Multi-machine multi-task scheduling system for automatic chemistry laboratory

Abstract

The invention discloses a multi-machine and multi-task scheduling system for an automatic chemical laboratory, and belongs to the field of automatic chemical experiment control systems. Comprising a task receiving module connected with a multi-machine multi-task scheduling module, a multi-task scheduling module connected with the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module, a multi-robot control module connected with a workstation control module, a multi-robot control module connected with the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module, and a workstation control module connected with the multi-robot control module. And the server is connected with the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module. The system can receive a chemical experiment task input by a user through an interactive graphic task interface, construct a formatted chemical experiment task flow through a rear end, optimize the formatted chemical experiment task flow into a task scheduling schedule through a constraint programming algorithm, and guide a robot and an automatic experiment work station to execute. Therefore, intelligent scheduling and automatic execution of multiple types of chemical experiments in an automatic chemical laboratory scene are realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of automatic chemistry experiment control systems, and in particular to a multi-machine multi-task scheduling system for an automatic chemistry laboratory. Background Art

[0002] In traditional chemical laboratories, it is normal for multiple researchers to conduct multiple experiments at the same time. In the automated chemical laboratory scenario, it is necessary to enable multiple robots to conduct different types of chemical experiments in parallel. This includes scheduling different types of chemical experiment tasks and assigning tasks to different robots according to the scheduling plan.

[0003] Chemical experiments have extremely high requirements for chemical reaction conditions, and are often accompanied by multiple constraints, such as temperature, stirring speed, reaction time, etc. This requires planning the order and start time of different experimental steps, resolving resource conflicts between different tasks, ensuring the rational allocation and efficient use of resources, and ensuring the efficient completion of all tasks. Due to the multidimensional complexity of chemical experiments, currently, automated chemistry laboratories mainly focus on the research of single-machine single-task and multi-machine single-task automation, and there is no system that can support mixed task scheduling of multiple robots for different types of chemical tasks.

[0004] In view of this, the present invention is proposed. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a multi-machine multi-task scheduling system for an automated chemistry laboratory, which can combine the unique constraints of chemical experiments, generate scheduling plans using constraint programming methods, and dynamically allocate them to multiple robots for parallel execution in real time, thereby solving the multi-machine multi-task scheduling problem for automated chemistry laboratories that cannot be achieved by existing technologies.

[0006] The objective of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions: A multi-machine multi-task scheduling system for an automated chemistry laboratory, comprising: The task receiving module can receive the chemical experiment tasks submitted by the user and store them in the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module, which can display the status of the robot and the automated experiment workstation and control the automated experiment workstation; The multi-task scheduling module can obtain chemical experiment tasks from the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module, optimize the chemical experiment task sequence into a task scheduling plan table and send it to the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module; and reschedule the newly added chemical experiment tasks and unfinished chemical experiment tasks, generate a task scheduling plan table and send it to the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module; The multi-machine multi-task scheduling module is connected to the task receiving module, the multi-task scheduling module, the multi-robot control module and the workstation control module. It can use the task scheduling schedule, the operation record containing the control instructions of the robot and the automated experimental workstation, the robot status sent by the multi-robot control module and the automated experimental workstation status sent by the workstation control module to calculate the current chemical experiment task progress, and send the experimental task steps to be carried out to the corresponding robots and automated experimental workstations in the form of control instructions according to the progress; The multi-robot control module can plan the optimal non-conflicting path for each robot to navigate and transport experimental samples according to the received control instructions; The workstation control module can control the automated experimental workstation to complete corresponding experimental operations according to the received control instructions.

[0007] Compared with the prior art, the multi-machine multi-task scheduling system for automated chemistry laboratories provided by the present invention has the following beneficial effects: Through the cooperation of task receiving module, multi-task scheduling module, multi-machine multi-task scheduling module, multi-robot control module and workstation control module, the chemical experiment tasks input by scientific research users can be received in an interactive graphical task interface, and a parsable model form can be constructed through the back end as a formatted chemical experiment task flow. The formatted chemical experiment task flow is optimized into a detailed task scheduling schedule through the constraint programming algorithm, and finally guides the execution of robots and automated experimental workstations, thereby realizing the intelligent scheduling and automated execution of multiple types of chemical experiments in the automated chemical laboratory scenario. The system abstracts the chemical experiment task flow in a general sense into a multi-task scheduling problem, and introduces fine and strict constraints for the particularity of chemical experiments. It can standardize the description of the multi-task scheduling problem of the automated chemical laboratory, and optimizes the input chemical experiment task flow into a task scheduling schedule in time units through the constraint programming solution for the multi-task scheduling problem, realizing a good multi-machine multi-task scheduling. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these accompanying drawings without paying creative work.

