Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for designing experimental

Abstract

The present invention provides a design method of an experimental protocol capable of coping with a higher-level process. A system of one aspect includes at least one experimental device (121-126), a control device, and a terminal device. The control device controls the at least one experimental device (121-126) to execute an experimental protocol (p1) that defines a process order of the at least one experimental device (121-126). The terminal device designs the experimental protocol (p1) in the form of a directed graph (DG1) through GUI operation of a user on a specific application (500). A plurality of nodes selectable as vertices of the directed graph (DG1) in the terminal device include a process node (M1) corresponding to each process of the at least one experimental device (121-126), and a conditional branch node (T2) corresponding to a conditional branch process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to methods, systems, and apparatus for designing experimental protocols. Background Technology

[0002] Previously, it was known to perform experiments based on experimental protocols designed by the user on a computer. For example, the system disclosed in International Publication No. 2016 / 208623 (Patent Document 1) retrieves and displays a mesh-like chart of experimental linkages from a database containing information related to the experimental protocol.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: International Publication No. 2016 / 208623 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The technical problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] In the system disclosed in Patent Document 1, the relationships between multiple experiments associated with multiple experimental protocols can be grasped based on the hierarchical structure of experimental protocols defined by the inheritance relationship between a certain experimental protocol and other experimental protocols modified in part by that experimental protocol. However, the system disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not consider the process of multiple processes contained in a single protocol, and cannot handle more advanced processes.

[0008] This invention was made to solve such a technical problem, and its purpose is to correctly perform automatic parsing of experimental protocols.

[0009] Solution to the above technical problems

[0010] One aspect of the present invention includes the following steps: receiving user GUI (Graphical User Interface) operations on a specific application; designing an experimental protocol in the form of a directed graph, specifying the processing order of at least one experimental device, based on the received GUI operations; and controlling at least one experimental device to automatically execute the experimental protocol. The selectable plurality of nodes, serving as vertices of the directed graph, include processing nodes corresponding to each processing of the at least one experimental device and conditional branch nodes corresponding to conditional branch processing.

[0011] Other embodiments of the present invention include a system comprising at least one experimental device, a terminal device, and a control device. The terminal device has an input unit and a processing unit. The input unit receives user GUI operations for a specific application. The processing unit designs an experimental protocol, in the form of a directed graph, specifying the processing order of at least one experimental device based on the received GUI operations. The control device controls at least one experimental device to execute the experimental protocol. Multiple selectable nodes, which serve as vertices of the directed graph in the terminal device, include processing nodes corresponding to each processing of at least one experimental device and conditional branch nodes corresponding to conditional branch processing.

[0012] Another aspect of the invention involves an apparatus that controls at least one experimental device to execute an experimental protocol specifying the processing order of the at least one experimental device. The apparatus includes a display unit, an input unit, and a processing unit. The display unit displays a specific application program. The input unit receives user GUI operations on the specific application program. The processing unit designs the experimental protocol in the form of a directed graph based on the GUI operations. Multiple selectable nodes, which are vertices of the directed graph, include processing nodes corresponding to each processing of the at least one experimental device and conditional branch nodes corresponding to conditional branch processing.

[0013] Invention Effects

[0014] According to the method, system, and apparatus of the present invention, experimental protocols can be designed in the form of directed graphs containing conditional branch nodes, thereby providing a method for designing experimental protocols capable of handling more advanced processing. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an automated experimental management system according to an embodiment.

[0016] Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 A block diagram of the hardware configuration of the terminal device.

[0017] Figure 3 It is shown Figure 1 The experimental protocol design application's GUI consists of a graph.

[0018] Figure 4 It is shown in Figure 3 In the automated experimental system window, a graph showing a certain processing scenario was selected.

[0019] Figure 5 It is shown that in Figure 4 The diagram shows the situation where the selected processing node is appended to the protocol design window.

[0020] Figure 6 It shows that it specifies the relationship with Figure 5 The diagram shows the sample container corresponding to the container node.

[0021] Figure 7 It is shown that... Figure 6 The diagram shows the completion status of the specified sample container corresponding to the container node.

[0022] Figure 8 It is shown in Figure 7 The diagram shows the case where feature extraction nodes have been added to the protocol design window.

[0023] Figure 9 It shows that the selection was made with Figure 8 The graph shows the situation where the output data corresponding to the data node is used as the data for extracting the feature quantities corresponding to the feature quantity extraction node.

[0024] Figure 10 It is shown in Figure 9 The diagram shows the situation where conditional branch nodes have been added to the protocol design window.

[0025] Figure 11 It shows that it has been determined. Figure 10 The diagram shows the conditional branching process of the conditional branch nodes.

[0026] Figure 12 This is a directed graph illustrating design examples of other experimental protocols.

