Breast pump system
The invention is a wearable breast pump system including a housing shaped at least in part to fit inside a bra and a piezo air-pump. The piezo air-pump is fitted in the housing and forms part of a closed loop system that drives a separate, deformable diaphragm to generate negative air pressure. The diaphragm is removably mounted on a breast shield.
1. A breast pump device that is configured as a self-contained, in-bra wearable device, the breast pump device comprising:
(i) a housing that includes (a) a battery, and (b) an air pump system powered by the battery and generating negative air pressure;
(ii) a breast shield made up of a breast flange and a nipple tunnel; and
(iii) a milk container that is configured to attach to the housing;
and in which a location of the centre of gravity of the breast pump device is, when in use, below a centre of the nipple tunnel when the milk container is empty.
2. The breast pump device of claim 1 , in which the location of the centre of gravity is achieved by positioning of the air pump system and the battery.
3. The breast pump device of claim 1 , in which the location of the centre of gravity is achieved through a weight of the air pump system.
4. The breast pump device of claim 1 , in which the air pump system has a mass of less than 25 gm.
5. The breast pump device of claim 1 , in which the air pump system enables a total mass of the breast pump device, unfilled with milk, to be less than 250 gm.
6. The breast pump device of claim 1 , in which the location of the centre of gravity is achieved through the air pump system being a piezo air pump system.
7. The breast pump device of claim 1 , in which the location of the centre of gravity is achieved through a weight of the battery needed to power the air pump system.
8. The breast pump device of claim 1 , in which the location of the centre of gravity of the breast pump device is at least 2 mm below the centre of the nipple tunnel when the milk container is empty.
9. The breast pump device of claim 1 , in which the location of the centre of gravity of the breast pump device is approximately 6 mm below the centre of the nipple tunnel when the milk container is empty.
10. The breast pump device of claim 1 , in which the location of the centre of gravity of the breast pump device is approximately 24 mm below the centre of the nipple tunnel when the milk container is full.
11. The breast pump device of claim 1 , in which the location of the centre of gravity of the breast pump device is approximately 60 mm up from a base of the milk container when the milk container is empty.
12. The breast pump device of claim 1 , in which the location of the centre of gravity of the breast pump device is approximately 40 mm up from a base of the milk container when the milk container is full.
13. The breast pump device of claim 1 , in which the housing includes a heat sink to manage heat produced by the air pump system to ensure the breast pump device can be worn comfortably.
14. The breast pump device of claim 13 , in which the heat sink is configured to ensure that a maximum temperature of any part of the breast pump device that can contact the skin during use, is no more than 48° C.
15. The breast pump device of claim 13 , in which the heat sink is connected to an air exhaust so that air warmed by the air pump system vents to an atmosphere outside of the breast pump device.
16. The breast pump device of claim 13 , in which the heat sink warms the breast shield.
17. The breast pump device of claim 1 , in which the air pump system is a closed loop system that drives a diaphragm that fully separates an air pump side from a milk side, preventing any contamination of milk by eliminating contact with the air pump system, and preventing any contamination of the air pump system by any milk.
18. The breast pump device of claim 1 , in which the air pump system delivers in excess of 400 mBar (40 kPa) stall pressure and 1.5 litres per minute free air flow.
19. The breast pump device of claim 1 , in which the breast pump device makes less than 30 dB noise at maximum power and less than 25 dB at normal power, against a 20 dB ambient noise.
20. The breast pump device of claim 1 , in which the breast shield is rigid.
21. The breast pump device of claim 1 , in which the breast shield is configured to rotate smoothly around a nipple inserted into the nipple tunnel to provide a correct positioning of the breast shield onto a breast.
22. The breast pump device of claim 1 , in which the breast shield is a one piece item that in use presents a single continuous surface to a nipple and a breast and the breast flange and the nipple tunnel are a single, integral item with no joining stubs.
23. The breast pump device of claim 1 , in which the breast shield is configured to slide in and out from the housing, together with a diaphragm that prevents milk from reaching the air pump system, on guide members in the breast shield.
24. The breast pump device of claim 1 , in which the breast pump device includes only the breast shield and the milk container that are directly removable from the housing in normal use or normal dis-assembly.
25. The breast pump device of claim 1 , in which the device includes a diaphragm that prevents milk from reaching the air pump system.
26. The breast pump device of claim 25 , in which the diaphragm is substantially circular and is configured to self-seal under the negative air pressure to a substantially circular diaphragm holder that is part of the housing.
27. The breast pump device of claim 25 , in which the diaphragm is a membrane that is seated against a diaphragm holder that forms a recess or cavity at least in part with an external surface of the housing, the diaphragm deforming in response to changes in air pressure caused by the air pump system to create negative air pressure in the nipple tunnel.
28. The breast pump device of claim 25 , in which the diaphragm is removable from a diaphragm holder that sits above the breast flange and the nipple tunnel.
29. The breast pump device of claim 1 , in which the milk container is rigid.
30. The breast pump device of claim 1 , in which the milk container is attachable to the housing with a mechanical or magnetic mechanism that releasably attaches or latches when the milk container is sufficiently pressed on to the housing with a single push action.