1. A fluid pump system comprising:
(a) a cassette comprising a first pump chamber and a second pump chamber;
(b) a first piston proximal to said first pump chamber;
(c) a second piston proximal to said second pump chamber;
(d) a first valve proximal to said first pump chamber;
(e) a second valve located between said first pump chamber and said second pump chamber;
(f) a third valve proximal to said second pump chamber;
(g) a control system configured to control the operation of said pistons and said valves; and
(h) wherein
said first pump chamber and said second pump chamber are in liquid communication with each other;
said first pump chamber is larger than said second pump chamber;
said cassette is formed by two flexible sheets;
said cassette is incorporated into a section of a fluid reservoir such that said cassette is integral to said fluid reservoir;
said first piston and a first base portion of said first pumping chamber are configured in complementary shapes to enable said first pump chamber when resting to be supported by a constant surface area throughout the stroke of said first piston;
said second piston and a second base portion of said second pumping chamber are configured in complementary shapes to enable said second pump chamber to be supported by a constant surface area throughout the stroke of said second piston;
said first pumping chamber interfaces with the supporting surfaces of said first piston via a resilient material attached about said first base portion and operates to conform to the supporting surface of said first piston without regard to whether said first piston is fully advanced, retracted or in some intermediate position;
said second pumping chamber interfaces with the supporting surfaces of said second piston via a resilient material attached about said second base portion and operates to conform to the supporting surface of said second piston without regard to whether said second piston is fully advanced, retracted or in some intermediate position;
said first piston causes liquid to flow from said first pump chamber to said second pump chamber when said first piston is advanced;
said second piston causes fluid to flow from said second pump chamber to a biological destination when said second piston is advanced;
said first valve occludes fluid flow into and out of said first pump chamber when said first piston is advancing, and allows fluid flow from a biological source into said first pump chamber when said first piston is retracting;
said second valve occludes fluid flow between said first pump chamber and said second pump chamber when said first piston is retracting and when said second piston is advancing;
said second valve allows fluid flow from said first pump chamber into said second pump chamber when said first piston is advancing;
said third valve occludes fluid flow into and out of said second pump chamber when said second piston is retracting;
said third valve allows fluid flow out of said second pump chamber to said biological destination when said second piston is advancing;
said first valve is controlled by a first cam shaft that is mechanically coupled to a first drive motor via a first timing belt;
said second valve is controlled by a second cam shaft that is mechanically coupled to a second drive motor via a second timing belt;
said third valve is controlled by a third cam shaft that is mechanically coupled to a third drive motor via a third timing belt;
said control system is configured to activate said pistons to be advanced according to a time-varying velocity profile;
said control system is configured to achieve pulsatile flow from the output of said second pump chamber by controlling the relative velocities of said pistons during the refill and ejection cycles of said pistons;
said control system is configured to maintain a steady discharge rate from said second pump chamber by adjusting the velocity of said pistons andor by changing the stroke volume of said pistons;
said control system is configured to passively fill said first pump chamber during the time fluid is expelled from said second pump chamber;
said control system is configured to rapidly expel collected fluid from said first pump chamber into said second pump chamber at low pressure; and
said control system is configured to expel fluid from said second pump chamber at high pressure.
2. The fluid pump system of claim 1, wherein said two flexible sheets are bonded together along a selected bond area to form particularized open flow paths and chambers.
3. The fluid pump system of claim 2, wherein said flexible sheets are made of polyvinylchloride.
4. The fluid pump system of claim 1, wherein said first piston and said second piston are spline pistons.
5. The fluid pump system of claim 1, further comprising:
a first pressure sensor incorporated into said first piston; and
a second pressure sensor incorporated into said second piston;
wherein said first pressure sensor and said second pressure sensor permit monitoring of fluid pressure within said first pump chamber and said second pump chamber.
6. The fluid system of claim 5, wherein said control system in part (g) can adjust the operation of said pistons and said valves in response to fluid pressure data from said pressure sensors.
