EP4393139A1

EP4393139A1 - Operator terminal and monitor for automation

Info

Publication number: EP4393139A1
Application number: EP22768379.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Christian Gosse
Original assignee: Merck Patent GmbH
Current assignee: Merck Patent GmbH
Priority date: 2021-08-25
Filing date: 2022-08-22
Publication date: 2024-07-03
Also published as: WO2023025703A1; CN117837133A

Abstract

Automated system comprising an isolator (1) with a control device (4), a lab instrument (10) with a display (9) and a data input device located inside an isolated chamber (3) of the isolator (1) and a method for remote controlling the isolator (1) via the lab instrument (10) using an adapted communication protocol.

Description

Operator terminal and monitor for automation

The hereby described invention discloses a method and a system for automated control of laboratory devices via an adapted data protocol.

Technical Field

The invention deals with the technological area of embedded electronic laboratory devices.

Background and description of the prior art

Most instruments which are currently used in chemical laboratories have a display as user interface or keypad as Human Machine Interface in order to allow interactions between a human user and the instrument itself and/or further lab machines which are connected to the instrument. These includes most well-known Biomonitoring products.

In the Pharma industry and Food & Beverage industry context, these instruments are usually used in automated processes and are often the only user interface accepted and tolerant to their constrained environment like an isolator or a laminar flow hood.

Therefore, the solution providers often use dedicated interfaces like rugged keyboard, touchscreen or voice control as operator interfaces in order to get confirmation of operation for those instruments while they are operated in isolators or clean rooms. These isolators or clean rooms usually have their own control devices, like a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) or similar, to set up the environment parameters controlled by the respective isolator. One disadvantage of operating those instruments in the isolators or clean rooms is that it is very difficult for a user to interact with the control system or interface of the isolator, while working with the instruments in the isolator. Normally the user has to stop his current operation, go to the control interface of the isolator, set the new parameter values, return to the instrument in the isolator and continue his operation. This procedure is not only inconvienient and wasting time but there are also use cases where it is not allowed to interrupt the operation.

Known solutions for this problem mainly include control interfaces with voice control - or simply a second user who performs the control parameter changes. But since a second user is not always available and many isolators or clean rooms simply do not provide or support voice control interfaces, which are also not always reliable, another solution for this problem needs to be found.

Summary of the invention

The task of this patent application is therefore to find an efficient way to remote control the environmental settings of clean rooms, isolators or the like while still working inside.

This task has been solved by a method for remote control of an automated isolator wherein an adapted communication protocol is used to connect a control device of the isolator and a a lab instrument which are located inside the isolator and a user remote controls the isolator via a display and a data input device of the lab instrument. The use of the already existing interface of the instrument in form of the display and the data input device allows a user who is working with the instrument in the isolator to remote control it via this interface without leaving his workplace. To do so a communication protocol needs to be adapted so it is able to read out commands entered by a user via the interface from the instrument and translates it to commands understood by the control of the isolator. Preferably the communication protocol enables bidirectional communication; e.g. to show the user status information about the status of the isolator setting parameters. But at least commands from the instrument interface to the isolator control have to be possible.

Advantageous and therefore preferred further developments of this invention emerge from the associated subclaims and from the description and the associated drawings.

One of those preferred further developments of the disclosed method comprise that a message is sent via the adapted communication protocol from the control device of the isolator to the display of the lab instrument to display the user a message with parameters defining the type of information of a remote control action and a user response is sent to the and validated by the control device of the isolator. In this case a bidirectional communication is required. The user is shown a specific type of a possible control action, like the setting of a temperature value, the user can then enter a value and/or confirm the suggested action or deny it and this response will then be sent back to the control device of the barrier control via the adapted communication protocol.

Another one of those preferred further developments of the disclosed method comprise that the user response can be either no reaction or a confirmation, a selected choice or a value entered into the data input device. No reaction will be regarded as a denial. The selection is not limited to those options, but is just showing the most common ones.

Another one of those preferred further developments of the disclosed method comprise that an external generated barcode or data matrix code is used to display the parameter defining the type of information which is then scanned and associated to a further device in the isolator. The barcode or data matrix code are generated external and are then transferred via the communincation protocol. They are then scanned, either by the user using a rugged reader or even automatically by a suitable device, and associated to some asset in the isolator. So the problem that introducing a paper in the isolator can be avoided.

Another one of those preferred further developments of the disclosed method comprise that a knob and/or keyboard are used as a data input device and both the display and the data input device are rugged to withstand the environmental conditions inside the isolator.

Another one of those preferred further developments of the disclosed method comprise that a TCP-Modbus is used as adapted communication protocol. A TCP-Modbus can be easily adapted to be a suitable communication protocol as it provides all necessary technical requirements.

Another solution to this task is an automated system comprising a lab instrument with a display and a data input device located inside an isolator which is configured to remote control the isolator via the lab instrument according to the method steps of the previous claims.

Detailed description of the invention

The method and the associated automated system according to the invention and functionally advantageous developments of those are described in more detail below with reference to the associated drawings using at least one preferred exemplary embodiment. In the drawings, elements that correspond to one another are provided with the same reference numerals.

The drawings show: Figure 1 : a used isolator

Figure 2: an example of the GUI data on the used instrument display

Figure 3: a sequence about the procedure if data exchange between a user and the automated system

Figure 4: the workflow of an example of TCP Modbus variables as protocol used for performing the data exchange

Figure 1 shows an example of a isolator 1 which can be used for the invented method and is part of the associated automated system in a preferred embodiment. The isolator 1 comprises of an isolated chamber 3 in which a specific environment regarding atmosphere, temperature, radiation etc can be established, the technical means to provide such an environment and a control device 4 which regulates the technical means and provides a user interface. The control device 4 comprise of a suitable computer like, but not limited to, a PLC or an embedded controller with memory, preferably a display and respective internal and external data interfaces, like data busses, USB and the like. Furthermore the isolator 1 comprises access tools 6 with which a user 2 can work at his work place 5 with the products and lab instruments in the isolated chamber 3, preferably installed gloves 6 or robotic arms. Which environment settings can be provided by the isolator 1 depends on the specific type of the used isolator 1 , but for the preferred embodiment at least temperature and atmosphere composition are alterable.

