US-12626814-B2 - Methods and apparatus for troubleshooting instrument malfunctions

US12626814B2US 12626814 B2US12626814 B2US 12626814B2US-12626814-B2

Abstract

Methods of troubleshooting non-event malfunctions. The methods include providing a database including pre-populated non-event issues and associated corrective actions, inputting search criteria regarding a particular non-event issue via entry of a search string at the user interface, parsing and normalizing the search string into a meta-data schema to produce a normalized search string, searching the database with the normalized search string to generate a listing of one or more particular corrective actions, and receiving the listing of one or more particular corrective actions that are associated with the normalized search string. Apparatus configured to carry out the methods are provided, as are other aspects.

Inventors

Arnold Rudorfer
Steven Magowan
Joel Cambron

Assignees

SIEMENS HEALTHCARE DIAGNOSTICS INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20230726

Claims (15)

1 . An instrument malfunction troubleshooting apparatus for a biological fluid testing instrument, comprising: a remote server; the biological fluid testing instrument coupled to the remote server, the instrument comprising: a processor; a local memory coupled to the processor and having software executable on the processer and a local instrument database stored therein, the database containing searchable data on non-event malfunction issues and associated corrective actions for which error codes are not issued, the non-event malfunction issues correlating to one of clinical chemistry, colorimetric, turbidimetric, enzymatic, immunoassay, or drug testing, the software executable on the processer including a preprocessing application and system instrument manager software; an instrument user interface coupled to the processor and operatively configured to receive a search string concerning a particular non-event malfunction issue, output a listing of one or more particular corrective actions, request feedback after implementation of the one or more particular corrective actions as to whether any of the one or more particular corrective actions was successful, and receive the feedback; and the preprocessing application configured and operable via execution by the processor to (1) parse and normalize the search string into a metadata schema to produce a normalized search string, the normalized search string correlated with one or more corrective actions stored in the database, (2) compare the normalized search string to meta-data terms and strings stored in the local memory, and (3) return the listing of one or more particular corrective actions if there is a match; wherein: the processor, via execution of the system instrument manager software, is operative to: transmit the feedback and the search string received at the instrument user interface to the remote server, the remote server determining whether to revise search criteria and correlations to controlled vocabulary based on the feedback and whether to update metadata schema based on the search string; receive from the remote server software updates to the searchable data on non-event malfunction issues and associated corrective actions stored in the local instrument database based on the feedback and the search string, the software updates including revised search criteria and correlations to controlled vocabulary, updated metadata schema, or both; and update the instrument including the executable software and the database with the software updates, the software updates including updates to the metadata schema and the one or more corrective actions correlated with the normalized search string.
2 . The instrument malfunction troubleshooting apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a meta-data repository stored in the local memory.
3 . The instrument malfunction troubleshooting apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a master meta-data repository located in a remote service database of the remote server.
4 . The instrument malfunction troubleshooting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein input of the search string concerning the particular non-event malfunction issue is received in a search box of an intelligent service assistant search screen.
5 . The instrument malfunction troubleshooting apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the intelligent service assistant search screen comprises a decision tree selection menu.
6 . The instrument malfunction troubleshooting apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the preprocessing application comprises a parser and a meta-data generator.
7 . The instrument malfunction troubleshooting apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the feedback received at the remote server is stored in the master meta-data repository.
8 . The instrument malfunction troubleshooting apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the processor, via execution of the system instrument manager software, is further operative to transmit the search string and the normalized search string to the remote server for storage in the master meta-data repository.
9 . The instrument malfunction troubleshooting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the remote server is configured to communicate with other instrument malfunction troubleshooting apparatus to provide software updates to respective executable software and local instrument databases based on the feedback received at the remote server.
10 . The instrument malfunction troubleshooting apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the master meta-data repository includes raw search terms used, associated synonyms, normalized search strings, and associated non-event issues and corrective actions.
