Sensor cartridges
First Claim
1. A sensor cartridge for determining desired fluid sample constituents comprising:
- a housing;
a rigid flow-through sample cell having a fluid sample inlet and outlet positioned within said housing;
a flow channel defined entirely internally of said sample cell between said inlet and outlet;
multiple sensor ports defined in at least one external face of said sample cell which are in fluid communication with said flow channel; and
a sensor array comprised of multiple planar sensors each being operatively associated with a respective sensor port, whereineach of said sensors includes (i) a support substrate having front and rear surfaces, (ii) an electrochemical sensor supported by said support substrate on said front surface thereof, and (iii) a membrane covering both said electrochemical sensor on said front surface of said support substrate and said respective sensor port so as to be in contact with a portion of the fluid sample to determine a desired constituent of the fluid sample; and
whereineach said membrane includes a peripheral region entirely surrounding said respective sensor port in direct sealing contact with said external face of said sample cell, and whereinsaid sensor cartridge further comprises a biasing member positioned between said housing and a rear surface of said support substrate such that said peripheral regions of said membranes are compressively captured between said front surface of said support substrates of said sensors and said external face of said sample cell to provide a self-sealing gasket therebetween; and
whereinsaid flow channel is fluid-isolated from said sensors except for fluid-contact with the sensor membranes covering said respective sensor ports.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Sensor cartridges include a fluid constituent-selective sensor membrane in direct sealing contact with a face of a flow-through sample cell in surrounding relationship to a sensor port. The sensor membrane has sufficiently large surface area so as to entirely cover the sensor port and establish an annular region in surrounding relationship thereto. It is this annular region which is in direct contact with a corresponding region of the sample cell face so as to provide self-sealing capabilities. The sensor cartridge most preferably includes a flow-through sample cell having a zig-zag or serpentine flow channel so as to provide a series of sensor ports on both of the opposed cell faces. The faces of the sample cell are most preferably provided with recessed regions which define a series of land surfaces each of which surrounds a respective one of the sensor ports. A pair of sensor arrays having a corresponding series of sensors are thus juxtaposed with a respective land surface of the sample cell face so as to sandwich the sample cell therebetween. A two-part "clamshell" housing houses the sensor arrays and the sample cell sandwiched therebetween.
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Citations
38 Claims
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1. A sensor cartridge for determining desired fluid sample constituents comprising:
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a housing; a rigid flow-through sample cell having a fluid sample inlet and outlet positioned within said housing; a flow channel defined entirely internally of said sample cell between said inlet and outlet; multiple sensor ports defined in at least one external face of said sample cell which are in fluid communication with said flow channel; and a sensor array comprised of multiple planar sensors each being operatively associated with a respective sensor port, wherein each of said sensors includes (i) a support substrate having front and rear surfaces, (ii) an electrochemical sensor supported by said support substrate on said front surface thereof, and (iii) a membrane covering both said electrochemical sensor on said front surface of said support substrate and said respective sensor port so as to be in contact with a portion of the fluid sample to determine a desired constituent of the fluid sample; and
whereineach said membrane includes a peripheral region entirely surrounding said respective sensor port in direct sealing contact with said external face of said sample cell, and wherein said sensor cartridge further comprises a biasing member positioned between said housing and a rear surface of said support substrate such that said peripheral regions of said membranes are compressively captured between said front surface of said support substrates of said sensors and said external face of said sample cell to provide a self-sealing gasket therebetween; and
whereinsaid flow channel is fluid-isolated from said sensors except for fluid-contact with the sensor membranes covering said respective sensor ports. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A fluid sensor cartridge comprising:
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a housing; a sample cell having at least one recessed face defining a series of land surfaces positioned within said housing; a flow channel defined within said sample cell; a series of sensor ports in fluid-communication with said flow channel and exposed at respective ones of said land surfaces; a planar sensor support substrate having front and rear surfaces; and a sensor array supported on said front surface of said sensor support substrate and positioned adjacent to said sample cell, said sensor array having a series of multiple planar sensors each in registry with a respective one of said sensor ports, wherein each of said multiple planar sensors includes (i) an electrochemical sensor, and (ii) a membrane covering both said electrochemical sensor and said respective sensor port so as to be in contact with a portion of the fluid sample to determine a desired constituent of the fluid sample; and
wherein said membranes include peripheral regions entirely surrounding said respective sensor port in direct sealing contact with said external face of said sample cell, and whereinsaid fluid sensor cartridge further comprises a biasing member positioned between said housing and said rear surface of said support substrate which compressively sandwiches said peripheral regions of said membranes between said front surface of said sensor support substrate and said external face of said sample cell to provide a self-sealing gasket therebetween. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A fluid sensor cartridge comprising:
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a sample cell defining a flow channel and at least two exposed sensor ports in fluid-communication with said sample cell; at least two planar sensors each having (i) a support substrate having opposed front and rear surfaces, (ii) an electrochemical sensor supported by said support substrate on said front surface thereof so as to be in covering relationship with a respective one of said sensor ports, and (iii) a membrane covering said electrochemical sensor; a housing for said sample cell and said sensors; and an elastomeric biasing member positioned between said housing and said rear surface of said support substrate for urging said membranes covering said electrochemical sensors on said front surface of said support substrate into sealing contact with said sample cell. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A fluid sensor cartridge comprising:
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a flow-through sample cell defining a flow channel and having opposed separated planar faces; a series of separated sensor ports defined in said opposed separated planar faces and fluid-connected to said flow channel; said planar faces of said sample cell having recessed regions which establish land surfaces surrounding respective ones of said sensor ports; first and second sensor arrays sandwiching said sample cell, said first and second sensor arrays having individual planar sensors in registry with a respective one of said sensor ports;
whereinsaid individual planar sensors include (i) a planar support substrate having opposed front and rear planar surfaces, (ii) an electrochemical sensor disposed on said front surface of said support substrate so as to be in opposition with said respective one of said sensor ports, and (iii) a membrane covering said electrochemical sensor and having a peripheral region which surrounds said respective one of said sensor ports; a housing containing said first and second sensor arrays and said sample cell sandwiched therebetween, and biasing members positioned between said housing and each said rear surface of said planar support substrate so as to bias said membranes into sealing contact with said land surfaces of said respective ones of said sensor ports. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30)
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31. A sensor cartridge for the simultaneous determination of respective fluid sample constituents comprising:
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a flow-through sample cell having a fluid inlet, a fluid outlet and a zig-zag flow channel defined between said fluid inlet and outlet; a series of sensor ports defined in external faces on each of the opposed sides of said flow channel which are in fluid communication with said flow channel; first and second sensor arrays each located on a respective external face of said sample cell and having at least one planar sensor which is self-aligning with respect to a respective one of said sensor ports; each said sensor including a membrane component having a central region in covering relationship with said respective one of said sensor ports so as to be in contact with the fluid sample in the flow channel, whereby a respective fluid sample constituent may be determined, and a peripheral region which surrounds said central region and said respective one of said sensor ports so as to be in contact with a respective external face of said sample cell; and a two-part housing which comprises a biasing member positioned between said housing and a rear surface of a sensor support substrate, wherein the housing compressively seals said peripheral region of said membranes directly to said respective external face of said sample cell and thereby be self-gasketing against leakage of the sample fluid. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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Specification