The present invention in its preferred embodiment relies on the communication link provided on the instrument 10 and the ability to use the display 9 of it to forward a message 8 coming from an external device, like the control device 4 of the isolator, to the user 2. This message 8 requests a response from the user 2 using the instruments data input device, like a keypad. That means the instrument 10 and its peripheral devices like the data input device and its display 9 are used as an environment compliant user interface for a not compliant environment process. As the instrument 10 is qualified for rugged environments, which are provided by the isolator 1 in its chamber 3 where a user 2 can only operate with gloves 6 or robotic arms, this solves the issue that otherwise an additional, rugged user interface equipment would be needed. Therefore it enables a substantial cost reduction for such an automated system and also doesn’t overcharge the working space in the isolated chamber 3.

To use the communication link provided on the instrument 10 like described the communication between the automated system uses standard protocol. In this example which shows the preferred embodiment TCP Modbus is used.

The communication is done in two steps:

1 . After the user 2 initiated an action at the control device 4 of the isolator he goes to his workplace 5. Then a message 8 is sent from the control device 4 of the isolator to the display 9 of the lab instrument so the user 2 of the isolator 1 can see and comprehend it. The message 8 contains parameters defining the type of information to display, which means the type of remote control action which the user 2 can perform. In an alternative embodiment it is also possible that the user 2 initiates the required action at the lab instrument 10 directly while being or working inside of the isolator 1 already. In this case the remote user interface needs to be adapted within the possibilities of the display 9 to initiate those commands.

2. In the second step the result is processed. Following results are possible: no reaction, confirmation, a selected choice or a value is entered. The respective result is then transferred via the TCP Modbus to the control device 4 which executes the assigned action in the isolator 1 . Another further embodiment of the disclosed invention is about that the message 8 sent to the display of the lab instrument could contain a barcode or data matrix code 7, which is generated by an external program. This code 7 can transport much more information then a standard text message. It is preferably used to be associated to some asset in the isolator 1 . To do so it needs to be scanned with a rugged code reader suitable to the environmental conditions though. Displaying the code on the display 7 has a clear advantage when it comes because introducing a paper wih a printed code might be problematic in the isolator 1 .

Figure 2 shows an example of a preferred embodiment using such a barcode 7. The user message 8 is transferred to and shown on the display 9 of the instrument. The user 2 selects an answer with the keyboard of the instrument which is then sent to the control device 4 which validates it. Another possibility is to display the message 8 to the user 2, who enters a value using the keyboard which is then sent to the control devices 4 where it gets validated. As the instrument 10 is designed to work in the constraint environment by using gloves 6, sterilization gaz, etc, the user 2 is able to read the message 8 in good conditions and is able to give the response using the adapted keyboard of the instrument. Due to this the display 9 and the keyboard of the instrument can be used to interact with the automated system if the instrument is not executing any operation.

Figure 3 shows then an example sequence about the preferred embodiment of the invention which illustrates the exchanges between the user 2 and the automated system when he uses first the existing user interface of the PLC control device 4 outside the isolator chamber 3 and after he has reached his workplace 5 at the isolated chamber 3 where he is triggering the process via the remote user interface provided by the PLC control device 4 and the TCP Modbus on the lab instrument 10. In this example the instrument 10 is a pump and the user 2 wants to set the speed of the pump to a value of 30. The pump will then use this setting to pump a controlled volume of liquid from the sample bottle to analyze, to a test container.

The following tables shows the TCP Modbus variables which are required for realizing the pumping speed change in this example.

Figure 4 shows the respective workflow of the necessary variables and how they are used for providing the required function of changing the pumping speed. List of references

1 Isolator

2 User

3 Isolated chamber

4 Isolator Control Device

5 User work place at isolator

6 Installed isolator gloves

7 Display instrument with data matrix code

8 User message

9 Display of the instrument

10 Instrument

Claims

Patent claims ethod for remote controlling an automated isolator (1 ) wherein an adapted communication protocol is used to connect a control device (4) of the isolator (1 ) and a lab instrument (10) which are located inside an isolated chamber (3) of the isolator (1 ) and a user (2) remote controls the isolator (1 ) via a display (9) and a data input device of the lab instrument (10). ethod according to claim 1 , wherein a message (8) is sent via the adapted communication protocol from the control device (4) of the isolator to the display (9) of the lab instrument to display the user (2) the message (8) with parameters defining the type of information of a remote control action and a user response is sent to the and validated by the control device (4) of the isolator. ethod according to claim 2, wherein the user response can be either no reaction or a confirmation, a selected choice or a value entered into the data input device (4). ethod according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein an external generated barcode or data matrix code (7) is used to display the parameters defining the type of information which is then scanned and associated to a further device in the isolator (1 ). ethod according to any of the previous claims, wherein a knob and/or keyboard are used as a data input device and both the display (9) and the data input device are rugged to withstand the environmental conditions inside the isolator (1 ). Method according to any of the previous claims, wherein a TCP-Modbus is used as adapted communication protocol. Automated system comprising an isolator (1 ) with a control device (4), a lab instrument (10) with a display (9) and a data input device located inside an isolated chamber (3) of the isolator (1 ) which is configured to remote control the isolator (1 ) via the lab instrument (10) using an adapted communication protocol according to the method steps of the previous claims.