Chromatography configuration interface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10489036-B2
Application number	US-201514883329-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 14, 2015
Priority date	Nov 14, 2011
Publication date	Nov 26, 2019
Grant date	Nov 26, 2019

Abstract

Systems and methods that facilitate the setup and visualization of a configurable process, for example a chromatography experiment to be conducted using a configurable chromatography system. A user interface displays category regions representing sections of a process, and displays a plurality of selectable items representing components appropriate for placement in the category regions. A user interface control causes selection of one of the selectable items and placement of the selected item into one of the category regions, to define a selected process configuration. The user interface control may be a scrolling control that causes a set of selectable items appropriate for placement in the respective category region to scroll through the category region. When the computer displaying the user interface is also connected to the system being configured, the user interface may also facilitate setup, monitoring, and control of the resulting process.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a plurality of modules, each module comprising a fluid manipulation component and a visual indicator;
a computer system in communication with the plurality of modules, the computer system programmed to:
receive a specification of a fluidic scheme including specifications of items within the fluidic scheme and specifications of connections between the items in the fluidic scheme;
map at least some of the plurality of modules to the items in the fluidic scheme;
receive an indication of a particular connection between two particular items in the fluidic scheme; and
cause the visual indicators of two of the fluid manipulation components mapped to the two particular items in the fluidic scheme to be activated, to indicate where tubing should be connected between the two fluid manipulation components to physically implement the indicated particular connection.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the visual indicators is a light source that emits light when activated.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer system is further programmed interrogate the plurality of modules to identify the fluid manipulation components present in the system.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the computer system is further programmed to recognize that no fluid manipulation component is present corresponding to a particular item in the fluidic scheme, and to notify a user of the system that no fluid manipulation component is present corresponding to the particular item in the fluidic scheme.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer system displays a graphical representation of the fluidic scheme in a graphical user interface, including graphical representations of the items in the fluidic scheme and connections between the items in the fluidic scheme.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the indication of the particular connection between the two particular items in the fluidic scheme is received via a mouse click on the graphical representation of the particular connection in the graphical user interface.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the specification of the fluidic scheme is received via placement of the items in the fluidic scheme in category regions within the graphical user interface.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the system, once configured, performs high performance liquid chromatography, and wherein the category regions correspond to sections of a high performance liquid chromatography process.

9. The system of claim 5 , wherein the computer system further displays a tabular list of connections required between modules to physically implement the fluidic scheme.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the tabular list indicates which connections have been physically implemented and which have not.

11. The system of claim 5 , wherein the computer system is further programmed to:
receive an indication that the particular connection has been made between the two fluid manipulation components mapped to the two particular items in the fluidic scheme; and
change the representation of the particular connection in the graphical user interface to indicate that the connection has been physically implemented.

12. The system of claim 5 , wherein the computer system is further programmed to, after all required connections are made between the modules and the system is in operation:
receive operational status information from one or more of the modules; and
display the status information in the graphical user interface depicting the fluidic scheme.

13. The system of claim 5 , wherein the graphical user interface further includes clickable selections enabling a user of the system to control the operation of the system once configured.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the graphical user interface includes clickable selections enabling the user of the system to direct the system to perform one or more control tasks selected from the set consisting of start a pump, stop a pump, dispense sample, adjust a pressure within the system, and adjust a flow rate within the system.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system, once configured, performs high performance liquid chromatography.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein respective visual indicators are activated in turn to indicate where tubing should be connected for each and every connection required to physically implement the fluidic scheme.

17. A method performed by a computerized modular chromatography system, the method comprising:
receiving from a user of the system a specification of a fluidic scheme including specifications of items within the fluidic scheme and specifications of connections between the items in the fluidic scheme;
electronically interrogating a plurality of modules to identify respective fluid manipulation components present in the plurality of modules;
mapping at least some of the identified fluid manipulation components to items in the fluidic scheme; and
visually guiding a user of the system in plumbing at least some of the modules together to physically implement the fluidic scheme using the fluid manipulation components mapped to items in the fluidic scheme.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein guiding the user in plumbing at least some of the modules together comprises causing respective indicator lights on two particular modules of the plurality of modules to emit light to signal that tubing should be connected between the two particular modules.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein receiving the specification of a fluidic scheme comprises receiving instructions via a graphical user interface to select and arrange the items in the fluidic scheme from a library of items available for placement in the fluidic scheme.

20. The method of claim 17 , further comprising controlling the system, once plumbed, to perform high performance liquid chromatography.

Assignees

• Bio Rad Laboratories

Inventors

• Schultz Christof
• Casenas Dominic
• Mavandadi Farah

Classifications

• G01N30/8662

  Expert systems; optimising a large number of parameters · CPC title

• G06F3/0483

  Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor · CPC title

• G06F3/04847 Primary

  Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials · CPC title

• G01N35/00722

  Communications; Identification · CPC title

• G01N2035/0091

  GUI [graphical user interfaces] · CPC title