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, comprising:
a housing that includes:
a battery, and
a pump powered by the battery and generating negative air pressure;
a breast shield made up of a breast flange and a nipple tunnel;
a milk container that is configured to be attached to and removed from the housing; and
a tilt sensor system that automatically generates an alert or stops operating the pump if the tilt sensor system detects that a tilt angle of the breast pump device exceeds a threshold indicative of milk spillage being imminent.
2. The breast pump device of claim 1 , wherein, if the tilt angle of the breast pump device exceeds the threshold, then the tilt sensor system automatically provides a user with an alert to change a position of the breast pump device.
3. The breast pump device of claim 1 , wherein, when the tilt angle of the breast pump device reduces below the threshold after extending the threshold, the tilt sensor system automatically adjusts an operation of the breast pump device by causing pumping to resume automatically.
4. The breast pump device of claim 1 , further comprising a sub-system configured to derive or infer an activity of the user from information provided by the tilt sensor system.
5. The breast pump device of claim 1 , wherein the tilt sensor system includes one or more of: an accelerometer to measure or infer the tilt angle of the breast pump device during a pumping session, or
an accelerometer to measure or infer movement of the breast pump device during a pumping session.
6. The breast pump device of claim 1 , wherein the tilt sensor system includes one or more light emitters or detectors positioned in a base of the housing, the one or more light emitters or detectors configured to measure or infer a tilt angle of milk in the milk container.
7. The breast pump device of claim 6 , wherein the one or more light emitters or detectors are configured to measure or infer an angle of a top surface of the milk in the milk container makes with respect to a baseline angle.
8. The breast pump device of claim 1 , wherein the tilt sensor system is configured to operate as part of a milk quantity measurement system that is configured to measure a quantity of milk in the milk container from a level of the milk in the milk container.
9. The breast pump device of claim 8 , wherein, if the tilt angle is above the threshold, the tilt sensor system is configured to ignore the level of the milk or the quantity of the milk measured.
10. The breast pump device of claim 8 , further comprising a communication interface configured to send the level or the quantity of the milk in the milk container to a connected smartphone.
11. The breast pump device of claim 8 , wherein the tilt sensor system includes or is configured to communicate with an accelerometer and is configured to use a signal from the accelerometer to determine if the milk is sufficiently still to permit the milk quantity measurement system to accurately measure the quantity or the level of the milk in the milk container.
12. The breast pump device of claim 1 , further comprising a milk quantity measurement system configured to measure a quantity of milk in the milk container and take the tilt angle of the breast pump device into account when measuring the quantity of the milk in the milk container.
13. The breast pump device of claim 1 , further comprising a sub-system configured to store a timestamped record of movement or tilt angles of the breast pump device in association with milk flow data.
14. The breast pump device of claim 1 , further comprising a milk quantity measurement system that includes:
at least one light emitter configured to direct radiation towards a surface of milk in the milk container; and
at least one light detector configured to detect reflected radiation from the surface of the milk.
15. The breast pump device of claim 1 , further comprising one or more light emitters or detectors positioned in a base of the housing and positioned above the milk container.
16. The breast pump device of claim 15 , wherein a top of the milk container includes an optically clear region that is aligned below the one or more light emitters or detectors positioned in the base of the housing.
17. The breast pump device of claim 1 , further comprising a haptic or visual indicator configured to indicate if there is too much movement of the breast pump device for viable operation.
18. The breast pump device of claim 1 , wherein the housing further includes a visual or haptic indicator that indicates whether milk is flowing or not flowing into the milk container.
19. The breast pump device of claim 1 , wherein the housing further includes a visual or haptic indicator that indicates if the pump is operating to pump milk based on whether a quantity or a level of the milk in the milk container is increasing above a threshold rate of increase.
20. The breast pump device of claim 1 , further comprising a haptic or visual indicator configured to indicate if an amount of the milk in the milk container has reached a preset quantity or level.
21. The breast pump device of claim 1 , wherein the housing further includes a wireless data communications system powered by the battery.
22. The breast pump device of claim 1 , wherein the milk container is rigid.
23. The breast pump device of claim 1 , wherein the milk container is configured to attach to a lower part of the housing and to form a flat bottomed base for the breast pump device.
24. The breast pump device of claim 1 , wherein the milk container has a surface shaped to continue a curved shape of the housing.
25. The breast pump device of claim 1 , wherein the milk container includes a flexible valve that self-seals under negative air pressure against a milk opening in the nipple tunnel and that is configured to permit milk to flow into the milk container.
26. The breast pump device of claim 1 , wherein 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.
27. The breast pump device of claim 1 , wherein the milk container includes a cap that is removable from the milk container and a removable valve that enables milk to pass into the milk container in one direction.
28. The breast pump device of claim 1 , wherein the pump comprises a piezo air pump system.
29. The breast pump device of claim 1 , wherein the pump is a lightweight air pump that enables a total mass of the breast pump device, unfilled with milk, to be less than 250 gm.
30. The breast pump device of claim 1 , wherein the battery is a rechargeable battery, and the housing further includes:
a power charging circuit for controlling the charging of the rechargeable battery, and
control electronics powered by the rechargeable battery.