Breast Pump Expandable Membrane Radial Pleats
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing breast pumps are either inefficient and bulky or large and cumbersome, and existing membrane designs often experience unwanted motion during actuation, making them suboptimal for efficient expression and collection of breast milk.
Innovation Solution
A breast pump device featuring an actuatable assembly with an expandable membrane having radial pleats that expands and contracts to apply vacuum pressure, coupled with a fluid reservoir and a drain port to efficiently express and collect milk, while minimizing unwanted motion and maintaining a fixed position during actuation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If manually-actuated breast pumps are used, then the device size is small, but the pumping efficiency is low and it is tiring to use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a hydraulic fluid transmission system where actuation of the assembly moves hydraulic fluid to expand and contract the membrane, creating vacuum pressure for milk expression. This pneumatic-hydraulic mechanism enables efficient pumping action in a compact device form factor, resolving the contradiction between small size and low efficiency of manual pumps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an expandable membrane with radial pleats that expands and contracts to apply vacuum pressure directly to the breast. This flexible film mechanism enables efficient milk expression while maintaining a compact device structure, addressing the contradiction between device size and pumping efficiency.
2Productivity
If electrically-powered breast pumps are used, then the pumping efficiency is high, but the device becomes large and bulky
Solution Approach 1:
The hydraulic fluid transmission system condenses the power transmission mechanism into a compact form. By using hydraulic fluid to transmit actuation force to the membrane, the device achieves high pumping efficiency without requiring large electrical motor housings and power supplies, thus resolving the size-efficiency contradiction.
Solution Approach 2:
The expandable membrane with radial pleats serves as both the pumping element and the vacuum application interface. This flexible film design enables efficient milk expression while occupying minimal space, directly addressing the contradiction between high pumping efficiency and compact device size.
3Stress or pressure
If conventional membranes are used in breast pumps, then the vacuum pressure is applied, but unwanted motion occurs during actuation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses an expandable membrane with radial pleats that expands and contracts in a controlled manner during actuation. The radial pleat design allows the membrane to maintain its central position while expanding outward to apply vacuum pressure, preventing unwanted lateral motion and maintaining positional stability during pumping operations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device achieves high efficiency in milk expression and collection with reduced size and motion, providing a more comfortable and effective solution for breast milk extraction compared to conventional pumps.
Implementation Method 1
the expandable membrane moves in response to actuation of the actuatable assembly, thereby applying vacuum pressure at the breast to express milk therefrom
Implementation Method 2
The plurality of expandable pleats may be configured to expand radially outward or contract radially inward during acutation of the actuatable assembly
Implementation Method 3
The expandable membrane may further comprise a negative grade along a bottom portion thereof, configured to allow expressed milk to flow downhill into the drain port
Data Source
AI summary
A device for expression and collection of breast milk includes an actuatable assembly and a breast interface. The breast interface is sized to receive a breast and form a fluid tight seal against the breast. The breast interface includes an expandable membrane disposed within at least a portion of the breast interface. The expandable membrane reversibly deforms in response to actuation of the actuatable assembly, thereby applying vacuum pressure at the breast to express milk. The expandable membrane comprises a plurality of expandable pleats which extend radially outward from a central longitudinal axis of the breast interface.