Retractable Needle Air Pump for Damage Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional air pumps with needle-type adapters are prone to damage during storage and transportation due to their exposed and slender design, leading to increased risk of bending, deformation, or loss, as they often lack protection and require repeated attachment/detachment, which can cause damage.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a retractable base and guide system within the pump body, along with a locking mechanism, allowing the needle to be safely stored inside when not in use, reducing the likelihood of damage and enabling easy replacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the needle is left extended from the pump, then it is easily accessible for use, but it is susceptible to damage from bending, deformation, or breaking during storage and transportation
Solution Approach 1:
The needle is nested within the pump body through a retractable base mechanism. The base can be retracted into the pump housing, allowing the needle to be stored protected inside the pump rather than extending outwardly, thus preventing damage during storage and transportation while remaining accessible when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The base is made movable between extended and retracted positions, allowing the needle to dynamically change its position. This dynamic capability enables the needle to be extended for use and retracted for protection, resolving the contradiction between accessibility and damage resistance.
2Reliability
If the needle is removed from the pump, then damage risk is reduced, but the needle is easily lost and requires repeated attachment/detachment
Solution Approach 1:
The needle remains permanently nested within the pump body through the retractable base mechanism, eliminating the need for repeated attachment and detachment. The needle is protected while stored inside the pump and can be extended when needed, preventing loss and damage simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The retractable base mechanism provides self-service by automatically protecting the needle when retracted and making it available when extended, without requiring user intervention to attach or detach the needle. This eliminates the repeated attachment/detachment process and associated damage risks.
3Reliability
If a retractable base mechanism is added to protect the needle, then needle durability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The retractable base mechanism nests the needle within the pump body, providing protection without requiring external protective cases or separate storage components. The mechanism integrates the protection function into the pump structure itself, minimizing added complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The base serves multiple functions: it supports the needle, provides a sealing surface, and enables retraction for protection. By merging these functions into a single component, the design avoids adding separate mechanisms for each function, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
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 retractable mechanism protects the needle from damage, reduces the need for frequent attachment/detachment, and ensures the needle is always securely stored within the pump, enhancing durability and usability.
Implementation Method 1
A plunger is located within the body and movable therein to compress ambient air to increase pressure of the air within the body of the pump and force the air through the needle
Data Source
AI summary
Certain example embodiments relate to an air pump for balls, tires, toys, and/or the like and include a retractable base, which facilitates the storage of the needle(s) and/or other adapter(s) inside of the pump itself. This arrangement reduces the chances that it/they will break because it/they is/are protected inside of the pump and need not be repeatedly attached/detached. The pump in certain example embodiments includes a tube body into which the retractable base retracts, a plunger disk, a guide system including one or more guides for guiding the plunger disk and/or base within the tube body, a locking mechanism to help lock the base in extended and/or retracted positions, and a handle. The pump safely stores at least one needle/adapter in the tube body. In the event that a needle breaks, it may be replaced as if it were a conventional pump.