[0009] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a multi-machine multi-task scheduling system for an automated chemistry laboratory provided in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] The following is a clear and complete description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in combination with the specific content of the present invention; it is obvious that the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments, which does not constitute a limitation of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0011] First, the terms that may be used in this article are explained as follows: The term “and / or” means that either or both of them can be realized at the same time. For example, X and / or Y means both “X” or “Y” and “X and Y”.

[0012] The terms "include", "comprises", "contains", "has" or other descriptions with similar semantics should be interpreted as non-exclusive inclusion. For example, including certain technical feature elements (such as raw materials, components, ingredients, carriers, dosage forms, materials, dimensions, parts, components, mechanisms, devices, steps, procedures, methods, reaction conditions, processing conditions, parameters, algorithms, signals, data, products or products, etc.) should be interpreted as including not only certain technical feature elements explicitly listed, but also other technical feature elements known in the art that are not explicitly listed.

[0013] The term "consisting of..." means excluding any technical feature elements not explicitly listed. If this term is used in a claim, it will make the claim closed, so that it does not contain technical feature elements other than the technical feature elements explicitly listed, except for the conventional impurities related to them. If this term only appears in a clause of a claim, it only limits the elements explicitly listed in the clause, and the elements recorded in other clauses are not excluded from the overall claim.

[0014] Unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example: it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this article can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0015] When concentration, temperature, pressure, size or other parameters are expressed in the form of a numerical range, the numerical range should be understood to specifically disclose all ranges formed by the pairing of any upper limit, lower limit, and preferred value in the numerical range, regardless of whether the range is explicitly stated; for example, if a numerical range of "2 to 8" is stated, the numerical range should be interpreted as including ranges such as "2 to 7", "2 to 6", "5 to 7", "3 to 4 and 6 to 7", "3 to 5 and 7", "2 and 5 to 7", etc. Unless otherwise specified, the numerical ranges stated herein include both their end values ​​and all integers and fractions within the numerical range.

[0016] The orientation or position relationship indicated by terms such as "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", etc. are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings and are only for the convenience and simplification of description, and do not explicitly or implicitly indicate that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation of this document.

[0017] The scheme provided by the present invention is described in detail below. The contents not described in detail in the embodiments of the present invention belong to the prior art known to professionals in the field. If the specific conditions are not specified in the embodiments of the present invention, they are carried out according to the conventional conditions in the field or the conditions recommended by the manufacturer. If the manufacturers are not specified in the reagents or instruments used in the embodiments of the present invention, they are all conventional products that can be purchased commercially.

[0018] like Figure 1 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a multi-machine multi-task scheduling system for an automated chemistry laboratory, comprising: The task receiving module can receive the chemical experiment tasks submitted by the user and store them in the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module, which can display the status of the robot and the automated experiment workstation in real time and control the automated experiment workstation; The multi-task scheduling module can obtain chemical experiment tasks from the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module, optimize the chemical experiment task sequence into a task scheduling plan according to the association and constraint relationship and send it to the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module; and reschedule the newly added chemical experiment tasks and the unfinished chemical experiment tasks together, generate a task scheduling plan and send it to the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module; The multi-machine multi-task scheduling module is connected to the task receiving module, the multi-task scheduling module, the multi-robot control module and the workstation control module. It can use the task scheduling schedule, the operation record containing the control instructions of the robot and the automated experimental workstation, the robot status sent by the multi-robot control module and the automated experimental workstation status sent by the workstation control module to calculate the current chemical experiment task progress, and send the experimental task steps to be carried out to the corresponding robots and automated experimental workstations in the form of control instructions according to the progress; The multi-robot control module can plan the optimal conflict-free path for each robot to navigate and transport experimental samples according to the control instructions received from the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module; The workstation control module can control the automated experimental workstation to complete corresponding experimental operations according to the control instructions received from the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module.