[0027] Figure 13 This is a directed graph illustrating design examples of other experimental protocols.

[0028] Figure 14 It shows the... Figure 13 The diagram shown is an example of the information displayed by nodes in a directed graph when a user-defined GUI operation is performed.

[0029] Figure 15 It is shown Figure 1 A block diagram of the hardware configuration of the server device.

[0030] Figure 16 This means that in Figure 1 The flowchart illustrates the process of conducting automated experiments based on experimental protocols within the automated experimental management system.

[0031] Figure 17 This is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an automated experimental management system according to a variation of embodiment 1.

[0032] Figure 18 It is shown Figure 17 A block diagram of the hardware configuration of the terminal device.

[0033] Figure 19 This is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an automated experimental system according to a modified example 2 of the implementation method.

[0034] Figure 20 It is shown Figure 19 A block diagram of the hardware configuration of the control device. Detailed Implementation

[0035] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, the same or corresponding parts in the drawings will be labeled with the same reference numerals, and will generally not be described again.

[0036] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an automated experimental management system 1000 according to an embodiment. Figure 1 As shown, the automated experimental management system 1000 includes an automated experimental system 1, a server device 200, a database 300, and a terminal device 400. The database 300 is connected to the server device 200. The database 300 records, for example, information related to the automated experimental system 1, information related to samples, experimental protocols, and output data (experimental results) generated by executing the experimental protocols. The terminal device 400 includes an input / output unit 430. The input / output unit 430 includes a display 431, a keyboard 432, and a touchpad 433. The terminal device 400 can be, for example, a laptop computer, a personal computer, a smartphone, or a tablet computer. The automated experimental system 1, the server device 200, and the terminal device 400 are interconnected via a network NW. The network NW can include, for example, the Internet, a WAN (Wan Area Network), or a LAN (Lan Area Network). Furthermore, there can be two or more terminal devices connected to the network NW, and there can also be two or more automated experimental systems.

[0037] Server device 200 provides experimental protocol design application 500 (a specific application) as a web application to terminal device 400. Experimental protocol design application 500 is displayed on display 431 on terminal device 400 via web browser 600. Keyboard 432 and touchpad 433 receive GUI operations from the user on experimental protocol design application 500. That is, the user of terminal device 400 selects an automated experimental system in experimental protocol design application 500 based on GUI operations via keyboard 432 and touchpad 433 to design an experimental protocol to be executed according to that automated experimental system. The experimental protocol specifies the processing order of at least one experimental device included in the automated experimental system selected by the user. Terminal device 400 sends the experimental protocol designed by the user to server device 200. Server device 200 sends the experimental protocol to the automated experimental system specified by the user of terminal device 400. By placing server device 200 between the terminal device designing the experimental protocol and the automated experimental system executing the experimental protocol, server device 200 can uniformly manage multiple terminal devices and multiple automated experimental systems.

[0038] The automated experimental system 1 includes a control device 110 and multiple experimental devices 120. The control device 110 controls the multiple experimental devices 120 to automatically execute experimental protocols from the server device 200. The multiple experimental devices 120 include a robotic arm 121, a culture vessel 122, a liquid processor 123, a microplate reader 124, a centrifuge 125, and a liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer (LCMS) 126. Alternatively, the automated experimental system may include only one experimental device.

[0039] Robotic arm 121 moves plate Plt1 or Plt2, which serves as a container for samples, to the experimental apparatus corresponding to each of the multiple processes according to the sequence of processes specified in the experimental protocol. Plates Plt1 and Plt2 respectively contain, for example, agar containing cultured E. coli. Incubator 122 manages the temperature and culturees the cells. Liquid processor 123 automatically dispenses (dispenses) a certain amount of sample into each of the multiple microplates (trap). Microplate reader 124 measures the optical properties of the sample within the microplate (e.g., absorbance and fluorescence intensity). Centrifuge 125 separates the components of the sample according to centrifugal force. LCMS 126 performs mass analysis on the components of the sample separated by liquid chromatography according to their mass-to-charge ratio (m / z).

[0040] Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 A block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of the terminal device 400. (See diagram below.) Figure 2 As shown, the terminal device 400 includes a processor 421, a memory 422 and a hard disk 423 as storage units, a communication interface 424, and an input / output unit 430. They are interconnected via a bus 440.

[0041] Hard disk 423 is a non-volatile storage device. For example, operating system (OS) program 41 and web browser program 42 are stored in hard disk 423. Besides... Figure 2 In addition to the data shown, the hard disk 423 also stores, for example, settings and outputs of various applications. The memory 422 is a volatile storage device, such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory).

[0042] Processor 421 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Processor 421 reads programs stored in hard disk 423 into memory 422 and executes them. Processor 421 is connected to network NW via communication interface 424.

