Processing method for operations in automated process and planning method for automated process

Abstract

A processing method for operations in an automated process and a planning method for an automated process. The processing method comprises: on the basis of an automated process, and for each consumable transfer task, acquiring an ordered operation set of all operations in the consumable transfer task, the sequence of the operations in the ordered operation set being an execution sequence of the operations in the automated process, and the consumable transfer task comprising a task of transferring consumables from one position to another position; on the basis of the function of each operation in the ordered operation set, determining a plurality of successively executed core operations in the ordered operation set, the core operations being main operations or transfer operations performed by devices on the consumables, the main operations being main functional operations of the devices for processing samples carried by the consumables, and the transfer operations being position transfer operations of the devices on the consumables; and dividing the operations in the ordered operation set into a plurality of operation groups, the operation groups being in one-to-one correspondence with the core operations.

Description

Methods for handling operations in automated processes and methods for planning automated processes

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application with application number 202311787436.5 filed with the China Patent Office on December 22, 2023, and application name “Processing method for operations in automated processes and planning method for automated processes”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of automation, and more specifically to a method for processing operations in an automation process, a method for planning an automation process, a system for processing operations in an automation process, a system for planning an automation process, an electronic device, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0003] Currently, many fields are continuously implementing automation transformation to achieve the goal of freeing up manpower and improving efficiency. Whether it is automated manufacturing, automated testing, or automated testing / experiments, automated systems are widely used.

[0004] In an automated system such as a laboratory, multiple main devices are usually required to process samples to complete the experimental task. Therefore, the entire automated process usually includes a process corresponding to at least one consumables transfer task. Each consumables transfer task includes the entire task from the time one main device processes the sample to the time the next main device processes the sample. During the entire task, multiple operations performed by other devices on the consumables carrying the sample are also involved. For example, the main devices in a certain automated process include a pipetting workstation and a microplate reader, and the consumables include well plates for carrying liquid samples. For this automated process, the operations involved in the consumables transfer task include at least the main operation of the pipetting workstation to pipette the sample, the transfer operation of a transfer device such as a robotic arm to transfer the consumables carrying the sample from the pipetting workstation to the microplate reader, and the main operation of the microplate reader to perform enzyme labeling on the sample. In addition, other operations may also be involved to complete the consumables transfer task, for example, it may also include the transfer operation of transferring consumables from one location to another in the same device, auxiliary operations such as opening and closing device doors or lids, etc. The execution logic between the various operations involved in each consumables transfer task is also relatively complex. Some operations have dependencies, while others do not.

[0005] The automation system in the existing technology treats all operations in each consumables transfer task as independent operations for scheduling processing such as planning, which is difficult to process, consumes a large amount of computing power, is prone to errors, and is also very likely to cause system failures. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of the above problems, this application is proposed. According to a first aspect of this application, a method for processing operations in an automated process is provided, comprising:

[0007] Based on the automation process, for each consumable transfer task, obtain an ordered operation set of all operations in the consumable transfer task, where the order of each operation in the ordered operation set is the execution order of each operation in the automation process. The consumable transfer task includes the task of transferring consumables from one location to another.

[0008] Determine multiple core operations in the ordered operation set that are executed sequentially based on the functions of each operation in the ordered operation set, where a core operation is a main operation or a transfer operation performed by the device on the consumables. The main operation is the main functional operation of the device for processing samples carried by the consumables, and the transfer operation is the operation of the device for transferring the consumables; and

[0009] Each operation in the ordered operation set is divided into multiple operation groups, where the operation groups correspond to the core operations one by one.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the operation group includes a main operation group and a transfer operation group, and each operation in the ordered operation set is divided into multiple operation groups, including:

[0011] Divide each main operation in the multiple core operations into a main operation group;

[0012] In the ordered operation set, each transfer operation in multiple core operations and the auxiliary operations of the transfer operation are collectively divided into a transfer operation group, wherein the auxiliary operations of the transfer operation are operations performed before and / or after the transfer operation to assist the transfer operation.

[0013] In one possible implementation, each operation in the ordered operation set is divided into multiple operation groups, including:

[0014] Determine, based on the order of the operations in the ordered operation set, a first subset and a second subset of each core operation in the ordered operation set, wherein the first subset includes at least one first operation, the second subset includes at least one second operation, and there is no operation before the first operation and after the second operation in the ordered operation set;

[0015] For each core operation,

[0016] Determine, based on the ordered operation set and the first subset, a preceding auxiliary operation that is executed before the core operation and is used to assist the core operation;

[0017] Determining, based on the ordered operation set and the second subset, a post-auxiliary operation that is executed after the core operation and is used to assist the core operation; and

[0018] The core operation and the determined front auxiliary operation and back auxiliary operation are collectively determined as an operation group.

[0019] In one possible implementation, determining, based on the ordered operation set and the first subset, a pre-auxiliary operation executed before the core operation and used to assist the core operation includes:

[0020] Determining, based on the ordered operation set and the first subset, a first path from a preceding core operation of the core operation to the core operation and a second path from a first operation before the core operation to the core operation, wherein the second path does not include the preceding core operation of the core operation; and

[0021] Determine each operation on the first path and the second path, except the core operation, as a preceding auxiliary operation of the core operation;

[0022] and / or

[0023] Determining, based on the ordered operation set and the second subset, a post-auxiliary operation to be executed after the core operation and to assist the core operation, including:

[0024] determining, based on the ordered operation set and the second subset, a third path from the core operation to a subsequent adjacent core operation of the core operation and a fourth path from the core operation to a second operation following the core operation, wherein the fourth path does not include the subsequent adjacent core operation of the core operation; and

[0025] Each operation on the third path and the fourth path, except the core operation, is determined as a post-auxiliary operation of the core operation.

[0026] In one possible implementation, determining the first subset and the second subset of each core operation in the ordered operation set based on the order of the operations in the ordered operation set includes:

[0027] Determine the adjacency matrix of the ordered operation set based on the order of each operation in the ordered operation set;

[0028] Determine a first subset of each core operation based on at least the operations corresponding to columns of the adjacency matrix whose elements are all zero; and

[0029] A second subset of each core operation is determined based on at least the operations corresponding to rows in the adjacency matrix where all elements are 0.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the processing method further includes: for each core operation,

[0031] Determine whether there is a previous adjacent core operation for the core operation;

[0032] If so, determining whether the first subset includes the previous adjacent core operation of the core operation; if not, adding the previous adjacent core operation to the first subset; and

[0033] It is determined whether the second subset includes a subsequent adjacent core operation of the core operation; if not, the subsequent adjacent core operation is added to the second subset.

[0034] In one possible implementation, determining, based on the ordered operation set and the first subset, a first path from a preceding adjacent core operation of the core operation to the core operation and a second path from a first operation before the core operation to the core operation includes:

[0035] For each operation in the first subset, determine each path from the operation to the core operation as a pre-initial path; and

[0036] Traversing each previous initial path, deleting the previous initial path that meets a first preset requirement, and determining the remaining previous initial path as the first path or the second path, wherein the first preset requirement includes: the path includes a previous adjacent core operation of the core operation and the first operation in the path is not the previous adjacent core operation;

[0037] and / or

[0038] Determining, based on the ordered operation set and the second subset, a third path from the core operation to a subsequent adjacent core operation of the core operation and a fourth path from the core operation to a second operation subsequent to the core operation, comprising:

[0039] For each operation in the second subset, determine each path from the operation to the core operation as a post-initial path; and

[0040] Traverse each post-initial path and delete the post-initial path that meets the second preset requirement to determine the remaining post-initial path as the third path or the fourth path, wherein the second preset requirement includes: the path includes a post-adjacent core operation of the core operation and the last operation in the path is not the post-adjacent core operation.

[0041] In one possible implementation, the core operation includes a robot arm operation. If the subsequent adjacent operation of the robot arm operation is a mid-position reversing operation,

[0042] Treatment methods also include:

[0043] In the post-auxiliary operation of the robot arm operation, delete the mid-transfer reversing operation.

[0044] In one possible implementation, determining multiple core operations in an ordered operation set that are executed sequentially includes:

[0045] Remove all operations other than the main operation and the transfer operation that are performed on the consumable from the ordered operation set.

[0046] According to a second aspect of the present application, a method for planning an automated process is also provided, comprising:

[0047] In the automated process, using the above processing method, multiple operation groups are determined for each consumables transfer task; and

[0048] Determine the execution time of each operation in an ordered set of operations based on multiple operation groups.

[0049] In one possible implementation, determining the execution time of each operation in the ordered operation set based on multiple operation groups includes:

[0050] Determine the order of the multiple operation groups based on the order of the multiple core operations in the ordered operation set, wherein the operation group to which the core operation that is ordered first belongs is also ordered first;

[0051] Determines the execution time of each operation in the ordered set of operations based on the sequence of multiple operation groups.

