Pipetting Robot Control for Bottom Sediment Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robot systems face performance degradation due to sediment accumulation in containers during pre-analysis treatments, as sediments can be too hard to stir effectively, leading to inefficient operations.
Innovation Solution
A robot system with a controller that manipulates a pipette to contact and move sediment in a container, using a combination of upward and horizontal movements to diffuse and remove sediment, improving sediment removal efficiency and performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If normal stirring operation is performed, then the robot can mix liquids, but sediments accumulate and harden in the container
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of stirring from the top down as in conventional operations, the pipette tip contacts the sediment at the bottom and moves upward, inverting the traditional mixing approach to effectively disrupt hardened sediments
Solution Approach 2:
The pipette performs not only vertical upward movement but also horizontal movement along the inner wall, adding a horizontal dimension to the mixing action to scrape and remove sediments that vertical stirring alone cannot dislodge
2Device complexity
If the pipette remains stationary, then the robot structure is simple, but sediments cannot be effectively removed
Solution Approach 1:
The pipette is made dynamic by implementing coordinated upward and horizontal movements, transforming it from a stationary component into an active tool that can reach and disrupt sediments along the container wall
Solution Approach 2:
The same pipette mechanism performs multiple functions: liquid transfer, sediment disruption through upward movement, and wall scraping through horizontal movement, eliminating the need for separate specialized components
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for controlling a robot includes a first step and a second step. In the first step, the robot is controlled to hold at least one of a pipette and a container containing a liquid and to change a position of the pipette relative to the container so as to make a tip of the pipette contact a sediment in the container. In the second step, the robot is controlled to move the pipette in an upward direction from a predetermined position in the container with the tip of the pipette in contact with an inner side surface of the container.