Sterile loop calibration system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A sterile-loop calibration system comprising:
- a sensor cassette having a flow-through passage and including at least one sensor to be calibrated, said sensor being responsive to a characteristic of a gas;
means defining a chamber;
means including said flow-through passage and said chamber for defining a closed, endless loop;
a sterile calibration liquid in said endless loop, said endless loop providing an endless path for circulation of the sterile calibration liquid whereby no calibration liquid is added to the endless loop and substantially little or no calibration liquid is drained from the endless loop during operation;
a gas injection passage through which a gas can be injected into the sterile calibration liquid in said endless loop;
means in said endless loop for mixing the gas and the sterile calibration liquid whereby the sterile calibration liquid and the gas can be circulated through the endless loop to thereby permit calibration of the sensor; and
a gas vent leading from said endless loop to the exterior of the endless loop.
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Abstract
An endless path calibration system comprising a sensor cassette having a flow-through passage and at least one sensor to be calibrated, a chamber coupled to the sensor cassette to define an endless path and a sterile calibration liquid in the endless path. A gas injection passage for injecting gas into the sterile calibration liquid and a gas vent leading from the endless path to the exterior of the endless path. A check valve allows gas to escape from the endless path and substantially prevents gas and liquid from entering the endless path through the gas vent.
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Citations
35 Claims
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1. A sterile-loop calibration system comprising:
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a sensor cassette having a flow-through passage and including at least one sensor to be calibrated, said sensor being responsive to a characteristic of a gas; means defining a chamber; means including said flow-through passage and said chamber for defining a closed, endless loop; a sterile calibration liquid in said endless loop, said endless loop providing an endless path for circulation of the sterile calibration liquid whereby no calibration liquid is added to the endless loop and substantially little or no calibration liquid is drained from the endless loop during operation; a gas injection passage through which a gas can be injected into the sterile calibration liquid in said endless loop; means in said endless loop for mixing the gas and the sterile calibration liquid whereby the sterile calibration liquid and the gas can be circulated through the endless loop to thereby permit calibration of the sensor; and a gas vent leading from said endless loop to the exterior of the endless loop. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A sterile-loop calibration system comprising:
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a sensor cassette having a flow-through passage and including at least one sensor to be calibrated, said flow-through passage having first and second ends; a calibration housing having an inlet, an outlet, and a liquid passage extending through the housing from the inlet to the outlet; conduit means for coupling the first and second ends of the flow-through passage of the sensor cassette to the inlet and outlet, respectively, of the housing to form a loop which provides an endless path; said liquid passage including a chamber; said housing having a gas injection passage leading to a location in said liquid passage for injecting gas into the liquid passage and means for closing said gas injection passage; and said housing including a gas vent leading from said chamber to the exterior of said housing. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29)
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27. An apparatus comprising:
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a housing having an inlet, an outlet, and a passage extending through the housing between the inlet and the outlet, said passage including first and second passage sections; a curved wall surface on the housing; a tube compressor; said housing including a compressible tube carried by said housing and defining a portion of said passage between the first and second passage sections, said tube being between the curved wall surface and the tube compressor and being wrapped in a circumferential direction at least part way around the tube compressor; means for mounting the tube compressor on the housing for movement relative to the curved wall to squeeze the tube in a zone which moves along the tube to thereby pump fluid in the tube; said tube having opposite end portions which extend generally tangentially of the tube compressor and then generally axially of the tube compressor to their respective ends; and means for sealing the ends of the tube to the first and second passage sections, respectively.
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30. A method of calibrating a sensor of a sensor cassette of the type having a flow-through passage comprising:
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pumping a sterile calibration liquid through a closed, endless path which includes the flow-through passage, whereby no calibration liquid is added to the endless path and substantially little or no calibration liquid is drained from the endless path during said pumping step; injecting a sterile gas into the endless path to create a pressure in the endless path which is greater than ambient; mixing the gas with the sterile calibration liquid in the endless path to control the partial pressure of at least a component of said gas in the sterile calibration liquid; venting at least some of the gas from the endless path; and exposing the sensor to the sterile calibration liquid having the controlled partial pressure of said component of said gas whereby the sensor can be calibrated.
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34. A sterile-loop calibration system comprising:
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a sensor cassette having a flow-through passage and including at least one sensor to be calibrated, said sensor being responsive to a characteristic of a gas; means defining a chamber, said chamber comprising a sparging chamber section and a settling chamber section; means including said flow-through passage and said chamber for defining a loop; a sterile calibration liquid in said loop, said loop providing an endless path for circulation of the sterile calibration liquid; a gas injection passage through which a gas can be injected into the sterile calibration liquid in said loop; means in said loop for mixing the gas and the sterile calibration liquid whereby the sterile calibration liquid and the gas can be circulated through the loop to thereby permit calibration of the sensor, said mixing means including said chamber; and a gas vent leading from said settling chamber section to the exterior of the loop.
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- 35. A system as defined in claim 37 including a divider which divides said sparging chamber section and said settling chamber section, and a baffle adjacent the divider and in the sparging chamber section for breaking up bubbles in the sterile calibration liquid.
Specification