ReTiSoft has conducted a great deal of research to provide the best schedulers for companies using robotic systems. To improve the throughput of these systems and to account for the error recovery, ReTiSoft includes a dynamic scheduler with lookahead feature within the Genera application. The dynamic scheduler (i.e. an event driven scheduler) relays commands to the system controller and listens for errors and response messages sent by the controller.
Benefits:
- Designed for large automated systems.
- Increases instrument value.
- Reduces integration costs.
- Bridges instrument compatibility gap.
- Allows to bring new products to market at a faster rate.
- Always finds a schedulable solution.
- Increases the throughput of a robotic system.
- Eliminates the need for operator intervention.
- Open software architecture.
- Fully compatible with all Windows, Unix and Linux platforms.
Integration Framework Features:
- Controls and monitors any laboratory instrument.
- Built-in support for reactive scheduling.
- Easy integration of instrument drivers.
- Displays instrument status.
- Allows to add and remove instruments during the run.
- XML driven workcell definition.
- Displays instrument status.
- Generic robotic arm teach pendant.
- Logs all the commands, response messages and instrument errors.
- Allows seamless integration of third-party software, i.e. 3D simulation tools, LIMS, data tracking or data analysis software.
- Easy integration with various report generators, e.g. Excel, Crystal Reports and Internet Explorer 5.x.
- Runs in a distributed environment as a server application, thus allowing light-weight clients to connect to it.
- Support for Active-X, DDE, RS-232, TCP/IP, CORBA, XML RPC and other instrument integration technologies.
- Compliant with 21 CFR Part 11 guidelines.
Dynamic Scheduler Features:
- Dynamic scheduler with lookahead feature.
- Several scheduling algorithms.
- Deadlock free schedules.
- Drag-and-drop schedule setup.
- Time-based schedule optimization.
- Resolves device and resource contention.
- Timing windows for critical activities.
- Priority based protocol execution.
- Allows the addition of new protocols during the run.
- Allows to start a new protocol at specific date and time.
- Schedule and protocol variables.
- Run-time conditional branching.
- Automatic generation of the activity timings.
- Consumable and sample tracking.
- Graphical representation of automated system workspace.
- Allows to restart the system after the power failure.
- Custom initialize, terminate and error handlers.
- XML driven schedule definition.
- Drag-and-drop activity setup.
- Dual activity viewer: flow chart and text based.
- Run-time viewer and activity debugger.
- Generic and flexible control language.
- Activities are easily extendable with Java classes.
- Various instrument pooling strategies.
- Powerful error recovery at the activity level.
- Email notification, custom dialogs, file readers and file writers.
- Schedule visualization with Gantt charts.
