Patent Description:
At present, there are many inflatable products on the market. Inflatable products can achieve their due function due to volume expansion when they are full of air, and they can be easily folded and stored or carried out when they are fully deflated. The inflating and deflating device matched with inflatable products comprises pumps, electric pumps, and built-in air pumps. The separate pumps and electric pumps are used to inflate and deflate manually, which are time-consuming and labor-intensive, inconvenient to carry, and troublesome to operate, and they are replaced by a built-in air pump. <CIT> describes an air pump assembly for an inflatable product having an interior, comprising:a housing having a vent hole in fluid communication with the interior of the inflatable product; a cover coupled to the housing, the cover including a plurality of vent openings; and a rotatable assembly supported by the housing, the rotatable assembly comprising a pump housing having a first air vent and a second air vent; an impeller positioned in the pump housing; a motor operatively coupled to the impeller to drive a rotation of the impeller; wherein the rotatable assembly being rotatable to a first position wherein air flows from the first air vent of the pump housing to the second air vent of the pump housing and subsequently through the vent hole in the housing into the interior of the inflatable product and a second position wherein air flows from the interior of the inflatable product through the vent hole in the housing into the first air vent of the pump housing to the second air vent of the pump housing.

The built-in air pump uses a motor to drive a blade to rotate, thereby sucking the outside air into the inflatable product. A closed end of the blade is on the other side of the air inlet, the air at the inlet and outlet are easily channeling, which affects the wind pressure and flow efficiency. In order to improve the low efficiency of the lower closed blade, an upper cover plate is provided in the traditional product, the upper cover plate is fixed to the closed blade through ultrasonic waves, glue dispensing, etc. The closed blade increases the sealing of the blade and improves the efficiency. Exemplary shortcomings include the production process is complicated, the synthesized blades are poorly balanced, and the cost is high.

According to the invention, an air pump assembly for an inflatable product according to claim <NUM> is provided. Preferred embodiments are defined in dependent claims <NUM>-<NUM>.

In an example thereof, the motor may maintain an orientation relative to each of the first air vent of the pump housing and the second air vent of the pump housing when the rotatable assembly is in both the first position and the second position.

In another example thereof, the rotatable assembly may further include a rotating handwheel which extends through an opening in the cover. In a variation thereof, the motor may be captured between the rotating handwheel and the pump housing. In a further variation thereof, the rotating handwheel may maintain an orientation relative to each of the first air vent of the pump housing and the second air vent of the pump housing when the rotatable assembly is in both the first position and the second position.

In a further example thereof, the rotary disc may include a first air vent and a second air vent. The first air vent of the rotary disc may communicate air to the first air vent of the pump housing when the rotatable assembly is in the first position and the first air vent of the rotary disc may receive air from the first air vent of the pump housing when the rotatable assembly is in the second position. In a further variation thereof, the rotating handwheel may maintain an orientation relative to the rotary disc when the rotatable assembly is in both the first position and the second position. In yet a further variation thereof, a sealing ring may be positioned between the rotary disc and the housing and about the vent hole in the housing. In still a further variation thereof, a pressure plate may couple the rotary disc to the housing.

In yet a further example thereof, the impeller may include a circular ring cover plate having a central opening and at least one blade coupled to the circular ring cover plate. In a variation thereof, the impeller may further comprise a baffle extending from the circular ring cover plate in a first direction, the at least one blade extending from the circular ring cover plate in a second direction, the second direction being opposite the first direction. In a further variation thereof, the baffle may be received in a recess in the pump housing. In yet a further variation thereof, the impeller may further comprise at least one attachment blade extending from the baffle.

In still a further example thereof, the rotatable assembly may further includes a circuit board operatively coupled to the motor and a switch operatively coupled to the circuit board to control operation of the motor. In a variation thereof, the cover may include a control plate which cooperates with the switch to control operation of the motor.