[0019] Preferably, in the above system, the task receiving module includes: a permission management submodule, an interactive task management front-end receiving submodule, an experimental step sequence building submodule and a real-time monitoring display submodule; wherein, The authority management submodule is in communication with the interactive task management front-end receiving submodule and can determine user rights according to login information input by the user, wherein the user rights include user mode and administrator mode; The interactive task management front-end receiving submodule is connected to the experimental step sequence building submodule for communication, and can receive multiple types of chemical experiment tasks submitted by user interactive operations through the interactive task page, and transmit them to the experimental step sequence building submodule; The experimental step sequence construction submodule can construct the experimental step sequence according to the order of dragging and dropping different experimental workstation widgets in the user interaction operation received by the interactive task management front-end receiving submodule; The real-time monitoring and display submodules are respectively connected to the workstation control modules for communication, and can display the status of the automated experimental workstation and the status of the robot in real time.

[0020] Preferably, in the above system, the administrator mode can comprehensively monitor and control the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module, multi-robot control module and workstation control module, can access the chemical experiment task progress, the status of the automated experiment workstation and the operation records containing the control instructions of the robot and the automated experiment workstation provided by the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module, and access the control instructions provided by the workstation control module to control the automated experiment workstation, track the task progress, the status of the automated experiment workstation, the operation records containing the control instructions of the robot and the automated experiment workstation and the real-time location of each test sample, and when the experimental operation encounters a fault, the workstation can be restarted or the operation instruction can be resent. This measure can maintain the stable operation of the system

[0021] Preferably, in the above system, the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module includes: a task pool, a robot status recording submodule, an automated experimental workstation status recording submodule, a control instruction recording submodule including robots and automated experimental workstations, an instruction forwarding submodule, a task progress calculation submodule, an experimental step search submodule and a sample transfer allocation submodule; wherein, The task pool is respectively connected to the task receiving module and the multi-task scheduling module for communication, and can receive and store the chemical experiment tasks submitted by the user sent by the task receiving module, and provide the stored chemical experiment tasks to the multi-task scheduling module; The robot status recording submodule is communicatively connected with the multi-robot control module and can receive the robot status sent by the multi-robot control module; The workstation status submodule is connected to the workstation control module for communication and can receive the status of the automated experimental workstation sent by the workstation control module; The instruction recording submodule is connected to the instruction forwarding submodule and can record the historical instructions assigned to the corresponding robots and automated experimental workstations in the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module; The instruction forwarding submodule is connected to the sample transfer allocation submodule, and can allocate the control instructions generated according to the task progress in the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module to the corresponding robots and automated experimental workstations; The task progress calculation submodule is in communication with the instruction recording submodule, and can calculate the current task progress according to the operation records containing the control instructions of the robot and the automated experimental workstation, and use a time pointer to indicate the current task progress; and find the robot that can be used currently according to the robot status; The experimental step search submodule is connected to the task progress calculation submodule in communication, and can find the experimental step whose start time or end time is equal to the time pointer in the task scheduling schedule according to the time pointer obtained by the task progress calculation submodule; The sample transfer allocation submodule is communicatively connected with the experimental step search submodule, and can classify the automated experimental workstations where the samples need to be taken out according to the time point pointed to by the time pointer representing the current task progress in the task progress calculation submodule. All samples that need to be taken out at the same automated experimental workstation are assigned to the same robot, and then the samples that need to be placed are assigned to the robot carrying the samples. When the samples have been placed in the corresponding automated experimental workstations, control instructions are issued to the corresponding automated experimental workstations.

[0022] Preferably, in the above system, the multi-task scheduling module includes: a task scheduling model building submodule and a scheduling schedule building submodule; wherein, The task scheduling model modeling submodule is respectively connected to the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module and the scheduling schedule building submodule, and can obtain the chemical experiment tasks stored in the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module, and model the chemical experiment tasks into a task scheduling model, and send it to the scheduling schedule building submodule; The scheduling plan building submodule is communicatively connected to the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module, and can receive the task scheduling model sent by the task scheduling model modeling submodule, and use the constraint programming solver to optimize the task sequence of the task scheduling model into a task scheduling plan table according to the association and mutual constraint relationship between the chemical experiment tasks corresponding to the task scheduling model, and send it to the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module.

