Patent EP-2363704-A1 (EP)
Inventor: LOEBBERT ANDREAS
IPC: C12M1/36
Filed: 2011-02-10
Abstract: The calibratable sensor unit (10) for a reaction container e.g. a disposable fermenter, comprises a sensor device (14) to be calibrated, and compartments #(26, 28, 30) containing a calibrator, where the sensor device and the compartment are movably incorporated into a housing (12) relative to each other and the housing is connectable or connected with the reaction container. The calibration unit is designed to calibrate the sensor device by contacting with the calibrator before the chemical and/or physical parameters of a measuring substance are measured with the sensor device. The calibratable sensor unit (10) for a reaction container e.g. a disposable fermenter, comprises a sensor device (14) to be calibrated, and compartments #(26, 28, 30) containing a calibrator, where the sensor device and the compartment are movably incorporated into a housing (12) relative to each other and the housing is connectable or connected with the reaction container. The calibration unit is designed to calibrate the sensor device by contacting with the calibrator before the chemical and/or physical parameters of a measuring substance are measured with the sensor device. The sensor unit is designed, so that the relative movement between the sensor device and the compartment is irreversibly carried out. The sensor device is movable relative to the compartment from a starting position, in which the sensor device is not contacted during normal use of the measuring substance, by changing the environment of a part of a sensitive element in a readiness position that is different from the starting position. The sensor device is partially contactable with the sensitive element in the readiness position by the measuring substance. The sensor device is incorporated its sensitive element in the starting position into an associated compartment with the calibrator. The housing surrounds the sensor device in its starting position and the compartment. The sensor device is automatically latched in the readiness position. The compartment is closed by a septum or is separated from the inner space of the calibration unit enclosed by the housing, from an adjacent compartment or from the fermenter. The septum is processed by using the sensor device for a light penetration for the formation of a predetermined breaking point, has areas with different material thickness and/or is partially perforated. The sensor device has a free end that is designed so that the septum of the compartment is penetratable in an orthogonal direction to a plane of the septum. The compartments are arranged one behind the other related to a penetrating direction of the sensor device and are separated from each other by the septum arranged between them. The compartments are arranged next to each other in the orthogonal direction to the penetrating direction. One of the compartments contains a cleaning agent. A stripper is arranged to the compartment, is penetratable from the sensor device and is designed, so that the calibrator or optionally the cleaning agent adhering on the sensor device is retained in the relevant compartment with the calibrator or optionally the cleaning agent. The stripper is formed by the septum or by an additional sealing ring adjacent to the septum in the penetrating direction. The compartment is formed as tube-like sleeve, which has an elastic or rigid circumferential wall and is closed on one side with the septum in an axial direction. The sensor unit comprises an actuating unit (16) that acts on the sensor device and is implemented, so that the irreversible relative movement between the sensor device and the compartment is carried out by the actuating unit. The calibrator and/or the cleaning agent are implemented as sterilizable viscous medium such as gel or paste. The calibrator contains synthetic polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol or hydroxyethyl cellulose, or natural polymers such as polysaccharides as thickener. Independent claims are included for: (1) a reaction container; and (2) a method for calibrating a sensor device of a sensor unit.