Advantages, among others of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, include one or more of the following. An air pump assembly for an inflatable product having a cover plate is moved to the air inlet of the blade, which increases the sealing of the air inlet of the blade, and the air at the inlet and outlet is not easily channeling, which improves the efficiency and the production process is simple. An air pump assembly for an inflatable product having a housing is provided with a USB interface or a Type-C interface for connecting an external power source. In this way, external power sources such as power bank, car cigarette lighter conversion USB connector, etc. can be used to supply power to the air pump assembly. This makes it easier for users to find an external power supply that can be used in various environments, so that the inflatable product can be used in various situations. An air pump assembly for an inflatable product takes into account the detachable structure of the air pump, the storage of the air pump power cord and the setting of the spare inflation interface, so that when the inflatable system is set in the inflator, the rotation of the air pump can be used to achieve multiple working modes such as inflating, stopping, and deflating. An accommodating cavity may be provided on the side of the fixed portion of the housing and may be used as a carrier for the air pump power cord on the one hand and may be further provided with an inflatable interface connected to the inner side of the inflatable product. This inflatable interface can use a manual inflator to inflate the inflatable product when the air pump is not working (such as when there is no external power supply). This makes the application scenarios of the inflatable product more diversified.

Additional features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiment exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.

The foregoing aspects and many of the intended advantages of this disclosure will become more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Although the drawings represent embodiments of various features and components according to the present disclosure, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated in order to better illustrate and explain the present disclosure. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate embodiments of the disclosure, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure in any manner.

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principals of the disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, which are described below. The embodiments disclosed below are not intended to be exhaustive or limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed in the following detailed description. Rather, the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may utilize their teachings. It will be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. The disclosure includes any alterations and further modifications in the illustrative devices and described methods and further applications of the principles of the disclosure which would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the disclosure relates.

In the description, it should be noted that the terms upper, lower, inner, outer, top/bottom, etc. indicating the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation shown in the drawings are only for the convenience of simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the pointed device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the present disclosure. In addition, the terms first and second are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

Referring to <FIG>, an exemplary embodiment of an air pump assembly <NUM> is shown. Air pump assembly <NUM> includes an air pump <NUM> and a housing <NUM>. Referring to <FIG>, air pump assembly <NUM> may be received in an inflatable product <NUM> and be accessible from an exterior of the inflatable product <NUM>. Inflatable product <NUM> is illustratively an inflatable mattress, but may take other forms including inflatable pools, inflatable toys, and other suitable inflatable products.

Referring to <FIG>, air pump <NUM> includes a rotatable assembly <NUM> and an operator actuatable input, illustratively a rotating handwheel <NUM>. Referring to <FIG>, rotating assembly <NUM> includes a motor <NUM>, a pump housing <NUM>, and an impeller <NUM> including at least one blade <NUM>. Pump housing <NUM> may include an upper pump housing <NUM> and a lower pump housing <NUM> which cooperate to form a cavity <NUM> in which impeller <NUM> is positioned. Lower pump housing <NUM> includes a first air vent <NUM> and a second air vent <NUM>. Throughout this application first air vent <NUM> is referred to as an air inlet and second air vent <NUM> is referred to as an air outlet. This corresponds to an inflation operation of air pump <NUM> and during a deflation operation first air vent <NUM> functions as an air outlet and second air vent <NUM> functions as an air inlet.

Referring to <FIG>, in embodiments, rotating assembly <NUM> further includes a rotary disc <NUM> having a first air vent <NUM> and a second air vent <NUM>. Rotary disc <NUM> includes a wall boundary <NUM> which cooperates with a wall boundary <NUM> of lower pump housing <NUM> to form a fluid conduit through which first air vent <NUM> of lower pump housing <NUM> is in fluid communication with first air vent <NUM> of rotary disc <NUM>. Rotary disc <NUM> further includes a wall boundary <NUM> which cooperates with a wall boundary <NUM> of lower pump housing <NUM> to form a fluid conduit through which second air vent <NUM> of lower pump housing <NUM> is in fluid communication with second air vent <NUM> of rotary disc <NUM>. In embodiments, motor <NUM>, upper pump housing <NUM>, lower pump housing <NUM>, and rotary disc <NUM> are connected in sequence from a top side <NUM> of housing <NUM> to a bottom side <NUM> of housing <NUM>.