[0023] Preferably, in the above system, the multi-task scheduling module models the chemical experiment tasks as a task scheduling model in the following manner, and uses a constraint programming algorithm to optimize the task sequence of the task scheduling model into a task scheduling schedule according to the association and mutual constraint relationship between the chemical experiment tasks corresponding to the task scheduling model, including: Step 21: Represent the collection of workstations in the laboratory as , m is the number of workstations in the workstation set in the laboratory, each workstation has a corresponding maximum working capacity, and some workstations have corresponding runtime constraints; Step 22: Arrange the set of chemical experiment tasks in the laboratory as , n is the number of chemical experiment tasks that need to be carried out in the laboratory, and each chemical experiment task It is a series of ordered operation steps with specific parameters. The parameters of each operation step include the expected processing time of the step, a list of candidate workstations for executing the step, and the experimental operation condition settings except the processing time. Step 23: Establish the following constraints on the process of the chemical experiment task: (231) The steps in a chemical experiment must be performed in sequence; (232) At the same time, one experimental sample can only be operated by one workstation; (233) The number of experimental samples operated on a workstation at the same time shall not exceed its maximum capacity; (234) At the same time, only experimental samples with the same processing time and experimental conditions can be processed by the same workstation; (235) The workstation must satisfy the corresponding runtime constraints when executing the operation steps; Step 24: Using the constraint programming solver, under the above constraints, the goal of the optimization problem is to minimize the final completion time of all tasks. The objective function is , which means for all i and j, find the largest , and minimize this value, where represents the completion time of the jth step of task i; Step 25: The solution result of the constraint programming solver includes the start time, end time and operation machine of each step of each chemical experiment task, and the solution result is stored as a multi-task scheduling plan table; Step 26: When a new chemical experiment task is added, the multi-task scheduling module reads the operation record, uses the constraint programming solver, fixes the scheduling plan of the completed tasks, models the unfinished tasks and the newly added tasks together, and then re-schedules the tasks from step 21 to step 25 to obtain a new multi-task scheduling plan.

[0024] Preferably, in the above system, the multi-robot control module comprises: Instruction receiving submodule, path planning submodule and path sending submodule; wherein, The instruction receiving submodule is connected to the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module for communication, and can receive the control instructions assigned by the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module to the corresponding robot for the experimental task steps to be performed; The path planning submodule is in communication with the instruction receiving submodule, and can plan an optimal path that meets the preset path planning requirements according to the control instructions received by the instruction receiving submodule and the preset path planning requirements; The path sending submodule is respectively connected to the path planning submodule and the robot of the automated experiment for communication, and can send the optimal path planned by the path planning submodule to the robot of the automated experiment for navigation of each robot to transport the experimental sample;

[0025] Preferably, in the above system, the preset path planning requirement is: planning a collision-free path for a group of robots in a shared environment and minimizing the total movement time of the multiple robots.

[0026] Preferably, in the above system, the workstation control module includes: The number of embedded devices is the same as that of the automated experimental workstations, and each embedded device is communicatively connected with a corresponding automated experimental workstation, and can receive control instructions assigned by the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module to the automated experimental workstation for the experimental task steps required to be performed, and control the corresponding automated experimental workstation according to the control instructions to complete the corresponding experimental operation.

[0027] In summary, it can be seen that the multi-machine multi-task scheduling system of the implementation mode of the present invention can receive chemical experiment tasks input by scientific research users in an interactive graphical task interface, and construct them into a parsable model form as a formatted chemical experiment task flow through the back-end. The formatted chemical experiment task flow will be optimized into a detailed task scheduling plan through a constraint programming algorithm, and finally guide the execution of robots and automated experimental workstations, thereby realizing intelligent scheduling and automated execution of multiple types of chemical experiments in the automated chemical laboratory scenario, and well solving the scheduling problem of multiple machines and multiple tasks.

[0028] In order to more clearly demonstrate the technical solution and technical effects provided by the present invention, the solution provided by the embodiment of the present invention is described in detail with specific embodiments below.

