PROCESS FOR PUTTING INTO OPERATION AND FOR OPERATING A MEASURING DEVICE

• US 20090249894A1
• Filed: 02/23/2009
• Published: 10/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Draeger Safety Incorporated (Dragerwerk AG)
• Original Assignee: Draeger Safety Incorporated (Dragerwerk AG)
• Inventors: LANGE, Bjom, WUSKE, Thomas, POLZIUS, Rainer, KANEBLEI, Ingo
• Granted Patent: US 8,262,999 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/863.110
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/54366 Apparatus specially adapted for solid-phase testing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/25 including sample preparation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/2525 Stabilizing or preserving

Abstract

A device and a process are provided for putting into operation and for operating a measuring device. A temperature regulating unit (40) carries out the tempering of a sample (58) in a test strip (37) by a temperature regulating unit (40) and a heating/cooling unit (92). The sample (58) is fed to the test strip (37) by a developer fluid (57) and a metering unit (55). The result of the detection reaction becomes visible by a change in color (36), which is detected optically and analyzed. The data of a control chart (52) with the measured values of a first and second temperature sensors (41, 42) are used to set the control parameters for the tempering. In the process, the status of the device is polled and a code (86) on the test sample holder (35) is read in a sequence of steps. The control parameters for the phases of the measurement are determined from the measured values of first and second temperature sensors (41, 42), the values of the control chart (52) and the code (86) of the test sample holder (35), and subsequently used by the temperature regulating unit (53) in the course of the measurement.

Claims

1. A measuring device comprising:

an electronic unit including a central control unit, a sequential control and a control chart;

an optical analysis unit with an optical reading element;

a metering unit;

a fluid tank containing a developer fluid;

a holder for said fluid tank;

a temperature regulating unit;

a test sample holder;

a heating/cooling element with a tempering block for generating a tempered zone of the test sample holder;

a first temperature sensor;

a second temperature sensor, said first temperature sensor and said second temperature sensor being provided for detecting an ambient temperature and a temperature of the tempering block; and

a contact means for controlling the measuring operation.

2. A measuring device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the contact means is a button that can be actuated by a user.

3. A measuring device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a device housing with a device door which separates the measuring device from the environment.

4. A measuring device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the contact means is provided for monitoring the status of the device.

5. A measuring device in accordance with claim 4, wherein the contact means is a switching contact actuated by a contact maker located on the device door.

6. A measuring device in accordance with claim 4, wherein the contact means is a switching contact actuated by a contact maker located at the test sample holder.

7. A measuring device in accordance with claim 4, wherein the contact means is a switching contact actuated by a contact maker located at the fluid tank.

8. A measuring device in accordance with claim 4, wherein the test sample holder comprises a contact maker of said contact means.

9. A measuring device in accordance with claim 4, wherein the fluid tank comprises a contact maker of said contact means.

10. A measuring device in accordance with claim 4, wherein said contact means comprises contact elements with one of said contact elements comprising a photoelectric cell.

11. A measuring device in accordance with claim 4, wherein the contact means comprises contact elements including an electromechanical contact actuated by an external magnetic field effect and a contact maker made of a magnetic material and generating a magnetic field to bring about an actuation of the contact element when approaching said contact element.

12. A measuring device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said test sample holder is provided with a code.

13. A measuring device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said optical reading element comprises means for reading a code at said test sample holder and wherein said optical analysis unit is designed to analyze the code.

14. A measuring device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the heating/cooling element comprises a separate heating element and as a separate cooling element, which are arranged together at said tempering block and are actuated by said temperature regulating unit.

15. A measuring device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising an additional heating element.

16. A measuring device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising an additional electric energy storage unit connected to said temperature regulating unit.

17. A measuring device in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

values of the ambient temperature are entered in a specification column in said control chart with a first value block provided for a first phase, comprising a first set of temperature values and a first set of time period values, and with a second value block provided for a second phase, comprising a second set of temperature values and a second set of time period values;

a code of the test sample holder and the ambient temperature and the temperature of the tempering block and the first and at least one second value block are used as controlled variables for said temperature regulating unit for regulating the temperature of said tempering block and for said metering unit for metering said developer fluid onto a test strip.

18. A measuring device in accordance with claim 17, further comprising a data interface wherein a refreshing of the data of the control chart by means of data transmission via said data interface is provided.

19. A measuring device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the optical reading element is for reading a color change on a test strip in said test sample holder and wherein said optical analysis unit is designed to analyze the color change.

20. A process for operating a measuring device comprising an electronic unit including a central control unit, a sequential control and a control chart, an optical analysis unit with an optical reading element, a metering unit, a fluid tank containing a developer fluid, a holder for the fluid tank, a temperature regulating unit, a test sample holder, a heating/cooling element with a tempering block for generating a tempered zone of the test sample holder, temperature sensors for detecting the ambient temperature and the temperature of the tempering block and a contact means for controlling the measuring operation, the process comprising the steps of:

transferring a section of a process control from the central control unit to the sequential control and to the temperature regulating unit;

polling first and second of the temperature sensors and preparing the temperature regulating unit;

inserting the test sample holder into the measuring device;

closing the measuring device by closing a measuring device housing door;

polling one or more contact elements;

polling a code on the test sample holder;

using the control chart, the code and the measured values of the temperature sensors to determine control parameters for tempering;

tempering of the tempering block and regulating the temperature of the tempering block by the temperature regulating unit;

metering the developer fluid onto a sample by means of the metering unit;

tempering the tempering block and regulating the temperature of the tempering block by the temperature regulating unit;

ending tempering; and

transferring the process control to the central control unit.

21. A process in accordance with claim 20, further comprising the step of inserting the fluid tank with the developer fluid into the holder;

22. A process in accordance with claim 20, further comprising feeding of a defined quantity of the developer fluid from a storage tank in an interior space of the measuring device to the metering unit.

23. A process in accordance with claim 20, wherein pretempering of the tempering block is carried out during or soon before or soon after said step of polling the first and second temperature sensors.

24. A process in accordance with claim 20, wherein the regulation of tempering is brought about according to a proportional-integral control characteristic.

25. A process in accordance with claim 20, wherein said step of polling contact elements comprises:

polling at least a first contact element;

polling at least a second contact element; and

polling at least a third contact element.