JP2025088156A - Laboratory information management device, method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a laboratory information management apparatus, a laboratory information management method, and a laboratory information management program configured to prevent a wrong experimental instrument from being used for an experiment.SOLUTION: A laboratory information management apparatus 13 includes an experimental information storage unit 22, a specifying unit 23, a display control unit 26, an acquisition unit 27, a calculation unit 28, a first determination unit 31, and a second determination unit 32. The experimental information storage unit 22 stores experimental information. The specifying unit 23 specifies experimental information for one selected experiment. The acquisition unit 27 acquires an image of an instrument, as an acquired image. On the basis of a degree of similarity between the acquired image and a reference image, the first determination unit 31 determines whether or not the acquired image is identical with the reference image, and the second determination unit 32 determines whether or not the subsequent use of the instrument shown in the acquired image is adequate. The display control unit 26 generates, when the first determination unit 31 determines the identity and the second determination unit 32 determines the adequacy of the use of the instrument, an image showing subsequent steps in the procedure.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a laboratory information management device, a laboratory information management method, and a laboratory information management program.

In recent years, laboratory facilities that conduct various experiments (including tests and inspections) such as research and development, inspections, and testing have introduced laboratory information management systems (LIMS) for the purpose of managing information on the process and results of experiments. Systems such as LIMS are useful for improving the efficiency of research and development, etc.

To further improve the efficiency of research and development, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a research and development support system that includes one or more databases and a management system. The database stores multiple types of data and information related to research and development. The management system accesses one or more databases to process information. The one or more databases store research and development related information, which is information related to the research and development of researchers, equipment related information, which is information related to equipment used in the research and development, and usage history information, which is information on the researcher's usage history of the equipment. The management system generates and outputs information to support research and development based on the usage history information, equipment related information, and research and development related information.

In addition, in laboratory facilities, it is common to prepare two-dimensional code labels such as barcodes for each reagent lot in advance and affix them to containers to manage the reagents using the two-dimensional codes. In contrast, glassware is not suitable for management using two-dimensional codes because even if a two-dimensional code label is affixed to it, the label falls off during cleaning, etc. Therefore, laboratory equipment such as glassware is only visually checked to determine whether it is the equipment to be used. This can lead to mistakes such as conducting an experiment with equipment other than the one that should be used.

JP 2020-52602 A

However, the research and development support system described in Patent Document 1 cannot prevent mistakes such as conducting an experiment with the wrong experimental equipment.

The present invention aims to provide a laboratory information management device, a laboratory information management method, and a laboratory information management program that prevent experiments from being conducted with the wrong laboratory equipment.

The laboratory information management device of the present invention includes an experimental information storage unit, an identification unit, a display control unit, an acquisition unit, a calculation unit, a first judgment unit, and a second judgment unit. The experimental information storage unit stores experimental information including a reference image of an instrument used in an experiment and an experimental procedure for each of a plurality of experiments. The identification unit identifies experimental information for the selected experiment in the experimental information storage unit based on a display request for selecting an experiment from the plurality of experiments and requesting display. The display control unit generates an image showing the experimental information identified by the identification unit. The acquisition unit acquires an image, which is captured in a state in which the experimental information is identified and has the instrument as a subject, as an acquired image. The calculation unit compares the acquired image with a reference image included in the experimental information identified by the identification unit to determine the degree of identity. The first judgment unit judges whether the acquired image and the reference image are identical based on the degree of identity. The second judgment unit judges whether the instrument shown in the acquired image is suitable for further use based on the degree of identity. If the first determination unit determines that the items are identical and the second determination unit determines that the items are suitable for use, the display control unit generates an image showing the subsequent steps in the procedure.

The second judgment unit preferably makes a judgment after the first judgment unit has made a judgment, and more preferably makes a judgment when the first judgment unit has made a judgment that they are identical.

It is preferable that the first determination unit determines the degree of identity based on a first threshold value that is preset, and the second determination unit determines the degree of identity based on a second threshold value that is preset and different from the first threshold value.

The calculation unit preferably determines the degree of identity by comparing the image patterns of the acquired image and the reference image. The image pattern is preferably at least one of an indication of the name of the appliance, an indication of the manufacturer, an indication of the capacity if it is a container, an external shape, and a size.

