Integrated bio-reactor monitor and control system

• US 20050158701A1
• Filed: 02/10/2005
• Published: 07/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: New England Controls, Inc. (Enerpac Tool Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Broadley James Corporation
• Inventors: West, Larry Eugene
• Granted Patent: US 7,635,586 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/3
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 41/48 Automatic or computerized control automatic analysis G01N35/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 3/00 Condition responsive control processes apparatus therefor C12M1/36; controlling or regulating in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 21/02 characterised by the use of electric means

Abstract

Systems and methods for automatically controlling conditions of a process are disclosed. In one example, a controller is programmed with a sequence of steps and parameters required to carry out a bioreactor process. A sensor system interacts with the bioreactor to receive information related to a condition of the bioreactor and/or receive a sample from the bioreactor, which it analyzes. The sensor system sends data signals related to the information and/or the sample to a controller, which determines a control signal based on the received information. The controller sends the control signal to the sensor system which, based on the control signal, performs an action that affects a condition of the bioreactor or affects the sensor system itself.

Claims

1. A system for controlling a bioreactor process, comprising:

(a) a first communication network connecting a utility tower and a controller in a control system;

(b) a second communication network connecting said utility tower and said controller in said control system;

(c) a third communication network connecting said utility tower and said controller in said control system;

(d) a bioreactor configured to provide a first set of one or more data signals related to a condition in the bioreactor to said control system;

(e) a sensor system comprising

a sensor device, and

a connection for communicating material or information between said sensor device and said bioreactor, wherein the sensor device interacts with said bioreactor through said connection;

(f) a fourth communication network connecting said sensor system and said control system, wherein said sensor system is configured to provide a second set of one or more data signals related to a condition in the bioreactor to said control system over said fourth communication network;

(g) a control system comprising

said utility tower coupled to said bioreactor, said utility tower configured to receive the first set of data signals from the bioreactor and communicate information based on the first set of data signals to said controller over said first communication network, said utility tower further configured to receive the second set of data signals from said sensor system and communicate information based on the second set of data signals to said controller over said second communication network, to receive a first set of one or more control signals from said controller over said third communication network and to change a condition in the bioreactor based on the first set control signals, and to receive a second set of one or more control signals from said controller over said second communication network and communicate the second set of control signals to said sensor system using said fourth communication network; and

said controller configured with a bioreactor control process to receive the information based on the first set of data signals and determine the first set of one or more control signals using the information, said further configured to receive the second set of data signals from said sensor system and determine a second set of one or more control signals using the second set of data signals, and also configured to send the first set of control signals to said utility tower over said second communication network and send the second set of control signals to said utility tower using the second communication network,

wherein said sensor system is configured to perform a first action based the second set of control signals received from the utility tower.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said first communication network comprises a Foundation fieldbus network, said second communication network comprises an Ethernet network, said third communication network comprises a DeviceNet network, and said fourth communication network is bi-directional.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said fourth communication network is bi-directional.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said utility tower further comprises a computer configured to receive information from a user and to send the user information to said controller, and wherein said controller is further configured to receive the user information and determine the one or more control signals based at least in part on the user provided information.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the first action comprises a calibration process of said sensor system.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the first action comprises a diagnostic process of said sensor system.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the first action comprises performing an action that affects the bioreactor process.

8. A system for controlling a process in a bioreactor, comprising:

a sensor system comprising

a sensor device, and

a connection for communicating a material or information between said sensor device and the bioreactor, wherein the sensor device interacts with the bioreactor through said connection and wherein said sensor device generates one or more data signals based on the material or information communicated from the bioreactor;

a control system for controlling the process in the bioreactor, said control system configured to communicate one or more control signals to said sensor system wherein the control signals are based on data signals received from said sensor system; and

a communication network connecting said control system and said sensor system,

wherein said sensor system is configured to provide the one or more data signals related to a condition in the bioreactor to said control system using said communication network, and

wherein said sensor system is further configured to receive one or more control signals from said control system using said communication network, and to perform a first action based on the one or more control signals.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the material communicated to the sensor device via the connection comprises a sample from the bioreactor for analysis by the sensor system.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein said control system comprises:

a communication device connected to said sensor system by said communication network, said communication device configured to receive the one or more data signals from said sensor system, and said communication device further configured to send the one or more control signals to said sensor system; and

a controller connected to said communication device, said controller configured to analyze the one or more data signals to determine if the one or more data signals fall within a predetermined range of values, and said controller is further configured to generate the one or more control signals based on the analysis of the one or more data signals and communicate the one or more control signals to the communication device.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the first action comprises sending a one or more data signals related to the condition in the bioreactor to said control system via said communication network.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein said communication network is bi-directional.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein said communication network uses an OPC communication standard.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the condition comprises temperature.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein the condition comprises concentration of glucose.

