Apparatus and method for sample tracking in an autosampler

Abstract

A method may scan, using a wireless tag antenna, a plurality of sample containers received in an autosampler. A method may determine, using the autosampler, position information of the plurality of sample containers based on the scanning of the plurality of sample containers. A method may draw, using the autosampler, samples from the plurality of sample containers based on the position information.

Description

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SAMPLE TRACKING IN AN AUTOSAMPLER

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application S / N 63 / 729,848, filed December 9, 2024, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.Background

[0002] Scientific instruments are used in labs for various applications including analyzing samples of substances, for example, soil, water, blood, or the like. Large samples are received by the lab which need to be processed in batches for individual analysis. The batches are often pretreated for a scientific measurement and provided to a scientific instrument for analysis using chromatography, spectrometry, or the like.Brief Description of the Drawings

[0003] Embodiments will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. To facilitate this description, like reference numerals designate like structural elements. Embodiments are illustrated by way of example, not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings.

[0004] FIG. l is a block diagram of an example scientific instrument support module for aiding in tracking sample containers.

[0005] FIG. 2 is an example of a graphical user interface that may be used in the performance of some, or all of the support methods disclosed herein, in accordance with various embodiments.

[0006] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example computing device that may perform some or all of the scientific instrument support methods disclosed herein, in accordance with various embodiments.

[0007] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example scientific instrument support system in which some or all of the scientific instrument support methods disclosed herein may be performed, in accordance with some embodiments.

[0008] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an exemplary autosampler used with the scientific instrument support system of FIG. 1, in accordance with various embodiments.

[0009] FIG. 6A is a perspective of a wireless tag for placement around the neck of a sample vial container, in accordance with various embodiments.

[0010] FIG. 6B illustrates a wireless tag for placement on the cap of a sample container, in accordance with various embodiments.

[0011] FIG. 6C is a perspective of an example sample vial container, in accordance with various embodiments, in accordance with various embodiments.

[0012] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an example method of populating sample information of a plurality of sample vials, in accordance with various embodiments.

[0013] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an example method for scientific instrument support, in accordance with various embodiments.

[0014] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method for scientific instrument support, in accordance with various embodiments.Detailed Description

[0015] Labs are often given large batches of samples containing material such as, soil, water, blood, or the like, to be analyzed in a timely manner. Before analyzing any samples with a sampling device, scientist must manually track information on each individual sample. In some embodiments, such information includes the sample name, type, volume, and position on a sampling tray. Samples may include, for example, standards, buffers, and / or solutions for dilution. Samples are manually tracked and require careful inventory of notes and a lot of time. This process is highly prone to human errors such as, incorrect position labeling, and mismanagement of information. For example, when samples are being placed in the autosamplers, the sample database may be provided with the sample description and the corresponding vial positions. These entered vial positions will be used by the autosampler to pick up the correct vial to be used in the analysis run. Any misplacement of these vials in a tray, or any error in the entry of sample description into the application database may result in reporting errors, loss of sample, and waste of resources.

[0016] Disclosed herein is a method for a scientific instrument, as well as related systems and devices. For example, some embodiments are a method for providing scientific instrument support including scanning, using a wireless tag reader of an autosampler, a wireless tag of a sample container of a plurality of sample containers received in the autosampler; determining, using the autosampler, a position of the sample container in the autosampler based on the location of scanning of the wireless tag; updating, using the autosampler, a mapping with the position of the sample container, the mapping including position information for the plurality of sample containers; receiving, using the autosampler, workflow information for the plurality ofsample container; and sampling, using the autosampler, the plurality of sample containers based on the workflow information and the mapping.

[0017] The scientific instrument support instrument embodiments disclosed herein may achieve improved performance relative to conventional approaches. For example, the location of each sample vial is carefully tracked, and sample information is attached to sample and recorded directly into the scientific instrument, preventing a multitude of human errors in the sample information gathering process. The scientific instrument support instrument eliminates the need for user to manually track information regarding the sample and its location.

[0018] Among other things, various ones of the embodiment disclosed herein may provide improvements to sample processing and resource usage by tracking a sample through a lab. Through the experiment, various embodiments provide resource management, such as monitoring the volume of a sample and ensuring the volume of a sample is above the needed threshold for a given experiment. For example, conventional systems may provide a graphical user interface (GUI) to enter information regarding vial position and corresponding workflow information. These systems suffer from a number of technical problems and limitations, such as not being able to track location of vials, track prior information about a sample vial, provide warnings when vial information is incorrect or incompatible with workflow information, and provide monitoring of sample information during experiments.

[0019] Various embodiments disclosed herein thus provide an improvement upon the conventional approach to achieve technical advantage of improved vial location tracking, data validation, improved management of information, volume monitoring, and improved user control. Such technical advantages are not achievable by routine and conventional approaches, and all users, of system including such embodiments may benefit from these advantages (e.g., by assisting the user in the performance of a technical task, such as chromatography analysis, by means of a guided human-machine interaction process). The technical features of the embodiments disclosed herein are thus decidedly unconventional in the field of sample chromatography analysis, as are the combinations of the features of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0020] Accordingly, the embodiments of the present disclosure may serve any of a number of technical purposes, such as automated sample processing. In particular, the present disclosureprovides technical solutions to technical problems, including but not limited to chromatography analysis.

[0021] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout, and in which is shown, by way of illustration, embodiments that may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized, and structural or logical changes may be made, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense.

[0022] Various operations may be described as multiple discrete actions or operations in turn, in a manner that is most helpful in understanding the subject matter disclosed herein. However, the order of description should not be construed as to imply that these operations are necessarily order dependent. In particular, these operations may not be performed in the order of presentation. Operations described may be performed in a different order from the described embodiment. Various additional operations may be performed, and / or described operations may be omitted in additional embodiments.

[0023] For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrases "A and / or B" and "A or B" mean (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrases "A, B, and / or C" and "A, B, or C" mean (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B, and C). Although some elements may be referred to in the singular (e.g., “a processing device”), any appropriate elements may be represented by multiple instances of that element, and vice versa. For example, a set of operations described as performed by a processing device may be implemented with different ones of the operations performed by different processing devices.

