is low so the user can replace malfunctioning syringes that have been removed from operation with new syringes such that more alternate syringes are available.

In various embodiments, the third logic1006can also suggest the user order replacement syringes via an ecommerce site or even automatically order the replacement syringes. In some embodiments, the third logic1006may track the number of times syringes are replaced across one or more instruments. In other embodiments, the third logic may communication with an inventory tracking system to determine the number of syringes available in current inventory.

FIG.2is a flow diagram of a method2000of performing support operations, in accordance with various embodiments. Although the operations of the method2000may be illustrated with reference to particular embodiments disclosed herein (e.g., the scientific instrument support modules1000discussed herein with reference toFIG.1, the GUI3000discussed herein with reference toFIG.3, the computing devices4000discussed herein with reference toFIG.4, and/or the scientific instrument support system5000discussed herein with reference toFIG.5), the method2000may be used in any suitable setting to perform any suitable support operations. Operations are illustrated once each and in a particular order inFIG.2, but the operations may be reordered and/or repeated as desired and appropriate (e.g., different operations performed may be performed in parallel, as suitable).

At2002, first operations may be performed. For example, the first logic1002of a support module1000may perform the operations of2002. The first operations may include detecting injection anomalies during analysis of a sample and identify bent needles or bent plungers using image data of the syringe. In various embodiment, the first operations may detect injection anomalies by obtaining a chromatogram and determining if the chromatogram is representative of a successful result or if a problem such as a missed injection occurred.

In various embodiments, the first operations can include instructing the scientific instrument to process a sample, such as by using an autosampler to take an aliquot from a sample vial, inject the aliquot onto a chromatography column, elute the components of the sample from the column, and use an analyzer to collect data on the components of the sample. The first operations can further receive the data from the analyzer and store the data into a database, filesystem, or the like for further processing.

In various embodiments, the first operations can include calculating an intensity score for the chromatogram and comparing the score to a threshold. Alternatively, first operations can apply a machine learning model to the chromatogram to classify the chromatogram as successful or abnormal.

In various embodiments, the first operations can include instructing an image capture device to capture an image of the syringe and analyze the image data to determine if the needle or plunger is bent or misaligned. In various embodiments, first operations can analyze the image data to identify the location of the tip of the needle within the image, such as by pattern matching, and determine if the tip location is inside or outside of an acceptable area of the image. Alternatively, the first operations can apply a machine learning model to the image data to classify the needle as bent or not bent.

At2004, second operations may be performed. For example, the second logic1004of a support module1000may perform the operations of2004. The second operations may include switching to an alternate syringe, performing a syringe precheck, and repeat an analysis of the sample.

In various embodiments, second operations may include instructing an autosampler to rotate a syringe holder from a first position in which the damaged syringe is in an active location to a second position in which an alternate syringe is in the active location. Alternatively, the second logic1004may instruct the autosampler to place the damaged syringe in an empty location on a syringe rack and grab the alternate syringe from another location on a syringe rack.

In various embodiments, the second operations may instruct the autosampler to perform a self-alignment check of the alternate syringe on an injection port, sample vials, and wash vials. The second operations may also instruct the autosampler to perform a calibration on the syringe, such as by finding the zero point for the syringe plunger and finding a bottom out position of the syringe needle. The second operations may also instruct the autosampler to perform a vial check to ensure there are no missing vials.

At2006, third operations may be performed. For example, the third logic1006of a support module1000may perform the operations of2006. The third operations may include notifying a user and/or logging a syringe problem. In various embodiments, the third operations may log the detection of an anomaly and corrective actions taken, and if operation was successfully restored or not. In various embodiments, the third operations may send a message, such as an email, a push message, a text message, other forms of electronic communication, or any combination thereof, to the user to notify the user of the detected problem. In various embodiments, the third operations may send a message to the user if operation is not successfully restored. The third operations can also track the number of available alternate syringes and notify the user when the number of available alternate syringes is low so the user can replace malfunctioning syringes that have been removed from operation with new syringes such that more alternate syringes are available.

