US-12620481-B2 - Automatic registration of at least one device in a laboratory system

US12620481B2US 12620481 B2US12620481 B2US 12620481B2US-12620481-B2

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of automatic registration of a device in a laboratory system comprising: transmitting from the to be registered device specific information to a managing unit (“unit”) via a first interface; the unit requesting a solution specific configuration from a remote infrastructure via a second interface, receiving the solution specific configuration from the remote infrastructure via the second interface, and transmitting the solution specific configuration to the device to be registered via the first interface, the solution specific configuration being based on the device specific information and configuration information about the laboratory system; and transmitting a request from the unit comprising updated solution specific configuration to the laboratory devices, the updated solution specific configuration comprising information about the device to be registered and changes due to addition of said device, wherein the laboratory configuration step comprising providing the updated solution specific configuration to the remote infrastructure.

Inventors

Matthias Frenzel
Javier Martinez Fernandez
Ramona Seel

Assignees

ROCHE DIAGNOSTICS OPERATIONS, INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20220520
Priority Date: 20210521

Claims (16)

1 . A computer-implemented method of automatic registration of at least one device in a laboratory system, wherein the laboratory system comprises a plurality of laboratory devices realizing a solution specific configuration, the method comprises the following steps: i) at least one initializing step, wherein the initializing step comprises transmitting from the device to be registered device specific information to at least one laboratory communication and managing unit via at least one first communication interface; ii) at least one device configuration step, wherein the device configuration step comprises the laboratory communication and managing unit requesting, based on the device specific information, a solution specific configuration from at least one remote infrastructure via at least one second communication interface, wherein the device configuration step comprises receiving the solution specific configuration from the remote infrastructure by the laboratory communication and managing unit via the second communication interface and transmitting the solution specific configuration from the laboratory communication and managing unit to the device to be registered via the first communication interface, wherein the solution specific configuration is based on the device specific information and configuration information about the laboratory system; iii) at least one laboratory configuration step, wherein the laboratory configuration step comprises transmitting at least one request from the laboratory communication and managing unit comprising updated solution specific configuration to the laboratory devices of the laboratory system via their respective communication interface, wherein the updated solution specific configuration comprises information about the device to be registered and changes due to addition of said device to the laboratory system, wherein the laboratory configuration step further comprises providing the updated solution specific configuration to the remote infrastructure.
2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the device to be registered is a device selected from the group consisting of: at least one decapper; at least one transport system; at least one analytical instrument; at least one recapper; at least one alliquoter; at least one centrifuge, at least one tube sorter; at least one storage unit, at least one bulk tube loader; at least one tube testing station; at least one pre-analytic system.
3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the device specific information comprises one or more of version information, manufacturing information, ownership information, information about software version, a device code, communication protocol version.
4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein step i) comprises the laboratory communication and managing unit determining whether a software version present on the device needs to be updated and updating the software version in case a need is determined by the laboratory communication and managing unit.
5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the solution specific configuration comprises one or more of at least one device communication protocol, speed information, configuration information such as at least one device specific configuration parameter.
6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein steps i) and ii) follow different levels depending on the device specific information, wherein a first level comprises registration of the device specific information in the laboratory communication and managing unit and the remote infrastructure, wherein a second level comprises collecting, installing and confirming software updates of the device, wherein a third level comprises the device receiving communication protocol specific information and including them for routine use, wherein a fourth level comprises the device receiving at least one device specific configuration parameter for enabling the device to make optimal use of its feature set in the laboratory system.
7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the laboratory configuration step comprises adapting a performance of the laboratory system and/or a performance of laboratory devices depending on the updated solution specific configuration.
8 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the device configuration step further comprises confirming the solution specific configuration by the device to be registered.
9 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the laboratory configuration step further comprises confirming the updated solution specific configuration by the laboratory devices.
10 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the laboratory communication and managing unit is configured for communicating with the laboratory devices.
11 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the laboratory communication and managing unit is configured for wireless communicating with the laboratory devices.
12 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the laboratory communication and managing unit is designed as middleware.
13 . A communication network for a laboratory system, wherein the communication network is configured for performing the method according to claim 1 , wherein the laboratory system comprises a plurality of laboratory devices each having at least one communication interface, wherein the communication network comprises at least one laboratory communication and managing unit, wherein the laboratory communication and managing unit is configured for receiving device specific information from a device to be registered transmitted from said device via at least one first communication interface, wherein the laboratory communication and managing unit is configured for requesting, based on the device specific information, a solution specific configuration from at least one remote infrastructure via at least one second communication interface, wherein the laboratory communication and managing unit is configured for receiving the solution specific configuration from the remote infrastructure via the second communication interface and transmitting the solution specific configuration from the laboratory communication and managing unit to the device to be registered via the first communication interface, wherein the solution specific configuration is based on the device specific information and configuration information about the laboratory system, wherein the laboratory communication and managing unit is configured for transmitting at least one request comprising updated solution specific configuration to the laboratory devices of the laboratory system via their respective communication interface, wherein the updated solution specific configuration comprises information about the device to be registered and changes due to addition of said device to the laboratory system, wherein the laboratory communication and managing unit is configured for providing the updated solution specific configuration to the remote infrastructure.
14 . A laboratory system comprising a plurality of laboratory devices each having at least one communication interface, wherein the laboratory system further comprises a communication network according to claim 13 .
