Air pump for air mattress

Abstract

An air pump for an air mattress has a housing, a first air vent and a second air vent respectively mounted on a top and a bottom of the housing, a chamber, a blower and an air direction switcher mounted in the chamber, an actuating mechanism, and an air valve. A slider in the air direction switcher is moved by operating the actuating mechanism being a solenoid valve or a knob gear and a follower. The air valve is propped up by a sloping partition of the slider to open the second air vent. Given the structure of the air pump, the first and second air vents are flexibly arranged and can be directly aligned with each other. Therefore, the air path is shortened to inflate and deflate more rapidly and more efficiently.

1 . An air pump for an air mattress, comprising:
 a housing having   a chamber defined in the housing;   a first air vent mounted on a top of the housing, communicating with the chamber and adapted to be exposed beyond an air mattress; and   a second air vent mounted on a bottom of the housing, communicating with the chamber, and adapted to communicate with the air mattress;   a blower mounted in the chamber and having   a first air compartment having an air outlet formed through a bottom of the first air compartment and directly aligned with the second air vent;   a second air compartment adjoined with the first air compartment, communicating with the first air compartment through a first opening formed through a first partition between the first air compartment and the second air compartment, communicating with the first air vent through a second opening formed through a second partition of the second air compartment opposite to the first partition and abutting the first air vent, and having an air inlet formed through a bottom of the second air compartment and directly aligned with the second air vent;   an impeller located in the first air compartment; and   a motor driving the impeller to rotate and generate air flow;   an air direction switcher mounted in the chamber and having   an actuating mechanism moving in a straight line; and   a slider connected with the actuating mechanism, having a cavity, alternately moved by the actuation mechanism to align the cavity to the air inlet and the air outlet, and having a sloping partition thereon; and   an air valve mounted at the second air vent propped up by the air flow generated by the motor and the impeller while inflating and by the sloping partition while deflating to open the second air vent.   
     
     
         2 . The air pump as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the first air vent and the second air vent are directly aligned with each other. 
     
     
         3 . The air pump as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the first air compartment and the second air compartment are located between the first air vent and the second air vent. 
     
     
         4 . The air pump as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the air valve comprise a yoke having:
 a seat ring having a plurality of arms radially connected with a center and a rim thereof; and   a stem perpendicularly extended from the center of the seat ring and penetrating through a positioning hole located at the second air vent to prop up a bottom surface of the sloping partition;   a rubber plate fixedly mounted to the seat ring to hermetically seal the second air vent, and   a spring sleeved around the stem, one end of the spring urged against a tail end of the stem and the other end urged against an inner surface of the housing so that the yoke elastically seals or opens the second air vent.   
     
     
         5 . The air pump as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the air pump further comprises a wired controller electrically connected with the motor and the actuating mechanism, the actuating mechanism is a solenoid valve having a rod and operated by the wired controller, and the slider is connected to the rod of the solenoid valve. 
     
     
         6 . The air pump as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the air pump further comprises a wired controller electrically connected with the motor and the actuating mechanism, the actuating mechanism is a solenoid valve having a rod and operated by the wired controller, and the slider is connected to the rod of the solenoid valve. 
     
     
         7 . The air pump as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the air pump further comprises a wired controller electrically connected with the motor and the actuating mechanism, the actuating mechanism is a solenoid valve having a rod and operated by the wired controller, and the slider is connected to the rod of the solenoid valve. 
     
     
         8 . The air pump as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the air pump further comprises a wired controller electrically connected with the motor and the actuating mechanism, the actuating mechanism is a solenoid valve having a rod and operated by the wired controller, and the slider is connected to the rod of the solenoid valve. 
     
     
         9 . The air pump as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the actuating mechanism comprises:
 a knob mounted on and exposed beyond the top of the housing;   a gear-like member attached underneath the knob, located inside the housing, and having a plurality of cogs, and   a follower fixedly connected with the slider and having a rack having a plurality of cogs corresponding to and engaged with the plurality of cogs of the gear-like member.   
     
     
         10 . The air pump as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the actuating mechanism comprises:
 a knob mounted on and exposed beyond the top of the housing;   a gear-like member attached underneath the knob, located inside the housing, and having a plurality of cogs, and   a follower fixedly connected with the slider and having a rack having a plurality of cogs corresponding to and engaged with the plurality of cogs of the gear-like member.   
     
     
         11 . The air pump as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the actuating mechanism comprises:
 a knob mounted on and exposed beyond the top of the housing;   a gear-like member attached underneath the knob, located inside the housing, and having a plurality of cogs, and   a follower fixedly connected with the slider and having a rack having a plurality of cogs corresponding to and engaged with the plurality of cogs of the gear-like member.   
     
     
         12 . The air pump as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the actuating mechanism comprises:
 a knob mounted on and exposed beyond the top of the housing;   a gear-like member attached underneath the knob, located inside the housing, and having a plurality of cogs, and   a follower fixedly connected with the slider and having a rack having a plurality of cogs corresponding to and engaged with the plurality of cogs of the gear-like member.   
     
     
         13 . The air pump as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the slider has an erected cover mounted thereon, the erected cover is covered on the second opening to prevent air from leaking from the second opening when the slider is moved and the cavity directly communicates with the first air compartment, and the erected cover is removed from the second opening when the slider is moved and the cavity directly communicates with the second air compartment. 
     
     
         14 . The air pump as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the slider has an erected cover mounted thereon, the erected cover is covered on the second opening to prevent air from leaking from the second opening when the slider is moved and the cavity directly communicates with the first air compartment, and the erected cover is removed from the second opening when the slider is moved and the cavity directly communicates with the second air compartment. 
     
     
         15 . The air pump as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein the slider has an erected cover mounted thereon, the erected cover is covered on the second opening to prevent air from leaking from the second opening when the slider is moved and the cavity directly communicates with the first air compartment, and the erected cover is removed from the second opening when the slider is moved and the cavity directly communicates with the second air compartment. 
     
     
         16 . The air pump as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the slider has an erected cover mounted thereon, the erected cover is covered on the second opening to prevent air from leaking from the second opening when the slider is moved and the cavity directly communicates with the first air compartment, and the erected cover is removed from the second opening when the slider is moved and the cavity directly communicates with the second air compartment.