The scientific instrument support methods disclosed herein may include interactions with a human user (e.g., via the user local computing device5020discussed herein with reference toFIG.5). These interactions may include providing information to the user (e.g., information regarding the operation of a scientific instrument such as the scientific instrument5010ofFIG.5, information regarding a sample being analyzed or other test or measurement performed by a scientific instrument, information retrieved from a local or remote database, or other information) or providing an option for a user to input commands (e.g., to control the operation of a scientific instrument such as the scientific instrument5010ofFIG.5, or to control the analysis of data generated by a scientific instrument), queries (e.g., to a local or remote database), or other information. In some embodiments, these interactions may be performed through a graphical user interface (GUI) that includes a visual display on a display device (e.g., the display device4010discussed herein with reference toFIG.4) that provides outputs to the user and/or prompts the user to provide inputs (e.g., via one or more input devices, such as a keyboard, mouse, trackpad, or touchscreen, included in the other I/O devices4012discussed herein with reference toFIG.4). The scientific instrument support systems disclosed herein may include any suitable GUIs for interaction with a user.

FIG.3depicts an example GUI3000that may be used in the performance of some or all of the support methods disclosed herein, in accordance with various embodiments. As noted above, the GUI3000may be provided on a display device (e.g., the display device4010discussed herein with reference toFIG.4) of a computing device (e.g., the computing device4000discussed herein with reference toFIG.4) of a scientific instrument support system (e.g., the scientific instrument support system5000discussed herein with reference toFIG.5), and a user may interact with the GUI3000using any suitable input device (e.g., any of the input devices included in the other I/O devices4012discussed herein with reference toFIG.4) and input technique (e.g., movement of a cursor, motion capture, facial recognition, gesture detection, voice recognition, actuation of buttons, etc.).

The GUI3000may include a data display region3002, a data analysis region3004, a scientific instrument control region3006, and a settings region3008. The particular number and arrangement of regions depicted inFIG.3is simply illustrative, and any number and arrangement of regions, including any desired features, may be included in a GUI3000.

The data display region3002may display data generated by a scientific instrument (e.g., the scientific instrument5010discussed herein with reference toFIG.5). For example, the data display region3002may display chromatography data collected on a sample. Additionally, the data display region3002may provide a visual indication that the chromatography data is indicative of an injection anomaly.

The data analysis region3004may display the results of data analysis (e.g., the results of analyzing the data illustrated in the data display region3002and/or other data). For example, the data analysis region3004may display chromatographic information, such as retention time and intensity of peaks in the chromatographic data. In some embodiments, the data display region3002and the data analysis region3004may be combined in the GUI3000(e.g., to include data output from a scientific instrument, and some analysis of the data, in a common graph or region).

The scientific instrument control region3006may include options that allow the user to control a scientific instrument (e.g., the scientific instrument5010discussed herein with reference toFIG.5). For example, the scientific instrument control region3006may include settings to configure the syringe switching operation. The scientific instrument control region3006may also include an interface to indicate the status of syringe locations, including which locations are empty, which locations include alternate syringes, and which locations include malfunctioning syringes that need to be replaced. In various embodiments, the instrument can be configured to utilize multiple types of syringes and the configuration of the syringe swapping operation can include grouping syringe locations by type of syringe such that a malfunctioning syringe can be replaced by a similar syringe and that multiple types of syringes can have alternate or backup syringes available.

The settings region3008may include options that allow the user to control the features and functions of the GUI3000(and/or other GUIs) and/or perform common computing operations with respect to the data display region3002and data analysis region3004(e.g., saving data on a storage device, such as the storage device4004discussed herein with reference toFIG.4, sending data to another user, labeling data, etc.). For example, the settings region3008may include notification settings to configure when and how syringe events are logged and when and how messages are sent to the user. For example, the settings region3008can include options to log and/or notify when a syringe malfunction is detected, when a syringe is replaced, when the sequence is resumed, when the replacement syringe does not pass the syringe precheck, and the like. Additionally, settings region3008can include options for how to notify the user as well which can include configuration of an email or phone number depending on the type of notification sent to the user.

