Sample tracking method in automated flow, and control method of automated flow

Abstract

A sample tracking method in an automated flow. The sample tracking method comprises: displaying a first user interface, wherein the first user interface comprises a flowchart of an automated flow, and the flowchart comprises a plurality of flow nodes; and on the basis of operation information of a user concerning a target node among the plurality of flow nodes, determining script information of a tracking command for a sample to be tracked which is associated with the target node, so as to track target information of said sample on the basis of the script information when an operation corresponding to the target node in the automated flow is executed. When an operation associated with a target node is executed, information of a sample to be tracked is automatically collected by means of a script for executing a tracking command. Further disclosed is a control method of an automated flow.

Description

Sample tracking method in automated process and control method of automated process

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application with application number 202311791032.3 filed with the Chinese Patent Office on December 22, 2023, and application name “Sample tracking method in automated process and control method of automated process”, and claims priority to the Chinese patent application with application number 202311793504.9 filed with the Chinese Patent Office on December 22, 2023, and application name “Sample tracking method, system, and electronic device in automated process”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of automation technology, and specifically, to a sample tracking method in an automation process, a control method for an automation process, a sample tracking system in an automation process, a control system for an automation process, an electronic device, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0003] In automated processes such as those in laboratories, designated experiments are typically completed by robotic arms and automated equipment. Under the control of the automation system, the robotic arm moves the consumables carrying the sample to the designated location at the specified time, thereby ensuring that subsequent equipment can process the sample. After each device completes its task, the sample information in the consumable is modified to record changes in sample information before and after the processing task is completed. For example, a sample is transferred from one consumable to another, or a new target liquid is added to the sample. In order to ensure the efficient operation of the automated process, it is necessary to promptly track data changes related to a specified sample at multiple steps throughout the automated process.

[0004] In some traditional laboratories, due to manual operation of various automated instruments, data is scattered across each device. Typically, manual collection and organization of sample data from various devices and uploading to the laboratory management system are required, which undoubtedly consumes a significant amount of time and cannot eliminate errors caused by human error. In other laboratories with a higher degree of automation, a set of procedures tailored to existing business processes are built into the system to assist with data collection and organization within the existing automated processes, thus shortening the time and addressing the human error. However, this approach is highly dependent on existing business processes. If the automated processes are changed, the existing business processes will become unusable. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to at least partially solve the problems existing in the prior art, according to a first aspect of the present application, a sample tracking method in an automated process is provided, comprising:

[0006] Displaying a first user interface, wherein the first user interface includes a flowchart of an automation process, and the flowchart includes a plurality of process nodes;

[0007] Based on the user's operation information on the target node among multiple process nodes, the script information of the tracking command of the sample to be tracked associated with the target node is determined, so that when the operation corresponding to the target node in the automated process is executed, the target information of the sample to be tracked is tracked based on the script information.

[0008] According to a second aspect of the present application, a method for controlling an automated process is further provided, comprising:

[0009] Before running the automated process, using the sample tracking method described above, determine the script information of the tracking command for the sample to be tracked associated with the target node; and

[0010] During the running of the automated process, the tracking command for the sample to be tracked is executed according to the script information.

[0011] According to a third aspect of the present application, a sample tracking system in an automated process is further provided, comprising:

[0012] A display module, configured to display a first user interface, wherein the first user interface includes a flowchart of an automation process, and the flowchart includes a plurality of process nodes;

[0013] A determination module is used to determine script information of a tracking command for a sample to be tracked associated with a target node in multiple process nodes based on user operation information on the target node, so as to track the target information of the sample to be tracked based on the script information when executing the operation corresponding to the target node in the automated process, wherein the automated process includes multiple ordered operations.

[0014] According to a fourth aspect of the present application, a control system for an automated process is further provided, comprising:

[0015] A configuration module, configured to determine, before running the automation process, script information of a tracking command for a sample to be tracked associated with a target node using the sample tracking method in the automation process; and

[0016] The execution module is used to execute the tracking command of the sample to be tracked according to the script information during the running of the automated process.

[0017] According to the fifth aspect of the present application, an electronic device is also provided, including a processor and a memory, characterized in that computer program instructions are stored in the memory, and the computer program instructions are used by the processor to execute the sample tracking method in the above-mentioned automated process and / or the control method of the above-mentioned automated process when the processor is running.

[0018] According to the sixth aspect of the present application, a storage medium is also provided, on which program instructions are stored. When the program instructions are run, they are used to execute the sample tracking method in the above-mentioned automated process and / or the control method of the above-mentioned automated process.

[0019] The sample tracking method in the above-mentioned automated process provides a user interface including a flowchart of the automated process, and determines the script information of the tracking command for the sample to be tracked associated with the target node based on the user's operation information on the target node. As a result, when performing operations associated with the target node, the information of the sample to be tracked can be automatically collected by executing the script of the tracking command. This can greatly save labor costs and time costs, avoid errors, and ensure the accuracy of the tracked sample data. At the same time, because users can freely configure sample tracking according to actual process requirements, this solution can be applied to sample tracking of various types of automated processes.

[0020] The Summary of the Invention introduces a series of simplified concepts that will be further described in detail in the Detailed Description of the Invention. This Summary of the Application does not intend to limit the key features and essential technical features of the claimed technical solution, nor does it intend to determine the scope of protection of the claimed technical solution.

[0021] The advantages and features of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The following drawings of this application are hereby incorporated as part of this application for understanding this application. The drawings show the embodiments of this application and their descriptions, and are used to explain the principles of this application. In the drawings,

[0023] FIG1 is a schematic flow chart showing a sample tracking method in an automated process according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] FIG2 is a schematic flow chart showing a method for controlling an automated process according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] FIG3 shows a schematic block diagram of a sample tracking system in an automated process according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] FIG4 shows a schematic block diagram of a control system for an automated process according to an embodiment of the present application; and

[0027] FIG5 shows a schematic block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In the description below, a large amount of details are provided so that the present application can be thoroughly understood. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the following description is merely illustrative of preferred embodiments of the present application, and the present application can be implemented without the need for one or more such details. In addition, in order to avoid confusion with the present application, some technical features well known in the art are not described in detail. 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 the present application.

[0029] As mentioned earlier, traditional laboratories often manually collect and organize sample data from various devices and upload it to the laboratory management system. This data collection method is inefficient and cannot avoid errors caused by human factors. In some highly automated laboratories, scripts or programs that contain business processes are often written to assist with data collection operations in existing automated processes. This can shorten data collection and organization time and eliminate human interference to a certain extent. However, this method makes the data collection process highly dependent on existing automated processes. If the automated processes are changed, they will no longer be used, which cannot meet scalability requirements.

[0030] In order to at least partially solve the above technical problems, according to the first aspect of the present application, a sample tracking method in an automated process is provided. This method can freely configure the script of the sample tracking command at any target node in the automated process based on the user's human-computer interaction operation, so that the sample data can be automatically and accurately tracked in a timely manner during the operation of the automated process. It can not only greatly reduce the labor cost and the time cost of collecting data, but also effectively eliminate the interference of human factors when manually collecting sample data, and ensure the accuracy and reliability of the sample data. At the same time, since this solution allows users to freely configure the execution time of the sample tracking command script, it is suitable for various types of automated processes, and this solution does not need to redevelop the script or program when the automated process changes, and can complete sample tracking that meets the user's personalized needs in any compiled process.

[0031] Fig. 1 is a schematic flow chart of a sample tracking method 1000 in an automated process according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in the figure, the sample tracking method 1000 may include step S1200 and step S1400.

[0032] Step S1200: Display a first user interface, wherein the first user interface includes a flowchart of an automation process, and the flowchart includes a plurality of process nodes.

[0033] By way of example, the first user interface may be a process editing interface. The process editing interface includes at least a flowchart of the automation process. The flowchart may be a complete flowchart of the entire automation process or a partial flowchart. By way of example and not limitation, the process editing interface may display the complete flowchart of the entire automation process by default. The default flowchart may be enlarged or reduced, i.e., displayed in a magnified manner, in response to different user operations using an input device. For example, after being magnified to a certain ratio, the flowchart displayed in the process editing interface may be a partial flowchart.

[0034] The flowchart may be a flowchart formed by connecting multiple process nodes in a certain connection order. Each process node may correspond to at least one task, and different process nodes may correspond to different tasks. In addition, the multiple process nodes may include different types of nodes, and different types of nodes may correspond to different types of tasks. For example, in the flowchart displayed in the process editing interface, different types of nodes may be displayed in different styles. For example, nodes may be represented by icons, and the shapes, fill colors, border colors, border thicknesses, and border sizes of icons of different types of nodes may be different.

[0035] According to an embodiment of the present application, the node types of the multiple process nodes in the flowchart include at least device nodes and variable nodes. Exemplarily, the multiple process nodes in the flowchart may also include other node types such as consumable nodes and loop nodes, which are not limited by the present application.

[0036] The tasks corresponding to each device node include at least the device operations performed at that node. Each device node corresponds to one or more devices. The devices corresponding to the device node include at least a primary device. The device operations performed at the device node include at least the main operation performed by the primary device. In some examples, the devices corresponding to the device node may also include auxiliary devices. Auxiliary devices are used to perform auxiliary operations, including pre-operations performed before the main operation and / or post-operations performed after the main operation. Auxiliary devices may include transfer devices such as robotic arms, and auxiliary main operation devices such as lid opening and closing devices. It will be understood that the transfer device can transfer consumables used to carry samples from the previous device node to the current device node, so that the primary device of the current device node can operate on the samples carried by the consumables. The transfer device can also transfer consumables from the current device node to the next device node. Furthermore, each device node corresponds to at least one consumable, and the consumables corresponding to different device nodes can be the same or different. In some cases, the tasks corresponding to some device nodes may also include sample tracking commands executed at the node. For example, the sample tracking command may include instructions for registering the data of the sample to be tracked (ie, registering the configured data to be registered into the sample tracking system), updating, overwriting, exporting, etc. The sample tracking command executed on the device node will be explained in detail later.

[0037] The task corresponding to each variable node includes data processing instructions executed at the node. Each variable node corresponds to at least one variable. The variable is a variable of data about the equipment operation in the automated process. These data can be various types of data, including but not limited to the time involved in the equipment operation, the number of samples or consumables, the number of executions of the equipment operation, etc., and this application is not limited to them. The data processing instructions executed at the variable node may include multiple types, including sample tracking commands. There may be multiple types of sample tracking commands. The various types of sample tracking commands will be explained later. For example, the sample tracking command may include instructions for registering, reading, setting, reporting, etc. on the data of the sample to be tracked. The sample tracking commands executed at the variable node will be explained in detail later.

[0038] The sample tracking command executed in the variable node may be based on predefined variables. In some other examples, the type of data processing instruction may also include variable assignment instructions, variable export instructions, variable modification instructions, and other variable-related data processing instructions.