[0043] Figure 3 It is shown Figure 1 The experimental protocol design application 500 is illustrated in the diagram. (See diagram for example.) Figure 3 As shown, the experimental protocol design application 500 includes: a queue list window 510, a protocol list window 520, a protocol design window 530, an automated experimental system window 540, a sample container window 550, a tool window 560, and a selection cursor Cr.

[0044] The queue list window 510 displays queues sorted by multiple protocols. Figure 3 In the sequence list window 510, queues q1 and q2 are displayed. The experimental protocol is displayed in the protocol list window 520. Figure 3 In the protocol list window 520, display and select the experimental protocol p1.

[0045] In the protocol design window 530, the experimental protocol is designed in the form of a directed graph. In the directed graph, the connections between multiple nodes are defined as edges. This directed graph is saved as graph structure data according to a pre-defined structured data format. For example, XML (Extensible Markup Language) or JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) can be used as the structured data format. Multiple selectable nodes, which are vertices of the directed graph, form a GUI, including container nodes, processing nodes, and data nodes. Container nodes correspond to the containers that hold the samples. Processing nodes correspond to the various processes contained in the apparatus of the automated experimental system. Data nodes correspond to the output data of the processes in the experimental apparatus.

[0046] The protocol design window 530 is divided into a container area 531, a processing area 532, and a data area 533. In the initial state of starting the design of a certain experimental protocol, the processing area 532 displays the start node Ms, which indicates the start of the experimental protocol, the end node Me, which indicates the end of the experimental protocol, and the edge E10 from the start node Ms to the end node Me.

[0047] The automated experimental system window 540 displays the processes that can be performed individually by at least one experimental device included in the automated experimental system selected by the user. Figure 3 In the selected configuration, Automated Experimental System 1 was chosen. The process that can be performed by the robotic arm 121 is displayed as "Transfer Container". The process that can be performed by the culture vessel 122 is displayed as "Culturing Cells". The process that can be performed by the liquid processor 123 is displayed as "Dispensing Liquid". The processes that can be performed by the microplate reader 124 are displayed as "Absorbance Measurement" and "Fluorescence Intensity Measurement". The process that can be performed by the centrifuge 125 is displayed as "Centrifugation". The process that can be performed by the LCMS 126 is displayed as "Mass Analysis".

[0048] The container holding the sample is displayed in sample container window 550. Figure 3 The image shows plates Plt1 and Plt2 as containers for a sample of E. coli.

[0049] The tool window 560 displays specific processes performed by the control devices of the automated experimental system. Figure 3The interface displays "Feature Extraction," "Conditional Branching," "Repetition," and "Timer." "Feature Extraction" corresponds to the process of extracting user-specified features from data corresponding to data nodes selected by the user. "Conditional Branching" corresponds to the process of branching based on the success or failure of user-specified conditions. "Repetition" corresponds to the process of repeating the specified process a certain number of times. "Timer" corresponds to the process of waiting for the experimental protocol to proceed within a user-specified time.

[0050] Figure 4 It is shown in Figure 3 In the automatic experimental system window 540, a graph showing a certain processing scenario was selected. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the user selects "Absorbance Measurement" in the automatic experiment system window 540 and drags it between the start node Ms and the end node Me.

[0051] Figure 5 It shows that it will be with in Figure 4 The diagram shows the situation where the selected processing node is appended to the protocol design window 530. (See diagram 530 for example.) Figure 5 As shown, the processing node M1 corresponding to "Absorbance Measurement" is added between the start node Ms and the end node Me and selected. With the addition of processing node M1, container node C1 and data node D1 are automatically added to container area 531 and data area 533, respectively. With the selection of processing node M1, an information window 570 containing information related to the selected node is displayed. Figure 5 The measurement wavelength and the measurement object trap are displayed as parameters for absorbance measurement corresponding to processing node M1.

[0052] The start node Ms and the processing node M1 are connected by edge E1 from the start node Ms to the processing node M1. The processing node M1 and the end node Me are connected by edge E2 from the processing node M1 to the end node Me. The container node C1 and the processing node M1 are connected by edge E3 (the first edge) from the container node C1 to the processing node M1. The processing node M1 and the data node D1 are connected by edge E4 (the second edge) from the processing node M1 to the data node D1. Edge E3 indicates that the container corresponding to the container node C1 is input into the processing corresponding to the processing node M1. Edge E4 indicates that the output data of the processing corresponding to the processing node M1 corresponds to the data node D1. As a processing node is added, the container node and data node connected to that processing node are automatically added, thereby making the design of the experimental protocol more efficient. In addition, in Figure 5 Since the sample container corresponding to container node C1 is not specified, container node C1 and edge E3 are shown with dashed lines.