16. The system of claim 8, wherein the condition comprises pH.

17. The system of claim 8, wherein the condition comprises concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO).

18. The system of claim 8, wherein the condition comprises an optical density of a substance in the bioreactor.

19. The system of claim 8, wherein the condition comprises concentration of dissolved carbon dioxide.

20. The system of claim 8, wherein said control system comprises a controller configured with a bioreactor control process, and further configured to analyze data signals received from said sensor system and generate control signals;

and a computer connected to said communication network, said computer configured to receive one or more data signals from the sensor system, and said computer is further configured to provide one or more data signals to said controller.

21. The system of claim 9, wherein the first action affects one or more data signals subsequently sent to said control system by said sensor system.

22. The system of claim 10, wherein said control system comprises a computer that comprises said communication device.

23. The system of claim 11, wherein the first action comprises a calibration process.

24. The system of claim 11, wherein the first action comprises a diagnostic process.

25. The system of claim 11, wherein the first action comprises performing an action to the bioreactor.

26. The system of claim 11, wherein the first action comprises changing a duty cycle for communicating data signals from said sensor system to said control system.

27. The system of claim 20, further comprising:

a second sensor system, each sensor system comprising

a sensor device, and

a connection for communicating a material or information between said sensor device and the bioreactor, wherein the sensor device interacts with the bioreactor through said connection;

wherein said communication network further comprises a second computer connected to said second sensor system, said second computer configured to receive one or more data signals related to a condition in the bioreactor from the second sensor system, and said second computer is further configured to provide one or more data signals to said control system.

28. A method of controlling a process in a bioreactor connected to at least one sensor system, comprising:

continuously providing data signals from a sensor system to a control system via a communication network, the data signals being related to a condition in the bioreactor;

continuously analyzing the data signals in the control system configured with a bioreactor control porcess to determine if they fall within a predetermined range of values; and

if the one or more data signals fall within a predetermined range of values, controlling the process in the bioreactor by the control system based on the one or more data signals.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein if the first data signal does not fall within the predetermined range of values,

determining an action for the sensor system to perform;

generating a control signal in the control system corresponding to the action;

sending the control signal to the sensor system via a communication network; and

based on the control signal, executing an action in the sensor system which affects one or more data signals communicated to the control system by the sensor system subsequent to executing the action.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the communication network comprises a bidirectional network.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein executing an action comprises performing a diagnostic procedure.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein executing an action comprises performing a calibration procedure.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein executing an action comprises performing a measurement of the condition in the bioreactor and sending a one or more data signals corresponding to the measurement to said control system.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein the condition comprises temperature.

35. The method of claim 29, wherein the condition comprises concentration of glucose.

36. The method of claim 29, wherein the condition comprises pH.

37. The method of claim 29, wherein the condition comprises concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO).

38. The method of claim 29, wherein the condition comprises concentration of carbon dioxide.

39. The method of claim 29, wherein the condition comprises optical density.

40. A system for controlling a process in a bioreactor, comprising:

a control system configured to receive one or more data signals related to a condition in the bioreactor from a sensor system which interacts with the bioreactor, and said control system further configured to communicate one or more control signals to the sensor system such that the sensor system performs an action based on the one or more control signals.

41. The system of claim 40, further comprising a sensor system comprising

a sensor device, and

a connection for communicating a material or information between said sensor device and the bioreactor containing a process to be controlled, wherein the sensor device interacts with the bioreactor through said connection.

42. The system of claim 41, further comprising a bidirectional communication network connecting said sensor system and said control system.

43. The system of claim 41, wherein the material comprises a sample of a substance in the bioreactor.

44. The system of claim 41, wherein the information comprises signals related to a pH condition of a substance in the bioreactor.

45. The system of claim 41, wherein the information comprises signals related to a dissolved oxygen concentration condition of a substance in the bioreactor.

46. The system of claim 41, wherein the information comprises signals related to dissolved carbon dioxide concentration of a substance in the bioreactor.

47. The system of claim 41, wherein the information comprises signals related to the optical density of a substance in the bioreactor.

48. The system of claim 41, wherein the information comprises signals related to the concentration of glucose of a substance in the bioreactor.

49. A method of controlling propagating and harvesting cells in a bioreactor, comprising:

continuously measuring a cell growth condition in a bioreactor with a sensor system;

providing one or more data signals from the sensor system to a control system via a bi-directional communication network, wherein the control system is configured with a bioreactor control process and wherein the data signals are related to the cell growth condition;

analyzing the one or more data signals in the control system to determine if the data signals fall within a predetermined range of values;

if the one or more data signals do not fall within a predetermined range of values, sending a control signal to the sensor system to perform an action that affects subsequent data signals sent to the control system by the sensor system; and

if the one or more data signals fall within a predetermined range of values, initiating action in the control system to remove a portion of the cells from the bioreactor.