[0024] The description uses the phrases "an embodiment," “various embodiments,” and "some embodiments," each of which may refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," "having," and the like, as used with respect to embodiments of the present disclosure, are synonymous. When used to describe a range of dimensions, the phrase "between X and Y" represents a range that includes X and Y. As used herein, an “apparatus” may refer to any individual device, collection of devices, part of a device, or collections of parts of devices. The drawings are not necessarily to scale.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example scientific instrument support module 100 for performing support operations, in accordance with various embodiments. The scientificinstrument support module 100 may be implemented by circuitry (e g., including electrical and / or optical components), such as a programmed computing device (e.g., the computing device 300 of FIG. 3). The logic of the scientific instrument support module 100 may be included in a single computing device or may be distributed across multiple computing devices that are in communication with each other as appropriate. Examples of computing devices that may, singly or in combination, implement the scientific instrument support module 100 are discussed herein with reference to the computing device 300 of FIG. 3, and examples of systems of interconnected computing devices, in which the scientific instrument support module 100 may be implemented across one or more of the computing devices, is discussed herein with reference to the scientific instrument support system 400 of FIG. 4.

[0026] The scientific instrument support module 100 may include a wireless tag support logic 110, a sample manager logic 120, an autosampler application logic 130, and an experiment manager logic 140. As used herein, the term “logic” may include an apparatus that is to perform a set of operation associated with the logic. For example, any of the logic elements in the scientific instrument support module 100 may be implemented by one or more computing devices programmed with instructions to cause one or more processing devices of the computing device to perform the associated set of operations. In a particular embodiment, a logic element may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable memory when executed by one or more processing devices of one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform the associated set of operations. As used herein, the term “module” may refer to a collection of one or more logic elements that, together, perform a function associated with the module. Different ones of the logic elements in a module may take the same form or may take different forms. For example, some logic in a module may be implemented by a programmed general-purpose processing device, while other logic in a module may be implemented by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). In another example, different ones of the logic elements in a module may be associated with different sets of instructions executed by one or more processing devices. A module may not include all of the logic elements depicted in the associated drawing; for example, a module may include a subset of the logic elements depicted in the associated drawing when that module is to perform a subset of the operations discussed herein with reference to that module.

[0027] The wireless tag support logic 110 may receive and write information from and to a wireless tag (e.g., the wireless tag 610 of FIGS. 6A-6C). The information pertains to a sample in a sample container that is connected to the unique wireless tag. The information may include a description of the sample, the date the sample was collected, the date the sample was received at the laboratory, the due date of the analysis results, the storage conditions of the sample, the type of experiments or analyses to be performed on the sample, the operator responsible for the sample, and / or the like.

[0028] The sample manager logic 120 may collect and manage information pertaining to samples. The sample manager logic 120 may generate a graphical user interface (e.g., like the graphical user interface 200 of FIG.2), that receives the user-provided information regarding the sample and workflow. The sample information may include a description of the sample, the date the sample was collected, the date the sample was received at the laboratory, the due date of the analysis results, the storage conditions of the sample, the type of experiments or analyses to be performed on the sample, the operator responsible for the sample, and / or the like. The workflow information includes descriptions of the experiments or analyses to be performed by the scientific instrument, volume requirements for experiments or analyses, and needed resources to perform experiments or analyses, such as buffers, and / or the like. The type of experiment may be defined based on the input received from an end-user, and may be, for example, a gas chromatography analysis, a liquid chromatography analysis, an ion chromatography analysis, or the like. The sample manager logic 120 may store the sample information received for the samples in correlation with an identifier of a wireless tag in a sample database (for example, in the storage device 304, 404). The sample manager logic 120 may gather and store any information in a variety of memory locations.

[0029] The autosampler application logic 130 may manage the functions of the autosampler of a scientific instrument. In the following description, the autosampler is described with respect to an ion chromatograph (IC) as the scientific instrument to facilitate a simplified discussion. However, it would be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the discussion is equally applicable to an autosampler or similar device of a different scientific instrument (for example, gas chromatograph, a liquid chromatograph, and / or the like). The autosampler application logic 130 manages the sequence of operation within an autosampler including receiving information pertaining to vials placed in the autosampler. The information pertainingto the vials includes, for example, unique identifiers of the sample, a position of the sample within the autosampler, the type of workflow to be performed on the sample, and the like. In response to receiving the information, the autosampler application logic 130 may determine whether the vials are placed in the correction positions, determine whether the workflow information provided for the sample matches the workflow to be performed on the sample, and / or the like. The autosampler application logic 130 may also control the autosampler to scan the vails and to control the sample injection mechanism to collect the samples for analysis by the scientific instrument. In one example, the autosampler application logic 130 may scan an autosampler tray to determine and store the location of a plurality of sample vial containers, by using a wireless antenna (e.g., like the wireless tag antenna 512, shown in FIG. 5).

[0030] The experiment manager logic 140 may manage a type of experiment being performed on a sample. The type of experiment may be defined based on the workflow information received and stored through the sample manager logic 120. Each type of experiment may have various analytes and corresponding workflows associated with the experiment. A workflow is a series of steps that are to be performed by the scientific instrument to complete the experiment. The analytes and the workflows may be selectable via the graphical user interface (GUI) 200. For example, in some embodiments, corresponding workflows are displayed on the GUI 200 based on an analyte selected by a user. The experiment manager logic 140 may manage data and processes performed via a scientific instrument.

[0031] The scientific instrument support methods disclosed herein may include interactions with a human user (e.g., via the user local computing device 420 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 4). These interactions may include providing information to the user (e.g., information regarding the operation of a scientific instrument such as the scientific instrument 410 of FIG. 4, information regarding a sample being analyzed or other test or measurement performed by a scientific instrument, information retrieved from a local or remote database, or other information) or providing an option for a user to input commands (e.g., to control the operation of a scientific instrument such as the scientific instrument 410 of FIG. 4, or to control the analysis of data generated by a scientific instrument), queries (e.g., to a local or remote database), or other information. In some embodiments, these interactions may be performed through a graphical user interface (GUI) that includes a visual display on a display device (e.g., the display device 310 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 3) that provides outputs to theuser and / or prompts the user to provide inputs (e.g., via one or more input devices, such as a keyboard, mouse, trackpad, or touchscreen, included in the other I / O devices 312 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 3). The scientific instrument support systems disclosed herein may include any suitable GUIs for interaction with a user.

