THE PXRR AUTOMOUNTER PROGRAM

这个子项目是许多利用 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源。子项目和 研究者（PI）可能从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金， 因此可在其他CRISP条目中表示。所列机构为 研究中心，而研究中心不一定是研究者所在的机构。 目标  在过去的一年里，光束线X12-B和X29上的两台自动安装机对用户来说是可靠和有吸引力的。 因此，我们的主要目标已成为进一步发展汽车用户社区。我们的目标是通过租借设备和提供培训来支持感兴趣的研究人员进行高效的数据收集。 我们鼓励我们的Mail-in计划中的合作者采用机器人兼容的贴片技术。 第二个目标是支持提供远程参与和自动数据收集能力的更广泛努力。 我们不断努力，做出许多小的改进。 一个具体的技术目标是将样品安装/拆卸周期加快到5秒。此外，我们将在X12-C光束线上部署第三台自动装弹机，并将更广泛地为所有PXRR设施配备自动装弹机。 结果  我们发现劳伦斯伯克利国家实验室开发的低温制冷剂安装系统是安全可靠的。 我们是一个国家联盟的一部分，该联盟正在调整该系统并分享改进。 控制整个实验  自动计数器、衍射仪和光束线  是通过我们的CBASS数据收集套件完成上述. 这种架构的模块化和鲁棒性使我们能够实现允许用户在机器人辅助和手动实验控制之间轻松切换的方法，以及快速启动自动装载机。 最后，该设计是可靠的，与ALS程序相匹配，晶体损失小于0.1%，而手动样品安装的观察到的故障率为~2%。 即使是新手用户也接受了带有简单工具集的类似冰球的ALS磁带。 为了支持我们的推广计划，我们购买了五个“租借”设备套件，包括一个运输杜瓦瓶，标本夹（圆盘）和工具套件。 需求量很大，目前正在组装另外两台。 这些工具包几乎一直在路上，去年有19个不同的小组借用了它们，并归还了它们，其中装满了用于实验的晶体，共26次。 其中10次“访问”是由7名邮件合作者进行的;其余的访问是为了自己完成工作。 此外，有六个团体八次使用自己的仪器进行了访问。 它需要一名经验丰富的当地工作人员来培训游客使用该设备;一名训练有素的技术人员和两名科学家执行这项服务。 在过去的一年里，总共有81次“机器人运行”，平均每次安装1200个晶体两次，以自动化的方式测量了大约24，000张衍射图像。 从上面的软件和邮件部分的讨论中应该可以清楚地看到，自动挂载程序对于某些用户会利用的远程操作以及dna软件所允许的全自动化功能的进展是必不可少的。 计划  第三台PXRR自动装裱机将很快安装在光束线X12-C。 由于这里的升降台不能承载衍射仪，我们正在将其开发为一个准自治和自对准单元。 最终将为新的X25微衍射仪开发一个等效系统。 我们相信，组合机制，位置传感和控制软件将是有用的，现在，也为未来的仪器发展。 为了支持完全无人值守的操作，我们正在为我们的自动装裱机开发一个交互式状态处理程序。 当完全开发完成后，它不仅可以让实验人员了解机器人及其有效载荷的当前状态，而且还可以在发生意外事件时提供详细的逃生和恢复路径，例如程序故障，远程重新连接或电源或机械故障。 虽然设想的状态图分析工具的第一个目标是保存标本，但它也将帮助设施运营商在正常和恢复条件下做出决策。 一旦我们获得了使用自动装载机的经验，我们就可以想象将它们扩展到包括额外的设施子系统。 采用3D机器视觉是一个长期目标。 一系列广泛的技术改进将维持和改进机器人辅助的数据收集。 我们将通过建造关键备件、完善操作协议以及将操作经验转化为硬件和软件升级来进一步加强可靠性。 我们现在正致力于通过软件和光学改进来提高自动晶体定心的速度和精度。 一个重要的努力是工作，以加快晶体安装/封装周期时间。 我们正在评估数据代码阅读器的性能。 意义  PXRR用户社区要求访问X29和X25处的强波荡器衍生光束。 为了增加他们的访问，我们努力将偶极光束线的可用性与波荡器的功率相结合。 X12-B偶极的自动计数器辅助工作允许轻松地，有时无人值守地筛选多个样品的质量。 其中最好的可以交给波动者。 此外，X29的自动装载机增加了晶体学项目的产量，因为偶极子太弱了。 总而言之，这些自动计数器的可用性通过提高在那里进行的实验的速度和质量来支持所有PXRR设施的最佳利用。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Objectives  In this past year the two automounters on beamlines X12-B and X29 were reliable and attractive to users. Therefore our principal objective has become to develop the automounter-user community further. We aim to support investigators interested high efficiency data collection by loaning equipment and providing training. We encourage collaborators in our Mail-in program to adopt robot-compatible specimen-mounting techniques. A second objective is to support the broader efforts to offer remote-participation and automatic data-collection capabilities. We work continually to make numerous small improvements. A specific technical objective is to speed up the specimen mount / dismount cycles to 5s. In addition we will deploy a third automounter on beamline X12-C, and more generally will work towards equipping all PXRR facilities with automounters. Results  We find the cryogenic specimen-mounting system developed at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to be safe and reliable. We are part of a national consortium who are adapting the system and sharing improvements. Control of the entire experiment  automounters, diffractometer, and beamline  is accomplished through our CBASS data-collection suite described above. The modularity and robustness of this architecture allowed us to implement methods that allow users to switch easily between robot-assisted and manual experiment control, as well as to launch the automounter quickly. Finally, the design is reliable, matching that of the ALS program with fewer than 0.1% lost crystals, compared to an observed failure rate of ~2% in manual specimen mounting. Even novice users are accepting the hockey-puck-like ALS cassettes with their simple set of tools. In support of