Laboratory information management apparatus, method and program

Abstract

To provide a laboratory information management apparatus, a laboratory information management method, and a laboratory information management program configured to prevent a wrong experimental instrument from being used for an experiment.SOLUTION: A laboratory information management apparatus 13 includes an experimental information storage unit 22, a specifying unit 23, a display control unit 26, an acquisition unit 27, a calculation unit 28, a first determination unit 31, and a second determination unit 32. The experimental information storage unit 22 stores experimental information. The specifying unit 23 specifies experimental information for one selected experiment. The acquisition unit 27 acquires an image of an instrument, as an acquired image. On the basis of a degree of similarity between the acquired image and a reference image, the first determination unit 31 determines whether or not the acquired image is identical with the reference image, and the second determination unit 32 determines whether or not the subsequent use of the instrument shown in the acquired image is adequate. The display control unit 26 generates, when the first determination unit 31 determines the identity and the second determination unit 32 determines the adequacy of the use of the instrument, an image showing subsequent steps in the procedure.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a laboratory information management device, a laboratory information management method, and a laboratory information management program.

Background Art

[0002] In experimental facilities that conduct various experiments (including tests and inspections) such as research and development, inspections, and tests, in recent years, a laboratory information management system LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System) has been introduced for the purpose of managing information such as the process and results of experiments. Systems such as these LIMS are useful for improving the efficiency of research and development and the like.

[0003] In order to further improve the efficiency of research and development, etc., for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a research and development support system including one or more databases and a management system. The database stores multiple types of data and information related to research and development. The management system accesses one or more databases to perform information processing. The one or more databases store research and development related information, which is information related to the research and development of researchers, device related information, which is information related to the devices used in research and development, and usage history information, which is information on the usage history of devices by researchers. The management system generates and outputs information for supporting research and development based on the usage history information, the device related information, and the research and development related information.

[0004] Also, in experimental facilities, for the reagents to be used, two-dimensional code labels such as barcodes are prepared in advance for each reagent lot and affixed to containers, and management using two-dimensional codes is widely performed. On the other hand, for glassware, even if a two-dimensional code label is affixed, the label will peel off during cleaning or the like, so it is not suitable for management using two-dimensional codes. Therefore, experimental instruments such as glassware are only visually confirmed to determine whether they are the instruments to be used. For this reason, there may be cases where an experiment is conducted using an experimental instrument different from the experimental instrument that should be used, resulting in mistakes.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Document

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, the research and development support system described in Patent Document 1 cannot prevent the mistake of conducting an experiment with incorrect experimental equipment in advance.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a laboratory information management device, a laboratory information management method, and a laboratory information management program that prevent conducting an experiment with incorrect experimental equipment.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The laboratory information management device of the present invention includes an experiment information storage unit, a specifying unit, a display control unit, an acquisition unit, a calculation unit, a first determination unit, and a second determination unit. The experiment information storage unit stores experiment information including a reference image in which the equipment used in the experiment is imaged and the procedure of the experiment for each of a plurality of experiments. The specifying unit specifies, in the experiment information storage unit, the experiment information about one experiment selected from among the plurality of experiments based on a display request for requesting display. The display control unit generates an image showing the experiment information specified by the specifying unit. The acquisition unit acquires, as an acquired image, an image in which the equipment is imaged with the experiment information specified and the equipment is the subject. The calculation unit compares the acquired image with the reference image included in the experiment information specified by the specifying unit to obtain the degree of identity. The first determination unit determines whether the acquired image and the reference image are the same based on the degree of identity. The second determination unit determines the suitability of the subsequent use of the equipment shown in the acquired image based on the degree of identity. The display control unit generates an image showing the subsequent steps in the above procedure when it is determined to be the same by the first determination unit and it is determined to be suitable for use by the second determination unit.

[0009] The second determination unit preferably makes a determination after the determination by the first determination unit, and more preferably makes a determination when the first determination unit determines them to be the same.

[0010] The first determination unit makes a determination based on a first threshold value preset for the degree of identity, and the second determination unit preferably makes a determination based on a second threshold value preset for the degree of identity and different from the first threshold value.

[0011] The calculation unit preferably obtains the degree of identity by comparing the image patterns of the acquired image and the reference image. The image pattern is preferably at least one of an image pattern of a display indicating the name of the instrument, a display indicating the manufacturer, a display indicating the capacity in the case of a container, an external shape, and a size.