[0029] Example 1 like Figure 1 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a multi-machine multi-task scheduling system for an automated chemistry laboratory, which is used in multi-machine multi-task scheduling in an automated chemistry laboratory, and includes: The task receiving module is connected to the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module, the multi-robot control module and the workstation control module in communication, and can receive various types of chemical experiment tasks submitted by users in an interactive graphic task page, and send the received chemical experiment tasks to the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module for storage; and can monitor the status of the robots and the automated experiment workstations in real time, and issue instructions to control the automated experiment workstations; A multi-task scheduling module is communicatively connected with the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module, can obtain the chemical experiment tasks stored in the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module, optimize the chemical experiment task sequence into a task scheduling plan table according to the association and mutual constraint relationship between the chemical experiment tasks, and send it to the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module; and when receiving a newly added chemical experiment task, reschedule the newly added chemical experiment task together with the unfinished chemical experiment task, regenerate the task scheduling plan table that optimizes the chemical experiment task sequence, and send it to the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module; A multi-machine multi-task scheduling module is respectively connected to the task receiving module, the multi-task scheduling module, the multi-robot control module and the workstation control module for communication, and can receive and store the chemical experiment tasks submitted by the user sent by the task receiving module, receive the task scheduling schedule sent by the multi-task scheduling module, and receive the status of the robot and the automated experiment workstation sent by the multi-robot control module and the workstation control module, calculate the current chemical experiment task progress according to the task scheduling schedule and the real-time robot status, the automated experiment workstation status and the control instruction operation record containing the robot and the automated experiment workstation, and according to the current chemical experiment task progress, allocate the experimental task steps to be performed to the corresponding robots and automated experiment workstations in the form of control instructions; The multi-robot control module is in communication with the interactive task management front-end module and the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module, can send robot status for monitoring by the task receiving module, and can plan a conflict-free optimal path for each robot to navigate and transport the experimental samples according to the control instructions assigned to the corresponding robots by the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module to perform the experimental task steps; The workstation control module is communicatively connected with the interactive task management front-end module and the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module, and can send the status of the automated experiment workstation for monitoring by the task receiving module. It can control the automated experiment workstation to complete the corresponding experimental operation according to the control instructions for the experimental task steps required to be performed by the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module assigned to the automated experiment workstation.

[0030] In the above-mentioned task receiving module, the task receiving module includes: a rights management submodule, an interactive task management front-end receiving submodule, an experimental step sequence construction submodule and a real-time monitoring display submodule; wherein the rights management submodule is connected to the interactive task management front-end receiving submodule in communication, and can determine user rights according to the login information input by the user, and the user rights include user mode and administrator mode; The interactive task management front-end receiving submodule is connected to the experimental step sequence building submodule for communication, and can receive multiple types of chemical experiment tasks submitted by user interactive operations through the interactive task page, and transmit them to the experimental step sequence building submodule; The experimental step sequence construction submodule can construct the experimental step sequence according to the order of dragging and dropping different experimental workstation widgets in the user interaction operation received by the interactive task management front-end receiving submodule; The real-time monitoring and display submodule is connected to the workstation control module and the multi-robot control module in communication, and can display the status of the automated experimental workstation and the robot in real time.

[0031] The administrator mode provides comprehensive monitoring and control capabilities for system administrators. When in the administrator mode, the administrator has the right to access the chemical experiment task progress, the status of the automated experiment workstation, and the control instruction operation records including robots and automated experiment workstations provided by the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module, and has the right to access the control instructions provided by the workstation control module to control the automated experiment workstation, track the task progress, the status of the automated experiment workstation, the control instruction operation records including robots and automated experiment workstations, and the real-time location of each test sample. When the experimental operation encounters a fault, timely measures can be taken, such as restarting the workstation or resending the operation instruction, so as to maintain the stable operation of the system.

[0032] In the above multi-task scheduling module, the chemical experiment task is first modeled as a task scheduling model, and then the task sequence is optimized into a scheduling schedule using the constraint programming algorithm. The specific modeling and solution methods are as follows: Step 21: Assume that there are m workstations in the laboratory. The workstation set is represented as , each workstation k All have corresponding maximum working capacity, k=1 to m, and some workstations have special runtime constraints.

[0033] Step 22: Assume that there are currently n experimental tasks that need to be performed in the laboratory. The experimental task set is represented as Each specific experimental task It is a series of ordered operation steps with specific parameters, p=1 to n. The parameters of each operation step include the expected processing time of the step, a list of candidate workstations that can execute the step, and the operating condition settings of the experiment except the processing time.

[0034] Step 23: Establish the following constraints on the process of the experimental task: (1) The operating steps in the same experimental task must be performed in sequence.

[0035] (2) At the same time, one experimental sample can only be operated by one workstation.

[0036] (3) The number of experimental samples operated by a workstation at the same time shall not exceed its maximum capacity.

[0037] (4) At the same time, only experimental samples with the same processing time and experimental conditions can be processed by the same workstation.

[0038] (5) The workstation must meet the corresponding runtime constraints when executing operation steps.

[0039] Step 24: Use the IBM ILOG CPLEX Optimizer constraint programming solver to impose the above constraints. The goal of the optimization problem is to minimize the final completion time of all tasks. The objective function is , which means for all i and j, find the largest , and minimize this value, where represents the completion time of the jth step of task i.

