JPH0410344B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a breast pump for expressing breast milk from the breast of a pregnant woman.

[Prior art and its problems] In general, this type of breast pump has a tubular member whose one end is flared out and connected to a container such as a baby bottle, and the enlarged part of the tubular member is applied to the breast, Milk is expressed by sucking the air inside the container and tubular member using a suction device such as a diaphragm-type electric suction pump or a hollow rubber grip-operated suction pump with an exhaust valve to create a negative pressure state. Things were known.

However, since this conventional breast pump uses a suction pump to suction unilaterally, it places a burden on the breasts, and the suction force cannot be adjusted depending on individual differences. We filed a patent application for a breast pump that can be finely adjusted.
60-233309, filed on October 21, 1985).

The pressure regulating means in this invention adjusts the pressure inside the tubular member by having the valve body close or open a vent provided in the valve seat. Due to surface contact, delicate pressure adjustment measures are difficult, and the valve body built into the breast pump is extremely small.
There were problems such as variations in the shape of the spherical surface during manufacturing, resulting in uneven contact between the valve seat and the valve body depending on the product, which hindered improvement in product precision.

In other words, the relationship between the pressure adjustment knob and the change in suction pressure is preferably such that the rotation of the knob is proportional to the change in suction pressure, as shown by the thin line in Figure 4, but in reality, as shown by the dotted line, the relationship is constant. It changes rapidly in the range (adjustment knob 4~
8.5). This causes pain and discomfort to the breasts.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention aims to reduce the burden on the pregnant woman and to change the adjustment knob and suction pressure as shown by the solid line, which is closer to the ideal curve shown by the thin line. The purpose of this device is to provide a breast pump that can reliably finely adjust the suction force during suction, and includes a tubular member having a breast abutment at one end and a lid portion onto which a container is screwed at the other end. , consisting of a suction device that suctions air within the tubular member, and a connecting member that removably connects the tubular member and the suction device,
A breast pump which is attached to the connecting member with a pressure adjusting means for adjusting the pressure inside the tubular member, and which is attached to a container for storing breast milk flowing into the tubular member,
A valve seat in which the pressure adjusting means can adjust its resting position in the axial direction while being prevented from rotating within a tube attached to the connecting member; and a biasing member whose biasing force changes depending on the fixed position of the valve seat. a valve body having a tapered portion that is biased in a direction against external pressure by the valve body and comes into line contact with a shoulder portion that is perpendicular to the cross section of the valve seat; and a cam member provided with a cam surface having a spiral click that presses the valve body, and the valve element is intermittently brought into contact with the valve seat due to the pressure difference between the pressure inside the tubular member and the outside air pressure. It is characterized in that the condition is released and outside air is allowed to flow into the tubular member.

[Example] An example of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway front view showing a state where each component and device of the breast pump according to the present invention are connected;
FIG. 2 is a cutaway front view showing the structure of the pressure adjusting means attached to the connecting member, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cam member.

In the figure, numeral 10 is a tubular member, at one end of which a breast rest part 11 is formed which expands in the shape of a flap.
A lid part 13 is provided at one end with a joint part 12 for connecting to the container 20, and the lid part 1
3 has a joint 14 for attaching a connecting member 30.
is formed. Reference numeral 15 denotes a passage that communicates the inside of the tubular member 10 with the inside of the container 20, and the air and breast milk inside the tubular member 10 are sucked into the container 20 through this passage 15.

The container 20 has an opening at the top, and a boss 21 is formed protruding around the opening.
It has a configuration in which a thread 22 into which the joint portion 12 is screwed is formed on the outer periphery. In addition, 2 in the figure
3 is a packing interposed between the container 20 and the tubular member 10.