7. The fluid system of claim 1, wherein said control system in part (g):
adjusts output flow from said fluid pump in large percentage increments if the output flow rate deviates outside a pre-determined value range; and
adjusts output flow from said fluid pump in fine percentage increments if the output flow rate is within a pre-determined value range.
8. The fluid pump system of claim 1, wherein said pistons are driven by separate stepper motors.
9. The fluid pump system of claim 1, wherein said control system can also produce a continuous fluid outflow by keeping said third valve open when said first piston is advancing and said second piston is retracting, wherein said second piston retracts slower than the advancement of said first piston.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A breast pump, comprising:
a housing container for storing expressed milk;
a first attachment and detachment part configured to detachably attach a breast pump body to the housing container;
a negative pressure generating member attached to the breast pump body; and
an operation unit which is attached to the breast pump body and deforms the negative pressure generating member, wherein
the breast pump body includes,
a milking part which is diameter-expanded toward its leading end, with which a user’s breast comes into contact,
a valve chamber arranged to face the housing container and contacting the diameter-expanded milking part, and
an attachment part contacting the valve chamber and attaching to the negative pressure generating member that creates
a negative pressure necessary to express milk; and
the negative pressure generating member includes,
a connector to which the operation unit is connected,
a second attachment and detachment part formed of comparatively soft material having elasticity and attached detachably to the attachment part of the breast pump body,
a wall part provided integrally for the second attachment and detachment part and having such rigidity that an external shape can be kept, and
a deformable part which is provided on the inside of the wall part integrally with the wall part, is smaller in thickness than the wall part, and deforms upon receiving a force from the connector thereby to create the negative pressure.
2. The breast pump according to claim 1, wherein the attachment part of the breast pump body is provided at the upper portion of the breast pump body, and a slant surface that descends toward a path leading to the valve chamber is provided inside the attachment part.
3. The breast pump according to claim 1, wherein
the attachment part of the breast pump body is provided at the upper portion of the breast pump body, the attachment part is substantially circular, a body side flange portion protruding outward is formed at the upper end of the attachment part, and a body side groove portion is formed on a lower portion of the body side flange portion;
the second attachment and detachment part is substantially circular and larger than the attachment part, a negative pressure generating side flange portion protruding inward is formed at the lower end of the second attachment and detachment part, a negative pressure generating side groove portion is formed on the upside of the negative pressure generating side flange portion, and the attachment part and the second attachment and detachment part are attached detachably to each other; and
a positioning part configured to regulate the downward movement of the second attachment and detachment part is provided on a lower portion of the body side groove portion.
4. The breast pump according to claim 1, wherein the wall part of the negative pressure generating member is provided in a cylindrically upstanding state, the upper end portion of the cylindrical wall part is turned down inwardly as the deformable part, a portion beyond the turned-down point is formed thin as an inner wall portion, and a protruding part is provided for at least one of opposite surfaces of the deformable part and the wall part so as to lie between the deformable part and the wall part.
5. The breast pump according to claim 1, wherein
the connector of the negative pressure generating member is formed of hard material separately from the deformable part, and includes a boss part which is extended and narrows, and has at its leading end an engagement part with which the operation unit is engaged, and a base part formed by substantially diameter-expanding a base end of the boss part;
the negative pressure generating member has a bottom surface part provided by extending the lower end of the deformable part integrally so as to cover the cylindrical lower portion; and
the connector is so constructed that the boss part is inserted from the downside into a through-hole formed in the center of the bottom surface part thereby to be attached, and the outer diameter of the boss part in its attachment position is greater than the inner diameter of the through-hole.
