An air pump with a channel switch assembly

Abstract

An air pump may include a pump assembly, a switch assembly, an inflation-and-deflation switch assembly, and a channel switch assembly. The switch assembly may include a motor that drives the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly and the channel switch assembly to an inflation, deflation, or sealed position. The inflation-and-deflation switch assembly selectively communicates an inlet-and-outlet port of the air pump with an inlet or an outlet of the pump assembly. The channel switch assembly selectively opens or closes an inflation-and-deflation port of the air pump.

1 . An air pump for an inflatable product having an inflatable chamber, the air pump comprising:
 a panel,   a body,   an air pump assembly, and   a switch assembly comprising a reversing motor, a driving gear, a driven gear, an inflation-and-deflation switch assembly, and a channel switch assembly;   the panel comprises a control board and an air inlet-and-outlet port, the body comprises two or more inflation-and-deflation ports, and receives a main circuit board is disposed within the body;   the panel is coupled to the body and cooperates with the body to form a body chamber;   the air pump assembly and the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly are arranged in the body chamber, the control board is operatively coupled to the main circuit board, the main circuit board is operatively coupled to the air pump assembly and the switch assembly;   the driving gear of the switch assembly is operatively coupled to the reversing motor, the reversing motor is operatively coupled to the main circuit board, the driven gear is vertically offset from the driving gear, and the driven gear is selectively coupled to the driving gear through a boss and a sliding groove,   when the reversing motor drives the driving gear to rotate, the boss slides in the sliding groove, and when the boss slides to an end of the sliding groove, the driving gear drives the driven gear to rotate;   the driving gear is operatively coupled to the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly, and the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly is disposed between the air inlet-and-outlet port of the panel and the air pump assembly and configured to selectively communicate the air inlet-and-outlet port of the panel with the air inlet or air outlet of the air pump assembly;   the driven gear is operatively coupled to the channel switch assembly, and the channel switch assembly selectively closes or opens the respective two or more inflation-and-deflation ports of the body.   
     
     
         2 . The air pump of  claim 1 , wherein the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly comprises a reversing gear and an air exchange core, the air exchange core is provided with an airway having an upper end and a lower end, the upper end of the airway communicates with the air inlet-and-outlet port, and the lower end selectively communicates with the air inlet or the air outlet of the air pump assembly; the reversing gear meshes with the driving gear and is rotatably sleeved on the air exchange core; when the boss slides in the sliding groove, the reversing gear is operatively coupled with the air exchange core. 
     
     
         3 . The air pump of  claim 2 , wherein a spring is disposed outside the air exchange core, and the spring is operatively coupled with a spring pin; the reversing gear is provided with a limit hole which is selectively receives the spring pin. 
     
     
         4 . The air pump of  claim 1 , wherein the channel switch assembly comprises a rotary disc gear, a locator plate, a locator plate circuit board operatively coupled to the main circuit board, a rotary disc, an ejector rod and an ejector rod spring, the rotary disc gear meshes with the driven gear, the locator plate is coupled to the rotary disc gear, and the locator plate is provided with a plurality of locator strips, the locator plate circuit board is used to detect the locator strips on the locator plate: the rotary disc is disposed under the rotary disc gear, the ejector rod spring is sleeved on the ejector rod, an upper end of the ejector rod operatively coupled to the rotary disc, and a lower end is operatively coupled to the inflation-and-deflation port, and each inflation-and-deflation port is matched with a ejector rod. 
     
     
         5 . The air pump of  claim 4 , wherein a lower end of the rotary disc is provided with a plurality of grooves operatively coupled with the ejector rod, and, when the ejector rod is received by the groove, the inflation and deflation port corresponding to the ejector rod opens. 
     
     
         6 . The air pump of  claim 1 , wherein the air pump assembly comprises a main motor, a pump body, an impeller, and a pump cover, the pump cover is coupled to the pump body, and the pump cover and the pump body cooperate to form a pump chamber, the impeller is arranged in the pump chamber, the main motor is arranged under the pump body and operatively coupled with the impeller in the pump chamber; the pump cover is provided with the air inlet and the air outlet, and the air inlet and the air outlet are in communication with the pump chamber. 
     
     
         7 . The air pump of  claim 1 , wherein the boss is disposed on the driving gear or the driven gear, and the sliding groove is disposed on the other of the driven gear or the driving gear. 
     