[0039] Each variable node can be connected to a device node. The data processing instructions executed at the variable node are related to the device operation involved in the connected device node. It can be understood that the device operation involved in the device node is the device operation performed at the device node, which may include the main operation performed by the main device, and may also include the pre-operation and post-operation performed by the auxiliary device. Exemplarily, the variable corresponding to each variable node can be a variable of the relevant data of the main operation involved in the device node connected to the node. For example, the variable can be a time variable such as the start time, end time, duration, etc. of the main operation involved in the connected device node, or it can be data of relevant information of the sample operated by the main operation. The relevant information of the sample can be arbitrary. For example, it can specifically include physical properties or chemical property information such as the name, quantity, volume, concentration, content, etc. of the sample, or it can also include other additional information related to the sample, such as the time when the device operates the sample and sample problem information caused by equipment failure.

[0040] Step S1400 determines, based on the user's operation information on a target node among the multiple process nodes, script information for a tracking command for a sample to be tracked associated with the target node, so that when the operation corresponding to the target node is executed, the target information of the sample to be tracked is tracked based on the script information. The automated process includes multiple sequential operations.

[0041] Based on the user's operation information on the target node, the script information of the tracking command for the sample to be tracked associated with the target node can be determined. In other words, the actual tracking command for the sample to be tracked associated with the target node can be recorded in the form of script information, which is generated based on the user's operation information received by the first user interface. The script information can be a programmed description for use by program parsing during the execution of the automated process. Exemplarily, the above-mentioned script information may include attribute information of the target consumable for carrying the sample to be tracked, type information of the tracking command, and target information. The attribute information of the target consumable may include at least the name of the target consumable, and the target information may be information of the sample to be tracked that is desired to be tracked. For example, if it is desired to track the concentration change of a solution in an automated process, the target information of the sample to be tracked may include the concentration of the solution, etc.

[0042] For example, a configuration interface for a sample tracking command can be displayed based on the user's operation on the target node, allowing the user to configure the sample tracking command. The user can use the configuration interface to configure a variety of information. This includes but is not limited to: configuring basic information of the sample to be tracked, such as the name of the sample to be tracked, some physical or chemical properties of the sample to be tracked, the expected range of one or more parameters of the sample to be tracked, etc.; setting the tracking method for the sample to be tracked, etc.; setting the data collection method for the sample to be tracked, such as selecting a specific control to collect a certain property of the sample to be tracked, etc.; and the reporting method of relevant data after the tracking of the sample to be tracked is completed, such as storing the collected data in a database or writing the data to a local file after the tracking operation of the sample to be tracked is completed.

[0043] In one example, the target node can be a device node. This device node can be the node corresponding to a device with sample tracking functionality. Optionally, all devices in the automated process can have sample tracking functionality. Alternatively, only some devices in the automated process can have sample tracking functionality. In this step, based on the user's operation information on the device node, script information for tracking commands for samples to be tracked associated with the device node can be determined. The samples to be tracked associated with the device node can be all or some of the samples carried by the consumables associated with the device node. For example, after a user clicks a device node in a flowchart, a script editing interface can be displayed, displaying a consumables list corresponding to the device node. In the consumables list, a sample tracking command add control is displayed after each consumable. The user can use the sample tracking command add control to add a sample tracking command for the consumable for which sample tracking is desired. After the user adds the sample tracking command, a sample tracking command script configuration interface can be displayed. Based on the user's interaction with the configuration interface, the script information for the sample tracking command executed on the device node can be determined. For example, the script configuration interface can include at least a control for setting target information for the samples to be tracked. For example, an input text box may be included so that the user can input the name of the target information using the input text box.

[0044] In another example, the target node may be a variable node. Based on the user's operation on the variable node, a sample tracking command executed at the variable node may be added to the process, thereby determining the script information of the sample tracking command. For example, after the user clicks on the variable node, an instruction setting interface may be displayed. The instruction setting interface may include multiple instruction setting controls, and different instruction setting controls may correspond to different types of sample tracking commands. For example, after the user clicks on any instruction setting control with the mouse, a script configuration interface corresponding to the sample tracking command type may be displayed. Exemplarily, the script configuration interfaces for different types of sample tracking commands may be different. The script configuration interface may include at least a setting control for the target information of the sample to be tracked.

[0045] The sample tracking method in the above-mentioned automated process provides a user interface including a flowchart for user operation, and determines the script information of the tracking command for the sample to be tracked associated with the target node based on the user's operation information on the target node in the flowchart. Thus, in the process of running the automated process, at least when performing the operation corresponding to the target node, sample tracking can be automatically achieved by running the script of the tracking command. This solution can greatly save labor costs and time costs, avoid errors, and ensure the accuracy of the tracked sample data. At the same time, since users can freely configure sample tracking according to actual process requirements, it can be applied to sample tracking of various types of automated processes.

[0046] Exemplarily, the multiple process nodes include at least one device node. Each device node corresponds to a primary device and at least one consumable. The primary device is used to perform primary operations on the sample carried by the corresponding consumable. The script information includes attribute information and target information of the target consumable carrying the sample to be tracked. The attribute information of the target consumable includes at least the name of the target consumable.

[0047] For example, an automated process may include a device node corresponding to a pipetting workstation. For example, a pipetting workstation is used to transfer sample set 1 from consumable A to consumable B. In this case, the device node corresponding to the pipetting workstation may correspond to both consumable A and consumable B. It will be understood that the samples carried by consumable A and consumable B both include sample set 1. For example, a user can click the device node corresponding to the pipetting workstation and, through the subsequently displayed script configuration interface, set a tracking command for sample set 1 in consumable A. In the script configuration interface, the user can set the consumable to which the tracking command is linked to as consumable A. For example, the user can use an input text box to enter the name of consumable A. The user can set the tracking command in the script configuration interface. If the samples to be tracked are part of a sample set, the script configuration interface can also be used to set the location of one or more samples to be tracked in the consumable. In some cases, the script configuration interface can also be used to set the type of tracking command and the target information of the sample to be tracked. As previously mentioned, the target information can be any suitable relevant information about the sample to be tracked, and this application does not limit it.

[0048] Exemplarily, the target node includes a device node. Determining the script information of the tracking command for the sample to be tracked associated with the target node in step S1400 may include steps S1410, S1420, and S1430, as follows:

[0049] Step S1410: In response to the user's first operation on the target node, a second user interface is displayed, wherein the second user interface includes a first setting area, the first setting area includes a directory of each consumable corresponding to the device node and a first tracking control corresponding to each consumable, and different consumables correspond to different first tracking controls.

[0050] Step S1420: Based on the operation information of the user's second operation on any first tracking control, the consumable corresponding to the operated first tracking control is determined as the target consumable.

[0051] Step S1430 : Determine script information of a tracking command for the sample to be tracked carried by the target consumable.

[0052] In this step, the target node can be a device node with sample tracking capabilities. The first operation can be an operation performed by a user on the target node using any suitable input device. For example, the first operation can be a user clicking the target node with a mouse. The second user interface can be a configuration interface for the user to set up the selection of consumables to track for the current device node and / or control related scripts. The first settings area can be a settings area that displays a consumable catalog and allows sample tracking operations for one or more consumables. The first tracking control can be a control for tracking consumable usage. The second operation on the first tracking control can be a user selecting a first tracking control with a mouse. After the user clicks the control, a sample tracking command is added for the current consumable. For example, in the above example, after the user clicks the device node of the pipetting workstation, the second user interface is displayed. The first settings area in the second user interface includes a consumable list for consumables A and B, and each consumable A and B can correspond to a click control. The click control displays the words "Add / Edit Sample Tracking Command." For example, when a user clicks the click control after consumable A with a mouse, a tracking command for the sample in consumable A is added, and consumable A is determined to be the target consumable. For example, a script configuration interface may be further displayed, displaying additional script information for the tracking command. The script information for the tracking command may then be determined through further user operations on the script configuration interface.

[0053] In this solution, the ability to add sample tracking operations to device nodes is embedded in the automated flow chart, making the functionality more intuitive and improving usability. It also allows users to arbitrarily add and modify sample tracking configuration information for all selectable consumables, increasing functional flexibility and providing a better user experience.

[0054] For example, step S1430 may include steps S1431 and S1432, specifically as follows: Step S1431: In response to the second operation, display a third user interface, wherein the third user interface may include multiple first configuration controls. Step S1432: Based on the user's operation information on the first configuration controls, determine script information for the tracking command.

[0055] The third user interface may be a configuration interface for configuring the sample tracking command script executed on the device node. The third user interface may be referred to as the device sample tracking configuration interface. Multiple first configuration controls may be used to configure different script information of the sample tracking command executed on the device node. According to an embodiment of the present application, the configuration interface of the sample tracking command corresponding to different device nodes may be different. In different configuration interfaces, the function of the first configuration control may also be different. Multiple first configuration controls may include controls for configuring the target information of the sample to be tracked, controls for configuring consumable information, and controls for configuring the type of the sample tracking command. The first configuration control may be an input text box, or it may be various operable controls, such as various single-click controls and double-click controls, drop-down boxes, radio buttons, check boxes, and the like.

[0056] In the above solution, by providing a configuration interface for sample tracking commands executed on device nodes and multiple configuration controls within the interface, users can easily configure the sample tracking command script. This allows accurate determination of the sample tracking command script information that meets user needs. This allows accurate tracking of sample information by executing the tracking command script during the main operation of the current device node. Furthermore, binding sample tracking operations to device behavior improves the synchronization and, consequently, the reliability of sample tracking data.

[0057] For example, the script information may include type information of a tracking command for carrying a sample to be tracked. The type of the tracking command may include a first registration type. The first configuration control may include a first registration control.

[0058] The above step S1432 may include step S1432.1, which is specifically as follows:

[0059] Step S1432.1, in response to the user's operation on the first registration control, determines that the type of the tracking command is the first registration type, so that before the target device performs the main operation, all samples carried by the target consumable are added to the sample set to be tracked. The target device is the main device corresponding to the target node. The first registration control can be any suitable operable control. For example, the first registration control can be a radio button, and the words "Register consumables" can be displayed behind the radio button. For example, in response to the user clicking the radio button with the mouse, it can be determined that the type of the current tracking command is the first registration type. And in the process of running the automated process, before the target device performs the main operation, the sample set carried by the current consumable can be added to the sample tracking system as the sample set to be tracked.

[0060] The above solution improves the synchronization of sample tracking data by binding sample tracking operations with device behavior, thereby improving the reliability of sample tracking data.

[0061] Furthermore, this solution registers samples from the perspective of consumables. Consumables, as the smallest unit of experimental equipment and the carrier of samples, make sample registration more intuitive and improve the usability of sample tracking. Furthermore, this registration method does not require attention to the sample being tracked, which is carried by the consumables, making it throughput-independent.

[0062] For example, the first configuration control may include a first export control and a first import control. The above step S1432 may further include step S1432.2 and step S1432.3, which are as follows:

[0063] Step S1432.2, in response to the user's operation on the first export control, receiving the first file address selected by the user, so as to send the target information stored in the first file address to the main device before the target device performs the main operation. Step S1432.3, in response to the user's operation on the first import control, receiving the second file address selected by the user, so as to obtain the updated target information stored in the second file address after the target device performs the main operation. The target device may be the main device corresponding to the device node operated by the user. The first export control may be a first configuration control for exporting the target information of the sample to be tracked to the main device. The first import control may be a first configuration control for importing the target information from the file updated by the main device. The first file address may be the file address for exporting the target information of the sample set to be tracked carried by the target consumable. The second file address may be the file address from which the target consumable information is imported.