The laboratory information management method of the present invention includes an experimental information storage step, a specification step, a display control step, an acquisition step, a calculation step, a first judgment step, and a second judgment step. The experimental information storage step stores experimental information including a reference image of an instrument used in the experiment and an experimental procedure for each of a plurality of experiments. The specification step specifies experimental information for one selected experiment based on a display request for selecting one experiment from the plurality of experiments and requesting display. The display control step generates an image showing the experimental information specified by the specification step. The acquisition step acquires an image, which is captured in a state in which the experimental information is specified and has the instrument as a subject, as an acquired image. The calculation step compares the acquired image with a reference image included in the experimental information specified by the specification step to determine the degree of identity. The first judgment step determines whether the acquired image and the reference image are identical based on the degree of identity. The second judgment step determines whether the instrument shown in the acquired image is suitable for further use based on the degree of identity. The display control step generates an image showing the subsequent steps in the procedure if the first determination step determines that the two are identical and the second determination step determines that the two are suitable for use.

The laboratory information management program of the present invention causes a computer to execute each of the above steps.

This invention makes it possible to prevent experiments from being conducted using incorrect laboratory equipment.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a laboratory information management system. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a laboratory information management device. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a storage mode of an experiment information storage unit. FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a display unit of a user terminal during imaging. FIG. FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of processing of the laboratory information management device. FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of processing of the laboratory information management device.

The laboratory information management system 10 shown in FIG. 1 is used in a laboratory facility where experiments (including tests and inspections) are conducted in research and development, inspection, testing, quality control, etc., and when a user conducts an experiment, the system allows the user to understand the experimental procedure, the instruments, devices, reagents, etc. used in the experiment, and stores the experiment history. The laboratory information management system 10 is used, for example, as a LIMS or in combination with a LIMS.

The lab information management system 10 includes a user terminal 11 used by the user, a lab information management device 13 which is an example of an embodiment of the present invention, and a management terminal 15 used by an administrator who manages the user terminal 11 and the lab information management device 13. The user terminal 11, the lab information management device 13, and the management terminal 15 communicate with each other via a communication network CN, that is, they transmit and receive various data. For example, in the lab information management system 10, when the user terminal 11 sends a display request requesting a display of the procedure of a specific experiment, the lab information management device 13 sends an image showing the procedure of the experiment to the user terminal 11. In addition, when the imaging unit 18 (see FIG. 2) provided in the user terminal 11 captures an image of the equipment prepared by the user for use in the experiment and the image is sent, the lab information management device 13 determines whether the equipment as the subject of the image is to be used in the experiment, and if it is determined that the equipment is to be used, sends the subsequent procedure of the experiment to the user terminal 11 for display. The management terminal 15 performs various management settings for the laboratory information management system 10, such as registering and deregistering users and/or user terminals 11.

The user terminal 11 includes an imaging unit 18 that captures images of the tools prepared for use in the experiment as subjects, and a transmission unit (not shown) that sends the captured images to the laboratory information management device 13. In this example, a mobile device (hereinafter, MD) such as a smartphone or tablet with a built-in camera is used as the user terminal 11, but it is not limited to an MD as long as it is equipped with the imaging unit 18 and transmission unit. As the MD, which is a mobile computer, a smartphone, tablet terminal, etc. can be used. Although only one user terminal 11 is shown in FIG. 1, there may be multiple user terminals 11 so that multiple users can use each of them.

The management terminal 15 is, for example, a terminal used by an administrator who manages the experimental tasks performed by users, but the user of the management terminal 15 is not limited to this example. The laboratory information management system 10 may not have a management terminal 15. For example, the user terminal 11 may be made available for both users and administrators and used as the management terminal 15. Although only one management terminal 15 is depicted in FIG. 1, there may be multiple management terminals 15 so that multiple administrators each use one. The management terminal 15 may be used as an overall management terminal that manages various settings and/or data of the laboratory information management device 13. Note that an overall management terminal may be provided separately from the management terminal 15.

The laboratory information management device 13 performs a predetermined process based on various information sent from each of the user terminal 11 and the management terminal 15. Details of the laboratory information management device 13 will be described later using another drawing.

