1. A sterilizable biopharmaceutical packaging, capable of enclosing biopharmaceutical contents to be sterilized, comprising:
an outer wall that is flexible and sealed against gases and pathogenic germs,
an opening for introduction of the biopharmaceutical contents to be sterilized from the outside to the inside of the packaging, as a result capable of being closed in an airtight manner,
an inside space that is capable of receiving the biopharmaceutical contents, a sterilization gas conveyance channel from the outside of the packaging, comprising at least one upstream intake opening that is capable of being associated in communication with a sterilization gas source, at least one downstream opening for distribution of sterilization gas emptying into the inside space, and a communication between the upstream intake opening and the downstream distribution opening,
with the introduction opening being separate from the conveyance channel and directly adjacent to the inside space,
and means for control of the distribution of sterilization gas in the inside space being means for openingclosing the conveyance channel wherein:
the conveyance channel includes at least one large-surface membrane that is permeable to the sterilization gas, forming a downstream opening for distribution of sterilization gas distributed over the surface of the membrane, the membrane forming a part of the envelope of the inside space and constituting a filtering means that is capable of stopping any pathogenic germs,
with the means for openingclosing the conveyance channel being either a stoppering element or the outer wall folded on itself and sealed in an airtight manner,
once the sterilization is done, the outer wall, the sterilization gas conveyance channel, and the openingclosing means remain integral with one another in such a way as to form a sterilized biopharmaceutical packaging that encloses the sterilized biopharmaceutical contents that can undergo one or more integrity tests of the type with differential pressure requiring sealing of the packaging against gas at any time desired after sterilization.
2. The sterilizable biopharmaceutical packaging according to claim 1, wherein a membrane that is permeable to sterilization gas is separate from the outer wall of the packaging and connected to it, in it, and made integral with it in an airtight manner, with the outer wall comprising an upstream opening for intake of sterilization gas that is bounded by a ring, with communication existing between the upstream intake opening and the membrane.
3. The sterilizable biopharmaceutical packaging according to claim 2, wherein the membrane that is permeable to sterilization gas extends substantially opposite the upstream intake opening.
4. The sterilizable biopharmaceutical packaging according to claim 1, in which the membrane that is permeable to sterilization gas extends over at least substantially the entire length of the outer wall of the packaging.
5. The sterilizable biopharmaceutical packaging according to claim 2, wherein the openingclosing means are a stoppering element that is mounted to move on or to be detached from the ring of the upstream opening for intake of sterilization gas.
6. The sterilizable biopharmaceutical packaging according to claim 1, wherein a membrane that is permeable to sterilization gas consists of a permeable zone of the outer wall of the packaging that belongs to a deployablefoldable part of the outer wall of the packaging and that forms the sterilization gas conveyance channel, with this deployablefoldable part being capable of being either deployed in such a way that the sterilization gas conveyance channel is open, or folded on itself toward the inside of the packaging in such a way that the sterilization gas conveyance channel is closed.
7. The sterilizable biopharmaceutical packaging according to claim 6, wherein the part of the outer wall of the packaging that is capable of being either in the deployed state or in the state folded on itself toward the inside is a longitudinal gusset of the outer wall.
8. The sterilizable biopharmaceutical packaging according to claim 6, wherein the part of the outer wall of the packaging that is capable of either being in the deployed state or in the state folded on itself toward the inside is a transverse end part of the outer wall.
9. The sterilizable biopharmaceutical packaging according to claim 6, wherein the openingclosing means consist of the outer wall itself, whose deployablefoldable part where the zone that is permeable to sterilization gas is located is inserted between two airtight facing side parts located on both sides of the deployablefoldable part, in such a way that when the deployablefoldable part is folded on itself toward the inside of the packaging, the two facing side parts, then located opposite and close together, are capable of being sealed to one another on their outer periphery in an airtight manner, around the zone that is permeable to the sterilization gas, in such a way as to prevent the sterilization gas from accessing the permeable zone.
10. The sterilizable biopharmaceutical packaging according to claim 1, wherein the inside space extends over substantially the entire length of the outer wall in sheath form, and in which the introduction opening of the biopharmaceutical contents to be sterilized is located at one end of the outer wall in sheath form.
11. The sterilizable biopharmaceutical packaging according to claim 1, wherein the at least one upstream opening for intake of gas and the introduction opening of the biopharmaceutical contents to be sterilized are separated from one another.