[0032] FIG 2. is an example of a graphical user interface (GUI) 200 that may be used in the performance of some, or all of the support methods disclosed herein, in accordance with various embodiments. As noted above, the GUI 200 may be provided on a display device (e.g., the display device 350 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 3) of a computing device (e.g., the computing device 300 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 3) of a scientific instrument support system (e.g., the scientific instrument support system 400 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 4), and a user may interact with the GUI 200 using any suitable input device (e.g., any of the input devices included in the other I / O devices 360 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 3) and input technique (e.g., movement of a cursor, motion capture, facial recognition, gesture detection, voice recognition, actuation of buttons, etc.).

[0033] The GUI 200 may include a data display region 210, a data analysis region 220, a control region 230, and a settings region 240. The number and arrangement of regions depicted in FIG.2 is simply illustrative, and any number and arrangement of regions, including any desired features, may be included in a GUI 200.

[0034] The data display region 210 may display data generated by a scientific instrument. For example, the data display region 210 may display position information, sample information, or error related to the experiment. The data analysis region 220 may display the results of data analysis (e.g., the results of analyzing the data illustrated in the data display region 210 and / or other data). For example, the data analysis region 220 may display volume changes and the like. In some embodiments, the data display region 210 and the data analysis region 220 may be combined in the GUI 200 (e.g., to include data output from a scientific instrument, and some analysis of the data, in a common graph or region).

[0035] The control region 230 may include options that allow the user to control a scientific instrument. For example, the scientific instrument control region 230 may include control features of a chromatograph.

[0036] The settings region 240 may include options that allow the user to control the features and functions of the GUI 200 (and / or other GUIs) and / or perform common computing operationswith respect to the data display region 210 and data analysis region 220. For example, the settings region 240 may include options on how to display sample information and / or how to handle errors.

[0037] As noted above, the scientific instrument support module 100 may be implemented by one or more computing devices. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a computing device 300 that may perform some or all of the scientific instrument support methods disclosed herein, in accordance with various embodiments. In some embodiments, the scientific instrument support module 100 may be implemented by a single computing device 300 or by multiple computing devices 300. Further, as discussed below, a computing device 300 (or multiple computing devices 300) that implements the scientific instrument support module 100 may be part of one or more of the scientific instrument 410, the user local computing device 420, the service local computing device 430, or the remote computing device 440 of FIG. 4.

[0038] The computing device 300 of FIG. 3 is illustrated as having a number of components, but any one or more of these components may be omitted or duplicated, as suitable for the application and setting. In some embodiments, some or all of the components included in the computing device 300 may be attached to one or more motherboards and enclosed in a housing (e.g., including plastic, metal, and / or other materials). In some embodiments, some these components may be fabricated onto a single system-on-a-chip (SoC) (e.g., an SoC may include one or more processing devices 310 and one or more storage devices 320). Additionally, in various embodiments, the computing device 300 may not include one or more of the components illustrated in FIG. 3, but may include interface circuitry (not shown) for coupling to the one or more components using any suitable interface (e.g., a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) interface, a Controller Area Network (CAN) interface, a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) interface, an Ethernet interface, a wireless interface, or any other appropriate interface) . For example, the computing device 300 may not include a display device 350, but may include display device interface circuitry (e.g., a connector and driver circuitry) to which a display device 350 may be coupled.

[0039] The computing device 300 may include a processing device 310 (e.g., one or more processing devices). As used herein, the term "processing device" may refer to any device or portion of a device that processes electronic data from registers and / or memory to transform that electronic data into other electronic data that may be stored in registers and / or memory. Theprocessing device 310 (e.g., electronic processor(s)) may include one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), cryptoprocessors (specialized processors that execute cryptographic algorithms within hardware), server processors, or any other suitable processing devices.

[0040] The computing device 300 may include a storage device 320 (e.g., one or more storage devices). The storage device 320 may include one or more memory devices such as randomaccess memory (RAM) (e.g., static RAM (SRAM) devices, magnetic RAM (MRAM) devices, dynamic RAM (DRAM) devices, resistive RAM (RRAM) devices, or conductive-bridging RAM (CBRAM) devices), hard drive-based memory devices, solid-state memory devices, networked drives, cloud drives, or any combination of memory devices. In some embodiments, the storage device 304 may include memory that shares a die with a processing device 310. In such an embodiment, the memory may be used as cache memory and may include embedded dynamic random-access memory (eDRAM) or spin transfer torque magnetic random-access memory (STT-MRAM), for example. In some embodiments, the storage device 320 may include non- transitory computer readable media having instructions thereon that, when executed by one or more processing devices (e.g., the processing device 320), cause the computing device 300 to perform any appropriate ones of or portions of the methods disclosed herein.

[0041] The computing device 300 may include an interface device 330 (e.g., one or more interface devices 330). The interface device 330 may include one or more communication chips, connectors, and / or other hardware and software to govern communications between the computing device 300 and other computing devices. For example, the interface device 330 may include circuitry for managing wireless communications for the transfer of data to and from the computing device 300. The term "wireless" and its derivatives may be used to describe circuits, devices, systems, methods, techniques, communications channels, etc., that may communicate data through the use of modulated electromagnetic radiation through a nonsolid medium. The term does not imply that the associated devices do not contain any wires, although in some embodiments they might not. Circuitry included in the interface device 330 for managing wireless communications may implement any of a number of wireless standards or protocols, including but not limited to Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) standards including Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 family), IEEE 802.16 standards (e.g., IEEE 802.16-2005Amendment), Long-Term Evolution (LTE) project along with any amendments, updates, and / or revisions (e.g., advanced LTE project, ultra mobile broadband (UMB) project (also referred to as "3GPP2"), etc.). In some embodiments, circuitry included in the interface device 330 for managing wireless communications may operate in accordance with a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Evolved HSPA (E- HSPA), or LTE network. In some embodiments, circuitry included in the interface device 330 for managing wireless communications may operate in accordance with Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), or Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN). In some embodiments, circuitry included in the interface device 306 for managing wireless communications may operate in accordance with Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT), Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), and derivatives thereof, as well as any other wireless protocols that are designated as 3G, 4G, 5G, and beyond. In some embodiments, the interface device 330 may include one or more antennas (e.g., one or more antenna arrays) to receipt and / or transmission of wireless communications.