[0012] The laboratory information management method of the present invention includes an experiment information storage step, a specification step, a display control step, an acquisition step, a calculation step, a first determination step, and a second determination step. The experiment information storage step stores, for each of a plurality of experiments, experiment information including a reference image of an instrument used in the experiment and the procedure of the experiment. The specification step specifies the experiment information for one selected experiment based on a display request that requests a display by selecting one experiment from the plurality of experiments. The display control step generates an image showing the experiment information specified by the specification step. The acquisition step acquires, as an acquired image, an image of the instrument imaged in a state where the experiment information is specified and having the instrument as a subject. The calculation step obtains the degree of identity by comparing the acquired image and the reference image included in the experiment information specified by the specification step. The first determination step determines whether the acquired image and the reference image are the same based on the degree of identity. The second determination step determines the suitability of subsequent use for the instrument shown in the acquired image based on the degree of identity. The display control step generates an image showing the subsequent steps in the procedure when it is determined to be the same by the first determination step and determined to be suitable for use by the second determination step.

[0013] The laboratory information management program of the present invention causes a computer to execute each of the above steps.

Advantages of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent conducting an experiment with incorrect experimental equipment.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] The laboratory information management system 10 shown in FIG. 1 is used in an experimental facility that conducts experiments (including tests and inspections) in research and development, inspections, tests, quality control, etc. When a user conducts an experiment, the user is made to understand the experimental procedures, equipment, instruments, reagents, etc. used in the experiment, and the experimental history is stored. The laboratory information management system 10 is used, for example, as a LIMS or in combination with a LIMS.

[0017] The laboratory information management system 10 includes a user terminal 11 used by the above user, a laboratory information management device 13 which is an example of an embodiment of the present invention, a management terminal 15 used by an administrator who manages the user terminal 11 and the laboratory information management device 13, and the like. The user terminal 11, the laboratory information management device 13, and the management terminal 15 communicate with each other via a communication network CN, that is, transmit and receive various data. For example, when the laboratory information management system 10 sends a display request in which the user terminal 11 requests a display showing the procedure of a specific experiment or the like, the laboratory information management device 13 sends an image showing the procedure of the experiment or the like to the user terminal 11. Also, when the user prepares an instrument to be used in the experiment and the imaging unit 18 (see FIG. 2) provided in the user terminal 11 captures an image of the instrument and the image is sent, the laboratory information management device 13 determines whether the instrument as the subject of the image is to be used in the experiment or the like. When it is determined that the instrument is to be used, the subsequent procedures for the experiment are sent to the user terminal 11 for display. The management terminal 15 performs various management settings for the laboratory information management system 10, such as registration and cancellation of registration of users and / or user terminals 11.

[0018] The user terminal 11 includes an imaging unit 18 that captures an image of an instrument prepared for use in an experiment as a subject, and a transmission unit (not shown) that sends the captured image to the laboratory information management device 13. In this example, a mobile device (hereinafter, MD) such as a smartphone or a tablet having a built-in camera is used as the user terminal 11. However, the present invention is not limited to MD as long as it includes the above imaging unit 18 and transmission unit. As the MD which is a mobile computer, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or the like can be used. Although only one user terminal 11 is shown in FIG. 1, the number of user terminals 11 may be plural so that plural users can use them respectively.

[0019] The management terminal 15 is, for example, a terminal used by an administrator who manages the experimental operations performed by the user, but the person using the management terminal 15 is not limited to this example. The laboratory information management system 10 may not include the management terminal 15. For example, the user terminal 11 may be used by both the user and the administrator and used as the management terminal 15. In FIG. 1, only one management terminal 15 is depicted, but the number of management terminals 15 may be plural so that each of a plurality of administrators can use it. The management terminal 15 may be used as a general management terminal that manages various settings and / or data of the laboratory information management device 13. Note that the general management terminal may be provided separately from the management terminal 15.

[0020] The laboratory information management device 13 performs predetermined processing based on various information sent from each of the user terminal 11 and the management terminal 15. Details of the laboratory information management device 13 will be described later with reference to another drawing.

