Adjustable energy field material action device and multi-field coupling material processing system and method thereof

Abstract

This invention discloses an adjustable energy field material processing device and its multi-field coupled material processing system and method. The device includes at least one energy field unit, an energy field application area, a feeding unit, a workpiece support, and a control system. The energy field unit can generate acoustic, electric, magnetic, optical, airflow, thermal, and plasma fields, or any combination thereof, and can be adjusted by position, angle, distance, or attitude to form a relatively adjustable energy field distribution with the workpiece. After the material enters the energy field application area via spraying, dripping, misting, sprinkling, liquid injection, powder conveying, or manual feeding, it can be picked up, suspended, directionally transported, aggregated, and deposited at specific points under the influence of the energy field. The application areas of multiple energy field units can overlap or be adjacent, forming superimposed, interfering, focused, or enclosed multi-field coupled application areas to improve transport stability and deposition accuracy. The device may further include an electric field component or a perturbed energy field unit to enhance deposition uniformity or redistribute, homogenize, thin, or locally peel off the deposited layer. The system is suitable for open environments or enclosed cavities (atmospheric pressure, low pressure, vacuum, inert atmosphere, special atmosphere, etc.), and can achieve non-contact, high-precision coating, deposition, and surface control of various materials such as droplets, mists, powders, colloids, and nanoparticles. This invention has significant advantages such as open structure, wide applicability to materials, high controllability of deposition, multi-field scalability, and the ability to achieve high-quality deposition on complex surfaces.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of materials processing technology, and in particular to an adjustable energy field material processing device, system and method for picking up, suspending and holding, spatial transport, agglomeration, fixed-point deposition or distribution control of materials.

[0002] The energy field may include a sound field, an electric field, a magnetic field, a light field, an airflow field, a thermal field, a plasma field, or any combination of the above types.

[0003] This invention is widely applicable to scenarios such as droplet transport, droplet treatment, powder manipulation, colloid regulation, nanoparticle deposition, functional coating, microstructure construction, additive manufacturing, film coating, directional alignment, and synergistic effects of composite fields. Background Technology

[0004] Existing material deposition, transfer and processing technologies mainly include spraying, dip coating, electroplating, evaporation, sputtering, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), and electrostatic spraying.

[0005] Although the above technologies have been widely used in the industrial field, they still have the following common limitations:

[0006] The material movement path is uncontrollable or has limited control precision. Traditional methods usually rely on nozzles, spray guns, evaporation sources or fixed sites to deliver materials. The movement of materials in the air or cavity is difficult to control in real time, resulting in uneven distribution, serious waste, and limiting the deposition quality.

[0007] It has poor adaptability to complex surfaces. Material deposition for grooves, deep cavities, curved surfaces, irregular structures or closed channels usually requires complex processes, or may even be impossible to implement, making it difficult to meet the needs of multi-scenario applications.

[0008] The deposition thickness is difficult to adjust continuously. Existing methods often rely on indirect methods such as spraying time, evaporation rate, and spin coating parameters to control the thickness, which makes it difficult to achieve continuous and precise adjustment from the millimeter level to the micrometer level or even the nanometer level.

[0009] Energy field methods are limited and usually have fixed structures. Some studies have attempted to achieve levitation and transport using a single sound field, electric field, magnetic field, or airflow field, but these methods often suffer from the following problems: the energy field distribution is not adjustable and remains unchanged; it can only form a force field in a specific direction; it is not compatible with multiple types of materials (droplets, powders, mists, colloids, etc.); it is difficult to achieve deposition on complex structural surfaces; and it is impossible to achieve a complete chain of pickup-levitation-transportation-deposition-stripping.

[0010] They are highly dependent on the environment. For example, PVD / CVD requires a strict vacuum chamber, and the spraying process is significantly affected by wind speed and humidity, making it difficult to work stably in open environments or on mobile platforms (such as robots and drones).

[0011] The feeding methods are not universal. Nozzle-type feeding is prone to clogging and the droplet size is uncontrollable. Powder supply is greatly affected by gravity and airflow, making it difficult to achieve a flexible and contactless material conveying method.

