JP4228396B2 - Milking machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a breast pump for milking breast milk.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a conventional milking machine 51 has a milking head 54 attached by screw fitting to a top of a bottle 52 for storing milked milk via a partition member 53, and rubber balls 55 are attached to the milking head 54. It is attached (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). In FIG. 4, reference numeral 56 denotes a milk pad and 57 denotes a check valve.

Operation | movement of this milking machine 51 is demonstrated. First, when the rubber ball 55 is compressed in a state where the milk pad portion 56 is pressed against the breast, the air pushed out from the rubber ball 55 flows into the milking head 54. The air that has flowed into the milking head 54 pushes open the check valve 57 and flows into the bottle 52. At this time, the air flowing into the bottle 52 passes through a slight gap in the screw fitting portion between the bottle 52 and the milking head 54 and is discharged to the external space. Thereafter, when the compressed state of the rubber ball 55 is released, the air in the milking head 54 is sucked into the rubber ball 55. In this state, since the air in the bottle 52 does not flow into the milking head 54 by the check valve 57, the sealed milking head 54 has a negative pressure and milking is performed. Next, when the rubber ball 55 is compressed, the milked milk pushes the check valve 57 together with the air and flows into the bottle 52.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 52-15896

  Thus, in the above-mentioned milking machine, the inside of the milking head 54 is made a negative pressure by the compression and release of the rubber ball 55, and the breast pressed against the milk pad 56 is only sucked and released. Therefore, with such a configuration, it is difficult to obtain a sufficient massage effect.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the breast pump which can acquire a high massage effect compared with the conventional product which only sucks and releases.

In order to achieve the above object, a breast pump according to the present invention has a portion that is widened in a trumpet shape, the inside of which can alternately switch between a negative pressure state and a natural state, and a trumpet shape. an elastic material having an open portion, attached to the opening peripheral edge of the breast abutting portion, and the breast pump and a pad housed in the inner diameter side of the breast abutting portion, the circumferential direction of the trumpet-shaped portion of the pad A thick part formed thicker than the other part is provided in a plurality of places , and in the natural state , the thick part of the pad is projected to the milking part side from the outer diameter side and the inner diameter side, and the pad A gap is formed between the milk pad and the inside of the milk pad is switched to a negative pressure state, so that the pad is elastically deformed by the negative pressure generated in the gap, and the thick part is brought into contact with the milk pad. It is characterized by being pushed in contact and protruding toward the breast .

  According to this configuration, in the natural state (the inside of the milking part is in a normal pressure state), the thick part provided on the pad protrudes toward the anti-milking surface, so that the user does not feel uncomfortable. Can be worn. Further, in the negative pressure state (a state where the pad is sucked into the milk pad part), the thick wall part comes into contact with the inner surface of the milk pad part and protrudes toward the milk pad surface, so that the breast is stimulated. Therefore, a very high massage effect can be obtained by repeatedly switching the inside of the breast pad between the negative pressure state and the normal pressure state.

  According to the breast pump according to the present invention, a high massage effect can be obtained as compared with a conventional product that is simply sucked and released.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment described below, the same reference numerals are given to members and parts having the same action.

  FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a breast pump 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This milking machine 1 has a bottle 3 upright by a base 2, a milking head 4 attached to the bottle 3, and a rubber ball (hollow elastic body) 6 attached to the milking head 4 via the tube 5 and the tube 5. And a partition film 8 provided in the milking head 4 as main elements.

  The milking head 4 includes a substantially cylindrical base 9, a milk pad 10 extending from the outer periphery of the base 9 to the outer diameter side, and an upper lid 11 attached to the upper opening end 9a of the base 9. The base 9 is attached to the bottle 3 by screwing a screw portion 9b formed on the inner periphery of the lower end portion and a screw portion 3a formed on the outer periphery of the upper end portion of the bottle 3 through the partition member 12. It is done. The partition member 12 interposed between the bottle 3 and the milking head 4 is provided with a check valve 13, and a radial groove 14 is formed on the lower surface of the flange portion 12 a of the partition member 12.

