Breast pump and method for monitoring liquid level

Abstract

The present application discloses a breast pump and a method for monitoring the liquid level. The breast pump comprises a storage container, a pressure measurement assembly, a pressure measurement pipeline, and a control unit. The storage container is provided with a storage cavity. The pressure measurement assembly is configured for measuring the liquid pressure in the storage cavity. The pressure measurement pipeline is configured for communicating the storage cavity with the pressure measurement assembly. The control unit is electrically connected to the pressure measurement assembly and is configured for calculating the volume of the liquid in the storage container according to a liquid pressure measured by the pressure measurement assembly.

Description

Breast pump and liquid level monitoring method

[0001] The present application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410422855.7, filed on April 9, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of mother and baby products, in particular to a breast pump and a liquid level monitoring method. BACKGROUND

[0003] A breast pump is a tool for expressing milk accumulated in the mammary glands, which is generally used when a baby cannot directly suckle milk or when a mother is away from the baby but still wants to breastfeed.

[0004] In the prior art, the amount of milk in the breast pump is mainly monitored by a light sensor. When milk is adsorbed during movement or on the light propagation path, there will be a problem of inaccurate monitoring. TECHNICAL SOLUTION

[0005] The main purpose of the present application is to provide a breast pump and a liquid level monitoring method, which aims to more accurately monitor the amount of milk in the breast pump.

[0006] To achieve the above purpose, the breast pump provided by the present application comprises a milk storage container, a pressure detection assembly, a pressure measuring pipeline and a control unit, the milk storage container has a milk storage cavity; the pressure detection assembly is used to measure the liquid pressure in the milk storage cavity; the pressure measuring pipeline is used to connect the milk storage cavity and the pressure detection assembly; the control unit is electrically connected with the pressure detection assembly and is used to calculate the liquid volume in the milk storage container according to the liquid pressure detected by the pressure detection assembly.

[0007] In an embodiment of the present application, the breast pump further comprises a housing, the pressure detection assembly and the control unit are arranged in the housing, and the housing is provided with a relief opening for penetrating the pressure measuring pipeline.

[0008] In an embodiment of the present application, the pressure measuring pipeline is arranged in the milk storage cavity, one end of the pressure measuring pipeline is open and communicates with the milk storage cavity, and the other end of the pressure measuring pipeline penetrates the relief opening and communicates with the pressure detection assembly.

[0009] In an embodiment of the present application, the milk storage container comprises a milk collection bowl and a flange, the bowl opening of the milk collection bowl is connected with the flange and surrounds to form the milk storage cavity.

[0010] The pressure measuring pipeline is integrally formed with the flange, one end of the pressure measuring pipeline is open and communicates with the milk storage cavity, and the other end of the pressure measuring pipeline penetrates the relief opening and communicates with the pressure detection assembly.

[0011] In an embodiment of the present application, the flange is provided with a barrier towards the surface of the shell, the other end of the pressure measuring pipeline is arranged in the barrier, and the edge of the avoiding opening is provided with a first connecting part towards one side of the flange, which is inserted into the barrier.

[0012] In an embodiment of the present application, the breast pump further comprises a connecting tube.

[0013] The edge of the avoiding opening is provided with a second connecting part away from the other side of the flange, one end of the connecting tube is sleeved on the second connecting part, and the other end of the connecting tube is sleeved on the sensing part of the pressure detecting assembly.

[0014] In an embodiment of the present application, the breast pump further comprises an alarm assembly arranged in the shell, and the control unit is electrically connected with the alarm assembly to control the operation of the alarm assembly.

[0015] The present application further provides a liquid level monitoring method applied to the breast pump, which comprises the following steps:

[0016] Obtaining the liquid pressure in the milk storage cavity;

[0017] According to the liquid pressure, the liquid volume in the milk storage container is calculated.

[0018] In an embodiment of the present application, the step of obtaining the liquid pressure in the milk storage cavity specifically comprises:

[0019] Controlling the pressure detecting assembly to measure the gas pressure in the pressure measuring pipeline;

[0020] The gas pressure is the liquid pressure in the milk storage cavity.

