Membrane pump with air release valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9644622-B2
Application number	US-201313936064-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 5, 2013
Priority date	Sep 20, 2004
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

A suction pump, in particular a breast pump, comprises a bleed valve with a bleed opening, a bleed body which seals the bleed opening and an operating means for operating the bleed body. The bleed body may be operated such that upon opening the valve initially only a partial region of the bleed opening is released and subsequently a greater part thereof or the whole bleed opening is released. The suction pump provides a large functionality with the smallest size and, furthermore, is cheap to produce and easily assembled.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A suction pump for generating a vacuum, the suction pump having:
a valve plate, a vacuum membrane which generates the vacuum, and an air release valve, the air release valve having an air release opening, an air release body which can close the air release opening sealingly, and an actuating means for actuating the air release body,
wherein the air release body is an air release membrane, wherein the actuating means is an electromagnet being connected with the air release membrane, and wherein the electromagnet lifts the air release membrane away from the valve plate in such a way that, upon opening of the air release valve, the air release membrane first frees only a partial area of the air release opening and thereafter frees a larger partial area or the air release opening in its entirety.

2. The suction pump as claimed in claim 1 , the suction pump comprising an exhaust, a vacuum attachment and an air release attachment which protrude from an outer housing of the suction pump.

3. The suction pump as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the air release membrane has an edge area which is first removed from the air release opening upon the opening of the air release valve.

4. The suction pump as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the air release membrane is connected to an armature of the electromagnet via a connecting pin, and the connecting pin is connected to the edge area of the air release membrane.

5. The suction pump as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the connecting pin is arranged over a corner of the air release opening.

6. The suction pump as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the connecting pin is integrally formed with the air release membrane.

7. The suction pump as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the connecting pin is arranged perpendicular to the air release membrane.

8. The suction pump as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the air release membrane is made of silicon.

9. The suction pump as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the air release membrane has at least one corner, and the edge area of the air release membrane comprises at least one of the at least one corner.

10. The suction pump as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the air release membrane has a polygonal basic shape.

11. The suction pump as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the air release membrane is substantially plane.

12. A method for operating a suction pump for generating a vacuum, the suction pump having:
a valve plate, a vacuum membrane which generates the vacuum, and an air release valve with an air release body, the air release body being an air release membrane which frees an air release opening at cyclical time intervals and thereafter closes it sealingly again, wherein the suction pump further comprises an electromagnet for actuating the air release membrane, the electromagnet being connected with the air release membrane,
wherein the electromagnet lifts the air release membrane away from the valve plate in such a way that the air release membrane at first frees only a partial area of the air release opening and thereafter frees a larger partial area or the air release opening in its entirety.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the electromagnet at first removes the air release membrane from the air release opening at an edge area.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the electromagnet at first removes the air release membrane at a corner of the air release opening.

15. A suction pump with a vacuum membrane used to generate a vacuum and an air release valve with an air release opening, wherein the air release valve has an air release membrane which closes the air release opening, and wherein the air release membrane and the vacuum membrane are designed integrally in the form of a common membrane plate, wherein the air release membrane is located at a distance to the vacuum membrane, wherein the suction pump comprises an upper housing part which receives a lifting magnet for actuating the air release membrane and receives an electric motor for actuating the vacuum membrane, a middle housing part with an air release membrane seat which is provided for the air release membrane and which surrounds the air release opening, and with a vacuum membrane seat for the vacuum membrane, and a lower housing part for forming a vacuum channel between the air release opening and an inlet opening of the vacuum membrane seat, the common membrane plate being arranged between the upper and middle housing parts, and a valve plate being arranged between the middle and lower housing parts.

16. The suction pump according to claim 15 , wherein a part of the common membrane plate is designed as a safety membrane of a safety valve.

17. The suction pump according to claim 15 , wherein the valve plate and the common membrane plate are substantially plane.

18. The suction pump according to claim 15 , wherein the valve plate and the common membrane plate are made of silicone.

19. The suction pump according to claim 15 , the suction pump comprising an exhaust, a vacuum connecting element and an air release connecting element which protrude from an outer housing of the suction pump.

20. The suction pump according to claim 19 , wherein an exhaust connecting element is formed integrally on the lower housing part and can be connected to the exhaust formed integrally on a connecting part.

Assignees

• Medela Holding Ag

Inventors

• Stutz Alex
• Weber Beda
• Pfenninger Erich

Classifications

• F04B49/10

  Other safety measures · CPC title

• F04B43/0054

  particularities of the flexible members · CPC title

• A61M2205/8206

  battery-operated · CPC title

• A61M1/066

  Inserts therefor · CPC title

• F16K31/0672

  the valve member being a diaphragm · CPC title