CN112149938B

CN112149938B - Pipeline system and sample centrifugation method

Info

Publication number: CN112149938B
Application number: CN201910580262.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王鑫润
Original assignee: Shenzhen Mindray Bio Medical Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen Mindray Bio Medical Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-06-28
Filing date: 2019-06-28
Publication date: 2024-07-23
Anticipated expiration: 2039-06-28
Also published as: CN112149938A

Abstract

A pipeline system and a sample centrifugation method acquire the load condition of a centrifugation module on a pipeline; calculating the loadable condition of at least one time point of the centrifugal module on the pipeline according to the load condition; displaying at least the loadable condition of the centrifugal module on the pipeline; according to the invention, a user can know the current load state of each centrifugal module of the system and the number and processing time of samples received by the current and future systems as a whole, and after the user knows the information, the user can better perform on-line and off-line centrifugal combined processing on the samples needing to be centrifuged, so that the speed balance of each link of the assembly line system is achieved, the efficiency is improved, and the manual workload is reduced.

Description

Pipeline system and sample centrifugation method

Technical Field

The invention relates to a pipeline system and a sample centrifugation method.

Background

With the need for large amounts of sample testing, in order to meet high throughput and reduced time, pipelined systems have emerged that streamline testing of samples. The traditional measurement of the sample takes a very long time in the pretreatment of the sample, the time spent in the step can be greatly shortened after the sample is introduced into the assembly line, the assembly line firstly receives the sample put in by a user, then carries out pretreatment on the sample in a concentrated mode, such as automatic code scanning, sample sorting, centrifugation, cover removing and the like, the pretreated sample is distributed to a corresponding analyzer according to the test item of the sample, after the sample is measured by the analyzer, some assembly lines carry out post-treatment on the sample, such as re-filming or cover covering on the sample, and then the sample is dispatched to a cold storage module on the assembly line for storage so as to backup the sample, so that when a problem or objection occurs in the measurement result, the sample can be dispatched from the cold storage module on the assembly line again for retesting.

In order to make the pipeline system operate efficiently, the speeds of each serial module and processing link of the whole system are basically the same or are not different when processing samples, such as the speeds of a centrifugal processing link, a capping processing link, an analysis testing link, a post-processing link and the like are basically the same or are not different, if one link is too slow in processing speed, the modules in the later links cannot be supplied with the samples in time, the samples processed by the previous modules are blocked on the module link with slow processing speed, that is, the link becomes a bottleneck of processing the samples by the pipeline system, and the speed of processing the samples by the whole system is reduced to the processing speed of the slowest module link.

In order to make the speed of processing samples of each serial link the same or have little difference, a common strategy is to reasonably configure the number of parallel processing modules involved in each link, so that after configuration, the requirement of sample processing speed equalization of each link of the system can be met under normal conditions; but the partial modules are slow and have high price and cost, so that users need to pay a great price in order to keep the speed balanced. Typically, the centrifugal modules on the assembly line have low sample processing speed, and the centrifugal modules on the assembly line have high manufacturing cost, so that the number of the centrifugal modules which can meet the speed balance of each link in the whole period (especially in the sample peak period) is not generally configured at present; the highest speed requirement on the system for processing samples during peak periods leads to the greatest configuration quantity of the centrifugal module, namely the highest cost for users, and the limited budget of departments generally ensures that the system processing speed during off-peak periods is met or the processing speed requirement to a certain extent is met; in peak period, users typically combine the off-line centrifugation module with relatively low cost to perform off-line centrifugation, and then put the off-line centrifuged sample on the production line for testing.

Therefore, the requirement of the whole-period pipeline system on the speed of processing the centrifugal service sample can be basically met by manually performing off-line centrifugation of part of samples and combining on-line centrifugation. However, the user needs to perform on-line centrifugation on the samples in each period and off-line centrifugation on the samples in each period, and the user generally performs on-line centrifugation on the samples in the peak period and off-peak period by his own experience, so as to meet the speed requirement of the system on the centrifugation business processing samples. However, since the sample flow of the department changes every day or every time period, the estimated peak time of the user is either too wide or inaccurate, if too wide, too many samples need to be subjected to on-line sample injection centrifugation, the workload of manually processing the samples is large, the on-line centrifugation module cannot be fully utilized, the partial value of purchasing the on-line centrifugation module is lost, if the estimated inaccuracy can lead to the user to go off-line centrifugation when the on-line centrifugation module is idle, and when the on-line centrifugation module is busy, the user samples a large number of samples need to be subjected to on-line centrifugation on-line, so that the value of the system centrifugation module is greatly reduced, the test efficiency is reduced, and the requirements of high test efficiency and automation for reducing the manual workload cannot be well met.

In practical situations, in many hospitals and departments, the peak period and the off-peak period often have no obvious limit, the user does not estimate the peak period as a specific time period, the off-peak period as a specific time period, and the peak and off-peak are often staggered, so that the application of the on-line and off-line centrifugal processing strategy based on the peak period and the off-peak sample is limited, and the requirements of high testing efficiency and automation for reducing the manual workload are not easy to meet.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a pipeline system and a sample centrifugation method.

