Breast Pump Three-Component Design Reduces Assembly Complexity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing breast pumps require assembly and disassembly of multiple components for use and cleaning, which is cumbersome and increases the risk of misalignment and contamination, and often use flexible materials for sealing and membranes that complicate manufacturing and handling.
Innovation Solution
A breast pump designed with only three unitary single-piece components - a housing, a breast shield, and a media separation element that includes both a membrane and a valve, allowing for easy cleaning and assembly, and made from different materials with varying transparency for visual control and functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple individual components are used in the breast pump, then the functionality and sealing capability are improved, but the assembly complexity and cleaning difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the membrane and valve into a single unitary media separation element. This merging reduces the total number of components while maintaining the sealing functionality. The media separation element is formed as one piece that simultaneously provides both the membrane for fluid separation and the valve for flow control, eliminating the need for separate assembly of these components.
Solution Approach 2:
The media separation element serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a membrane to separate fluids, provides valve functionality for flow control, and serves as a structural component connecting different parts of the breast pump. This multi-functionality reduces the overall component count while maintaining system reliability.
2Reliability
If flexible materials are used for membrane and valve, then the sealing and flow control functionality are improved, but the manufacturing complexity and handling difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
By forming the membrane and valve as a single unitary media separation element, the patent simplifies manufacturing processes. Instead of separately manufacturing and assembling flexible membrane and valve components, the combined structure can be produced in one piece using appropriate molding techniques, reducing manufacturing steps and potential sources of error.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent specifies that the media separation element can be made from materials with specific properties - flexible materials for the membrane and valve portions that provide sealing and flow control, potentially combined with more rigid structural portions. This material parameter optimization balances functionality with manufacturability.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If transparent materials are used for visual control, then the ability to monitor nipple arrangement is improved, but the manufacturing cost and material selection constraints increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies transparency selectively to specific portions of the breast pump components rather than making entire components transparent. For example, the breast shield or housing may have transparent sections where visual monitoring of the nipple tunnel is needed, while other portions can be made from opaque or differently colored materials for structural or aesthetic purposes. This localized application of transparency balances visibility needs with manufacturing flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A breast pump shaped at least in part to fit inside a bra and having a housing, a breast shield including a nipple tunnel adapted to receive a nipple and further including a milk compartment adapted to contain a predetermined amount of expressed milk, a working fluid chamber assigned to a vacuum source and a pumping chamber in fluid communication with the nipple tunnel, wherein the working fluid chamber and the pumping chamber are fluidically separated from each other by a membrane. For providing a breast pump which can be manufactured and assembled by handling a reduced number of parts, the present invention proposes to define the housing, the milk compartment, the working fluid chamber, and the pumping chamber by only three components.