[0042] In some embodiments, the interface device 330 may include circuitry for managing wired communications, such as electrical, optical, or any other suitable communication protocols. For example, the interface device 330 may include circuitry to support communications in accordance with Ethernet technologies. In some embodiments, the interface device 330 may support both wireless and wired communication, and / or may support multiple wired communication protocols and / or multiple wireless communication protocols. For example, a first set of circuitry of the interface device 330 may be dedicated to shorter-range wireless communications such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, and a second set of circuitry of the interface device 330 may be dedicated to longer-range wireless communications such as global positioning system (GPS), EDGE, GPRS, CDMA, WiMAX, LTE, EV-DO, or others. In some embodiments, a first set of circuitry of the interface device 330 may be dedicated to wireless communications, and a second set of circuitry of the interface device 330 may be dedicated to wired communications.

[0043] The computing device 300 may include battery / power circuitry 340. The battery / power circuitry 340 may include one or more energy storage devices (e.g., batteries or capacitors) and / or circuitry for coupling components of the computing device 300 to an energy source separate from the computing device 300 (e.g., AC line power).

[0044] The computing device 300 may include a display device 350 (e.g., multiple display devices). The display device 350 may include any visual indicators, such as a heads-up display, a computer monitor, a projector, a touchscreen display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a lightemitting diode display, or a flat panel display.

[0045] The computing device 300 may include other input / output (I / O) devices 360. The other I / O devices 360 may include one or more audio output devices (e.g., speakers, headsets, earbuds, alarms, etc.), one or more audio input devices (e.g., microphones or microphone arrays), location devices (e.g., GPS devices in communication with a satellite-based system to receive a location of the computing device 300, as known in the art), audio codecs, video codecs, printers, sensors (e.g., thermocouples or other temperature sensors, humidity sensors, pressure sensors, vibration sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, etc.), image capture devices such as cameras, keyboards, cursor control devices such as a mouse, a stylus, a trackball, or a touchpad, bar code readers, Quick Response (QR) code readers, or radio frequency identification (RFID) readers, for example.

[0046] The computing device 300 may have any suitable form factor for its application and setting, such as a handheld or mobile computing device (e.g., a cell phone, a smart phone, a mobile internet device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook computer, an ultrabook computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), an ultra mobile personal computer, etc.), a desktop computing device, or a server computing device or other networked computing component.

[0047] One or more computing devices implementing any of the scientific instrument support modules or methods disclosed herein may be part of a scientific instrument support system. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example scientific instrument support system 400 in which some or all of the scientific instrument support methods disclosed herein may be performed, in accordance with various embodiments. The scientific instrument support modules and methods disclosed herein (e.g., the scientific instrument support module 100 of FIG. 1 and the method 700 of FIG.7, the method 800 of FIG. 8, and the method 900 of FIG. 9) may be implemented by one or more of the scientific instruments 410, the user local computing device 420, the service localcomputing device 430, or the remote computing device 440 of the scientific instrument support system 400.

[0048] Any of the scientific instrument 410, the user local computing device 420, the service local computing device 430, or the remote computing device 440 may include any of the embodiments of the computing device 300 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 3, and any of the scientific instrument 410, the user local computing device 420, the service local computing device 430, or the remote computing device 440 may take the form of any appropriate ones of the embodiments of the computing device 300 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 3.

[0049] The scientific instrument 410, the user local computing device 420, the service local computing device 430, or the remote computing device 440 may each include a processing device 402, a storage device 404, and an interface device 406. The processing device 402 may take any suitable form, including the form of any of the processing devices 402 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 4, and the processing devices 402 included in different ones of the scientific instrument 410, the user local computing device 420, the service local computing device 430, or the remote computing device 440 may take the same form or different forms. The storage device 404 may take any suitable form, including the form of any of the storage devices 404 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 4, and the storage devices 404 included in different ones of the scientific instrument 410, the user local computing device 420, the service local computing device 430, or the remote computing device 440 may take the same form or different forms. The interface device 406 may take any suitable form, including the form of any of the interface devices 406 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 4, and the interface devices 406 included in different ones of the scientific instrument 410, the user local computing device 420, the service local computing device 430, or the remote computing device 440 may take the same form or different forms.

[0050] The scientific instrument 410, the user local computing device 420, the service local computing device 430, and the remote computing device 440 may be in communication with other elements of the scientific instrument support system 400 via communication pathways 408. The communication pathways 408 may communicatively couple the interface devices 406 of different ones of the elements of the scientific instrument support system 400, as shown, and may be wired or wireless communication pathways (e.g., in accordance with any of the communication techniques discussed herein with reference to the interface devices 306 of thecomputing device 300 of FIG. 3). The particular scientific instrument support system 400 depicted in FIG. 4 includes communication pathways between each pair of the scientific instrument 410, the user local computing device 420, the service local computing device 430, and the remote computing device 440, but this “fully connected” implementation is simply illustrative, and in various embodiments, various ones of the communication pathways 408 may be absent. For example, in some embodiments, a service local computing device 430 may not have a direct communication pathway 408 between its interface device 406 and the interface device 406 of the scientific instrument 410, but may instead communicate with the scientific instrument 410 via the communication pathway 408 between the service local computing device 430 and the user local computing device 420 and the communication pathway 408 between the user local computing device 420 and the scientific instrument 410. The scientific instrument 410 may include any appropriate scientific instrument, such as an ion chromatograph, a gas chromatograph, a liquid chromatograph, a mass spectrometer, and / or the like.

[0051] The user local computing device 420 may be a computing device (e.g., in accordance with any of the embodiments of the computing device 300 discussed herein) that is local to a user of the scientific instrument 410. In some embodiments, the user local computing device 420 may also be local to the scientific instrument 410, but this need not be the case; for example, a user local computing device 420 that is in a user’s home or office may be remote from, but in communication with, the scientific instrument 410 so that the user may use the user local computing device 420 to control and / or access data from the scientific instrument 410. In some embodiments, the user local computing device 420 may be a laptop, smartphone, or tablet device. In some embodiments the user local computing device 420 may be a portable computing device. In some embodiments, the user local computing device 420 may generate a graphical user interface (e.g., 200 of FIG. 2).