     
         8 . An air pump for an inflatable product having an inflatable chamber, the air pump comprising:
 a body comprising a plurality of inflation-and-deflation ports in communication with the inflatable chamber;   a panel coupled to the body and comprising an air inlet-and-outlet port in selective communication with the plurality of inflation-and-deflation ports, the body and the panel defining a body chamber;   a controller disposed on the panel;   a circuit board disposed within the body chamber and operatively coupled to the controller;   an air pump assembly disposed within the body chamber and comprising a pump motor operatively coupled to the circuit board, a pump body, a pump cover coupled to the pump body and comprising an inlet and an outlet, the pump body and the pump cover forming a pump chamber, the inlet of the pump cover and the outlet of the pump cover in communication with the pump chamber, and an impeller disposed within the pump chamber and operatively coupled to the pump motor; and   a switch assembly comprising a switch motor operatively coupled to the circuit board, a driving gear operatively coupled to the switch motor, a driven gear selectively coupled to the driving gear, an inflation-and-deflation switch assembly configured to selectively communicate the inlet-and-outlet port of the panel with the inlet of the pump cover or the outlet of the pump cover, and a channel switch assembly configured to selectively open and close each of the plurality of inflation-and-deflation ports,   the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly comprising a rotatable air exchange core comprising a first end, a second end, and an air passageway spanning the first end and the second end, the first end of the air exchange core in communication with the inlet-and-outlet port of the panel, the second end of the air exchange core in selective communication with the inlet of the pump cover or the outlet of the pump cover, and   the channel switch assembly comprising a rotary disc operatively coupled to the driven gear such that rotation of the driven gear drives the rotary disc to rotate.   
     
     
         9 . The air pump of  claim 8 , wherein the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly further comprises a reversing gear operatively coupled to the driving gear and rotatably sleeved on the air exchange core. 
     
     
         10 . The air pump of  claim 9 , wherein rotation of the reversing gear causes the air exchange core to rotate. 
     
     
         11 . The air pump of  claim 9 , wherein the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly further comprises a spring pin disposed on the air exchange core, and the reversing gear comprises a limiting hole configured to receive the spring pin, and wherein, when the receiving hole receives the spring pin, rotation of the reversing gear causes the air exchange core to rotate, and, when the receiving hole is spaced apart from the spring pin, the reversing gear rotates relative to the air exchange core. 
     
     
         12 . The air pump of  claim 8 , wherein the rotary disc comprises a first side and a second side, the second side faces the plurality of inflation-and-deflation ports of the body, the second side of the rotary disc formed with a plurality of grooves. 
     
     
         13 . The air pump of  claim 12 , wherein the channel switch assembly further comprises a plurality of valves corresponding to the plurality of inflation-and-deflation ports of the body, each of the plurality of valves positioned between the rotary disc and a corresponding one of the plurality of inflation-and-deflation ports. 
     
     
         14 . The air pump of  claim 13 , wherein each of the plurality of valves comprises a valve stem and a spring sleeved on the valve stem, and wherein a corresponding groove of the plurality of grooves of the rotary disc selectively receives the valve stem of a corresponding valve. 
     
     
         15 . The air pump of  claim 14 , wherein, when the corresponding groove of the rotary disc receives the valve stem of the corresponding valve, the valve opens the inflation-and-deflation port of the body. 
     
     
         16 . The air pump of  claim 14 , wherein, when the corresponding groove of the rotary disc is spaced apart from the valve stem of the corresponding valve, the valve closes the inflation-and-deflation port of the body. 
     
     
         17 . The air pump of  claim 8 , wherein the channel switch assembly further comprises a rotary disc gear disposed between the driven gear and the rotary disc, the rotary disc gear operatively coupling the rotary disc to the driven gear. 
     
     
         18 . The air pump of  claim 8 , wherein the channel switch assembly further comprises a locator plate operatively coupled to the driven gear and a sensor, the locator plate comprising a plurality of locators disposed on the locator plate, and the sensor configured to detect a locator of the plurality of locators as the locator plate rotates. 
     
     
         19 . The air pump of  claim 8 , wherein the driving gear comprises a boss disposed on the driving gear, and the driven gear comprises a channel configured to receive the boss of the driving gear, the channel having a first end delimited by a first wall and a second end delimited by a second wall, and when the boss abuts the first wall or the second wall, rotation of the driving gear drives the driven gear to rotate. 
     
     
         20 . The air pump of  claim 8 , wherein the pump cover is positioned between the panel and the pump motor. 
     