  The milk pad 10 has a portion that expands in a trumpet shape toward the outer diameter side of the base 9, and is integrally formed with the base 9 in a state where the internal space and the internal space of the base 9 are communicated with each other. Is done. A pad 15 is detachably attached to the opening 10 a of the milk pad 10. The pad 15 is made of, for example, an elastic material such as silicon rubber or polypropylene. When the pad 15 is attached to the milking part 10, the outer peripheral surface (anti-milking surface) 15 a of the pad 15 and the inside of the milking part 10 A gap 16 is formed between the peripheral surface 10b. The pad 15 functions as an adapter for fitting an individual's breast or nipple to the milk pad 10 according to its size, and in the state where the nipple is sucked into the milking head 4, By sucking the entire pad 15 into the milking head 4, not only the teat but also the breast that is in close contact with the pad 15 can be sucked into the milking head 4 over a wide range. Therefore, the user can perform milking without feeling pain by attaching the pad 15 to the breast.

  Further, the pad 15 is provided with a thick portion 17 which is thicker than other portions. The thick portion 17 is formed inside the milk pad 10 as shown in FIG. 5A, for example. In a state where the space is at normal pressure, the pad 15 protrudes toward the outer peripheral surface (anti-milking surface) 15a side. When the internal space of the milk pad 10 is in a negative pressure state, the pad 15 is sucked into the milking head 4, and the thick part 17 protruding from the outer peripheral surface 15 a comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface 10 b of the milk pad 10. From this state, when the pad 15 is further pulled toward the milking head 4 by the gap 16, the outer peripheral surface 15a of the pad 15 and the inner peripheral surface 10b of the milk pad 10 are shown in FIG. And the thick wall portion 17 is pushed into the pad 15 and protrudes toward the inner peripheral surface (milk bearing surface) 15b of the pad 15. Thus, since the inner peripheral surface 15b of the pad 15 is smooth when the pad 15 is mounted on the breast, the pad 15 can be mounted on the breast without the user feeling uncomfortable. Further, in a state where the internal space of the breast pad 10 is set to a negative pressure, the breast part is stimulated because the thick part 17 protrudes toward the inner peripheral surface (milk pad surface) 15b side of the pad 15 in close contact with the breast. Therefore, a kind of massage effect can be obtained by alternately switching the pressure state in the milk pad 10 between normal pressure and negative pressure, and milking can be performed more effectively. In this embodiment, the thick portion 17 is provided at a plurality of locations along the circumferential direction of the pad 15, but is not particularly limited thereto. For example, the thick portion 17 is provided over the entire circumference of the pad 15. Can also be provided in an annular shape.

  The upper lid portion 11 is fixed to the base portion 9 by fitting the lower end portion 11a to the upper opening end 9a with the partition film 8 sandwiched between the lower end portion 11a and the upper opening end 9a of the base portion 9. An upper opening 19 is formed on the top of the upper lid 11 toward the side opposite to the bottle 3, and a rubber ball 6 is attached to the upper opening 19 via a tube 5. In this embodiment, the upper lid portion 11 has a substantially dome shape in which the top portion is shifted to the outer diameter side. For example, the upper lid portion 11 may have a hemispherical shape with the top portion positioned at the center. Various shapes can be taken.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the partition film 8 is a thin-film elastic body having a bottomed cylindrical shape. The material of the partition film 8 is, for example, flexible and odorless. Silicon rubber or polypropylene is used. The partition membrane 8 is configured to fit the flange portion 18 formed on the peripheral edge of the partition membrane 8 to the upper opening end 9a of the base portion 9, and to be sandwiched between the upper lid portion 11 connected to the tube 5 and the milking head 4. Is fixed in the milking head 4. Thereby, the space in the milking head 4 is divided into a first space 20 including the internal space of the milk pad 10 and a second space 21 communicating only with the space inside the rubber ball 6 via the tube 5. Is done.

