AUTOMATIC SUITABILITY DETERMINATION SYSTEM

Abstract

The automatic suitability determination system includes a check document storing part, a check document retrieving part, a determination test execution part, and a suitability determination part. The check document storing part stores suitability check documents. The check document retrieving part is configured to read out the suitability check document related to a determining target component of operational suitability from the check document storing part. The determination test execution part is configured to read information contained in the suitability check document read out by the check document retrieving part and to execute tests of suitability determination items specified in the suitability check document by making the determining target component of the operational suitability operate based on the information. The suitability determination part is configured to determine, based on results of the tests executed by the determination test execution part, suitability for the suitability determination items corresponding to the tests.

Claims

1. An automatic suitability determination system that is incorporated in a computer capable of two-way communication with an analysis system and is configured to automatically determine operational suitability of components constituting the analysis system, the automatic suitability determination system comprising: a check document storing part that stores suitability check documents that are electronic documents having information on tests for determining the operational suitability of the components constituting the analysis system; a check document retrieving part configured to read out the suitability check document related to a determining target component of the operational suitability from the check document storing part; a determination test execution part configured to read the information contained in the suitability check document read out by the check document retrieving part and to execute tests of suitability determination items specified in the suitability check document by making the determining target component of the operational suitability operate based on the information; and a suitability determination part configured to determine, based on results of the tests executed by the determination test execution part, suitability for the suitability determination items corresponding to the tests.

2. The automatic suitability determination system according to claim 1, wherein the check document storing part stores a plurality of the suitability check documents for a plurality of types of components including the components constituting the analysis system, the automatic suitability determination system further comprises a component configuration detector configured to detect a component configuration of the analysis system, and the check document retrieving part is configured to read out the suitability check documents for the components constituting the analysis system from the check document storing part based on the component configuration detected by the component configuration detector.

3. The automatic suitability determination system according to claim 2, wherein the check document retrieving part is configured to display a list of the suitability check documents that apply to the component configuration detected by the component configuration detector, to require an operator of the automatic suitability determination system to select the suitability check documents to be read out, and to read out the suitability check documents selected by the operator from the check document storing part.

4. The automatic suitability determination system according to claim 1, further comprising a report creation part configured to create a verification result report describing a determination result by the suitability determination part.

5. The automatic suitability determination system according to claim 4, further comprising a rewrite prohibition part configured to prohibit rewriting of the determination result described in the verification result report.

6. The automatic suitability determination system according to claim 4, wherein the report creation part is configured to attach data of the results of the tests that are a basis of the determination result described in the verification result report to the verification result report.

7. The automatic suitability determination system according to claim 1, wherein the check document storing part is configured to be able to additionally store new suitability check documents that have not been stored by the check document storing part.

8. The automatic suitability determination system according to claim 1, further comprising an execution procedure storage part that stores an execution procedure of the tests of the suitability determination items together with identification information of the suitability determination items, wherein the identification information of the suitability determination items to be executed are embedded in the suitability check documents, and the determination test execution part is configured to identify the suitability determination items to be executed based on the identification information embedded in the suitability check documents, and to execute the tests of the identified suitability determination items based on the execution procedure stored in the execution procedure storage part.

9. The automatic suitability determination system according to claim 8, wherein the suitability check documents have condition values necessary for executing the tests of the suitability determination items to be executed, the condition values being embedded in association with the identification information, and the determination test execution part is configured to execute the tests of the suitability determination items using the condition values embedded in the suitability check documents.

10. The automatic suitability determination system according to claim 8, wherein the suitability check documents have reference values necessary for determining the suitability for the suitability determination items to be executed, the reference values being embedded in association with the identification information, and the suitability determination part is configured to determine the suitability for the suitability determination items using the reference values embedded in the suitability check documents.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing an exemplary embodiment of an automatic suitability determination system.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing exemplary operation of suitability determination of an analysis system according to the same exemplary embodiment.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing exemplary operation in a test for the suitability determination according to the same exemplary embodiment.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0023] Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of an automatic suitability determination system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 1, an automatic suitability determination system 2 is incorporated in a computer such as a personal computer (PC) capable of two-way communication with an analysis system 1. The analysis system 1 of this exemplary embodiment is constituted by a plurality of components 1 to N. When the analysis system 1 is an LC system, the components are respectively a liquid feed pump, an auto sampler, a column oven, a detector, a system controller, a computer for arithmetic processing, and the like. The automatic suitability determination system 2 is a system for automatically determining operational suitability for any of the components 1 to N constituting the analysis system 1 as to whether the components operate properly.

[0025] The automatic suitability determination system 2 includes a check document storing part 4, an execution procedure storage part 6, a component configuration detector 8, a check document retrieving part 10, a determination test execution part 12, a suitability determination part 14, a report creation part 16, and a rewrite prohibition part 18. The check document storing part 4 and the execution procedure storage part 6 are functions realized by a storage amount of a part of a storage device included in the computer in which the automatic suitability determination system 2 is incorporated. The component configuration detector 8, the check document retrieving part 10, the determination test execution part 12, the suitability determination part 14, the report creation part 16, and the rewrite prohibition part 18 are functions obtained by programs being executed by arithmetic elements included in the computer in which the automatic suitability determination system 2 is incorporated.

[0026] The check document storing part 4 stores a suitability check document for at least a part of the components 1 to N of the analysis system 1. The suitability check document, which is prepared for each component, is an electronic document in PDF format or the like describing a test item (suitability determination item) to be executed for determining the operational suitability of the corresponding component, an execution procedure of the suitability determination item, a condition value for conducting the test, and a reference value for the determination.

[0027] An engineer has conventionally operated a target component to conduct the test of the specified suitability determination item while referring to the suitability check document, and determined the operational suitability by comparing a result of the test with the reference value specified in the suitability check document.