6. The breast pump according to claim 1, wherein
the connector of the negative pressure generating member is formed of hard material separately from the deformable part, and includes a boss part which is extended in a narrowing manner and has at its leading end an engagement part with which the operation unit is engaged, and a base part formed by substantially diameter-expanding a base end of the boss part;
the negative pressure generating member has a bottom surface part provided by extending the lower end of the deformable part integrally to cover the cylindrical lower portion; and
the connector, in a form in which the boss part is inserted from the downside into a penetration hole formed in the center of the bottom surface part, is formed integrally with the deformable part, and the connector is formed of hard resin and the deformable part is formed of resin that is softer than the hard resin of the connector.
7. The breast pump according to claim 1, wherein
the negative pressure generating member is about HS 30 to 70 in hardness by an A-type durometer in JIS-K6253 (ISO 7619), about 1.5 mm to 3,0 mm in thickness of the wall part having the rigidity, and about 1.0 mm to 2.5 mm in thickness of the deformable part;
the connector is formed of hard material separately from the deformable part; and
a reinforcement rib is provided on the outer surface of the wall part having the rigidity.
8. The breast pump of claim 1, wherein said force is generated by at least one of (a) a user and (b) an electrically powered drive unit.
9. The breast pump of claim 1, further comprising a substantially domed hood that is detachably attached to an upper portion of said breast pump body.
10. A breast pump, comprising:
a detachable part that detachably attaches a breast pump body having a negative pressure generating member to a housing container; and
a handle, connected to the breast pump body, that deforms said negative pressure generating member, said breast pump body including,
a milking part that contacts a user’s breast and is diameter-expanded toward its leading end,
a valve chamber facing the housing container and contacting the milking part, and
an attachment part that attaches the valve chamber to the negative pressure generating member and is attached detachably to the detachable part, and
said negative pressure generating member including,
a connector to which the handle is connected,
a rigid wall part provided integrally for an elastic detachable part, and
a deformable part provided integrally with the wall part and on the inside of the rigid wall part, said deformable wall part being less thick than the rigid wall part, and deformable in response to a force from the connector so as to create the negative pressure.
11. The breast pump of claim 10, wherein said housing container comprises one of a deformable container and a non-deformable container that is attached to said breast pump body by one of an internal thread part and an external thread part.
12. A breast pump comprising:
a body having a diameter-enlarged milking part;
a negative pressure generating member disposed at least one of outside and at least one of outside and above the body having a deformable wall and a rigid wall;
an expressed milk collecting container releasably connected to said body;
a handle, operatively associated with the negative pressure generating member, that is configured to cyclically deform said deformable wall so as to generate a negative pressure in said diameter-enlarged milking part, in response to a force; and
a valve chamber mounted in the body that releases expressed milk into the expressed milk collecting container in response to the release of said negative pressure.
13. The breast pump of claim 12, wherein said valve chamber comprises elastic side walls that taper to a slit, and said slit releases said expressed milk into said expressed milk collecting container in accordance with at least one of (a) the weight of the expressed milk in said valve chamber, and (b) a release of said negative pressure based on said force applied to said handle.
14. The breast pump of claim 12, wherein said negative pressure generating member is connected to said handle by a connector.
15. The breast pump of claim 14, wherein said connector comprises a base portion releasably attached to a lower surface of said negative pressure generating member, a boss part that extends through said negative pressure generating member via a through-hole, and an engagement part connected to said boss port via an extension part, wherein said engagement part engages said handle.
16. The breast pump of claim 12, further comprising a substantially domed hood that is detachably attached to an upper portion of said breast pump body.
17. The breast pump of claim 12, wherein said force is generated by at least one of (a) a user and (b) an electrically powered drive unit.
18. The breast pump of claim 12, wherein said expressed milk collecting container comprises one of a deformable container and a non-deformable container that is attached to said breast pump body by one of an internal thread part and an external thread part.
19. The breast pump of claim 12, wherein said body includes at its upper end an upper flange positioned above a lower flange, such that a groove is formed between said upper flange and said lower flange to attach a lower end of said negative pressure generating member to said body.
20. The breast pump of claim 12, further comprising a cushion part, connected to the diameter-enlarged milking part, that receives a portion of a user’s breast.