[0064] In one example, an automated process may include device A. Based on a user's human-computer interaction with device A's device node, a configuration interface for sample tracking commands for device node A may be displayed. This configuration interface may include two drop-down selection boxes, with the words "Import Consumable Information Table" and "Export Consumable Information Table" displayed in front of them, respectively. For example, if a user selects the first file address of the consumable information table to be exported in the "Export Consumable Information Table" drop-down selection box, then during the execution of the automated process, before the main operation of the device at the current device node is executed, the target information in the consumable information table at the selected first address may be exported to device A, allowing device A to modify the target information in the consumable information table based on the actual main operation. For example, if a user selects the second file address of the consumable information table to be imported in the "Import Consumable Information Table" drop-down selection box, then during the execution of the automated process, after the main operation of the device at the current device node is executed, the target information in the consumable information table at the selected second address, modified by device A, may be imported into the sample tracking system. Exemplarily, the consumables information table may include various information of the samples in the current consumables. The user may operate the first import control and / or the first export control according to actual needs. Exemplarily, in this configuration interface, an "Export" radio button may be included near the first export control, and an "Import" radio button may be included near the first import control. The "Export" radio button and the first export control can be used in conjunction with each other, and the "Import" radio button and the first import control can be used in conjunction with each other. For example, when the user does not select the "Import" radio button, the first import control may be in an inactive state. On the contrary, when the user selects the "Import" radio button, the first import control may become active and may receive the file address imported by the user using the first import control.

[0065] In a specific example, the sample tracking script configuration interface corresponding to the device node of the pipetting workstation may include a radio button for "Export the consumable information table to EVOware before the start of the run" and a radio button for "Import the consumable information table to EVOware after the end of the run", and below these two radio buttons, there is also an address selection box corresponding to "Export file" and an address selection box corresponding to "Import file". The user selects these two radio buttons at the same time, and selects the corresponding file address in the address selection bar below. Before the pipetting workstation performs the pipetting operation, the corresponding consumable information table file in the export file address selected by the user can be sent to the pipetting workstation. When the pipetting workstation completes the main operation (such as transferring the sample in consumable A to consumable B), the sample information in the consumable information table can be transferred from consumable A to consumable B to obtain an updated consumable information table. And after the pipetting operation is completed, the information of the updated consumable information table can be sent to the sample tracking system.

[0066] Exemplarily, the third user interface may further include a first send control, a first receive control, and a first variable selection control. Step S1432 may further include steps S1432.4 and S1432.5, specifically as follows: Step S1432.4, in response to a user operation on the first send control and a third operation on the first variable selection control, determines first attribute information of the target consumable corresponding to the first variable selected by the third operation, and transmits the first attribute information to the target device before the target device executes the main operation. Step S1432.5, in response to a user operation on the first receive control and a fourth operation on the first variable selection control, determines a second variable selected by the fourth operation, and receives second attribute information of the target consumable from the target device after the target device executes the main operation, and updates the attribute information of the target consumable based on the second attribute information and the second variable. The target device may be the primary device corresponding to the user's target node, and the attribute information of the consumable may include information on a barcode on the consumable. The first send control may be a configuration control for transmitting the first attribute information of the target consumable to the target device before the target device executes the main operation. The first receiving control may be a configuration control for receiving second attribute information of a target consumable from a target device after the target device executes a main operation. The first variable selection control may be a first configuration control for selecting the first attribute information of the target consumable. The third and fourth operations on the first variable selection control may both be selecting the attribute information of the corresponding target consumable from a drop-down box.

[0067] In one example, the target consumable is consumable A carrying sample 1 to be tracked, and the sample 1 to be tracked will be transferred to consumable B after passing through the pipetting workstation. The sample tracking script configuration interface for this node can also include a barcode area, and two radio buttons are set in the barcode area. The first radio button corresponds to the name "Send barcode to pipetting workstation before the run starts", and the second radio button corresponds to the name "Receive barcode from pipetting workstation after the run ends". Below these two radio buttons is also a drop-down selection box with the corresponding name "Barcode variable". After the user selects these two radio buttons at the same time and selects the name of the variable using the drop-down selection box corresponding to "Barcode variable", the barcode information of consumable A can be sent to the pipetting workstation before the pipetting operation starts, and the barcode information of consumable B can be received from the pipetting workstation after the pipetting operation ends, and the barcode information is assigned to the variable selected by the user. In this way, the consumable information can be updated.

[0068] In the above scheme, considering that the properties of the target consumables may change during the entire automation process, the property changes of the consumables before and after the main operation of the target device are recorded through the first sending control, the first receiving control and the first variable selection control, so that the tracking of the target consumables will not be interrupted, and the tracking process of the tracked sample will be more complete.

[0069] Exemplarily, the target node includes a variable node located before or after the first device node. The first device node is any device node in the automation process. The node script information includes the type information of the tracking command. The above step S1432 may also include steps S1432.6 and S1432.7. The specific steps are as follows:

[0070] Step S1432.7: In response to the user's fifth operation on the variable node, a fourth user interface is displayed, wherein the fourth user interface may include at least one second tracking control, and each second tracking control may correspond to a type of tracking command.

[0071] Step S1432.8: Determine script information of the tracking command for the sample to be tracked based on the user's operation information on the second tracking control.

[0072] Among them, the type of the tracking command is determined to be the type corresponding to the second tracking control operated by the user, and the tracking command is executed before the first device performs the main operation. The first device can be the main device corresponding to the first device node.

[0073] The variable node may be a node that is unrelated to device behavior and is used only to carry variables. The fifth operation may be a click or double-click operation on the variable node. The fourth user interface may be an interface for configuring a tracking command corresponding to the variable node. The second tracking control may be a related control for configuring a tracking command, each second tracking control corresponding to a type of tracking command.

[0074] For example, the types of tracking commands may include, but are not limited to, default registration, custom registration, get value, set value, local report, upload report, etc. The fourth user interface may include second tracking controls corresponding to the aforementioned multiple types of tracking commands. For different types of tracking commands, the configuration parameters of the tracking command script that need to be set may be different, and therefore the script configuration interface corresponding to different types of tracking commands may be different.

[0075] In one example, the user can add a variable node in front of the pipetting workstation device node in advance through any appropriate human-computer interaction operation. Then, in response to the user's double-click operation on the variable node, a fourth user interface can be displayed. The fourth user interface can be an instruction type setting interface. The fourth user interface may include a second tracking control corresponding to multiple types of tracking commands. For example, after the user clicks on one of the second tracking controls, a script configuration interface of the tracking command type corresponding to the second tracking control is displayed. The user can further operate the script configuration interface to determine the script information of the tracking command. For example, the user can set the target information of the sample to be tracked through the script configuration interface.

[0076] Exemplarily, the target node is located before the first device node. The type of the tracking command may include a second registration type. The second tracking control includes a second registration control. The above step S1432.8 may include: in response to the user's sixth operation on the second registration control, determining that the type of the tracking command is the second registration type; displaying a fifth user interface corresponding to the second registration type, wherein the fifth user interface includes a first consumable selection control; determining the consumable selected by the user using the first consumable selection control as the target consumable, so that before the first device performs the main operation, all samples carried by the target consumable are added to the set of samples to be tracked.

[0077] For example, after the user clicks on the variable node before the device node corresponding to the microplate reader, the instruction setting interface is displayed, and the second registration control (for example, the control is called "Register") can be further clicked, and after the user clicks on the "Register" control, the registration interface (the script configuration interface for the tracking command of the second registration type) is displayed. The registration interface may include a first consumable selection control. The first consumable selection control may be a drop-down selection box, and the user may click on the drop-down selection box and select the name of any consumable displayed therein that is desired to be tracked, such as consumable A. Two single-click controls named "OK" and "Cancel" may also be displayed in the registration interface. After the user clicks the "OK" control with the mouse, the script configuration for the tracking command of this type of registration type can be completed. Before the microplate reader performs the enzyme labeling operation, all samples in consumable A can be added to the sample set to be tracked.

[0078] Exemplarily, the second registration type may include a default registration type and a custom registration type, and the fifth user interface may further include a first drop-down control. Step S1432.8 may further include: determining, based on user operation information on the first drop-down control, whether the tracking command belongs to the default registration type or the custom registration type; if the tracking command is determined to belong to the default registration type, determining initial target information of the sample to be tracked based on preset target information; if the tracking command is determined to belong to the custom registration type, determining a user-defined first file path; and determining initial target information of the sample to be tracked based on information in a file corresponding to the first file path.

[0079] The default registration type may be a registration that does not require control of the initial value; the system automatically presets the initial value for this type of registration. A custom registration type may be a registration type that customizes the initial value, which is derived from a specified file. The initial value can be understood as the initial target information of the sample to be tracked. The first drop-down control may be a drop-down box control containing the default registration type and the custom registration type. The first file path may be the file path that stores the initial target information of the sample to be tracked.

[0080] For example, the registration interface may include a drop-down selection box named "Registration Type" and an input text box. After selecting custom registration in the registration type through the drop-down selection box, the input text box becomes inputtable, and the user can use the input text box to enter the file path for storing the initial target information of the sample to be tracked carried by the consumable.

[0081] In the above scheme, a default registration type and a custom registration type are provided, allowing the registration type to be freely set when registering the sample to be tracked, and providing the user with an entry for customizing the initial target information of the sample to be tracked, thereby improving the flexibility of the system.

[0082] Exemplarily, step S1432.8 may further include: displaying a second variable selection control on the fifth user interface if the tracking command is determined to be of a custom registration type; and generating a first file path based on the third variable selected by the user using the second variable selection control and the first path generation rule. In one example, the variable selection control may be a drop-down selection box, through which the user may select the name of the variable associated with the initial target information of the sample to be tracked. In some embodiments, the second variable selection control may also be an input text box for the user to enter a variable name. The variable names entered or selected by the user may then be automatically concatenated into a single file path according to preset rules.

[0083] In the above solution, the use of the second variable selection control and the first path generation rule reduces errors caused by manual path input and improves the usability and stability of the system.

[0084] Exemplarily, the step of generating the first file path may include: dynamically concatenating a default path of the target information sent by the host computer, a default value of the third variable, and a format of the target information to generate the first file path.

[0085] In one example, the user selects a custom registration type operation in the operation registration interface, and dynamically splices the default path "D:\PMS\" of the target information sent by the upper computer, the default value "TEST" of the third variable "NAME", and the format ".csv" of the target information, and automatically generates the first file path "D:\PMS\TEST.csv".

[0086] In the above scheme, the default path of the target information sent by the upper computer, the default value of the third variable, and the format of the target information are dynamically spliced ​​to automatically generate the first file path, further avoiding errors caused by manual selection of the third variable, further simplifying the operation, and improving the usability and stability of the system.

[0087] Exemplarily, the above-mentioned step of generating the first file path specifically includes: dynamically splicing a character string representing the default path of the target information, a default value of the third variable, and a character string representing the default format of the target information, and obtaining the spliced ​​initial path; determining whether the initial path is correct; if the initial path is determined to be correct, using the initial path as the first file path; if the initial path is determined to be incorrect, displaying a prompt message indicating that the initial path does not exist on the fifth user interface.