[0053] Figure 6It shows that it specifies the relationship with Figure 5 The diagram shows the sample container corresponding to container node C1. Figure 6 As shown, the user selects "Plate Plt1" in the sample container window 550 and drags it to the container node C1. As "Plate Plt1" is selected in the sample container window 550, the title of the information window 570 changes to "Container Information".

[0054] Figure 7 It is shown that... Figure 6 The diagram shows the completion status of the sample container corresponding to container node C1. (See diagram for example.) Figure 7 As shown, container node C1 is selected, and container node C1 and edge E3 are shown with solid lines. Information window 570 shows the sample contained in the container corresponding to container node C1 and the container name.

[0055] Figure 8 It is shown in Figure 7 The diagram shows the case where feature extraction node T1 has been added to the protocol design window 530. In the tool window 560, select "Feature Extraction" and drag it to the protocol design window 530. As a result, feature extraction node T1 is added to the protocol design window 530. With feature extraction node T1 selected, the title of the information window 570 changes to "Tool Information".

[0056] Figure 9 It shows that the selection was made with Figure 8 The diagram illustrates the situation where the output data corresponding to data node D1 is used as the data for feature extraction processing corresponding to feature extraction node T1. For example... Figure 9 As shown, an edge E5 is added from data node D1 to feature extraction node T1 by a user's drag operation from data node D1 to feature extraction node T1. Edge E5 indicates the extraction of a feature from the output data corresponding to data node D1 through the feature extraction process corresponding to feature extraction node T1. The user can specify the feature to be extracted from the output data corresponding to data node D1 in the information window corresponding to feature extraction node T1. This feature can also be selected from a predefined feature template.

[0057] Figure 10 It is shown in Figure 9 A diagram showing the conditional branch node T2 was added to the protocol design window 530. (See diagram 530.) Figure 10As shown, select "Conditional Branch" in tool window 560 and drag it to protocol design window 530. As a result, conditional branch node T2 is appended to protocol design window 530. The user can specify the condition for conditional branch node T2 in information window 570. This condition can be entered as an equality or inequality, for example. Edge E6, indicating that the condition of conditional branch node T2 is true, and edge E7, indicating that the condition is false, extend from conditional branch node T2. Each of edges E6 and E7 is shown with a dashed line because the destination of the connection is not determined.

[0058] Figure 11 It shows that it has been determined. Figure 10 The diagram shows the conditional branch processing for node T2. Figure 11 In the directed graph DG1 shown, the position of the ending node Me starts from... Figure 10 The position of the end node Me is moved, and edge E2 is deleted. An edge E8 is added from feature extraction node T1 towards conditional branch node T2 by the user's drag operation from T1. Edge E8 serves as a condition for conditional branch node T2, indicating the condition related to the features extracted through the process corresponding to feature extraction node T1. The leading edge of edge E6 is connected to the end node Me by the user's drag operation. The leading edge of edge E7 is connected to the processing node M1 by the user's drag operation. Since the features of the output data corresponding to data node D1 can be directly used as the condition of conditional branch node T2 via feature extraction node T1, the design of conditional branching based on output data can be made more efficient.

[0059] The directed graph DG1 contains a loop structure that iterates in the order of processing node M1, data node D1, feature extraction node T1, and conditional branch node T2. When the condition of conditional branch node T2 is true, the experimental protocol p1 ends. When this condition is false, the processing of processing node M1 and feature extraction node T1 is performed in this order, and then the conditional branch processing of conditional branch node T2 is performed again. During the period when the condition of conditional branch node T2 is false, the processing of processing node M1 and feature extraction node T1 is repeated. That is, the condition of conditional branch node T2 is the termination condition for the repeated processing that includes the processing of processing node M1 and feature extraction node T1. Alternatively, the condition of the conditional branch node can also be used as the continuation condition for the repeated processing. In this case, the repeated processing continues during the period when the condition of the conditional branch node is true.

[0060] The selectable nodes, acting as vertices of a directed graph, include conditional branching nodes, thus accurately reflecting the structure of conditional branching and repetitive processing in the experimental protocol. This provides a method for designing experimental protocols capable of handling more advanced processing. Furthermore, designing experimental protocols in the form of directed graphs allows for the automatic parsing of protocols, such as accurately tracking the changes in samples within the protocol. Examples of sample changes in the experimental protocol include, for instance, the pedigree of cells formed through repeated seeding and subculturing. Moreover, the automatic parsing of experimental protocols incorporates machine learning (e.g., principal component analysis or deep learning) of directed graphs.

