Patent Document

TECHNICAL FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0001]    Embodiments of the present invention relate to a temperature sensor means and a bioreactor system comprising such a temperature sensor means. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Measuring temperatures in bioreactors can be done invasively or noninvasively. Noninvasive measurements are preferred in many cases because the content of the bioreactor should not be contaminated. Temperature sensors provided outside the bioreactor have been used. A problem with such temperature sensors is that ambient temperature will affect the measured temperature. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The object of embodiments of the present invention is to provide reliable temperature measurements and to provide bioreactor systems that are easy to handle. 
         [0004]    This is achieved in a bioreactor system comprising a base station comprising a control system, a tray arranged to be provided on the base station and arranged to house a bioreactor bag, wherein the base station comprises at least one temperature sensor means and in that the tray comprises at least one opening for receiving the temperature sensor means such that it will contact a surface of a bioreactor provided in the tray. Hereby a flexible and easy to handle bioreactor system with reliable temperature measuring capabilities is achieved. 
         [0005]    Furthermore the circulation in the bioreactor is not affected by the temperature sensor. Another advantage is that only the base station and not the tray holding the bioreactor need to be considered for calibration. Furthermore a bioreactor system providing reliable temperature measurements with very limited influence from ambient temperature is achieved. 
         [0006]    Further embodiments are described in the dependent claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  shows schematically a temperature sensor means according to one embodiment of the invention. 
           [0008]      FIGS. 2A and 2B  show schematically a base station of a bioreactor system according to two different embodiments of the invention comprising one or three temperature sensor means. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  shows schematically an arm comprising a temperature sensor means according to an embodiment of the invention, the arm being adapted to be used in a base station of a bioreactor system. 
           [0010]      FIGS. 4A and 4B  show schematically trays adapted to be provided on a base station according to an embodiment of the invention and the trays being adapted to hold bioreactor bags. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0011]      FIG. 1  shows schematically a temperature sensor means  1  according to one embodiment of the invention. The temperature sensor means comprises a thermally conducting layer  2  arranged to face the surface to be measured, a thermally insulating layer  3  attached to the thermally conducting layer  2  on the opposite side to the surface to be measured and a temperature sensor  5  provided between the thermally conducting layer  2  and the thermally insulating layer  3  and being completely surrounded on all its sides by either the thermally conducting or thermally insulating layers. The thermally conducting layer is a material with higher thermal conductivity than the thermally insulating layer. It could for example be a metal layer or a thermally conducting graphite or polymer layer. The temperature sensor  5  has a connection  7  through the thermally insulating layer to a control system. The thermally conducting layer  2  will improve the conductivity towards the surface to be measured and the thermally insulating layer  3  will decrease the influence from ambient temperature on the temperature sensor. In another embodiment of the invention the thermally conducting layer and/or the thermally insulating layer could be omitted 
         [0012]      FIGS. 2A and 2B  shows schematically two examples of a base station of a bioreactor system according to the invention comprising one and three temperature sensor means as described in relation to  FIG. 1  respectively. In  FIG. 2A  a base station  11  according to one embodiment of the invention is schematically shown. The base station to a bioreactor system comprises of course many more details but they are omitted in the description of embodiments of the present invention. In an embodiment the base station  11  comprises one temperature sensor means as described in relation to  FIG. 1 . Suitably the temperature sensor means  1  is provided on an arm  21  as shown in  FIG. 3 . The arm is provided inside the base station  11  under a base station upper surface  13 . The arm  21  is provided such that the temperature sensor means can protrude up through an opening  15  in the base station upper surface  13 . This can be achieved by providing the arm  21  as a lever. The temperature sensor means  1  is then provided onto one end  22  of the lever  21  and if something pushes down onto the other end  23  of the lever  21  the temperature sensor means  1  will move upwards and protrude through the opening  15  in the base station. Hereby the base station upper surface  13  also needs to be provided with another opening  16  for receiving a pushing means that will push the end of the lever opposite the temperature sensor means downwards. A tray adapted to hold a bioreactor and to be positioned onto the base station may comprise this one or more pushing means. Another possible design would be to provide the temperature sensor means  1  on a resilient arm  21  which protrudes up through the opening  15  in the base station upper surface  13  but easily is pushed back if something presses on the temperature sensor means  1  from above. In  FIG. 3  an arm  21  with a temperature sensor means  1  is shown. This arm could be provided in the base station as described above either as a lever or as a resilient arm. In  FIG. 3  a communication connection  7  from the temperature sensor through the thermally insulating layer  3  is shown. 
         [0013]    In  FIG. 2B  a base station  17  according to another embodiment of the invention is schematically shown. In this embodiment three arms  21  comprising temperature sensor means are provided. Hereby also three openings  19   a ,  19   b ,  19   c  are provided in the base station upper surface. If the arms are of the lever type three openings corresponding to the opening  16  of  FIG. 2A  should also be provided. 
         [0014]      FIGS. 4A and 4B  shows schematically trays adapted to be provided on a base station according to embodiments of the present invention and the trays being adapted to hold bioreactor bags. The tray  31  of  FIG. 4A  can be used in either the base station  11  shown in  FIG. 2A  or the base station  17  shown in  FIG. 2B . The tray  31  is adapted to hold a bioreactor bag and the tray comprises an opening  33  positioned to align with the opening  15  of the base station  11  of  FIG. 2A  and the middle opening  19   b  of the base station  17  of  FIG. 2B . Suitably the opening  33  in the tray is somewhat larger than the temperature sensor means. Hereby the temperature measurements will be less effected by the heaters that often are provided in the trays. When the tray  31  of  FIG. 4 a    is used together with the base station  17  of  FIG. 2B  the two other temperature sensor means provided through openings  19   a ,  19   c  will not be protruding up through the openings because the tray  31  does not comprise corresponding pushing means for these temperature sensor means arms (if the lever variant is used). If resilient arms instead are used the temperature sensor means provided through the openings  19   a  and  19   c  will be pushed downwards by the tray  31  and not be used. 
         [0015]    The tray  41  of  FIG. 4B  can be used in the base station  17  shown in  FIG. 2B . The tray  41  comprises two openings  43   a ,  43   b  to receive one temperature sensor means  1  each. In this embodiment the temperature sensor means  1  provided through the middle opening  19   b  of the base station  17  will not be used and the temperature sensor means provided through the opening  19   a  will protrude up through the opening  43   a  of the tray  41  and the temperature sensor means provided through the opening  19   c  will protrude up through the opening  43   b  of the tray  41 . In this embodiment two bioreactor bags could be provided in the tray  41 . The openings in the trays  33 ,  43   a ,  43   b  can in one embodiment be covered by a suitable thin film, for example a plastic film. This could be beneficial in order to keep any spillage in the tray. However this is not necessary. 
         [0016]    A control system of the bioreactor system comprises in one embodiment means for measuring the ambient temperature and means for compensating the bioreactor temperature measurement for different ambient temperatures. 
         [0017]    In an embodiment, the temperature sensor or sensors are provided in the base station instead of in the different trays. Hereby the trays can be kept simple and without any need for calibration and electrical connections. It is beneficial to have all of these functions in the base station. 
         [0018]    This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.

Technology Category: c