[0088] For example, in the above example, the default path of the target information, "D:\PMS\," the default value of the third variable, "NAME," "TEST," and the target information format, ".csv," are dynamically concatenated to automatically generate the initial path, "D:\PMS\TEST.csv." For example, the registration interface can also include a "Confirm" click control. When the user enters or selects a "Variable Name" and clicks the "Confirm" click control, the initial path can be verified. This can include checking whether the path is correct and whether the file exists. If the verification result is incorrect, a prompt message stating "Information Incorrect" can be displayed on the interface.

[0089] In the above solution, availability judgment is added to the initial path obtained by dynamic splicing, which avoids system errors caused by unavailability of the splicing path and improves the stability of the system.

[0090] Exemplarily, the type of the tracking command may also include a local report type. The target node is located after the first device node. The second tracking control may include a local report control. Step S1432.8 may also include: in response to the user's seventh operation on the local report control, determining that the type of the tracking command is a local report type; displaying a sixth user interface corresponding to the local report type, wherein the sixth user interface includes a second consumable selection control; determining the consumable selected by the user using the second consumable selection control as the target consumable, so as to obtain a file of target information of the sample to be tracked carried by the target consumable after the first device executes the main operation, and storing the file in a preset local path.

[0091] The local report control may be a second tracking control for executing local report storage. The seventh operation on the local report control may be user confirmation of selection of the local report control. The sixth user interface may be an interface for configuring local reports. The second consumable selection control may be a control in the sixth user interface for selecting a target consumable.

[0092] Data tracked during an experiment can be saved in the laboratory automation system. Reporting actions allow you to export existing data in real time at specified times during the experiment. Local report tracking commands export data locally. By combining them with variables, the export path can be adjusted in real time based on process execution.

[0093] The target consumable in this step can be a consumable that has already been registered. For example, the user expects to obtain the information of the sample to be tracked at the current device node.

[0094] In the above solution, a human-computer interactive interface and controls are provided, allowing users to configure tracking commands for local reporting of target information of samples to be tracked according to actual needs, so that the target information of samples to be tracked can be stored locally.

[0095] Exemplarily, the type of the tracking command may also include a local report type, and the target node is located after the first device node. The second tracking control may include a local report control, and the above step S1432.8 may also include: in response to the user's seventh operation on the local report control, determining that the type of the tracking command is a local report type; displaying a sixth user interface corresponding to the local report type, wherein the sixth user interface includes a second consumable selection control; in response to the user's operation on the second consumable selection control, determining the name of the target consumable and displaying a seventh user interface, wherein the seventh user interface includes a third variable selection control; generating a second file path based on the variable selected by the user using the third variable selection control and the second path generation rule; storing information of the second file path so as to obtain a file containing target information of the sample to be tracked carried by the target consumable after the first device performs the main operation, and storing the file in the second file path.

[0096] The seventh user interface may be an interface for selecting a variable and then performing the second file path concatenation. The third variable selection control may be a control for selecting a variable. The second path generation rule may be a concatenation rule of absolute path + variable + suffix. The second file path may be the absolute path of a file used to store local reports.

[0097] In one example, in response to the user's confirmation operation on the local report, the sixth user interface is displayed. Then, in response to the user selecting the extraction plate 1 in the second consumable selection control, the name of the target consumable is determined to be "extraction plate 1" and displayed in the seventh user interface. Then, in response to the user selecting the "extraction plate 1" variable in the third variable selection control, based on this variable and the second path generation rule, a second file path "D:\PMS\exports\extraction plate 1.csv" is generated. After the first device executes the main operation, the file of the target information of the sample to be tracked carried by the target consumable can be stored in this path. The solution for automatically splicing the path can be similar to the solution for generating the first file path mentioned above. For the sake of simplicity, it will not be repeated here.

[0098] In the above solution, the storage of local reports is allowed to be dynamically spliced ​​according to the selected third variable, which improves a certain degree of flexibility.

[0099] Exemplarily, the type of tracking command may further include an upload report type, and the second tracking control may include an upload report control. Step S1432.8 may further include: in response to an eighth operation of the user on the upload report control, determining that the type of tracking command is an upload report type; displaying an eighth user interface corresponding to the upload report type, wherein the eighth user interface includes a third consumable selection control and a path input control; determining the consumable selected by the user using the third consumable selection control as the target consumable; receiving and storing information of a third file path input by the user using the path input control, so as to obtain a file containing target information of the sample to be tracked carried by the target consumable after the first device executes the main operation, and sending the file to the third file path.

[0100] The upload report type tracking instruction exports data to a host computer system, such as a process management system. The upload report control may be a second tracking control for uploading reports to the laboratory management system. The eighth user interface may be an interface for configuring the script for the upload report tracking command, and may be referred to as the upload report interface. The third consumable selection control may be a control for selecting a target consumable. The path input control may be a control for a user to input a report upload path. The third file path may be a path for uploading reports to the laboratory management system.

[0101] In one example, in response to a user clicking the upload report control, the upload report interface is displayed. Subsequently, in response to the user selecting "Nucleic Acid Plate 1" using the third consumable selection control, the sample carried by "Nucleic Acid Plate 1" is selected as the sample to be tracked. Subsequently, the user can receive information about a third file path entered in the path input control. After the first device executes the main operation, it retrieves a file containing target information for the sample to be tracked carried by the target consumable and sends it to the third file path.

[0102] In the above solution, the upload report control is allowed to send the target information of the sample to be tracked to the laboratory management system, which facilitates the laboratory management system to manage and count the sample data.

[0103] Exemplarily, the type of the tracking command may further include a setting value type, and the second tracking control may include a setting value control. The above step S1432.8 may further include: in response to a ninth operation of the user on the setting value control, determining that the type of the tracking command is a setting value type; displaying a ninth user interface corresponding to the setting value type, wherein the ninth user interface includes a fourth consumable selection control, a first search control, and a fourth variable selection control; determining the consumable selected by the user using the fourth consumable selection control as the target consumable; in response to the user's operation on the first search control, determining information of a first filtering condition for filtering samples to be updated, so as to filter samples to be updated according to the information of the first filtering condition before or after the first device performs a main operation, wherein the sample to be updated is at least one of the samples to be tracked; receiving information of a fifth variable selected by the user using the fourth variable selection control, so as to update corresponding target information of the sample to be updated according to the information of the fifth variable before or after the first device performs the main operation and after filtering out the sample to be updated.

[0104] The condition for executing the tracking command for setting the value may be that it is executed for the sample to be tracked that has been added to the sample tracking system. In other words, the consumables or samples need to be registered before setting the value. The tracking command of the setting value type can be understood as updating the data of the sample to be tracked according to the value of the variable. The setting value control can be a single-click control, which can be the entry to the script configuration interface of the tracking command for jumping to the setting value. The ninth user interface can be a script configuration interface for the tracking command for setting the value, which can be called the setting value interface. The fourth consumable selection control can be a control for selecting the target consumable. The first filtering condition can be a condition for filtering the samples to be tracked and filtering out the samples to be updated. The first retrieval control can be a control for determining the first filtering condition. The fourth variable selection control can be a control for selecting from registered variables. The fifth variable can be one or more variables selected by the fourth variable selection control.

[0105] For example, the user expects the value of the variable "volume" to be the volume value of the sample to be tracked that meets the filtering conditions. The filtering conditions can be one or more. For example, the filtering conditions include the consumable position "A01", that is, the value of the variable "volume" is used as the volume value of the sample at the position "A01" in the currently selected target consumable. When executing the script of the tracking command of the current setting value type (before or after the first device performs the main operation), the sample to be set can be confirmed according to the above-mentioned filtering conditions first, and then, after confirming the sample that meets the filtering conditions, the value of the variable selected by the user can be taken out and the corresponding information of the sample can be assigned.

[0106] In a specific example, the user expects to add some special information to the sample when using device B, such as writing some additional information that is not related to the device. For example, device B processes the time information of certain samples. The system can pre-define the start time, end time and other information of the device's main operation. Then, a variable node can be added after the device node corresponding to device B, and a tracking command of the set value type can be added to the variable node through the set value control. The sample filtering conditions and the names of the variables used to set the values ​​(such as the "start time" variable and the "end time" variable) can be configured through the various controls in the set value interface. In this way, after device B completes the main operation, the values ​​of the above two variables can be obtained, that is, the corresponding time information can be obtained and written into the sample information. For another example, if device B has a fault today and believes that the samples produced by this device have problems, the problem information can be written into the sample information by obtaining the value of the variable.

[0107] In the above solution, based on simple human-computer interaction operations, the data of the sample to be tracked can be automatically set and updated through the value of the variable in the automation process.

[0108] Exemplarily, the number of first retrieval controls can be multiple, and determining the information of the first filtering conditions for filtering the samples to be updated includes: receiving information of multiple first filtering conditions selected by the user using each first retrieval control, so as to determine the samples carried by the target consumables and that simultaneously meet multiple filtering conditions as samples to be updated before or after the first device performs the main operation.

[0109] In one example, the first search control may include a consumable location filter control and a barcode filter control. In response to a user operating the consumable location filter control and the barcode filter control to select the consumable location variable "A01" and the barcode variable "Barcode1," respectively, the first filter condition is determined to be "the sample's location in the consumable is A01, and its barcode is Barcode1." Before the first device executes the main operation, or otherwise, samples carried by the target consumable that simultaneously meet the above filter conditions are determined as samples to be updated.

[0110] The above solution provides a method for performing multi-condition screening on samples to be updated using conditions set by multiple first search controls, thereby improving the accuracy of screening samples to be updated.

[0111] Exemplarily, the type of the tracking command may further include an acquisition value type, and the second tracking control may include an acquisition value control. Step S1432.8 may further include: in response to a tenth operation of the user on the acquisition value control, determining that the type of the tracking command is an acquisition value type; displaying a tenth user interface corresponding to the acquisition value type, wherein the tenth user interface may include a fifth consumable selection control, a second search control, a read control, and a fifth variable selection control; determining the consumable selected by the user using the fifth consumable selection control as the target consumable; in response to the user's operation on the second search control, determining second filtering condition information for filtering samples to be read, so as to filter the samples to be read according to the second filtering condition information before or after the first device performs a main operation, wherein the sample to be read is at least one of the samples to be tracked; in response to the user's operation on the read control, determining a category of the target information to be read, so as to read first target information of the sample to be read according to the category before or after the first device performs the main operation; and receiving information of a sixth variable selected by the user using the fifth variable selection control, so as to determine a value of the sixth variable according to the first target information of the sample to be read before or after the first device performs the main operation.

[0112] The condition for executing a tracking command of the acquisition value type may be executed for a sample to be tracked that has been added to the sample tracking system. In other words, the consumables or samples need to be registered before executing the tracking command of the acquisition value type. The tracking command of the acquisition value type can be understood as assigning the target information of the sample to a variable. The acquisition value control can be a click control, which can be an entry to the script configuration interface of the tracking command of the acquisition value. The tenth user interface can be a script configuration interface of the tracking command of the acquisition value, which can be called the acquisition value interface. The fifth consumable selection control can be a control for selecting the target consumable. The second filtering condition can be a condition for filtering the samples to be tracked and filtering out the samples to be read. The second retrieval control can be a control for determining the second filtering condition. The read control can be a control for selecting the category of the target information of the sample to be read. The fifth variable selection control can be a control for allowing the user to rotate the variable to be assigned. The sixth variable can be one or more defined variables selected by the fifth variable selection control.