[0012] In summary, the existing technology lacks a material processing device or system that can be applied to multiple materials, multiple forms, and multiple structures, and has adjustable form, multi-field coupling capability, and the ability to form a configurable energy field.

[0013] The system should be able to operate in open spaces or enclosed cavities, and by adjusting the type, intensity, distribution, direction of the energy field and its relative relationship with the workpiece, it should be able to achieve functions such as material pickup, suspension and holding, precise transport, fixed-point deposition, and redistribution, homogenization or stripping of the deposited layer.

[0014] Therefore, it is necessary to propose a novel material processing technology that is structurally universal, programmable and adjustable, multi-field coupled, scalable, and capable of covering the entire chain of pick-up-transport-deposition-stripping. Summary of the Invention

[0015] I. Purpose of the Invention

[0016] The purpose of this invention is to provide a material processing technology system with an open structure, wide applicability, and high controllability, which can achieve the picking up, suspension, directional transport, aggregation, deposition, coating, film coating, and control of deposition layers of various materials such as droplets, mist droplets, powders, colloids, microparticles, or nanoparticles without the need for nozzles, fixed deposition trajectories, or strict environmental dependence.

[0017] In existing technologies, materials typically rely on jetting, contact transport, or fixed-path delivery, making it difficult to achieve deposition control on complex three-dimensional surfaces and lacking the ability to adjust material behavior in real time. This invention achieves non-contact manipulation of materials in space by constructing an adjustable energy field, overcoming the limitations of traditional deposition technologies in terms of path controllability, surface adaptability, thickness control, environmental dependence, and multi-material compatibility.

[0018] II. Technical Issues

[0019] This invention addresses the following key problems existing in material deposition and surface treatment technologies: uncontrollable material movement trajectories, making it difficult to achieve high-precision transport and targeted deposition; traditional spraying and contact coating methods are difficult to adapt to complex structures such as curved surfaces, concave surfaces, and channels; the range of deposition thickness control is limited, making it difficult to simultaneously achieve thin layers, uniform layers, or locally enhanced deposition; there is a lack of a unified control platform for multiple material morphologies (liquids, powders, colloids, nanoparticles, etc.); material supply methods are structurally limited, leading to frequent problems such as nozzle clogging and uncontrollable scattering; and there is a lack of non-contact post-processing capabilities for the deposited layer (such as thinning, homogenization, redistribution, or localized peeling).

[0020] This invention proposes an adjustable energy field material processing device and method, which enables materials to acquire controllable motion behavior in an energy field, thereby achieving high-precision deposition and surface control of various types of workpieces.

[0021] III. Technical Solution.

[0022] To achieve the above objectives, this invention proposes an adjustable energy field material action device, a material processing system, and a material processing method, the core of which includes the following technical features:

[0023] (a) Construction of a relatively adjustable energy field:

[0024] This invention generates an energy field acting on a material through at least one energy field unit. The energy field can be an acoustic field, electric field, magnetic field, optical field, airflow field, thermal field, plasma field, or any combination thereof. The relative position, relative angle, and relative distance between the energy field unit and the workpiece or material are adjustable. This relative adjustment can be achieved through any one or a combination of the following: an adjustment mechanism for the energy field unit; a workpiece support mechanism; a moving mechanism or attitude control structure. This relatively adjustable structure forms an open energy field distribution, allowing the energy field to be configured as a single field, dual field, or multi-field coupling as needed.

[0025] (ii) Material pickup, suspension, and transport

[0026] Materials enter the energy field in any manner through the feeding unit, including but not limited to spraying, dripping, sprinkling, liquid injection, spraying, powder conveying, electrostatic adsorption, gravity feeding, or manual feeding. Upon entering the energy field, the material is subjected to forces from the energy field unit, achieving: material pickup and off-surface peeling; material suspension, retention, and stabilization; directional transport and trajectory control; and material aggregation and sparsity adjustment. These processes do not rely on nozzle forming, thus eliminating the risk of clogging and are applicable to various material states.