[0021] In an embodiment of the present application, the step of calculating the liquid volume in the milk storage container according to the liquid pressure specifically comprises:

[0022] According to the liquid pressure, the liquid height in the milk storage container is calculated;

[0023] Obtaining the cross-sectional area and trapezoidal coefficient of the milk storage container;

[0024] According to the liquid height, the cross-sectional area and the trapezoidal coefficient, the liquid volume is calculated.

[0025] In an embodiment of the present application, after the step of calculating the liquid volume according to the liquid height, the cross-sectional area and the trapezoidal coefficient, the method further comprises:

[0026] obtaining an inclination angle of a liquid level in the milk storage container;

[0027] correcting the liquid volume according to the inclination angle.

[0028] In an embodiment of the present application, the breast pump further comprises an alarm component electrically connected to the control unit, and after the step of calculating the liquid volume in the milk storage container according to the liquid pressure, the method further comprises:

[0029] judging whether the liquid volume exceeds a preset value, and if so, controlling the alarm component to give an alarm. Advantages

[0030] The breast pump provided by the technical scheme of the present application comprises a milk storage container, a pressure detection component, a pressure measuring pipeline and a control unit. The milk storage container has a milk storage cavity for containing milk liquid. The pressure measuring pipeline is connected to the milk storage cavity and the pressure detection component. When milk liquid flows into the milk storage cavity, the liquid level in the milk storage cavity rises, compressing the gas in the pressure measuring pipeline. The other end of the pressure measuring pipeline is connected to the pressure detection component. By monitoring the gas pressure in the pressure measuring pipeline, the liquid pressure in the milk storage cavity can be obtained, and the milk liquid volume in the milk storage cavity can be calculated. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0031] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical scheme in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the drawings needed in the following embodiment or prior art description will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor.

[0032] Fig. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of the breast pump of the present application;

[0033] Fig. 2 is a partial enlarged view of A in Fig. 1;

[0034] Fig. 3 is a structural schematic diagram of another embodiment of the breast pump of the present application;

[0035] Fig. 4 is a flow schematic diagram of an embodiment of the liquid level monitoring method of the present application;

[0036] Fig. 5 is a flow schematic diagram of another embodiment of the liquid level monitoring method of the present application;

[0037] Fig. 6 is a flow schematic diagram of still another embodiment of the liquid level monitoring method of the present application.

[0038] Explanation of reference numerals:

[0039] Label Name Label Name 100 breast pump 3 pressure measuring pipeline 1 milk storage container 4 control unit 11 milk storage cavity 5 shell 12 milk collection bowl 51 escape port 13 flange 52 first connecting part 131 surrounding barrier 53 second connecting part 2 pressure detection assembly 6 connecting pipe

[0040] The implementation, functional features and advantages of the present application will be further described with reference to the embodiments in combination with the accompanying drawings. Embodiments of the present application

[0041] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in combination with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0042] It should be noted that all directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in the embodiments of the present application are only used to explain the relative positional relationship, movement condition, etc. between components in a certain posture (as shown in the drawings), and if the certain posture changes, the directional indications also change accordingly.

[0043] In addition, the description of “first”, “second” and the like in the present application is only for the purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying the relative importance of the technical features indicated or implicitly indicating the number of technical features. Therefore, the features defined as “first”, “second” can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In addition, the technical solutions of each embodiment can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the realization of those skilled in the art, when the combination of technical solutions appears contradictory or unachievable, it should be considered that the combination of technical solutions does not exist, nor within the scope of protection claimed by the present application.

[0044] In the prior art, the amount of milk in the breast pump is mainly monitored by a light sensor. When there is milk adsorption in the moving process or the light propagation path, there will be a problem of inaccurate monitoring. Therefore, the present application proposes a breast pump for accurately monitoring the amount of milk.

[0045] The present application proposes a breast pump 100.