[0052] The service local computing device 430 may be a computing device (e.g., in accordance with any of the embodiments of the computing device 4000 discussed herein) that is local to an entity that services the scientific instrument 410. For example, the service local computing device 430 may be local to a manufacturer of the scientific instrument 410 or to a third-party service company. In some embodiments, the service local computing device 430 may communicate with the scientific instrument 410, the user local computing device 420, and / or the remote computing device 440 (e.g., via a direct communication pathway 408 or via multiple“indirect” communication pathways 408, as discussed above) to receive data regarding the operation of the scientific instrument 410, the user local computing device 420, and / or the remote computing device 440 (e.g., the results of self-tests of the scientific instrument 410, calibration coefficients used by the scientific instrument 410, the measurements of sensors associated with the scientific instrument 410, etc.). In some embodiments, the service local computing device 430 may communicate with the scientific instrument 410, the user local computing device 420, and / or the remote computing device 440 (e.g., via a direct communication pathway 408 or via multiple “indirect” communication pathways 408, as discussed above) to transmit data to the scientific instrument 410, the user local computing device 420, and / or the remote computing device 440 (e.g., to update programmed instructions, such as firmware, in the scientific instrument 410, to initiate the performance of test or calibration sequences in the scientific instrument 410, to update programmed instructions, such as software, in the user local computing device 420 or the remote computing device 440, etc.). A user of the scientific instrument 410 may utilize the scientific instrument 410 or the user local computing device 420 to communicate with the service local computing device 430 to report a problem with the scientific instrument 410 or the user local computing device 420, to request a visit from a technician to improve the operation of the scientific instrument 410, to order consumables or replacement parts associated with the scientific instrument 410, or for other purposes.

[0053] The remote computing device 440 may be a computing device (e.g., in accordance with any of the embodiments of the computing device 400 discussed herein) that is remote from the scientific instrument 410 and / or from the user local computing device 420. In some embodiments, the remote computing device 440 may be included in a datacenter or other large- scale server environment. In some embodiments, the remote computing device 440 may include network-attached storage (e.g., as part of the storage device 404). The remote computing device 440 may store data generated by the scientific instrument 410, perform analyses of the data generated by the scientific instrument 410 (e.g., in accordance with programmed instructions), facilitate communication between the user local computing device 420 and the scientific instrument 410, and / or facilitate communication between the service local computing device 430 and the scientific instrument 410.

[0054] In some embodiments, one or more of the elements of the scientific instrument support system 400 illustrated in FIG. 4 may not be present. Further, in some embodiments, multiple ones of various ones of the elements of the scientific instrument support system 400 of FIG. 4 may be present. For example, a scientific instrument support system 400 may include multiple user local computing devices 420 (e.g., different user local computing devices 420 associated with different users or in different locations). In another example, a scientific instrument support system 400 may include multiple scientific instruments 410, all in communication with service local computing device 430 and / or a remote computing device 440; in such an embodiment, the service local computing device 430 may monitor these multiple scientific instruments 410, and the service local computing device 430 may cause updates or other information may be “broadcast” to multiple scientific instruments 410 at the same time. Different ones of the scientific instruments 410 in a scientific instrument support system 400 may be located close to one another (e.g., in the same room) or farther from one another (e.g., on different floors of a building, in different buildings, in different cities, etc.). In some embodiments, a scientific instrument 410 may be connected to an Intemet-of-Things (loT) stack that allows for command and control of the scientific instrument 410 through a web-based application, a virtual or augmented reality application, a mobile application, and / or a desktop application. Any of these applications may be accessed by a user operating the user local computing device 420 in communication with the scientific instrument 410 by the intervening remote computing device 440. In some embodiments, a scientific instrument 410 may be sold by the manufacturer along with one or more associated user local computing devices 420 as part of a local scientific instrument computing unit 412.

[0055] In some embodiments, different ones of the scientific instruments 410 included in a scientific instrument support system 400 may be different types of scientific instruments 410; for example, one scientific instrument 410 may be a chromatograph, while another scientific instrument 410 may be a mass spectrometer. Two or more scientific instruments such as a chromatograph and a mass spectrometer may be physically linked together through a fluid interface. In some such embodiments, the remote computing device 440 and / or the user local computing device 420 may combine data from different types of scientific instruments 410 included in a scientific instrument support system 400.

[0056] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an exemplary autosampler 500 used with the scientific instruments 410 to retrieve samples from sample containers 502. In the example illustrated, the sample containers 502 are vials. In other examples, the sample containers 502 includes other types of containers. A plurality of sample containers is loaded onto a sample tray 504, which is in turn loaded into the autosampler 500. The autosampler 500 generally includes a carousel 506 or tray support, a container gripper assembly 508 for individually handing the sample containers 502, a gantry 510 to maneuver the container gripper assembly 508, a wireless tag antenna 512 for scanning a wireless tag on the sample container 502, and a computing device 514 for controlling the carousel 506, the gripper assembly 508, the gantry 510, and the wireless tag antenna 512. The computing device 514 may include any of the embodiments of the computing device 300 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 3 and may take the form of any appropriate ones of the embodiments of the computing device 300 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 3.

[0057] The carousel 506 may rotate the sample trays 504 to and from a loading position adjacent the gripper assembly 508. The gripper assembly 508 may be configured to selectively grip, lift, and rotate a respective sample container 502 such that the container can be scanned by the wireless tag antenna 512. The wireless tag antenna 512 may include an RFID scanner, an NFC scanner, and / or the like configured to communicate with a tag provided on the sample container 502. FIG. 5 illustrates one example configuration of an autosampler 500 to provide context to the present disclosure. Various different configurations of the autosampler 500 with differing features, for example, without sample trays 504, with a different gripper assembly 508, or the like may also be used without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0058] The autosampler 500 may include a sampling needle assembly 516 that is fluidly connected to a scientific instrument 410 for example, a chromatograph to analyze the constituents of the samples within the sample containers 502. The sampling needle assembly 516 may include a sample injection value 518 to introduce samples to a downstream chromatograph that contains chromatography column 520 and / or a detector 522. The wireless tag antenna 512 may be provided on the sampling needle assembly 516 such that the wireless tag antenna 512 can be transported closer to the sample container 502 for scanning. For example, the wireless tag antenna 512 is provided at a bottom end of the sampling needle assembly 516 along a horizontal level of the bottom portion of the needle. In one example, the computing device 514 may include a wireless read / write controller that uses the wireless tag antenna 512 toread information from and write information to a wireless tag 610. In another example, the wireless read / write controller may be provided with the wireless tag antenna 512. For example, the antenna 512 may be part of an integrated circuit including the wireless read / write controller. The wireless tag antenna 512 may be configured to communicate with the wireless tag 610 at a frequency of, for example, between 10 MHz and 15 MHz (e.g., 13.56 MHz). In other examples, the wireless tag antenna 512 may be provided at other locations in the autosampler 500, for example, adjacent the gripper assembly 508.