  The milking head 4 is provided with an opening / closing mechanism 22 that opens or closes the second space 21 with respect to the external space. In this embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, the opening / closing mechanism 22 is attached to the outer periphery of the upper lid 11, the side opening 23 formed toward the outer diameter side, and the side opening 23. It is comprised with the elastic body 24 which open | releases the 2nd space 21 outside by carrying out elastic deformation by operation from. The elastic body 24 is formed of, for example, a rubber cap 25 having a bottomed cylindrical shape and a through hole 25a formed on the side surface thereof, and is attached to the side opening 23 so as to cover the hole 26 communicating with the second space 21. It is done. When the rubber cap 25 is attached to the side opening 23 and the rubber cap 25 is pushed toward the inner diameter side, a gap is formed between the inner periphery of the rubber cap 25 and the outer periphery of the side opening 23 ( For example, the state of the one-dot chain line in FIG. The second space 21 is opened to the external space through the through hole 25a and the hole 26 of the rubber cap 25 facing the gap. Therefore, when the atmospheric pressure in the second space 21 is smaller than the external atmospheric pressure, the outside air flows into the second space 21. In addition to the example illustrated in this embodiment, the opening / closing mechanism 22 may be configured by, for example, a push button and a valve communicating with the hole 26 by opening / closing in conjunction with the button. Or it can also be comprised with the cover which is attached to the side opening part 23 provided with the hole 26 so that rotation is possible, and adjusts the communication state (inflow / outflow amount) of the exterior and the hole 26 by rotation.

  Next, the operation of the breast pump 1 will be described.

  When the rubber ball 6 is compressed in a state where the rubber cap 25 is pressed, the air pushed out from the rubber ball 6 flows into the second space 21 surrounded by the partition film 8 and the upper lid portion 11 through the tube 5, and further the holes 26 is discharged to the outside through a through hole 25 a of the rubber cap 25. In this state, the partition film 8 is in a neutral position (a solid line position in FIG. 1) as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the pressed state of the rubber cap 25 is released to close the second space 21 and the external space, and then the compressed state of the rubber ball 6 is released. Thereby, the air in the second space 21 flows into the space in the rubber ball 6, the inside of the second space 21 is in a negative pressure state, and the partition film 8 moves to the second space 21 side ( The position of the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1) The second space 21 contracts. As a result, the first space 20 expands by the amount of contraction of the second space 21 and changes to a negative pressure state. Therefore, the first space 20 is pressed against the breast pad 10 in advance (the pad 15 attached to the milk pad 10). The breast (which is in close contact with) is sucked into the first space 20 together with the nipple, and the milk is milked.

  Next, when the rubber ball 6 is compressed, the air pushed out from the rubber ball 6 flows into the second space 21 via the tube 5 and moves the partition film 8 to the first space 20 side. Thereby, the check valve 13 of the partition member 12 interposed between the bottle 3 and the milking head 4 is pushed open together with the breast milk in which the compressed air in the first space 20 is milked, and flows into the bottle 3. . In this way, the milked milk is stored in the bottle 3 by repeating the compression and decompression of the rubber balls 6. The air flowing into the bottle 3 together with the breast milk passes through the radial groove 14 provided on the lower surface of the flange 12a of the partition member 12, and further passes through a slight gap in the screw fitting portion between the bottle 3 and the milking head 4. It passes through and is discharged to the outside space. Therefore, the inside of the bottle 3 is always kept at normal pressure. Moreover, although the clearance of the screw fitting part of the bottle 3 and the milking head 4 does not have airtightness, it is vacant to the extent that it has watertightness. Therefore, even if the bottle 3 rolls over, the breast milk in the bottle 3 does not flow out through the screw fitting portion.

  As described above, the partition film 8 is provided in the milking head 4, and the space in the milking head 4 communicates with the first space 20 including the milk pad 10 and the rubber ball 6 through the tube 5. By dividing into the space 21, the space in the milk pad 10 and the space in the rubber ball 6 are separated. Therefore, milked milk can be prevented from flowing into the rubber ball 6, and the hygienic condition of the breast milk can be kept clean. In addition, since the air sent from the rubber ball 6 toward the second space 21 does not flow into the breast milk inflow path (space) from the milk pad 10 to the bottle 3 via the first space 20, It is possible to prevent the air in the rubber balls 6 from touching the milk that has been milked.

  Moreover, by interposing the partition member 12 between the bottle 3 and the milking head 4, the inside of the bottle 3 and the inside of the milking head 4 are divided, and the volume in the neutral state of the first space that generates negative pressure is increased. Decrease. Thereby, the expansion ratio with respect to the original volume (the volume in the same pressure state as the 2nd space 21) of the 1st space 20 can be raised, and a big negative pressure can be generated in the 1st space 20. Furthermore, since the milking head 4 is provided with the opening / closing mechanism 22 that opens or closes the second space 21 with respect to the external space, the second space can be operated by operating the opening / closing mechanism 22 and the rubber ball 6 in the order described above. The inside of 21 can be made into a negative pressure state, and the expansion volume of the 1st space 20 can be increased. Moreover, since the rubber ball 6 can be compressed with a slight force by putting the second space 21 and the rubber ball 6 in a negative pressure state, milking is performed while reducing the physical burden on the user. Can do. In the illustrated example, the opening / closing mechanism 22 is provided in the upper lid portion 11 of the milking head 4. However, as long as the opening / closing mechanism 22 can open or close the second space 21 with respect to the external space, For example, the mounting portion 27 between the rubber ball 6 and the tube 5 can be provided not only on the upper lid portion 11 but also on other portions.