[0027] (iii) Deposition, coating and film deposition of materials

[0028] By adjusting the distribution, intensity, direction, or coupling mode of the energy field, materials can be deposited on the workpiece surface in the following ways: point deposition; wide-area deposition; local deposition enhancement; multi-layer deposition; and controlled deposition on curved, concave, or complex structural surfaces. The workpiece can remain stationary or be translated, rotated, or moved in multiple degrees of freedom with the assistance of a moving mechanism to achieve greater deposition flexibility.

[0029] (iv) Multi-field coupling control

[0030] The energy field units can form overlapping, adjacent, or partially overlapping interaction zones to achieve multi-field coupling characteristics such as interference, superposition, focusing, encirclement control, or gradient modulation. This coupling structure enables materials to achieve stronger control in the following aspects: higher pick-up stability; more accurate transport paths; more uniform deposition effects; and more flexible control over deposition distribution.

[0031] (v) Sediment layer regulation (redistribution, thinning, local stripping)

[0032] This invention enables secondary processing of the deposited layer through a perturbation energy field, including: loosening the deposited material; redistribution or homogenization of the deposited layer; local thinning; partial peeling of the deposited layer or weakly attached particles; and material reshaping and control of the workpiece surface. The perturbation energy field can be generated by: an independent energy field unit, or by an existing energy field unit through switching operating modes, or by applying mechanical vibration to the workpiece support.

[0033] (vi) System Composition

[0034] The material handling system of the present invention includes: an energy field material action device; a workpiece support; an optional moving mechanism; and a control system (coordinating the working modes and parameters of all units). The control system can adjust the coordination relationship between the energy field unit, the feeding unit, and the moving mechanism in real time to achieve real-time control of the material behavior throughout the entire process.

[0035] IV. Beneficial Effects

[0036] Compared with traditional technologies, the present invention has the following significant advantages:

[0037] It enables non-contact material pickup and motion control, eliminating problems such as nozzle clogging and uncontrolled scattering.

[0038] It is suitable for any surface shape, including curved surfaces, concave surfaces, internal cavity walls and complex structures.

[0039] No fixed material path is required; the deposition method can be changed in real time, and can be flexibly switched from point, line, to area.

[0040] The thickness control range is extremely wide, from thick layer deposition to thin layer and homogenization layer.

[0041] It is applicable to a wide range of materials, including liquids, powders, colloids, slurries, and nanoparticles.

[0042] Multi-field coupling can be superimposed and extended, making it easy to construct arbitrarily complex material manipulation schemes.

[0043] It supports secondary processing after deposition, enabling advanced surface engineering capabilities such as thinning, stripping, and redistribution.

[0044] The system has a highly open structure, does not depend on a specific environment, and can operate in open spaces or controllable cavities.

[0045] The energy type is unrestricted and expandable, providing a basic platform for subsequent expansion of light fields, magnetic fields, or plasma fields.

[0046] In summary, this invention constructs a multi-energy field material processing platform with highly modular, scalable, and controllable characteristics, solving the problem of multi-dimensional material manipulation capabilities that are difficult to achieve in existing technologies, and providing a general foundation for next-generation high-precision deposition, surface treatment, and functional material processing. Attached Figure Description

[0047] Figure 1: Overall functional structure block diagram of the energy field material processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] Figure 2: Schematic diagram of the overall structure of the energy field material processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] Figure 3: A schematic diagram of the spatial arrangement of the sound field unit in the energy field action zone and its multi-degree-of-freedom adjustable effect on the workpiece in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] Figure 4: A schematic diagram of the acoustic field unit and electric field unit working together to form a composite energy field and acting on the workpiece in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] Figure 5: Schematic diagram of the position adjustment of the multi-degree-of-freedom acoustic field unit around the workpiece.

[0052] Figure 6: Schematic diagram of material pickup, levitation and transport achieved by the synergistic effect of sound field units (101, 102).

[0053] Figure 7: Schematic diagram of the cavity environment control structure and the arrangement of sound field units in the energy field action zone.