According to a first aspect, there is provided in one embodiment a pipeline system comprising:

the input module is used for receiving samples put in by a user;

a pre-processing module, wherein the pre-processing module comprises one or more of a centrifugation module, a serum detection module, a decapping module, and a dispensing module; the centrifugal module is used for centrifuging the sample to be centrifuged; the serum detection module is used for detecting whether the serum quantity of the sample is enough and/or detecting whether the serum quality of the sample is qualified; the cap removing module is used for removing caps of the centrifuged samples; the parting injection molding block is used for parting the sample;

one or more analysis modules for testing centrifuged and uncapped samples;

A post-processing module comprising one or more of a film/capping module, a refrigerated storage module, and a film/capping module; the film adding/capping module is used for adding films or capping the samples; the cold storage module is used for storing samples; the film removing/cover removing module is used for removing films or covers of the samples;

A track connecting the modules and a scheduler for scheduling samples between the modules by the track;

The processor is used for acquiring the load condition of the centrifugal module on the production line and calculating the loadable condition of at least one time point of the centrifugal module on the production line according to the load condition;

And the display module is used for displaying at least the loadable condition of the centrifugal module on the assembly line.

In one embodiment, the loadable status of the centrifugal module on the pipeline includes: the pipeline can also receive the number of samples to be centrifuged and the estimated time of reception at the corresponding time points.

In one embodiment, the centrifugal module does not have a buffer; the loading conditions of the centrifugal modules on the pipeline include one or more of the following:

The state of the centrifugal module on the assembly line comprises a state of receiving a sample before centrifugation, a state of not receiving the sample during centrifugation and a state of releasing the sample after centrifugation;

the number of the received samples is counted by the centrifugal module;

the centrifugation module has centrifuged time and/or remaining centrifugation time;

The number of samples of the track corresponding to the centrifugal module is distributed;

The centrifugation module receives estimated time of the samples which are distributed to the corresponding tracks;

And releasing the estimated time of the received sample by the centrifugal module after the centrifugation is finished.

In one embodiment, the centrifugal module has a buffer area; the loading conditions of the centrifugal modules on the pipeline include one or more of the following:

A state of a centrifugation module on the pipeline, wherein the state of the centrifugation module on the pipeline comprises a state of being centrifuged and receiving or releasing a sample, and a state of not being centrifuged and receiving or releasing a sample;

the number of the received samples is counted by the centrifugal module;

The number of samples buffered in the buffer area of the centrifugal module;

In one embodiment, the display module further displays a load condition of the centrifugal module on the pipeline.

In one embodiment, the display module displays one or more groups of content; wherein each group of content corresponds to a time point, and the pipeline can also receive the number of samples to be centrifuged and the estimated time of reception at the time point.

In one embodiment, the display module includes a centralized display area for displaying the status of each sample and the status of each module on the pipeline; and displaying at least the loadable condition of the centrifugal modules on the pipeline in the centralized display area.

According to a second aspect, in one embodiment there is provided a pipelined sample centrifugation method comprising:

acquiring the load condition of a centrifugal module on a production line;

Calculating the loadable condition of at least one time point of the centrifugal module on the pipeline according to the load condition;

at least the loadable condition of the centrifugal modules on the pipeline is displayed.

In one embodiment, the loading conditions of the centrifugal modules on the pipeline include one or more of the following:

the number of the received samples is counted by the centrifugal module;

centrifuging module centrifuging time and/or residual centrifuging time;

the number of the received samples is counted by the centrifugal module;

The number of samples buffered in the buffer area of the centrifugal module;

centrifuging module centrifuging time and/or residual centrifuging time;

In one embodiment, the at least displaying the loadable status of the centrifugal module on the pipeline includes: and the load condition of the centrifugal module on the assembly line is also displayed.

In one embodiment, the at least displaying the loadable status of the centrifugal module on the pipeline includes: displaying one or more sets of content; wherein each group of content corresponds to a time point, and the pipeline can also receive the number of samples to be centrifuged and the estimated time of reception at the time point.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises: displaying the state of each sample and the state of each module on the pipeline in a centralized display area; and displaying at least the loadable condition of the centrifugal modules on the pipeline in the centralized display area.

According to a third aspect, an embodiment provides a computer readable storage medium comprising a program executable by a processor to implement a method as described in any of the embodiments herein.

According to the pipeline system, the sample centrifugation method and the computer readable storage medium of the embodiment, the load condition of the centrifugation module on the pipeline is obtained; calculating the loadable condition of at least one time point of the centrifugal module on the pipeline according to the load condition; displaying at least the loadable condition of the centrifugal module on the pipeline; according to the invention, a user can know the current load state of each centrifugal module of the system and the number and processing time of samples received by the current and future systems as a whole, and after the user knows the information, the user can better perform on-line and off-line centrifugal combined processing on the samples needing to be centrifuged, so that the speed balance of each link of the assembly line system is achieved, the efficiency is improved, and the manual workload is reduced.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a pipeline system of one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a pretreatment module according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an aftertreatment module of an embodiment;

FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b) are schematic structural views of pipeline systems of two other embodiments, respectively;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a load scenario of a centrifugal module without a buffer according to an embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of another load scenario of a centrifugal module without a buffer zone according to an embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of yet another load scenario of a centrifugal module without a buffer zone according to an embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a display module according to an embodiment showing a loadable condition;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a load scenario of a centrifugal module with a buffer according to an embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of another load scenario of a centrifugal module with a buffer area according to an embodiment;

FIG. 11 is another schematic diagram of a display module according to an embodiment showing a loadable situation;

FIG. 12 is a flow chart of a method of centrifugation of a pipeline of one embodiment.