The user terminal 11, the management terminal 15, and the laboratory information management device 13 are each composed of a computer. The user terminal 11 and the management terminal 15 may operate on a browser by receiving a program that runs on a browser from the laboratory information management device 13, or may have a specific application software built in and operate by executing the program of this application software. A specific program is built in the laboratory information management device 13, and by executing this program, it functions as each part described below and performs specific processing. A program that allows the laboratory information management device 13 to execute various processes may be installed in the user terminal 11, and the user terminal 11 may be made to execute the processes performed by the laboratory information management device 13, and the user terminal 11 may become the laboratory information management device 13.

The program causes the computer to execute an experimental information storage step, a specification step, a display control step, an acquisition step, a calculation step, a first judgment step, and a second judgment step. The experimental information storage step stores experimental information including a reference image of an instrument used in the experiment and an experimental procedure for each of a plurality of experiments. The specification step specifies experimental information for one selected experiment based on a display request for selecting one experiment from the plurality of experiments and requesting display. The display control step generates an image showing the experimental information specified by the specification step. The acquisition step acquires an image, which is captured in a state in which the experimental information is specified and has the instrument as a subject, as an acquired image. The calculation step compares the acquired image with a reference image included in the experimental information specified by the specification step to determine the degree of identity. The first judgment step judges whether the acquired image and the reference image are identical based on the degree of identity. The second judgment step judges whether the instrument shown in the acquired image is suitable for further use based on the degree of identity. The display control step generates an image showing the subsequent steps in the procedure if the first determination step determines that the two are identical and the second determination step determines that the two are suitable for use.

As shown in FIG. 2, the laboratory information management device 13 includes a control unit 21, an experiment information storage unit 22, an identification unit 23, a display control unit 26, an acquisition unit 27, a calculation unit 28, a first judgment unit 31, and a second judgment unit 32. It is preferable that the laboratory information management device 13 further includes an experiment history storage unit 35, and this is also the case in this example. The control unit 21 controls the transmission and reception of data between the user terminal 11 and the management terminal 15, and also provides overall control over each unit of the laboratory information management device 13, such as the identification unit 23 and the acquisition unit 27.

The experiment information storage unit 22 stores, for each of a number of experiments, experimental information including the experimental procedure (hereinafter referred to as the experimental procedure) and a reference image of the equipment used in the experiment. The equipment for which the reference image is stored may be made of colorless and transparent glass. Since glass equipment is washed and reused repeatedly, even if a two-dimensional code (barcode, QR code (registered trademark), etc.) sticker is affixed, it will come off from the equipment upon washing and cannot be used, so the equipment cannot be registered. In contrast, in this embodiment, a reference image of the equipment is used, so even if the equipment is made of glass, it is registered as part of the experimental information.

In addition to the experimental procedure and the reference image, the experimental information may include, as equipment reference images, images of equipment used in the experiment, such as stirring equipment such as stirrers and stirrers, thermostatic baths, and shaking equipment. In addition to or instead of the equipment reference images, the experimental information may include either text data or two-dimensional codes indicating each of these pieces of equipment.

The experiment history storage unit 35 stores the history of experiments. The experiment history is a record of past experiments, for example, the progress status prior to the current time of an experiment being conducted by the user, and the results of past experiments conducted. The experiment history is stored in the experiment history storage unit 35 via the control unit 21 based on the input operation of the user on the user terminal 11. However, the experiment history of other users may also be stored in the experiment history storage unit 35. For example, the experiment history storage unit 35 may store the experiment history based on the input operation of other users on other user terminals 11.

Based on a display request for selecting and displaying one experiment from among the multiple experiments, the identification unit 23 identifies the experiment information for the selected experiment (hereinafter referred to as the selected experiment) from among the multiple pieces of experiment information stored in the experiment information storage unit 22. The selection operation for selecting one experiment from among the multiple experiments and the display request for display are performed in the user terminal 11, and when the display request is sent from the user terminal 11 to the laboratory information management device 13, it is input to the identification unit 23 via the control unit 21.

The identification unit 23 further identifies the experiment history for the selected experiment history from among the multiple experiment histories stored in the experiment history storage unit 35 based on a display request for selecting and displaying one experiment history from among the experiment histories. The selection operation for selecting one experiment history from among the multiple experiment histories and the display request for display are performed on the user terminal 11, and when the display request is sent from the user terminal 11 to the laboratory information management device 13, it is input to the identification unit 23 via the control unit 21.