As noted above, the scientific instrument support module1000may be implemented by one or more computing devices.FIG.4is a block diagram of a computing device4000that may perform some or all of the scientific instrument support methods disclosed herein, in accordance with various embodiments. In some embodiments, the scientific instrument support module1000may be implemented by a single computing device4000or by multiple computing devices4000. Further, as discussed below, a computing device4000(or multiple computing devices4000) that implements the scientific instrument support module1000may be part of one or more of the scientific instrument5010, the user local computing device5020, the service local computing device5030, or the remote computing device5040ofFIG.5.

The computing device4000ofFIG.4is illustrated as having a number of components, but any one or more of these components may be omitted or duplicated, as suitable for the application and setting. In some embodiments, some or all of the components included in the computing device4000may be attached to one or more motherboards and enclosed in a housing (e.g., including plastic, metal, and/or other materials). In some embodiments, some these components may be fabricated onto a single system-on-a-chip (SoC) (e.g., an SoC may include one or more processing devices4002and one or more storage devices4004). Additionally, in various embodiments, the computing device4000may not include one or more of the components illustrated inFIG.4, but may include interface circuitry (not shown) for coupling to the one or more components using any suitable interface (e.g., a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) interface, a Controller Area Network (CAN) interface, a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) interface, an Ethernet interface, a wireless interface, or any other appropriate interface). For example, the computing device4000may not include a display device4010, but may include display device interface circuitry (e.g., a connector and driver circuitry) to which a display device4010may be coupled.

The computing device4000may include a processing device4002(e.g., one or more processing devices). As used herein, the term “processing device” may refer to any device or portion of a device that processes electronic data from registers and/or memory to transform that electronic data into other electronic data that may be stored in registers and/or memory. The processing device4002may include one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), cryptoprocessors (specialized processors that execute cryptographic algorithms within hardware), server processors, or any other suitable processing devices.

The computing device4000may include a storage device4004(e.g., one or more storage devices). The storage device4004may include one or more memory devices such as random access memory (RAM) (e.g., static RAM (SRAM) devices, magnetic RAM (MRAM) devices, dynamic RAM (DRAM) devices, resistive RAM (RRAM) devices, or conductive-bridging RAM (CBRAM) devices), hard drive-based memory devices, solid-state memory devices, networked drives, cloud drives, or any combination of memory devices. In some embodiments, the storage device4004may include memory that shares a die with a processing device4002. In such an embodiment, the memory may be used as cache memory and may include embedded dynamic random access memory (eDRAM) or spin transfer torque magnetic random access memory (STT-MRAM), for example. In some embodiments, the storage device4004may include non-transitory computer readable media having instructions thereon that, when executed by one or more processing devices (e.g., the processing device4002), cause the computing device4000to perform any appropriate ones of or portions of the methods disclosed herein.

In some embodiments, the interface device4006may include circuitry for managing wired communications, such as electrical, optical, or any other suitable communication protocols. For example, the interface device4006may include circuitry to support communications in accordance with Ethernet technologies. In some embodiments, the interface device4006may support both wireless and wired communication, and/or may support multiple wired communication protocols and/or multiple wireless communication protocols. For example, a first set of circuitry of the interface device4006may be dedicated to shorter-range wireless communications such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, and a second set of circuitry of the interface device4006may be dedicated to longer-range wireless communications such as global positioning system (GPS), EDGE, GPRS, CDMA, WiMAX, LTE, EV-DO, or others. In some embodiments, a first set of circuitry of the interface device4006may be dedicated to wireless communications, and a second set of circuitry of the interface device4006may be dedicated to wired communications.

The computing device4000may include battery/power circuitry4008. The battery/power circuitry4008may include one or more energy storage devices (e.g., batteries or capacitors) and/or circuitry for coupling components of the computing device4000to an energy source separate from the computing device4000(e.g., AC line power).

The computing device4000may include a display device4010(e.g., multiple display devices). The display device4010may include any visual indicators, such as a heads-up display, a computer monitor, a projector, a touchscreen display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode display, or a flat panel display.