12. The sterilizable biopharmaceutical packaging according to claim 1, which also comprises at least one gas inletoutlet end fitting, mounted on the outer wall, in communication with the inside space, able to be brought into the open state or into the closed state by actuating closing means in such a way as to make it possible to enable a functional gas to enter into or exit from the inside space.
13. The sterilizable biopharmaceutical packaging according to claim 1, also comprising an opening that is delimited by an annular flange on which is mounted a movable or detachable means of aseptic transfer, such as a movable or detachable door for aseptic transfer of the double-door type.
14. The sterilizable biopharmaceutical packaging according to claim 13, wherein the movable or detachable means for aseptic transfer works with the introduction opening and is capable of ensuring the closing of this introduction opening in an airtight manner.
15. The sterilizable biopharmaceutical packaging according to claim 13, wherein the movable or detachable means for aseptic transfer works with a portion of the outer wall that is separate from the membrane that is permeable to sterilization gas in such a way as to form a secondary opening that is capable of being opened and then closed in an airtight manner.
16. A process for implementing a sterilizable biopharmaceutical packaging according to claim 1, for the purpose of enclosing and sterilizing biopharmaceutical contents therein, wherein:
such a packaging, empty of biopharmaceutical contents, and whose introduction opening is open, is used,
the biopharmaceutical contents to be sterilized are used,
a sterilization gas source is used,
via the introduction opening, the biopharmaceutical contents to be sterilized are introduced directly into the inside receiving space,
then, the introduction opening is closed in an airtight manner,
then, whereas the sterilization gas conveyance channel is open, the sterilization gas is brought in from the sterilization gas source to the inside receiving space where the biopharmaceutical contents to be sterilized are located, in such a way as to sterilize the biopharmaceutical contents,
then, the openingclosing means are implemented, being either a stoppering element or the outer wall folded on itself and sealed in an airtight manner in such a way as to close the sterilization gas conveyance channel, the sterilization gas conveyance channel and the openingclosing means remaining integral with one another,
and thus a sterilized biopharmaceutical packaging is formed that encloses the sterilized biopharmaceutical contents that can undergo one or more integrity tests of the type with differential pressure requiring sealing of the packaging against gas at any time desired after sterilization.
17. The process according to claim 16, wherein:
a membrane that is permeable to sterilization gas and that is separate from the outer wall, is used, and openingclosing means that are a stoppering element are used,
and, after the biopharmaceutical contents have been sterilized, the stoppering element is implemented on a ring of the upstream opening for intake of sterilization gas in such a way as to close the sterilization gas conveyance channel.
18. The process according to claim 16, wherein:
a membrane that is permeable to sterilization gas constituted by a permeable zone of the outer wall of the packaging belonging to a deployablefoldable part, and openingclosing means that consist of the outer wall whose deployablefoldable part is inserted between two airtight facing side parts are used,
and, after the biopharmaceutical contents have been sterilized, the deployablefoldable part is folded on itself toward the inside of the packaging, in such a way that the two facing side parts are located opposite and close together, and they are sealed to one another on their outer periphery in an airtight manner, around the zone that is permeable to the sterilization gas, in such a way as to close the sterilization gas conveyance channel.
19. The process according to claim 16, wherein once the sterilization is done, the outer wall, the sterilization gas conveyance channel, and the openingclosing means are kept integral in such a way as to form the sterilized biopharmaceutical packaging that encloses the sterilized biopharmaceutical contents.
20. The process according to claim 19, wherein once the sterilization is done, the biopharmaceutical packaging is not cut into several segments.
21. The process according to claim 16, wherein at any time desired after sterilization, the sterilized biopharmaceutical packaging that encloses the sterilized biopharmaceutical contents is made to undergo one or more integrity tests of the type requiring sealing of the packaging against gas.
22. A sterilized biopharmaceutical packaging that encloses sterilized biopharmaceutical contents, wherein it is obtained by implementing the process according to claim 16, with the packaging also comprising an opening for extracting, from the inside to the outside of the packaging, the sterilized biopharmaceutical contents, closed in an airtight manner and subsequently capable of being opened in such a way as to extract the biopharmaceutical contents from the inside space.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A system for sensing acoustic waves in a medium, comprising:
a first elongated member;
a first motion sensor sensitive to vibrations of the first elongated member;
a second motion sensor spaced apart from the first motion sensor and also sensitive to vibrations of the first elongated member; and
a first vibration source operably coupled to the first elongated member and configured to vibrate the first elongated member.