In response to various information input from each unit in the laboratory information management device 13, such as the identification unit 23, the first judgment unit 31, and the second judgment unit 32, the display control unit 26 generates an image according to the input information and sends it to the user device 11 via the control unit 21. Based on various display requests from the user device 11 and the management terminal 15 (see FIG. 1), the display control unit 26 may generate an image according to the display request under the control of the control unit 21 and send it to the user device 11 or the management terminal 15 that sent the display request. In this example, the laboratory information management device 13 is configured so that one user can display the experiment history of other users on the user terminal 11 that he or she uses.

The display control unit 26 generates an image showing the experimental information identified by the identification unit 23, and sends it via the control unit 21 to the user terminal 11, which is the sender of the display request. Specifically, an image showing the experimental procedure and equipment, etc., included in the identified experimental information is generated and sent. As a result, the image showing the experimental procedure and equipment, etc., is displayed on a display unit (not shown), such as a liquid crystal display, of the user terminal 11. In this example, the display control unit 26 generates a menu image for the user to select any content from among the contents included in the experimental information, prior to the image showing each content included in the identified experimental information, and displays it on the display unit of the user terminal 11. The display control unit 26 then sequentially generates experimental information corresponding to the input operation on the menu image on the user terminal 11, and displays it on the display unit of the user terminal 11.

When the first judgment unit 31 judges that the acquired image and the reference image are identical and the second judgment unit 32 judges that the instrument is suitable for further use, as described below, the display control unit 26 generates an image showing a step in the procedure subsequent to the step in which the instrument is used, and sends the image to the user terminal 11.

The acquisition unit 27 acquires an image of the instrument as a subject captured when the experimental information has been specified from the user terminal 11 via the control unit 21 as an acquired image.

The calculation unit 28 compares the acquired image with a reference image included in the experimental information identified by the identification unit 23 to determine the degree of identity. The degree of identity is the degree of likelihood that they are the same, and can be expressed, for example, as a numerical value. In this example, the degree of identity is expressed as a percentage, with the highest likelihood being 100% and the lowest likelihood being 0%. However, the degree of identity is not limited to this example, and may be anything that represents the degree of likelihood that the acquired image and the reference image are the same. Therefore, the degree of difference, which is the degree of difference between the acquired image and the reference image, may be used as the degree of identity.

It is preferable that the calculation unit 28 finds the degree of identity by comparing the image patterns of the acquired image and the reference image. The image pattern is preferably at least one of an indication of the name of the appliance, an indication of the manufacturer, an indication of the capacity in the case of a container, an external shape, and a size.

The first determination unit 31 performs an identity determination process to determine whether the acquired image and the reference image are identical or not based on the degree of identity. For example, the first determination unit 31 can make a determination based on a first threshold value set in advance for the degree of identity. In this example, if the degree of identity is equal to or greater than the first threshold value, it is determined that they are identical, and if it is less than the first threshold value, it is determined that they are not identical.

The first determination unit 31 outputs the determination result of whether the two are identical or not to the display control unit 26, and if it determines that the two are identical, it outputs the determination result to the second determination unit 32.

The first determination unit 31 may output the determination result to the second determination unit 32 when it determines that the two tools are not identical, in addition to when it determines that the two tools are identical through the identity determination process. However, as described above, when it is determined that the two tools are not identical, the user will avoid using the tool and prepare another tool, so there is no need to output the determination result to the second determination unit 32.

The second judgment unit 32 performs a suitability judgment process to judge the suitability of further use of the device shown in the acquired image based on the number of identities, and outputs the judgment result to the display control unit 26.

The second judgment unit 32 preferably performs the suitability judgment process after the judgment by the first judgment unit 31, i.e., after the identity judgment process. The second judgment unit 32 preferably performs the suitability judgment process when the first judgment unit 31 judges that the acquired image and the reference image are identical.

It is preferable that the second judgment unit 32 judges the degree of identity based on a second threshold value that is set in advance and is different from the first threshold value. It is preferable that the second threshold value is set to a stricter level than the first threshold value, and in this example, the first threshold value is set to 95% and the second threshold value is set to 98%.