[0052] In one possible implementation, determining the execution time of each operation in the ordered operation set based on multiple operation groups includes:

[0053] Calculate the operation duration for each operation group; and

[0054] Determine the execution time of each operation in the ordered operation set based on the operation duration;

[0055] The operation duration is equal to the sum of the duration of the core operation in the operation group, the first time, and the second time;

[0056] The first time is equal to the maximum of the sum of the durations of the preceding auxiliary operations in the first path of the core operation and the sum of the durations of the preceding auxiliary operations in the second path of the core operation; the second duration is equal to the maximum of the sum of the durations of the subsequent auxiliary operations in the third path of the core operation and the sum of the durations of the subsequent auxiliary operations in the fourth path of the core operation.

[0057] In one possible implementation, determining the execution time of each operation in the ordered operation set based on multiple operation groups includes:

[0058] Determine the board position occupancy information and cover position occupancy information involved in each operation group; and

[0059] The execution time of each operation in the ordered operation set is determined according to the board position occupancy information and the cover position occupancy information.

[0060] According to a third aspect of the present application, there is also provided a processing system for operating in an automated process, comprising:

[0061] an acquisition module, configured to acquire, for each consumables transfer task, an ordered operation set of all operations in the consumables transfer task based on the automated process, wherein the order of the operations in the ordered operation set is the execution order of the operations in the automated process, and the consumables transfer task includes the task of transferring consumables from one location to another;

[0062] a first determining module, configured to determine, based on the functions of the operations in the ordered operation set, a plurality of core operations to be executed sequentially in the ordered operation set, wherein a core operation is a main operation or a transfer operation performed by the device on the consumable; a main operation is a primary functional operation of the device for processing a sample carried by the consumable; and a transfer operation is an operation of the device for transferring the consumable; and

[0063] The grouping module is used to divide each operation in the ordered operation set into multiple operation groups, wherein the operation groups correspond to the core operations one by one.

[0064] According to a fourth aspect of the present application, there is further provided an automated process planning system, characterized in that it includes:

[0065] A second determination module is configured to determine, in an automated process, multiple operation groups for each consumables transfer task using the aforementioned processing method; and

[0066] The third determining module is configured to determine the execution time of each operation in the ordered operation set based on the multiple operation groups.

[0067] According to the fifth aspect of the present application, an electronic device is also provided, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores computer program instructions, and the computer program instructions are used by the processor to execute the processing method of the operations in the above-mentioned automation process and / or the planning method of the above-mentioned automation process when the processor is running.

[0068] According to the sixth aspect of the present application, a storage medium is also provided, on which program instructions are stored. The program instructions are used to execute the processing method of the operations in the above-mentioned automation process and / or the planning method of the above-mentioned automation process when running.

[0069] In the above solution, by identifying multiple core operations within the ordered set of operations for each consumables transfer task and dividing the ordered set into multiple operation groups based on the core operations, the difficulty of arranging and processing the operations is significantly reduced, allowing the automation system to accurately schedule the execution of these operations based on the operation groups in real time. This helps to simplify the processing logic for scheduling timing, reduce redundant calculations, and improve scheduling efficiency, thereby ensuring the stable operation of the automation system.

[0070] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present application. In order to more clearly understand the technical means of the present application, it can be implemented in accordance with the contents of the specification. In order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present application are listed below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0071] The above and other purposes, features, and advantages of the present application will become more apparent through a more detailed description of the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are intended to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the present application and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the embodiments of the present application, they are used to explain the present application and do not constitute a limitation of the present application. In the drawings, the same reference numerals generally represent the same components or steps.

[0072] FIG1 is a schematic flow chart showing a processing method for operating in an automated process according to one embodiment of the present application;

[0073] FIG2 a shows a flowchart of a consumables transfer task according to one embodiment of the present application;

[0074] FIG2 b shows a schematic diagram of a directed graph of an ordered operation set and its adjacency matrix according to one embodiment of the present application;

[0075] FIG2 c shows a flowchart of a consumables transfer task according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0076] FIG3 shows a flowchart of a consumables transfer task according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0077] FIG4 is a flowchart illustrating a processing method for operations in an automated process according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0078] FIG5 shows a schematic flow chart of a method for planning an automated process according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0079] FIG6 shows a schematic block diagram of a processing system operating in an automated process according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0080] FIG7 shows a schematic block diagram of a planning system for an automated process according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0081] as well as

[0082] FIG8 shows a schematic block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0083] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more apparent, the following is a detailed description of example embodiments of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments of the present application, and it should be understood that the present application is not limited to the example embodiments described herein. Based on the embodiments of the present application described in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work should fall within the scope of protection of this application.

[0084] As previously mentioned, each consumables transfer task in the automated process involves numerous operations, and the execution logic between these operations is also complex. Conventional automation systems treat all operations in each consumables transfer task as independent operations, performing scheduling and other processes, such as planning. This is complex, computationally intensive, and prone to errors and system failures.

[0085] In order to at least partially solve the above technical problems, according to one aspect of the present application, a method for processing operations in an automated process is provided. This processing method determines multiple core operations in the ordered operation set of each consumables transfer task, and divides the ordered operation set into multiple operation groups based on the core operations. As a result, the difficulty of arranging and processing operations is significantly reduced, making it convenient for the automated system to accurately schedule the execution timing of these operations based on the operation group in real time. This helps to simplify the processing logic of the scheduling timing, reduce redundant calculations, and improve the efficiency of scheduling, thereby ensuring the stable operation of the automated system.

[0086] The processing method according to the embodiment of the present application can be applied to automation processes for various suitable targets in various fields. For simplicity, the following explanation is made by taking the automation process in a laboratory automation system as an example.

[0087] Laboratory automation processes typically include multiple operations performed at multiple key equipment nodes. For each equipment node, the corresponding operations typically include pre-operations, main operations, and post-operations, in the order of execution. For simplicity, these operations can be referred to as pre-operations, main operations, and post-operations for the primary equipment. Pre-operations can be auxiliary operations that must be completed before the current equipment processes a sample. Post-operations can be auxiliary operations that must be completed after the current equipment processes a sample. It is understood that pre-operations and post-operations can be performed by the current primary equipment or other equipment. For example, a pipetting workstation has three operations: the pre-operation PlateIn (moving consumables into the workstation), the main pipetting operation, and the post-operation PlateOut (moving consumables out of the workstation). PlateIn and PlateOut cause the consumables to change their position and are considered consumable transport operations. Both pre-operations and post-operations are performed by the pipetting workstation. A microplate reader has a pre-operation door opening and closing operation (door opening and closing), a main microplate labeling operation, and a post-operation door opening and closing operation. Among them, door opening and closing operations do not cause the location of consumables to change and are not considered consumable transfer operations. Robotic arm operations used to transfer consumables are also considered transfer operations and can be used as both front and back operations of the main equipment.

[0088] As mentioned above, in existing laboratory automation systems, all operations are planned and scheduled as independent operations. Research by the inventors has revealed the following issues with these solutions: In some cases, a star-shaped structure exists between pre- and post-operations and robotic arm operations. For example, the post-operation of a centrifuge requires a robotic arm, while the pre-operation of a microplate reader also requires a robotic arm, with both instruments sharing one or a group of robotic arms. To reduce process complexity during planning and scheduling, logic for merging calls is required. Numerous zero constraints exist between pre- and post-operations and robotic arm operations. Zero constraints between two steps mean that the next step can begin immediately after the previous one completes, without waiting in between. For example, a robotic arm acquiring a consumable is one operation, while placing the consumable in a designated location is another. These two operations are thus bound by a zero constraint. The purpose of the zero constraint is to ensure the continuous execution of the two steps, avoiding the need for separate planning arrangements. This is because if the robotic arm acquires the consumable, it becomes occupied, and if it doesn't place the consumable in the designated location, the robotic arm becomes unusable. Therefore, these zero constraints can lead to extensive backtracking during planning. For example, a robot might plan to place a consumable into the next device to retrieve it, but the door to the next device is not open, requiring it to wait for it to open. Due to the zero constraint, the robot cannot wait for the door to open after retrieving the consumable, so it backtracks to the point before retrieving the consumable and replans.

[0089] The inventors discovered that the above-mentioned solutions in the prior art must not only consider the space occupied by the front and rear equipment due to the robot arm operation during planning, but also the space occupied by the front and rear operations of the equipment, resulting in a certain amount of redundant calculations. The front and rear operations may appear to be suspended in the flowchart. When scheduling these steps, the selection of scheduling timing involves a lot of processing logic, and the logic has theoretical loopholes. Certain front and rear operations need to be executed closely and continuously with the robot arm operation, otherwise anomalies will occur. For example, high-content warehouse opening and the placement of consumables must be completed within 1 minute, otherwise the equipment will report an error.