Motor <NUM> is fixed to an upper end surface <NUM> (see <FIG>) of upper pump housing <NUM>. Impeller <NUM> is arranged in the cavity <NUM> formed by upper pump housing <NUM> and lower pump housing <NUM>.

Pump lower housing <NUM> of pump housing <NUM> and the rotary disc <NUM> form an airway switching device, wherein pump housing <NUM> and the rotary disc <NUM> are respectively provided with air inlets <NUM>, <NUM> and air outlets <NUM>, <NUM>. The airway switch device can make the air inlets <NUM>, <NUM> and the air outlets <NUM>, <NUM> each respectively connected to the first vent hole <NUM> (see <FIG>) at the bottom side <NUM> of the housing <NUM> to realize the functions of inflating and deflating the air pump.

In the illustrated embodiment, motor <NUM>, pump housing <NUM>, and rotary disc <NUM> rotate as a unit <NUM> to connect either air inlets <NUM>, <NUM> to first vent hole <NUM> of pump housing <NUM> in a deflation mode of air pump assembly <NUM> (see <FIG> and <FIG>) or air outlets <NUM>, <NUM> to first vent hole <NUM> of pump housing <NUM> in an inflation mode of air pump assembly <NUM> (see <FIG> and <FIG>). As illustrated herein, unit <NUM> rotates about a vertical axis <NUM>. Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, in the inflation mode, motor <NUM> is generally positioned on a left side of vertical axis <NUM> and in a deflation mode is generally positioned on a right side of vertical axis <NUM>. In the illustrated embodiment, rotating handwheel <NUM> is coupled to unit <NUM> to rotate with unit <NUM>. In embodiments, rotating handwheel <NUM> is coupled to unit <NUM> through a linkage or drive mechanism, such as gears, and does not rotate as a unit with unit <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, in order to realize that rotating handwheel <NUM> drives air pump <NUM> to rotate, an upper side <NUM> of the upper pump housing <NUM> is provided with a plurality of connecting columns <NUM> which align with a plurality of connecting columns <NUM> extending from a lower side <NUM> (see <FIG>) of rotating handwheel <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, a top of connecting columns <NUM> of upper pump housing <NUM> are received in a lower opening in connecting columns <NUM> of rotating handwheel <NUM>. Rotating handwheel <NUM> and upper pump housing <NUM> are fixedly connected by bolts (not shown) or other suitable fasteners. Although the number of connecting columns <NUM> in <FIG> is three, other numbers (for example, <NUM>, <NUM> or more) of connecting columns <NUM> can be set according to the size of the air pump to ensure the synchronous rotation and stable connection of rotating handwheel <NUM> and upper pump housing <NUM>. Further, rotating handwheel <NUM> and upper pump housing <NUM> may further be fixedly connected by means other than a bolt connection, such as a buckle connection.

The upper side <NUM> of upper pump housing <NUM> is further provided with a column <NUM>. A switch base <NUM> is coupled to column <NUM> through an opening <NUM> of column <NUM>. A switch <NUM> is connected with the switch base <NUM>. Switch <NUM> controls an operation of motor <NUM> and thus the operation of air pump assembly <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, a cover <NUM> is shown. Cover <NUM> is received by an opening in housing <NUM> and is secured to housing <NUM>. Cover <NUM> includes an opening <NUM> through which rotating handwheel <NUM> extends and a plurality of vent openings <NUM> through which ambient air passes through cover <NUM>, into pump housing <NUM>, and out through first vent hole <NUM> of housing <NUM> into an interior <NUM> of inflatable product <NUM> in an inflation mode of air pump assembly <NUM> and air passes from interior <NUM> of inflatable product <NUM> through first vent hole <NUM> in housing <NUM>, through pump housing <NUM>, and through cover <NUM> in a deflation mode of air pump assembly <NUM>. Cover <NUM> further includes a control plate <NUM> extending from a lower side <NUM> of cover <NUM>.