Detailed Description

The application will be described in further detail below with reference to the drawings by means of specific embodiments. Wherein like elements in different embodiments are numbered alike in association. In the following embodiments, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a better understanding of the present application. However, one skilled in the art will readily recognize that some of the features may be omitted, or replaced by other elements, materials, or methods in different situations. In some instances, related operations of the present application have not been shown or described in the specification in order to avoid obscuring the core portions of the present application, and may be unnecessary to persons skilled in the art from a detailed description of the related operations, which may be presented in the description and general knowledge of one skilled in the art.

Furthermore, the described features, operations, or characteristics of the description may be combined in any suitable manner in various embodiments. Also, various steps or acts in the method descriptions may be interchanged or modified in a manner apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Thus, the various orders in the description and drawings are for clarity of description of only certain embodiments, and are not meant to be required orders unless otherwise indicated.

The numbering of the components itself, e.g. "first", "second", etc., is used herein merely to distinguish between the described objects and does not have any sequential or technical meaning. The term "coupled" as used herein includes both direct and indirect coupling (coupling), unless otherwise indicated.

The invention is used for acquiring the load condition of the centrifugal module on the pipeline, and calculating the loadable condition of at least one time point of the centrifugal module on the pipeline, such as the current loadable condition and/or the loadable condition of specific time points (such as after 3 minutes, after 5 minutes, after 8 minutes and the like) according to the load condition, so as to provide a strategy and guidance for how many samples are subjected to on-line centrifugation and how many samples are subjected to off-line centrifugation for a user.

Referring to fig. 1, a pipeline system according to an embodiment includes an input module 10, a pre-processing module 20, one or more analysis modules 30, a post-processing module 40, a track 50, a scheduler 60, a processor 70, and a display module 80. The track 50 is used to connect the modules, e.g. the input module 10, the pre-processing module 20, the one or more analysis modules 30 and the post-processing module 40, etc., and the scheduler 60 schedules the samples to the respective modules via the track.

The input module 10 is used for receiving samples put in by a user. The input module 10 in the pipeline system is typically a region where a user places samples, and during operation of the pipeline system, the input module 10 may automatically scan the samples placed therein, sort the samples, etc., for processing by the next module, such as the front processing module 20.

The preprocessing module 20 is used for completing preprocessing of the sample. In one embodiment, referring to fig. 2, the pre-processing module 20 may include one or more of a centrifugation module 21, a serum detection module 22, a decapping module 23, and a dispensing module 24. The centrifugation module 21 is used for centrifuging the sample to be centrifuged, and the number of the centrifugation modules 21 may be one or more. The serum detection module 22 is configured to detect whether the serum level of the sample is sufficient and/or whether the serum level of the sample is acceptable to determine whether the centrifuged sample is available for subsequent testing. The cap removal module 23 is used to cap, membrane, remove cap and membrane the centrifuged sample—as will be understood, herein the capping, membrane, cap removal and membrane removal of the sample refers to the capping, membrane addition, cap removal and membrane removal of the sample tube containing the sample; typically the sample after centrifugation requires removal of the cap for subsequent dispensing or pipetting by the dispensing module 24 or analysis module. The dispensing module 24 is used to separate samples, for example, one sample into multiple samples, for separate measurement in different analysis modules 30. One typical preprocessing flow for the preprocessing module 20 is: the centrifugation module 21 receives the samples scheduled by the input module 10 and performs centrifugation on the samples; the serum detection module 22 detects serum of the sample after centrifugation to determine whether the sample can be used for subsequent measurement, and if the serum is insufficient in quantity or the sample is unqualified, the sample cannot be used for subsequent measurement; if the detection is passed, the sample is dispatched to the cap removing module 23, the cap removing module 23 removes the cap of the sample, if the sample separating module 24 is provided, the sample separating module 24 separates the removed sample, then the separated sample is dispatched to the corresponding analyzing module 30 for measurement, and if the sample separating module 24 is not provided, the sample is dispatched from the cap removing module 23 to the corresponding analyzing module 30 for measurement.

The analysis module 30 is used to test the centrifuged and uncapped samples. In order to improve efficiency and test throughput, a pipeline system will typically have a plurality of analysis modules 30, where the analysis modules 30 may be identical analysis modules, i.e. for measuring the same items, or different analysis modules, i.e. for measuring different items, which may be configured according to the requirements of the user and the department.

The post-processing module 40 is used for completing post-processing of the sample. In one embodiment, referring to FIG. 3, the post-processing module 40 includes one or more of a film/capping module 41, a refrigerated storage module 42, and a film/capping module 43. The film adding/capping module is used for adding films or capping the samples; the cold storage module 42 is used for storing samples; the film removing/capping module is used for removing films or caps of the samples. One typical post-processing flow of the post-processing module 40 is: after the analysis module 30 sucks the sample, the sample is dispatched to the film adding/capping module 41, and the film adding/capping module 41 adds the film or caps the measured sample, and then dispatches the sample to the cold storage module 42 for storage. If the sample needs to be retested, the sample is dispatched from the refrigerated storage module 42 and removed from the film or cover in the film/cover removal module 43 and then dispatched to the analysis module 30 for testing.