[0113] For example, when configuring using the Get Value interface, the field used to filter and locate samples can support variable expressions (for example, the expression can be automatically generated using the expression builder control); the value to be set can be a drop-down radio button, and the variable to be set can also support variable expressions.

[0114] For example, the Get Values ​​interface may include a consumable selection area, a sample search area, and an area for storing read values ​​in variables. The consumable selection area may include a fifth consumable selection control. This fifth consumable selection control may be a drop-down selection box. The sample search area may include multiple second search controls. These second search controls may be input text boxes, each corresponding to a sample search criterion. For example, the sample's location within the consumable, the tube / well barcode, the sample ID, etc. The Read Values ​​Storing in Variables area may include a Read control and a fifth variable selection control, both of which may be drop-down selection boxes. For example, the Read control may be used to select a read field within the sample information. The fifth variable selection control may be used to select the variable name to be assigned a value. For example, a user may add a Get Values ​​tracking command to the variable node following the device node corresponding to device B. Using the Get Values ​​interface, the user configures the connected consumable as "Consumable A," the sample's location within the consumable in the sample search area as "A02," the read field as "Volume," and the variable name as "Volume." After device B completes the main operation, it can execute the current tracking command, filtering out the sample at position "A02" in consumable A. It then reads its volume and sets it to the variable "volume." This allows the system to easily determine sample information based on the value of the variable "volume," for example, to determine whether the sample meets the required standards. If so, the sample can continue to be processed; if not, it will not be processed further.

[0115] In this solution, simple human-computer interaction allows the data of the sample to be tracked to be automatically read into variables within the automated process, making it easier to judge the sample based on the variables. This provides a method for reading and storing some or all of the data of the sample to be tracked into variables within the automated process, making the sample tracking function more complete.

[0116] Exemplarily, the fourth user interface may further include a conditional statement setting control, and the sample tracking method 1000 may further include: in response to a user operation on the conditional statement setting control, determining information regarding an execution condition of a tracking command of a set value type, determining whether the execution condition is currently satisfied before or after the first device performs a main operation, and filtering samples to be updated if the execution condition is determined to be satisfied. The conditional statement setting control may be a control for setting conditional judgments on tracking commands.

[0117] In one example, it is necessary to perform a value setting operation on the sample to be tracked carried by the nucleic acid plate 1 consumable when the value of the registered variable "condition" is 1. In the fourth user interface, in response to the user setting the condition == 1 for the "If-Then" conditional statement setting control, before the target device executes the main operation, it is first determined whether the value stored in the variable condition is 1. If it is 1, the value setting operation continues for the sample to be tracked carried by the target consumable nucleic acid plate 1.

[0118] In the above solution, conditional control is provided for the value setting operation, allowing the execution condition to be set for the value setting operation, thereby improving the flexibility of the system.

[0119] Exemplarily, the fourth user interface may further include a loop statement setting control, and the sample tracking method 1000 may include: in response to a user operation on the loop statement setting control, determining loop execution information of a tracking command of a set value type, so as to traverse each sample in the target consumable based on the loop execution information before or after the first device executes a main operation, filter out each to-be-updated sample that meets a first filtering condition, and update the corresponding target information of each to-be-updated sample. The loop statement setting control may be a control for setting a loop operation for a tracking command.

[0120] In one example, it is necessary to set the value of a sample among the samples to be tracked carried by the nucleic acid plate 1 consumable. In the fourth user interface, in response to the user's operation on the "Loop" loop statement setting control, LoopTimes can be set to 10 and LoopVariable to position. Before the target device performs the main operation, the loop is repeated 10 times, and the value of position is changed in the loop so that its value satisfies the sample positions "A01" to "A10" required by the experiment. In each loop, the position variable is used to screen the corresponding sample to be tracked, and the value setting operation is performed on all samples to be tracked located at positions A01 to A10 in the target consumable.

[0121] In the above solution, loop control is provided for the setting value operation, loop conditions are allowed to be set for the setting value operation, and the flexibility of the system is improved.

[0122] It should be noted that, in the case where the variable node is before the first device node, the script for the tracking command determined based on the user's human-computer interaction operation in the above embodiments is executed before the first device executes the main operation. In the case where the variable node is after the first device node, the script for the tracking command determined based on the user's human-computer interaction operation is executed after the first device executes the main operation.

[0123] In summary, since sample tracking in this application is parsed and executed by variables, the expression of sample tracking has the execution logic of the scripting language and can realize conditional execution and loop execution.

[0124] It should be noted that the various sub-steps of the above step S1432 do not have an execution order relationship. Users can use them in any combination based on business needs, and this application does not impose any restrictions on them.

[0125] As mentioned above, in traditional laboratories, most samples to be tracked are collected manually or automated scripts or programs are written. Manual tracking of samples is inefficient and prone to errors in sample data due to human factors. Using automated scripts or programs to track samples cannot meet scalability requirements. Once the existing automated process changes, the corresponding automated scripts or programs used for sample tracking must be changed. Moreover, in some high-throughput experiments, due to the large number of consumables used and samples that need to be tracked, samples will be transferred between different consumables. This places higher demands on the manual or automated script / program-written sample tracking used in traditional laboratories, consumes more resources, and increases experimental time.

[0126] The above technical solution combines various parts of the system behavior and device behavior with variables, and relies on the ability of variables to change dynamically during operation, so as to select different sample information for registration, set specified sample data, etc. according to the actual operation situation during operation. The processing of sample tracking functions in the automated process is realized through configuration by process design, which naturally supports changes in experimental requirements, and there is no need to write separate scripts or programs for each set of automated processes. When changing the automated process, the modification of the sample tracking function can be completed synchronously by modifying the sample tracking node configuration on the flowchart, which improves scalability. Moreover, the above solution uses the consumables perspective to implement the sample tracking function, which determines the sample set data flow processing process of sample tracking, and therefore has a flux-independent effect. Whether it is high throughput or low throughput, the situations that need to be considered are the same.

[0127] According to the second aspect of the present application, a method for controlling an automated process is also provided. FIG2 shows a schematic flow chart of a method 200 for controlling an automated process according to another embodiment of the present application. As shown in the figure, the method 200 for controlling an automated process includes steps S220 and S240. The details are as follows:

[0128] Step S220 : Before running the automation process, the sample tracking method 1000 is used to determine the script information of the tracking command for the sample to be tracked in the automation process.

[0129] Step S240 : During the process of running the automated process, a tracking command for the sample to be tracked is executed according to the script information.

[0130] Exemplarily, each tracking command corresponds to a tracking operation, and step S240 includes: determining, according to the flowchart, a sample set to be tracked in the automated process and a tracking queue for each sample set to be tracked, wherein the tracking queue is a queue composed of multiple tracking operations executed in an orderly manner; and in the process of running the automated process, performing a tracking operation on the information of each sample set to be tracked according to the flowchart and the tracking queue for each sample set to be tracked.

[0131] Exemplarily, a flowchart includes multiple first nodes, each of which is a node containing script information for one or more tracking operations; determining a sample set to be tracked in an automated process and a tracking queue for each sample set to be tracked, including: parsing each first node in the flowchart to determine the sample set to be tracked in the automated process and a tracking queue for each sample set to be tracked; performing a tracking operation on the information of each sample set to be tracked according to the flowchart and the tracking queue for each sample set to be tracked, including: for each sample set to be tracked, sequentially executing each tracking operation in the order of each tracking operation in the sample set to be tracked in the tracking queue; and for each tracking operation, parsing the script information of the tracking operation to determine the execution logic of the tracking operation, and executing the tracking operation according to the execution logic. The script information of the tracking operation may be script information for multiple corresponding tracking commands.

[0132] Exemplarily, determining the sample set to be tracked in the automated process and the tracking queue for each sample set to be tracked includes: parsing the script information of the tracking operation contained in the first node to determine the consumable associated with the tracking operation; determining the sample set carried by the consumable associated with the tracking operation as the sample set to be tracked; and for each sample set to be tracked, adding each first tracking operation associated with a specific consumable to the tracking queue of the sample set to be tracked, and determining the order of each first tracking operation in the tracking queue, wherein the specific consumable is used to carry the sample set to be tracked.

[0133] Exemplarily, determining the order of each first tracing operation in the tracing queue includes: for any two first tracing operations, if the two first tracing operations correspond to different ones, determining the order of the two first tracing operations in the tracing queue according to the order of the two first nodes in the flowchart; if the two first tracing operations correspond to the same first node, determining the order of the two first tracing operations in the tracing queue according to the script information of the two first tracing operations contained in the same first node.

[0134] Exemplarily, the script information of the tracking operation is parsed to determine the execution logic of the tracking operation, including: parsing the script information of the tracking operation to determine the operation type of the tracking operation and the operation parameters of the tracking operation; and determining the execution logic of the tracking operation based on the operation type and the operation parameters; wherein the execution logic of tracking operations of different operation types is different.

[0135] Exemplarily, the tracking operation includes a registration operation, and the execution logic of the tracking operation is determined based on the operation type and operation parameters, including: judging whether the tracking operation is a registration operation based on the operation type; if it is determined that the tracking operation is a registration operation, determining the sample set carried by the consumables associated with the registration operation as the registration sample set; and determining the initial information of each sample in the registration sample set based on the operation parameters.

[0136] Exemplarily, determining the initial information of each sample in the registration sample set includes: determining the registration typing of the registration operation according to the typing parameters in the operation parameters; and determining the initial information of each sample in the registration sample set according to the registration typing of the registration operation.

[0137] Exemplarily, the registration type includes a default registration type, and the initial information of each sample in the registration sample set is determined based on the registration type of the registration operation, including: when it is determined that the registration type of the registration operation is the default registration type, the initial information of each sample in the registration sample set is determined to be preset information.

[0138] Exemplarily, the registration type includes a custom registration type, and the initial information of each sample in the registration sample set is determined according to the registration type of the registration operation, including: determining a first storage path according to a path parameter in the operation parameter; when it is determined that the registration type of the registration operation is a custom registration type, reading the storage information of the sample set in the first file stored in the first storage path; and determining the initial information of each sample in the registration sample set according to the storage information of the sample set in the first file.

[0139] Exemplarily, based on the storage information of the sample set in the first file, the initial information of each sample in the registration sample set is determined, including: determining whether the consumable attribute information contained in the storage information is consistent with the consumable attribute information of the consumable associated with the registration operation; and if so, determining the initial information of each sample in the registration sample set based on the storage information.

[0140] Exemplarily, the flowchart includes at least one device node, which corresponds to a main device and at least one consumable, and the main device is used to perform the main operation on the sample set carried by the corresponding consumable; the sample tracking method also includes: when the main device corresponding to the first device node performs the main operation, the current information of each sample in the registered sample set is written into the first file; wherein, the first device node is the first device node associated with the first consumable in the automated process, and the first consumable is the first consumable to carry the registered sample set.