[0061] Figure 12 This is a graph of directed graph DG2, which serves as a design example for other experimental protocol p2. For example... Figure 12 As shown, select "Protocol p2" in the protocol list window 520. The directed graph DG2 includes a start node Ms2, an end node Me2, a processing node M21 corresponding to absorbance measurement, a timer node T22, repeating nodes T23A and T23B, a container node C21, and a data node D21. The start node Ms2 and the repeating node T23A are connected by edge E21 from the start node Ms2 to the repeating node T23A. The repeating node T23A and the processing node M21 are connected by edge E22 from the repeating node T23A to the processing node M21. The container node C21 and the processing node M21 are connected by edge E23 from the container node C21 to the processing node M21. The processing node M21 and the data node D21 are connected by edge E24 from the processing node M21 to the data node D21.

[0062] Processing node M21 and timer node T22 are connected by edge E25 from processing node M21 to timer node T22. Timer node T22 and repeating node T23B are connected by edge E26 from timer node T22 to repeating node T23B. Repeating node T23B and end node Me2 are connected by edge E27 from repeating node T23B to end node Me2. Repeating nodes T23B and T23A are connected by edge E28 from repeating node T23B to T23A. Directed graph DG2 contains a cyclic structure that loops in the order of repeating node T23A, processing node M21, timer node T22, and repeating node T23B. In information window 570, an upper limit is specified for the number of repetitions processed by repeating nodes T23A and T23B. The termination condition for this repetition is when the number of repetitions exceeds the upper limit. The continuation condition for this repetition is when the number of repetitions is less than the upper limit. By using repeating nodes, the design of repetition processing in the experimental protocol can be made more efficient.

[0063] Figure 13This is a diagram illustrating the directed graph DG3 as a design example of other experimental protocol p3. For example... Figure 13 As shown, "Protocol p3" is selected in the protocol list window 520. The directed graph DG3 includes a start node Ms3, an end node Me3, processing nodes M31, M32, M33, M34, M35, M36, container nodes C31, C32, and data nodes D31, D32. Processing nodes M31 to M36 correspond to "Cell Culture", "Liquid Dispensing", "Absorbance Measurement", "Centrifugation", "Liquid Dispensing", and "Mass Analysis" shown in the automated experimental system window 540, respectively.

[0064] The start node Ms3 and the processing node M31 are connected by edge E31 from the start node Ms3 to the processing node M31. Processing nodes M31 and M32 are connected by edge E32 from the processing node M31 to M32. Processing nodes M32 and M33 are connected by edge E33 from the processing node M32 to M33. Processing nodes M33 and M34 are connected by edge E34 from the processing node M33 to M34. Processing nodes M34 and M35 are connected by edge E35 from the processing node M34 to M35. Processing nodes M35 and M36 are connected by edge E36 from the processing node M35 to M36. The processing node M36 and the end node Me3 are connected by edge E37 from the processing node M36 to the end node Me3.

[0065] Container node C31 and processing node M31 are connected by edge E41 from container node C31 to processing node M31. Container node C31 and processing node M32 are connected by edge E42 from container node C31 to processing node M32.

[0066] Container node C32 and processing node M32 are connected by edge E43 from container node C32 to processing node M32. Container node C32 and processing node M33 are connected by edge E44 from container node C32 to processing node M33. Container node C32 and processing node M34 are connected by edge E45 from container node C32 to processing node M34. Container node C32 and processing node M35 are connected by edge E46 from container node C32 to processing node M35. Container node C32 and processing node M36 are connected by edge E47 from container node C32 to processing node M36.

[0067] Processing node M33 and data node D31 are connected by edge E51 from processing node M33 to data node D31. Processing node M36 and data node D32 are connected by edge E52 from processing node M36 to data node D32.

[0068] Figure 14 It shows the... Figure 13 The diagram shown illustrates an example of the information displayed by nodes in a directed graph DG3 when a user-defined GUI operation (e.g., double-click) is performed. Figure 14 The text shows how to double-click. Figure 13 Here is an example of the information displayed when the data node D32 (select node) is selected. Figure 14 Images (a) and (b) show the liquid chromatogram and mass spectrometer generated from the output data of the mass analysis corresponding to processing node M36, respectively. Double-clicking a processing node displays, for example, a description of the processing corresponding to that node. Double-clicking a container node displays, for example, a detailed description of the sample contained in that container. By performing predefined GUI operations on the nodes of the directed graph, information related to that node is displayed, thereby enabling efficient reference to information on the constituent elements of an experimental protocol designed in the form of a directed graph.

[0069] Figure 15 It is shown Figure 1 A block diagram of the hardware configuration of the server device 200. (See diagram below.) Figure 15 As shown, the server device 200 includes a processor 201, a memory 202 and a hard disk 203 as storage units, a communication interface 204 as a communication unit, and an input / output unit 205. They are interconnected via a bus 210.