[0059] The autosampler 500 may have a different configuration of sampling needle assembly 516 based on the scientific instrument supported by the autosampler 500. When loading the autosampler 500 with sample containers 502, the user may use an application for the scientific instrument 410 to select the particular workflow performed on each of the loaded samples. For example, a user may select the workflow for each position within the autosampler 500 in Chromeleon™ chromatography data system (CDS) or other software platform.

[0060] FIG. 6A illustrates an example circular wireless tag 610A for placement around the sample container 502. In some embodiments, the circular wireless tag 610A is placed around the neck of the container 502 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 6C). In some embodiments, the circular wireless tag 610A may be reused from a previous sample container 502.

[0061] FIG. 6B illustrates an example chip wireless tag 610B for placement on the sample container 502. In some embodiments, the chip wireless tag 610B is placed on the cap 640 of the sample container 502. In some embodiments, the chip wireless tag 610B includes a microcontroller 830. The microcontroller 630 may store information on the chip in regard to sample and workflow information. In some embodiments, the chip wireless tag 610B may be reused from a previous sample container 502.

[0062] FIG. 6C is a simplified example of a sample vial container 502. The sample container 502 may include the circular wireless tag 610A, the cap 640, and a body 650. In some embodiments, the circular wireless tag 610A may be replaced with the chip wireless tag 610B on the cap 640. The cap 640 has a circular apparatus in the middle indicating where the needle assembly 516 may go to aspirate samples from the sample container 502. The body 650 is used to hold the samples.

[0063] The circular wireless tag 610A and the chip wireless tag 610B may be singularly referred to as a wireless tag 610. In some examples, the wireless tag 610 is a passive component with notactive components that need a battery or power supply. The wireless tags 610 may be RFID tags, NFC tags, and / or the like. In one example, the wireless tag 610 may be both an RFID and NFC tag. In one example, the wireless tag 610 is made up of screen-printed circuit lines around an integrated circuit. The screen-printed circular lines will act as an antenna for the wireless tag 610 and will be powered only when a wireless tag reader / writer antenna (e.g., the wireless tag antenna 512) is within a wireless range. When in the wireless range information may be read from or written to the wireless tag 610. In one example, a unique ID may be read or written to the wireless tag using the wireless tag antenna 512 along with the sample information. In some examples, the sample container 502 also includes a printed barcode on the container, which may act as a unique identifier for the sample container 502 and / or the wireless tag 610. In these examples, a barcode reader may be provided separately or integrated with the wireless tag antenna 512 to scan the barcode. In other examples, an optical character recognition (OCR) reader may be provided separately or integrated with the wireless tag antenna 512 to read characters on the sample container 502. For example, the OCR reader may be used to read handwritten information from the sample container 502.

[0064] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an example method for populating sample information for a sample container 502, in accordance with various embodiments. Although the operations of the method 700 may be illustrated with reference to particular embodiments disclosed herein (e.g., the scientific instrument support module 100 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 1, the GUI 200 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 2, the computing devices 300 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 3, the scientific instrument support system 400 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 4, and / or the autosampler 500 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 5), the method 700 is used in any suitable setting to perform any suitable support operations. Operations are illustrated once each and in a particular order in FIG. 7, but the operations may be reordered and / or repeated as desired and appropriate (e.g., different operations performed may be performed in parallel, as suitable). Additionally, sample information may be populated using other methods.

[0065] At 710, the method 700 includes scanning a wireless tag 610. The method 700 may be performed prior to placing the samples in the autosampler 500. Each sample container 502 (e.g., empty sample container 502) may be scanned prior to placing the sample in the sample container 502. In one example, a wireless tag reader / writer may be provided with any of the computingdevices 420, 430, 440. The wireless tag reader / writer may be used to scan the wireless tag 610. In other example, the wireless tag antenna 512 of the autosampler 500 may be used to scan the wireless tag 610. In yet other example, an additional wireless tag reader / writer may be provided with the autosampler 500 to scan the wireless tag 610. In some examples, a barcode or handwritten code on the sample container 502 may also be read. Scanning the wireless tag 610 allows a sample container 502 to be identified and later associated with a sample that is placed in the sample container 502.

[0066] At 720, the method 700 includes generating a GUI for collecting sample information. For example, the sample manager logic 120 of a scientific instrument support module 100 performs the operations of 720. Generating a GUI includes using the user local computing device to generate a GUI such as 200 from FIG. 2. The GUI includes various fields for collecting the sample information relating to the sample of the scanned sample container 502. The fields may include, for example, the sample name, the date the sample was obtained, the date the results are due, the class of the sample, and / or the like. The sample information may be collected before or after placing the sample in the scanned sample container 502. In one example, the wireless tag 610 of the sample container 502 may be scanned after placing the sample in the sample container and / or after receiving the sample information. In one example, the GUI is generated in response to scanning the wireless tag 610 of the sample container.

[0067] At 730, the method includes receiving, via the GUI, the sample information corresponding to the sample. The sample information may be input using the GUI. The sample manager logic 120 of the scientific instrument support module 100 performs the operations of 730.

[0068] At 740, the method 700 includes correlating sample information with an identifier of the wireless tag 610. The sample manager logic 120 of the scientific instrument support module 100 performs the operations of 730. In one example, the sample information is correlated with the identifier of the wireless tag 610 by writing the sample information into the wireless tag 610. At the same time, the sample information may be stored in the sample database correlating the sample information with an identifier of the wireless tag 610. In some examples, an additional barcode scanner or OCR scanner may be used to scan a barcode or handwritten code on the sample container. The scanned barcode information and / or the handwritten information may also be written to the wireless tag 610.

