Causing relative motion

A system comprising:

• a sensor that, in operation, obtains sensing results from objects in a sensing region relative to the sensor;
• a relative motion component that, in operation, causes respective relative motion of each object of a subset of the objects;
• the objects in the subset each having respective relative motion within the sensing region;
• the relative motion component causing at least one object's relative motion within the sensing region to be nonuniform, the nonuniform relative motion within the sensing region including at least one of:
• periodically varying relative motion;
• randomly varying relative motion;
• chirp-varying relative motion;
• and
• modulated relative motion that completes at least one modulation cycle within the sensing region;
• and
• a fluidic structure with a channel that includes the sensing region and in which fluid carrying objects in the subset can flow in a longitudinal direction,
• wherein the relative motion component further includes:
• a fluidic device that, in operation, drives the fluid through the channel in the longitudinal direction, causing objects in the subset to have respective longitudinal relative motion within the sensing region;
• in which at least one of:
• the fluidic structure further includes channel wall parts with inner surfaces that bound the sensing region, the inner surfaces having shapes that cause the nonuniform relative motion;
• and
• the relative motion component further includes a displacement component that, in operation, causes time-varying relative displacement of objects within the sensing region, the relative displacement being in lateral directions that are not parallel to the longitudinal direction and causing the nonuniform relative motion.

A method of using sensors, the method comprising:

• operating a sensor to obtain sensing results from objects in a sensing region relative to the sensor;
• the act of operating the sensor comprising:
• causing respective relative motion of each object of a subset of the objects, each object's relative motion including respective relative motion within the sensing region;
• for at least one object in the subset, the respective relative motion within the sensing region being nonuniform and between at least two sensing subregions of the sensing region, the nonuniform relative motion within the sensing region including at least one of:
• periodically varying relative motion;
• randomly varying relative motion;
• chirp-varying relative motion;
• and
• modulated relative motion that completes at least one modulation cycle within the sensing region.

An article of manufacture comprising:

• a fluidic structure that includes channel walls bounding a channel through which, in operation, fluid carries objects in a longitudinal direction;
• the channel including a set of one or more regions each of which, in operation, is a sensing region relative to a respective sensor, each region's sensor being capable of obtaining sensing results from objects in the region;
• and
• a fluidic device that, in operation, drives fluid through the channel in the longitudinal direction and that causes objects to have respective longitudinal relative motion within each region;
• the article further comprising at least one of:
• channel wall parts with inner surfaces that bound a shaped-wall region that is in the set, the inner surfaces having shapes that cause the respective relative motion of objects within the shaped-wall region to be nonuniform;
• and
• a displacement component that, in operation, causes time-varying relative displacement of objects within a displacement region in the set, the relative displacement being in lateral directions that are not parallel to the longitudinal direction and causing at least one object's relative motion within the displacement region to be nonuniform.

An article of manufacture comprising:

• a support structure that, in use, support objects;
• a sensor;
• a relative motion component that, in response to control signals, moves one or both of the support structure and the sensor causing objects supported on the support structure to have respective relative motion within a sensing region relative to the sensor, the sensor being capable of obtaining sensing results from objects in the sensing region;
• the relative motion component including at least one of:
• a support motion mechanism that, in operation, controls movement of the support structure;
• and
• a sensor motion mechanism that, in operation, controls movement of the sensor;
• and
• control circuitry that provides control signals in response to which the relative motion component causes at least one object's relative motion within the sensing region to be nonuniform and between at least two sensing subregions of the sensing region.