[0021] The user terminal 11, the management terminal 15, and the laboratory information management device 13 are each configured by a computer. The user terminal 11 and the management terminal 15 may operate on the browser when a program operating on the browser is sent from the laboratory information management device 13, or may operate by executing the program of a predetermined application software incorporated therein. A predetermined program is incorporated in the laboratory information management device 13, and by executing this program, it functions as each of the parts described later and performs predetermined processing. The program by which the laboratory information management device 13 executes various processes may be installed in the user terminal 11 to cause the user terminal 11 to execute the processes performed by the laboratory information management device 13, and the user terminal 11 may be used as the laboratory information management device 13.

[0022] The above program causes a computer to execute an experimental information storage step, a specifying step, a display control step, an acquisition step, a calculation step, a first determination step, and a second determination step. The experimental information storage step stores, for each of a plurality of experiments, experimental information including a reference image in which the instruments used in the experiment are imaged and the procedure of the experiment. The specifying step specifies the experimental information for one selected experiment based on a display request that selects one experiment from among the plurality of experiments and requests a display. The display control step generates an image showing the experimental information specified by the specifying step. The acquisition step acquires, as an acquired image, an image in which the instruments are imaged with the experimental information specified. The calculation step compares the acquired image with the reference image included in the experimental information specified by the specifying step to obtain a degree of identity. The first determination step determines whether the acquired image and the reference image are identical based on the degree of identity. The second determination step determines whether the instrument shown in the acquired image is suitable for subsequent use based on the degree of identity. When it is determined to be identical by the first determination step and it is determined to be suitable for use by the second determination step, the display control step generates an image showing the subsequent steps in the procedure.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, the laboratory information management device 13 includes a control unit 21, an experimental information storage unit 22, a specifying unit 23, a display control unit 26, an acquisition unit 27, a calculation unit 28, a first determination unit 31, and a second determination unit 32. The laboratory information management device 13 preferably further includes an experimental history storage unit 35, and this is also the case in this example. The control unit 21 controls the transmission and reception of data with the user terminal 11 and the management terminal 15, and comprehensively controls each unit such as the specifying unit 23 and the acquisition unit 27 of the laboratory information management device 13.

[0024] The experiment information storage unit 22 stores experiment information including the procedure of each of a plurality of experiments (hereinafter referred to as the experiment procedure) and a reference image in which the instruments used in the experiment are imaged. The instrument on which the reference image is stored may be made of colorless and transparent glass. Since the glass instrument is washed and repeatedly reused, the seal of the two-dimensional code (barcode, QR code (registered trademark), etc.) cannot be used because it will peel off from the instrument due to washing, and the instrument cannot be registered. In contrast, in this embodiment, since it is performed using the reference image of the imaged instrument, even if the instrument is made of glass, it is registered as one of the experiment information.

[0025] In addition to the experiment procedure and the reference image, the experiment information may include, as equipment reference images, images in which equipment used in the experiment, such as a stirrer and a stirrer bar, a thermostat, and a shaker, are imaged. The experiment information may include, in addition to or instead of the equipment reference images, text data indicating each of these pieces of equipment or a two-dimensional code.

[0026] The experiment history storage unit 35 stores the history of experiments. The history of experiments is a record of past experiments, for example, the intermediate progress status before the current time for the experiment being performed by the user and the results of past experiments performed. The history of experiments is stored in the experiment history storage unit 35 via the control unit 21 based on the input operation of the user on the user terminal 11. However, the history of experiments of other users may also be stored in the experiment history storage unit 35. For example, the experiment history storage unit 35 may store the history of experiments based on the input operation of other users on other user terminals 11.

[0027] Based on a display request for selecting and requesting display of one experiment from among a plurality of experiments, the specifying unit 23 specifies the experiment information about the selected one experiment (hereinafter referred to as the selected experiment) from among the plurality of pieces of experiment information stored in the experiment information storage unit 22. The selection operation for selecting one experiment from among the plurality of experiments and the display request for requesting display are made on the user terminal 11, and when the display request is sent from the user terminal 11 to the laboratory information management device 13, it is input to the specifying unit 23 via the control unit 21.

[0028] The specific part 23 further specifies, based on a display request for selecting and displaying the history of one experiment from among the histories of experiments in the experiment history, the experiment history of the selected one experiment from among the plurality of experiment histories stored in the experiment history storage unit 35. The selection operation of selecting one experiment history from among the plurality of experiment histories and the display request are made on the user terminal 11, and when the display request is sent from the user terminal 11 to the laboratory information management device 13, it is input to the specific part 23 via the control unit 21.