[0090] Therefore, based on an in-depth analysis of the problems of existing technical solutions, the inventor proposed a processing method for grouping operations in the automated process, dividing the multiple operations involved in each consumables transfer task in the process into consumables transfer operation groups, and then planning and scheduling them in operation groups.

[0091] Fig. 1 is a schematic flow chart of a processing method 1000 operated in an automated process according to one embodiment of the present application. As shown in Fig. 1 , the processing method 1000 may include step S1200, step S1400 and step S1600.

[0092] Step S1200: Based on the automated process, for each consumable transfer task, obtain an ordered set of all operations in the consumable transfer task. The order of the operations in the ordered set is the order in which they are executed in the automated process. A consumable transfer task involves transferring consumables from one location to another.

[0093] Figure 2a shows a flow chart of a consumables transfer task according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2a, the order of each operation in the ordered operation set is the execution order of each operation in the automated process. Taking consumables A and consumables B as examples, after consumables A undergoes main operation A, it undergoes a series of operations such as post-A operation 1, post-A operation n, post-A operation n+1, and post-A operation n+m. The above operations on A are the ordered operation set for consumables A. Similarly, consumables B undergoes a series of operations such as pre-B operation 1, pre-B operation n, pre-B operation n+1, pre-B operation n+m, and main operation B. The operations on B are the ordered operation set for consumables B. In the ordered operation set, each task has a sequence, and the order of execution cannot be reversed.

[0094] Consumables transfer tasks involve transferring consumables from one location to another. As mentioned above, some devices transfer consumables within the device, such as the PlateIn and PlateOut operations performed at the pipetting workstation. Some devices do not transfer consumables within the device, and consumables transfer operations only include transfers between devices. For example, a robotic arm transfers consumables from one primary device to another. For example, in the consumables transfer task shown in Figure 2a, a robotic arm transfers consumables from the device corresponding to primary operation A to the device corresponding to primary operation B.

[0095] Step S1400: Determine multiple core operations in the ordered operation set that are executed sequentially based on the functions of each operation in the ordered operation set. A core operation is a primary operation or transfer operation performed by the device on the consumables, and a primary operation is a primary functional operation of the device for processing samples carried by the consumables.

[0096] For example, if the primary equipment includes a pipetting workstation, the primary operation of the pipetting workstation is the pipetting operation. Similarly, the primary operation of a centrifuge is the centrifugation operation. Transfer operations are the operations performed by the equipment to relocate consumables. These include intra-device transfer operations (e.g., PlateIn and PlateOut operations) performed by the aforementioned intra-device transfer equipment and inter-device transfer operations (e.g., robotic arm operations) performed by inter-device transfer equipment.

[0097] According to the embodiment of the present application, a variety of suitable methods can be used to determine the core operations to be executed sequentially in the ordered operation set based on the role of each operation in the ordered operation set.

[0098] Illustratively, based on the role of each operation in the ordered operation set, multiple core operations in the ordered operation set that are executed sequentially are determined, including: deleting operations other than the main operation and transfer operation executed on consumables from the ordered operation set.

[0099] Continuing with Figure 2a, the core operations are identified from the ordered operation set, and the operations to be executed can be sequentially determined. For example, if main operation A is determined to be the main operation and a core operation, it is retained; if operation 1 after A is determined not to be a main operation or a transfer operation, it is deleted; if operation n after A is determined not to be a main operation or a transfer operation, it is deleted; if the robot arm operation is determined to be a transfer operation and a core operation, it is retained, and so on, until the entire ordered operation set is traversed and only the core operations are retained. Of course, in embodiments not shown, other search methods can also be used to directly extract the core operations from the ordered operation set.

[0100] In step S1600, the operations in the ordered operation set are divided into multiple operation groups based on the extracted core operations. The operation groups correspond to the core operations one by one. In other words, if there are m core operations in each ordered operation set, the operations in the ordered operation set are divided into m operation groups. Each operation group only includes one core operation. Referring to Figure 2a again, according to step S1600, the ordered operation set of the consumables transfer task can be divided into three operation groups, where the operations contained in the dotted box constitute one operation group, and the operations on both sides of the dotted box constitute one operation group.

[0101] In this step, various appropriate logics can be used to perform division based on each core operation.

[0102] Exemplarily, step S1600 may specifically include the following steps:

[0103] Step S1610: Divide each main operation in the plurality of core operations into a main operation group.

[0104] For example, FIG2 a includes a main operation A and a main operation B. The main operation A can be classified into a first operation group, and the main operation B can be classified into a second operation group.

[0105] In step S1620, each transfer operation in the plurality of core operations and its auxiliary operations are grouped into a transfer operation group in the ordered operation set. The auxiliary operations of the transfer operation are operations executed before and / or after the transfer operation to assist the transfer operation.

[0106] For example, the robotic arm operation group shown in Figure 2a represents a transfer operation. Auxiliary operations may not be specific to a single consumable. For example, the robotic arm operation's auxiliary operations include a series of operations, such as A-post Operation 1, A-post Operation n, B-front Operation 1, and B-front Operation n. These operations might include opening a device door or positioning a consumable.

[0107] The above solution of dividing the main operation and the transfer operation into an independent operation group has simpler execution logic and more reasonable grouping results.

[0108] Illustratively, step S1600 divides each operation in the ordered operation set into multiple operation groups, which may specifically include step S1621 , step S1622 , step S1623 and step S1624 .

[0109] Step S1621: Determine a first subset and a second subset of each core operation in the ordered operation set based on the order of the operations in the ordered operation set, wherein the first subset includes at least one first operation, the second subset includes at least one second operation, and there is no operation before the first operation and after the second operation in the ordered operation set.

[0110] The first operation may be the starting operation in the ordered operation set of the consumables transfer task. The starting operation may be an operation that does not directly depend on the preceding operation in the ordered operation set. The second operation may be the ending operation in the ordered operation set of the consumables transfer task. The ending operation may be an operation that does not directly depend on the following operation in the ordered operation set.

[0111] Continuing with Figure 2a, there are no operations before main operations A and B's pre-operation 1. Therefore, main operations A and B's pre-operation 1 can be considered the first operation and included in the first subset of each core operation. Correspondingly, there are no operations after main operation B and post-A operation n+m. Therefore, they can be included in the second subset of each core operation. In other words, the first subset of each core operation can include at least the starting operations in the ordered operation set, and the second subset of each core operation can include at least the ending operations in the ordered operation set.

[0112] In this step, any appropriate determination logic may be used to determine the first subset and the second subset of each core operation.

[0113] Exemplarily, step S1621, determining the first subset and the second subset of each core operation in the ordered operation set based on the order of each operation in the ordered operation set, may specifically include the following steps S1621a, S1621b, and S1621c:

[0114] Step S1621a: Determine the adjacency matrix of the ordered operation set based on the order of each operation in the ordered operation set.

[0115] It is understood that the adjacency matrix is ​​a matrix that represents the adjacent relationship between vertices. Figure 2b shows a schematic diagram of a directed graph and its adjacency matrix of an ordered operation set according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2b, V1, V2, V3, and V4 can correspond to the four operations in the ordered operation set. The mutual dependency relationship represented by the order of these four operations in the ordered operation set can be used to obtain a directed graph in the figure. It is understood that V1, V2, V3, and V4 can be the four vertices of the directed graph, and these four vertices are connected to each other, and the connection relationship between them is directional. V1 points to V2 and V3, V3 points to V4, and V4 points to V1. Thus, the adjacency matrix on the right can be obtained. The elements corresponding to V1 pointing to V2 in the first row of the matrix are 1, and the elements corresponding to V1 pointing to V3 are also 1. Since V2 does not point to other vertices in the second row of the matrix, all elements are 0. In other words, the out-degree of V2 is 0.

[0116] Similarly, take the ordered operation set shown in Figure 2a as an example. First, a directed graph can be obtained based on the mutual dependency relationship represented by the order of these 11 operations in the ordered operation set. All operations related to consumable A, such as main operation A and operation 1 after A, are used as vertices of the directed graph. And the corresponding adjacency matrix can be obtained based on the directed graph. It can be understood that in the obtained adjacency matrix, all elements in the columns corresponding to main operation A and operation 1 before B are all 0, and all elements in the rows corresponding to operation n+m after A and main operation B are all 0.