[0040] Step 25: The solution result of the constraint programming solver includes the start time, end time and operation machine of each step of each experimental task, and the solution result is stored as a multi-task scheduling plan table.

[0041] Step 26: When a new experimental task is added, the multi-task scheduling module reads the operation record, uses the constraint programming solver, fixes the scheduling plan of the completed tasks, models the unfinished tasks and the newly added tasks together, and enters step 21 to reschedule the tasks.

[0042] In the above system, the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module includes: Task progress calculation submodule, experimental step search submodule and sample transfer allocation submodule; among them, The task progress calculation submodule can calculate the current task progress according to the control instruction operation records of the robot and the automated experimental workstation, and use a time pointer to indicate the current task progress; and find the currently available robot according to the robot status; The experimental step search submodule is connected to the task progress calculation submodule in communication, and can find the experimental step whose start time or end time is equal to the time pointer in the task scheduling schedule according to the time pointer obtained by the task progress calculation submodule; The sample transfer and allocation submodule is communicatively connected with the experimental step search submodule, and can classify the workstations where the samples need to be taken out at the time point pointed to by a specific time pointer. All samples that need to be taken out at the same workstation are assigned to the same robot. Afterwards, the samples that need to be placed are assigned to the robot carrying the samples. When the samples have been placed in the corresponding automated experimental workstations, control instructions are issued to the corresponding automated experimental workstations.

[0043] In the above system, the multi-robot control module comprises: Instruction receiving submodule, path planning submodule and path sending submodule; wherein, The instruction receiving submodule is connected to the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module for communication, and can receive the control instructions assigned by the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module to the corresponding robot for the experimental task steps to be performed; The path planning submodule is in communication with the instruction receiving submodule, and can plan an optimal path that meets the preset path planning requirements according to the control instructions received by the instruction receiving submodule and the preset path planning requirements; The path sending submodule is respectively connected to the path planning submodule and the robot of the automated experiment for communication, and can send the optimal path planned by the path planning submodule to the robot of the automated experiment for navigation of each robot to transport the experimental sample;

[0044] Preferably, in the above system, the preset path planning requirement is: planning a collision-free path for a group of robots in a shared environment and minimizing the total movement time of the multiple robots.

[0045] Preferably, the above-mentioned path planning algorithm is a CBS (Conflict-Based Search) algorithm.

[0046] In the above system, the workstation control module includes: The number of Raspberry Pi embedded devices is the same as that of the workstations, and each Raspberry Pi embedded device is communicatively connected with a corresponding automated experiment workstation, and can receive control instructions assigned by the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module to the automated experiment workstation for the experimental task steps required to be performed, and control the corresponding automated experiment workstation to complete the corresponding experimental operation according to the control instructions.

[0047] From the above, it can be seen that the system of the embodiment of the present invention abstracts the chemical experiment task flow in a general sense into a multi-task scheduling problem, and introduces fine and strict constraints for the particularity of chemical experiments. It can standardize the description of the multi-task scheduling problem of the automated chemistry laboratory, and proposes a constraint programming solution for the multi-task scheduling problem, which is used to optimize the input experimental task flow into a scheduling plan in time units. Furthermore, a multi-machine multi-task scheduling system is constructed, which can receive the chemical experiment tasks input by scientific research users through an interactive graphical interface, and construct them into a model form that can be parsed by the algorithm through the back end. After that, the formatted experimental task flow will be optimized into a detailed scheduling plan table through the constraint programming algorithm, and finally guide the execution of robots and automated experimental workstations, thereby realizing the intelligent scheduling and automated execution of multiple types of chemical experiments in the automated chemistry laboratory scenario.

[0048] Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiments can be implemented by instructing related hardware through a program, and the program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when the program is executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above-mentioned methods. The storage medium can be a disk, an optical disk, a read-only memory (ROM) or a random access memory (RAM), etc.