[0046] In the embodiment of the present application, in combination with reference to FIGS. 1-3, the breast pump 100 comprises a milk storage container 1, a pressure detection assembly 2, a pressure measuring pipeline 3, and a control unit 4. The milk storage container 1 has a milk storage cavity 11. The pressure detection assembly 2 is used to measure the liquid pressure in the milk storage cavity 11. The pressure measuring pipeline 3 is used to communicate the milk storage cavity 11 and the pressure detection assembly 2. The control unit 4 is electrically connected with the pressure detection assembly 2, and is used to calculate the liquid volume in the milk storage container 1 according to the liquid pressure detected by the pressure detection assembly 2.

[0047] In the embodiment, the milk storage container 1 is made of a safe, non-toxic, light and convenient material, such as medical plastic, etc. The milk storage container 1 can be a milk bowl, a milk bag, or other vessels capable of holding milk, which are not limited herein. The pressure detection assembly 2 can be a pressure sensor, or other measuring tools capable of measuring the change of air pressure, which are not limited herein. The pressure measuring pipeline 3 can be arranged in the milk storage space, or arranged outside the breast pump 100, or even integrated in the flange 13. One end of the pressure measuring pipeline 3 communicates with the bottom of the milk storage space. There is liquid in the milk storage cavity 11, which generates liquid pressure and compresses the gas in the pressure measuring pipeline 3. The other end of the pressure measuring pipeline 3 is connected with the pressure detection assembly 2. By measuring the gas pressure in the pressure measuring pipeline 3, the liquid pressure in the milk storage cavity 11 can be obtained, and the liquid volume in the milk storage cavity 11 can be calculated.

[0048] The breast pump 100 provided by the technical scheme of the present application comprises a milk storage container 1, a pressure detection assembly 2, a pressure measuring pipeline 3, and a control unit 4. The milk storage container 1 has a milk storage cavity 11 for holding milk. The pressure measuring pipeline 3 communicates the milk storage cavity 11 and the pressure detection assembly 2. When milk flows into the milk storage cavity 11, the liquid level in the milk storage cavity 11 rises and compresses the gas in the pressure measuring pipeline 3. The other end of the pressure measuring pipeline 3 is connected with the pressure detection assembly 2. By monitoring the gas pressure in the pressure measuring pipeline 3, the liquid pressure in the milk storage cavity 11 can be obtained, and the milk volume in the milk storage cavity 11 can be calculated.

[0049] In an embodiment of the present application, the breast pump 100 further comprises a housing 5. The pressure detection assembly 2 and the control unit 4 are arranged in the housing 5. The housing 5 is provided with a relief opening 51 for passing the pressure measuring pipeline 3.

[0050] In the embodiment, the housing 5 is made of a hard material to protect the internal pressure detection assembly 2 and the control unit 4 from water and falling damage, etc. The material can be, for example, hard plastic or light metal.

[0051] In an embodiment of the present application, the pressure measuring pipeline 3 is arranged in the milk storage cavity 11. One end of the pressure measuring pipeline 3 is open and communicates with the milk storage cavity 11. The other end of the pressure measuring pipeline 3 passes through the relief opening 51 and communicates with the pressure detection assembly 2.

[0052] In the embodiment, the pressure measuring pipeline 3 is arranged in the milk storage cavity 11, which can reduce the influence of external pressure on the pressure measuring pipeline 3 and improve the accuracy of measuring the air pressure. One end of the pressure measuring pipeline 3 is arranged in the bottom of the milk storage cavity 11 and communicates with the milk storage cavity 11. When the milk flows into the milk storage cavity 11, the liquid level in the milk storage cavity 11 rises to compress the gas in the pressure measuring pipeline 3. The other end of the pressure measuring pipeline 3 is connected with the pressure detection assembly 2. By monitoring the gas pressure in the pressure measuring pipeline 3, the liquid pressure in the milk storage cavity 11 can be obtained, and the liquid volume in the milk storage cavity 11 can be calculated.

[0053] In an embodiment of the present application, the milk storage container 1 comprises a milk collecting bowl 12 and a flange 13. The bowl opening of the milk collecting bowl 12 is connected with the flange 13 and encloses the milk storage cavity 11.

