THE PXRR AUTOMOUNTER PROGRAM

这个子项目是许多研究子项目中利用 资源由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供。子项目和 调查员(PI)可能从NIH的另一个来源获得了主要资金， 并因此可以在其他清晰的条目中表示。列出的机构是 该中心不一定是调查人员的机构。 目的在过去的一年里，X12-B和X29光束线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，我们的主要目标是进一步发展汽车车载用户社区。我们的目标是通过出借设备和提供培训来支持对高效率数据收集感兴趣的调查人员。我们鼓励MAIL-In计划的合作者采用与机器人兼容的标本安装技术。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。 我们不断地工作，做出许多小的改进。一个具体的技术目标是将样品的安装/拆卸周期加快到5秒。此外，我们将在光束线X12-C上部署第三台自动安装机，更广泛地说，我们将致力于为所有PXRR设施配备自动安装机。 结果我们发现劳伦斯伯克利国家实验室研制的低温标本贴装系统是安全可靠的。我们是一个国家财团的一部分，他们正在调整系统并分享改进。对整个实验自动挂载器、衍射仪和光束线的控制是通过我们如上所述的CBass数据收集套件完成的。这种体系结构的模块化和健壮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，以及快速启动自动挂载机。最后，该设计是可靠的，与ALS程序相当，丢失的晶体不到0.1%，而手动安装样品的失败率为~2%。 即使是新手用户也在接受这种类似曲棍球的ALS磁带和他们简单的一套工具。为了支持我们的推广计划，我们购买了五套借来的仪器，包括一个装船杜瓦瓶、样本架(圆盘)和工具包。需求很高，另外两个正在组装中。这些工具包几乎每时每刻都在路上，去年有19个不同的小组借走了它们，然后归还了它们，里面装满了用于实验的水晶总共26次。其中10次访问是由7名邮寄合作者进行的；其余的访问是自己完成工作。此外，六个小组已八次携带各自的仪器进行访问。 它需要一名经验丰富的当地工作人员来培训访客使用该仪器；一名训练有素的技术人员和两名科学家提供这项服务。在过去的一年里，总共有81次机器人运行，1200个晶体平均安装两次，大约24,000张衍射图像被自动测量。 从上面软件和Mail-in部分的讨论中应该很清楚，自动装载程序对于某些用户可能利用的那种远程操作以及DNA软件将允许的全自动能力的进展是必不可少的。 计划第三台PXRR自动装载机将很快安装在X12-C梁线上。因为这里的升降台不能携带衍射仪，所以我们将其开发为准自主和自动对准的装置。最终将为新的X25微衍射仪开发一个等效的系统。我们相信，组合的机构、位置传感和控制软件现在将有用，对未来的仪器开发也是有用的。 为了支持完全无人值守的操作，我们正在为我们的自动挂载器开发一个交互式状态处理程序。在完全开发后，它不仅将使实验人员了解机器人及其有效载荷的当前状态，而且还将在发生意外事件时提供详细的逃生和恢复路径，如程序故障、远程重新连接、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，但它也将帮助设施操作员在正常和恢复条件下做出决策。一旦我们在自动挂载机上获得了使用这种方法的经验，我们设想将它们扩展到包括更多的设施子系统。融入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。我们将通过建设关键备件、完善作战协议以及将作战经验转化为硬件和软件升级来进一步增强可靠性。我们现在正在努力提高自动晶体居中的速度和精度，包括软件和光学方面的改进。一项重要的工作是加快晶体安装/拆卸周期。我们正在评估数据代码读取器的性能。 重要性PXRR用户群体要求获得x29和x25的强波动器派生波束。为了增加他们的接入，我们致力于将偶极光束线的可用性与波荡器的功率结合起来。X12-B偶极子的自动安装机辅助工作允许轻松、有时无人值守地对多个样本进行质量筛选。其中最好的可以被带到波动者那里。此外，对于偶极子太弱的结晶学项目，x29的自动安装机增加了产量。总而言之，这些自动挂载机的可用性通过提高在那里进行的速度和质量实验来支持所有PXRR设施的最佳使用。

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.