  Further, by compressing the rubber ball 6 and sending air into the second space 21, the partition film 8 is greatly expanded toward the first space 20, and the air within the first space 20 is moved toward the partition member 12. While being pushed in, it is also pushed into the milk pad 10 side. Thereby, the breast pressed against the breast pad 10 is pushed by the air pushed toward the breast pad 10 side. Thus, according to the present invention, during milking, it is possible to repeatedly give a stimulus such as sucking and pushing the breast, so that a very high massage effect can be obtained and milking can be performed efficiently. Become.

  As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, the breast pump which concerns on this invention is not restricted to the said embodiment, For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the partition film | membrane 8 shown in FIG. It can also be set as the hollow expansion-contraction body 28 provided. The stretchable body 28 generates a negative pressure in the milking head 4 by performing a stretching operation in a direction along the bellows portion. Therefore, it is preferable to appropriately determine the material, thickness, internal volume, and the like of the stretchable body 28 to such an extent that the negative pressure generated in the milking head 4 does not interfere with the stretching operation of the stretchable body 28. In addition to the above, for example, the power source may be used as the discharge device 7, but the discharge device 7 may be configured by using a cylinder as a component. The plane forms a plane that partitions the second space.

  FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a breast pump 31 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment, the milking device 31 according to this embodiment includes the tube 5 and the rubber ball 6 attached to the second space 21 via the tube 5. First, the discharge device 7 is constituted by an electric pump 35 including a motor 32 driven by the supply of power from the power source 32 and a pump space 34 that expands and contracts as the motor 33 is driven. Different from form. Of these, the pump space 34 is not shown (for details, see, for example, JP-A-2004-048686), but is connected to the rotating shaft of the motor 33 and vibrates as the motor 33 is driven. The diaphragm plate is disposed between the diaphragm plate and the diaphragm plate disposed in the pump 35. For example, in the diaphragm plate, air is supplied from the second space 21 to the pump space 34 when the pump space 34 is expanded. A check valve for drawing in and a check valve for releasing the air in the pump space 34 to the outside when the pump space 34 is contracted are provided. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 36 denotes a push button, 37 denotes an opening / closing mechanism that opens the second space 21 to the outside by pressing the push button 36, and 38 denotes a change-over switch that switches the on / off state of the motor 33. Each is shown.

  Next, the operation of the breast pump 31 will be described.

  The motor 33 is driven by operating the changeover switch 38 to bring the power source 32 and the motor 33 into the conductive state. As the motor 33 is driven, the diaphragm connected to the rotation shaft of the motor 33 vibrates, and the pump space 34 formed between the diaphragm and the diaphragm plate is expanded and contracted. When the pump space 34 is expanded, air is drawn into the pump space 34 from the second space 21 by a check valve provided in the diaphragm plate, and when the pump space 34 is contracted, air is supplied from the second space 21 to the pump space 34. The air in the pump space 34 is discharged to the outside by a check valve different from the check valve to be drawn. As a result, the air in the second space 21 is continuously discharged to the outside through the pump space 34, the inside of the second space 21 is in a negative pressure state, and the partition film 8 is on the second space 21 side. (The position of the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3), the second space 21 contracts. As a result, the first space 20 expands by the amount of contraction of the second space 21 and changes to a negative pressure state. Therefore, the first space 20 is pressed against the breast pad 10 in advance (the pad 15 attached to the milk pad 10). The breast (which is in close contact with) is sucked into the first space 20 together with the nipple, and the milk is milked.