[0070] The hard disk 203 is a non-volatile storage device. For example, the operating system (OS) program 51 and the automated experiment management program 52 are stored in the hard disk 203. Besides... Figure 15 In addition to the data shown, the hard disk 203 also stores, for example, settings and outputs of various applications. The memory 202 is a volatile storage device, such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory).

[0071] Processor 201 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Processor 201 reads programs stored in hard disk 203 into memory 202 and executes them to implement the various functions of server device 200. For example, processor 201 executing automated experiment management program 52 provides experimental protocol design application program 500 to terminal device 400. Processor 201 is connected to network NW via communication interface 204.

[0072] Figure 16 This is an explanation based on Figure 1 The flowchart illustrates the automated experiment process of the experimental protocol within the Automated Experiment Management System 1000. (Example:) Figure 16As shown, in S11, the terminal device 400 designs the experimental protocol in the form of a directed graph to send the experimental protocol to the server device 200. In S12, the server device 200 sends the experimental protocol to the automated experimental system selected by the user through the terminal device 400. In S13, the control device of the automated experimental system automatically executes the experimental protocol received from the server device 200. In S14, the control device sends the processed output data contained in the experimental protocol to the server device 200.

[0073] In this implementation, the case where the experimental protocol designed in the terminal device is sent to the automated experimental system via the server device is described. The experimental protocol can also be sent directly from the terminal device to the automated experimental system.

[0074] Figure 17 This is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the automated experimental management system 1100 according to a modified example 1 of the embodiment. The configuration of the automated experimental management system 1100 is as follows: Figure 1 The automated experimental management system 1000 is configured such that the server device 200 and database 300 are removed, and the terminal device 400 is replaced with 400A. Otherwise, it is the same and will not be described again. The experimental protocol design application 500A is displayed on the display 431 of the terminal device 400A.

[0075] Figure 18 It is shown Figure 17 A block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of the terminal device 400A. The terminal device 400A is configured in... Figure 2 An automatic experiment management program 52A is added to the hard disk 423. Otherwise, it is the same and will not be described again. The automatic experiment management program 52A is executed by the processor 421, thereby enabling the automatic execution of the experiment protocol design application program 500A and the experiment protocol based on the automatic experiment system.

[0076] The experimental protocol can be designed in the control device of the automated experimental system. Figure 19 This is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the automated experimental system 1B according to a modified example 2 of the embodiment. The configuration of the automated experimental system 1B is as follows: Figure 1 The automatic experimental system 1 is configured such that the control device 110 is replaced with 110B. Otherwise, it is the same, so it will not be described again.

[0077] like Figure 19As shown, the control device 110B includes an input / output unit 130 and a computer 140 (processing unit). The input / output unit 130 includes a display 131 (display unit), a keyboard 132 (input unit), and a mouse 133 (input unit). The display 131, keyboard 132, and mouse 133 are connected to the computer 140. The display 131 displays the GUI of the experimental protocol design application 500B. The keyboard 132 and mouse 133 receive user GUI operations on the experimental protocol design application 500B. That is, the user performs desired GUI operations on the experimental protocol design application 500B by referring to the display 131 and operating the keyboard 132 or the mouse 133.

[0078] Figure 20 It is shown Figure 19 A block diagram of the hardware configuration of the control device 110B. (See diagram for example.) Figure 20 As shown, the computer 140 includes a processor 141, a memory 142 and a hard disk 143 as storage units, and a communication interface 144. They are interconnected via a bus 145.

[0079] Hard disk 143 is a non-volatile storage device. For example, it stores the operating system (OS) program 61 and the automated experiment management program 52B. Besides... Figure 20 In addition to the data shown, the hard disk 143 also stores, for example, settings and outputs of various applications. The memory 142 is a volatile storage device, such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory).

[0080] Processor 141 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Processor 141 reads programs stored in hard disk 143 into memory 142 and executes them. Processor 141 executes the automatic experiment management program 52B, thereby automatically executing the experiment protocol design application program 500B and the experiment protocols through multiple experimental devices 120. Processor 141 is connected to a network via communication interface 144.

[0081] Based on the above, the method and system of Embodiment 1 and the apparatus of Embodiment 2 can provide a design method for experimental protocols capable of handling more advanced processing.

[0082] [plan]

[0083] Those skilled in the art will understand that the above exemplary embodiments are specific examples of the following schemes.

[0084] (Item 1) A method comprising: receiving a user's GUI operation for a specific application; designing an experimental protocol in the form of a directed graph, based on the received GUI operation, specifying the processing order of at least one experimental device; and controlling at least one experimental device to automatically execute the experimental protocol. The selectable plurality of nodes, which are vertices of the directed graph, include processing nodes corresponding to each processing of the at least one experimental device and conditional branch nodes corresponding to conditional branch processing.