[0141] Exemplarily, the tracking operation also includes at least one of the following: a reporting operation, a setting value operation, a getting value operation, and an auxiliary operation of the main operation; determining the execution logic of the tracking operation based on the operation type and operation parameters, and also including: when it is determined that the tracking operation does not belong to a registration operation, judging whether the sample set carried by the consumables associated with the tracking operation is a registration sample set; and if so, determining the execution logic of the tracking operation based on the operation type and operation parameters.

[0142] Exemplarily, the first node includes a device node, which corresponds to a main device and at least one consumable, and the main device is used to perform a main operation on the sample set carried by the corresponding consumable; the tracking operation includes an auxiliary operation of the main operation; wherein, based on the operation type and operation parameters, the execution logic of the tracking operation is determined, and also includes: for the case where the tracking operation is an auxiliary operation of the main operation, if the sample set carried by the consumable associated with the auxiliary operation is a registration sample set, then before the first main device performs the main operation, a second file of first information about the registration sample set is obtained, wherein the first main device is the main device corresponding to the device node corresponding to the auxiliary operation; the second file is sent to the first main device, and the first main device is controlled to execute the main operation; after the first main device completes the main operation, a third file of second information about the registration sample set is received, wherein the second information is generated after updating the first information according to the operation information of the main operation; and the information of the registration sample set is updated according to the third file.

[0143] Exemplarily, the execution logic of the tracking operation is determined based on the operation type and operation parameters, and also includes: in the case where the tracking operation is a subsidiary operation of the main operation, if it is determined that the sample set carried by the consumables associated with the subsidiary operation is not a registered sample set, the first main device is directly controlled to execute the main operation.

[0144] Exemplarily, the tracking operation includes a reporting operation, and the execution logic of the tracking operation is determined based on the operation type and operation parameters. It also includes: in the case where the tracking operation is a reporting operation, the consumable name and the second storage path are determined based on the operation parameters; based on the consumable name, the third information of the sample set to be tracked carried by the consumable associated with the reporting operation is obtained; whether the file in the second storage path can be written to data; and if it is determined that the file can be written to data, the obtained third information of the sample set to be tracked is written to the file.

[0145] Exemplarily, determining the execution logic of the tracking operation based on the operation type and operation parameters also includes: determining whether a second storage path exists; wherein, obtaining the third information of the sample set carried by the consumables associated with the reporting operation is performed under the condition of determining that the second storage path exists.

[0146] Exemplarily, the tracking operation includes a setting value operation, and the execution logic of the tracking operation is determined based on the operation type and operation parameters. It also includes: in the case where the tracking operation is a setting value operation, obtaining fourth information of the first sample set carried by the consumables associated with the setting value operation; determining first filtering condition information and target setting information for filtering the samples to be set in the first sample set based on the operation parameters; filtering out the samples to be set from the first sample set based on the first filtering condition information; and updating the information for the samples to be set in the fourth information to the target setting information.

[0147] Exemplarily, determining the execution logic of the tracking operation based on the operation type and operation parameters also includes: in the case where the tracking operation is a setting value operation, determining whether the operation parameters are correct; wherein, obtaining the fourth information of the first sample set carried by the consumables associated with the setting value operation is performed under the condition that the operation parameters are determined to be correct.

[0148] Exemplarily, the tracking operation includes an acquisition value operation, and the execution logic of the tracking operation is determined based on the operation type and operation parameters. It also includes: in the case where the tracking operation is an acquisition value operation, obtaining the fifth information of the second sample set carried by the consumable associated with the acquisition value operation; determining the second filtering condition information and the information of the variables to be set for filtering the samples to be obtained in the second sample set based on the operation parameters; filtering out the target samples from the second sample set based on the second filtering condition information; and setting the variables to be set based on the information of the target samples in the fifth information.

[0149] Exemplarily, the multiple first nodes include at least one variable node, the variable node corresponds to at least one variable, and the variable is a variable of relevant data of the sample to be tracked in the automated process. The script information of the tracking operation is parsed to determine the operation type of the tracking operation and the operation parameters of the tracking operation, including: if the tracking operation corresponds to a variable node, the script information of the tracking operation is grammatically parsed to determine the name and expression parameters of the variable expression of the tracking operation; the operation type of the tracking operation is determined according to the name of the expression; and the operation parameters of the tracking operation are determined according to the expression parameters.

[0150] According to the third aspect of the present application, a sample tracking system in an automated process is also provided. Figure 3 shows a schematic block diagram of a sample tracking system 300 in an automated process according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in the figure, the sample tracking system 300 includes a display module 310 and a determination module 320. The display module 310 is used for a display module for displaying a first user interface, wherein the first user interface includes a flowchart of the automated process, and the flowchart includes a plurality of process nodes. The determination module 320 is used to determine the script information of the tracking command for the sample to be tracked associated with the target node based on the user's operation information on the target node among the multiple process nodes, so as to track the target information of the sample to be tracked based on the script information when executing the operation corresponding to the target node in the automated process.

[0151] According to a fourth aspect of the present application, a control system for an automated process is also provided. FIG4 shows a schematic block diagram of a control system 400 for an automated process according to one embodiment of the present application. As shown in the figure, the control system 400 for the automated process includes a configuration module 410 and an execution module 420. The configuration module 410 is used to determine, before running the automated process, the script information of the tracking command for the sample to be tracked in the automated process using the sample tracking method 1000. The execution module 420 is used to execute the tracking command for the sample to be tracked according to the script information during the running of the automated process.

[0152] According to a fifth aspect of the present application, an electronic device is also provided. Figure 5 shows a schematic block diagram of an electronic device 500 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in the figure, the electronic device 500 includes a processor 510 and a memory 520. The memory 520 stores computer program instructions, which, when executed by the processor 510, are used to execute the sample tracking method 1000 and / or the control method 200 of the automated process described above.

[0153] According to a sixth aspect of the present application, a storage medium is further provided. Program instructions are stored on the storage medium, and when executed, the program instructions are used to execute the sample tracking method 1000 and / or the control method 200 of the automated process described above. The storage medium may include, for example, an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a USB memory, or any combination of the above storage media. The storage medium may be any combination of one or more computer-readable storage media.

[0154] A person skilled in the art can understand the specific implementation scheme and beneficial effects of the sample tracking system, control system, electronic device and storage medium in the above-mentioned automated process by reading the above-mentioned descriptions of the sample tracking method and control method of the automated process. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0155] Example

[0156] Example 1. A sample tracking method in an automated process, comprising:

[0157] Displaying a first user interface, wherein the first user interface includes a flowchart of an automation process, and the flowchart includes a plurality of process nodes;

[0158] Based on the user's operation information on the target node among the multiple process nodes, script information of the tracking command for the sample to be tracked associated with the target node is determined, so that when the operation corresponding to the target node is executed, the target information of the sample to be tracked is tracked based on the script information.

[0159] Embodiment 2. The sample tracking method according to embodiment 1, wherein the plurality of process nodes include at least one device node, each device node corresponds to a primary device and to at least one consumable, the primary device being configured to perform a primary operation on the sample carried by the corresponding consumable;

[0160] The script information includes attribute information of a target consumable for carrying the sample to be tracked and the target information, wherein the attribute information of the target consumable includes at least a name of the target consumable.

[0161] Embodiment 3. The sample tracking method according to embodiment 1 or 2, wherein the target node comprises a device node, and the script information for determining the tracking command for the sample to be tracked associated with the target node comprises:

[0162] In response to the user's first operation on the target node, displaying a second user interface, wherein the second user interface includes a first setting area, the first setting area including a directory of each consumable corresponding to the device node and a first tracking control corresponding to each consumable, where different consumables correspond to different first tracking controls;

[0163] In response to a second operation of the user on any first tracking control, determining the consumable corresponding to the operated first tracking control as a target consumable; and

[0164] Determine script information of a tracking command for a sample to be tracked carried by the target consumable.

[0165] Embodiment 4. The sample tracking method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 3, wherein the step of determining the script information of the tracking command for the sample to be tracked carried by the target consumable comprises:

[0166] In response to the second operation, displaying a third user interface, wherein the third user interface includes a plurality of first configuration controls;

[0167] Based on the user's operation information on the first configuration control, script information of the tracking command is determined.

[0168] Embodiment 5. The sample tracking method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 4, wherein the script information includes type information of the tracking command, the type of the tracking command includes a first registration type, the first configuration control includes a first registration control,

[0169] The script information for determining the tracking command includes:

[0170] In response to the user's operation on the first registration control, determining that the type of the tracking command is a first registration type, so as to add all samples carried by the target consumable to a set of samples to be tracked before the target device performs a main operation;

[0171] The target device is the main device corresponding to the target node.

[0172] Embodiment 6. The sample tracking method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 5, wherein the first configuration control includes a first export control and a first import control, and the determining the script information of the tracking command includes:

[0173] In response to the user's operation on the first export control, receiving a first file address selected by the user, and sending the target information stored in the first file address to the target device before the target device performs a main operation; and / or

[0174] In response to the user's operation on the first import control, receiving a second file address selected by the user, so as to obtain updated target information stored in the second file address after the target device performs the main operation;

[0175] The target device is the main device corresponding to the target node.

[0176] Embodiment 7. The sample tracking method according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 6, wherein the third user interface further includes a first sending control, a first receiving control, and a first variable selection control, and the determining of the script information of the tracking command includes:

[0177] In response to the user's operation on the first sending control and a third operation on the first variable selection control, determining first attribute information of the target consumable corresponding to the first variable selected by the third operation, so as to send the first attribute information to the target device before the target device performs a main operation; and / or

[0178] In response to the user's operation on the first receiving control and a fourth operation on the first variable selection control, determining a second variable selected by the fourth operation, so as to receive second attribute information of the target consumable from the target device after the target device performs the main operation, and updating the attribute information of the target consumable according to the second attribute information and the second variable;

[0179] The target device is the main device corresponding to the target node, and the attribute information of the consumables includes the information of the barcode on the consumables.

[0180] Embodiment 8. The sample tracking method according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 7, wherein the target node includes a variable node located before or after a first device node, the first device node is any device node in the automated process, the script information includes type information of the tracking command, and the script information for determining the tracking command for the sample to be tracked associated with the target node includes:

[0181] In response to a fifth operation performed by the user on the variable node, displaying a fourth user interface, wherein the fourth user interface includes at least one second tracking control, and each second tracking control corresponds to a type of tracking command; and

[0182] Determining script information of a tracking command for a sample to be tracked based on the user's operation information on the second tracking control;

[0183] Among them, it is determined that the type of the tracking command is the type corresponding to the second tracking control operated by the user, and the tracking command is executed before or after the first device is set to perform the main operation, and the first device is the main device corresponding to the first device node.