[0117] Step S1621b: Determine the first subset of each core operation based on the operations corresponding to the columns in the adjacency matrix whose elements are all 0. It will be understood that the columns whose elements are all 0 indicate that the corresponding operations have an in-degree of zero, i.e., they correspond to the initial operations in the ordered operation set, and therefore can be included in the first subset of each core operation.

[0118] Step S1621c: Determine the second subset of each core operation based on the operations corresponding to the rows in the adjacency matrix where all elements are 0. It can be understood that rows where all elements are 0 indicate that the corresponding operations have an out-degree of zero, i.e., they correspond to the end operations in the ordered operation set, and therefore can be included in the second subset of each core operation.

[0119] In this way, the first subset and the second subset of each core operation can be obtained quickly and accurately, which makes the processing more efficient and less prone to errors.

[0120] Exemplarily, the processing method 1000 also includes: for each core operation, determining whether the core operation has a preceding adjacent core operation; if so, determining whether the first subset contains the preceding adjacent core operation of the core operation; if not, adding the preceding adjacent core operation to the first subset; and determining whether the second subset contains the following adjacent core operation of the core operation; if not, adding the following adjacent core operation to the second subset.

[0121] In other words, if a core operation has a preceding adjacent core operation, the first subset of the core operation may include not only the start operations in the ordered operation set but also the preceding adjacent core operation of the core operation. If a core operation has a following adjacent core operation, the second subset of the core operation may include not only the end operations in the ordered operation set but also the following adjacent core operation of the core operation.

[0122] Refer to Figure 2c below. Figure 2c shows a flow chart of a consumables transfer task according to another embodiment of the present application. As shown in the figure, A rear PlateOut, robotic arm operation and B front PlateIn are all transfer operations. It can be understood that for the robotic arm operation, it has a front adjacent core operation A rear PlateOut and since A rear PlateOut does not belong to the first operation, A rear PlateOut is not included in the first subset, so it can be added to the first subset with the robotic arm operation. Similarly, the rear adjacent core operation B front PlateIn of the robotic arm operation can also be added to the second subset with the robotic arm operation. Thus, the first subset and the second subset of different core operations may be different.

[0123] The first and second subsets of each core operation determined in the above scheme respectively include the preceding and subsequent adjacent core operations (if any) of each core operation. This facilitates the rapid and accurate determination of the preceding and subsequent auxiliary operations of each core operation in subsequent steps, thereby improving grouping efficiency.

[0124] Step S1622: Determine a pre-auxiliary operation executed before the core operation and used to assist the core operation based on the ordered operation set and the first subset. According to the embodiment of the present application, various suitable determination logics can be used to determine the pre-auxiliary operation.

[0125] Exemplarily, step S1622 may specifically include step S1622a and step S1622b.

[0126] Step S1622a: Based on the ordered operation set and the first subset, determine a first path from a core operation immediately preceding the core operation to the core operation and a second path from a first operation preceding the core operation to the core operation, wherein the second path does not include the core operation immediately preceding the core operation.

[0127] Exemplarily, the first path and the second path may be determined by the following method: for each operation in the first subset, determining each path from the operation to the core operation as a previous initial path; and traversing each previous initial path, deleting previous initial paths that meet a first preset requirement, and determining the remaining previous initial paths as the first path or the second path. The first preset requirement includes: the path includes a previous adjacent core operation of the core operation, and the first operation in the path is not the previous adjacent core operation.

[0128] Referring again to Figure 2c, let's take the first path of the robotic arm operation as an example. The first subset includes three operations: the main operation A, the pre-B operation 1, and the pre-adjacent core operation A after PlateOut of the robotic arm operation. For the robotic arm operation, the pre-initial path includes path 1 (main operation A - post-A operation 1 - post-A PlateOut - post-A operation n - robotic arm operation), path 2 (post-A PlateOut - post-A operation n - robotic arm operation), and path 3 (pre-B operation 1 - pre-B operation n - robotic arm operation). These three paths can be traversed, and the paths that meet the first preset requirements can be deleted to obtain the first path and / or the second path. It can be understood that path 1 (main operation A - post-A operation 1 - post-A PlateOut - post-A operation n - robotic arm operation) includes the pre-adjacent core operation A after PlateOut, and the first operation in the path is not A after PlateOut. Therefore, path 1 can be deleted, and path 2 can be used as the first path, and path 3 can be used as the second path.

[0129] Step S1622b: Determine each operation on the first path and the second path, except the core operation, as a preceding auxiliary operation of the core operation.

[0130] For example, in the ordered operation set shown in FIG2c, for the robotic arm operation, the robotic arm operation and A-post PlateOut can be deleted from the various operations involved in the above-mentioned paths 2 and 3, and the remaining operations (A-post operation n and B-front operation 1--B-front operation n) are all determined as front auxiliary operations of the robotic arm operation.

[0131] Step S1623: Determine, based on the ordered operation set and the second subset, a post-auxiliary operation that is executed after the core operation and is used to assist the core operation.

[0132] In this step, various appropriate determination logics may be used to determine the subsequent auxiliary operations of the core operation based on the ordered operation set and the second subset.

[0133] Exemplarily, step S1623 may specifically include step S1623a and step S1623b.

[0134] Step S1623a: Based on the ordered operation set and the second subset, determine a third path from the core operation to a subsequent adjacent core operation of the core operation and a fourth path from the core operation to a second operation following the core operation. The fourth path does not include the subsequent adjacent core operation of the core operation.

[0135] Exemplarily, the third path and the fourth path may be determined by the following method: for each operation in the second subset, determining each path from the operation to the core operation as a subsequent initial path; and traversing each subsequent initial path, deleting subsequent initial paths that meet a second preset requirement, to determine the remaining subsequent initial paths as the third path or the fourth path. The second preset requirement includes: the path includes the subsequent adjacent core operation of the core operation, and the last operation in the path is not the subsequent adjacent core operation.

[0136] Continuing to refer to FIG2c, for the robot arm operation, similar to the method of determining the initial path mentioned above, the subsequent initial path can be determined. Specifically, the subsequent initial path includes path 4, path 5 and path 6:

[0137] Path 4, robot arm operation--A followed by operation n+1--A followed by operation n+m;

[0138] Path 5, Robotic arm operation--B front operation n+1--B front PlateIn--B front operation n+m--Main operation B;

[0139] Path 6, Robotic arm operation--B front operation n+1--B front PlateIn;

[0140] It's understandable that for the robot arm operation, the subsequent adjacent core operation is PlateIn before B. Therefore, similar to the method for determining the first and second paths, we can traverse the three paths above and delete any paths that include the subsequent adjacent core operation PlateIn before B and whose last operation is not PlateIn before B. That is, we can delete path 5, and then determine path 6 as the third path and path 4 as the fourth path.

[0141] In step S1623b, each operation on the third and fourth paths, excluding the core operation, is determined as a subsequent auxiliary operation of the core operation. For example, for the robot arm operation in FIG2a , the subsequent auxiliary operations may include A post-operation n+1, A post-operation n+m, and B pre-operation n+1.

[0142] The above method for determining the preceding auxiliary operations and the following auxiliary operations of each core operation has simple and reasonable execution logic and will not have omissions, thereby achieving high processing efficiency and accuracy.

[0143] Step S1624: The core operation and the determined front auxiliary operation and back auxiliary operation are collectively determined as an operation group.

[0144] For example, for the operation set of the consumables transfer task shown in Figure 2c, five operation groups can be identified. The first operation group and the last operation group are both main operation groups corresponding to the main operation, and the remaining three are transfer operation groups corresponding to the transfer operation. As shown in the figure, each operation in the dotted box can be divided into a transfer consumables group. And each transfer consumables group includes the front auxiliary operation and the rear auxiliary operation of the corresponding core operation. The core operations in these three transfer operation groups are A rear PlateOut, robotic arm operation and B front PlateIn.

[0145] In this approach, by determining the starting and ending point sets within an ordered set of operations, the preceding auxiliary operation for each core operation is accurately determined based on the relationship between each operation in the starting point set and each core operation. Furthermore, the following auxiliary operation for each core operation is determined based on the relationship between each operation in the ending point set and each core operation. Ultimately, the preceding auxiliary operation, following auxiliary operation, and the core operation are grouped together as an operation group. This grouping approach features simple execution logic, minimal computational effort, and produces more reasonable grouping results.

[0146] For example, as described above, the core operation may include a robot operation. If the subsequent adjacent operation of the robot operation is a mid-transfer reversal operation, the processing method 1000 further includes: deleting the mid-transfer reversal operation from the subsequent auxiliary operations of the robot operation.