[0054] The pressure measuring pipeline 3 is integrally formed with the flange 13. One end of the pressure measuring pipeline 3 is arranged in the milk storage cavity 11 and the other end penetrates the avoiding opening 51 and communicates with the pressure detection assembly 2.

[0055] In the embodiment, the flange 13 is made of flexible material, such as rubber or silicone. When negative pressure is applied to the flange 13, the flange 13 can deform to transmit the negative pressure to the user's breast, thereby further improving the efficiency of milk expression. The milk collecting bowl 12 has a bowl shape. The milk collecting bowl 12 and the flange 13 are assembled into one body to enclose the milk storage cavity 11 for temporarily storing milk. The pressure measuring pipeline 3 is integrally formed with the flange 13 or a pipeline can be arranged in the flange 13 as the pressure measuring pipeline 3. One end of the pressure measuring pipeline 3 is arranged in the bottom of the milk collecting bowl 12 and communicates with the milk storage cavity 11. When the milk flows into the milk collecting bowl 12 through the breast pumping channel of the flange 13, the liquid level in the milk collecting bowl 12 rises to compress the gas in the pressure measuring pipeline 3. The other end of the pressure measuring pipeline 3 penetrates the avoiding opening 51 and is connected with the pressure detection assembly 2. By monitoring the gas pressure in the pressure measuring pipeline 3, the liquid pressure in the milk collecting bowl 12 can be obtained, and the liquid volume in the milk collecting bowl 12 can be calculated.

[0056] In an embodiment of the present application, the flange 13 is provided with a surrounding portion 131 on the surface facing the shell 5. The other end of the pressure measuring pipeline 3 is arranged in the surrounding portion 131. The edge of the avoiding opening 51 is provided with a first connecting portion 52 on the side facing the flange 13. The first connecting portion 52 is inserted into the surrounding portion 131.

[0057] In the embodiment, the flange 13 is internally provided with a channel serving as the pressure measuring pipeline 3, and the flange 13 is provided with a surrounding barrier 131 on the surface facing the shell 5, and the other opening of the pressure measuring pipeline 3 is arranged in the surrounding barrier 131. The edge of the avoiding opening 51 is provided with a first connecting part 52 on the side facing the flange 13, and the first connecting part 52 is in communication with the other end opening of the pressure measuring pipeline 3 by being inserted in the surrounding barrier 131, so that the sealing property of the connection is improved, the gas in the pressure measuring pipeline 3 is prevented from escaping, the inaccuracy of the measured air pressure value is avoided, the inaccuracy of the monitoring of the milk volume in the milk collecting bowl is avoided, and the use of the user is affected.

[0058] In an embodiment of the present application, the breast pump 100 further comprises a connecting pipe 6;

[0059] The edge of the avoiding opening 51 is provided with a second connecting part 53 on the side away from the flange 13, and one end of the connecting pipe 6 is sleeved on the second connecting part 53, and the other end of the connecting pipe 6 is sleeved on the sensing part of the pressure detection assembly 2.

[0060] In the embodiment, the edge of the avoiding opening 51 is provided with the second connecting part 53 on the side away from the flange 13, one end of the connecting pipe 6 is connected with the second connecting part 53, and the other end is connected with the sensing part of the pressure detection assembly 2, so that the air tightness between the pressure measuring pipeline 3 and the pressure detection assembly 2 is further improved, the gas in the pressure measuring pipeline 3 is prevented from escaping, the inaccuracy of the measured air pressure value is avoided, the inaccuracy of the monitoring of the milk volume in the milk collecting bowl is avoided, the milk in the milk collecting bowl is finally overflowed or the alarm is sent out when the milk volume does not reach the preset value, and the use of the user is affected. The connecting pipe 6 can be a silica gel pipe or a rubber pipe, which can be sealingly connected with the second connecting part 53 and the sensing part of the pressure detection assembly 2, so that the air tightness of the connection is improved.