  When the push button 36 is pressed (manually operating the opening / closing mechanism 37) to connect the second space 21 and the outside, normal pressure outside air flows into the second space 21 in the negative pressure state, and the partition membrane 8 is Move to the first space 20 side. Thereby, the compressed air in the first space 20 pushes open the check valve 13 of the partition member 12 interposed between the bottle 3 and the milking head 4 together with the milk that has been milked. Flows in. In this way, the milky milk is stored in the bottle 3 by repeatedly switching the second space 21 between the negative pressure state and the normal pressure state.

  As described above, when the electric pump 35 is used, since a switching operation is sufficient to perform the exhaust operation, the rubber ball 6 is compressed, so that the physical burden on the user is reduced and milking is easily performed. It can be performed. Further, similarly to the first embodiment, the partition film 8 is formed by dividing the space in the breast pad 10 (first space 20) and the space in the pump 35 (second space 21) that can communicate with the outside. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the milked milk from flowing into the pump 35 or prevent the air and the outside air in the pump 35 from coming into contact with the milked milk in a cleaner state. Milking can be performed.

  In this embodiment, the user operates the opening / closing mechanism 37 (presses the push button 36) to return the second space 21 to normal pressure. However, the first space 20 has a predetermined value. When the pressure is reduced to a pressure, pressure adjusting means 39 may be provided to automatically bring the second space 21 into communication with the outside so that the pressure in the second space 21 is restored to the normal pressure or increased to a predetermined pressure. Is possible. The pressure adjustment means 39 includes a detection unit 40 that detects the pressure state of the first space 20, and an opening / closing mechanism 41 that switches the communication state between the second space 21 and the outside based on the detection result of the detection unit 40. Composed. For example, the detection unit 40 may detect the pressure state of the first space 20 indirectly by detecting the position or displacement of the partition film 8 in the milking head 4. In this embodiment, for example, FIG. As shown, the contact type detection member 42 detects the position or displacement of the partition film 8 by being brought into contact with the partition film 8. In this case, the detection member 42 is mechanically or electrically linked to the detection member 42 at the time of contact between the detection member 42 and the partition film 8 moved to a predetermined position in the milking head 4 (a position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4). The opening / closing mechanism 41 automatically connects the second space 21 and the outside, and when the detection member 42 and the partition film 8 are not in contact with each other, the opening / closing mechanism 41 automatically closes the second space 21 and the outside. It is done. In the illustrated example, the detection unit 40 is a contact-type detection member 42 that detects the position of the partition film 8. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the position or displacement of the partition film 8 is not illustrated. It can also be set as the non-contact-type detection part (a displacement sensor is included) detected by non-contact. Further, by using a detection unit (including a pressure sensor) that directly detects the pressure state in the first space 20, it may be detected that the first space 20 has fallen below a predetermined pressure value. .

  As described above, according to the pressure adjusting means 39, a so-called “pulsation effect” that moves the pressure state of the first space 20 up and down at a constant rhythm is obtained, so that the breast is effectively massaged at a constant rhythm. Can make breast milk easier. In addition, since the open / closed state of the second space with respect to the outside is automatically switched according to the pressure state in the second space 21, the manual opening / closing mechanism 37 can be omitted, and more easily. Milking can be performed. Of course, as an emergency avoiding means, a manual opening / closing mechanism 37 may be provided separately from the pressure adjusting means 39.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the breast pump which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the modification of 1st Embodiment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the breast pump which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the modification of 2nd Embodiment. It is an expanded sectional view around a milk pad. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the conventional milking machine.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 31 Milking machine 3 Bottle 4 Milking head 7 Discharge device 8 Partition membrane 10 Milking part 13 Check valve 15 Pad 17 Thick part 20 First space 21 Second space 22 Opening / closing mechanism

Claims (1)

It is made of an elastic material that has a portion that expands in a trumpet shape, and the inside can alternately switch between a negative pressure state and a natural state, and a portion that expands in a trumpet shape. attached to part the outer peripheral edge, and the breast pump and a pad housed in the inner diameter side of the milk contacting portion,
A thick part formed thicker than other places is provided at multiple places in the circumferential direction of the trumpet-shaped part of the pad,
In the natural state , the thick part of the pad protrudes from the outer diameter side and the inner diameter side to the milking part side, and a gap is formed between the pad and the milking part ,
By switching the inside of the breast pad to a negative pressure state, the pad is elastically deformed by the negative pressure generated in the gap, and the thick part is pushed into contact with the breast pad and protruded toward the breast. Featuring milking machine.

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