[0147] Figure 3 shows a flow chart of a consumables transfer task according to another embodiment of the present application. As shown in the figure, the ordered operation set of the consumables transfer task can also include an intermediate transfer position reversal operation. The intermediate transfer position reversal operation can realize the transfer of consumables from one robotic arm to another robotic arm.

[0148] It is understood that the intermediate transfer reversal operation 2 can be either a post-auxiliary operation for robot arm operation 1 or a pre-auxiliary operation for robot arm operation 2. When executing an automated process, performing the intermediate transfer reversal operation 2 twice may result in errors or, at the very least, waste time. Therefore, the intermediate transfer reversal operation 2 can be deleted from one of the operation groups. It is preferred to delete the intermediate transfer reversal operation 2 from the operation group that is a post-auxiliary operation. This ensures the accuracy of the grouping results.

[0149] Similarly, for the case where two adjacent core operations in the ordered operation set are both transfer operations, there may also be a case where a certain operation is both the post-auxiliary operation of the previous core operation and the pre-auxiliary operation of the next core operation. For this case, the operation can also be deleted from any operation group to avoid repeated counting. Taking Figure 2c as an example, A post-operation n can be the post-auxiliary operation of the core operation A post-PlateOut, or it can be the pre-auxiliary operation of the robotic arm operation. In an embodiment of the present application, A post-operation n can be ultimately classified into the operation group where the robotic arm operation is located. Similarly, B front operation n+1 can be the post-auxiliary operation of the robotic arm operation, or it can be the pre-auxiliary operation of B front PlateIn. In an embodiment of the present application, B front operation n+1 can be ultimately classified into the operation group where the robotic arm operation is located.

[0150] It can be understood that according to the above-mentioned processing method of the embodiment of the present application, the different core operations in each consumables transfer task can be divided into different operation groups, and the operation group where each core operation is located also includes auxiliary operations that assist the core operation. Subsequently, the execution order between operation groups and the execution order of each operation in each operation group can be determined separately. When determining the execution order of each operation within an operation group, it is not necessary to pay attention to the operations in other operation groups. This can greatly reduce the complexity of the operation arrangement processing.

[0151] Taking Figures 2a and 2c as examples, in both consumables transfer tasks, the robot arm operations are grouped into a single operation group. Within the robot arm's operation group, its work scheduling does not affect other operation groups, nor is it affected by other operation groups. In other words, while the robot arm is performing work in that operation group, other operations will not require the robot arm, nor will the robot arm's operations conflict with other operations. This ensures seamless execution of the robot arm's front and rear auxiliary operations, and a more rational grouping approach.

[0152] In the above solution, by identifying multiple core operations within the ordered set of operations for each consumables transfer task and dividing the ordered set into multiple operation groups based on the core operations, the difficulty of arranging and processing the operations is significantly reduced, allowing the automation system to accurately schedule the execution of these operations based on the operation groups in real time. This helps to simplify the processing logic for scheduling timing, reduce redundant calculations, and improve scheduling efficiency, thereby ensuring the stable operation of the automation system.

[0153] Figure 4 shows a flowchart of a method for processing operations in an automated process according to another embodiment of the present application. As shown in the figure, first, the automated process can be parsed to obtain an ordered operation set for each consumables transfer task in the automated process. Then, based on the role of each operation in the ordered operation set, multiple core operations in the ordered operation set that are executed sequentially can be determined. For example, operations other than the main operation and transfer operation can be deleted to determine the core operation. Subsequently, the operations in the ordered operation set can be divided into multiple operation groups based on the core operations and the order of the operations in the ordered operation set. On the one hand, each main operation can be directly divided into a main operation group. On the other hand, each transfer operation in the multiple core operations and the auxiliary operations of the transfer operation can be collectively divided into a transfer operation group. Specifically, the adjacency matrix of the ordered operation set can be first determined, and then a first subset and a second subset can be determined based on the adjacency matrix. For each transfer operation, based on the first subset, the second subset, and the core operation in the ordered operation set, it can be determined whether the first subset contains the previous adjacent core operation of the transfer operation. If not, the previous adjacent core operation is added to the first subset. And it can be determined simultaneously or sequentially whether the second subset contains the subsequent adjacent core operation of the transfer operation. If not, the subsequent adjacent core operation is added to the second subset. Afterwards, the front initial path and the back initial path for each transfer operation can be determined based on the first subset, the second subset, and the core operation, and the first path, the second path, the third path, and the fourth path can be determined therefrom. Then, based on the first path, the second path, the third path, and the fourth path, the front auxiliary operation and the back auxiliary operation of the transfer operation are determined. Each transfer operation and the determined front auxiliary operation and back auxiliary operation of the transfer operation are collectively divided into a transfer operation group. For the case where the core operation of the transfer operation group is a robot arm operation, it can be determined whether the back auxiliary operation of the robot arm operation includes the mid-transfer position reversing operation. If so, the mid-transfer position reversing operation is deleted. Finally, the grouping is completed.

[0154] According to a second aspect of the present application, a method for planning an automated process is provided. FIG5 shows a schematic flow chart of a method 5000 for planning an automated process according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in the figure, the planning method 5000 includes step S5100 and step S5200.

[0155] Step S5100 , in the automation process, using the processing method 1000 of the operations in the automation process described above, to determine multiple operation groups for each consumables transfer task.

[0156] Step S5200: determining the execution time of each operation in the ordered operation set based on the multiple operation groups.

[0157] Taking Figure 2c as an example, the automation process can be planned and scheduled according to the five divided operation groups. Subsequently, the execution order between the five operation groups and the execution order of each operation in each operation group can be determined separately. When determining the execution order of each operation in the operation group, you do not need to pay attention to the operations in other operation groups. For example, for the transfer operation group including the robotic arm, the merge star logic between the front operation, the back operation and the robotic arm is omitted, and the processing of the 0 constraint between the front operation, the back operation and the robotic arm is omitted, which reduces the backtracking search caused by the 0 constraint and significantly improves the planning efficiency. During planning, the consumables transfer operation group can be processed as a whole, which reduces the number of planning steps and reduces redundant calculations. Moreover, for the front operation or the back operation that appears as a suspended step in the flowchart, scheduling by operation group will greatly simplify the processing logic of the scheduling timing.

[0158] In summary, the above automation process planning method significantly reduces the difficulty of scheduling operations, allowing the automation system to accurately schedule the execution of these operations based on the operation group in real time. This helps simplify the scheduling logic, reduces redundant calculations, and improves scheduling efficiency, thereby ensuring the stable operation of the automation system.

[0159] Exemplarily, step S5200 includes: step S5210, determining the order of the plurality of operation groups based on the order of the plurality of core operations in the ordered operation set, wherein the operation group containing the core operation that is ordered first is also ordered first.

[0160] Continuing with Figure 2a, the core operations in this consumables transfer task are ranked in the order of main operation A, robotic arm operation, and main operation B in the ordered operation set. Therefore, the corresponding operation group order can be determined as: main operation A operation group -> transfer operation group -> main operation B operation group.

[0161] Step S5220 determines the execution time of each operation in the ordered operation set based on the order of the multiple operation groups. For example, in FIG2a , each operation in the main operation A operation group is executed first, each operation in the robot operation group is executed after the last operation in the main operation A operation group is completed, and each operation in the main operation B operation group is executed after the last operation in the robot operation group is completed.

[0162] This solution has simple execution logic and small computational complexity, significantly improving the planning efficiency of the automation process.

[0163] Exemplarily, step S5220 may further include step S5221 and step S5222.

[0164] Step S5221: Calculate the operation duration of each operation group. The operation duration is equal to the sum of the duration of the core operation in the operation group, the first time, and the second time. The first time is equal to the maximum of the sum of the durations of the preceding auxiliary operations in the first path of the core operation and the sum of the durations of the preceding auxiliary operations in the second path of the core operation; the second time is equal to the maximum of the sum of the durations of the following auxiliary operations in the third path of the core operation and the sum of the durations of the following auxiliary operations in the fourth path of the core operation.

[0165] Continuing to refer to Figure 2a, taking the transfer operation group as an example, before executing the robot arm operation, it is necessary to ensure that A rear operation 1, A rear operation n, B front operation 1, and B front operation n are all completed. For example, before executing the robot arm operation, it is also necessary to execute each front auxiliary operation contained in path 1 (A rear operation 1 and A rear operation n), and each front auxiliary operation contained in the second path (B front operation 1 and B front operation n). In this step, the sum of the durations of A rear operation 1 and A rear operation n (for example, 30 seconds) can be calculated, and the sum of the durations of B front operation 1 and B front operation n (for example, 45 seconds) can be calculated, and 45 seconds can be used as the first time. Similarly, the second time of the rear auxiliary operation of the robot arm can be calculated according to a similar method, for example, 69 seconds. If the duration of the robot arm operation is, for example, 30 seconds, then the duration of the transfer operation group where the robot arm is located can be calculated to be 114 seconds.

