Techniques for evaluating analytical instrument performance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020158697-A1
Application number	US-201916689767-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 20, 2019
Priority date	Nov 21, 2018
Publication date	May 21, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

Techniques and apparatus for evaluating analytical device performance and data quality are described. In one embodiment, for example, an apparatus may include at least one memory, and logic coupled to the at least one memory. The logic may be configured to generate an analysis method to be performed by an analytical device, the analysis method comprising a plurality of method segments comprising at least one performance assessment process and at least one sample analysis process, and link the at least one performance assessment process with the at least one sample analysis process. Other embodiments are described.

First claim

1 . An apparatus, comprising:
at least one memory; and logic coupled to the at least one memory, the logic to:
generate an analysis method to be performed by an analytical device, the analysis method comprising a plurality of method segments comprising at least one performance assessment process and at least one sample analysis process, and
link the at least one performance assessment process with the at least one sample analysis process.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , the at least one analytical instrument comprising at least one of a liquid chromatography (LC) system, a gas chromatography (GC) system, a mass analyzer system, a mass spectrometer (MS) system, an ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) system, a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system, a ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) system, a ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) system, or any combination thereof.

3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , the at least one sample analysis process comprising a sample injection.

4 . The apparatus of claim 2 , the at least one performance assessment process comprising a system suitability test.

5 . The apparatus of claim 4 , the analysis method comprising a plurality of paths,
the logic to determine one of the plurality of paths for execution by the analytical device based on results of the at least one performance assessment process.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , the logic to cause an exception event responsive to the at least one performance assessment process being outside of a threshold.

7 . The apparatus of claim 6 , the logic to prevent generation or access to data of the at least one sample analysis processes linked to the exception event.

8 . The apparatus of claim 7 , the logic to cause the analytical device to enter a fail state responsive to the exception event being a critical level exception.

9 . The apparatus of claim 7 , the logic to proceed with the method and prevent generation or access to data of the at least one sample analysis processes linked to the exception event responsive to the exception event being a non-critical level exception.

10 . The apparatus of claim 7 , the logic to re-run the at least one performance assessment process associated with the exception event responsive to the exception event being a non-critical level exception.

11 . A method, comprising:
generating an analysis method to be performed by an analytical device, the analysis method comprising a plurality of method segments comprising at least one performance assessment process and at least one sample analysis process; and linking the at least one performance assessment process with the at least one sample analysis process.

12 . The method of claim 11 , the analytical device comprising one of a mass spectrometry (MS) system or a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) system.

13 . The method of claim 12 , the at least one sample analysis process comprising a sample injection.

14 . The method of claim 12 , the at least one performance assessment process comprising a system suitability test.

15 . The method of claim 11 , the analysis method comprising a plurality of paths,
comprising determining one of the plurality of paths for execution by the analytical device based on results of the at least one performance assessment process.

16 . The method of claim 11 , comprising causing an exception event responsive to the at least one performance assessment process being outside of a threshold.

17 . The method of claim 16 , comprising preventing generation or access to data of the at least one sample analysis processes linked to the exception event.

18 . The method of claim 17 , comprising causing the analytical device to enter a fail state responsive to the exception event being a critical level exception.

19 . The method of claim 17 , comprising proceeding with the method and preventing generation or access to data of the at least one sample analysis processes linked to the exception event responsive to the exception event being a non-critical level exception.

20 . The method of claim 17 , comprising re-running the at least one performance assessment process associated with the exception event responsive to the exception event being a non-critical level exception.

Assignees

• Waters Technologies Ireland Ltd

Inventors

• Jensen Christopher
• Xie Rong
• Henriksen James
• Perregaux Kenneth
• Cohn Steven M
• Danziger Amy

Classifications

• G01N2030/027

  Liquid chromatography · CPC title

• G01N2030/889

  monitoring the quality of the stationary phase; column performance · CPC title

• G01N30/7233

  interfaced to liquid or supercritical fluid chromatograph (interfaces in general for introducing or extracting samples to be analysed with specially adapted mass spectrometer, see H01J49/04) · CPC title

• G01N35/00712

  Automatic status testing, e.g. at start-up or periodic · CPC title

• G01N2030/8804

  automated systems · CPC title