     
         21 . The air pump of  claim 8 , wherein the air exchange core is rotatable to a first position wherein the air passageway of the air exchange core is in communication with the inlet-and-outlet port of the panel and the inlet of the pump cover, and to a second position wherein the air passageway of the air exchange core is in communication with the inlet-and-outlet port of the panel and the outlet of the pump cover. 
     
     
         22 . An air pump for an inflatable product having an inflatable chamber, the air pump comprising:
 a body comprising a plurality of inflation-and-deflation ports in communication with the inflatable chamber;   a panel coupled to the body and comprising an air inlet-and-outlet port in selective communication with the plurality of inflation-and-deflation ports, the body and the panel defining a body chamber;   a controller disposed on the panel;   a circuit board disposed within the body chamber and operatively coupled to the controller;   an air pump assembly disposed within the body chamber and comprising a pump motor operatively coupled to the circuit board, an impeller operatively coupled to the pump motor, a pump body, a pump cover coupled to the pump body, an air inlet and an air outlet; and   a switch assembly comprising a switch motor operatively coupled to the circuit board, a driving gear operatively coupled to the switch motor, a driven gear selectively coupled to the driving gear, an inflation-and-deflation switch assembly configured to selectively communicate the inlet-and-outlet port of the panel with the inlet of the pump cover or the outlet of the pump cover, and a channel switch assembly configured to selectively open and close each of the plurality of inflation-and-deflation ports,   the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly comprising an air exchange core in communication with the inlet-and-outlet port of the panel and in selective communication with the air inlet of the pump assembly or the air outlet of the pump assembly, and   the channel switch assembly comprising a rotary disc operatively coupled to the driven gear such that rotation of the driven gear drives the rotary disc to rotate.   
     
     
         23 . The air pump of  claim 22 , wherein the pump body and the pump cover cooperate to define a pump chamber, and the impeller is disposed within the pump chamber. 
     
     
         24 . The air pump of  claim 22 , wherein the pump cover comprises the air inlet and the air outlet of the pump assembly. 
     
     
         25 . The air pump of  claim 22 , wherein the air exchange core is rotatably disposed within the body chamber. 
     
     
         26 . The air pump of  claim 22 , wherein the air exchange core comprises a first end, a second end, and an air passageway spanning the first end and the second end. 
     
     
         27 . The air pump of  claim 26 , wherein the first end of the air exchange core is in communication with the inlet-and-outlet port of the panel, and wherein the second end of the air exchange core is in selective communication with the air inlet of the pump assembly or the air outlet of the pump assembly. 
     
     
         28 . An air pump for an inflatable product, the air pump comprising:
 a body including a plurality of ports adapted to be in fluid communication with the inflatable product;   a panel coupled to the body and including an inlet-and-outlet port;   a plurality of valves, each valve of the plurality of valves being positioned to open and close a respective port of the plurality of ports of the body;   a channel switch assembly operatively coupled to the plurality of valves to selectively open and close the plurality of ports;   an air pump assembly comprising a pump motor, an impeller operatively coupled to the pump motor, a pump body, a pump cover coupled to the pump body, an air inlet and an air outlet;   an inflation-and-deflation switch assembly comprising an air exchange core in communication with the inlet-and-outlet port of the panel and in selective communication with the air inlet of the air pump assembly or the air outlet of the air pump assembly, the air exchange core having an inflation position and a deflation position relative to the air pump assembly; and   a single motor operatively coupled to the channel switch assembly to select a first one of the plurality of ports to open and operatively coupled to the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly to position the air exchange core in one of the inflation position and the deflation position.   
     
     
         29 . The air pump of  claim 28 , further comprising a first gear driven by the single motor, a second gear driven by the first gear, the second gear operatively coupled to the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly to drive a movement of the air exchange core, and a third gear driven by the first gear, the third gear operatively coupled to the channel switch assembly to open a respective one of the plurality of ports. 
     
     
         30 . The air pump of  claim 28 , wherein the second gear is intermeshed with the first gear and the third gear is driven by the first gear through a boss. 
     
     
         31 . The air pump of  claim 28 , wherein the second gear is driven by the first gear through a first rotation while the third gear remains stationary, and the second gear is driven by the first gear through a second rotation while the third gear is also driven by the first gear. 
     
     
         32 . The air pump of  claim 31 , wherein during the first rotation of the second gear the air exchange core is rotated and during the second rotation of the second gear the air exchange core remains stationary. 
     
     
         33 . The air pump of  claim 28 , wherein the single motor drives the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly prior to driving the channel switch assembly.