Monitoring a laboratory automation device via a simulation model

A computer program for monitoring a laboratory automation device, wherein the computer program, when being executed by a processor, is adapted to carry out the following steps:

• receiving the control commands;
• inputting the control commands into a simulation model of the laboratory automation device, wherein the laboratory automation device comprises a plurality of device components, which are controlled by the control commands, wherein the control commands are generated by a controller of the laboratory automation device from assay definition data defining an assay procedure for the laboratory automation, and wherein the simulation model comprises model components for at least some of the device components;
• updating the simulation model by simulating state changes of the device components based on the control commands, wherein the model components of the simulation model comprise one or more virtual objects, which are virtually moved by a simulation engine based on the control commands, the virtual objects representing liquids in the laboratory automating device, which liquids are processed by the device components;
• determining a virtual liquid processing state of the laboratory automation device from the updated simulation model;
• determining a desired liquid processing state of the laboratory automation device from the assay definition data, wherein the virtual liquid processing state and the desired liquid processing state are represented as trees, and wherein the assay definition data comprises an ordered list of entries, each entry encoding one or more desired liquid processing states to be reached by the laboratory automation device after the entry has been executed by the laboratory automation device;
• and comparing the desired liquid processing state with the virtual liquid processing state for deciding, whether the assay procedure was correctly executed, when a code for a desired liquid processing state determined from the assay definition data is different from a code for a virtual liquid processing state determined from the simulation model, it is assumed that the assay definition data was not correctly translated into the control commands that have been sent to the laboratory automation device.

A computer-readable medium, in which a computer program for monitoring a laboratory automation device, wherein the computer program, when being executed by a processor, is adapted to carry out the following steps:

• receiving the control commands;
• inputting the control commands into a simulation model of the laboratory automation device, wherein the laboratory automation device comprises a plurality of device components, which are controlled by the control commands, wherein the control commands are generated by a controller of the laboratory automation device from assay definition data defining an assay procedure for the laboratory automation, and wherein the simulation model comprises model components for at least some of the device components;
• updating the simulation model by simulating state changes of the device components based on the control commands, wherein the model components of the simulation model comprise one or more virtual objects, which are virtually moved by a simulation engine based on the control commands, the virtual objects representing liquids in the laboratory automating device, which liquids are processed by the device components;
• determining a virtual liquid processing state of the laboratory automation device from the updated simulation model;
• determining a desired liquid processing state of the laboratory automation device from the assay definition data, wherein the virtual liquid processing state and the desired liquid processing state are represented as trees, and wherein the assay definition data comprises an ordered list of entries, each entry encoding one or more desired liquid processing states to be reached by the laboratory automation device after the entry has been executed by the laboratory automation device;
• and comparing the desired liquid processing state with the virtual liquid processing state for deciding, whether the assay procedure was correctly executed, when a code for a desired liquid processing state determined from the assay definition data is different from a code for a virtual liquid processing state determined from the simulation model, it is assumed that the assay definition data was not correctly translated into the control commands that have been sent to the laboratory automation device.

A monitoring system for a laboratory automation device, the system comprising:

• a laboratory automation device with a plurality of device components;
• a controller adapted for generating digital control commands from assay definition data defining an assay procedure for the laboratory automation device, wherein the device components are controlled by the digital control commands;
• and
• a monitoring device adapted for receiving the digital control commands and for performing the following steps:
• receiving the control commands;
• inputting the control commands into a simulation model of the laboratory automation device, wherein the laboratory automation device comprises a plurality of device components, which are controlled by the control commands, wherein the control commands are generated by a controller of the laboratory automation device from assay definition data defining an assay procedure for the laboratory automation, and wherein the simulation model comprises model components for at least some of the device components;
• updating the simulation model by simulating state changes of the device components based on the control commands, wherein the model components of the simulation model comprise one or more virtual objects, which are virtually moved by a simulation engine based on the control commands, the virtual objects representing liquids in the laboratory automating device, which liquids are processed by the device components;
• determining a virtual liquid processing state of the laboratory automation device from the updated simulation model;
• determining a desired liquid processing state of the laboratory automation device from the assay definition data, wherein the virtual liquid processing state and the desired liquid processing state are represented as trees, and wherein the assay definition data comprises an ordered list of entries, each entry encoding one or more desired liquid processing states to be reached by the laboratory automation device after the entry has been executed by the laboratory automation device;
• and comparing the desired liquid processing state with the virtual liquid processing state for deciding, whether the assay procedure was correctly executed, when a code for a desired liquid processing state determined from the assay definition data is different from a code for a virtual liquid processing state determined from the simulation model, it is assumed that the assay definition data was not correctly translated into the control commands that have been sent to the laboratory automation device.