[0054] Figure 8: Schematic diagram of an independently supported energy field unit structure (example of a sound field unit).

[0055] Figure 9: Schematic diagram of energy field unit array structure (adjustable quantity, adjustable arrangement, adjustable spacing, adjustable direction).

[0056] Figure 10: Schematic diagram of multi-directional energy field convergence (multi-unit collaborative regulation embodiment).

[0057] Figure 11: Schematic diagram of the internal structure of the energy field unit (general type) (illustrated functional components, which can be replaced or combined).

[0058] Figure 12: Schematic diagram of the feeding unit (general type).

[0059] Figure 13: Schematic diagram of the effect of multi-field coupled energy fields (sound field + electric field example).

[0060] Figure 14: Schematic diagram of the perturbation energy field acting on the deposited material layer (loosening / redistribution / optional peeling function embodiment). Detailed Implementation

[0061] The specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications and substitutions can be made to the following embodiments without departing from the concept of the present invention, and all such modifications and substitutions fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0062] Example 1: Overall System Structure (Figure 1)

[0063] As shown in Figure 1, the energy field material processing system of the present invention includes: an energy field unit 101 (which may be multiple), used to generate an energy field such as a sound field, electric field, magnetic field, light field, airflow field, thermal field, plasma field, or any combination thereof; an energy field action zone 200, used to enable materials entering the zone to be picked up, suspended, transported, or deposited under the action of the energy field; a feeding unit 300, used to feed materials into the action zone by spraying, dripping, spraying, sprinkling, powder conveying, or other means; a workpiece support 400, used to support the workpiece to be processed, and may have position or attitude adjustment capabilities; and a control unit 600, used to adjust the operating parameters of the energy field unit and coordinate the linkage control of the feeding, workpiece support, and other optional mechanisms. These modules together constitute a complete processing chain for materials from feeding, suspension holding, directional transport to film deposition.

[0064] Example 2: Spatial Structure and System Layout (Figure 2)

[0065] As shown in Figure 2, the energy field unit 101 can be set in a closed, semi-closed, or open controllable environment. This environment may include, but is not limited to, temperature and humidity regulation structures, inert or special atmosphere control components, electric or magnetic field auxiliary structures, and adjustable support and positioning mechanisms. Multiple energy field units can act on the energy field action area 200 from different directions, causing the material to form a controllable pickup, suspension, transport, or aggregation trajectory in three-dimensional space. This invention does not limit the specific installation method of the energy field units; as long as their position, angle, or distance can be adjusted, the energy field construction scheme of this invention can be applied.

[0066] Example 3: Three-dimensional arrangement and attitude adjustment of energy field units (Figure 3)

[0067] As shown in Figure 3, the energy field unit 101 is mounted via a support unit, enabling multi-degree-of-freedom angle adjustment, including rotation, pitch, and azimuth; positional movement, including in the X, Y, and Z directions; and adjustment of the relative distance to the workpiece. This adjustable structure can achieve directional, focusing, or reconfigured distribution of the energy field according to the workpiece shape and processing requirements, thereby forming a spatial energy field configuration suitable for different material behaviors. This invention does not impose any limitations on this.

[0068] Example 4: Construction of a composite acoustic and electric field (Figure 4)

[0069] As shown in Figure 4, multiple acoustic and electric field units can be arranged around the workpiece from top to bottom and left to right to form a composite energy field. The acoustic field is responsible for the suspension and transport of the material, while the electric field is responsible for the focusing, adsorption, and deposition stability of the material. The combined effect of the two can achieve high-precision positioning of the material.

[0070] Example 5: Schematic diagram of sound field unit adjustment around workpiece (Figure 5)

[0071] As shown in Figure 5, the multi-degree-of-freedom acoustic field unit can adjust its position around the workpiece to change the sound pressure gradient distribution, thereby achieving point-to-point sound pressure control around the workpiece. This structure can be used to transport materials in complex geometries and can adjust the material transport path in real time.

