Air Mattress Sub-Chambers for Level Surface and Edge Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional inflatable mattresses suffer from surface irregularities due to cylindrical anchor separators, leading to reduced comfort and instability, especially when extra force is applied, as they fail to maintain evenness and edge support effectively.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a middle layer with cross-sealed or half-sealed cavities that communicate with the inflatable bladder to form small air pockets, and using anchor separators with air holes to connect to this layer, along with additional shroud bands to create sub-chambers, which enhance surface evenness and edge support by distributing air pressure more evenly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If cylindrical anchor separators are used to maintain mattress structure, then the bladder can be kept level and even, but the surface becomes full of bumps and holes, reducing contact area and comfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single large bladder into multiple smaller sub-chambers separated by partition walls. This segmentation eliminates the need for cylindrical anchor separators that create surface bumps, while maintaining structural stability through the distributed sub-chamber design. The partition walls provide internal support without protruding into the contact surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention removes the cylindrical anchor separators from the mattress structure entirely. Instead of using external anchor separators to maintain levelness, the patent uses internal partition walls within the bladder to provide structural support, eliminating the harmful surface bumps and holes caused by the anchor separators.
2Strength
If the shroud band is used to connect top and bottom layers, then the bladder can be formed, but when pressed down with extra force, the shroud band squeezes outwardly to form crowned bumps, affecting smoothness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the bladder into multiple sub-chambers with partition walls that extend to the shroud band. This internal segmentation provides structural support that distributes applied force across multiple smaller chambers, preventing the shroud band from squeezing outwardly and forming crowned bumps when extra force is applied.
3Ease of manufacture
If the conventional bladder structure is used, then the mattress is simple to manufacture, but when edge portions are pressed down, the shroud band cannot resist the force and the mattress collapses, losing stability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the bladder into multiple sub-chambers separated by partition walls that extend to the shroud band. This segmentation creates multiple independent air chambers that can independently support applied forces, preventing edge collapse while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through the modular partition wall design.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite structure combining the bladder, partition walls, and shroud band into an integrated system. The partition walls act as internal reinforcement elements that work together with the shroud band to resist external forces at the edges, enhancing stability without significantly complicating the manufacturing process.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution results in a flatter, more comfortable surface and improved edge stability, as the air pockets act as air springs to increase restoring force and prevent rapid air flow, enhancing overall user experience.
Implementation Method 1
the air pockets act as air springs to increase restoring force
Implementation Method 2
the shroud band will be squeezed outwardly by the compressed air inside of the bladder
Data Source
AI summary
An air-inflated mattress, comprising a top layer, an outer shroud band, a plurality of anchor separators and a bottom layer, wherein said shroud band connects the top and bottom layers together to form an inflatable bladder; further comprising a middle layer below said top layer sealed to the top layer. The mattress may also comprise a middle shroud band and an inner shroud band, a plurality of joint spots welded on the bottom side of the top layer, alternatively arranged with anchor separators and a plurality of joint spots welded between the shrouds and means to pass air between the bladder and a plurality of half-sealed sub-chambers created by the joint welds, which slows the spreading speed of the air to the bladder and the chambers, so that the air mattress is even and level and the supporting strength of the air mattress is greatly improved.