US-20260124347-A1 - Breast Pump Driving Apparatus

Abstract

A breast pump driving apparatus is provided. A stepper motor is provided at a housing having an open end through a bracket; an output shaft of the stepper motor is a screw and connected to a piston through a screw nut; the other end of the housing is provided with an air tube joint and a one-way valve to cooperate with an inner cavity of the housing to generate different air pressures; and the bracket is provided with a muffling airway for reducing working noise. The breast pump driving apparatus changes the air pressure by driving the piston to move through the stepper motor and the screw-nut pair, achieving precise action and stable suction, and avoiding flow attenuation, thereby ensuring accurate suction and improving user comfort. The breast pump driving apparatus has good working stability and low requirements for airtightness, reduces the failure rate, and improves the convenience of use.

Inventors

• Jinxiang Ni
• Xianwen WANG
• Haoyuan LI

Assignees

• Guangdong Youju Advanced New Materials Co., Ltd.
• GUANGDONG GOLDEN BABY HEALTH SUPPLIES CO., LTD

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20230627

Priority Date

20221008

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A breast pump driving apparatus, comprising a housing, wherein the housing is cylindrical and has an open end, and a stepper motor is provided at the open end of the housing through a bracket; the housing is provided with a hood for covering the stepper motor; an output shaft of the stepper motor is a screw; a piston moving along an inner wall of the housing is threaded to the screw through a screw nut; an end of the housing facing away from the stepper motor is provided with an air tube joint; and the air tube joint is provided with a through hole communicated with an inner cavity of the housing.
2. 2 . The breast pump driving apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the end of the housing facing away from the stepper motor is provided with an exhaust hole; the exhaust hole is provided with a one-way valve for allowing only air to be discharged outward; a limit switch is provided in the housing; the stepper motor is started to drive the piston to move to a set position; and when the limit switch detects that the piston is in place, a control system starts working.
3. 3 . The breast pump driving apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the one-way valve comprises a flexible diaphragm and a pressure plate for fixing the flexible diaphragm to the housing; the flexible diaphragm is annular, and a sealing part is provided at a middle of the flexible diaphragm and configured to seal the exhaust hole of the housing; the pressure plate is pressed against an annular edge of the flexible diaphragm; the flexible diaphragm is provided with a diaphragm hole located between the annular edge and the scaling part; and the pressure plate is provided with a pressure plate hole for communicating inner and outer sides.
4. 4 . The breast pump driving apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the piston comprises a piston rod and a piston head; an end of the piston rod is provided with a piston hole for the screw to extend into; and the screw nut is fixedly provided at the piston hole.
5. 5 . The breast pump driving apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein a side wall of the piston head is provided with an annular positioning groove recessed inwardly; a sealing ring is provided in the annular positioning groove; and the sealing ring hermetically abuts against the inner wall of the housing.
6. 6 . The breast pump driving apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the bracket is sleeved on the piston rod a positioning slot and a positioning rib cooperating with each other are provided between an inner side of the bracket and an outer wall of the piston rod; and the positioning slot and the positioning rib are parallel to an axial direction of the housing.
7. 7 . The breast pump driving apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein an end of the bracket is hermetically connected to the open end of the housing; a muffling airway is provided in the end of the bracket and configured to reduce a volume of noise; and sides of the end of the bracket facing and away from the piston are respectively provided with an airway inlet and an airway outlet, wherein the airway inlet and the airway outlet are communicated with the muffling airway.
8. 8 . The breast pump driving apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the muffling airway comprises a plurality of muffling chambers, wherein the plurality of muffling chambers are sequentially connected, and a tail-end muffling chamber is communicated with the airway outlet; walls of all the muffling chambers facing the airway inlet are respectively provided with muffling holes; and all the muffling holes face respective outer sides of the muffling chambers.
9. 9 . The breast pump driving apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein each muffling chamber of the plurality of muffling chambers comprises “<”-shaped walls facing and away from the airway inlet upper and lower ends of the “<”-shaped wall are respectively connected to inner and outer walls of the muffling chamber; the muffling hole is located in an upper part of the “<”-shaped wall; a midpoint position of the “<”-shaped wall of the muffling chamber facing away from the airway inlet is provided with a muffling plate extending towards the inner wall of the muffling chamber; a gap is formed between the muffling plate and the inner wall of the muffling chamber; and a width of the gap is smaller than or equal to one tenth of a width of the muffling chamber.
10. 10 . The breast pump driving apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the airway outlet is located at a bottom of the tail-end muffling chamber adjacent to an outer wall of the tail-end muffling chamber; the lower end of the “<”-shaped wall of the tail-end muffling chamber facing the airway inlet is provided with a partition extending towards another wall.
11. 11 . The breast pump driving apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the piston comprises a piston rod and a piston head; an end of the piston rod is provided with a piston hole for the screw to extend into; and the screw nut is fixedly provided at the piston hole.
12. 12 . The breast pump driving apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein a side wall of the piston head is provided with an annular positioning groove recessed inwardly; a sealing ring is provided in the annular positioning groove; and the sealing ring hermetically abuts against the inner wall of the housing.
13. 13 . The breast pump driving apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the bracket is sleeved on the piston rod; a positioning slot and a positioning rib cooperating with each other are provided between an inner side of the bracket and an outer wall of the piston rod; and the positioning slot and the positioning rib are parallel to an axial direction of the housing.
14. 14 . The breast pump driving apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the piston comprises a piston rod and a piston head; an end of the piston rod is provided with a piston hole for the screw to extend into; and the screw nut is fixedly provided at the piston hole.
15. 15 . The breast pump driving apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein a side wall of the piston head is provided with an annular positioning groove recessed inwardly; a sealing ring is provided in the annular positioning groove; and the sealing ring hermetically abuts against the inner wall of the housing.
