Model-Based Feedback Control for an Automated Micro Liquid Dispensing System Based on Contacting Droplet Generation through Image Sensing

Abstract

Over the past few decades, micro liquid dispensing technology has been widely used in biology, chemistry, material and environmental sciences due to its efficacy in processing multiple samples. For practical applications, precise and effective droplet generation is very important. Despite numerous droplet generation methods, the implementation of droplet-on-demand still faces challenges concerning system complexity, precision, cost, and robustness. In this work, a novel on-demand contacting droplet generation method incorporated with model-based feedback control with an image processing unit as a sensor was proposed. By studying droplet identification using image processing techniques, the model of droplet formation was simplified. Then model-based feedback control was implemented using volumes of dispensed samples as sensing signals by tuning related parameters adaptively to resist disturbances. The proposed method was integrated and applied to a homebuilt automated micro liquid dispensing system with droplets ranging from 20 nanoliter to 200 nanoliter. The experimental results demonstrated a high degree of accuracy and precision. Additionally, the proposed system’s practical utility was evaluated by analyzing mutations in genes associated with sensorineural hearing loss, verifying its effectiveness.