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Mike Ashley and Marc Goldstein, Beckman Coulter, Inc.The role of the SAMI EX planning scheduler is to align the sequence of the activities performed by an automated system in order to perform the entire task in the shortest possible time. During the planning phase, the software takes the steps in each method, and maps out which resources, deck positions, pipetting pod, etc. that should be used for each operation. The software planner allows different deck positions to be used throughout the method to minimize plate movements between each family of related plate sets. The scheduler then takes activities such as pipetting operations, plate movement, and device actions (e.g., reading a bar code) and arranges these activities into the shortest period of time while honoring any constraints of the system. System constraints include timing constraints like plate incubation times (a minimum and an optional maximum) and resource constraints (such as having two different plates arrive at the pipettor at the right time for a plate-to-plate transfer). This demanding task uses the tremendous processing power of today's computers in an iterative process, resulting in an optimized schedule of events that efficiently performs the application. The improved SAMI EX scheduler uses a sophisticated timing model to know the duration of every plate movement, pipetting operation, and device action. By improving the times used in the schedule input, the planned times will correlate tightly with actual results during the run. While these anticipated times result in very tight schedules, SAMI EX can react to information discovered at run time (such as the results of a bar code read or the values of reader data) to determine the future sequence of actions. This data-driven dynamic scheduling capability is the key to making decisions on the fly. Further, by mapping plate usage onto storage capacity, SAMI EX can identify the maximum number of families (sets of plates) that can be used with the current hardware configuration and the assay written by the user. Assay methods are developed using the well-known flow-chart approach Beckman Coulter has pioneered. In the case where a method attempts an action not physically possible or advisable (such as moving a tip box to a plate reader) this activity will be highlighted in the flow-chart with a descriptive error and suggestion for resolution. Methods can even be run in simulation first to provide the utmost confidence in the operation of the system. Please contact your local Beckman Coulter representative for more information.
For comments or questions about T3 Update, please contact David Daniels, Ph.D., editor.
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