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 breast pump sensor network, comprising: a plurality of emitters disposed within a bodily fluid capture system, which emit beams of electromagnetic radiation into the bodily fluid capture system, a plurality of detectors disposed within the bodily fluid capture system, wherein an emitter of the plurality of emitters is disposed adjacent to a corresponding detector of the plurality of detectors, so as to form a plurality of emitter and detector pairs, wherein bodily fluid is carried to a reservoir by a spout disposed in a flange and droplets of bodily fluid are output from the reservoir, the droplets being released from the reservoir at a known volumetric measurement, wherein the reservoir is disposed above the detector, below the flange, and above a valve within the bodily fluid capture system, wherein the reservoir allows the bodily fluid to pool in the reservoir and allows the droplets of the known volumetric measurement to fall from the reservoir, to be detected by during the fall, and fall into the valve which closes and opens based on vacuum pressure applied to the valve by vacuum suction, and a processor counting the detected droplets, and further comprising a lens configured to control reflections of the emitted electromagnetic radiation to direct reflections into the detector.
2. The breast pump sensor network of claim 1 , wherein a beam of electromagnetic radiation is reflected by a bodily fluid into the detector.
3. The breast pump sensor network of claim 2 , wherein the processor counts a number of drops of bodily fluid based on the detector detecting the reflected beam of electromagnetic radiation and determines a flow rate for the bodily fluid.
4. The breast pump sensor network of claim 1 , further comprising:
a body temperature sensor to detect a body temperature of a breast pump user.
5. The breast pump sensor network of claim 1 , wherein the bodily fluid capture system includes a collection container to collect breast milk.
6. The breast pump sensor network of claim 1 , further comprising:
one or more sensors including at least one sensor disposed within a breast pump flange of the bodily fluid capture system.
7. The breast pump sensor network of claim 1 , wherein the valve is a duckbill valve.
8. The breast pump sensor network of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of emitter and detector pairs are disposed below the reservoir in the bodily fluid capture system.
9. The breast pump sensor network of claim 1 , wherein the valve is closed when suction is applied within the bodily fluid capture system and wherein the valve is open when suction is released from the bodily fluid capture system and positive back pressure exists within the bodily fluid capture system.
10. The breast pump sensor network of claim 1 , wherein the valve opens to release bodily fluids into a collection container attached to the bodily fluid capture system.