[0069] Prior to a run of the autosampler 500, sample information for all of the samples for the run may be collected and written and / or stored using the method 700. The sample containers 502 are then placed in the sample trays 504 for the run.

[0070] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an example method 800 for scientific instrument support, in accordance with various embodiments. Although the operations of the method 800 may be illustrated with reference to particular embodiments disclosed herein (e.g., the scientific instrument support module 100 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 1, the GUI 200 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 2, the computing devices 300 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 3, the scientific instrument support system 400 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 4, and / or the autosampler 500 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 5), the method 800 is used in any suitable setting to perform any suitable support operations. Operations are illustrated once each and in a particular order in FIG. 8, but the operations may be reordered and / or repeated as desired and appropriate (e.g., different operations performed may be performed in parallel, as suitable).

[0071] At 810, the method 800 includes scanning, using the wireless tag antenna 512, a plurality of sample containers received in an autosampler 500. Once the sample information is collected and written to the wireless tags 610 of the sample containers 502, the sample containers 502 are placed in trays 504 of the autosampler 500. An initial scan may be performed by the autosampler 500 prior to running the autosampling process, i.e., prior to aspirating samples from the plurality of sample containers 502. In one example, the initial scan may be performed in response to a user input. For example, a user may press a scan button on the autosampler to scan the plurality of sample containers 502. The autosampler 500 may move the wireless tag antenna 512 (e.g., the sampling needle assembly 516 or the gripper assembly 508) over each sample container 502 to scan the wireless tag 610 of each sample container 502. The autosampler 500 retrieves the stored information in the wireless tags 610 when scanning the wireless tags 610.

[0072] At 820, the method 800 includes determining position information of the plurality of sample containers 502 based on the scanning of the plurality of sample containers 502. The trays 504 of the autosampler 500 may be indexed to denote the position of each of the sample containers. For example, each tray 504 may be assigned a color and each sample container compartment on the tray 504 may be assigned a number. In this example, the position information of a scanned sample container 502 corresponds to the color assigned the sample tray504 and the number of the compartment where the sample container 502 is placed (e.g. Red 4, Blue 12, etc.). The autosampler 500 may store the position information for each sample corresponding to the sample information in a sample database. In some examples, the position information may also be written to the wireless tag 610 of the sample container 502. This stored information may be referred to when running workflows on the samples in the autosampler 500.

[0073] At 830, the method includes drawing, using the autosampler 500, samples from the plurality of sample containers based on the position information. The autosampler 500 may receive an instruction to run an experiment on the samples. The autosampler 500 refers to the stored position information and operates the sampling needle assembly 516 to draw samples from the corresponding sample containers 502 to run the experiments. In one example, the autosampler 500 may also receive workflow information for the plurality of sample containers 502. The autosampler 500 may draw the samples from the plurality of autosampler based on both the workflow information and the position information. By running the method 800, the autosampler 500 may run efficiently and avoid human errors in recording the position information as noted above. This results in significant time savings and helps run experiments with a lower volume of the samples.

[0074] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an example method 900 for scientific instrument support, in accordance with various embodiments. Although the operations of the method 900 may be illustrated with reference to particular embodiments disclosed herein (e.g., the scientific instrument support module 100 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 1, the GUI 200 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 2, the computing devices 300 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 3, the scientific instrument support system 400 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 4, and / or the autosampler 500 discussed herein with reference to FIG. 5), the method 900 is used in any suitable setting to perform any suitable support operations. Operations are illustrated once each and in a particular order in FIG. 9, but the operations may be reordered and / or repeated as desired and appropriate (e.g., different operations performed may be performed in parallel, as suitable).

[0075] At 910, the method 900 includes determining a level of the sample in the sample container 502. As discussed above in method 800, the autosampler 500 draws samples from the plurality of sample containers 502 based on position information. The autosampler 500 also determine a level of the sample remaining in the sample container 502 after a draw. Thisinformation is useful when the same sample is being used for multiple experiments or workflows. The autosampler 500 may determine the level by subtracting the amount of sample aspirated from the previous level of the sample in the sample container 502.

[0076] At 920, the method 900 includes writing, using the autosampler 500, the level in the wireless tag 610 of the sample container 502. The autosampler 500 writes the level information in the wireless tag 610. The level may be updated after each draw from the sample container 502, for example, when the sample from the sample container 502 is used for multiple experiments or workflows. In some examples, the autosampler 500 may compare the detected level to a threshold. The threshold is, for example, a minimum level for conducting an experiment. The autosampler 500 may generate an alert, for example, on a GUI of the autosampler or another device to indicate that the sample level in the sample container 502 is low and no further experiment or workflows can be performed using the sample in the sample container 502.

[0077] The following paragraphs provide various examples of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0078] Example 1. A method for scientific instrument support, comprising: scanning, using a wireless tag antenna, a plurality of sample containers received in an autosampler; determining, using the autosampler, position information of the plurality of sample containers based on the scanning of the plurality of sample containers; and drawing, using the autosampler, samples from the plurality of sample containers based on the position information.

[0079] Example 2. The method of Example 1, further comprising: receiving, using the autosampler, workflow information for the plurality of sample containers, wherein drawing the samples from the plurality of sample containers is further based on the workflow information.

[0080] Example 3. The method of any of Examples 1-2, further comprising: scanning a wireless tag of a sample container of the plurality of sample containers prior to receiving of the sample container in the autosampler; and generating a graphical user interface including fields corresponding to sample information of a sample in response to scanning the wireless tag of the sample container.

[0081] Example 4. The method of Example 3, further comprising: receiving, via the graphical user interface, sample information corresponding to the sample; and correlating the sample information with an identifier of the wireless tag.

[0082] Example 5. The method of Example 4, further comprising writing the sample information to the wireless tag.

[0083] Example 6. The method of Example 4, further comprising: scanning barcode information on the sample container; and writing the barcode information to the wireless tag.

[0084] Example 7. The method of any of Examples 1-6, wherein drawing samples from the plurality of sample containers includes drawing a sample from a sample container of the plurality of sample container, the method further comprising: determining a level of the sample in the sample container; and writing the level in a wireless tag of the sample container.