At least one of the first threshold value and the second threshold value may be set in the laboratory information management device 13 by inputting data using an input unit (not shown) such as a keyboard or a touch panel display provided in the management terminal 15, or may be set in advance in a program that causes a computer to function as the laboratory information management device 13.

As shown in FIG. 3, the experiment information storage unit 22 stores the experiment name, procedure, and equipment in association with each other. In this example, the experiments are managed by identification information "ID" such as "EN1", "EN2", ..., and the identification information "ID" indicating the procedure is associated with each experiment as "FL1", "FL2", ..., etc. The procedure is composed of multiple steps in an order. For example, a procedure with "ID" "FL1" is composed of seven steps in an order: "Step 1", "Step 2", "Step 3", ..., "Step 7". Each step is associated with the content of the step, for example, "Put 30 mL of ○○ made by ○○ Chemical Co., Ltd., 5 g of △△ of △△ Reagent Co., Ltd., and about 50 mL of distilled water into a 100 mL Erlenmeyer flask made by XX Glass Co., Ltd., dissolve, and then fill up with a 100 mL measuring flask made by XX Glass Co., Ltd." Each step is further associated with an instrument to be used. In the example shown in FIG. 3, in "Step 1" of the procedure with "ID" "FL1", "Candidate 1" is associated with each of "Instrument 1" and "Instrument 2", and "Candidate 1" for "Instrument 1" is "100 mL Erlenmeyer flask manufactured by XX Glass Co., Ltd." in the above example, and "Candidate 1" for "Instrument 2" is "100 mL volumetric flask manufactured by XX Glass Co., Ltd." When it is sufficient to use one of multiple instruments, the multiple instruments are associated with each other as "Candidate 1", "Candidate 2", ... For example, in the example shown in FIG. 3, two instruments, "Candidate 1" and "Candidate 2", are associated with "Instrument 1" in "Step 2" of "FL1", and either one may be used.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the reference image BG is preferably an image showing at least one of the display SE indicating the name of the instrument, the display SM indicating the manufacturer, the display SV indicating the capacity if it is a container, the external shape, and the size, and the image patterns mentioned above are preferably these image patterns. The external shape and size are grasped by the outline indicating the outer shape of the instrument. For example, the reference image BG of "100 mL Erlenmeyer flask manufactured by XX Glass Co., Ltd.", which is "candidate 1" of "Instrument 1" in the above "Step 1", includes an approximately pentagonal mark including "XX" as the display SM, "100" indicating the capacity of 100 mL, and "Conical flask" as the display SE, as shown in FIG. 4. In this way, the reference image BG includes instrument-specific information specific to the target instrument.

The acquired image is acquired as an image suitable for determining the degree of identity by displaying the image for image capture GS on the display unit 11a of the user terminal 11, for example, as shown in FIG. 5. The image for image capture GS is an image for capturing an image of the instrument prepared by the user as the instrument 1 and transmitting it to the laboratory information management device 13, and is generated by the display control unit 26 and displayed on the user terminal 11. The image for image capture GS has an image capture setting area SA set for positioning the instrument K at the time of image capture, and the user positions the instrument K so that the image of the instrument K fits within this image capture setting area SA and captures the image. As a result, the instrument K is captured as a subject with a preferable posture, orientation, size, etc. for determining the degree of identity. In this example, the L-shaped displays 41a to 41d are set as the four corners, and the rectangular area surrounded by these is set as the image capture setting area SA, but the setting method and display method of the image capture setting area SA are not limited to this example and are arbitrary. The laboratory information management device 13 may have a judgment function unit that recognizes each display, such as display SM, display SE, and display SV, of the instrument K within the imaging setting area SA and judges whether the orientation and/or posture of the instrument K is appropriate, and in that case, may be configured to notify the user terminal 11 of the judgment result.

When the instrument K is imaged in the above manner, as shown in FIG. 6, the acquired image AG has each display such as display SM, display SE, and display SV, and is acquired by the laboratory information management device 13 as an image of the instrument K (see FIG. 6) imaged from a specified direction. The calculation unit 28 (see FIG. 2) performs binarization processing on the acquired image AG and the reference image BG (see FIG. 4), compares the image patterns, and obtains the degree of identity. In this example, the image patterns are all image patterns of the displays SM, SE, SV, external shape, and size, as described above. The acquired image AG shown in FIG. 6 includes an image portion MP1 of the missing part of the external shape, and an image portion MP2 of the partially missing part of the "0" at the right end of the "100" and the faded "0" in the center, and the degree of identity is calculated as the difference between these image portions MP1 and MP2 and the reference image BG.

The operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to Figures 7 and 8. The identification unit 23 acquires a display request for one experiment from the user terminal 11 (S1), and in response to this acquisition, identifies experiment information for the selected experiment and outputs the identified experiment information to the display control unit 26 (S2).

When the display control unit 26 receives experimental information about the selected experiment from the identification unit 23, it generates a menu screen for the selected experiment in response to the input and transmits it to the user terminal 11 (S3). When an input operation for a notification to start an experiment is performed on the menu screen in the user terminal 11, the display control unit 26 acquires the notification (S4), and in response to the acquisition, transmits the contents of step 1 of the selected experiment to the user terminal 11 (S5). In addition, the display control unit 26 determines whether an instrument 1 to be used in step 1 is registered in the step of judging the instrument (S6), that is, whether there is an instrument 1 associated with step 1 (S6a), and if there is, transmits the image GS for imaging to the display unit 11a of the user terminal 11 to display it (S6b), and transmits a notification of the start of judgment about the instrument and at least the reference image BG of the experimental information to the acquisition unit 27. If the instrument 1 to be used in step 1 has not been registered, i.e., if there is no instrument 1 associated with step 1, the display control unit 26 determines whether the experiment information input from the identification unit 23 includes the next step, step 2 (S7), and if so, transmits the contents of step 2 to the user terminal 11 (S8), and if not, terminates the process.

When the user captures an image of the prepared tool K using the user device 11, the captured image is captured by the acquisition unit 27 as an acquired image AG (S6c), and the acquisition unit 27 outputs the acquired image AG to the calculation unit 28. The calculation unit 28 compares the acquired image AG input from the acquisition unit 27 with the reference image BG to determine the degree of identity, and outputs the same to the first judgment unit 31 (S6d). When the first judgment unit 31 receives a notification of the start of judgment and at least the reference image BG from the experimental information from the display control unit 26 and receives the degree of identity from the calculation unit 28, it performs an identity judgment process based on the degree of identity (S6e). When the first judgment unit 31 determines that the tools are not identical, it outputs non-identical information indicating that the tools are not identical to the display control unit 26, and the display control unit 26 transmits a notification that the tools are not identical to the user terminal 11 (S6f), and the user who receives the notification at the user terminal 11 prepares another tool K as the tool 1 and captures the prepared tool K in the same manner. This prevents the user from conducting an experiment by mistake using an instrument 1 that is different from the one that should be used. If the first determination unit 31 determines that the instruments are identical, it outputs the degree of identity to the second determination unit 32.

When the number of identical times is input, the second judgment unit 32 performs a suitability judgment process for the tool K captured in the acquired image AG (S6g). If the second judgment unit 32 judges that the tool K is not suitable for further use, it outputs unsuitability information indicating the unsuitability to the display control unit 26. The display control unit 26 transmits a disposal command to the user terminal 11 indicating that the tool K prepared by the user should be discarded (S6h), and the user who receives the notification on the user terminal 11 takes measures for disposal, prepares another tool K as the tool 1, and performs imaging in the same manner. Therefore, it is possible to avoid an experiment using a tool K that should be avoided or not used, such as a broken tool K or a tool K with foreign matter attached thereto, which may result in an inappropriate experimental result due to inability to perform proper weighing or the inclusion of foreign matter. It is also possible to avoid an experiment using a tool K whose display has faded to the point that it is not suitable for further use due to repeated use, which may result in an inappropriate experimental result. If the second determination unit 32 determines that the device is suitable, it determines whether the device 2 is registered in step 1 (S6a) and performs the same process. The device determination process S6 is repeated until it is determined that the device is not registered in step 1.

When the user finishes step 1, he or she makes a display transition request to display the next step. When the laboratory information management device 13 receives this display transition request, it determines whether or not there is a next step (S7). If it determines that there is no next step, it ends the processing for displaying the experiment information. If it determines that there is a next step, it transmits the contents of the next step to the user terminal 11 (S8), as in step S5 above. In this way, the same processing is repeated until it is determined that there is no next step. With the above method, even with glass instruments that cannot be managed with labels displaying two-dimensional codes, the user can conduct experiments in a suitably managed state.