our outreach program we have purchased five "loaner" kits of apparatus, comprising a shipping dewar, specimen holders (pucks), and tool sets. Demand is high, and two more of these are being assembled now. The kits are on the road nearly all of the time, and 19 different groups have borrowed them in the last year, returning them, filled with crystals to be used in experiments a total of 26 times. Ten of the "visits" were made by seven mail-in collaborators; the rest visited to do the work themselves. In addition, six groups have visited with their own apparatus on eight occasions. It requires an experienced local staff to train the visitors in use of the apparatus; one well-trained technician and two scientists perform this service. In all, during the last year, there have been 81 "robot runs," 1200 crystals mounted on average twice each, about 24,000 diffraction images were measured in an automated way. It should be clear from the discussion in the software and Mail-in sections above, that the automounter program is essential to progress in the sort of remote operations some users would exploit, and the fully automated capability that the dna software will allow. Plans  The third PXRR automounter will be installed at beam line X12-C soon. Because the lift table here cannot carry the diffractometer, we are developing it as a quasi-autonomous and self-aligning unit. An equivalent system will be developed eventually for the new X25 microdiffractometer. We believe that the combined mechanism, position sensing, and control software will be useful now, and also for future instrument developments. To support completely unattended operation we are developing an interactive status handler for our automounters. When fully developed, not only will it keep experimenters informed about the current status of the robot and its payload, but also it will provide detailed escape and recovery pathways when unexpected events occur such as program glitches, remote re-connections, or power or mechanical failures. While the first goal of the envisioned state-diagram analysis tool is to preserve specimens, it also will assist facility operators in decision making under normal and recovery conditions. Once we have gained experience in use of such methods with the automounter, we imagine extending them to include additional facility sub-systems. The incorporation of 3D machine vision is a long-term goal. A broad array of technical improvements will sustain and improve robot-assisted data collection. We will strengthen reliability further by building critical spares, refining operational protocols, and translating operational experience into hardware and software upgrades. We are working now to improve the speed and accuracy of automatic crystal centering with both software and optical improvements. A significant effort is work to accelerate the crystal mounting / dismounting cycle time. We are evaluating the performance of data-code readers. Significance  PXRR user community demands access to the intense undulator-derived beams at X29 and X25. To increase their access, we work to couple the availability of our dipole beamlines with the power of the undulators. Automounter-aided work at the X12-B dipole allows easy, sometimes unattended screening of multiple specimens for quality. The best of these can be taken to the undulators. In addition, the automounter at X29 increases the throughput there for crystallographic projects for which the dipoles are too weak. In summary, the availability of these automounters support the optimal use of all of the PXRR facilities by increasing the pace and quality experiments performed there.