[0029] In response to the input of various information from each part within the laboratory information management device 13, such as the specific part 23, the first determination part 31, and the second determination part 32, the display control part 26 generates an image corresponding to the input information and sends it to the user device 11 via the control unit 21. The display control part 26 may also generate an image corresponding to the display request under the control of the control unit 21 based on various display requests from each of the user device 11 and the management terminal 15 (see FIG. 1), and send it to the user device 11 or the management terminal 15 that is the source of the display request. In this example, the laboratory information management device 13 is configured such that one user can display the experiment history of another user on the user terminal 11 used by the former.

[0030] The display control part 26 generates an image showing the experiment information specified by the specific part 23 and sends it to the user terminal 11 that is the source of the display request via the control unit 21. Specifically, an image showing the experiment procedure, instruments, etc. included in the specified experiment information is generated and sent. As a result, an image showing the experiment procedure, instruments, etc. is displayed on a display part (not shown) such as a liquid crystal display of the user terminal 11. In this example, prior to the image showing each content included in the specified experiment information, the display control part 26 generates a menu image for the user to select any content among the contents included in the experiment information and displays it on the display part of the user terminal 11. Then, the display control part 26 sequentially generates experiment information corresponding to the input operation on the menu image on the user terminal 11 and displays it on the display part of the user terminal 11.

[0031] When the control unit 26 determines that the acquired image and the reference image are the same by the first determination unit 31 and that the instrument is suitable for subsequent use by the second determination unit 32 as described below, it generates an image indicating a process after the process of using the instrument in the procedure and sends it to the user terminal 11.

[0032] The acquisition unit 27 acquires, as an acquired image, an image of the instrument as a subject, which is captured in a state where the experimental information is specified, from the user terminal 11 via the control unit 21.

[0033] The calculation unit 28 compares the acquired image with the reference image included in the experimental information specified by the specifying unit 23 to obtain the degree of identity. The degree of identity is the degree of probability of being the same and can be represented by a numerical value, for example. In this example, the degree of identity is represented as a percentage, with the highest accuracy being 100% and the lowest accuracy being 0%. However, the degree of identity is not limited to this example, and any representation of the degree of probability that the acquired image and the reference image are the same is acceptable. Therefore, the degree of difference, which is the degree of difference between the acquired image and the reference image, may be used as the degree of identity.

[0034] Preferably, the calculation unit 28 obtains the degree of identity by comparing the image patterns of the acquired image and the reference image. The image pattern is preferably at least one of an image pattern indicating the instrument name, an image pattern indicating the manufacturer, an image pattern indicating the capacity in the case of a container, the external shape, and the size.

[0035] The first determination unit 31 performs an identity determination process of determining whether the acquired image and the reference image are the same based on the degree of identity. For example, the first determination unit 31 can make a determination based on a first threshold value preset for the degree of identity. In this example, when the degree of identity is equal to or greater than the first threshold value, it is determined to be the same, and when it is less than the first threshold value, it is determined to be non-identical.

[0036] The first determination unit 31 outputs the determination result of being the same or non-identical to the display control unit 26, and when it determines to be the same, it outputs the determination result to the second determination unit 32.

[0037] In addition to outputting the determination result to the second determination unit 32 when the first determination unit 31 determines that they are the same by the same determination process, the first determination unit 31 may also output the determination result to the second determination unit 32 when it determines that they are different. However, as described above, when it is determined that they are different, since the user avoids using the instrument and prepares another instrument, it is not necessary to output the determination result to the second determination unit 32.

[0038] The second determination unit 32 performs an appropriateness determination process for determining the appropriateness of subsequent use of the instrument shown in the acquired image based on the degree of identity, and outputs the determination result to the display control unit 26.

[0039] It is preferable that the second determination unit 32 performs the appropriateness determination process after being determined by the first determination unit 31, that is, after passing through the same determination process. It is preferable that the second determination unit 32 performs the appropriateness determination process when the first determination unit 31 determines that the acquired image and the reference image are the same.

[0040] It is preferable that the second determination unit 32 determines based on a second threshold value that is preset for the degree of identity and different from the first threshold value. The second threshold value is preferably set to a stricter level than the first threshold value. In this example, the first threshold value is 95% and the second threshold value is 98%.