The computing device4000may include other input/output (I/O) devices4012. The other I/O devices4012may include one or more audio output devices (e.g., speakers, headsets, earbuds, alarms, etc.), one or more audio input devices (e.g., microphones or microphone arrays), location devices (e.g., GPS devices in communication with a satellite-based system to receive a location of the computing device4000, as known in the art), audio codecs, video codecs, printers, sensors (e.g., thermocouples or other temperature sensors, humidity sensors, pressure sensors, vibration sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, etc.), image capture devices such as cameras, keyboards, cursor control devices such as a mouse, a stylus, a trackball, or a touchpad, bar code readers, Quick Response (QR) code readers, or radio frequency identification (RFID) readers, for example.

The computing device4000may have any suitable form factor for its application and setting, such as a handheld or mobile computing device (e.g., a cell phone, a smart phone, a mobile internet device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook computer, an ultrabook computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), an ultra mobile personal computer, etc.), a desktop computing device, or a server computing device or other networked computing component.

One or more computing devices implementing any of the scientific instrument support modules or methods disclosed herein may be part of a scientific instrument support system.FIG.5is a block diagram of an example scientific instrument support system5000in which some or all of the scientific instrument support methods disclosed herein may be performed, in accordance with various embodiments. The scientific instrument support modules and methods disclosed herein (e.g., the scientific instrument support module1000ofFIG.1and the method2000ofFIG.2) may be implemented by one or more of the scientific instrument5010, the user local computing device5020, the service local computing device5030, or the remote computing device5040of the scientific instrument support system5000.

Any of the scientific instrument5010, the user local computing device5020, the service local computing device5030, or the remote computing device5040may include any of the embodiments of the computing device4000discussed herein with reference toFIG.4, and any of the scientific instrument5010, the user local computing device5020, the service local computing device5030, or the remote computing device5040may take the form of any appropriate ones of the embodiments of the computing device4000discussed herein with reference toFIG.4.

The scientific instrument5010, the user local computing device5020, the service local computing device5030, or the remote computing device5040may each include a processing device5002, a storage device5004, and an interface device5006. The processing device5002may take any suitable form, including the form of any of the processing devices4002discussed herein with reference toFIG.4, and the processing devices5002included in different ones of the scientific instrument5010, the user local computing device5020, the service local computing device5030, or the remote computing device5040may take the same form or different forms. The storage device5004may take any suitable form, including the form of any of the storage devices5004discussed herein with reference toFIG.4, and the storage devices5004included in different ones of the scientific instrument5010, the user local computing device5020, the service local computing device5030, or the remote computing device5040may take the same form or different forms. The interface device5006may take any suitable form, including the form of any of the interface devices4006discussed herein with reference toFIG.4, and the interface devices5006included in different ones of the scientific instrument5010, the user local computing device5020, the service local computing device5030, or the remote computing device5040may take the same form or different forms.

The scientific instrument5010, the user local computing device5020, the service local computing device5030, and the remote computing device5040may be in communication with other elements of the scientific instrument support system5000via communication pathways5008. The communication pathways5008may communicatively couple the interface devices5006of different ones of the elements of the scientific instrument support system5000, as shown, and may be wired or wireless communication pathways (e.g., in accordance with any of the communication techniques discussed herein with reference to the interface devices4006of the computing device4000ofFIG.4). The particular scientific instrument support system5000depicted inFIG.5includes communication pathways between each pair of the scientific instrument5010, the user local computing device5020, the service local computing device5030, and the remote computing device5040, but this “fully connected” implementation is simply illustrative, and in various embodiments, various ones of the communication pathways5008may be absent. For example, in some embodiments, a service local computing device5030may not have a direct communication pathway5008between its interface device5006and the interface device5006of the scientific instrument5010, but may instead communicate with the scientific instrument5010via the communication pathway5008between the service local computing device5030and the user local computing device5020and the communication pathway5008between the user local computing device5020and the scientific instrument5010.