15 . A computer program comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by the communication network according to claim 13 , cause the communication network to perform the method comprising the following steps: i) at least one initializing step, wherein the initializing step comprises transmitting from the device to be registered device specific information to at least one laboratory communication and managing unit via at least one first communication interface; ii) at least one device configuration step, wherein the device configuration step comprises the laboratory communication and managing unit requesting, based on the device specific information, a solution specific configuration from at least one remote infrastructure via at least one second communication interface, wherein the device configuration step comprises receiving the solution specific configuration from the remote infrastructure by the laboratory communication and managing unit via the second communication interface and transmitting the solution specific configuration from the laboratory communication and managing unit to the device to be registered via the first communication interface, wherein the solution specific configuration is based on the device specific information and configuration information about the laboratory system; iii) at least one laboratory configuration step, wherein the laboratory configuration step comprises transmitting at least one request from the laboratory communication and managing unit comprising updated solution specific configuration to the laboratory devices of the laboratory system via their respective communication interface, wherein the updated solution specific configuration comprises information about the device to be registered and changes due to addition of said device to the laboratory system, wherein the laboratory configuration step further comprises providing the updated solution specific configuration to the remote infrastructure.
16 . A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by the communication network according to claim 13 , cause the communication network to perform the method comprising the following steps: i) at least one initializing step, wherein the initializing step comprises transmitting from the device to be registered device specific information to at least one laboratory communication and managing unit via at least one first communication interface; ii) at least one device configuration step, wherein the device configuration step comprises the laboratory communication and managing unit requesting, based on the device specific information, a solution specific configuration from at least one remote infrastructure via at least one second communication interface, wherein the device configuration step comprises receiving the solution specific configuration from the remote infrastructure by the laboratory communication and managing unit via the second communication interface and transmitting the solution specific configuration from the laboratory communication and managing unit to the device to be registered via the first communication interface, wherein the solution specific configuration is based on the device specific information and configuration information about the laboratory system; iii) at least one laboratory configuration step, wherein the laboratory configuration step comprises transmitting at least one request from the laboratory communication and managing unit comprising updated solution specific configuration to the laboratory devices of the laboratory system via their respective communication interface, wherein the updated solution specific configuration comprises information about the device to be registered and changes due to addition of said device to the laboratory system, wherein the laboratory configuration step further comprises providing the updated solution specific configuration to the remote infrastructure.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention refers to a computer-implemented method for automatic registration of at least one device in a laboratory system, a communication network for a laboratory system, a computer program comprising instructions and computer-readable storage medium. The method and device specifically may be used in the field of medical or chemical laboratories. Other fields of application of the present invention, however, are feasible. BACKGROUND ART Currently, for the installation or registration of any new device or module in a laboratory, a sequence of manual repetitive configuration tasks have to be followed, with high risk of introducing errors during installation. For example, there may be many different modules to be installed separately, which would be very tedious to do manually. This may have an impact on serviceability, performance data and the like. In other technical fields there are some examples of “plug-n-play” or self-discovery and self-configuration, including medical devices. U.S. Pat. No. 8,549,065 B2 describes a method and a corresponding device for communicating between clients and servers of a client/server system using the standard protocol OPC UA, and for the interaction of an OPC UA client with an OPC UA server, OPC UA service calls are used. In order to integrate a transaction context in OPC UA service calls, all OPC UA servers of the system are complemented by a transaction management component, and in order to carry out transactions, appropriately configured OPC UA clients communicate with respective OPC UA servers using transactions. US 2005/0149283A1 describes a process for calibration of a medical-technical device which is in operation as a result of mounting a new component on the medical-technical device. A medical-technical device is described which is made such that it automatically identifies the new component when a new component is mounted on the medical-technical device and displays the necessary steps for calibration of the medical-technical device based on the identification. The medical-technical device however can also be made such that it automatically identifies the newly attached component after its identification. U.S. Pat. No. 7,680,605 B2 describes a system and methods for integrating laboratory instrumentation and applications to provide a unified control and coordination architecture under a common interface. The system provides mechanisms for detection of various hardware and software components wherein the individual functionalities and input/output data types for each component are automatically recognized and incorporated into a centralized control system that provides live monitoring of the operational status of available components. U.S. Pat. No. 8,225,015 B2 describes systems, apparatus, and methods for adaptive, dynamic medical device connectivity. In an example, a medical device interface system includes a device interface connecting a medical device to a client system and enabling exchange of data between the medical device and the client system, the device interface includes a plug and play detector detecting a connection of the medical device to the device interface and a serial agent gathering information from the medical device via a connection between the medical device and the device interface and selecting an appropriate device driver to operate and interact with the medical device connected to the device interface regardless of a presence or absence of an existing plug and play capability of the medical device. In “Cloud PUCK for Sensor Selfconfiguration” Sensors & Transducers, Vol. 172, Issue 6, June 2014, pp. 45-50 a MBARI PUCK is described for minimizing human intervention during instrument configuration. An instrument puck is preloaded to the instrument before the instrument is plugged physically into the sensor network. It stores all the configuration information of the instrument, including its metadata and software. As soon as the instrument is plugged in, the system can retrieve its configuration information through the puck interface and configure it automatically. The instrument puck hardware consists of a nonvolatile flash memory device, a microcontroller, a serial transceiver, an isolated power supply and two RS-232 serial ports. U.S. Pat. No. 7,535,854 B2 describes a method of device management relating to communication technology, wherein the method comprises the following steps of: the device initiatively sending a IP packet for management registration request to a management system according to address information of the management system, the request packet at least comprising the unique device identifier and IP address of the device; after the management system receiving registration request of the device, judging whether this device is legal or not according the unique device identifier, if it is, accepting the registration, otherwise rejecting. Dynamic configuration of the device can be performed throug