[0041] At least one of the first threshold value and the second threshold value may be set for the laboratory information management device 13 by being input-operated by an input unit (not shown) such as a keyboard or a touch panel display provided in the management terminal 15, or may be preset in a program that causes a computer to function as the laboratory information management device 13.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 3, the experiment information storage unit 22 stores by associating the name of the experiment, the procedure, and the equipment. In this example, the experiments are managed with identification information "ID" such as "EN1", "EN2",... For each experiment, the identification information "ID" indicating the procedure is associated as "FL1", "FL2",... The procedure is composed of a plurality of ordered steps. For example, the procedure with "ID" being "FL1" is composed of seven ordered steps: "Step 1", "Step 2", "Step 3",..., "Step 7". For each step, the content of the step is associated, for example, "Put 30 mL of ○○ manufactured by ○○ Chemical Co., Ltd., 5 g of △△ of △△ Reagent Co., Ltd., and about 50 mL of distilled water into a 100 mL Erlenmeyer flask manufactured by XX Glass Co., Ltd. After dissolution, make up to the mark with a 100 mL volumetric flask manufactured by XX Glass Co., Ltd." and so on. For each step, further, the equipment to be used is associated. In the example shown in FIG. 3, for "Step 1" of the procedure with "ID" being "FL1", "Candidate 1" is associated with each of "Equipment 1" and "Equipment 2". "Candidate 1" of "Equipment 1" is the "100 mL Erlenmeyer flask manufactured by XX Glass Co., Ltd." in the above example, and "Candidate 1" of "Equipment 2" is the "100 mL volumetric flask manufactured by XX Glass Co., Ltd.". When only one of a plurality of items is to be used as the equipment, the plurality of items are associated as "Candidate 1", "Candidate 2",... For example, in the example shown in FIG. 3, for "Equipment 1" in "Step 2" of "FL1", two pieces of equipment, "Candidate 1" and "Candidate 2", are associated, and either one can be used.

[0043] The reference image BG is preferably an image that shows at least one of a display SE indicating the name of the instrument, a display SM indicating the manufacturer, a display SV indicating the capacity in the case of a container, the external shape, and the size, as shown in FIG. 4 for example. The above-mentioned image patterns are preferably these image patterns. The external shape and size are grasped by an outline line showing the outline of the instrument. For example, the reference image BG of the "100 mL Erlenmeyer flask manufactured by XX Glass Co., Ltd.", which is the "candidate 1" of the "instrument 1" in the above "step 1", includes, as shown in FIG. 4, a roughly pentagonal mark including "XX" as the display SM, "100" as the display SV indicating a capacity of 100 mL, and "Conical flask" as the display SE. Thus, the reference image BG contains instrument-specific information unique to the target instrument.

[0044] The acquired image is obtained as an image suitable for determining the degree of identity, for example, by displaying the imaging image GS on the display unit 11a of the user terminal 11, as shown in FIG. 5. The imaging image GS is an imaging image for the user to image the instrument prepared as the instrument 1 and transmit it to the laboratory information management device 13. It is generated by the display control unit 26 and displayed on the user terminal 11. The imaging image GS has an imaging setting area SA set for positioning the instrument K at the time of imaging. The user arranges the instrument K so that the image of the instrument K fits within this imaging setting area SA and performs imaging. Thereby, the instrument K is imaged as a subject with a preferable posture, orientation, size, etc. for determining the degree of identity. In this example, L-shaped displays 41a to 41d are used as the four corners, and the rectangular area surrounded by these is set as the imaging setting area SA. However, the setting method and display method of the imaging setting area SA are not limited to this example and are arbitrary. The laboratory information management device 13 may have a determination function unit that recognizes each display such as the display SM, the display SE, and the display SV for the instrument K within the imaging setting area SA and determines the suitability of the orientation and / or posture of the instrument K. In that case, it may be configured to notify the user terminal 11 of the determination result of the suitability.

[0045] When the instrument K is imaged as described above, as shown in FIG. 6, the acquired image AG has each display such as the displays SM, SE, and SV, and is acquired by the laboratory information management apparatus 13 as an image of the instrument K (see FIG. 6) taken from a predetermined direction. The calculation unit 28 (see FIG. 2) binarizes the acquired image AG and the reference image BG (see FIG. 4) respectively, compares the image patterns, and obtains the degree of identity. In this example, as described above, the image pattern is all the image patterns of the displays SM, SE, SV, the external shape, and the size. The acquired image AG shown in FIG. 6 includes, with respect to the external shape, the image portion MP1 of the missing defective portion, and, with respect to the display SV, the image portion MP2 of a part of the rightmost "0" and the thinned central "0" of "100". The degrees of identity of these image portions MP1 and MP2 are calculated as the differences from the reference image BG.