11 . The instrument malfunction troubleshooting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the normalized search string includes one or more synonyms of one or more terms in the search string.
12 . The instrument malfunction troubleshooting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the searchable data on non-event malfunction issues comprises one of: an issue with a specimen; an issue with a calibrator; an issue with a control; and an issue with a test result.
13 . The instrument malfunction troubleshooting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instrument user interface comprises one or more of a display monitor, a keyboard, a mouse, and a printer.
14 . The instrument malfunction troubleshooting apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a communication interface operative to facilitate communication via a network and with the remote server.
15 . The instrument malfunction troubleshooting apparatus of claim 1 wherein the biological fluid testing instrument comprises an automated clinical analyzer or an assaying instrument.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS This is a Division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/316,202, filed Jan. 8, 2019, which is a 371 of International Patent Application No. PCT/US2017/043434, filed Jul. 24, 2017, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/366,343, filed on Jul. 25, 2016, and titled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR TROUBLESHOOTING INSTRUMENT MALFUNCTIONS,” the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties herein. FIELD The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatus adapted to rapidly resolve instrument malfunctions, and in particular malfunctions in automated biological liquid testing and processing instruments. BACKGROUND In biological liquid testing and processing, automated apparatus including the use of robotics may be used to process biological liquids (otherwise referred to herein as “specimens”). Such automated apparatus are complex and from time-to-time may experience various malfunctions. Certain types of recurring malfunctions are relative easy to diagnose as the apparatus themselves may generate an “error code,” which leads the user to a set of instructions that provides a detailed solution to aid in rectifying the particular error-code-based malfunction. Other highly-complex malfunctions, which do not have an associated error code (hereinafter non-event malfunctions), may be multifactorial and much more difficult to diagnose and to solve. Accordingly, methods and apparatus that may improve the speed and/or quality of non-event based malfunction diagnosis and solution in biological fluid testing and processing apparatus are sought. SUMMARY In one method embodiment, a method of troubleshooting malfunctions of an instrument is provided. The method includes providing a database including a plurality of pre-populated non-event issues and associated corrective actions, inputting, via a user interface of the instrument, one or more search criteria regarding a particular non-event issue of the instrument, via entry of a search string at the user interface, parsing and normalizing the search string into a meta-data schema to produce a normalized search string; searching the database with the normalized search string to generate a listing of one or more particular corrective actions, and receiving at the user interface, the listing of one or more particular corrective actions that are associated with the normalized search string. In an apparatus embodiment, an instrument malfunction troubleshooting apparatus is provided. The instrument malfunction troubleshooting apparatus includes a local instrument database stored on a local memory containing searchable data on non-event malfunction issues and associated corrective actions, an instrument user interface operatively configured to allow input of a search string concerning a particular non-event malfunction issue and output a particular corrective action, and a preprocessing application stored in the local memory and configured and operable to preprocess the search string into a metadata schema to produce a normalized search string. In another method embodiment, a method of troubleshooting a malfunction of an instrument is provided. The method includes providing a database including a plurality of pre-populated non-event issues and associated corrective actions, inputting, via a user interface of the instrument, search criteria regarding a particular non-event issue of the instrument, via either an entry of a search string at a search box of an intelligent service assistant search screen or selection from a decision tree selection menu of the intelligent service assistant search screen which contains both the search box and selection menu: if an entry in the search box, parsing and normalizing the search string into a meta-data schema to produce a normalized search string, if the particular non-event issue is populated item in the decision tree selection menu, selecting the populated item, and searching the database with the normalized search string or populated item to generate a listing of one or more particular corrective actions, and receiving at the user interface, the listing of one or more particular corrective actions. Still other aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure may be readily apparent from the following detailed description illustrating a number of example embodiments. The present invention may also be capable of different embodiments, and its several details may be modified in various respects, all without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure as defined in the appended claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an instrument malfunction troubleshooting apparatus for non-event based malfunction diagnosis according to one or more embodiments. FIG. 2 illustrates a functional di