Vacuum Breaker Backflow Preventer for Breast Pump Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Breast pump systems face challenges in preventing milk backflow into the suction tube, which can lead to contamination and damage to the vacuum pump, as conventional designs often have crevices that are difficult to clean and can trap milk, making sanitization ineffective.
Innovation Solution
The breast pump system incorporates a 'vacuum breaker' concept that isolates subatmospheric air flow from milk flow paths using a unidirectional valve and air duct configuration, ensuring that milk does not backflow into the suction tube by maintaining a separation even when the device is tipped over, utilizing a primary and secondary sealing interface and air duct design to prevent fluid crossover.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional breast pump designs are used with milk collection devices, then milk can be effectively collected through vacuum suction, but milk may backflow into the suction tube and vacuum pump causing contamination and damage
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the air flow path and milk flow path into completely separate, isolated channels. The air duct provides a dedicated subatmospheric air flow path that does not intersect with the milk collection chamber, preventing milk from entering the suction tube while maintaining vacuum functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
A unidirectional valve is introduced as an intermediary component between the air duct and the milk collection chamber. This valve allows air to pass through to create vacuum pressure but prevents milk from flowing backward into the suction tube, acting as a one-way gate that protects the vacuum pump.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional designs with crevices are used for milk collection, then the device structure can be simple, but sanitization becomes difficult due to trapped milk in crevices
Solution Approach 1:
The design extracts and eliminates crevices and dead spaces from the milk collection chamber and air duct pathways. By designing smooth, continuous surfaces without recesses where milk could pool, the system becomes much easier to sanitize while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of designing complex multi-component systems that are easy to manufacture but hard to clean, the invention inverts the approach by using simple, smooth-walled components that are inherently easy to sanitize. The simplicity of the design itself becomes the advantage rather than a compromise.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the milk collection device is tipped over during use, then the woman can adjust positioning for comfort, but gravity may cause milk to flow back toward the suction tube
Solution Approach 1:
The unidirectional valve is pre-positioned in the air duct to create a one-way barrier before any backflow can occur. This preliminary protective measure ensures that even when the device is tipped over, gravity cannot force milk past the valve into the suction tube, maintaining protection in all orientations.
Solution Approach 2:
The design converts the potential harmful effect of gravity into a beneficial feature by using the unidirectional valve to allow gravity to help seal the valve closed during tipping, while the separate air duct ensures that even if milk moves, it cannot reach the suction tube. The harm of tipping is transformed into an opportunity for the valve to demonstrate its backflow prevention capability.
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
This design effectively prevents milk backflow, facilitating easier cleaning and sanitization, reducing the risk of contamination and damage to the vacuum pump, while ensuring reliable operation and maintaining aseptic conditions.
Implementation Method 1
an air duct in fluid communication with a unidirectional valve and the milk collection device
Implementation Method 2
a vacuum pump provides cyclical periods of positive and negative pressure to the milk collection device. During periods of negative pressure (subatmospheric pressure), vacuum delivered to the device withdraws a small discrete volume of milk
Implementation Method 3
During each period of positive pressure, lightly pressurized air relaxes the breast momentarily and at the same time forces the charge of milk from the charging chamber to a larger milk storage chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A breast pump system includes a vacuum break backflow preventer for preventing breast milk from accidentally backflowing into a suction tube leading to a vacuum pump. The backflow preventer is a vacuum passageway with two spaced apart suction openings. The two openings convey air to cyclically pressurize and depressurize a small milk charging chamber. If milk accidentally covers one of the openings, air at the other opening minimizes the pressure differential that might otherwise draw the milk deep into the suction tube and toward the vacuum pump. For ease of cleaning and sanitizing, the system avoids or minimizes the use of baffles, permanently enclosed passageways, moving parts, and tight inside corners. Some passageways can be split open for access during cleaning. To make the breast milk collection device less protruding under a brassier, the vacuum passageway curves around the side of a nipple receptacle rather than in front of it.