Control plate <NUM> interacts with switch <NUM> to control the operation of motor <NUM>. Referring to <FIG>, rotating handwheel <NUM> includes an indicia <NUM> which is generally aligned with switch <NUM>. Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, when air pump assembly <NUM> is in an inflation mode indicia <NUM> is aligned with an inflation indicia <NUM> on an upper side <NUM> of cover <NUM> and switch <NUM> is not depressed by control plate <NUM> of cover <NUM>. When switch is not depressed, the electronic circuitry on circuit board <NUM> supplies electricity to motor <NUM> to power rotation of motor <NUM> and hence impeller <NUM>. As rotating handwheel <NUM> is rotated counterclockwise in direction <NUM>, indica <NUM> comes into alignment with a sealing or off indica <NUM> corresponding to a sealed mode of air pump assembly <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. When rotating handwheel <NUM> is in the position shown in <FIG>, switch <NUM> contacts control plate <NUM> of cover <NUM> and is depressed. When switch <NUM> is depressed, the electronic circuitry on circuit board <NUM> cuts power to motor <NUM>. As rotating handwheel <NUM> is further rotated counterclockwise in direction <NUM>, indica <NUM> comes into alignment with a deflation indica <NUM> corresponding to a deflation mode of air pump assembly <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. When rotating handwheel <NUM> is in the position shown in <FIG>, switch <NUM> is not depressed by control plate <NUM> of cover <NUM> and the electronic circuitry on circuit board <NUM> supplies electricity to motor <NUM> to power rotation of motor <NUM> and hence impeller <NUM>. As rotating handwheel <NUM> is rotated, rotating handwheel <NUM> drives upper pump housing <NUM> to rotate and the switch <NUM> to abut or separate from control plate <NUM> of cover <NUM>, so that switch <NUM> can be opened or closed.

In embodiments, the switch base <NUM> is further conductively connected to the circuit board <NUM> through two conductive pins <NUM>, and the circuit board <NUM> is connected to socket <NUM> in cover <NUM> (see <FIG>). Socket <NUM> may be an USB interface or a Type-C interface through a wire, so that the air pump assembly <NUM> can be powered by a power bank, a car cigarette lighter conversion USB connector or other external power source. An advantage, among others, is that this makes it easier for users to find an external power supply that can be used in various environments, so that the inflatable product <NUM> can be used in various situations.

In the illustrated embodiment, a sealing ring <NUM> may be further provided. The sealing ring <NUM> is arranged at the connection between the vent hole <NUM> at the bottom of the inner cavity of the housing <NUM> and the rotary disc <NUM> to ensure the tightness of the air inlet <NUM> and the air outlet <NUM> of rotary disc <NUM> with the first vent hole <NUM> at the bottom of the inner cavity of housing <NUM>, to prevent air from leaking from the gap between first air vent <NUM> of rotary disc <NUM> or second air vent <NUM> of rotary disc <NUM> and the vent hole <NUM> during inflating and deflating, which affects the inflation or the airtight maintenance effect after the inflation is completed. Although there is only one sealing ring <NUM> in the drawing, it should be realized that two or more sealing rings can be provided to increase the air-tight effect in certain applications. Housing <NUM> is provided with a ring groove <NUM> on the outer periphery of vent hole <NUM>, and the sealing ring <NUM> is provided in ring groove <NUM> (see <FIG>).

Referring to <FIG>, rotary disc <NUM> is further rotatably connected to a shaft <NUM> at the bottom of the housing <NUM> through a fastener <NUM> and a pressure plate <NUM>. Rotary disc <NUM> is restricted by pressure plate <NUM>, which ensures that rotary disc <NUM> rotates on the housing <NUM> without uneven compression due to the deformation of the seal ring <NUM>. Through the pressure plate <NUM>, the compression amount of the sealing ring <NUM> can be controlled more accurately to ensure sealing.