[0049] The above is only a preferred specific embodiment of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily thought of by any technician familiar with the technical field within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be based on the protection scope of the claims. The information disclosed in the background technology section of this article is only intended to deepen the understanding of the overall background technology of the present invention, and should not be regarded as an admission or in any form that the information constitutes prior art known to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A multi-machine multi-task scheduling system for an automated chemistry laboratory, characterized in that: include: The task receiving module can receive the chemical experiment tasks submitted by the user and store them in the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module, which can display the status of the robot and the automated experiment workstation and control the automated experiment workstation; The multi-task scheduling module can obtain chemical experiment tasks from the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module, optimize the chemical experiment task sequence into a task scheduling plan table and send it to the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module; and reschedule the newly added chemical experiment tasks and unfinished chemical experiment tasks, generate a task scheduling plan table and send it to the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module; The multi-machine multi-task scheduling module is connected to the task receiving module, the multi-task scheduling module, the multi-robot control module and the workstation control module. It can use the task scheduling schedule, the operation record containing the control instructions of the robot and the automated experimental workstation, the robot status sent by the multi-robot control module and the automated experimental workstation status sent by the workstation control module to calculate the current chemical experiment task progress, and send the experimental task steps to be carried out to the corresponding robots and automated experimental workstations in the form of control instructions according to the progress; The multi-robot control module can plan the optimal non-conflicting path for each robot to navigate and transport experimental samples according to the received control instructions; The workstation control module can control the automated experimental workstation to complete corresponding experimental operations according to the received control instructions.

2. The multi-machine multi-task scheduling system for an automated chemistry laboratory according to claim 1, characterized in that: The task receiving module includes: a rights management submodule, an interactive task management front-end receiving submodule, an experimental step sequence building submodule and a real-time monitoring display submodule; wherein, The authority management submodule is in communication with the interactive task management front-end receiving submodule and can determine user rights according to login information input by the user, wherein the user rights include user mode and administrator mode; The interactive task management front-end receiving submodule is connected to the experimental step sequence building submodule for communication, and can receive multiple types of chemical experiment tasks submitted by user interactive operations through an interactive graphic task page, and transmit them to the experimental step sequence building submodule; The experimental step sequence construction submodule can construct an experimental step sequence according to the order of dragging and dropping different experimental workstation widgets in the user interaction operation received by the interactive task management front-end receiving submodule.

3. The multi-machine multi-task scheduling system for an automated chemistry laboratory according to claim 2, characterized in that: The administrator mode can comprehensively monitor and control the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module, multi-robot control module and workstation control module, and can access the chemical experiment task progress, the status of the automated experiment workstation and the operation records containing the control instructions of the robot and the automated experiment workstation provided by the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module, and access the control instructions provided by the workstation control module to control the automated experiment workstation, track the task progress, the status of the automated experiment workstation, the operation records containing the control instructions of the robot and the automated experiment workstation and the real-time location of each test sample, and when the experimental operation encounters a failure, the workstation can be restarted or the operation instructions can be resent.

4. The multi-machine multi-task scheduling system for an automated chemistry laboratory according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The multi-machine multi-task scheduling module includes: Task pool, robot status recording submodule, automated experimental workstation status recording submodule, control instruction recording submodule including robot and automated experimental workstation, instruction forwarding submodule, task progress calculation submodule, experimental step search submodule and sample transfer allocation submodule; among them, The task pool is respectively connected to the task receiving module and the multi-task scheduling module for communication, and can receive and store the chemical experiment tasks submitted by the user sent by the task receiving module, and provide the stored chemical experiment tasks to the multi-task scheduling module; The robot status recording submodule is communicatively connected with the multi-robot control module and can receive the robot status sent by the multi-robot control module; The workstation status submodule is connected to the workstation control module for communication and can receive the status of the automated experimental workstation sent by the workstation control module; The instruction recording submodule is connected to the instruction forwarding submodule and can record the historical instructions assigned to the corresponding robots and automated experimental workstations in the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module; The instruction forwarding submodule is connected to the sample transfer allocation submodule, and can allocate the control instructions generated according to the task progress in the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module to the corresponding robots and automated experimental workstations; The task progress calculation submodule is in communication with the instruction recording submodule, and can calculate the current task progress according to the operation records containing the control instructions of the robot and the automated experimental workstation, and use a time pointer to indicate the current task progress; and find the robot that can be used currently according to the robot status; The experimental step search submodule is connected to the task progress calculation submodule in communication, and can find the experimental step whose start time or end time is equal to the time pointer in the task scheduling schedule according to the time pointer obtained by the task progress calculation submodule; The sample transfer allocation submodule is communicatively connected with the experimental step search submodule, and can classify the automated experimental workstations where the samples need to be taken out according to the time point pointed to by the time pointer representing the current task progress in the task progress calculation submodule. All samples that need to be taken out at the same automated experimental workstation are assigned to the same robot, and then the samples that need to be placed are assigned to the robot carrying the samples. When the samples have been placed in the corresponding automated experimental workstations, control instructions are issued to the corresponding automated experimental workstations.

