Breast Pump Elastic Membrane Radial Compression Suction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional breast pumps fail to replicate the natural suckling action of an infant, leading to pain and edema in nursing mothers due to inadequate nipple compression and suction control, which inhibits effective milk extraction and production.
Innovation Solution
A breast pump with an expandable and contractable elastic membrane that applies radial mechanical compression and hydraulic or pneumatic suction to mimic the natural nursing cycle, including nipple extension and compression to control edema, using a combination of suction and positive pressure to replicate the infant's suckling action.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional breast pumps apply suction to extract milk, then milk extraction is achieved, but pain and edema occur due to inadequate nipple compression and suction control
Solution Approach 1:
The breast pump applies suction in periodic cycles rather than continuously, alternating between suction phases and compression phases. This periodic action mimics natural infant suckling patterns and allows tissue recovery between cycles, reducing pain and edema while maintaining effective milk extraction over time.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump dynamically adjusts suction pressure and compression force parameters based on detected nipple conditions and milk flow rates. By varying these parameters in response to real-time feedback, the system optimizes extraction efficiency while preventing excessive pressure that causes pain and edema.
2Productivity
If suction pressure is increased to improve milk extraction, then extraction efficiency increases, but discomfort and edema worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates sensors that detect nipple tissue condition, suction pressure, and milk flow rate, feeding this information back to the control system. Based on this feedback, the pump automatically adjusts suction pressure to maintain optimal extraction while preventing discomfort and edema by reducing pressure when tissue stress is detected.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump dynamically varies suction pressure parameters based on real-time detection of milk flow and tissue response. Pressure is increased when flow is low to improve extraction, then reduced when tissue stress indicators appear, creating an adaptive pressure profile that balances productivity with comfort.
3Ease of manufacture
If the pump structure is simplified for ease of manufacture, then manufacturing cost decreases, but ability to replicate natural suckling action is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The pump employs flexible membranes and collapsible chambers that can be formed through relatively simple molding processes. These flexible components naturally deform under suction and compression, providing the complex motion patterns of natural suckling without requiring complex mechanical linkages or actuators, thus maintaining manufacturing simplicity while achieving biological fidelity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses pneumatic pressure and vacuum applied to flexible chambers to create the compression and suction actions. This pneumatic approach replaces complex mechanical compression mechanisms with simpler pressure-controlled flexible structures, reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining the ability to replicate natural suckling forces and patterns.
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 breast pump effectively brings on a milk ejection reflex, extends the nipple for milk flow, creates sufficient suction for extraction, and applies radial compression to prevent edema, improving milk extraction and collection while reducing discomfort for the mother.
Implementation Method 1
a source of alternating positive and negative pressure... causing the elastic membrane to contact and compress the nipple to control nipple edema
Implementation Method 2
capable of applying hydraulic or pneumatic suction (negative pressure) to extend the nipple and to extract milk
Implementation Method 3
an expandable and contractable elastic membrane... The neck portion of the elastic membrane is configured for both radial outward and radial inward movement with alternating application of the suction pressure and the positive pressure
Data Source
AI summary
A breast pump device and associated methods for extracting breast milk are disclosed. A pump head comprises an external shell with an elastic membrane disposed and bonded therein to define at least one hermetically sealed chamber. Manipulation of the elastic membrane, for example, by adjusting suction or pressure in the sealed chamber or within an interior volume defined by the elastic membrane permits radial mechanical compression (positive pressure) to be applied to a nipple positioned in the pump head to simulate compression of the nipple by the infant's tongue and simultaneously permits axial hydraulic or pneumatic suction (negative pressure) to be applied to the nipple to simulate the infant's minimum intra-oral vacuum. The breast pump device of the present invention can generate these simultaneous compressions and suctions with a single vacuum source, which may be an electric pump or a hand-operated mechanical pump.