After completing the process of displaying the experiment information, when a registration request for the results of the experiment is obtained from the user terminal 11 (S9), the control unit 21 stores the obtained experiment results in the experiment history storage unit 35 (S10).

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Laboratory information management system 13 Laboratory information management device 18 Imaging unit 22 Experiment information storage unit 23 Identification unit 26 Display control unit 27 Acquisition unit 28 Calculation unit 31 First judgment unit 32 Second judgment unit

Claims (8)

an experiment information storage unit that stores, for each of a plurality of experiments, a reference image of an instrument used in the experiment and experiment information including a procedure of the experiment;
an identification unit that identifies, in the experiment information storage unit, the experiment information about one selected experiment based on a display request for selecting one experiment from the plurality of experiments and requesting display of the selected experiment;
a display control unit that generates an image showing the experiment information identified by the identification unit;
an acquisition unit that acquires an image of the tool as an acquired image, the image being captured in a state where the experimental information is specified;
a calculation unit that compares the acquired image with the reference image included in the experimental information identified by the identification unit to determine a degree of identity;
a first determination unit that determines whether the acquired image and the reference image are identical based on the degree of identity;
a second determination unit that determines whether or not the tool shown in the acquired image is suitable for subsequent use based on the degree of identity;
The display control unit of the laboratory information management device generates an image showing a subsequent step in the procedure when the first judgment unit judges them to be identical and the second judgment unit judges them to be suitable for use. The laboratory information management device according to claim 1, wherein the second determination unit makes a determination after the first determination unit has made a determination. The laboratory information management device according to claim 2, wherein the second determination unit makes a determination when the first determination unit determines that the two are identical. The first determination unit determines the degree of identity based on a first threshold value set in advance,
The laboratory information management device according to claim 1 , wherein the second determination unit determines the degree of identity based on a second threshold value that is set in advance and is different from the first threshold value. The laboratory information management device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the calculation unit determines the degree of identity by comparing the image patterns of the acquired image and the reference image. The laboratory information management device according to claim 5, wherein the image pattern is at least one of an image pattern of an instrument name, an image pattern of a manufacturer, an image pattern of a capacity if the instrument is a container, an external shape, and an image pattern of a size. an experiment information storage step of storing, for each of a plurality of experiments, a reference image of an instrument used in the experiment and experiment information including a procedure of the experiment;
a specifying step of specifying the experiment information for one selected experiment based on a display request for selecting one experiment from the plurality of experiments and requesting display of the selected one experiment;
a display control step of generating an image showing the experimental information identified by the identification step;
an acquisition step of acquiring an image of the tool as an acquired image, the image being captured in a state where the experimental information is specified;
a calculation step of comparing the acquired image with the reference image included in the experimental information identified by the identification step to determine a degree of identity;
a first determination step of determining whether the acquired image and the reference image are identical based on the degree of identity;
and a second determination step of determining whether or not the tool shown in the acquired image is suitable for subsequent use based on the degree of identity,
The display control step of this laboratory information management method generates an image showing a subsequent step in the procedure when the first judgment step determines that the steps are identical and the second judgment step determines that the steps are suitable for use. an experiment information storage step of storing, for each of a plurality of experiments, a reference image of an instrument used in the experiment and experiment information including a procedure of the experiment;
a specifying step of specifying the experiment information for one selected experiment based on a display request for selecting one experiment from the plurality of experiments and requesting display of the selected one experiment;
a display control step of generating an image showing the experimental information identified by the identification step;
an acquisition step of acquiring an image of the tool as an acquired image, the image being captured in a state where the experimental information is specified;
a calculation step of comparing the acquired image with the reference image included in the experimental information identified by the identification step to determine a degree of identity;
a first determination step of determining whether the acquired image and the reference image are identical based on the degree of identity;
a second determination step of determining whether or not the device shown in the acquired image is suitable for further use based on the degree of identity;
The display control step is a laboratory information management program that generates an image showing a subsequent step in the procedure when the first judgment step determines that the steps are identical and the second judgment step determines that the steps are suitable for use.

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