Distributed system and method for error recovery
An automated laboratory device that comprises a mechanism that performs operations on laboratory samples, a scheduler that causes the mechanism to process laboratory samples in accordance with programmed processes, logic that detects an error occurring in a process controlled by the scheduler, logic that accepts a user-defined error handling routine for the error, and logic that executes the error handling routine when the error is encountered. Also described is an embodiment of the invention directed to a laboratory automation system, a method of laboratory automation, a computer implemented software program product, a method of doing business, and a laboratory automation network.
1. A laboratory automation network comprising:
a first laboratory automation system that receives a user-defined error handling routine for an error encountered on the first laboratory automation system;
a second laboratory automation system, operated separately from the first laboratory automation system, that receives a second user-defined error handling routine for an error encountered on the second laboratory automation system;
a resource coupled to the first laboratory automation system and the second laboratory automation system, the resource comprising:
memory for storing error handling routines from the first laboratory automation system and error handling routines from the second laboratory automation system including the first user-defined error handling routine and the second user-defined error handling routine; and
logic that sends the first user-defined error handling routine to the second laboratory automation system and logic that sends the second user-defined error handling routine to the first laboratory automation system.
2. The laboratory automation network of claim 1 , further including logic that causes the first laboratory automation system to use the first user-defined error handling routine when the error is encountered in a particular process in which the error occurred and does not cause the first laboratory automation system to use the first user-defined error handling routine when the same error occurs in at least one other process.
3. The laboratory automation network of claim 1 , further including logic that allows a user to associate the first user-defined error handling routine with at least a particular process for which the first user-defined error handling routine will be run when the error is encountered.
4. The laboratory automation network of claim 1 , further including logic that applies to another error an error handling routine not provided by a user when the error handling routine not provided by the user is applicable to the error, and otherwise allows the user to provide a user-defined error handling routine.
5. The laboratory automation network of claim 1 , wherein the resource presents information regarding the error handling routines to a system administrator.
6. The laboratory automation network of claim 5 , further including logic that allows the system administrator to act upon the user-defined error handling routines.
7. The laboratory automation network of claim 5 , further including logic that allows the system administrator to approve, modify and delete the user-defined error handling routines.
8. The laboratory automation network of claim 1 , further including logic that sends the first and second error handling routines from the first laboratory automation system and the second laboratory automation system to a laboratory system administrator and logic that allows a system administrator to approve, modify, or delete error handling routines.
9. The laboratory automation network of claim 1 , further including logic that filters user-defined error handling routines before distributing the user-defined error handling routines to other laboratory automation systems.
10. The laboratory automation network of claim 1 , wherein the first laboratory automation system comprises a set of devices and a chassis coupled to the set of devices, thereby allowing for installation and movement of the first laboratory automation system as a unit.
11. The laboratory automation network of claim 1 , wherein the resource comprises a computer server.
12. A laboratory automation system comprising:
a set of devices that perform operations on laboratory samples;
a scheduler that causes the devices to process laboratory samples in accordance with a plurality of programmed processes, wherein at least one process of the plurality of programmed processes involves use of more than one of the devices to perform a set of operations on the laboratory samples;
logic that detects an error occurring in a process controlled by the scheduler;
logic that accepts a user-defined error handling routine for the error;
logic that sends the user-defined error handling routine to a remote system to be executed by the remote system; and
logic that executes a user-defined error handling routine received from the remote system in response to another error.
13. The laboratory automation system of claim 12 , wherein the remote system comprises a server or a manufacturer of the laboratory automation system.
14. The laboratory automation system of claim 12 , wherein the remote system comprises logic that transfers error handling routines to the manufacturer of at least a device from among the set of devices in the laboratory automation system.
15. The laboratory automation system of claim 12 , further including:
logic that receives the user-defined error handling routine provided from the remote system.
16. A method of laboratory automation comprising:
separately operating a first set of laboratory automation devices and a second set of laboratory automation devices;
detecting an error in operation of the first set of laboratory automation devices;
receiving a user-defined error handling routine for the error; and
executing the user-defined error handling routine when the error is encountered in the second set of laboratory automation devices.
17. A method of operating a laboratory automation system comprising a set of devices that perform operations on laboratory samples, and a scheduler that causes the devices to process laboratory samples in accordance with at least one process involving more than one of the devices to perform a set of operations on the laboratory samples, the method comprising:
receiving from the laboratory automation system a user-defined error handling routine provided in response to an error detected in a process controlled by the scheduler; and
transmitting the received user-defined error handling routine to laboratory automation systems other than the laboratory automation system from which the error handling routine was received.
18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising evaluating the user-defined error handling routine before transmitting the user-defined error handling routing to the other laboratory automation systems.