Referring to fig. 4 (a), as an example of a pipeline system, the whole track may be a circular track. It should be noted that many types of modules are shown in the drawings, but those skilled in the art will understand that the number is not limited herein, and for example, the centrifugal module 21 may be plural, the analysis module 30 may be plural, etc. Referring to fig. 4 (b), as an example of the pipeline system, each module further includes a module buffer, for example, the centrifugal module 21 has a buffer; track 50 also has a track buffer (the track in the upper right hand corner of the figure, which is a curved track), and the entire track may be a circular track. It should be noted that the track buffer of the track 50 is not necessary, and may be present in some pipeline systems, or may not be present in some pipeline systems; similarly, the modules may or may not have buffers.

The processor 70 in one embodiment of the present invention is configured to obtain a load condition of the centrifugal module 21 on the pipeline, and calculate a loadable condition of the centrifugal module 21 on the pipeline at least at one time point according to the load condition. For example, the number of centrifugal modules 21 on the pipeline may be N, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and in some examples N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The processor 70 may obtain the load conditions of the N centrifugal modules 21, and calculate at least one time point of each centrifugal module 21, such as the current time point, the loadable condition after 1 minute, after 2 minutes, after 3 minutes, after 5 minutes, after 8 minutes, and the like, according to the load condition of each centrifugal module 21; it is also possible to aggregate the total load situation of the N centrifugal modules 21 and the total loadable situation.

The display module 80 is configured to display the above situation, for example, at least the loadable situation of the pipeline centrifugal modules 21, for example, the loadable situation of each centrifugal module 21 is displayed individually, for example, the loadable situation corresponding to the current time point, the loadable situation corresponding to one or more time points such as 1 minute later, 2 minutes later, 3 minutes later, 5 minutes later, and 8 minutes later, and for example, the total loadable situation of all centrifugal modules 21 is displayed collectively, for example, the loadable situation corresponding to the current time point, the loadable situation corresponding to one or more time points such as 1 minute later, 2 minutes later, 3 minutes later, 5 minutes later, and 8 minutes later. The display module 80 may also display the load conditions of the centrifugal modules on the pipeline, such as displaying the load condition of each centrifugal module 21 individually, and displaying the total load condition of all centrifugal modules 21 collectively, for example-it will be appreciated that the load conditions of each centrifugal module 21 individually, or the total load condition of all centrifugal modules 21, are updated in real time or at regular intervals.

The load case and loadable case are described below.

The load condition refers to how much sample the centrifugation module 21 has currently loaded on the pipeline, how much its centrifugation has progressed, etc. The loadable condition may refer to that the pipeline can also receive the number of samples to be centrifuged and the estimated time of reception at the corresponding time point, for example, each centrifugation module 21 can also receive the number of samples to be centrifuged and the estimated time of reception at the corresponding time point, and/or all centrifugation modules 21 can also receive the number of samples to be centrifuged and the estimated time of reception at the corresponding time point after summarizing.

The following describes what is the loading case and the loadable case, respectively, with respect to the centrifugal module 21 having no buffer and having a buffer.

Taking the centrifugal module 21 without a buffer as an example, the loading condition may refer to one or more of the following:

the number of samples received by the centrifugation module 21;

The centrifugation module 21 has centrifuged time and/or remaining centrifugation time;

the number of samples to which the track corresponding to the centrifugal module 21 has been allocated;

the estimated time for the centrifugation module 21 to receive the samples whose corresponding tracks have been allocated, where the estimated time for the centrifugation module 21 to receive the samples whose tracks have been allocated, may refer to the time from the current start to the start of receiving the batch of samples, that is, the time to the start of receiving the first sample, the time when the batch of samples is received, that is, the time when the last sample is received, and also the time required from the time when the first sample of the batch of samples is received to the time when the last sample is received;

The estimated time for the centrifugation module 21 to release the received sample after centrifugation, herein, the estimated time for the centrifugation module 21 to release the received sample after centrifugation, refers to the time for the centrifugation module 21 to release the received sample (i.e., the sample after centrifugation at this time) after centrifugation.

Referring to fig. 5, which is a schematic diagram of a load condition of the centrifugal module 21 in a pipeline, it can be seen that the centrifugal module 21 is in a state of centrifuging and not receiving samples; the number of received samples of the centrifugation module 21 is 38, the centrifugation time is 3 minutes, and the remaining centrifugation time is 7 minutes, namely the centrifugation module 21 is currently centrifuging 38 samples, 3 minutes are already performed, the centrifugation is finished and completed within 7 minutes, after the centrifugation is finished, 1.9 minutes are required to release all 38 samples, and then 1.2 minutes are required to receive 10 samples on the track into the centrifugation module 21, namely the estimated time for the centrifugation module 21 to receive the samples allocated to the corresponding track is the time required from the first sample to receive the 10 samples to the last sample.