16. 16 . The breast pump driving apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the bracket is sleeved on the piston rod; a positioning slot and a positioning rib cooperating with each other are provided between an inner side of the bracket and an outer wall of the piston rod; and the positioning slot and the positioning rib are parallel to an axial direction of the housing.
17. 17 . The breast pump driving apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein an end of the bracket is hermetically connected to the open end of the housing; a muffling airway is provided in the end of the bracket and configured to reduce a volume of noise; and sides of the end of the bracket facing and away from the piston are respectively provided with an airway inlet and an airway outlet, wherein the airway inlet and the airway outlet are communicated with the muffling airway.
18. 18 . The breast pump driving apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the muffling airway comprises a plurality of muffling chambers, wherein the plurality of muffling chambers are sequentially connected, and a tail-end muffling chamber is communicated with the airway outlet; walls of all the muffling chambers facing the airway inlet are respectively provided with muffling holes; and all the muffling holes face respective outer sides of the muffling chambers.
19. 19 . The breast pump driving apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein each muffling chamber of the plurality of muffling chambers comprises “<”-shaped walls facing and away from the airway inlet; upper and lower ends of the “<”-shaped wall are respectively connected to inner and outer walls of the muffling chamber; the muffling hole is located in an upper part of the “<”-shaped wall; a midpoint position of the “<”-shaped wall of the muffling chamber facing away from the airway inlet is provided with a muffling plate extending towards the inner wall of the muffling chamber; a gap is formed between the muffling plate and the inner wall of the muffling chamber; and a width of the gap is smaller than or equal to one tenth of a width of the muffling chamber.
20. 20 . The breast pump driving apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein the airway outlet is located at a bottom of the tail-end muffling chamber adjacent to an outer wall of the tail-end muffling chamber; the lower end of the “<”-shaped wall of the tail-end muffling chamber facing the airway inlet is provided with a partition extending towards another wall.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO THE RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is the national phase entry of International Application No. PCT/CN 2023/102833, filed on Jun. 27, 2023, which is based upon and claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202211230322.6, filed on Oct. 8, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a breast pump, and in particular to a driving apparatus in a breast pump. BACKGROUND Breast pumps are designed to extract milk from breasts, and are categorized into manual and electric types. As a critical component of the electric breast pump, an air pump is configured to control air pressure. Prior air pumps typically include direct current motor (DCM)-driven diaphragm air pumps and gear-reduction DCM-driven piston pumps. In the DCM-driven diaphragm air pump, the DCM rotates to squeeze and pull the diaphragm, thereby driving air flow and creating a negative pressure in the enclosed space connected to the air inlet. In the gear-reduction DCM-driven piston pump, the DCM rotates forward and backward to drive the screw to move, thereby achieving reciprocating motion of the cylinder. The DCM-driven diaphragm air pump has a small air flow rate, and there is significant flow attenuation during the increase of the negative pressure, making it hard for the air pump to meet the operational need for large and precise suction. In addition, due to poor working stability, the DCM-driven diaphragm air pump cannot guarantee stable suction and working accuracy, thereby leading to poor user experience. The gear-reduction DCM-driven piston pump has a complex structure and a high failure rate, and its operation requires extremely high air tightness for various parts of the breast pump. When the breast pump is in use, a slight deviation in the fit between the flange of the milk bottle and the breast can cause program malfunctions, resulting in the inability of the breast pump to function. In addition, in prior breast pumps, the motor of the air pump is connected to the piston of the cylinder through the gear set and the speed changer, and the rotation angle of the motor is detected by the grating, resulting in low working accuracy and high noise. Moreover, the structure can easily cause an imbalance of negative pressure inside the air pump, thereby affecting the motor speed. Furthermore, the high-speed DCM has a short carbon brush life and is prone to sparking faults. SUMMARY An objective of the present invention is to provide a breast pump driving apparatus with a simple structure and accurate and stable operation, in order to improve the accuracy and comfort of breast pumping operations. In the present invention, the breast pump driving apparatus includes a housing that is cylindrical and has an open end, where a motor is provided at the open end of the housing through a bracket; the housing is provided with a hood for covering the stepper motor; the motor is a stepper motor; an output shaft of the stepper motor is a screw; a piston moving along an inner wall of the housing is threaded to the screw through a screw nut; an end of the housing facing away from the stepper motor is provided with an air tube joint; and the air tube joint is provided with a through hole communicated with an inner cavity of the housing. Furthermore, the end of the housing facing away from the stepper motor is provided with an exhaust hole; the exhaust hole is provided with a one-way valve for allowing only air to be discharged outward; a limit switch is provided in the housing; the stepper motor is started to drive the piston to move to a set position; and when the limit switch detects that the piston is in place, a control system starts working. Furthermore, the one-way valve includes a flexible diaphragm and a pressure plate for fixing the diaphragm to the housing; the diaphragm is annular, and a sealing part is provided at a middle of the diaphragm and configured to seal the exhaust hole of the housing; the pressure plate is pressed against an annular edge of the diaphragm; the diaphragm is provided with a diaphragm hole located between the edge and the sealing part; and the pressure plate is provided with a pressure plate hole for communicating inner and outer sides. Furthermore, the piston includes a piston rod and a piston head; an end of the piston rod is provided with a piston hole for the screw to extend into; and the screw nut is fixedly provided at the piston hole. Furthermore, a side wall of the piston head is provided with an annular positioning groove recessed inwardly; a sealing ring is provided in the positioning groove, and the sealing ring hermetically abuts against the inner wall of the housing. Furthermore, the bracket is sleeved on the piston rod; a positioning slot and a positioning rib cooperating with each other are provided between an inner side of the bracket and an outer wall of the piston rod; and the positioning slot and the posit