Sensor network for breast pumping mothers
Disclosed herein is a breast pump sensor network. The breast pump sensor network includes an emitter disposed within a bodily fluid capture system and a detector disposed within the bodily fluid capture system. Further disclosed is a method for controlling the breast pump sensor network which includes emitting a beam of electromagnetic radiation within a bodily fluid capture system, detecting one or more drops of body fluid within the bodily fluid capture system, determining a bodily fluid flow rate based at least on the detected one or more drops of bodily fluid, and providing the determined bodily fluid flow rate to at least one user.
1 . A method of determining a real-time flow rate comprising:
forming, by a fluid collection system, one or more drops of bodily fluid with a known uniform volume of bodily fluid by a spout from a reservoir of bodily fluid;
detecting, by a sensor, the one or more drops of bodily fluid with a known uniform volume of bodily fluid formed by the spout passing the sensor during a first specified time period;
receiving, by a processor and from the sensor, an indication of each of the one or more drops of bodily fluid with a known uniform volume of bodily fluid passing the sensor during the first specified time period;
storing, by the processor and within a memory buffer device, one or more data values representative of the detection of the one or more drops of bodily fluid with a known uniform volume of bodily fluid passing the sensor during the first specified time period;
determining, by the processor, based on the one or more data values representative of the detection of the one or more drops of bodily fluid with a known uniform volume of bodily fluid passing the sensor during the first specified time period and a multiplier representative of the known uniform volume of the one or more drops of bodily fluid, a real-time flow rate for the first specified time period; and
causing, by the processor, the determined flow rate for the first specified time period to be displayed on a display of a mobile device in terms of volume per the first specified time period.
2 . The method of determining the real-time flow rate of claim 1 , further comprising:
replacing, by the processor, the one or more data values representative of the detection of the one or more drops of bodily fluid with a known uniform volume of bodily fluid passing the sensor during the first specified time period within the memory buffer device with one or more data values representative of the detection of the one or more drops of bodily fluid with a known uniform volume of bodily fluid passing through the sensor during a second specified time period within the memory buffer device.
3 . The method of determining the real-time flow rate of claim 2 , wherein the first specified time period and the second specified time period correspond to a sensor read time.
4 . The method of determining the real-time flow rate of claim 3 , further comprising:
determining, by the processor, an average real-time flow rate based on the replaced one or more data values representative of the detection of the one or more drops of bodily fluid with a known uniform volume of bodily fluid passing the sensor during the second specified time period within the memory buffer device.
5 . The method of determining the real-time flow rate of claim 4 , further comprising:
displaying, by the display of the mobile device, the average real-time flow rate.
6 . The method of determining the real-time flow rate of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting, by the processor, that a drop of bodily fluid has not passed the sensor during less than a maximum time threshold for detecting the drop of bodily fluid.
7 . The method of determining the real-time flow rate of claim 6 , further comprising:
displaying, by the display of the mobile device the determined real-time flow rate for the first specified time period.
8 . The method of determining the real-time flow rate of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting, by the processor, that a drop of bodily fluid has not passed the sensor during a maximum time threshold for detecting the drop of bodily fluid.
9 . The method of determining the real-time flow rate of claim 8 , further comprising:
displaying, by the display of the mobile device, a zero real-time flow rate.
10 . The method of determining the real time flow rate of claim 1 ,
wherein the sensor detects that the one or more drops of bodily fluid is a continuous stream of drops of bodily fluid and wherein a real-time flow rate is determined, by the processor, based on a known uniform volume of the continuous stream of drops of bodily fluid which fall into a collection container within a third specified period of time.