SENSE A PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSE

• US 20120116298A1
• Filed: 07/16/2010
• Published: 05/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Van Schijndel, Nicolle Hanneke, Thilwind, Rachel Estelle, Krans, Martijn, Tijs, Tim Johannes Willem
• Granted Patent: US 9,173,587 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/74
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0533 Measuring galvanic skin response
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/06 Milking pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/066 Inserts therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/06935 imitating the suckling of an infant
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/0697 having means for massaging the breast
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/06 Heartbeat rate only
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/08 Other bio-electrical signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/18 Rapid eye-movements [REM]
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/50 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/60 Muscle strain, i.e. measured on the user
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/63 Motion, e.g. physical activity
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/65 Impedance, e.g. conductivity, capacity

Abstract

An apparatus comprising a sensing unit configured to detect a physiological response from a user of a breast pump and to trigger a change in an operation of the breast pump in dependence of the detected physiological response, the sensing unit being located separately from a funnel of the breast pump.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a sensing unit (200) configured to detect a physiological response from a user of a breast pump (100) and to trigger a change in an operation of the breast pump in dependence of the detected physiological response, wherein the sensing unit is located separately from a funnel (110) of the breast pump.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein, when the funnel of the breast pump is located against the breast of the user, the sensing unit is configured to detect said physiological response from a body part of the user other than the user'"'"'s breast.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensing unit is configured to detect a milk ejection reflex on the basis of the detected physiological response.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sensing unit is configured to trigger a change in the operation of the breast pump from a let-down mode to an expression mode in response to detecting a milk ejection reflex.

5. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sensing unit comprises a sensor (210) configured to detect said response.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the sensor is an electrodermal sensor configured to detect said response from skin tissue of the user of the breast pump.

7. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the physiological response is a galvanic skin response.

8. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the apparatus further comprises a glove (300) in which the sensor is located.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the glove comprises at least one finger receptacle (310) and the sensor is located in the at least one finger receptacle to contact skin tissue of a hand of the user when inserted into the receptacle.

10. An apparatus according to claim 5, comprising a bracelet (500) on which the sensor is located.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the sensor is located at an exterior of the bracelet to contact the skin tissue of the user when wearing the bracelet.

12. An apparatus according to claim 10 comprising said breast pump (100), the breast pump being configured to change its operation in response to receiving a signal from the sensing unit.

13. A method for controlling the operation of a breast pump (100), comprising:

detecting a physiological response from a user of the breast pump, the response being detected from a body part of the user other than the user'"'"'s breast; and

triggering a change in an operation of the breast pump in dependence of the detected physiological response.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein detecting the physiological response occurs whilst a funnel (110) of the breast pump is located against a breast of the user of the pump.

15. A method according to claim 13, comprising detecting a milk ejection reflex on the basis of the detected physiological response.