US 11,772,964 B2Granted

Method of controlling the placement of micro-objects on a micro-assembler

AssigneeXerox Corporation

InventorsAnne Plochowietz, Bradley Rupp, Jengping Lu, Julie A. Bert, Lara S. Crawford, Sourobh Raychaudhuri, Eugene M. Chow, Matthew Shreve, Sergey Butylkov

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Abstract

Disclosed are methods and systems of controlling the placement of micro-objects on the surface of a micro-assembler. Control patterns may be used to cause electrodes of the micro-assembler to generate dielectrophoretic (DEP) and electrophoretic (EP) forces which may be used to manipulate, move, position, or orient one or more micro-objects on the surface of the micro-assembler. The control patterns may be part of a library of control patterns.

Claims9

Dependent claims

A method, comprising:

detecting a current state of a set of micro-objects located on a surface of a micro-assembler comprising a plurality of force generating pixels;
determining a next mode for a control component based on the current state of the set of micro-objects, wherein the control component is in a current mode;
identifying a set of control patterns based on the next mode;
and
manipulate the set of micro-objects using the set of control patterns, wherein each control pattern of the set of control patterns indicates a voltage pattern on a portion of the plurality of force generating pixels;
wherein a second set of control patterns is used to manipulate the set of micro-objects when the control component is in the current mode.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/665,305Filed 4 Feb 2022 · division
Priority: 31 Dec 2018
Published: US 2022/0153576 A119 May 2022
Granted: 3 Oct 2023
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

B81C 99/002
Apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of microstructural devices or systems, or methods for manufacturing the same:…
H10P 72/0611
Apparatus for monitoring, sorting, marking, testing or measuring: sorting devices
H10P 72/0618
Apparatus for monitoring, sorting, marking, testing or measuring: using identification means, e.g. labels on substrates or labels on containers
H10W 72/0198
Manufacture or treatment: batch processes

Family

Application16/237,419Parent of this division · filed 31 Dec 2018
US 2022/0153576 A1Pre-grant publication · published 19 May 2022
US 11,242,244 B2Parent of this division
US 2020/0207617 A1Published application
US 11,772,964 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.