[0072] Example 6: Dual-field cooperative pickup and transport (Figure 6)

[0073] As shown in Figure 6, the two sets of acoustic field units 101 and 102 apply forces to the material from different directions through phase difference control, enabling the material to achieve stable off-base material collection, curved transport path, and multi-segment positioning. This structure eliminates the need for mechanical nozzles, guiding the material entirely through the energy field.

[0074] Example 7: Cavity Environment Control Structure (Figure 7)

[0075] As shown in Figure 7, the energy field interaction zone can be located within a sealed cavity to achieve: vacuum, low-pressure, or special atmosphere environments; inert protection; airflow control; and temperature and humidity management. This structure is suitable for metal nanoparticle deposition, high-purity film deposition, and chemical reaction processes requiring controlled environments.

[0076] Example 8: Single-energy-field unit structure (Figure 8)

[0077] As shown in Figure 8, the energy field unit can be independently mounted on the support structure and has the capabilities of independent power supply, independent angle adjustment, and array expansion. This structure can be used to build scalable energy field arrays to adapt to different operating conditions.

[0078] Example 9: Energy field unit array structure (Figure 9)

[0079] As shown in Figure 9, multiple energy field units can be arranged into one-dimensional arrays, two-dimensional arrays, arc arrays, or multi-layer arrays. The array structure can realize functions such as sound field focusing, energy gradient path generation, and construction of three-dimensional material transport channels.

[0080] Example 10: Multidirectional energy field convergence (Figure 10)

[0081] Figure 10 illustrates how multiple energy field units act synchronously on the workpiece from different directions, causing the energy density to converge at the workpiece location. This method is suitable for uniform deposition in deep holes, grooves, and irregularly shaped surfaces, as well as for energy focusing control at specific geometric locations.

[0082] Example 11: Internal structure of the energy field unit (Figure 11)

[0083] As shown in Figure 11, the energy field unit may include: an energy coupling component for adjusting the form of the input energy; an energy focusing component for changing the shape of the energy beam (e.g., cone-shaped, arc-shaped, or point-shaped focusing); and an energy transfer component for controlling the directionality and diffusion of the energy output. These internal structures can be modularly added or removed according to application requirements.

[0084] Example 12: Material feeding unit structure (Figure 12)

[0085] As shown in Figure 12, the feeding unit includes a material inlet 120, a slow-flow or mixing chamber 121, and a material outlet 122. It can be used for the dispersed feeding of powders, droplets, mists, or particles.

[0086] Example 13: Combined effect of sound field and electric field (Figure 13)

[0087] As shown in Figure 13, the acoustic field units 101 and 102 and the electric field units 201 and 202 work together on the material to form a composite energy field, thereby achieving directional transport, precise sinking control, and enhanced stability of the deposition position.

[0088] Example 14: Disturbance and redistribution of material deposition layer (Figure 14)

[0089] As shown in Figure 14, the deposited layer can be loosened, redistributed, locally peeled off, or its surface modulated by energy field perturbation (such as pulsed sound field or pulsed electric field).