[0046] The operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. When the specifying unit 23 acquires a display request requested by the user terminal 11 for one experiment (S1), in response to this acquisition, it specifies the experiment information for the selected experiment and outputs the specified experiment information to the display control unit 26 (S2).

[0047] When the experiment information about the selected experiment is input from the specifying unit 23, the display control unit 26 generates a menu screen for the selected experiment in response to this input and transmits it to the user terminal 11 (S3). When an input operation for notifying the start of the experiment is performed on the menu screen in the user terminal 11, the display control unit 26 acquires this notification (S4), and in response to this acquisition, transmits the content of step 1 for the selected experiment to the user terminal 11 (S5). Further, the display control unit 26 determines whether the instrument 1 to be used in step 1, that is, whether there is an instrument 1 associated with step 1, is registered in the determination step (S6) for the instrument (S6a). If so, the imaging image GS is transmitted to and displayed on the display unit 11a of the user terminal 11 (S6b), and a notification of the start of determination for the instrument and at least the reference image BG among the experiment information are sent to the acquisition unit 27. When the instrument 1 to be used in step 1 is not registered, that is, when there is no instrument 1 associated with step 1, the display control unit 26 determines whether step 2, which is the next step, is included in the experiment information input from the specifying unit 23 (S7). If it is included, the content of step 2 is transmitted to the user terminal 11 (S8). If it is not included, the process ends.

[0048] When the user uses the user device 11 to image the instrument K prepared by the user, the captured image is acquired by the acquisition unit 27 as the acquired image AG (S6c), and the acquisition unit 27 outputs the acquired image AG to the calculation unit 28. The calculation unit 28 compares the acquired image AG input from the acquisition unit 27 with the reference image BG to obtain the degree of identity and outputs it to the first determination unit 31 (S6d). When the first determination unit 31 receives a notification of the start of determination from the display control unit 26 and at least the reference image BG among the experimental information, and the degree of identity is input from the calculation unit 28, the first determination unit 31 performs the same determination process based on the degree of identity (S6e). When the first determination unit 31 determines that they are not the same, it outputs non-identity information indicating that they are not the same to the display control unit 26, and the display control unit 26 transmits and notifies the user terminal 11 that they are not the same (S6f). The user who has received the notification on the user terminal 11 prepares another instrument K as instrument 1 and similarly images the prepared instrument K. Therefore, the user is prevented from performing an experiment by mistakenly using an instrument different from the instrument 1 to be used. When the first determination unit 31 determines that they are the same, it outputs the degree of identity to the second determination unit 32.

[0049] When the degree of identity is input, the second determination unit 32 performs an appropriateness determination process on the instrument K imaged in the acquired image AG (S6g). When the second determination unit 32 determines that the instrument K is not suitable for subsequent use, it outputs inappropriate information indicating that it is inappropriate to the display control unit 26. The display control unit 26 transmits a disposal command indicating that the instrument K prepared by the user should be discarded to the user terminal 11 (S6h). The user who has received the notification on the user terminal 11 takes measures regarding disposal, prepares another instrument K as instrument 1, and performs imaging in the same manner. Therefore, it is possible to avoid situations where an appropriate weighing cannot be performed due to accidentally using an instrument K that should be avoided or is better not to be used, such as a damaged instrument K or an instrument K with foreign matter attached, or obtaining an inappropriate experimental result due to foreign matter mixing in. Also, it is possible to avoid obtaining an inappropriate experimental result by using an instrument K whose display has faded so much that it is not preferable for subsequent use due to repeated use. When the second determination unit 32 determines that it is suitable, it determines whether an instrument 2 is registered in step 1 (S6a) and performs the same processing. The instrument determination process S6 is repeated until it is determined that no instrument is registered in step 1.

[0050] When the user finishes step 1, the user makes a display transition request to request the display of the next step. When the laboratory information management device 13 acquires this display transition request, it determines whether there is a next step (S7). If it determines that there is no next step, it ends the process for displaying the experimental information. If it determines that there is a next step, it transmits the content of the next step to the user terminal 11 in the same manner as in step S5 above (S8). In this way, the same processing is repeated until it is determined that there is no next step. According to the above method, even for a glass instrument that cannot be managed with a label displaying a two-dimensional code, the user can perform the experiment in a preferably managed state.