[0166] Step S5222: Determine the execution time of each operation in the ordered operation set according to the operation duration.

[0167] For example, the earliest start time of each operation group can be determined based on the duration of each operation group in the process, and then the earliest start time of each operation within the operation group can be determined based on the earliest start time of each operation group. Referring again to Figure 2a, taking the example of main operation A starting at t0, the duration of main operation A being t1, and the duration of the robot group operation being t2, the earliest start time of the robot group can be determined to be t0 + t1, and the earliest start time of main operation B being t0 + t1 + t2. Based on this, the earliest start time of each operation within the robot group can be further determined based on the earliest start time t0 + t1 of the robot group.

[0168] In the above solution, by calculating the operation duration of each operation group, the earliest start time of each operation can be quickly and accurately determined based on the operation duration of each operation group, significantly improving the planning efficiency of the automation process.

[0169] Exemplarily, step S5222 may further include step S5222a and step S5222b.

[0170] Step S5222a, determine the plate position occupancy information and cover position occupancy information involved in each operation group. As shown in Figure 3, for the robot arm 1 operation group, the internal operations include: A post-operation n, mid-transfer position reversal 1, robot arm 1, A post-operation n+1, A post-operation n+m. Among them, the internal operation may include changes in the cover position occupancy information. The cover position information is a parameter that must be constructed when the dispatcher sends instructions to the robot arm to realize the business of adding and removing covers for consumables. For example, the movement amplitude of the robot arm is large. When transferring consumables, it may cause the sample liquid in the consumables (such as well plates) to spill or cross-contamination of samples in different wells. Therefore, before the robot arm carries it, the front auxiliary operation may include a capping operation on the consumables. For the capping operation involved in the internal operation, there is at most one capping operation. It can be understood that the capping operation refers to a capping operation or a decapping operation. During a robot's execution, there is either no capping operation, only capping operation, or only decapping operation. The filament will not be capped and then decapped before the robot moves it. Capping and decapping operations will not be performed simultaneously. If capping is not completed, the robot cannot move it. After the internal operations of the robot 1 operation group are completed, the filament at PlateOut after A is removed, so the plate position of PlateOut after A is reduced by 1. The filament is moved to the intermediate transfer position, reversing 2, so the plate position of intermediate transfer position, reversing 2 is increased by 1. Similarly, for the robot 2 operation group, after the internal operations are completed, the filament is moved to PlateIn in front of B, and the plate position of PlateIn in front of B is increased by 1.

[0171] In step S5222b, the execution time of each operation in the ordered operation set is determined based on the board position occupancy information and the cover position occupancy information. If the cover position or the board position is occupied, a conflict will occur. For example, if the board position is occupied at intermediate transfer steering position 2, the robot arm 1 operation group cannot execute. Otherwise, multiple consumables will be stacked on intermediate transfer steering position 2, affecting the scheduling results. If the board position is not occupied at intermediate transfer steering position 2, the robot arm 2 operation group cannot execute because it cannot obtain consumable A.

[0172] In the above solution, based on the plate position occupancy information and the cover position occupancy information, the consumables can be moved along a predetermined trajectory through each operation group to achieve the preset purpose of the automation process.

[0173] According to a third aspect of the present application, a processing system for operating in an automated process is provided. FIG6 shows a schematic block diagram of a processing system 600 for operating in an automated process according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in the figure, the processing system 600 includes:

[0174] An acquisition module 610 is configured to acquire, for each consumable transfer task, an ordered operation set of all operations in the consumable transfer task based on the automated process, wherein the order of the operations in the ordered operation set is the order in which the operations are executed in the automated process, and the consumable transfer task includes a task of transferring consumables from one location to another;

[0175] A first determining module 620 is configured to determine, based on the functions of each operation in the ordered operation set, a plurality of core operations to be executed sequentially in the ordered operation set, wherein a core operation is a main operation or a transfer operation performed by the device on the consumable. A main operation is a primary functional operation of the device for processing a sample carried by the consumable, and a transfer operation is an operation of the device for transferring the consumable; and

[0176] The grouping module 630 is configured to divide each operation in the ordered operation set into a plurality of operation groups, wherein an operation group corresponds to a core operation on a one-to-one basis.

[0177] According to a fourth aspect of the present application, a planning system for an automated process is further provided. FIG7 shows a schematic block diagram of a planning system 700 for an automated process according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in the figure, the planning system 700 includes:

[0178] The second determining module 710 is used to determine multiple operation groups for each consumables transfer task in the automation process by using the processing method 1000 as described above in the automation process.

[0179] The third determining module 720 is configured to determine the execution time of each operation in the ordered operation set based on the multiple operation groups.

[0180] According to a fifth aspect of the present application, an electronic device is also provided. Figure 8 shows a schematic block diagram of an electronic device 800 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in the figure, the electronic device 800 includes a processor 810 and a memory 820. The memory 820 stores computer program instructions, which, when executed by the processor 810, are used to execute the processing method 1000 for the operations in the above-described automated process and / or the planning method 5000 for the above-described automated process.

[0181] According to a sixth aspect of the present application, a storage medium is also provided. Program instructions are stored on the storage medium, and when running, the program instructions are used to execute the processing method 1000 for the operations in the above-mentioned automation process and / or the planning method 5000 for the above-mentioned automation process. The storage medium may include, for example, an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a portable CD-ROM (CD-ROM), a USB memory, or any combination of the above-mentioned storage media. The storage medium may be any combination of one or more computer-readable storage media.

[0182] A person skilled in the art can understand the specific implementation schemes and beneficial effects of the above-mentioned processing method 1000 for the automated process and the above-mentioned planning method 5000 for the automated process by reading the relevant descriptions of the above-mentioned processing system 600 for the automated process and the above-mentioned planning system 700 for the automated process, the electronic device 800 and the storage medium, and they will not be elaborated here for the sake of brevity.

[0183] Example

[0184] Example 1. A method for processing operations in an automated process, comprising:

[0185] Based on the automated process, for each consumable transfer task, obtaining an ordered operation set of all operations in the consumable transfer task, wherein the order of the operations in the ordered operation set is the execution order of the operations in the automated process, and the consumable transfer task includes a task of transferring consumables from one location to another;

[0186] Determining, based on the functions of each operation in the ordered operation set, a plurality of core operations in the ordered operation set that are executed sequentially, wherein the core operation is a main operation or a transfer operation performed by the device on the consumable, the main operation is a primary functional operation of the device for processing a sample carried by the consumable, and the transfer operation is an operation of the device for transferring the consumable; and

[0187] Each operation in the ordered operation set is divided into a plurality of operation groups, wherein the operation groups correspond to core operations one by one.

[0188] Example 2. The processing method according to Example 1, wherein the operation group includes a main operation group and a transfer operation group, and the operations in the ordered operation set are divided into multiple operation groups, including:

[0189] Divide each main operation in the plurality of core operations into a main operation group;

[0190] In the ordered operation set, each transfer operation in the multiple core operations and the auxiliary operations of the transfer operation are collectively divided into a transfer operation group, wherein the auxiliary operations of the transfer operation are operations performed before and / or after the transfer operation to assist the transfer operation.

[0191] Embodiment 3. The processing method according to embodiment 1 or 2, wherein dividing the operations in the ordered operation set into a plurality of operation groups comprises:

[0192] Determine, based on an order of the operations in the ordered operation set, a first subset and a second subset of each core operation in the ordered operation set, wherein the first subset includes at least one first operation, the second subset includes at least one second operation, and there is no operation before or after the first operation in the ordered operation set;

[0193] For each core operation,

[0194] Determine, based on the ordered operation set and the first subset, a pre-auxiliary operation that is executed before the core operation and is used to assist the core operation;

[0195] Determining, based on the ordered operation set and the second subset, a post-auxiliary operation to be executed after the core operation and to assist the core operation; and

[0196] The core operation and the determined front auxiliary operation and back auxiliary operation are collectively determined as an operation group.

[0197] Embodiment 4. The treatment method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 3, wherein:

[0198] The determining, based on the ordered operation set and the first subset, a pre-auxiliary operation executed before the core operation and used to assist the core operation, includes:

[0199] Determining, based on the ordered operation set and the first subset, a first path from a preceding core operation of the core operation to the core operation and a second path from a first operation before the core operation to the core operation, wherein the second path does not include the preceding core operation of the core operation; and

[0200] Determining each operation other than a core operation on the first path and the second path as a preceding auxiliary operation of the core operation;

[0201] and / or

[0202] The determining, based on the ordered operation set and the second subset, a post-auxiliary operation to be executed after the core operation and to assist the core operation, includes:

[0203] determining, based on the ordered operation set and the second subset, a third path from the core operation to a subsequent adjacent core operation of the core operation and a fourth path from the core operation to a second operation following the core operation, wherein the fourth path does not include the subsequent adjacent core operation of the core operation; and

[0204] Each operation on the third path and the fourth path, except the core operation, is determined as a post-auxiliary operation of the core operation.

