Hamilton Bonaduz Ag

Dirk Schoenfuss

Claudius-Michael Ortega Schulte

Andreas Loebbert

Theo Gaupp

Frederic Juillerat

Gabriela Fisch

Claudius Michael Ortega Schulte

A device for monitoring a biological process in a liquid medium includes a wall portion, a silanization layer and a sensor arrangement. The device attaches to a container of a bioreactor and can be used with disposable bioreactors. The wall portion is adapted to retain the liquid medium during operation of the bioreactor. A through-hole is disposed in the wall portion. A silanization layer covers the surface encircling the through-hole and the wall portion between the liquid medium and the wall portion. The sensor arrangement includes a glass layer, a substrate and an electrode. The glass layer is bonded by an adhesive to the silanization layer so as to cover the through-hole. The electrode is mounted on the substrate and measures electrical conductivity through the liquid medium. The sensor arrangement also includes an optical sensor that detects electromagnetic radiation that passes from the liquid medium through the glass layer.

Device for monitoring a biological process in a liquid medium

A pH combination electrode includes inner and outer tubes, working and reference electrodes, and a hydrogel diaphragm between the tubes. A seal is disposed inside the inner tube closer to a first inner tube end than to the second inner tube end. An extended reference chamber is formed inside the inner tube between the seal and the second inner tube end. A first conductive fluid is contained in the inner tube between the seal and the first inner tube end. A second conductive fluid is contained in the extended reference chamber and in a reference chamber formed between the inner and outer tubes. A through-hole in the inner tube allows the second conductive fluid to flow between the reference chamber and the extended reference chamber. The working electrode extends into the inner tube, through the seal and into the first conductive fluid. The reference electrode contacts the second conductive fluid.

Combination electrode having extended reference chamber

The invention relates to a sensing unit () comprising a housing () that has a first housing opening which can be oriented towards a medium (M) to be analyzed, and a second housing opening on which at least one means for detachably rigidly connecting to a sensor shaft or sensor housing are arranged, or may be arranged, on the inner and/or outer side; at least one sensor element () that is arranged in the housing () and comprises indicators and, optionally, indicator protectors, said sensor element () having a first side facing the first housing opening and a second side lying opposite the first housing opening; and at least one protector element () which is arranged in the region of the first housing opening between the at least one sensor element () and the medium (M) which surrounds the sensing unit (), particularly in the region of said housing opening, such that the sensor element () does not come into direct contact with the medium (M).

Chemically stable sensing unit with protector element

The invention relates to an optical sensor element, comprising indicators, selected from luminescence-active means that are of the same type or different, and indicator protectors, and to a sensor, comprising at least one such sensor element, an energy source that excites the luminescence emission of the indicators, and a detector unit, wherein the sensor element or sensor is suitable for detecting molecular oxygen in a gaseous or liquid medium and/or for determining the molecular oxygen content of a gaseous or liquid medium and at least one layer of the sensor element bearing the indicator protectors is designed in such a way that the diffusion rate of the molecular oxygen formed on the indicator protectors by means of the reduction of strong oxidants back into the medium is greater than the diffusion rate of molecular oxygen from the medium in the direction of the at-least-one layer bearing the indicator molecules.

Optical sensor element

The invention relates to an optical sensor element, comprising indicators (), selected from luminescence-active means that are of the same type or different, and indicator protectors (), and to a sensor, comprising at least one such sensor element, an energy source that excites the luminescence emission of the indicators, and a detector unit, wherein the sensor element or sensor is suitable for detecting molecular oxygen in a gaseous or liquid medium and/or for determining the molecular oxygen content of a gaseous or liquid medium and at least one layer of the sensor element bearing the indicator protectors is designed in such a way that the diffusion rate of the molecular oxygen formed on the indicator protectors by means of the reduction of strong oxidants back into the medium is greater than the diffusion rate of molecular oxygen from the medium in the direction of the at-least-one layer bearing the indicator molecules.

The invention relates to a reaction vessel with a sensor unit. The reaction vessel comprising a reaction space configured to be connected with the sensor unit that comprises at least one sensor device configured to be calibrated, at least one compartment containing a calibrating agent, and a housing. The sensor unit is arranged to calibrate the at least one sensor device by contact with the calibrating agent before chemical or physical parameters of a measurement substance are measured, wherein the at least one sensor device is further configured such that the relative movement between the at least one sensor device and the at least one compartment is irreversible. The at least one sensor device is movable relative to the at least one compartment from an initial position into a measurement readiness position. The reaction vessel and the sensor unit can be sterilized or are sterilized jointly.

Calibratable sensor unit for reaction vessels

The present invention relates to a calibration method of a sensor unit connected to a reaction vessel, wherein the sensor unit comprises at least one sensor device configured to be calibrated, at least one compartment containing a calibrating agent, and a housing. The method comprising inserting a sensitive element of the at least one sensor device into a compartment of the sensor unit containing a calibrating agent, withdrawing the sensitive element from the compartment; inserting the sensitive element into the reaction vessel and locking the sensor device in position, wherein the steps of the method are irreversible.

The present invention relates to a calibratable sensor unit for a reaction vessel, such as for example a fermenter (), in particular a disposable fermenter, comprising at least one sensor device () to be calibrated and at least one compartment () containing a calibrating agent, the at least one sensor device and the at least one compartment () being accommodated movably relative to one another in a housing () that is connected to or can be connected to the reaction vessel (), wherein the calibrating unit () is arranged to calibrate the at least one sensor device () by contact with the calibrating agent before chemical and/or physical parameters of a measurement substance are measured with the at least one sensor device (). According to the invention it is proposed that the sensor device () is configured in such a way that the relative movement between the at least one sensor device () and the at least one compartment () can be carried out irreversibly.

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Tamins, Switzerland

Dirk Schoenfuss