Sensor adapter, method for the manufacture thereof, method for the use of a sensor in this sensor adapter and bioreactor with this sensor adapter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9347912-B2
Application number	US-84084410-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 21, 2010
Priority date	Nov 6, 2009
Publication date	May 24, 2016
Grant date	May 24, 2016

Abstract

A sensor adapter is described for the noninvasive positioning of a sensor, especially of an electrochemical sensor, in a medium. The sensor adapter comprises an accommodating channel, in which the sensor can be positioned and the one end region of which is closed off by a semipermeable membrane. Moreover, the sensor adapter comprises a hollow cylindrical sealing structure, which is disposed within the accommodating channel coaxially with the longitudinal axis of the latter and with which the sensor can be disposed gas tight adjacent to the semipermeable membrane.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sensor adapter for a noninvasive positioning of a sensor in a medium, said sensor adapter comprising:
a) an accommodating channel, in which the sensor can be positioned and axially moved therein, said accommodating channel having an end region which is closed off by a semipermeable membrane, and
b) a hollow cylindrical sealing structure, which is disposed within said accommodating channel coaxially with the longitudinal axis thereof and with which the sensor can be disposed gas-tight adjacent to the semipermeable membrane, the semipermeable membrane being elastically deformed in the longitudinal direction of the accommodating channel when contacted by the sensor, the hollow cylindrical sealing structure having:
a peripheral groove disposed in a radial inner wall, and
a sealing ring disposed in the peripheral groove, said sealing ring being shiftable in the axial direction of the sealing structure between a first position and a second position, the first position and the second position being disposed adjacent to one another in the axial direction of the hollow cylindrical sealing structure, the first position being closer than the second position to the membrane, and in which the depth of the peripheral groove in the radial direction of the sealing structure is different in each of the first and second positions, with the peripheral groove being deeper than the cross section of the sealing ring in the first position so that a gap is formed between the sealing ring and the radially adjacent wall of the peripheral groove through which air can escape, and in which the peripheral groove is not as deep as the cross section of the sealing ring in the second position, such that the sealing ring is compressed in the second position between the sensor and a radial inner wall of the groove, so that the volume of the accommodating channel between the sealing ring and the semipermeable membrane is closed off gas tight.

2. The sensor adapter of claim 1 , wherein the sealing structure has at least one connecting channel, at the front side facing the semipermeable membrane, the at least one connecting channel being connected with the groove.

3. The sensor adapter of claim 1 , wherein the sealing structure forms a supporting sleeve, which is disposed in the end region of the accommodating channel and with which the accommodating channel can be supported laterally.

4. The sensor adapter of claim 1 , wherein the semipermeable membrane is disposed at a front side of the sealing structure, so that the accommodating channel can be closed off by the sealing structure.

5. The sensor adapter of claim 1 , wherein the accommodating channel consists of a plastic tube, which is closed off at one side by a hollow cylindrical cap with the semipermeable membrane, so that the sealing structure and the hollow cylindrical cap support one another in the radial direction over the plastic tube.

6. A bioreactor in combination with the sensor adapter of claim 1 .

7. A method for inserting a sensor in the sensor adapter of claim 1 , said method comprising the following steps:
a) pushing the sensor into the accommodating channel,
b) shifting the sealing ring into the first position by pushing the sensor into the accommodating channel,
c) displacing a medium from the accommodating channel, in that the sensor is moved in a direction towards the semipermeable membrane, and
d) moving the sensor in a direction away from the semipermeable membrane, so that the sealing ring is shifted into the second position and seals the sensor in the accommodating channel.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the sensor is moved at least until it touches the semipermeable membrane, deforming the semipermeable membrane elastically, in order to displace the medium between the sensor and the semipermeable membrane from the accommodating channel during said displacing step.

9. A The sensor adapter according to claim 1 , wherein the semipermeable membrane comprises an elastically expandable cavity in which a part of the sensor can be received, such that the semipermeable membrane tightly encloses a received part of the sensor.

10. The sensor adapter according to claim 9 , wherein the elastically expandable cavity of the membrane has a diameter perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the accommodating channel which is smaller than the inner diameter of the accommodating channel, and smaller than an outer diameter of the received part of the sensor.

11. The sensor adapter according to claim 10 , in which the diameter of the cavity perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the accommodating channel ranges between about 90% and 30% of the inner diameter of the accommodating channel.

12. The sensor adapter according to claim 9 , wherein the semipermeable membrane is integrally connected to one of the accommodating channel or a hollow cylindrical cap.

13. A method for inserting a sensor in a sensor adapter of claim 9 , said method comprising the following steps:
a) pushing the sensor into the accommodating channel,
b) pushing the sensor in the expandable cavity of the membrane so that the sensor is at least partly and tightly enclosed by the membrane.

14. The method according to claim 13 , in which the pushing the sensor in the expandable cavity step includes the further step of: moving the sensor into the expandable cavity of the membrane so that the membrane abuts a face of the sensor.

15. The sensor adapter of claim 1 , in which the sensor is an electrochemical sensor.

16. The sensor adapter of claim 5 , wherein the plastic tube is a silicone tube.

Assignees

• Beese Jochen
• Eikelmann Sven
• Watkins Jeff
• Kopla Rafael
• Eppendorf Ag

Inventors

• Beese Jochen
• Eikelmann Sven
• Watkins Jeff
• Kopla Rafael

Classifications

• Y10T29/49826

  Assembling or joining · CPC title

• Y10T29/49002

  Electrical device making · CPC title

• C12M41/00

  Means for regulation, monitoring, measurement or control, e.g. flow regulation (controlling or regulating chemical, physical or physicochemical processes B01J19/0006; heating or cooling apparatus for laboratory use B01L7/00; electro optical investigation of individual particles, flow cytometers G01N15/14; automatic analysis G01N35/00; controlling or regulating in general G06N) · CPC title

• G01N27/404 Primary

  Cells with anode, cathode and cell electrolyte on the same side of a permeable membrane which separates them from the sample fluid {, e.g. Clark-type oxygen sensors} · CPC title