Apparatus and method for evacuating a system
First Claim
1. An apparatus for evacuating a collection container, comprising:
- a vacuum pump for generating a decrease of pressure between an inlet and an outlet;
the collection container collecting a first medium to be transported into a reservoir through a first flow path;
a pressure tank storing a second medium to be transported from the pressure tank into an atmosphere through a second flow path;
wherein the pressure tank is arranged to preserve an applied pressure value for a period of time to ensure that the vacuum pump will be able to evacuate to a deeper vacuum in the container than would otherwise be achievable without the assistance of the pressure tank; and
a directional control valve arranged to switch the pressure tank to one of the inlet or the outlet of the vacuum pump,wherein the vacuum pump is configured to transport the first medium out of the container and the second medium out of the pressure tank into the atmosphere while the pressure tank is connected to the inlet of the pump via the directional control valve;
wherein the directional control valve is arranged to switch the pressure tank from the inlet to the outlet of the pump thereby completing the second flow path when the pressure in the pressure tank is determined to be below a predefined threshold, andwherein the predefined threshold is dependent on a characteristic of the pump.
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Abstract
The present invention relates to an apparatus (1) for evacuating a system (3), comprising a pump (5), the pump (5) being suitable for being in connection with the system (3) with its inlet (7), a pressure tank (11) and a directional control valve (13), the pump (5) transporting a medium out of the system (3) and the pressure tank (11) into an ambience when the pressure tank (11) is connected to its inlet (7), wherein the directional control valve (13) is configured to switch the pressure tank (11) from the inlet (7) to the outlet (9) of the pump (5) when a predefined criterion is fulfilled. The present invention further relates to a breast pump (31) device comprising an apparatus (1) for evacuating a system (3) and a receiving funnel (27) for receiving a breast of a woman.
14 Citations
21 Claims
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1. An apparatus for evacuating a collection container, comprising:
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a vacuum pump for generating a decrease of pressure between an inlet and an outlet; the collection container collecting a first medium to be transported into a reservoir through a first flow path; a pressure tank storing a second medium to be transported from the pressure tank into an atmosphere through a second flow path; wherein the pressure tank is arranged to preserve an applied pressure value for a period of time to ensure that the vacuum pump will be able to evacuate to a deeper vacuum in the container than would otherwise be achievable without the assistance of the pressure tank; and a directional control valve arranged to switch the pressure tank to one of the inlet or the outlet of the vacuum pump, wherein the vacuum pump is configured to transport the first medium out of the container and the second medium out of the pressure tank into the atmosphere while the pressure tank is connected to the inlet of the pump via the directional control valve; wherein the directional control valve is arranged to switch the pressure tank from the inlet to the outlet of the pump thereby completing the second flow path when the pressure in the pressure tank is determined to be below a predefined threshold, and wherein the predefined threshold is dependent on a characteristic of the pump. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An apparatus for evacuating a system, the system comprising:
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a vacuum pump for generating a decrease of pressure between an inlet and an outlet; a collection container collecting a first medium to be transported into a reservoir through a first flow path; a pressure tank storing a second medium to be transported from the pressure tank into the atmosphere through a second flow path; wherein the pressure tank is arranged to preserve an applied pressure value for a period of time to ensure that the vacuum pump will be able to evacuate to a deeper vacuum in the container of the system than would otherwise be achievable without the assistance of the pressure tank; and a directional control valve arranged to switch the pressure tank to one of the inlet or the outlet of the vacuum pump, a throughput sensor arranged to determine a throughput on the vacuum pump; wherein the vacuum pump is configured to transport the first medium out of the container and the second medium out of the pressure tank into the reservoir while the pressure tank is connected to the inlet via the directional control valve, wherein the directional control valve is arranged to switch the pressure tank from the inlet to the outlet of the pump in response to the throughput sensor detecting a throughput of the vacuum pump to be below a predefined throughput. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for controlling a breast pump device, comprising
configuring a pump for generating a decrease of pressure in a container and in a pressure tank, transporting a first medium out of the container via the pump into a reservoir along a first flow path; -
transporting a second medium via the pressure tank into an atmosphere along a second flow path when the pressure tank is connected to an inlet of the pump; determining whether a predefined criterion is fulfilled, and configuring a directional control valve to switch the pressure tank from the inlet to an outlet of the pump when the predefined criterion is fulfilled. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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Specification