The air pump <NUM> is detachably fixed to the housing <NUM>. Referring to <FIG>, the housing <NUM> comprises an air pump fixing cavity <NUM> and an accommodation cavity <NUM>. The accommodating cavity <NUM> is arranged on one side of the air pump fixing cavity <NUM>, and the bottom of the accommodating cavity <NUM> is provided with a second vent hole provided at the bottom of a fluid conduit <NUM>. The second vent hole is provided with a check valve and a valve plug (not shown) which is biased to a closed position to retain air within interior <NUM> of air pump assembly <NUM>. The cover <NUM> is detachably covering the opening of the accommodating cavity <NUM>. The second vent hole at the bottom of the fluid conduit <NUM> of accommodating cavity <NUM> can further be used as a spare inflation port, and a manual inflation device can be used to inflate the inflatable product, which expands the use scenarios of the inflatable product.

When the inflation system of air pump assembly <NUM> is in use, an external power supply is connected through socket <NUM>, such as an USB interface or a Type-C interface, and rotating handwheel <NUM> is turned to the inflation position wherein indicia <NUM> of rotating handwheel <NUM> aligns with inflation indicia <NUM> of cover <NUM> (see <FIG>). At this time, control plate <NUM> of cover <NUM> and switch <NUM> are spaced apart and motor <NUM> is energized due to switch <NUM> not being depressed. Second air vent <NUM> of rotary disc <NUM> is connected to first vent hole <NUM> of housing <NUM>. The motor <NUM> drives the blade <NUM> of impeller <NUM> to rotate causing external air to enter through openings <NUM> in cover <NUM> and passing downward to a location below upper pump housing <NUM>, impeller <NUM>, and lower pump housing <NUM>. The air enters first air vent <NUM> and first air vent <NUM> of rotary disc <NUM> and lower pump housing <NUM> respectively, enters the cavity <NUM> formed by upper pump housing <NUM> and lower pump housing <NUM>, exits through second air vent <NUM> and second air vent <NUM> of lower pump housing <NUM> and rotary disc <NUM> respectively, and ultimately the first vent <NUM> of housing <NUM> and enters into the interior <NUM> of the inflatable product <NUM> under the action of the blade <NUM> of impeller <NUM> to complete the inflation action of the inflatable product <NUM>.

When the inflation system of air pump assembly <NUM> is in an off or sealed mode rotating handwheel <NUM> is rotated to the off or sealed position wherein indicia <NUM> of rotating handwheel <NUM> aligns with off indica <NUM> of cover <NUM> (see <FIG>), control plate <NUM> of cover 240and the switch <NUM> are contacting and control plate <NUM> depresses switch <NUM> and the motor stops working. At this time, both first air vent <NUM> and second air vent <NUM> of rotary disc <NUM> are in a disconnected state with the first vent <NUM> of the housing <NUM>, the outside air is not connected to the interior <NUM> of the inflatable product <NUM>, and the entire inflatable system is in a closed state. The internal air in interior <NUM> of inflatable product <NUM> cannot be discharged, and the air pressure in interior <NUM> of inflatable product <NUM> is maintained to ensure the normal use of the inflatable product <NUM>.

Air pump <NUM> is held in the off or sealed position due to a locator <NUM>, illustratively a pin carried by rotary disc <NUM>, being received in a recess <NUM> of housing <NUM> (see <FIG> and <FIG>). Locator <NUM> is spring biased towards bottom side <NUM> of housing <NUM> with a spring <NUM>.