Referring to fig. 6, which is a schematic diagram illustrating a load condition of the centrifugal module 21 in a pipeline, it can be seen that the state of the centrifugal module 21 is a state of receiving a sample before centrifugation; the number of received samples in the centrifugation module 21 is 15, the centrifugation time is 0 minutes, and the remaining centrifugation time is 10 minutes—in this example, the time required from the start of centrifugation to the end of centrifugation is 10 minutes, so that the centrifugation module 21 does not yet start centrifugation here; the track corresponding to the centrifugation module 21 is allocated 20 samples, that is, 20 samples are to be received, the estimated time for receiving the 20 samples is 2.3 minutes, and the estimated time for releasing the 15 samples currently received is 0.75 minutes.

Referring to fig. 7, which is a schematic diagram of a load condition of the centrifugal module 21 in a pipeline, it can be seen that the centrifugal module 21 is in a state of releasing a sample after centrifugation; the number of received samples is 38, the centrifugation time is 10 minutes, and the remaining centrifugation time is 0 minutes—in this example, the time required from the start to the end of centrifugation is 10 minutes, so that the centrifugation module 21 here has already been completed and the centrifuged samples are being released; the corresponding track of the centrifugal module 21 is allocated 10 samples, that is, 10 samples are to be received, and then it takes 1.2 minutes to receive the 10 samples on the track into the centrifugal module 21, that is, the estimated time for the centrifugal module 21 to receive the samples allocated to the corresponding track is the time required from the first sample to receive the 10 samples to the last sample; the estimated time to release the 38 samples that have been centrifuged at the present time is 1.9 minutes.

As described above, when displaying the load conditions of the centrifugal modules 21 on the pipeline, the load conditions of the individual centrifugal modules 21 may be displayed separately, so in an embodiment, the load conditions of each centrifugal module 21 may be displayed separately on the display module 80, for example, when the display area of the display module 80 is large enough, the load conditions of each centrifugal module 21 may be displayed simultaneously, or each centrifugal module 21 may be numbered, and the user may switch and display the load conditions of the corresponding centrifugal modules 21 by selecting the number corresponding to the centrifugal module 21; of course, the display module 80 may also collectively display the total load of all the centrifugal modules 21, which is not described herein.

In one embodiment, the total loadable status of all centrifugal modules is displayed in a summary status, which is generally more meaningful to the user, and thus the user is sometimes more concerned about the total centrifugal loadable status of the entire pipeline system. Thus, in one embodiment the display module 80 displays one or more sets of content; wherein each group of contents corresponds to a time point, and the pipeline can also receive the number of samples to be centrifuged and the estimated time of receiving at the time point, namely, the estimated time of receiving can be from the current starting timing to the time of receiving the batch of samples, namely, the time of receiving the first sample, namely, the time of receiving the batch of samples, namely, the time of receiving the last sample, or can be the time required from the time of receiving the first sample of the batch of samples to the time of receiving the last sample. Referring to fig. 8, the number of samples to be centrifuged that the pipeline system can still receive at the current time point is 28, and the estimated time for receiving is 4.7 minutes—here, the estimated time is from the current starting timing to the time for receiving the 1 st sample in the 28 samples is 4.7 minutes; it is also shown that after 3 minutes the pipeline system can still receive 68 samples to be centrifuged-for example, the centrifugation module 21 releases samples after centrifugation in the 3 minutes, so that the receivable samples are changed from 28 to 68, and the estimated time of reception is 4.7 minutes; it also shows that after 8 minutes, the pipeline system can also receive 108 samples to be centrifuged, and the estimated time of receiving is 10.1 minutes; in some embodiments, the display module 80 may also display that the current centrifugal modules 21 and the corresponding tracks have a total number of samples, such as 85 in the figure, and may also display the total number of centrifugal modules 21, such as 3 in the figure; in some embodiments, the user may set a time point, and then the processor 70 calculates the number of samples that can be received by the pipeline at the corresponding time point and the estimated time of reception, and the display module 80 displays the estimated time.

Taking the centrifugal module 21 with a buffer as an example, the loading condition may refer to one or more of the following:

A state of a centrifugation module on the pipeline, wherein the state of the centrifugation module on the pipeline comprises a state of being centrifuged and receiving or releasing a sample, and a state of not being centrifuged and receiving or releasing a sample; since the centrifugation module 21 has a buffer area, the buffer area can perform sample interaction on a track no matter whether the centrifugation module 21 is centrifuging or not, for example, the centrifugation module 21 dispatches the centrifuged samples to the buffer area after centrifugation is completed and dispatches the samples to be centrifuged in the buffer area into the centrifugation module 21; the centrifuged sample stored in the buffer area of the centrifugation module 21 is dispatched to the next module, such as the track of the cap removing module 23, and the sample to be centrifuged which is distributed on the corresponding track of the centrifugation module 21 is dispatched to the buffer area of the centrifugation module 21, so that the centrifugation module 21 has two states of centrifugation and non-centrifugation, and the buffer area interacts with the track to receive or release the sample, so that the centrifugation module 21 with the buffer area includes two states of centrifugation and receiving or releasing the sample, and non-centrifugation and receiving or releasing the sample.