[0028] In this exemplary embodiment, the information such as ID, the condition value, and the reference value for the suitability determination item is embedded as field information in the suitability check document. The determination test execution part 12 and the suitability determination part 14 described later read the field information to automatically operate the target component, and automatically execute the test and the determination of the operational suitability.

[0029] It is possible to make the check document storing part 4 store a new suitability check document, and also to update the contents of the existing suitability check document. The component configuration of the analysis system 1, that is, what kind of component combination is included in the analysis system 1 changes depending on specifications required by customers. It is thus preferable that the check document storing part 4 stores not only the suitability check documents for the components 1 to N actually constituting the analysis system 1 but also suitability check documents for other components.

[0030] The component configuration detector 8 is configured to detect the components 1 to N actually constituting the analysis system 1 by communicating with the analysis system 1.

[0031] The check document retrieving part 10 is configured to search for the suitability check documents corresponding to the components 1 to N of the analysis system 1 detected by the component configuration detector 8 from the suitability check documents stored in the check document storing part 4, and to read out the suitability check document of the target component of determining the operational suitability.

[0032] In a preferred embodiment, the check document retrieving part 10 is configured to search for the suitability check documents associated with component IDs of the components 1 to N constituting the analysis system 1, to display a list of the associated suitability check documents to allow an operator of the automatic suitability determination system 2 to select a suitability check document to be read out (that is, a component for which determination of the operational suitability is to be executed), and to read out the suitability check document selected by the operator from the check document storing part 4.

[0033] The determination test execution part 12 is configured to read the ID of the suitability determination items to be executed and condition values for the tests of the items that are embedded in the suitability check document read out by the check document retrieving part 10, and to execute the tests of the suitability determination items specified for the target component. The execution procedures of the tests of the suitability determination items are stored in the execution procedure storage part 6 in association with the ID of the suitability determination items. Based on the ID of the suitability determination items read from the suitability check document, the determination test execution part 12 is configured to read out the execution procedures for the items from the execution procedure storage part 6, and to conduct the tests of the items according to the procedures.

[0034] Note that, if information on the execution procedures of the tests of the suitability determination items are embedded in the suitability check document, the determination test execution part 12 can execute the tests of the suitability determination items by reading the information, and thus the execution procedure storage part 6 is not a necessary constituent element.

[0035] The suitability determination part 14 is configured to determine the suitability for each suitability determination item by comparing a test result of the item executed by the determination test execution part 12 with the reference value for that item read from the suitability check document.

[0036] The report creation part 16 is configured to create a verification result report describing determination results of the suitability determination items by the suitability determination part 14. In a preferred embodiment, it is preferable that the report creation part 16 is configured to attach data of the test results that are bases of the determination results of the suitability determination items to the verification result report. The verification result report created by the report creation part 16 may be the suitability check document with the determination results entered in entry fields thereof.

[0037] The rewrite prohibition part 18 is configured to perform a process of prohibiting rewriting of the contents described in the verification result report created by the report creation part 16, for example, a process of making the verification result report read-only.

[0038] Next, a sequential flow by the automatic suitability determination system 2 up to execution of a suitability determination test will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 2.

[0039] When the operational suitability is determined for the components constituting the analysis system 1, first, the component configuration detector 8 detects the component configuration of the analysis system 1 (step S1). In this exemplary embodiment, the configuration where the analysis system 1 is constituted by the components 1 to N is detected.

[0040] The check document retrieving part 10 searches for the suitability check documents corresponding to the components 1 to N detected by the component configuration detector 8 and displays a list of the corresponding suitability check documents (step S2), and allows an operator of the system 2 to select a suitability check document to be read out (step S3). The check document retrieving part 10 reads out the suitability check document selected by the operator from the check document storing part 4 (step S4). After the check document retrieving part reads out the suitability check document, the determination test execution part 12 operates a target component to execute the tests of predetermined suitability determination items using the information (for example, the information embedded as field information) contained in the suitability check document and the execution procedures stored in the execution procedure storage part 6 (step S5). After the determination test execution part 12 executes the tests for the items, the suitability determination part 14 determines the suitability based on results obtained from the tests.

[0041] If there is another component for which the operational suitability is to be determined, steps S3 to S5 are repeatedly executed, and if there is no component for which the operational suitability is to be determined, the processing ends (step S6).

[0042] Next, sequential operations from the test for determining the operational suitability of a component to output of a verification result report (hereinafter, referred to as a report) will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 3.

[0043] When the operator of the system 2 selects the suitability check document to be read out in step S3 in the flowchart of FIG. 2, the determination test execution part reads the suitability determination item ID, the condition value, and the reference value that are embedded in the suitability check document (steps S11 and S12), and conducts the test according to the execution procedure for that item stored in the execution procedure storage part 6 (step S13). The suitability determination part 14 determines the suitability for that item based on a result of the test conducted by the determination test execution part 12 (step S14). The report creation part 16 enters a determination result of that item by the suitability determination part 14 in the report (step S15).

[0044] The above operations S11 to S15 are executed in sequence for all the suitability determination items specified in the suitability check document (step S16). After the determination results for all the items are entered in the report, the rewrite prohibition part 18 performs the rewrite prohibition process on the report (step S17). Further, the report creation part 16 attaches data of the test results of the items to the created report (step S18), and outputs the report as a document such as a PDF file (step S19).

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0045] 1: Analysis system

[0046] 2: Automatic suitability determination system

[0047] 4: Check document storing part

[0048] 6: Execution procedure storage part

[0049] 8: Component configuration detector

[0050] 10: Check document retrieving part

[0051] 12: Determination test execution part

[0052] 14: Suitability determination part

[0053] 16: Report creation part

[0054] 18: Rewrite prohibition part