The connecting member 30 has a connecting portion 32 that engages with the joint portion 14 formed at one end of a cylindrical connecting member main body 31, and a connecting groove 33 to which a suction device to be described later is connected is formed at the other end. In addition, a pressure adjusting means 40 is attached integrally with the connecting member main body 31.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pressure adjusting means 40 includes a shoulder portion 42 inside a tube 41 that communicates with the hollow portion of the connecting member main body 31, and on a contact surface with a valve body 43, which will be described later.
A valve seat 42 with a cross-sectional shape perpendicular to a is provided, and a valve body 43 closes or opens a vent hole 42b provided in the valve seat 42, thereby blocking or inflowing outside air and reducing the pressure inside the tubular member 10. This is to adjust the Therefore, the valve seat 42 and the valve body 43 come into line contact in a ring shape through the shoulder portion 42a and the tapered portion. The valve seat 42 is movable in the axial direction along a spline 44 formed between the valve seat 42 and the inner wall of the tube 41, and is therefore prevented from rotating, but its movement is limited by the compression spring 45 and the cam member 46. It is prevented by. The cam member 46 is
It is rotatably attached to one end of the tube 41, and has a spiral cam surface 46a formed on the end surface.
6b is carved radially.

Further, an outside air inlet hole 4 is provided in the center of the cam member 46.
6c is drilled. A protrusion 42c that contacts the cam surface 46a is provided at the base end of the valve seat 42, and the resting position of the valve seat 42 is adjusted in stages by a cam mechanism composed of the protrusion 42c and the cam surface 46a. It's becoming possible. The valve body 43 has a pin-shaped part 43a on the front surface that fits into the vent hole 42b of the valve seat 42, and has a tapered surface that contacts the shoulder part 42a of the valve seat 42, and serves as a biasing member. It is biased by a compression spring 47 in a direction against the external air pressure, and is constantly in contact with the shoulder portion 42a of the valve seat 42 with this biasing force.

The material of the tapered part of the valve body 43 is as follows:
An elastic material is used to ensure contact with the shoulder portion 42a of the valve seat 42 and to improve processing accuracy.
Since the amount of deflection of the compression spring 47 changes depending on the resting position of the valve seat 42, the biasing force can be adjusted by adjusting the position of the valve seat 42 as the cam member 46 is rotated.

Furthermore, the pressure regulating means 40 is provided with a negative pressure release member 48 that presses the valve body 43 to immediately release the state in which the valve body 43 contacts the valve seat 42 . That is, the negative pressure release member 48 has a tip that can come into contact with the pin-shaped portion 43a of the valve body 43 through an outside air inflow hole 46c formed in the center of the cam member 46, and presses the base end head 48a. When operated, the pin-shaped portion 43a and the valve body 43 are pressed, the valve body 43 is separated from the shoulder portion 42a of the valve seat 42, and outside air immediately flows into the tubular member 10. Note that 49 in the figure is an O-ring that prevents outside air from flowing in through the gap between the tube 41 and the valve seat 42.

50 in the figure is a diaphragm type electric suction pump as a suction device, and its connecting portion engages with the connecting groove 33 of the connecting member 30 and is attached. In addition, diaphragm type electric suction pump 5
The internal structure of the 0 is the same as the conventional one, and briefly, air in a suction chamber provided with an exhaust valve and an air supply valve is made to flow and suctioned by the beating of a diaphragm.

Next, the operation of the breast pump according to the present invention will be explained.

As shown in FIG. 1, after connecting and assembling each component and device, the breast part 11 of the tubular member 10 is applied to the breast, and the diaphragm electric suction pump 50 is
When activated, the air inside the tubular member 10 is sucked through the connecting member 30 to create a negative pressure state, and the negative pressure sucks the breast and milk flows out. The spilled breast milk flows into the container 20 and is stored therein.

To adjust the pressure within the tubular member 10, the cam member 46 is rotated to align the valve seat 42 against the valve body 43.
The contact pressure between the shoulder portion 42a of the valve seat 42 and the valve body 43 may be changed by changing the urging force of the valve body 43.