The number of samples received by the centrifugal module 21—refers to the samples received by the centrifugal module 21 itself, and not to the number of samples received by its buffer;

The number of samples buffered in the buffer of the centrifugation module 21, where the number of samples buffered in the buffer is preferably the number of samples waiting to be centrifuged to be scheduled to the centrifugation module 21 itself;

The estimated time for the centrifugal module 21 to receive the samples with the allocated tracks, where the estimated time for the centrifugal module 21 to receive the samples with the allocated tracks, may refer to the time from the current start timing to the time when the centrifugal module 21 starts to receive the batch of samples, that is, the time when the centrifugal module starts to receive the first sample, or the time when the batch of samples is received, that is, the time when the centrifugal module 21 receives the last sample, or the time required by the centrifugal module 21 from the time when the centrifugal module receives the first sample to the time when the centrifugal module receives the last sample;

The estimated time for the centrifugation module to release the received sample after centrifugation, herein, the estimated time for the centrifugation module 21 to release the received sample after centrifugation, refers to the time for the centrifugation module 21 to release the received sample (i.e., the sample after centrifugation at this time) after centrifugation, for example, the time from the centrifugation module 21 itself to its buffer.

Referring to fig. 9, which is a schematic diagram of the loading condition of the centrifugal module 21 in a pipeline, it can be seen that the centrifugal module 21 is in an un-centrifuged state and is in a state of receiving or releasing samples; the number of received samples of the centrifugal module 21 is 0, the centrifugal time is 0 minutes, and the residual centrifugal time is 10 minutes; the number of samples buffered in the buffer of the centrifugal module 21 is 65, that is, the buffer has 65 samples waiting for centrifugation, and 25 samples are allocated to the corresponding track, that is, the track has 25 samples waiting for centrifugation, for example, after the centrifugal module 21 itself is scheduled, the estimated time after receiving the 25 samples is 3.3 minutes, and the estimated time for releasing the samples is 0 because the current centrifugal module 21 itself has no samples waiting for release.

Referring to fig. 10, which is a schematic diagram of the loading condition of the centrifugal module 21 in a pipeline, it can be seen that the centrifugal module 21 is in a state of centrifuging and receiving or releasing samples; the number of received samples of the centrifugation module 21 is 76, the centrifugation time is 6 minutes, and the remaining centrifugation time is 4 minutes, namely the centrifugation module 21 is currently centrifuging 76 samples, the centrifugation is completed after 6 minutes, the centrifugation is completed after 4 minutes, after the centrifugation is completed, the 76 samples can be released after 6.8 minutes, and then the 15 samples on the track can be received into the centrifugation module 21 after 2 minutes, namely the estimated time for the centrifugation module 21 to receive the allocated samples of the corresponding track is the time required from the first sample for receiving the 15 samples to the last sample.

In one embodiment, the total loadable status of all centrifugal modules is displayed in a summary status, which is generally more meaningful to the user, and thus the user is sometimes more concerned about the total centrifugal loadable status of the entire pipeline system. Thus, in one embodiment the display module 80 displays one or more sets of content; wherein each group of contents corresponds to a time point, and the pipeline can also receive the number of samples to be centrifuged and the estimated time of receiving at the time point, namely, the estimated time of receiving can be from the current starting timing to the time of receiving the batch of samples, namely, the time of receiving the first sample, namely, the time of receiving the batch of samples, namely, the time of receiving the last sample, or can be the time required from the time of receiving the first sample of the batch of samples to the time of receiving the last sample. Referring to fig. 11, the number of samples to be centrifuged that the pipeline system can still receive at the current time point is 48, and the estimated time for receiving is 4.3 minutes—here, the estimated time is from the current starting timing to the time for receiving the 1 st sample in the 48 samples is 4.3 minutes; it also shows that after 3 minutes, the pipeline system can also receive 128 samples to be centrifuged, and the estimated time of receiving is 11.5 minutes; it also shows that after 8 minutes, the pipeline system can also receive 208 samples to be centrifuged, and the estimated time of receiving is 17.9 minutes; in some embodiments, the display module 80 may also display that the current centrifugal modules 21 (including themselves and their buffers) and the corresponding tracks have a total number of samples, for example 173 in the figure, and may also display the total number of centrifugal modules 21, for example 3 in the figure; in some embodiments, the user may set a time point, and then the processor 70 calculates the number of samples that can be received by the pipeline at the corresponding time point and the estimated time of reception, and the display module 80 displays the estimated time. The numerical values in fig. 5 to 11 are for illustration and not for limitation.

In one embodiment, the display module 80 includes a centralized display area for displaying the status of each sample and the status of each module on the pipeline; and displaying at least the loadable condition of the centrifugal module on the pipeline in the centralized display area, it is a typical scenario that a user can view various information of the pipeline, including the status of the sample, the status of each module, the loaded condition and loadable condition of the centrifugal module, etc. on the display module 80, which is convenient for the user.