[0184] Embodiment 9. The sample tracking method according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 8, wherein the target node is located before the first device node, the type of the tracking command includes a second registration type, the second tracking control includes a second registration control, and determining script information of the tracking command for the sample to be tracked includes:

[0185] In response to a sixth operation of the user on the second registration control, determining that the type of the tracking command is a second registration type;

[0186] displaying a fifth user interface corresponding to the second registration type, wherein the fifth user interface includes a first consumable selection control; and

[0187] The consumable selected by the user using the first consumable selection control is determined as the target consumable, so that before the first device performs a main operation, all samples carried by the target consumable are added to the set of samples to be tracked.

[0188] Embodiment 10. The sample tracking method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 9, wherein the second registration type includes a default registration type and a custom registration type, and the fifth user interface further includes a first drop-down control.

[0189] The step of determining the script information of the tracking command for the sample to be tracked further includes:

[0190] Determining, based on the user's operation information on the first drop-down control, whether the tracking command belongs to a default registration type or a custom registration type;

[0191] In a case where it is determined that the tracking command belongs to the default registration type, determining initial target information of the sample to be tracked based on preset target information;

[0192] If it is determined that the tracking command belongs to the custom registration type, determining the user-defined first file path; and

[0193] Based on the information in the file corresponding to the first file path, initial target information of the sample to be tracked is determined.

[0194] Embodiment 11. The sample tracking method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 10, wherein determining the user-defined first file path comprises:

[0195] If it is determined that the tracking command belongs to the custom registration type, displaying a second variable selection control on the fifth user interface; and

[0196] The first file path is generated based on the third variable selected by the user using the second variable selection control and the first path generation rule.

[0197] Embodiment 12. The sample tracking method according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 11, wherein generating the first file path based on the third variable selected by the user using the second variable selection control and the first path generation rule comprises:

[0198] The default path of the target information sent by the host computer, the default value of the third variable and the default format of the target information are dynamically spliced ​​to generate the first file path.

[0199] Embodiment 13. The sample tracking method according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 12, wherein the step of dynamically concatenating the default path of the target information sent by the host computer, the default value of the third variable, and the default format of the target information to generate the first file path further comprises:

[0200] Dynamically concatenate a character string representing a default path of the target information, a default value of the third variable, and a character string representing a default format of the target information to obtain a concatenated initial path;

[0201] Determining whether the initial path is correct;

[0202] If it is determined that the initial path is correct, using the initial path as the first file path; and

[0203] If it is determined that the initial path is incorrect, a prompt message indicating that the initial path does not exist is displayed on the fifth user interface.

[0204] Embodiment 14. The sample tracking method according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 13, wherein the type of the tracking command further includes a local report type, the target node is located after the first device node, the second tracking control includes a local report control, and determining script information of the tracking command for the sample to be tracked includes:

[0205] In response to a seventh operation of the local report control by the user, determining that the type of the tracking command is a local report type;

[0206] displaying a sixth user interface corresponding to the local report type, wherein the sixth user interface includes a second consumable selection control;

[0207] The consumable selected by the user using the second consumable selection control is determined as the target consumable, so that after the first device performs the main operation, a file of target information of the sample to be tracked carried by the target consumable is obtained and the file is stored in a preset local path.

[0208] Embodiment 15. The sample tracking method according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 14, wherein the type of the tracking command further includes a local report type, the target node is located after the first device node, the second tracking control includes a local report control, and determining script information of the tracking command for the sample to be tracked includes:

[0209] In response to a seventh operation of the local report control by the user, determining that the type of the tracking command is a local report type;

[0210] displaying a sixth user interface corresponding to the local report type, wherein the sixth user interface includes a second consumable selection control;

[0211] In response to the user's operation on the second consumable selection control, determining the name of the target consumable and displaying a seventh user interface, wherein the seventh user interface includes a third variable selection control;

[0212] generating a second file path based on the variable selected by the user using the third variable selection control and a second path generation rule; and

[0213] The information of the second file path is stored so as to obtain a file of target information of the sample to be tracked carried by the target consumable after the first device performs a main operation, and store the file in the second file path.

[0214] Embodiment 16. The sample tracking method according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 15, wherein the tracking command type further includes an upload report type, the target node is located after the first device node, the second tracking control includes an upload report control, and the script information for determining the tracking command for the sample to be tracked includes:

[0215] In response to an eighth operation of the user on the upload report control, determining that the type of the tracking command is an upload report type;

[0216] displaying an eighth user interface corresponding to the upload report type, wherein the eighth user interface includes a third consumable selection control and a path input control;

[0217] determining the consumable selected by the user using the third consumable selection control as the target consumable; and

[0218] Receive and store the information of the third file path entered by the user using the path input control, so as to obtain the file of the target information of the sample to be tracked carried by the target consumable after the first device performs the main operation, and send the file to the third file path.

[0219] Embodiment 17. The sample tracking method according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 16, wherein the type of the tracking command further comprises a setting value type, the second tracking control comprises a setting value control, and the determining of the script information of the tracking command for the sample to be tracked comprises:

[0220] In response to a ninth operation of the user on the setting value control, determining that the type of the tracking command is a setting value type;

[0221] displaying a ninth user interface corresponding to the setting value type, wherein the ninth user interface includes a fourth consumable material selection control, a first search control, and a fourth variable selection control;

[0222] determining the consumable selected by the user using the fourth consumable selection control as the target consumable;

[0223] In response to the user's operation of the first search control, determining information of a first filtering condition for filtering samples to be updated, so as to filter the samples to be updated according to the information of the first filtering condition before or after the first device performs a main operation, wherein the sample to be updated is at least one of the samples to be tracked; and

[0224] Receive information about a fifth variable selected by the user using the fourth variable selection control, so as to update corresponding target information of the sample to be updated according to the information of the fifth variable before or after the first device performs a main operation and filters out the sample to be updated.

[0225] Embodiment 18. The sample tracking method according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 17, wherein the number of the first search controls is multiple, and the information for determining the first screening condition for screening samples to be updated includes:

[0226] Receive information on multiple first filtering conditions selected by the user using each first search control, so as to determine the samples carried by the target consumables and simultaneously meeting the multiple filtering conditions as the samples to be updated before or after the first device performs a main operation.

[0227] Embodiment 19. The sample tracking method according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 18, wherein the type of the tracking command further includes a get value type, the second tracking control includes a get value control, and determining script information of the tracking command for the sample to be tracked includes:

[0228] In response to a tenth operation of the user on the get value control, determining that the type of the tracking command is a get value type;

[0229] displaying a tenth user interface corresponding to the acquired value type, wherein the tenth user interface includes a fifth consumable selection control, a second search control, a read control, and a fifth variable selection control;

[0230] determining the consumable selected by the user using the fifth consumable selection control as the target consumable;

[0231] In response to the user's operation on the second search control, determining second filtering condition information for filtering samples to be read, so as to filter the samples to be read according to the second filtering condition information before or after the first device performs a main operation, wherein the sample to be read is at least one of the samples to be tracked;

[0232] In response to the user's operation on the reading control, determining a category of the target information to be read, so as to read the first target information of the sample to be read according to the category before or after the first device performs a main operation; and

[0233] The information of the sixth variable selected by the user using the fifth variable selection control is received, so as to determine the value of the sixth variable according to the first target information of the sample to be read before or after the first device performs a main operation.

[0234] Embodiment 20. The sample tracking method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 19, wherein the fourth user interface further includes a conditional statement setting control, and the sample tracking method further includes:

[0235] In response to the user's operation on the conditional statement setting control, information on the execution condition of the tracking command of the set value type is determined to judge whether the execution condition is currently met before or after the first device executes the main operation, and if it is determined that the execution condition is met, the samples to be updated are filtered.

[0236] Embodiment 21. The sample tracking method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 20, wherein the fourth user interface further includes a loop statement setting control, and the sample tracking method further includes:

[0237] In response to the user's operation on the loop statement setting control, the loop execution information of the tracking command of the setting value type is determined, so that before or after the first device executes the main operation, based on the loop execution information, each sample in the target consumable is traversed, each sample to be updated that meets the first filtering condition is filtered out, and the corresponding target information of each sample to be updated is updated.

[0238] Example 22. A method for controlling an automated process, comprising:

[0239] Before running the automated process, using the sample tracking method described in any one of embodiments 1 to 21, determine script information of a tracking command for the sample to be tracked associated with the target node; and

[0240] During the process of running the automated process, a tracking command for the sample to be tracked is executed according to the script information.

[0241] Example 23. A sample tracking system in an automated process, comprising:

[0242] A display module, configured to display a first user interface, wherein the first user interface includes a flowchart of an automation process, and the flowchart includes a plurality of process nodes;

[0243] A determination module is configured to determine, based on the user's operation information on a target node among the multiple process nodes, script information of a tracking command for a sample to be tracked associated with the target node, so as to track the target information of the sample to be tracked based on the script information when executing the operation corresponding to the target node, wherein the automated process includes multiple ordered operations.

[0244] Example 24. A control system for an automated process, comprising:

[0245] A configuration module, configured to determine, before running the automation process, script information of a tracking command for a sample to be tracked associated with the target node using the sample tracking method in the automation process as described in any one of embodiments 1 to 21; and

[0246] An execution module is used to execute a tracking command on the sample to be tracked according to the script information during the running of the automation process.

[0247] Example 25. 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 the sample tracking method in the automated process as described in any one of Examples 1 to 21 and / or the control method of the automated process as described in Example 22 when the processor is executed.

[0248] Example 26. A storage medium having program instructions stored thereon, wherein the program instructions are used, when run, to execute the sample tracking method in the automated process as described in any one of Examples 1 to 21 and / or the control method for the automated process as described in Example 22.

[0249] 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.

[0250] 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.

[0251] 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.

[0252] 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.

[0253] 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.

[0254] 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.

[0255] 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.

[0256] 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 sample tracking system and the control system of the automated process according to the embodiment of the present application. The present application can also be implemented as a device program (e.g., a computer program and a computer program product) for executing 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.

[0257] 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.

[0258] 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 sample tracking method in an automated process, characterized in that: include: Displaying a first user interface, wherein the first user interface includes a flowchart of an automation process, and the flowchart includes a plurality of process nodes; Based on the user's operation information on a target node among the multiple process nodes, script information of a tracking command for a sample to be tracked associated with the target node is determined, so that when an operation corresponding to the target node is executed, target information of the sample to be tracked is tracked based on the script information.

2. The sample tracking method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multiple process nodes include at least one device node, each device node corresponds to a main device and corresponds to at least one consumable, and the main device is used to perform a main operation on a sample carried by the corresponding consumable; The script information includes attribute information of a target consumable for carrying the sample to be tracked and the target information, wherein the attribute information of the target consumable includes at least a name of the target consumable.

3. The sample tracking method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The target node includes a device node, and the script information for determining a tracking command for a sample to be tracked associated with the target node includes: In response to the user's first operation on the target node, displaying a second user interface, wherein the second user interface includes a first setting area, the first setting area includes a directory of each consumable corresponding to the device node and a first tracking control corresponding to each consumable, and different consumables correspond to different first tracking controls; In response to a second operation of the user on any first tracking control, determining a consumable corresponding to the operated first tracking control as a target consumable; and Determine script information of a tracking command for a sample to be tracked carried by the target consumable.

4. The sample tracking method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The script information for determining the tracking command for the sample to be tracked carried by the target consumable includes: In response to the second operation, displaying a third user interface, wherein the third user interface includes a plurality of first configuration controls; Based on the user's operation information on the first configuration control, script information of the tracking command is determined.