[0061] In an embodiment of the present application, the breast pump 100 further comprises an alarm assembly (not shown), which is arranged in the shell 5, and the control unit 4 is electrically connected with the alarm assembly to control the operation of the alarm assembly.

[0062] In the embodiment, the alarm assembly can adopt one or more of a vibrator, a loudspeaker, and an indicator light to send out vibration, sound, or light to warn the user that the milk will be full, and to prompt the user to turn off the breast pump 100 or to timely pour out the milk from the milk collecting bowl. It can be understood that in other embodiments, the alarm assembly can further comprise a wireless transmitting assembly, which can send a short message or a push message to a mobile phone to prompt the user that the milk will be full, and to prompt the user to turn off the breast pump 100 or to timely pour out the milk from the milk collecting bowl.

[0063] The present application also proposes a liquid level monitoring method, which is applied to the breast pump 100 as described above, and the liquid level monitoring method comprises the following steps in combination with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6:

[0064] Step S1: acquiring the liquid pressure in the milk storage cavity 11;

[0065] Step S2: calculating the liquid volume in the milk storage container 1 according to the liquid pressure.

[0066] In steps S1 and S2 of this embodiment, the liquid pressure in the milk storage cavity 11 is acquired, the liquid volume value in the milk storage cavity 11 is calculated through the liquid pressure, and the calculated liquid volume value can be displayed on the display screen connected electrically, so that the user can observe more intuitively.

[0067] In an embodiment of the present application, the step S1 of acquiring the liquid pressure in the milk storage cavity 11 specifically comprises:

[0068] Step S11: controlling the pressure detection assembly 2 to measure the gas pressure in the pressure measuring pipeline 3;

[0069] Step S12: the gas pressure is the liquid pressure in the milk storage cavity 11.

[0070] In this embodiment, the pressure detection assembly 2 is controlled to monitor the gas pressure value in the pressure measuring pipeline 3, which can be equivalent to the milk liquid pressure value in the milk storage cavity 11, and the height value of the milk liquid can be calculated through the liquid pressure formula and the milk liquid pressure value, and the milk liquid volume value in the milk storage cavity 11 can be calculated through the cross-sectional area of the milk collecting bowl.

[0071] In an embodiment of the present application, the step S2 of calculating the liquid volume in the milk storage container 1 according to the liquid pressure specifically comprises:

[0072] Step S21: calculating the liquid height in the milk storage container 1 according to the liquid pressure;

[0073] Step S22: acquiring the cross-sectional area and trapezoidal coefficient of the milk storage container 1;

[0074] Step S23: calculating the liquid volume according to the liquid height, the cross-sectional area and the trapezoidal coefficient.

[0075] In this embodiment, the liquid height value in the milk storage container 1 is calculated according to the liquid pressure formula, and the liquid volume value in the milk storage container 1 is calculated according to the cross-sectional area and the trapezoidal coefficient of the milk storage container 1.

[0076] In an embodiment of the present application, after the step S23 of calculating the liquid volume according to the liquid height, the cross-sectional area and the trapezoidal coefficient, the method further comprises:

[0077] Step S24: acquiring the inclination angle of the liquid plane in the milk storage container 1;

[0078] Step S25: correcting the liquid volume according to the tilt angle.

[0079] In this embodiment, since the breast pump 100 is a three-dimensional container, when the breast pump 100 is worn and used, the bottom surface is not flat, and if the liquid surface is flat, when the breast pump 100 is tilted, two tilt angles in two directions will be generated, one is the tilt angle generated when the front and back two points are connected in a straight line, and the other is the tilt angle of the left and right two points. The milk liquid volume in the breast pump 100 in the tilted state can be corrected by the coefficients corresponding to the two tilt angles, to obtain more accurate milk liquid volume value, and prevent false alarm from occurring.

[0080] In an embodiment of the present application, the breast pump 100 further comprises an alarm component, which is electrically connected with the control unit 4. After the step S2 of calculating the liquid volume in the milk storage container 1 according to the liquid pressure, the breast pump 100 further comprises:

[0081] Step S3: determining whether the liquid volume exceeds a preset value, and if so, controlling the alarm component to alarm.