[0085] According to the method described in item 1, experimental protocols can be designed in the form of directed graphs containing conditional branch nodes, thereby providing a design method for experimental protocols capable of handling more advanced processing.

[0086] (Item 2) In the method described in Item 1, the plurality of nodes further include container nodes, data nodes, and feature extraction nodes. A container node corresponds to a container holding a sample processed by at least one experimental apparatus. A data node corresponds to the output data of the processing of each sample in the at least one experimental apparatus. A feature extraction node corresponds to the processing of extracting features from the output data. The conditions of the conditional branch node include conditions related to the features.

[0087] According to the method described in item 2, the feature quantities of the output data corresponding to the data node can be directly used as conditions for the conditional branch node via the feature extraction node, thereby making the design of conditional branching based on the output data more efficient.

[0088] (Item 3) In the method described in Item 2, the step of designing the experimental protocol in the form of a directed graph includes the step of automatically adding container nodes and data nodes as processing nodes are added. Here, container nodes and processing nodes are connected by a first edge from the container node to the processing node. Processing nodes and data nodes are connected by a second edge from the processing node to the data node.

[0089] According to the method described in item 3, as a processing node is added, container nodes and data nodes connected to that processing node are automatically added, thereby enabling the design of experimental protocols to be more efficient.

[0090] (Item 4) In any of the methods described in items 1 to 3, information related to the selected node is displayed according to a specified GUI operation on the selected node included in the plurality of nodes.

[0091] According to the method described in item 4, information related to the selected node is displayed by specifying the GUI operation on the selected node, thereby effectively referencing information about the constituent elements of the experimental protocol designed in the form of a directed graph.

[0092] (Item 5) In any one of items 1 to 4, the plurality of nodes further includes a repeating node corresponding to the repeating process.

[0093] According to the method described in item 5, repeating nodes can make the design of repeated processing in the experimental protocol more efficient.

[0094] (Item 6) A system of one embodiment comprises at least one experimental device, a terminal device, and a control device. The terminal device has an input unit and a processing unit. The input unit receives GUI operations from the user for a specific application. The processing unit designs an experimental protocol, in the form of a directed graph, specifying the processing order of at least one experimental device based on the received GUI operations. The control device controls at least one experimental device to execute the experimental protocol. Multiple selectable nodes, which are vertices of the directed graph in the terminal device, include processing nodes corresponding to each processing of at least one experimental device and conditional branch nodes corresponding to conditional branch processing.

[0095] According to the system described in item 6, experimental protocols can be designed in the form of directed graphs containing conditional branch nodes, thereby providing a design method for experimental protocols capable of handling more advanced processing.

[0096] (Item 7) In the system described in Item 6, there is also a server device that provides a specific application to the terminal device. The server device sends an experimental protocol designed in the terminal device to the control device.

[0097] According to the system described in item 7, a server device exists between the terminal device that designs the experimental protocol and the control device that controls at least one experimental device to execute the experimental protocol, thereby enabling unified management of multiple terminal devices and multiple control devices through the server device.

[0098] (Item 8) An apparatus of one embodiment controls at least one experimental device to execute an experimental protocol that specifies the processing order of the at least one experimental device. The apparatus includes a display unit, an input unit, and a processing unit. The display unit displays a specific application program. The input unit receives user GUI operations on the specific application program. The processing unit designs the experimental protocol in the form of a directed graph based on the GUI operations. Multiple selectable nodes, which are vertices of the directed graph, include processing nodes corresponding to each processing of the at least one experimental device and conditional branch nodes corresponding to conditional branch processing.

[0099] According to the apparatus described in item 8, experimental protocols can be designed in the form of directed graphs containing conditional branch nodes, thereby providing a method for designing experimental protocols capable of handling more advanced processing.

[0100] Furthermore, for the above-described embodiments and modifications, combinations not mentioned in the specification are intended to be included from the outset of the application, and the configurations described in the embodiments are appropriately combined within the scope that does not cause inconvenience or contradiction.

[0101] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is not shown by the foregoing description but by the claims, which include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0102] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0103] 1.1B Automated Experiment System