5. The multi-machine multi-task scheduling system for an automated chemistry laboratory according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The multi-task scheduling module includes: a task scheduling model building submodule and a scheduling schedule building submodule; wherein, The task scheduling model modeling submodule is respectively connected to the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module and the scheduling schedule building submodule, and can obtain the chemical experiment tasks stored in the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module, and model the chemical experiment tasks into a task scheduling model, and send it to the scheduling schedule building submodule; The scheduling plan construction submodule is communicatively connected to the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module, and can receive the task scheduling model sent by the task scheduling model modeling submodule, and use the constraint programming solver to optimize the task sequence of the task scheduling model into a task scheduling plan table according to the association and mutual constraint relationship between the chemical experiment tasks corresponding to the task scheduling model, and send it to the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module.

6. The multi-machine multi-task scheduling system for automated chemistry laboratories according to claim 5, characterized in that: The multi-task scheduling module models the chemical experiment tasks as a task scheduling model in the following manner, and uses a constraint programming algorithm to optimize the task sequence of the task scheduling model into a task scheduling schedule according to the association and mutual constraint relationship between the chemical experiment tasks corresponding to the task scheduling model, including: Step 21: Represent the collection of workstations in the laboratory as , m is the number of workstations in the workstation set in the laboratory, each workstation has a corresponding maximum working capacity, and some workstations have corresponding runtime constraints; Step 22: Arrange the set of chemical experiment tasks in the laboratory as , n is the number of chemical experiment tasks that need to be carried out in the laboratory, and each chemical experiment task It is a series of ordered operation steps with specific parameters. The parameters of each operation step include the expected processing time of the step, a list of candidate workstations for executing the step, and the experimental operation condition settings except the processing time. Step 23: Establish the following constraints on the process of the chemical experiment task: (231) The steps in a chemical experiment must be performed in sequence; (232) At the same time, one experimental sample can only be operated by one workstation; (233) The number of experimental samples operated on a workstation at the same time shall not exceed its maximum capacity; (234) At the same time, only experimental samples with the same processing time and experimental conditions can be processed by the same workstation; (235) The workstation must satisfy the corresponding runtime constraints when executing the operation steps; Step 24: Using the constraint programming solver, under the above constraints, the goal of the optimization problem is to minimize the final completion time of all tasks. The objective function is , which means for all i and j, find the largest , and minimize this value, where represents the completion time of the jth step of task i; Step 25: The solution result of the constraint programming solver includes the start time, end time and operation machine of each step of each chemical experiment task, and the solution result is stored as a multi-task scheduling plan table; Step 26: When a new chemical experiment task is added, the multi-task scheduling module reads the operation record, uses the constraint programming solver, fixes the scheduling plan of the completed tasks, models the unfinished tasks and the new tasks together, and then re-performs steps 21 to 25 to reschedule the tasks to obtain a new multi-task scheduling plan.

7. The multi-machine multi-task scheduling system for an automated chemistry laboratory according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The multi-robot control module comprises: Instruction receiving submodule, path planning submodule and path sending submodule; wherein, The instruction receiving submodule is connected to the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module for communication, and can receive the control instructions assigned by the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module to the corresponding robot for the experimental task steps to be performed; The path planning submodule is in communication with the instruction receiving submodule, and can plan an optimal path that meets the preset path planning requirements according to the control instructions received by the instruction receiving submodule and the preset path planning requirements; The path sending submodule is respectively connected to the path planning submodule and the robot of the automated experiment for communication, and can send the optimal path planned by the path planning submodule to the robot of the automated experiment for navigation of each robot to transport experimental samples.

8. The multi-machine multi-task scheduling system for automated chemistry laboratories according to claim 7, characterized in that: In the path planning submodule, the preset path planning requirements are: planning a collision-free path for a group of robots in a shared environment and minimizing the total movement time of multiple robots.

9. The multi-machine multi-task scheduling system for an automated chemistry laboratory according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The workstation control module comprises: The number of embedded devices is the same as that of the automated experimental workstations, and each embedded device is communicatively connected with a corresponding automated experimental workstation, and can receive control instructions assigned by the multi-machine multi-task scheduling module to the automated experimental workstation for the experimental task steps required to be performed, and control the corresponding automated experimental workstation according to the control instructions to complete the corresponding experimental operation.

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