2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a processing device operably coupled to the first motion sensor and the second motion sensor, the processing device configured to calculate a transfer function at least partially based on information received from the first motion sensor and the second motion sensor while the vibration source vibrates the first elongated member, the processing device being further configured to calculate a filtered acoustic wave signal based at least in part on the calculated transfer function.
3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a third motion sensor, wherein the processing device is further configured to calculate the transfer function at least partially based on information received from the third motion sensor while the first vibration source vibrates the first elongated member.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the third motion sensor is also sensitive to vibrations of the first elongated member.
5. The system of claim 3, wherein the first motion sensor and the third motion sensor are longitudinally spaced apart along the first elongated member, and the second motion sensor is positioned between the first motion sensor and the third motion sensor.
6. The system of claim 2, further comprising a second vibration source operably coupled to the first elongated member and configured to vibrate the first elongated member.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first elongated member is stress member.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first vibration source is coupled to the first elongated member in a manner that vibration of the vibration source produces corresponding vibration of the first elongated member.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first vibration source includes a motor with an eccentrically loaded shaft.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein a rotation axis of the motor is oriented approximately longitudinally relative to the first elongated member.
11. The system of claim 1, wherein the vibration source is configured to vibrate the first elongated member in a transverse direction relative to the first elongated member.
12. A method of sensing acoustic waves in a medium, the method comprising:
receiving readings from a first motion sensor and from a second motion sensor, the first motion sensor and the second motion sensor both coupled to a streamer;
receiving readings from a third motion sensor also coupled to the streamer, the third motion sensor positioned between the first motion sensor and the second motion sensor; and
filtering noise from the readings received from the third motion sensor to generate a set of filtered data, wherein said filtering noise includes:
determining first and second transfer functions corresponding to the streamer; and
modifying the readings received from the first motion sensors using the first transfer function to generate a first set of modified readings;
modifying the readings received from the second motion sensor using the second transfer function to generated a second set of modified readings; and
modifying the readings received from the third motion sensor using the first and second sets of modified readings to generate the set of filtered data.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein said first and second transfer functions are determined prior to receiving the readings from the first, second, and third motion sensors.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein said determining the first and second transfer functions comprises:
introducing first vibrations into the streamer using a first vibration source;
sensing the first vibrations using at least the first and third motion sensors;
introducing second vibrations into the streamer using a second vibration source;
sensing the second vibrations using at least the second and third motion sensors; and
calculating the first and second transfer functions based on said sensing of the first and second vibrations.
15. The method of claim 12, wherein modifying the readings received from the first motion sensor using the first transfer function includes multiplying the readings received from the first motion sensor by the first transfer function, and modifying the readings received from the second motion sensor using the second transfer function includes multiplying the readings received from the second motion sensor by the second transfer function.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein modifying the readings received from the third motion sensor comprises subtracting said first and second sets of modified readings from the readings from the third motion sensor.
17. The method of claim 12, further comprising advancing the streamer in the medium.
18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:
advancing the streamer in a first direction, and determining the first and second transfer functions corresponding to the streamer advancing in the first direction; and
advancing the streamer in a second direction, and determining third and fourth transfer functions corresponding to the streamer advancing in the second direction.
19. A method of characterizing a marine seismic streamer, the method comprising:
delivering first vibrations to a first portion of the streamer, the first vibrations propagating from a first location toward a first motion sensor and further toward a second motion sensor;
receiving first readings from the first motion sensor and from the second motion sensor corresponding to said first vibrations;
delivering second vibrations to a second portion of the streamer, the second vibrations propagating from a second location toward a third motion sensor and further toward the second motion sensor;
receiving second readings from the second motion sensor and from the third motion sensor corresponding to said second vibrations; and
calculating one or more transfer functions representative of the marine seismic streamer based on the received first and second readings.
20. The method of claim 19, further comprising operating one or more artificial vibration sources to produce the first vibrations or second vibrations.
21. The method of claim 19, wherein said one or more transfer functions are representative of physical characteristics of the streamer that determine how noise is transmitted along the streamer.
22. A method of sensing acoustic waves in a medium, comprising:
transmitting first vibrations using a first vibration source positioned at a first location along a streamer;
sensing the first vibrations using a first motion sensor and a second motion sensor;
transmitting second vibrations using a second vibration source positioned at a second location along the streamer;
sensing the second vibrations using a third motion sensor and the second motion senor;
characterizing the streamer based at least in part on said sensing of the first and second vibrations; and
filtering acoustic wave measurements from the second motion sensor based at least in part on said characterization of the streamer.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein said first and second vibrations each include a sweep of a plurality of vibration frequencies.