Incubator Schedule Management Preventing Observation Overlaps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing incubators with temperature-controlled rooms face challenges in preventing overlap of observing schedules for multiple incubation containers, leading to inefficiencies and reduced availability for automated sample observation.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a system within the incubator that includes a temperature-controlled room, an imaging section, a carrying mechanism, a controlling section, a memory for data storage, and a schedule management section to calculate and display non-overlapping registrable time zones for observing schedules, ensuring that sample observations can be executed without schedule conflicts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If automated observation of multiple incubation containers is implemented, then productivity is improved, but schedule overlap occurs reducing device availability
Solution Approach 1:
The schedule management section performs preliminary scheduling calculations before execution to determine non-overlapping time zones for observing multiple incubation containers. By calculating and registering schedules in advance, the system prevents schedule conflicts before they occur, ensuring reliable execution while maintaining high productivity
2Ease of operation
If observing schedule is registered without preliminary calculation, then ease of operation is improved, but schedule overlap occurs reducing productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The schedule management section automatically calculates observing durations based on stored imaging data and carrying time data, and autonomously determines non-overlapping time zones without requiring manual calculation by the user. This self-service approach maintains ease of operation while preventing schedule conflicts that would reduce productivity
3Device complexity
If observing duration is not calculated from imaging conditions, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-stores imaging duration data and carrying time data in memory before schedule registration. When a schedule is registered, the schedule management section retrieves these pre-stored values and combines them to calculate the total observing duration, eliminating the need for complex real-time calculations while ensuring precise duration measurement
Data Source
AI summary
An input section of an incubator accepts, from a user, a first input selecting a specified incubation container which registers an observing schedule, and a second input specifying an imaging condition of the specified incubation container in an observing sequence. A calculating section calculates, according to the above-mentioned imaging condition, an observing duration of the specified incubation container from a first data relating to a carrying period of an incubation container and a second data with regard to an imaging duration. A schedule management section extracts, based on a schedule data, a registrable time zone in which an observing sequence of the specified incubation container can be executed without overlapping with previously registered observing schedules, and outputs to display the registrable time zone for presentation to the user.