US 2024/0086604 A1Published application

System and method for micro-object density distribution control with the aid of a digital computer

AssigneeXerox Corporation

InventorsIon Matei, Johan de Kleer, Maksym Igorevich Zhenirovskyy

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Abstract

System and method that allow to control density distributions of multiple particles (micro-or-nano-sized objects) to desired positions are described. A kernel density estimation (KDE) is used as a proxy for the initial particle density distribution and an optimal control problem is defined and solved using this approximation. A sequence of electrode electric potentials is computed so that the initial particle distribution is shaped into a target distribution after applying this sequence over time. The optimal control cost function is defined in terms of an L2 metric, with the L2 function that is used to compute the error between the particle density at the end of a time horizon and a target density. The KDE depends on the predicted trajectories of a set of particles, where the trajectory of a single particle is determined by a lumped, 2D, capacitive-based, nonlinear model describing the particle's motion.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system for micro-object density distribution control with the aid of a digital computer, comprising:

one or more processors configured to execute computer-executable code, one or more of the processors configured to:
obtain one or more parameters of a system for positioning a plurality of micro-objects, the system comprising a plurality of electrodes, the electrodes configured to induce a movement of the micro-objects when the micro-objects are suspended in a fluid proximate to the electrodes upon a generation of one or more electric potentials by one or more of the electrodes;
define using the parameters a model describing a change of positions of the micro-objects due to capacitance-based interactions of the micro-objects with the electrodes;
estimate a density distribution of the micro-objects using kernel density estimation and at least one sensor;
obtain a target density distribution of the micro-objects;
solve an optimal control problem to derive based on the model, the target density distribution, and the estimated density distribution a sequence of the electric potentials for moving at least some of the micro-objects to minimize an error between the estimated density distribution and the target density distribution;
and
actuate at least some of the electrodes to generate the sequence of the electric potentials, wherein at least some of the micro-objects are moved upon the generation of the electric potentials.

5 more elements

A method for micro-object density distribution control with the aid of a digital computer, comprising:

obtaining, by one or more processors configured to execute code, one or more parameters of a system for positioning a plurality of micro-objects, the system comprising a plurality of electrodes, the electrodes configured to induce a movement of the micro-objects when the micro-objects are suspended in a fluid proximate to the electrodes upon a generation of one or more electric potentials by one or more of the electrodes;
defining by one or more of the processors using the parameters a model describing a change of positions of the micro-objects due to capacitance-based interactions of the micro-objects with the electrodes;
estimating by one or more of the processors a density distribution of the micro-objects using kernel density estimation and at least one sensor;
obtaining by one or more of the processors a target density distribution of the micro-objects;
solving by one or more of the processors an optimal control problem to derive based on the model, the target density distribution, and the estimated density distribution a sequence of the electric potentials for moving at least some of the micro-objects to minimize an error between the estimated density distribution and the target density distribution;
and
actuating by one or more of the processors at least some of the electrodes to generate the sequence of the electric potentials, wherein at least some of the micro-objects are moved upon the generation of the electric potentials.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.