Hybrid Vessel Mover Control for Accurate Positioning and Smooth Motion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional liquid handler systems face challenges with inaccurate and inefficient movement control due to external disturbances, leading to poor positioning accuracy, smoothness of motion, and potential liquid spills, particularly in high-throughput applications.
Innovation Solution
A hybridized movement control architecture that combines position and velocity-based control schemes, utilizing a sensor fusion block and Kalman filter to estimate the state of vessel movers, with adjustable proportional gains to optimize movement control, and includes a disturbance observer to mitigate external disturbances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional cascaded control schemes are used to control vessel mover movement, then the control system is simple to implement, but the positioning accuracy and smoothness of motion deteriorate due to overly conservative tuning and sensitivity to external disturbances
Solution Approach 1:
The control system dynamically adapts its behavior by switching between position-based control and velocity-based control modes depending on the operational phase. During acceleration and deceleration phases, velocity-based control is used to ensure smooth motion. During constant velocity phases, position-based control is used to maintain accurate positioning. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by allowing the system to optimize for different parameters at different times without requiring a permanently complex control architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes control parameters (control mode) based on the operational state of the vessel mover. By monitoring velocity and position data, the system determines whether to prioritize velocity control or position control, thereby adapting the control strategy to current conditions. This parameter change allows the system to achieve high positioning accuracy without maintaining permanently complex control structures.
2Manufacturing precision
If position-based control is used to achieve accurate positioning, then the vessel mover stops at precise locations, but the velocity profile becomes non-smooth causing liquid spills
Solution Approach 1:
The control system dynamically switches between position-based and velocity-based control modes based on the motion phase. During acceleration and deceleration, velocity-based control ensures smooth velocity profiles that prevent liquid spills. During constant velocity phases, position-based control ensures accurate positioning. This dynamic approach resolves the contradiction by applying the appropriate control strategy at the appropriate time.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system periodically evaluates the current motion phase and switches control modes accordingly. By rhythmically alternating between velocity control and position control based on real-time feedback, the system maintains both smooth motion and accurate positioning without the harmful effects of continuous aggressive position control.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If velocity-based control is used to ensure smooth motion, then liquid spills are reduced, but the positioning accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The control system dynamically adapts by switching control modes based on operational needs. Velocity-based control is applied during phases requiring smooth motion (acceleration/deceleration) to prevent spills, while position-based control is applied during phases requiring precision (constant velocity) to maintain positioning accuracy. This resolves the contradiction through temporal separation of control objectives.
4Reliability
If conventional control systems are tuned to reject disturbances, then the control becomes overly conservative, but the performance and throughput are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The control system dynamically adjusts its response to disturbances by switching between control modes. Rather than maintaining permanently conservative tuning, the system uses velocity-based control during sensitive phases (acceleration/deceleration) to reject disturbances smoothly, and position-based control during less sensitive phases (constant velocity) to maximize throughput. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between reliability and productivity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The hybridized control scheme enhances positioning accuracy and smoothness of motion, reducing the risk of spills and improving overall processing efficiency in liquid handler systems.
Implementation Method 1
a coil array associated with the track system, the coil array configured to interact with the magnet to define a linear electromagnetic actuator and propel the vessel mover along the track system
Implementation Method 2
a sensor assembly configured to detect the one or more vessel movers
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for a hybridized control architecture for a liquid handler system. The hybridized control system can control the movement of the vessel movers of the liquid handler system using a hybridized movement control approach that incorporates both position, velocity and current-based control outputs. The control system can further dynamically control the relative degree to which velocity or position-based control is applied to the vessel movers based on the vessel movers' relative positions along the track system.