The air pump for an inflatable product and an inflatable product with a built-in air pump
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Solution Overview
Problem
Built-in electric air pumps for inflatable products often have complex structures, high manufacturing costs, and limited versatility, requiring replacement of the entire product upon malfunction and restricting their application range.
Innovation Solution
An air pump with a moveable design that can switch between an air inlet and an air outlet within an internal chamber, allowing for easy attachment and detachment from the inflatable product, and featuring a knob switch for seamless inflation and deflation operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If built-in electric air pumps are permanently fixed inside inflatable products, then the product structure is stable, but the air pump cannot be maintained or replaced easily and the application range is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The air pump system is divided into separable components: the air pump unit and the inflatable product body. The air pump can be detached from the product, allowing it to be maintained, replaced, or used with different inflatable products. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by enabling versatility while maintaining simple connection through standardized interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The air pump is designed with universal functionality to work with multiple types of inflatable products through standardized connection mechanisms. The pump can be attached to and detached from different products, making it adaptable to various applications while keeping the connection mechanism simple and consistent across different uses.
2Adaptability or versatility
If air passage switching devices are provided to switch between inflation, deflation, and neutral states, then the pump functionality is complete, but the structure becomes overly complicated and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using complex internal air passage switching devices to control inflation and deflation, the invention inverts the approach by using the pump's physical position and orientation to determine airflow direction. The pump body itself acts as the switching mechanism through its movable configuration, eliminating the need for separate air passage switching devices and reducing structural complexity while maintaining complete functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces complex mechanical air passage switching devices with a simpler mechanical system based on pump positioning and orientation. The airflow path is controlled by the physical arrangement of the pump rather than by complex internal valves and passages, reducing device complexity while preserving full inflation, deflation, and neutral state functionality.
3Reliability
If the entire inflatable product is replaced upon malfunction of the air pump, then product reliability is maintained, but cost and waste increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into replaceable modules: the air pump unit and the inflatable product body. When the air pump malfunctions, only the pump unit needs to be replaced, not the entire product. This segmentation enables easy maintenance and reduces waste while maintaining product reliability through component replacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The air pump is designed as a recoverable component that can be detached and replaced independently from the inflatable product body. When the pump malfunctions, it can be discarded and a new or refurbished pump can be installed, allowing recovery and continued use of the main product body, thereby reducing overall cost and waste.
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
Facilitates quick and efficient switching between inflation and deflation, reduces manufacturing complexity, and enhances the pump's versatility by allowing it to be used with multiple inflatable products.
Implementation Method 1
An impeller is located in the air outlet space and when it rotates, air enters the air inlet and is transferred through the inlet space through the opening to the outlet space and out of the pump body through the air outlet
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 1c~2
Figure 3
AI summary
An air pump is delineated for an inflatable product that can be selectively connected thereto. The inflatable product includes a shell located on a side wall. The shell includes an internal chamber for selective placement of the air pump and an air valve for selective communication with the air pump. When the air pump is located in the internal chamber it can be moved to switch between a first position and a second position. The air pump includes an air inlet and an air outlet such that the air inlet is in communication with the air valve in the first position to deflate the inflatable product and the air outlet is in communication with the air valve in the second position to inflate the inflatable product. The air pump can also be used externally via manual connection between the air inlet or the air outlet and other inflatable products.