Claims

1. A device for applying adjustable energy fields to materials, comprising: (1) At least one energy field unit for forming an energy field in space that acts on the material; (2) Energy field action zone, used to receive materials entering it, so that the materials can be picked up, suspended, transported, aggregated or deposited under the action of the energy field; (3) Control unit, used to adjust the working parameters of the energy field unit and / or adjust the spatial attitude or position of the workpiece; The feature is that the relative position, relative angle or relative distance between the energy field unit and the material or workpiece to be processed is adjustable. The relative adjustment is achieved through the adjustment mechanism of the energy field unit, the workpiece support mechanism, the moving mechanism, or any combination of the above methods, so that the energy field forms a configurable single-field or multi-field coupled energy field distribution in space to realize the picking up, suspension holding, spatial transport, aggregation, fixed-point deposition or distribution control of materials.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The energy field unit can form a sound field, electric field, magnetic field, light field, airflow field, thermal field, plasma field, or any combination of one or more of the above, and the type of energy field is not limited.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The energy field unit is mounted on an adjustable support mechanism, which allows the energy field unit to adjust its position, direction, distance, and / or attitude in three-dimensional space. The adjustable support mechanism can be a mechanical, sliding rail, rotary, telescopic, ball joint, universal joint, or any combination thereof. The device may also include a workpiece support mechanism, which allows the workpiece to adjust its position, angle, or attitude during processing, thereby enabling controllable adjustment of the relative relationship between the energy field and the workpiece.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, Multiple energy field units can form linear arrays, two-dimensional arrays, curved surface arrays, ring arrays, spherical arrays, or three-dimensional surround arrangements. The position, angle, distance, and operating parameters of each unit in the array can be adjusted independently or in conjunction to form a customizable energy field distribution or multi-field coupling zone.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The action regions of at least two energy field units overlap, are adjacent to or partially overlap each other to form a multi-field coupling action region that is superimposed, interfered with, coupled, converged, surrounded, enhanced by gradient or customized by spatial field shape. The multi-field coupling can be used to enhance the material’s pick-up, suspension retention, transport stability or deposition uniformity.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The device also includes a feeding unit, which is used to feed materials into the energy field action zone from any direction by spraying, dripping, sprinkling, injecting liquid, spraying, powder conveying, mechanical conveying, gravity feeding, electrostatic adsorption feeding, guiding feeding, manual addition or any other method.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The materials to be processed include droplets, mist droplets, small droplets, suspensions, colloids, slurries, powders, solid microparticles, nanoparticles, ultrafine particles, molten microdroplets, reactive precursors, and any combination of the above materials.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, It further includes an electric field component, which is used to apply electrostatic force, dielectric force or electrophoretic driving force to the material to enhance the aggregation, directional deposition, adsorption stability or deposition uniformity of the material on the workpiece surface, and the operating parameters of the electric field component can be adjusted independently of the energy field unit to achieve multi-field coupling control between the sound field, electric field or other energy fields.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The energy field action zone can be set in an open space or a closed space; the closed space can be a normal pressure, low pressure or vacuum environment, and can be formed as needed to form an inert atmosphere, special atmosphere, temperature-controlled environment, humidity-controlled environment or charged environment to improve the transport stability, deposition quality or controllability of chemical reactions of materials.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The device further includes a disturbance energy field unit; the disturbance energy field unit is used to apply pulsed, periodic or randomly modulated energy disturbance to the material located in the energy field action area to achieve material redistribution, homogenization, thinning, local peeling or surface reshaping; wherein, the disturbance energy field can be generated by an independently set energy field unit, or can be generated by an existing energy field unit in different working modes, or can be achieved by mechanical vibration generated by the workpiece support, and the disturbance energy field is not limited to a specific structural form or energy type.

11. A material handling system, comprising: (1) The energy field material action device according to any one of claims 1–10; (2) Workpiece support, used to place the workpiece within the energy field action zone; (3) Optional moving mechanism, used to enable the workpiece or energy field unit to generate controllable translation, rotation or multi-degree-of-freedom motion during the processing; (4) Control system, used to coordinate the working parameters of the energy field unit, the disturbance energy field unit, the workpiece support or the moving mechanism, so as to realize the transport, deposition, coating, film or deposit layer control of materials.

12. A material processing method based on a tunable energy field, comprising: (1) The material is delivered into the energy field area by means of spraying, dripping, sprinkling, liquid injection, spraying, powder conveying or other methods; (2) An energy field is generated by an adjustable energy field unit to act on the material, so that the material can be picked up, suspended, transported, aggregated or distributed in space; (3) By adjusting the parameters, direction, spatial position, or combination relationship between energy fields, materials can be deposited, coated, plated, or otherwise processed on the surface of the workpiece. (4) Optionally, the deposited layer or the material on the workpiece surface may be redistributed, homogenized, thinned, partially peeled off or reshaped by perturbing the energy field; The feature is that the energy field includes a sound field, electric field, magnetic field, light field, airflow field, thermal field, plasma field or any combination thereof, and the spatial position, angle, intensity and working mode of the energy field unit can be adjusted to achieve controllable adjustment of material behavior and controllable formation of deposition effect.

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