The scientific instrument5010may include any appropriate scientific instrument, such as a chromatography system, a mass spectrometer system, or a chromatography-mass spectrometer system. The chromatography system can include a gas chromatography system, a liquid chromatography system, an ion chromatography system, or any other chromatography system that can utilize an autosampler. The mass spectrometry system can include an ionization source that allows direct injection of a sample by an autosampler. The chromatography-mass spectrometry can be of any type chromatography that can utilize an autosampler to supply samples and provide the output of the chromatographic column to the mass spectrometer.

The user local computing device5020may be a computing device (e.g., in accordance with any of the embodiments of the computing device4000discussed herein) that is local to a user of the scientific instrument5010. In some embodiments, the user local computing device5020may also be local to the scientific instrument5010, but this need not be the case; for example, a user local computing device5020that is in a user's home or office may be remote from, but in communication with, the scientific instrument5010so that the user may use the user local computing device5020to control and/or access data from the scientific instrument5010. In some embodiments, the user local computing device5020may be a laptop, smartphone, or tablet device. In some embodiments the user local computing device5020may be a portable computing device. In some embodiments, the user local computing device5020may receive notifications of injection anomalies and syringe swap events.

The service local computing device5030may be a computing device (e.g., in accordance with any of the embodiments of the computing device4000discussed herein) that is local to an entity that services the scientific instrument5010. For example, the service local computing device5030may be local to a manufacturer of the scientific instrument5010or to a third-party service company. In some embodiments, the service local computing device5030may communicate with the scientific instrument5010, the user local computing device5020, and/or the remote computing device5040(e.g., via a direct communication pathway5008or via multiple “indirect” communication pathways5008, as discussed above) to receive data regarding the operation of the scientific instrument5010, the user local computing device5020, and/or the remote computing device5040(e.g., the results of self-tests of the scientific instrument5010, calibration coefficients used by the scientific instrument5010, the measurements of sensors associated with the scientific instrument5010, etc.). In some embodiments, the service local computing device5030may communicate with the scientific instrument5010, the user local computing device5020, and/or the remote computing device5040(e.g., via a direct communication pathway5008or via multiple “indirect” communication pathways5008, as discussed above) to transmit data to the scientific instrument5010, the user local computing device5020, and/or the remote computing device5040(e.g., to update programmed instructions, such as firmware, in the scientific instrument5010, to initiate the performance of test or calibration sequences in the scientific instrument5010, to update programmed instructions, such as software, in the user local computing device5020or the remote computing device5040, etc.). A user of the scientific instrument5010may utilize the scientific instrument5010or the user local computing device5020to communicate with the service local computing device5030to report a problem with the scientific instrument5010or the user local computing device5020, to request a visit from a technician to improve the operation of the scientific instrument5010, to order consumables or replacement parts associated with the scientific instrument5010, or for other purposes.

The remote computing device5040may be a computing device (e.g., in accordance with any of the embodiments of the computing device4000discussed herein) that is remote from the scientific instrument5010and/or from the user local computing device5020. In some embodiments, the remote computing device5040may be included in a datacenter or other large-scale server environment. In some embodiments, the remote computing device5040may include network-attached storage (e.g., as part of the storage device5004). The remote computing device5040may store data generated by the scientific instrument5010, perform analyses of the data generated by the scientific instrument5010(e.g., in accordance with programmed instructions), facilitate communication between the user local computing device5020and the scientific instrument5010, and/or facilitate communication between the service local computing device5030and the scientific instrument5010.