When the inflation system of air pump assembly <NUM> is in use, an external power supply is connected through socket <NUM>, such as an USB interface or a Type-C interface, and rotating handwheel <NUM> is turned to the deflation position wherein indicia <NUM> of rotating handwheel <NUM> aligns with deflation indica <NUM> of cover <NUM> (see <FIG>). At this time, control plate <NUM> of cover <NUM> and the switch <NUM> are spaced apart and motor <NUM> is energized due to switch <NUM> not being depressed. First air vent <NUM> of rotary disc <NUM> is connected to first vent hole <NUM> of housing <NUM>. The first vent hole <NUM> of housing <NUM> is in a connected state. The motor <NUM> drives the blade <NUM> of impeller <NUM> to rotate, and the air inside the interior <NUM> of the inflatable product <NUM> passes through first vent hole <NUM> of housing <NUM>, first air vent <NUM> of rotary disc <NUM>, first air vent <NUM> of lower pump housing <NUM>, second air vent <NUM> of lower pump housing <NUM>, and second air vent <NUM> of rotary disc <NUM> under the action of the blade <NUM> of impeller <NUM> and finally discharged out of the housing <NUM> through vent openings <NUM> in cover <NUM> complete the deflation of the inflatable product.

By the rotation cooperation between lower pump housing <NUM> and rotary disc <NUM> and first vent hole <NUM> of housing <NUM>, the airway switch inside the air pump is realized, thereby changing the inflating and deflating state of the air pump, so when the system is in use, an advantage, among others, is the air pump <NUM> can inflate and deflate the inflatable product <NUM> without dismantling or reinstalling, which greatly improves the consumer experience.

Referring to <FIG>, the side of the impeller <NUM> facing away from motor <NUM> is arranged with a circular ring cover plate <NUM> along the circumferential direction. An inner ring of the circular ring cover plate <NUM> is aligned with the air inlet <NUM> of the air pump <NUM>. The circular ring cover plate <NUM> is moved up to the air inlet surface of the blade <NUM> of impeller <NUM>, thereby increasing the sealing of the air inlet of the blade <NUM> of impeller <NUM>, so that the air at the inlet and outlet is not easily channeling, which improves the efficiency and the production process is simple.

Referring to <FIG>, another exemplary embodiment of air pump assembly <NUM> is shown with an impeller <NUM>'. The difference between this embodiment and embodiment <NUM> is that the inner ring of the circular ring cover plate <NUM> extends a circle of baffle <NUM> along the circumferential direction, and the baffle <NUM> extends in the direction away from the motor <NUM> along the axial direction of the blade <NUM> of impeller <NUM>'. In this way, the air-tightness of the air inlet can be further improved.

With reference to <FIG>, another exemplary embodiment of air pump assembly <NUM> is shown with an impeller <NUM>". The difference between this embodiment and the embodiment <NUM> is that the side of the baffle <NUM> away from the blade <NUM> in the axial direction is provided with leak-proof attachment blades <NUM>, and the leak-proof attachment blades <NUM> are arranged with interval along the circumferential direction of the baffle <NUM>.

Claim 1:
An air pump assembly (<NUM>) for an inflatable product (<NUM>) having an interior (<NUM>), comprising:
a housing (<NUM>) having a vent hole (<NUM>) in fluid communication with the interior (<NUM>) of the inflatable product (<NUM>);
a cover (<NUM>) coupled to the housing, the cover (<NUM>) including a plurality of vent openings (<NUM>); and
a rotatable assembly (<NUM>) supported by the housing (<NUM>), the rotatable assembly (<NUM>) comprising
a pump housing (<NUM>) having a first air vent (<NUM>) and a second air vent (<NUM>);
an impeller (<NUM>) positioned in the pump housing;
a motor (<NUM>) operatively coupled to the impeller to drive a rotation of the impeller; and
a rotary disc (<NUM>) positioned between the pump housing (<NUM>) and the vent hole (<NUM>) of the housing (<NUM>);
wherein the rotatable assembly (<NUM>) being rotatable to a first position wherein air flows from the first air vent (<NUM>) of the pump housing (<NUM>) to the second air vent (<NUM>) of the pump housing (<NUM>) and subsequently through the rotary disc (<NUM>) and the vent hole (<NUM>) in the housing (<NUM>) into the interior (<NUM>) of the inflatable product (<NUM>) and a second position wherein air flows from the interior (<NUM>) of the inflatable product (<NUM>) through the vent hole (<NUM>) in the housing (<NUM>) into the first air vent (<NUM>) of the pump housing (<NUM>) to the second air vent (<NUM>) of the pump housing (<NUM>).