[0104] 110, 110B control devices

[0105] 120 Experimental Setup

[0106] 121 robotic arm

[0107] 122 incubator

[0108] 123 Liquid Processor

[0109] 124 Mini Tablet Reader

[0110] 125 centrifuge

[0111] 130, 205, 430 Input / Output Sections

[0112] 131 and 431 monitors

[0113] 132, 432 keyboard

[0114] 133 mouse

[0115] 140 computers

[0116] 141, 201, 421 processors

[0117] 142, 202, 422 memory

[0118] 143, 203, 423 hard drives

[0119] 144, 204, 424 communication interfaces

[0120] 145, 210, 440 bus

[0121] 200 server devices

[0122] 300 Database

[0123] 400, 400A terminal devices

[0124] 433 Touchpad

[0125] 500, 500A, 500B Experimental Protocol Design Application

[0126] 510 Queue List Window

[0127] 520 Protocol List Window

[0128] 530 Protocol Design Window

[0129] 531 Container Area

[0130] 532 processing area

[0131] 533 data area

[0132] 540 Automated Experiment System Window

[0133] 550 Sample Container Window

[0134] 560 Tools Window

[0135] 570 Information Window

[0136] 600 Web Browsers

[0137] 1000, 1100 Automated Experiment Management System

[0138] C1, C21, C31, C32 container nodes

[0139] Cr select cursor

[0140] Data nodes D1, D21, D31, and D32

[0141] Directed graphs from DG1 to DG3

[0142] T2 conditional branch node

[0143] Processing nodes M1, M21, and M31-M36

[0144] T1 Feature Extraction Node

[0145] T23A and T23B repeating nodes

[0146] Me, Me2, Me3 End Nodes

[0147] Ms, Ms2, Ms3 start nodes

[0148] NW Network

[0149] P l t1, P l t2 boards

[0150] T22 timer node

[0151] p1~p3 experimental protocol.

Claims

1. A method for designing experimental protocols, characterized in that, Include: The steps for receiving user operations on a specific application's GUI (Graphical User Interface); Based on the received GUI operations, design the steps of an experimental protocol in the form of a directed graph that specifies the processing order of at least one experimental device. The steps of controlling the at least one experimental apparatus to automatically execute the experimental protocol are as follows. The selectable nodes that serve as vertices of the directed graph include processing nodes corresponding to each processing of the at least one experimental apparatus, conditional branch nodes corresponding to conditional branch processing, and feature extraction nodes corresponding to processing that extracts feature quantities from the output data of each processing of the sample by the at least one experimental apparatus. The design process includes modifying the connection relationship between the processing node and the conditional branch node based on the received GUI operation. The conditions of the conditional branch node include conditions related to the feature quantity.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of nodes also includes: A container node corresponds to a container that holds the sample; The data node corresponds to the output data.

3. The method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The steps of designing the experimental protocol in the form of a directed graph include automatically adding the container node and the data node as the processing node is added. The container node and the processing node are connected by a first side extending from the container node toward the processing node. The processing node and the data node are connected by a second side from the processing node toward the data node.

4. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Based on the specified GUI operation for the selected node included in the plurality of nodes, information related to the selected node is displayed.

5. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of nodes also includes repeating nodes corresponding to the repeating process.

6. A system for designing experimental protocols, characterized in that, have: At least one experimental setup; The terminal device includes an input unit for receiving GUI operations from a user on a specific application, and a processing unit for designing an experimental protocol that specifies the processing order of the at least one experimental device in the form of a directed graph based on the received GUI operations. A control device controls the at least one experimental apparatus to execute the experimental protocol. In the terminal device, the selectable plurality of nodes that serve as vertices of the directed graph include processing nodes corresponding to each processing of the at least one experimental device, conditional branch nodes corresponding to conditional branch processing, and feature extraction nodes corresponding to processing that extracts feature quantities from the output data of each processing of the sample by the at least one experimental device. The conditions of the conditional branch node include conditions related to the feature quantity.

7. The system as described in claim 6, characterized in that, It also includes a server device that provides the specific application to the terminal device. The server device sends the experimental protocol designed in the terminal device to the control device.

8. An apparatus for designing experimental protocols, comprising an apparatus for controlling at least one experimental device to execute an experimental protocol specifying the processing order of the at least one experimental device, characterized in that, have: The display section shows specific applications; The input section receives user GUI operations for the specific application; The processing unit designs the experimental protocol in the form of a directed graph based on the received GUI operations. The selectable nodes that serve as vertices of the directed graph include processing nodes corresponding to each processing of the at least one experimental apparatus, conditional branch nodes corresponding to conditional branch processing, and feature extraction nodes corresponding to processing that extracts feature quantities from the output data of each processing of the sample by the at least one experimental apparatus. The conditions of the conditional branch node include conditions related to the feature quantity.

9. A method for designing experimental protocols, characterized in that, Include: The steps for receiving user operations on a specific application's GUI (Graphical User Interface); Based on the received GUI operations, design the steps of an experimental protocol in the form of a directed graph that specifies the processing order of at least one experimental device. The steps of controlling the at least one experimental apparatus to automatically execute the experimental protocol are as follows. The at least one experimental apparatus includes an analytical device. The selectable plurality of nodes, which are vertices of the directed graph, include data nodes corresponding to the output data processed by the analysis device. The method further includes displaying at least one of a chromatogram and a spectrum generated from the output data corresponding to the data node, based on the user's selection of the data node.

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