Particle categorization
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsAlexander Govyadinov, Pavel Kornilovich
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An example system includes an input channel having a first end and a second end to receive particles through the first end, a sensor to categorize particles in the input channel into one of at least two categories, and at least two output channels Each output channel is coupled to the second end of the input channel to receive particles from the input channel, and each output channel is associated with at least one category of the at least two categories. Each output channel has a corresponding pump operable, based on the categorization of a detected particle in a category associated with a different output channel, to selectively slow, stop, or reverse a flow of particles into the output channel from the input channel.
Claims20
A system, comprising:
- an input channel having a first end and a second end to receive particles through the first end;
- a sensor to categorize particles in the input channel into one of at least two categories;
- at least two output channels, each output channel fluidically coupled to the second end of the input channel to receive particles from the input channel, each output channel being associated with at least one category of the at least two categories, each output channel having a corresponding pump operable, based on the categorization of a detected particle in a category associated with a different output channel, to selectively stop or reverse a flow of particles into the output channel from the input channel, wherein the corresponding pump is disposed in an asymmetric position within the associated output channel, the asymmetric position being distal from the second end of the input channel.
A system, comprising:
- an input channel sensor to detect particles in an input channel, the input channel having a first end and a second end and being fluidically coupled to at least two output channels at the second end, each output channel to receive particles from the input channel;
- a pump associated with each of the at least two output channels, each pump being operable to selectively stop or reverse flow of particles into the associated output channel from the input channel, wherein the pump is disposed in an asymmetric position within the associated output channel, the asymmetric position being distal from the second end of the input channel;
- and
- a controller, comprising:
- a particle categorization portion to categorize a particle detected by the input channel sensor into an identified category selected from at least two categories, each category of the at least two categories being associated with a separate output channel of the at least two output channels;
- and
- a pump selection portion to operate each pump corresponding to an output channel that is associated with a different category than the identified category.
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions executable by a processor of a computing system, the computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions to:
- identify a selected category of a particle from at least two categories based on a signal from a sensor in an input channel, the input channel being fluidically coupled to at least two output channels, each output channel being associated with a category from the at least two categories;
- and
- operate a pump associated with each output channel associated with a different category than the selected category of the detected particle to stop or reverse a flow of particles into the associated output channel from the input channel, wherein the pump is disposed in an asymmetric position within the associated output channel, the asymmetric position being distal from the fluidic couple of the associated output channel and the input channel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.