5. The sample tracking method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The script information includes type information of the tracking command, the type of the tracking command includes a first registration type, the first configuration control includes a first registration control, The script information for determining the tracking command includes: In response to the user's operation on the first registration control, determining that the type of the tracking command is a first registration type, so that before the target device performs a main operation, all samples carried by the target consumable are added to a set of samples to be tracked; The target device is a main device corresponding to the target node.

6. The sample tracking method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first configuration control includes a first export control and a first import control, and the script information for determining the tracking command includes: In response to the user's operation on the first export control, receiving a first file address selected by the user, so as to send the target information stored in the first file address to the target device before the target device performs a main operation; and / or In response to the user's operation on the first import control, receiving a second file address selected by the user, so as to obtain updated target information stored in the second file address after the target device performs the main operation; The target device is a main device corresponding to the target node.

7. The sample tracking method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The third user interface further includes a first sending control, a first receiving control, and a first variable selection control, and the script information for determining the tracking command includes: In response to the user's operation on the first sending control and a third operation on the first variable selection control, determining first attribute information of a target consumable corresponding to the first variable selected by the third operation, so as to send the first attribute information to the target device before the target device performs a main operation; and / or In response to the user's operation on the first receiving control and a fourth operation on the first variable selection control, determining a second variable selected by the fourth operation, so as to receive second attribute information of the target consumable from the target device after the target device performs the main operation, and updating the attribute information of the target consumable according to the second attribute information and the second variable; The target device is the main device corresponding to the target node, and the attribute information of the consumables includes the information of the barcode on the consumables.

8. The sample tracking method according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that: The target node includes a variable node located before or after a first device node, the first device node is any device node in the automation process, the script information includes type information of the tracking command, and the script information for determining the tracking command of the sample to be tracked associated with the target node includes: In response to a fifth operation of the user on the variable node, displaying a fourth user interface, wherein the fourth user interface includes at least one second tracking control, and each second tracking control corresponds to a type of tracking command; and Determining script information of a tracking command for a sample to be tracked based on the operation information of the user on the second tracking control; Among them, it is determined that the type of the tracking command is the type corresponding to the second tracking control operated by the user, and the tracking command is executed before or after the first device is set to perform a main operation, and the first device is the main device corresponding to the first device node.

9. The sample tracking method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The target node is located before the first device node, the type of the tracking command includes a second registration type, the second tracking control includes a second registration control, and the script information of the tracking command for the sample to be tracked is determined, including: In response to a sixth operation of the user on the second registration control, determining that the type of the tracking command is a second registration type; displaying a fifth user interface corresponding to the second registration type, wherein the fifth user interface includes a first consumable selection control; and The consumable selected by the user using the first consumable selection control is determined as the target consumable, so that before the first device performs a main operation, all samples carried by the target consumable are added to the set of samples to be tracked.

10. The sample tracking method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The second registration type includes a default registration type and a custom registration type, and the fifth user interface also includes a first drop-down control, The step of determining the script information of the tracking command for the sample to be tracked further includes: Based on the user's operation information on the first drop-down control, determining whether the tracking command belongs to a default registration type or a custom registration type; In the case where it is determined that the tracking command belongs to the default registration type, determining initial target information of the sample to be tracked based on preset target information; In the case where it is determined that the tracking command belongs to the custom registration type, determining the user-defined first file path; and Based on the information in the file corresponding to the first file path, initial target information of the sample to be tracked is determined.

11. The sample tracking method according to claim 10, characterized in that: The determining the user-defined first file path includes: In the case where it is determined that the tracking command belongs to the custom registration type, displaying a second variable selection control on the fifth user interface; and The first file path is generated based on the third variable selected by the user using the second variable selection control and the first path generation rule.

12. The sample tracking method according to claim 11, characterized in that: The generating the first file path based on the third variable selected by the user using the second variable selection control and the first path generation rule comprises: The default path of the target information sent by the host computer, the default value of the third variable and the default format of the target information are dynamically spliced ​​to generate the first file path.

13. The sample tracking method according to claim 12, characterized in that: The method of dynamically splicing the default path of the target information sent by the host computer, the default value of the third variable, and the default format of the target information to generate the first file path further includes: Dynamically concatenate a character string representing a default path of the target information, a default value of the third variable, and a character string representing a default format of the target information, and obtain a concatenated initial path; Determining whether the initial path is correct; If it is determined that the initial path is correct, using the initial path as the first file path; and If it is determined that the initial path is incorrect, a prompt message indicating that the initial path does not exist is displayed on the fifth user interface.

14. The sample tracking method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The type of the tracking command further includes a local report type, the target node is located after the first device node, the second tracking control includes a local report control, and the script information of the tracking command for the sample to be tracked is determined, including: In response to a seventh operation of the user on the local report control, determining that the type of the tracking command is a local report type; displaying a sixth user interface corresponding to the local report type, wherein the sixth user interface includes a second consumable selection control; The consumable selected by the user using the second consumable selection control is determined as the target consumable, so that after the first device performs the main operation, a file of target information of the sample to be tracked carried by the target consumable is obtained, and the file is stored in a preset local path.

15. The sample tracking method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The type of the tracking command further includes a local report type, the target node is located after the first device node, the second tracking control includes a local report control, and the script information of the tracking command for the sample to be tracked is determined, including: In response to a seventh operation of the user on the local report control, determining that the type of the tracking command is a local report type; displaying a sixth user interface corresponding to the local report type, wherein the sixth user interface includes a second consumable selection control; In response to the user's operation on the second consumable selection control, determining the name of the target consumable and displaying a seventh user interface, wherein the seventh user interface includes a third variable selection control; Generate a second file path based on the variable selected by the user using the third variable selection control and the second path generation rule; and The information of the second file path is stored so as to obtain a file of target information of the sample to be tracked carried by the target consumable after the first device executes the main operation, and store the file in the second file path.

16. The sample tracking method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The type of the tracking command further includes an upload report type, the target node is located after the first device node, the second tracking control includes an upload report control, and the script information of the tracking command for the sample to be tracked is determined, including: In response to an eighth operation of the user on the upload report control, determining that the type of the tracking command is an upload report type; Displaying an eighth user interface corresponding to the upload report type, wherein the eighth user interface includes a third consumable selection control and a path input control; determining the consumable selected by the user using the third consumable selection control as the target consumable; and Receive and store the information of the third file path input by the user using the path input control, so as to obtain a file of the target information of the sample to be tracked carried by the target consumable after the first device performs the main operation, and send the file to the third file path.

17. The sample tracking method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The type of the tracking command further includes a setting value type, the second tracking control includes a setting value control, and the script information of the tracking command for the sample to be tracked is determined, including: In response to a ninth operation of the user on the setting value control, determining that the type of the tracking command is a setting value type; Displaying a ninth user interface corresponding to the setting value type, wherein the ninth user interface includes a fourth consumable selection control, a first search control, and a fourth variable selection control; Determine the consumable selected by the user using the fourth consumable selection control as the target consumable; In response to the user's operation on the first search control, determine information of a first filtering condition for filtering samples to be updated, so as to filter the samples to be updated according to the information of the first filtering condition before or after the first device performs a main operation, wherein the sample to be updated is at least one of the samples to be tracked; and Receive information about a fifth variable selected by the user using the fourth variable selection control, so as to update corresponding target information of the sample to be updated according to the information of the fifth variable before or after the first device performs a main operation and filters out the sample to be updated.

18. The sample tracking method according to claim 17, characterized in that: The number of the first search controls is multiple, and the information of determining the first screening condition for screening the samples to be updated includes: The information of the multiple first filtering conditions selected by the user using each first search control is received, so as to determine the samples carried by the target consumables and satisfying the multiple filtering conditions as the samples to be updated before or after the first device executes the main operation.

19. The sample tracking method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The type of the tracking command further includes an acquisition value type, the second tracking control includes an acquisition value control, and the script information of the tracking command for the sample to be tracked is determined, including: In response to a tenth operation of the user on the get value control, determining that the type of the tracking command is an get value type; Displaying a tenth user interface corresponding to the acquired value type, wherein the tenth user interface includes a fifth consumable selection control, a second search control, a read control, and a fifth variable selection control; Determine the consumable selected by the user using the fifth consumable selection control as the target consumable; In response to the user's operation on the second search control, second filtering condition information for filtering samples to be read is determined, so that before or after the first device performs a main operation, the samples to be read are filtered according to the second filtering condition information, wherein the sample to be read is at least one of the samples to be tracked; In response to the user's operation on the reading control, determining a category of the target information to be read, so as to read the first target information of the sample to be read according to the category before or after the first device performs a main operation; and The information of the sixth variable selected by the user using the fifth variable selection control is received, so as to determine the value of the sixth variable according to the first target information of the sample to be read before or after the first device performs a main operation.

20. The sample tracking method according to claim 17, characterized in that: The fourth user interface further includes a conditional statement setting control, and the sample tracking method further includes: In response to the user's operation on the conditional statement setting control, information on the execution condition of the tracking command of the set value type is determined to determine whether the execution condition is currently met before or after the first device executes the main operation, and if it is determined that the execution condition is met, the samples to be updated are filtered.

21. The sample tracking method according to claim 17, characterized in that: The fourth user interface further includes a loop statement setting control, and the sample tracking method further includes: In response to the user's operation on the loop statement setting control, the loop execution information of the tracking command of the setting value type is determined, so that before or after the first device executes the main operation, based on the loop execution information, each sample in the target consumable is traversed, each sample to be updated that meets the first filtering condition is filtered out, and the corresponding target information of each sample to be updated is updated.

22. A method for controlling an automated process, characterized in that: include: Before running the automated process, using the sample tracking method according to any one of claims 1 to 21, determining script information of a tracking command for the sample to be tracked associated with the target node; as well as In the process of running the automated process, a tracking command for the sample to be tracked is executed according to the script information.

23. A sample tracking system in an automated process, characterized in that: include: A display module, configured to display a first user interface, wherein the first user interface includes a flowchart of an automation process, and the flowchart includes a plurality of process nodes; A determination module is used to determine script information of a tracking command for a sample to be tracked associated with the target node based on the user's operation information on a target node among the multiple process nodes, so as to track the target information of the sample to be tracked based on the script information when executing an operation corresponding to the target node, wherein the automated process includes multiple ordered operations.

24. A control system for an automated process, characterized in that: include: A configuration module, used for determining, before running the automation process, script information of a tracking command for the sample to be tracked associated with the target node by using the sample tracking method in the automation process according to any one of claims 1 to 21; as well as An execution module is used to execute a tracking command on the sample to be tracked according to the script information during the running of the automation process.

25. An electronic device, comprising a processor and a memory, characterized in that: The memory stores computer program instructions, which, when executed by the processor, are used to execute the sample tracking method in the automated process as described in any one of claims 1 to 21 and / or the control method of the automated process as described in claim 22.

26. A storage medium having program instructions stored thereon, characterized in that: When running, the program instructions are used to execute the sample tracking method in the automated process as described in any one of claims 1 to 21 and / or the control method of the automated process as described in claim 22.

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