[0082] In this embodiment, the control component can determine whether the current milk liquid volume value exceeds the preset value, and if so, control the alarm component to alarm. Alternatively, if the preset value is exceeded, the control component can control the negative pressure component to stop running to prevent the milk liquid from overflowing. There is a difference between the preset value and the rated storage value of the breast pump 12, which gives the user a time to feel the alarm and stop the machine, preventing the milk liquid from overflowing.

[0083] The above is only an embodiment of the present application, and does not limit the patent scope of the present application. Any equivalent structural transformation made according to the inventive concept of the present application, or direct / indirect application in other related technical fields, is included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A breast pump, wherein: The breast pump comprises: A milk storage container, the milk storage container having a milk storage chamber; a pressure detection component, the pressure detection component being used to measure the liquid pressure in the milk storage chamber; a pressure measuring pipeline, the pressure measuring pipeline being used to connect the milk storage chamber and the pressure detection component; and A control unit is electrically connected to the pressure detection component and is used to calculate the liquid volume in the milk storage container according to the liquid pressure detected by the pressure detection component.

2. The breast pump according to claim 1, wherein: The breast pump further comprises a shell, the pressure detection assembly and the control unit are arranged in the shell, and the shell is provided with an escape opening for passing the pressure measuring pipeline.

3. The breast pump according to claim 2, wherein: The pressure measuring pipeline is arranged in the milk storage cavity, one end opening of the pressure measuring pipeline is communicated with the milk storage cavity, and the other end opening passes through the avoidance port and is communicated with the pressure detection component.

4. The breast pump according to claim 2, wherein: The milk storage container includes a milk collecting bowl and a flange, wherein the mouth of the milk collecting bowl is connected to the flange and encloses the milk storage cavity; The pressure measuring pipeline is integrally formed with the flange, one end opening of the pressure measuring pipeline is communicated with the milk storage cavity, and the other end opening passes through the avoidance port and is communicated with the pressure detection component.

5. The breast pump according to claim 4, wherein: The flange is provided with a block protruding from the surface facing the shell, the other end opening of the pressure measuring pipeline is provided in the block, and the edge of the avoidance is provided with a first connecting portion protruding from one side of the flange, and the first connecting portion is inserted in the block.

6. The breast pump according to claim 5, wherein: The breast pump further comprises a connecting tube; A second connecting portion is protruded from the side of the edge of the avoidance away from the flange, one end of the connecting pipe is sleeved on the second connecting portion, and the other end of the connecting pipe is sleeved on the sensing portion of the pressure detection assembly.

7. The breast pump according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein: The breast pump further comprises an alarm component, which is disposed in the housing. The control unit is electrically connected to the alarm component to control the operation of the alarm component.

8. A liquid level monitoring method, applied to the breast pump according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: The liquid level monitoring method comprises the following steps: obtaining the liquid pressure in the milk storage chamber; The volume of the liquid in the milk storage container is calculated according to the liquid pressure.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein: The step of obtaining the liquid pressure in the milk storage chamber specifically includes: Controlling the pressure detection component to measure the gas pressure in the pressure measuring pipeline; The gas pressure is the liquid pressure in the milk storage cavity.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein: The step of calculating the volume of the liquid in the milk storage container according to the liquid pressure specifically includes: Calculating the liquid height in the milk storage container according to the liquid pressure; Obtaining the cross-sectional area and trapezoidal coefficient of the milk storage container; The liquid volume is calculated according to the liquid height, the cross-sectional area, and the trapezoidal coefficient.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: After the step of calculating the liquid volume according to the liquid height, the cross-sectional area, and the trapezoidal coefficient, the method further includes: Obtaining the inclination angle of the liquid plane in the milk storage container; The liquid volume is corrected according to the tilt angle.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein: The breast pump further includes an alarm component electrically connected to the control unit. After the step of calculating the liquid volume in the milk storage container based on the liquid pressure, the method further includes: Determine whether the liquid volume exceeds a preset value, and if so, control the alarm component to give an alarm.

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