[0205] Embodiment 5. The processing method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 4, wherein determining the first subset and the second subset of each core operation in the ordered operation set based on the order of the operations in the ordered operation set comprises:

[0206] Determining an adjacency matrix of the ordered operation set based on the order of the operations in the ordered operation set;

[0207] Determining a first subset of each core operation based on at least the operations corresponding to columns of the adjacency matrix where all elements are zero; and

[0208] A second subset of each core operation is determined based on at least the operations corresponding to rows in the adjacency matrix where all elements are 0.

[0209] Embodiment 6. The processing method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 5, wherein the processing method further comprises: for each core operation,

[0210] Determine whether there is a previous adjacent core operation for the core operation;

[0211] If so, determining whether the first subset includes the previous adjacent core operation of the core operation; if not, adding the previous adjacent core operation to the first subset; and

[0212] It is determined whether the second subset includes a subsequent adjacent core operation of the core operation; if not, the subsequent adjacent core operation is added to the second subset.

[0213] Embodiment 7. The treatment method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 6, wherein

[0214] The determining, based on the ordered operation set and the first subset, a first path from a preceding adjacent core operation of the core operation to the core operation and a second path from a first operation before the core operation to the core operation, comprises:

[0215] For each operation in the first subset, determining each path from the operation to the core operation as a pre-initial path; and

[0216] Traversing each previous initial path, deleting the previous initial path that meets a first preset requirement, and determining the remaining previous initial path as the first path or the second path, wherein the first preset requirement includes: the path includes a previous adjacent core operation of the core operation and the first operation in the path is not the previous adjacent core operation;

[0217] and / or

[0218] The determining, based on the ordered operation set and the second subset, a third path from the core operation to a subsequent adjacent core operation of the core operation and a fourth path from the core operation to a second operation subsequent to the core operation, comprises:

[0219] For each operation in the second subset, determining each path from the operation to the core operation as a post-initial path; and

[0220] Traversing each post-initial path, deleting the post-initial path that meets a second preset requirement, so as to determine the remaining post-initial path as the third path or the fourth path, wherein the second preset requirement includes: the path includes a post-adjacent core operation of the core operation and the last operation in the path is not the post-adjacent core operation.

[0221] Embodiment 8. The processing method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 7, wherein the core operation includes a robot operation, and when the subsequent adjacent operation of the robot operation is a mid-position reversal operation,

[0222] The processing method further comprises:

[0223] In the post-auxiliary operation of the robot arm operation, the mid-transfer position reversing operation is deleted.

[0224] Embodiment 9. The processing method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 8, wherein determining the multiple core operations in the ordered operation set that are executed successively comprises:

[0225] Delete operations other than the main operation and the transfer operation performed on the consumables from the ordered operation set.

[0226] Example 10. A method for planning an automated process, comprising:

[0227] In the automated process, using the processing method described in any one of embodiments 1 to 9, multiple operation groups for each consumables transfer task are determined; and

[0228] An execution time of each operation in the ordered set of operations is determined based on the multiple operation groups.

[0229] Embodiment 11. The planning method according to embodiment 10, wherein determining the execution time of each operation in the ordered operation set based on the multiple operation groups comprises:

[0230] Determining an order of the plurality of operation groups based on an order of the plurality of core operations in the ordered operation set, wherein an operation group containing a core operation that is ordered earlier is also ordered earlier;

[0231] An execution time of each operation in the ordered set of operations is determined based on the order of the plurality of operation groups.

[0232] Example 12. The planning method according to Example 10 or 11, wherein:

[0233] The determining, based on the multiple operation groups, the execution time of each operation in the ordered operation set includes:

[0234] Calculate the operation duration for each operation group; and

[0235] determining, based on the operation duration, the execution time of each operation in the ordered operation set;

[0236] The operation duration is equal to the sum of the duration of the core operation in the operation group, the first time, and the second time;

[0237] The first time is equal to the maximum of the sum of the durations of the preceding auxiliary operations in the first path of the core operation and the sum of the durations of the preceding auxiliary operations in the second path of the core operation; the second time is equal to the maximum of the sum of the durations of the following auxiliary operations in the third path of the core operation and the sum of the durations of the following auxiliary operations in the fourth path of the core operation.

[0238] Embodiment 13. The planning method according to any one of embodiments 10 to 12, wherein determining the execution time of each operation in the ordered operation set based on the multiple operation groups comprises:

[0239] Determine the board position occupancy information and cover position occupancy information involved in each operation group; and

[0240] The execution time of each operation in the ordered operation set is determined according to the board position occupancy information and the cover position occupancy information.

[0241] Embodiment 14. A processing system operating in an automated process, comprising:

[0242] an acquisition module configured to acquire, based on the automated process and for each consumable transfer task, an ordered operation set of all operations in the consumable transfer task, wherein the order of the operations in the ordered operation set is the execution order of the operations in the automated process, and the consumable transfer task includes a task of transferring consumables from one location to another;

[0243] a first determining module, configured to determine, based on the functions of the respective operations in the ordered operation set, a plurality of core operations to be executed sequentially in the ordered operation set, wherein the core operation is a main operation or a transfer operation performed by the device on the consumable; the main operation is a primary functional operation of the device for processing a sample carried by the consumable; and the transfer operation is an operation of the device for transferring the consumable; and

[0244] The grouping module is used to divide each operation in the ordered operation set into a plurality of operation groups, wherein the operation groups correspond to core operations one by one.

[0245] Example 15. A planning system for an automated process, comprising:

[0246] A second determining module is configured to determine, in the automated process, a plurality of operation groups for each consumables transfer task using the processing method described in any one of embodiments 1 to 9; and

[0247] The third determining module is configured to determine, based on the multiple operation groups, an execution time of each operation in the ordered operation set.

[0248] Embodiment 16. An electronic device comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores computer program instructions, and the computer program instructions are used by the processor to execute a processing method for operations in an automated process as described in any one of Embodiments 1 to 9 and / or a planning method for an automated process as described in any one of Embodiments 10 to 13 when the processor is running.

[0249] Example 17. A storage medium having program instructions stored thereon, wherein the program instructions are used, when run, to execute a processing method for an operation in an automation process as described in any one of Examples 1 to 9 and / or a planning method for an automation process as described in any one of Examples 10 to 13.

[0250] Although example embodiments have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the above example embodiments are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application. Various changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present application. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present application as required by the appended claims.

[0251] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0252] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the units described is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used, such as combining or integrating multiple units or components into another device, or ignoring or not performing some features.

[0253] In the description provided herein, a large number of specific details are described. However, it is understood that the embodiments of the present application can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures, and techniques are not shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this description.

[0254] Similarly, it should be understood that in order to streamline the present application and aid in understanding one or more of the various inventive aspects, in the description of the exemplary embodiments of the present application, the various features of the present application are sometimes grouped together into a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof. However, this approach of the present application should not be interpreted as reflecting the intention that the application claimed for protection requires more features than those explicitly recited in each claim. More precisely, as reflected in the corresponding claims, the inventive point is that the corresponding technical problem can be solved with fewer features than all the features of a single disclosed embodiment. Therefore, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim itself serving as a separate embodiment of the present application.

[0255] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, except where mutually exclusive, all features disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) and all processes or units of any method or apparatus disclosed herein may be combined in any combination. Unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) may be replaced by an alternative feature providing the same, equivalent, or similar purpose.

[0256] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that although some embodiments described herein include certain features included in other embodiments but not other features, combinations of features from different embodiments are intended to be within the scope of this application and to form different embodiments. For example, in the claims, any of the claimed embodiments may be used in any combination.

[0257] The various component embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware, or in software modules running on one or more processors, or in a combination thereof. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP) can be used in practice to implement some or all of the functions of some modules in the processing system 600 of the automation process according to the embodiment of the present application and the planning system 700 of the above-mentioned automation process. The application can also be implemented as a device program (e.g., computer program and computer program product) for executing a part or all of the methods described herein. Such a program implementing the present application can be stored on a computer-readable medium, or can have the form of one or more signals. Such a signal can be downloaded from an Internet website, or provided on a carrier signal, or provided in any other form.