The above is a few descriptions of the in-line centrifugation of the pipeline system as disclosed herein and of the guidance presented for off-line centrifugation. It will be appreciated that off-line centrifugation of the completed sample, and the replacement of the sample on-line, is not required, and that the input module 10 can be configured in a variety of ways bid farewell for off-line centrifuged samples. For example, in one embodiment, after the input module 10 receives a sample placed by a user, the user may place the sample in the area of the input module, or may identify whether the sample is centrifuged based on the sample holder in which the sample is located. For example, it may be preset which areas of the input module 10 are not centrifuged, and which areas are centrifuged, so that the input module 10 can identify whether the sample is centrifuged by identifying which areas the sample is located in. For example, a specific type of sample rack may be introduced in advance, and the state of the sample on the sample rack may be identified by the sample rack, for example, two types of sample racks may be cited, each type of sample rack corresponds to one state of the sample, for example, one type of sample rack corresponds to an un-centrifuged state, one type of sample rack corresponds to a centrifuged state, and the input module 10 may identify the type of sample rack by identifying the type of sample rack, for example, by identifying a barcode on the sample rack, so as to obtain whether the sample on the sample rack is centrifuged. When the input module 10 recognizes that the sample is in an un-centrifuged state, the processor 70 controls the scheduler 60 to schedule the sample to the centrifuging module 21 for centrifugation. When the input module 10 recognizes that the sample is in a centrifuged state, the processor 70 does not control the scheduler 60 to schedule the centrifuged sample to be tested to the centrifuging module 21, but controls the scheduler 60 to schedule the centrifuged sample to be tested to the decap module 23 or to the analyzing module 30.

An embodiment of the invention further discloses a centrifugation method of the assembly line, please refer to fig. 12, which includes steps 100to 300.

Step 100: and acquiring the load condition of the centrifugal module on the assembly line. In one embodiment, the loadable status of the centrifugal module on the pipeline comprises: the pipeline can also receive the number of samples to be centrifuged and the estimated time of reception at the corresponding time points.

Step 200: and calculating the loadable condition of at least one time point of the centrifugal module on the pipeline according to the load condition.

For example, the number of centrifugal modules 21 on the pipeline may be N, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and in some examples N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. Step 100 may obtain the load conditions of the N centrifugal modules 21, and step 200 calculates, according to the load condition of each centrifugal module 21, at least one time point of each centrifugal module 21, for example, the loadable conditions of the current time point, 1 minute later, 2 minutes later, 3 minutes later, 5 minutes later, 8 minutes later, and the like; it is also possible to aggregate the total load situation of the N centrifugal modules 21 and the total loadable situation.

For a centrifugal module 21 without a buffer, its loading conditions may include one or more of the following: the number of the received samples is counted by the centrifugal module;

centrifuging module centrifuging time and/or residual centrifuging time;

For a centrifugal module 21 with a buffer, its load conditions may include one or more of the following:

the number of the received samples is counted by the centrifugal module;

The number of samples buffered in the buffer area of the centrifugal module;

centrifuging module centrifuging time and/or residual centrifuging time;

Step 300: at least the loadable condition of the centrifugal modules on the pipeline is displayed. For example, step 300 may display the loadability of each centrifugal module 21 individually, e.g., at the current time point, after 1 minute, after 2 minutes, after 3 minutes, after 5 minutes, and after 8 minutes, or the loadability corresponding to one of the time points, and may display the total loadability of all centrifugal modules 21 collectively, e.g., at the current time point, after 1 minute, after 2 minutes, after 3 minutes, after 5 minutes, and after 8 minutes, or the loadability corresponding to one of the time points. Step 300 may also display the loading of the centrifugal modules on the pipeline, for example, by displaying the loading of each centrifugal module 21 individually, and for example, by displaying the total loading of all centrifugal modules 21 together-it will be appreciated that the loading of each centrifugal module 21 individually, or the total loading of all centrifugal modules 21, is updated in real time or at regular intervals. In one embodiment, the loadable status of the centrifugal module on the pipeline includes: the pipeline can also receive the number of samples to be centrifuged and the estimated time of reception at the corresponding time points. In particular, step 300 may display one or more sets of content; wherein each group of content corresponds to a time point, and the pipeline can also receive the number of samples to be centrifuged and the estimated time of reception at the time point. And in one embodiment step 300 may display the status of each sample and the status of each module on the pipeline in a centralized display area; and displaying at least the loadable condition of the centrifugal modules on the pipeline in the centralized display area.

For further description of the loading condition and the loadable condition in the centrifugal method of the pipeline, reference may be made to the description of the loading condition and the loadable condition in the description of the pipeline system, and the description is not repeated.

According to the invention, through providing respective real-time load reporting and centralized display functions of the centrifugal modules, a user can know the current load state of each centrifugal module of the system and the number and processing time of samples which can be received by the current and future systems as a whole, and after knowing the information, the user can better perform on-line and off-line centrifugal combined processing on the samples which need to be centrifuged, so that the speed balance of each link of the assembly line system is achieved, the efficiency is improved, and the manual workload is reduced.

Reference is made to various exemplary embodiments herein. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that changes and modifications may be made to the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope herein. For example, the various operational steps and components used to perform the operational steps may be implemented in different ways (e.g., one or more steps may be deleted, modified, or combined into other steps) depending on the particular application or taking into account any number of cost functions associated with the operation of the system.

