System and method for controlling crystallized forms of water
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsKrishnan Thyagarajan, Christopher Somogyi
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Abstract
A method for forming crystallized forms of water is provided. Values for one or more characteristics of a liquid are obtained. Parameters for a field to be applied to the liquid are determined based on the characteristic values. The liquid is supercooled by applying the field to the liquid using the determined parameters. One or more of the characteristics of the liquid or one or more characteristics of the field are measured during the supercooling and the field is adjusted based on at least one of the characteristics of the liquid or the field.
Claims13
A method for forming crystallized forms of liquid, comprising:
- obtaining values for one or more characteristics of liquid;
- determining parameters for a field to be applied to the liquid based on the characteristic values;
- supercooling the liquid by applying the field to the liquid using the determined parameters;
- measuring the one or more of the characteristics of the liquid or one or more characteristics of the field during the supercooling;
- and
- adjusting the field based on at least one of the characteristics of the liquid or the field.
A feedback-based supercooling device, comprising:
- a supercooling compartment sized to hold aqueous liquids;
- at least one field generator positioned with respect to the housing, wherein the field generator comprises one or more of a magnet, transducer, or a pair of electrodes;
- sensors configured to determine characteristics of the aqueous liquids at one or more spatial locations at multiple time points and comprising one or more of reflectivity, electrical, acoustic, strain, density, and hyperspectral sensors;
- a controller configured to determine supercooling parameters based on the characteristics determined at the multiple time points and to control application of a field directed at the aqueous liquids by the magnets/electrodes based on the supercooling parameters;
- and
- a dispenser to move the aqueous liquids from the supercooling compartment, wherein the aqueous liquids forms ice based on the movement via the dispenser.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.