[0085] Example 8. The method of Example 7, further comprising: generating, on a graphical user interface, an alert when the level of the sample falls below a threshold.

[0086] Example 9. The method of any of Examples 1-8, wherein the wireless tag is an RFID tag.

[0087] Example 10. The method of any of Examples 1-8, wherein the wireless tag is a near field communication (NFC) tag.

[0088] Example 11. The method of any of Examples 1-8, wherein the wireless tag antenna operates at a frequency of between 10 MHz and 15 MHz.

[0089] Example 12. A scientific instrument support apparatus comprising: an autosampler logic configured to scan, using a wireless tag antenna, a plurality of sample containers received in an autosampler; determine position information of the plurality of sample containers based on the scanning of the plurality of sample containers; and draw samples from the plurality of sample containers based on the position information.

[0090] Example 13. The scientific instrument support apparatus of Example 12, wherein the autosampler logic is further configured to receive workflow information for the plurality of sample containers, wherein drawing the samples from the plurality of sample containers is further based on the workflow information.

[0091] Example 14. The scientific instrument support apparatus of any of Examples 12-13, wherein drawing samples from the plurality of sample containers includes drawing a sample from a sample container of the plurality of sample container and wherein the autosampler logic is further configured to determine a level of the sample in the sample container; and write the level in a wireless tag of the sample container.

[0092] Example 15. The scientific instrument support apparatus of Example 14, wherein the autosampler logic is further configured to generating, on a graphical user interface, an alert when the level of the sample falls below a threshold.

[0093] Example 16. An autosampler for a scientific instrument comprising: a tray configured to receive a plurality of sample container; a sampling needle assembly configured to draw samples from the plurality of sample container; a wireless tag antenna adjacent the sampling needle assembly; and a computing device electrically coupled to the wireless tag antenna and configured to: scan, using the wireless tag antenna, the plurality of sample containers; determine position information of the plurality of sample containers based on the scanning of the plurality of sample containers; and draw, using the needle assembly, samples from the plurality of sample containers based on the position information.

[0094] Example 17. The autosampler of Example 16, wherein the computing device is further configured to receive workflow information for the plurality of sample containers, wherein drawing the samples from the plurality of sample containers is further based on the workflow information.

[0095] Example 18. The autosampler of any of Examples 16-17, wherein the computing device is further configured to draw, using the needle assembly, a sample from a sample container of the plurality of sample containers; determine a level of the sample in the sample container; and write, using the wireless tag antenna, the level in a wireless tag of the sample container.

[0096] Example 19. The autosampler of Example 18, wherein the computing device is further configured to generate, on a graphical user interface, an alert when the level of the sample falls below a threshold.

[0097] Example 20. The autosampler of Example 18, wherein the wireless tag antenna is a near field communication (NFC) scanner.

Claims

Claims1. A method for scientific instrument support, comprising: scanning, using a wireless tag antenna, a plurality of sample containers received in an autosampler; determining, using the autosampler, position information of the plurality of sample containers based on the scanning of the plurality of sample containers; and drawing, using the autosampler, samples from the plurality of sample containers based on the position information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, using the autosampler, workflow information for the plurality of sample containers, wherein drawing the samples from the plurality of sample containers is further based on the workflow information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: scanning a wireless tag of a sample container of the plurality of sample containers prior to receiving of the sample container in the autosampler; and generating a graphical user interface including fields corresponding to sample information of a sample in response to scanning the wireless tag of the sample container.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: receiving, via the graphical user interface, sample information corresponding to the sample; and correlating the sample information with an identifier of the wireless tag.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising writing the sample information to the wireless tag.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising: scanning barcode information on the sample container; and writing the barcode information to the wireless tag.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein drawing samples from the plurality of sample containers includes drawing a sample from a sample container of the plurality of sample container, the method further comprising: determining a level of the sample in the sample container; and writing the level in a wireless tag of the sample container.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: generating, on a graphical user interface, an alert when the level of the sample falls below a threshold.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless tag is an RFID tag.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless tag is a near field communication (NFC) tag.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless tag antenna operates at a frequency of between 10 MHz and 15 MHz.

12. A scientific instrument support apparatus comprising: an autosampler logic configured to scan, using a wireless tag antenna, a plurality of sample containers received in an autosampler; determine position information of the plurality of sample containers based on the scanning of the plurality of sample containers; and draw samples from the plurality of sample containers based on the position information.

13. The scientific instrument support apparatus of claim 12, wherein the autosampler logic is further configured toreceive workflow information for the plurality of sample containers, wherein drawing the samples from the plurality of sample containers is further based on the workflow information.

14. The scientific instrument support apparatus of claim 12, wherein drawing samples from the plurality of sample containers includes drawing a sample from a sample container of the plurality of sample container and wherein the autosampler logic is further configured to determine a level of the sample in the sample container; and write the level in a wireless tag of the sample container.

15. The scientific instrument support apparatus of claim 14, wherein the autosampler logic is further configured to generating, on a graphical user interface, an alert when the level of the sample falls below a threshold.

16. An autosampler for a scientific instrument comprising: a tray configured to receive a plurality of sample container; a sampling needle assembly configured to draw samples from the plurality of sample container; a wireless tag antenna adjacent the sampling needle assembly; and a computing device electrically coupled to the wireless tag antenna and configured to: scan, using the wireless tag antenna, the plurality of sample containers; determine position information of the plurality of sample containers based on the scanning of the plurality of sample containers; and draw, using the needle assembly, samples from the plurality of sample containers based on the position information.

17. The autosampler of claim 16, wherein the computing device is further configured to receive workflow information for the plurality of sample containers, wherein drawing the samples from the plurality of sample containers is further based on the workflow information.

18. The autosampler of claim 16, wherein the computing device is further configured todraw, using the needle assembly, a sample from a sample container of the plurality of sample containers; determine a level of the sample in the sample container; and write, using the wireless tag antenna, the level in a wireless tag of the sample container.

19. The autosampler of claim 18, wherein the computing device is further configured to generate, on a graphical user interface, an alert when the level of the sample falls below a threshold.

20. The autosampler of claim 18, wherein the wireless tag antenna is a near field communication (NFC) scanner.

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