In the above embodiments, it may be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. Additionally, as will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the principles herein may be reflected in a computer program product on a computer readable storage medium preloaded with computer readable program code. Any tangible, non-transitory computer readable storage medium may be used, including magnetic storage devices (hard disks, floppy disks, etc.), optical storage devices (CD-to-ROM, DVD, blu-Ray disks, etc.), flash memory, and/or the like. These computer program instructions may be loaded onto a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus create means for implementing the functions specified. These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including means which implement the function specified. The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified.

While the principles herein have been shown in various embodiments, many modifications of structure, arrangement, proportions, elements, materials, and components, which are particularly adapted to specific environments and operative requirements, may be used without departing from the principles and scope of the present disclosure. The above modifications and other changes or modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this document.

The foregoing detailed description has been described with reference to various embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the present disclosure is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope thereof. Also, advantages, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to various embodiments. The benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature. The terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, system, article, or apparatus. Furthermore, the term "couple" and any other variants thereof are used herein to refer to physical connections, electrical connections, magnetic connections, optical connections, communication connections, functional connections, and/or any other connection.

Claims

1. A pipeline system, comprising:

the input module is used for receiving samples put in by a user;

one or more analysis modules for testing centrifuged and uncapped samples;

The processor is used for acquiring the load condition of the centrifugal module on the pipeline and calculating the loadable condition of the centrifugal module on the pipeline at the current time point and one or more future time points after the current time point according to the load condition; the load condition comprises one or more of the state of a centrifugal module on a pipeline, the number of received samples by the centrifugal module, the centrifugal time of the centrifugal module, the residual centrifugal time, the number of samples distributed to a track corresponding to the centrifugal module, the estimated time of the centrifugal module for receiving the samples distributed to the track corresponding to the track, and the estimated time of the centrifugal module for releasing the received samples after the centrifugal is finished; the loadable event includes: the centrifugation module on the flow line can also receive the number of samples to be centrifuged and the received estimated time at the corresponding time point; the processor further sums, for each of the current and future points in time, the number of samples to be centrifuged and the estimated time of receipt for all the centrifugation modules on the pipeline at the corresponding point in time to obtain the number of samples to be centrifuged and the estimated time of receipt for the pipeline at each of the current and future points in time;

The display module is used for displaying at least the loadable condition of the centrifugal module on the assembly line; the display module simultaneously displays a plurality of groups of contents on the same interface, wherein each group of contents corresponds to one time point of the current time point and the future time point; each group of content displayed on the same interface by the display module comprises a time point corresponding to the group of content, and the pipeline can also receive the number of samples to be centrifuged and the estimated time of receiving at the time point.

2. The pipeline system of claim 1, wherein the centrifugal module has no buffer;

the state of the centrifugation module on the pipeline comprises a state of receiving the sample before centrifugation, a state of not receiving the sample after centrifugation and a state of releasing the sample after centrifugation.

3. The pipeline system of claim 1, wherein the centrifugal module has a buffer;

the state of the centrifugation module on the pipeline includes a state in which the sample is being centrifuged and is being received or released, and a state in which the sample is not being centrifuged and is being received or released.

4. A pipeline system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the display module also displays the loading of the centrifugal modules on the pipeline.

5. The pipeline system of claim 1, wherein the display module includes a centralized display area for displaying the status of each sample and the status of each module on the pipeline; and displaying at least the loadable condition of the centrifugal modules on the pipeline in the centralized display area.

6. A method of sample centrifugation in a pipeline, comprising:

Acquiring the load condition of a centrifugal module on a production line, wherein the load condition comprises one or more of the state of the centrifugal module on the production line, the number of received samples by the centrifugal module, the centrifugal time of the centrifugal module, the residual centrifugal time, the number of samples distributed to a track corresponding to the centrifugal module, the estimated time of the centrifugal module for receiving the samples distributed to the corresponding track and the estimated time of the centrifugal module for releasing the received samples after the centrifugation is finished;

Calculating a loadable situation of the current time point and one or more future time points after the current time point of the centrifugal module on the pipeline according to the load situation, wherein the loadable situation comprises the following steps: the centrifugation module on the flow line can also receive the number of samples to be centrifuged and the received estimated time at the corresponding time point;

Summarizing the number of samples to be centrifuged and the estimated time received by all the centrifuging modules on the pipeline at the corresponding time points aiming at each of the current time point and the future time point, so as to obtain the estimated time for the pipeline to be able to receive the number of samples to be centrifuged and the estimated time received by the pipeline at each of the current time point and the future time point;

Displaying at least the loadable condition of the centrifugal module on the pipeline; wherein, a plurality of groups of contents are simultaneously displayed on the same interface, and each group of contents corresponds to one time point of the current time point and the future time point; each set of content displayed on the same interface comprises a time point corresponding to the set of content, and the pipeline can also receive the number of samples to be centrifuged and the estimated time of receiving at the time point.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein,

8. The method of claim 6, wherein,

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein said displaying at least the loadable status of a centrifugal module on the line comprises: and the load condition of the centrifugal module on the assembly line is also displayed.

10. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising: displaying the state of each sample and the state of each module on the pipeline in a centralized display area; and displaying at least the loadable condition of the centrifugal modules on the pipeline in the centralized display area.

11. A computer readable storage medium comprising a program executable by a processor to implement the method of any one of claims 6 to 10.