When the negative pressure inside the tubular member 10 exceeds a desired level, the valve body 43 is pulled to the left in the figure due to the pressure difference between the pressure inside the tubular member 10 and the outside air pressure, and the outside air is forced through the outside air inflow hole 46c or through the outside air inflow hole 46c. It flows into the tubular member 10 through the pores 42b and reduces the negative pressure. Therefore, the cam member 46 can maintain a negative pressure state in which the selected breast does not feel pain. Furthermore, the valve body 43 when the negative pressure increases
Since the separating action is performed intermittently, the pressure is adjusted in a pulsating manner, providing a pleasant stimulation to the breast as if it were being sucked by an infant, thereby making it possible to further smooth the outflow of breast milk.

When you feel sudden pain in your breast or when milking is finished, press the negative pressure release member 48 to release the contact between the shoulder of the valve seat 42 and the tapered part of the valve body 43, and release the tubular member. If the negative pressure inside 10 is removed, the breast pump can be quickly removed from the breast.

When cleaning a breast pump, it is sufficient to disassemble each component and device, select only those with dirt such as breast milk residue, and clean them individually. Tubular member 10
Since the container 20 is always in contact with breast milk, it is necessary to wash it every time, but the connection member 30 only needs to be cleaned locally when dirt has adhered, and the suction device 50 only needs to be cleaned by wiping the outside. good.
In this way, cleaning can be carried out in accordance with each component device, so it is possible to prevent deterioration of devices that have complicated structures and metal members, such as the pressure adjustment means 40 and the suction pump 50 in the connection member 30. can be prevented.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the contact between the valve body and the valve seat is a ring-shaped line contact, and the pressure of the shoulder of the valve seat against the valve body is slightly changed. Moreover, simply by pulling the valve body by the negative pressure inside the tubular member, the valve seat is repeatedly closed and opened intermittently, allowing for comfortable and smooth milking. Because it has a spiral shape and has radial clicks carved into it, it is possible to adjust the pressure step by step.Moreover, compared to stepless adjustment, it is easier to maintain the adjusted pressure state, and the pressure remains the same as the previous one. It has many advantages as a breast pump, such as being able to easily align the position to obtain the pressure state, and realizing a negative pressure state depending on the mother's body.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway front view showing a state where each component and device of the breast pump according to the present invention are connected;
FIG. 2 is a cutaway front view showing the structure of the pressure adjustment means attached to the connecting member, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cam member, and FIG. 4 is a graph showing the relationship between the adjustment knob and the suction pressure. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Tubular member, 20... Container, 30... Connection part, 40... Pressure adjustment means, 42... Valve seat, 4
2a...Shoulder, 43...Valve body, 46...Cam member, 46a...Cam surface, 46b...Click, 4
8...Negative pressure release member, 50...Diaphragm type electric suction pump.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A tubular member that forms a breast part at one end and has a lid part on the other end into which a container is screwed together, a suction device that suctions air within the tubular member, and the tubular member and the suction device are each removable. a connecting member connected to the tubular member, the connecting member is provided with a pressure adjusting means for adjusting the pressure inside the tubular member, and the breast pump is attached to a container for storing breast milk flowing into the tubular member. The means includes a valve seat whose static position in the axial direction can be adjusted while being prevented from rotating within a tube attached to the connecting member, and a biasing member whose biasing force changes depending on the fixed position of the valve seat to reduce the external pressure. a valve body having a tapered portion that is biased in a direction opposed to the valve seat and makes line contact with a shoulder portion that is perpendicular to the cross section of the valve seat; and a valve body that is rotatably attached to one end of the tube and presses the valve seat toward the valve body. and a cam member having a cam surface with a spiral click,
A breast pump characterized in that the valve element is intermittently released from contact with the valve seat due to a pressure difference between the pressure inside the tubular member and the outside air pressure, thereby allowing outside air to flow into the tubular member.