[0051] After ending the process for displaying the experimental information, when a registration request regarding the result of the experiment is acquired from the user terminal 11 (S9), the control unit 21 stores the acquired experimental result in the experiment history storage unit 35 (S10).

Explanation of Signs

[0052] 10 Laboratory Information Management System 13 Laboratory Information Management Device 18 Imaging Unit 22 Experimental Information Memory Unit 23 Specifying Unit 26 Display Control Unit 27 Acquisition Unit 28 Calculation Unit 31 First Determination Unit 32 Second Determination Unit

Claims

1. For each of a plurality of experiments, an experimental information storage unit that stores an experimental image obtained by imaging the instruments used in the experiment and experimental information including the procedure of the experiment; A specifying unit that specifies, in the experimental information storage unit, the experimental information about one experiment selected from the plurality of experiments based on a display request for selecting and displaying one experiment; A display control unit that generates an image showing the experimental information specified by the specifying unit; An acquisition unit that acquires, as an acquired image, an image of the instrument imaged in a state where the experimental information is specified, with the instrument as a subject; A calculation unit that compares the acquired image with the reference image included in the experimental information specified by the specifying unit to obtain a degree of identity; A first determination unit that determines whether the acquired image and the reference image are identical based on the degree of identity; A second determination unit that determines the suitability of subsequent use of the instrument shown in the acquired image based on the degree of identity and comprising The display control unit generates an image showing subsequent steps in the procedure when it is determined to be identical by the first determination unit and determined to be suitable for use by the second determination unit. A laboratory information management device.

2. The second determination unit determines after the determination by the first determination unit. The laboratory information management device according to Claim 1.

3. The second determination unit determines when it is determined to be identical by the first determination unit. The laboratory information management device according to Claim 2.

4. The first determination unit determines based on a first threshold value preset for the degree of identity, The second determination unit determines based on a second threshold value preset for the degree of identity and different from the first threshold value. The laboratory information management device according to Claim 1 or 2.

5. The calculation unit obtains the degree of identity by comparing the image patterns of the acquired image and the reference image. The laboratory information management device according to Claim 1 or 2.

6. The image pattern is at least one of an image pattern indicating the name of the instrument, an image pattern indicating the manufacturer, an image pattern indicating the capacity in the case of a container, an external shape, and a size. The laboratory information management device according to Claim 5.

7. For each of a plurality of experiments, an experimental information storage step of storing an experimental image obtained by imaging the instruments used in the experiment and experimental information including the procedure of the experiment; A specifying step of specifying the experiment information about the selected one experiment based on a display request for selecting one experiment from among the plurality of experiments and requesting display; A display control step of generating an image showing the experiment information specified by the specifying step; An acquisition step of acquiring, as an acquired image, an image that is taken in a state where the experiment information is specified and that has the instrument as a subject; A calculation step of comparing the acquired image with the reference image included in the experiment information specified by the specifying step to obtain a degree of identity; A first determination step of determining whether or not the acquired image and the reference image are identical based on the degree of identity; A second determination step of determining the suitability of subsequent use of the instrument shown in the acquired image based on the degree of identity; which has; The display control step generates an image showing subsequent steps in the procedure when it is determined to be identical by the first determination step and is determined to be suitable for use by the second determination step. A laboratory information management method.

8. An experiment information storage step of storing, for each of a plurality of experiments, a reference image in which an instrument used in the experiment is imaged and experiment information including the procedure of the experiment; A specifying step of specifying the experiment information about the selected one experiment based on a display request for selecting one experiment from among the plurality of experiments and requesting display; A display control step of generating an image showing the experiment information specified by the specifying step; An acquisition step of acquiring, as an acquired image, an image that is taken in a state where the experiment information is specified and that has the instrument as a subject; A calculation step of comparing the acquired image with the reference image included in the experiment information specified by the specifying step to obtain a degree of identity; A first determination step of determining whether or not the acquired image and the reference image are identical based on the degree of identity; A second determination step of determining the suitability of subsequent use of the instrument shown in the acquired image based on the degree of identity; to be executed by a computer; The display control step generates an image showing subsequent steps in the procedure when it is determined to be identical by the first determination step and is determined to be suitable for use by the second determination step. A laboratory information management program.

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