Inflatable mattress for use in a vehicle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inflatable mattresses for vehicles often occupy excessive space, are inconvenient to inflate, and may not fit evenly on non-flat surfaces, leading to discomfort and increased complexity and cost.
Innovation Solution
An inflatable mattress design with a removable air pump stored in a cavity and two longitudinal chambers, one inflatable independently and the other with a separate inlet for the pump, allowing easy inflation without removal, and optional auxiliary inlets for flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple separate internal chambers are used in the inflatable mattress, then the mattress can provide better support and comfort, but the mattress becomes excessively time-consuming and inconvenient to inflate
Solution Approach 1:
The pump is nested within a dedicated pump cavity in the mattress body, allowing the pump to be stored inside the mattress structure itself. This integration enables the pump to be readily accessible for inflation while maintaining a compact overall design that doesn't excessive space when deflated.
Solution Approach 2:
The mattress is divided into multiple independent longitudinal chambers (first chamber and second chamber) that can be inflated separately or together. Each chamber has its own inlet, allowing selective inflation based on user needs, which reduces overall inflation time while maintaining support quality.
2Ease of operation
If the air pump is permanently integrated into the mattress, then inflation is convenient, but the mattress occupies excessive space when not in use
Solution Approach 1:
The pump is nested within a dedicated pump cavity in the mattress body, allowing the pump to be stored inside the mattress structure itself. This integration enables the pump to be readily accessible for inflation while maintaining a compact overall design that doesn't excessive space when deflated.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump cavity is designed to be accessible during inflation but integrated into the mattress structure for compact storage. The system transitions between a compact stored state and an operational inflation state, optimizing both space efficiency and ease of operation.
3Reliability
If the mattress is designed to fit non-flat vehicle surfaces, then comfort is improved, but the structural complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mattress employs independent longitudinal chambers that can be selectively inflated to different pressures. This allows different regions of the mattress to be optimized for different support needs, accommodating non-flat vehicle surfaces without requiring complex overall structural modifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The mattress is divided into multiple independent longitudinal chambers (first chamber and second chamber) that can be inflated separately or together. Each chamber has its own inlet, allowing selective inflation based on user needs, which reduces overall inflation time while maintaining support quality.
Data Source
AI summary
An inflatable mattress for use in a vehicle is disclosed and claimed. The inflatable mattress may include a removable air pump, and a first longitudinal chamber that may include a pump cavity that receives and stores the removable air pump. The pump cavity may include a first inlet that is adapted to mate with an outlet of the removable air pump within the cavity for ready inflation of the first longitudinal chamber without removal of the air pump from the cavity. The inflatable mattress may further include a second independently-inflatable longitudinal chamber having a second inlet for mating with the outlet of the removable air pump at a second inlet location that is disposed outside of the cavity.