In some embodiments, one or more of the elements of the scientific instrument support system5000illustrated inFIG.5may not be present. Further, in some embodiments, multiple ones of various ones of the elements of the scientific instrument support system5000ofFIG.5may be present. For example, a scientific instrument support system5000may include multiple user local computing devices5020(e.g., different user local computing devices5020associated with different users or in different locations). In another example, a scientific instrument support system5000may include multiple scientific instruments5010, all in communication with service local computing device5030and/or a remote computing device5040; in such an embodiment, the service local computing device5030may monitor these multiple scientific instruments5010, and the service local computing device5030may cause updates or other information may be “broadcast” to multiple scientific instruments5010at the same time. Different ones of the scientific instruments5010in a scientific instrument support system5000may be located close to one another (e.g., in the same room) or farther from one another (e.g., on different floors of a building, in different buildings, in different cities, etc.). In some embodiments, a scientific instrument5010may be connected to an Internet-of-Things (IoT) stack that allows for command and control of the scientific instrument5010through a web-based application, a virtual or augmented reality application, a mobile application, and/or a desktop application. Any of these applications may be accessed by a user operating the user local computing device5020in communication with the scientific instrument5010by the intervening remote computing device5040. In some embodiments, a scientific instrument5010may be sold by the manufacturer along with one or more associated user local computing devices5020as part of a local scientific instrument computing unit5012.

In some embodiments, different ones of the scientific instruments5010included in a scientific instrument support system5000may be different types of scientific instruments5010; for example, one scientific instrument5010may be a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry system, while another scientific instrument5010may be a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry system. In some such embodiments, the remote computing device5040and/or the user local computing device5020may combine data from different types of scientific instruments5010included in a scientific instrument support system5000.

FIG.6illustrates a method6000of changing a syringe. At6002, an injection anomaly is detected. In various embodiments, the injection anomaly can be detected by analyzing the data generated from the analysis of the sample, such as a chromatogram or a mass spectrum. When there is a problem with sample injection that causes little or no sample to be injected, the peaks in the chromatogram or mass spectrum can be very small or non-existent. Thus, an injection anomaly can be detected by the absence of significant peak intensities. This can be detected by determined by comparing the peak intensifies to a threshold, such that if a mean peak intensity is below the threshold, the system can determine an injection anomaly has occurred.

At6004, the system can determine is a needle or plunger of a syringe used for injecting the sample is bent or misaligned. In various embodiments, an image of the syringe and needle can be captured using an image capture device and analysis of the image can determine if the position of the needle tip is within tolerances. If the needle tip is outside of tolerances, such as too far to the left or right in the image, this can indicate the needle is not correctly inserting through a septum of the sample container or into an injection port of the system and the needle can be considered bent or otherwise damaged.

At6006, if the needle is determined to be bent or damaged, the sequence of sample analyses can be paused. At6008, the syringe can be switched out and a replacement syringe can be obtained. In various embodiments, this can happen without user intervention by instructing the autosampler to rotate a syringe carrier to position a new syringe in the active position or to place the damaged syringe in a syringe holder and pick up replacement syringe from another position on the syringe holder.

At6010, a precheck of the syringe can be performed. In various embodiments, this can include determining a syringe plunger position, determining a needle depth, verifying the operation of the syringe such as by performing a wash step. Additionally, the precheck of the syringe can include verifying the location of the vials in the autosampler to ensure that no vials are missing.

At6012, the system can determine if the syringe precheck is passed. At6014, if the syringe precheck is passed, the system can repeat the sample and, at6016, resume the sequence of sample analyses. Alternately, if the syringe precheck fails, at6018, the system can notify the user and remain in the paused state.

Returning to6004, when a bent needle or bent plunger is not detected, the injection anomaly may be caused by a clogged syringe or it may be a random error. At6020, the system can reinject the sample and repeat the analysis. At6022, the system can determine if the injection anomaly reoccurs of is corrected. If the injection anomaly is corrected and doesn't reoccur with the reinjection of the sample at6018, the system can resume the sequence of sample analyses at6016. Alternatively, detecting the anomaly again can be indicative of a clogged syringe, and the system can pause the sequence at6006in preparation of replacing the syringe.

In various embodiments, notifications and logging can occur at various times, including at6002when an injection anomaly is detected, at6004when a bent needle is detected at6004, at6012when the syringe precheck passes or when the syringe precheck fails, and at any combination thereof. Notification can include sending one or more of an email, a text message, displaying a message on a user interface, sending a push notification to a portable device, and the like. Logging can include adding an entry to one or more of an audit log, a system log, and the like.