[0258] It should be noted that the above embodiments illustrate rather than limit the present application, and that a person skilled in the art may devise alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference symbols placed between brackets should not be construed as limiting the claims. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of elements or steps not listed in the claims. The word "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. The present application may be implemented by means of hardware comprising several different elements and by means of appropriately programmed computers. In a unit claim enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by the same item of hardware. The use of the words first, second, and third etc. does not indicate any order. These words may be interpreted as names.

[0259] The above description is merely a specific embodiment or illustration of a specific embodiment of the present application, and the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application. The scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for processing operations in an automated process, characterized in that: include: Based on the automation process, for each consumable transfer task, an ordered operation set of all operations in the consumable transfer task is obtained, wherein the order of each operation in the ordered operation set is the execution order of each operation in the automation process, and the consumable transfer task includes a task of transferring consumables from one location to another location; Determining, according to the functions of each operation in the ordered operation set, a plurality of core operations in the ordered operation set that are executed successively, wherein the core operation is a main operation or a transfer operation performed by the device on the consumable, the main operation is a main functional operation of the device processing a sample carried by the consumable, and the transfer operation is an operation of the device transferring the position of the consumable; and Each operation in the ordered operation set is divided into a plurality of operation groups, wherein the operation groups correspond to core operations one by one.

2. The processing method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The operation group includes a main operation group and a transfer operation group, and each operation in the ordered operation set is divided into a plurality of operation groups, including: Divide each main operation in the plurality of core operations into a main operation group; In the ordered operation set, each transfer operation among the multiple core operations and the auxiliary operations of the transfer operation are collectively divided into a transfer operation group, wherein the auxiliary operations of the transfer operation are operations performed before and / or after the transfer operation to assist the transfer operation.

3. The processing method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The step of dividing each operation in the ordered operation set into a plurality of operation groups comprises: Determine, based on the order of the operations in the ordered operation set, a first subset and a second subset of each core operation in the ordered operation set, wherein the first subset includes at least one first operation, the second subset includes at least one second operation, and there is no operation before the first operation and after the second operation in the ordered operation set; For each core operation, Determine, based on the ordered operation set and the first subset, a pre-auxiliary operation executed before the core operation and used to assist the core operation; Determine, based on the ordered operation set and the second subset, a post-auxiliary operation that is executed after the core operation and is used to assist the core operation; and The core operation and the determined front auxiliary operation and rear auxiliary operation are collectively determined as an operation group.

4. The processing method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The determining, based on the ordered operation set and the first subset, a pre-auxiliary operation executed before the core operation and used to assist the core operation, comprises: Based on the ordered operation set and the first subset, determining a first path from a preceding core operation of the core operation to the core operation and a second path from a first operation before the core operation to the core operation, wherein the preceding core operation of the core operation is not included in the second path; and Determine each operation other than the core operation on the first path and the second path as a front auxiliary operation of the core operation; and / or The determining, based on the ordered operation set and the second subset, a post-auxiliary operation to be performed after the core operation and to assist the core operation comprises: Based on the ordered operation set and the second subset, determining a third path from the core operation to a subsequent adjacent core operation of the core operation and a fourth path from the core operation to a second operation after the core operation, wherein the fourth path does not include the subsequent adjacent core operation of the core operation; and Each operation on the third path and the fourth path, except the core operation, is determined as a post-auxiliary operation of the core operation.

5. The processing method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The determining, based on the order of the operations in the ordered operation set, a first subset and a second subset of each core operation in the ordered operation set comprises: Determining an adjacency matrix of the ordered operation set based on the order of each operation in the ordered operation set; Determining a first subset of each core operation based at least on operations corresponding to columns of the adjacency matrix whose elements are all zero; and A second subset of each core operation is determined based on at least the operations corresponding to the rows in the adjacency matrix whose elements are all 0.

6. The processing method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The processing method further comprises: for each core operation, Determine whether there is a previous adjacent core operation for the core operation; If so, determining whether the first subset includes the previous adjacent core operation of the core operation; if not, adding the previous adjacent core operation to the first subset; and It is determined whether the second subset includes a subsequent adjacent core operation of the core operation; if not, the subsequent adjacent core operation is added to the second subset.

7. The processing method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The determining, based on the ordered operation set and the first subset, a first path from a preceding adjacent core operation of the core operation to the core operation and a second path from a first operation before the core operation to the core operation comprises: For each operation in the first subset, determining each path from the operation to the core operation as a pre-initial path; and Traversing each pre-initial path, deleting the pre-initial path that meets the first preset requirement, so as to determine the remaining pre-initial path as the first path or the second path, wherein the first preset requirement includes: the path includes the pre-adjacent core operation of the core operation and the first operation in the path is not the pre-adjacent core operation; and / or The determining, based on the ordered operation set and the second subset, a third path from the core operation to a subsequent adjacent core operation of the core operation and a fourth path from the core operation to a second operation after the core operation comprises: For each operation in the second subset, determining each path from the operation to the core operation as a post-initial path; and Traverse each post-initial path, delete the post-initial path that meets the second preset requirement, and determine the remaining post-initial path as the third path or the fourth path, wherein the second preset requirement includes: the path includes the post-adjacent core operation of the core operation and the last operation in the path is not the post-adjacent core operation.

8. The processing method according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that: The core operation includes a robot operation, and in the case where the subsequent adjacent operation of the robot operation is a mid-position reversal operation, The processing method also includes: In the post-auxiliary operation of the robot arm operation, the mid-transfer position reversing operation is deleted.

9. The processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The determining of the multiple core operations in the ordered operation set that are executed sequentially includes: From the ordered operation set, operations other than the main operation and the transfer operation performed on the consumables are deleted.

10. A method for planning an automated process, characterized in that: include: In the automated process, a plurality of operation groups for each consumable transfer task are determined using the processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 9; as well as Based on the multiple operation groups, an execution time of each operation in the ordered operation set is determined.

11. The planning method according to claim 10, characterized in that: The determining, based on the multiple operation groups, the execution time of each operation in the ordered operation set includes: Determine the order of the plurality of operation groups based on the order of the plurality of core operations in the ordered operation set, wherein the operation group to which the core operation that is ordered first belongs is also ordered first; Based on the order of the plurality of operation groups, an execution time of each operation in the ordered operation set is determined.

12. The planning method according to claim 10 as referred to claim 4, characterized in that The determining, based on the multiple operation groups, the execution time of each operation in the ordered operation set includes: Calculate the operation duration for each operation group; and Determining, according to the operation duration, the execution time of each operation in the ordered operation set; The operation duration is equal to the sum of the duration of the core operation in the operation group, the first time, and the second time; The first time is equal to the maximum of the sum of the durations of the preceding auxiliary operations in the first path of the core operation and the sum of the durations of the preceding auxiliary operations in the second path of the core operation; the second time is equal to the maximum of the sum of the durations of the following auxiliary operations in the third path of the core operation and the sum of the durations of the following auxiliary operations in the fourth path of the core operation.

13. The planning method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that: The determining, based on the multiple operation groups, the execution time of each operation in the ordered operation set includes: Determine the board position occupancy information and cover position occupancy information involved in each operation group; and The execution time of each operation in the ordered operation set is determined according to the board position occupancy information and the cover position occupancy information.

14. A processing system operating in an automated process, characterized in that include: an acquisition module, configured to acquire, based on the automation process and for each consumable transfer task, an ordered operation set of all operations in the consumable transfer task, wherein the order of the operations in the ordered operation set is the execution order of the operations in the automation process, and the consumable transfer task includes a task of transferring consumables from one location to another; A first determining module is configured to determine, according to the functions of each operation in the ordered operation set, a plurality of core operations that are executed successively in the ordered operation set, wherein the core operation is a main operation or a transfer operation performed by a device on the consumable, the main operation is a main functional operation of the device processing a sample carried by the consumable, and the transfer operation is an operation of the device transferring the position of the consumable; and The grouping module is used to divide each operation in the ordered operation set into a plurality of operation groups, wherein the operation groups correspond to the core operations one by one.

15. A planning system for an automated process, characterized in that: include: A second determination module, configured to determine, in the automation process, a plurality of operation groups for each consumable transfer task using the processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 9; as well as The third determination module is used to determine the execution time of each operation in the ordered operation set based on the multiple operation groups.

16. An electronic device comprising a processor and a memory, characterized in that: The memory stores computer program instructions, which are used by the processor to execute the processing method for operating in the automation process as described in any one of claims 1 to 9 and / or the planning method for the automation process as described in any one of claims 10 to 13 when executed.

17. A storage medium having program instructions stored thereon, characterized in that: The program instructions are used to execute the processing method for operating in an automation process as described in any one of claims 1 to 9 and / or the planning method for an automation process as described in any one of claims 10 to 13 when running.

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