Breast pump device and controller for the device, and a control method
AssigneeKoninklijke Philips N.V.
InventorsYannyk Parulian Julian Bourquin, Lili-Marjan Brockhuis, Lucja Elzbieta Segaar
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Abstract
A breast pump device is provided and a controller for operating a pressure source of the breast pump device. A milk flow is monitored during a breast pumping session. The pressure source is controlled in dependence on the flow, thereby to switch, during the breast pumping, between a first pressure profile of the pressure source for a low energy mode and a second pressure profile of the pressure source for an expression mode. The breast pumping session comprises a plurality of time periods with the low energy mode and a plurality of time periods with the expression mode, in order to reduce electrical power consumption.
Claims19
A controller for a breast pump device, wherein the controller is for controlling operation of a pressure source of the breast pump device to apply an under-pressure, the controller comprising:
- an input for receiving an input signal relating to a milk flow during a breast pumping session using the breast pump device, wherein the input signal indicates at least a characterization of a detected milk flow;
- and
- an output for controlling operation of the pressure source in dependence on the input signal, thereby to switch, during the breast pumping, between three modes:
- a low energy mode with a first pressure profile of the pressure source;
- an expression mode with a second pressure profile of the pressure source;
- and
- a stimulation mode with a third, pressure profile of the pressure source wherein the low energy mode has a lower power consumption than the expression mode,
- wherein the output is for controlling operation of the pressure source to follow a sequence comprising the stimulation mode followed by alternating expression modes and low energy modes.
A computer-implemented non-therapeutic method of controlling a breast pump device, the breast pump device comprising at least one breast receiving portion configured to receive a breast of a user and a pressure source coupled to the at least one breast receiving portion and being configured to generate at least an under-pressure, the method comprising:
- receiving an input signal relating to a milk flow during a breast pumping session using the breast pump device, wherein the input signal indicates at least a characterization of a detected milk flow;
- and
- controlling operation of the pressure source in dependence on the input signal, thereby to switch, during the breast pumping, between:
- a low energy mode with a first pressure profile of the pressure source;
- an expression mode with a second pressure profile of the pressure source;
- and
- a stimulation mode with a third, pressure profile of the pressure source wherein the low energy mode has a lower power consumption than the expression mode,
- wherein the method comprises controlling operation of the pressure source to follow a sequence comprising the stimulation mode followed by alternating expression modes and low energy modes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.