An air pump

Abstract

An air pump for an inflatable product may include a pressure valve assembly and an inflation-and-deflation control assembly. The inflation-and-deflation control assembly may include a switch assembly operatively coupled to the pressure valve assembly and a pump assembly operatively coupled to the switch assembly. The switch assembly may have a first position and a second position, and the pressure valve assembly may be configured to engage the switch assembly to maintain the switch assembly in the first position or the second position. When the pressure valve assembly detects that a pressure threshold has been reached within the inflatable product, the pressure valve assembly may disengage from the switch assembly.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An air pump for an inflatable product having an inflatable chamber, the air pump comprising:
 a body,   a panel, and   an air inflation-and-deflation control assembly;   the panel comprises an inlet-and-outlet port, and the body comprises an air inflation-and-deflation port, and a pressure-sensing port;   the panel is coupled to the body, and the panel and the body cooperate to form a body chamber;   the air inflation-and-deflation control assembly is arranged substantially within the body chamber and comprises a switch assembly and an air pump assembly, and the switch assembly selectively opens or closes the air inflation-and-deflation port;   the air pump assembly is operatively coupled to the switch assembly;   the air pump further comprises a pressure valve assembly arranged in the body chamber, the pressure valve assembly comprises a pressure regulating valve body, a pressure valve plate having a lower face and an upper face, a pressure rod having an upper end and a lower end, a swing rod, and a pressure spring; the pressure regulating valve body forms a valve chamber in communication with the inflatable chamber of the inflatable product through the pressure-sensing port; the pressure valve plate is disposed in the valve chamber, with the lower face facing the pressure-sensing port, and the upper end face operatively coupled to the pressure rod; the pressure spring is disposed in the valve chamber and sleeved on the pressure rod; the pressure rod is movably arranged in the valve chamber in a first direction and a second direction, and the upper end of the pressure rod selectively engages the swing rod; the swing rod is pivotally disposed on the pressure regulating valve body, and the swing rod selectively locks the switch assembly; when the swing rod is locked with the switch assembly, the air pump assembly is in the inflation or deflation position; and when the swing rod and switch assembly are unlocked, the air pump assembly is in to a closed position.   
     
     
         2 . The air pump of  claim 1 , wherein the swing rod is provided with a first end and a second end, the first end is selectively engages with the pressure rod, and the second end selectively engages with the switch assembly; when the pressure rod moves in the first direction or the second direction, the first end swings upwards and the second end swings downwards, and the switch assembly and swing rod are unlocked. 
     
     
         3 . The air pump of  claim 2 , wherein the pressure rod is operatively coupled to the swing rod through a rocker, and the rocker is rotatably arranged on the pressure regulating valve body and comprises an upswing end and a downswing end; the upswing end is located at the upper end of the pressure rod and is matched with the first end of the swing rod, and the downswing end is located below the pressure rod; when the pressure rod moves in the first direction, the pressure rod pushes the upswing end of the rocker to move up; when the pressure rod moves in the second direction, the pressure rod pulls the downswing end of the rocker to move down. 
     
     
         4 . The air pump of  claim 3 , wherein the pressure rod comprises a rise part and a press part, the upswing end of the rocker is located above the rise part, and the downswing end of the rocker is located below the press part. 
     
     
         5 . The air pump of  claim 1 , wherein the upper end of the pressure regulating valve body is threadably coupled to a pressure regulating joint, and the upper end of the pressure spring abuts the pressure regulating joint. 
     
     
         6 . The air pump of  claim 5 , wherein a pressure regulating handwheel is operatively coupled to the pressure regulating joint, and the pressure regulating handwheel is rotatably arranged on the panel. 
     
     
         7 . The air pump of  claim 1 , wherein the switch assembly comprises a handwheel, a transmission rod having an upper end and a lower end, a bidirectional torsion spring having a pair of ends, a transmission gear, and a slider; the handwheel is rotatably arranged at the inlet-and-outlet port of the panel; the upper end of the transmission rod is operatively coupled to the handwheel, the lower end is operatively coupled to the transmission gear, and the transmission rod is selectively engages with the swing rod; the bidirectional torsion spring is sleeved on the transmission rod, and its pair of ends are connected in the body; the slider comprises a rack that engages with the transmission gear, and selectively communicates the inflation-and-deflation port of the body with the air inlet or the air outlet of the air pump assembly. 
     
     
         8 . The air pump of  claim 7 , wherein the switch assembly further comprises a transmission rod fixing member, and the transmission rod is rotatably coupled to the transmission rod fixing member. 
     
     
         9 . The air pump of  claim 1 , wherein the switch assembly comprises a handwheel, a transmission rod having an upper end and a lower end, a rotary disc having an upper face and a lower face, a bidirectional torsion spring having a pair of ends, an air exchange core, a rod, and a rod spring; the handwheel is rotatably arranged on the panel, the transmission rod selectively engages with the swing rod, and the upper end of the transmission rod is operatively coupled to the handwheel, and the lower end is operatively coupled to the rotary disc; the rotary disc is engaged with the air exchange core, which is positioned below the pump cover; the air exchange core selectively communicates the inflation-and-deflation port with the air inlet or the air outlet; the bidirectional torsion spring is sleeved on the rotary disc or the transmission rod, and its pair of ends are connected in the body; the lower face of the rotary disc includes a groove, and the rod selectively engages the groove of the rotary disc; the rod spring is sleeved on the rod. 
     
     
         10 . The air pump of  claim 1 , wherein the air pump assembly comprises a motor, a pump body, an impeller, a pump cover, and a microswitch; the pump body is coupled to the pump cover and the pump body and the pump cover form a pump chamber, and the pump cover is provided with an air inlet and an air outlet; the motor is arranged above the pump body, the impeller is arranged in the pump chamber and operatively coupled to the motor, and the microswitch is arranged on the pump cover and selectively engages with the switch assembly to activate or deactivate the motor. 
     
     
         11 . An air pump for an inflatable product having an inflatable chamber, the air pump comprising:
 a body comprising an inflation-and-deflation port in communication with the inflatable chamber and a pressure-sensing port 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 inflation-and-deflation port, the panel and the body defining a body chamber;   an air pump assembly arranged within the body chamber and comprising a pump motor, a pump body, a pump cover coupled to the pump body and having an inlet and an outlet, the pump body and the pump cover defining a pump chamber, the inlet 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;   a pressure valve assembly arranged substantially within the body chamber and comprising a pressure valve body including a duct in communication with the pressure-sensing port of the body, a pressure valve plate movably positioned within the pressure valve body in a first direction and a second direction, the pressure valve plate having a first side and a second side, the first side facing the pressure-sensing port, and the pressure rod coupled to the second side of the pressure valve plate, the pressure rod moveable with the pressure valve plate in the first direction and the second direction;   a switch assembly operatively coupled to the air pump assembly and the pressure valve assembly and configured to selectively place the inlet and outlet of the pump cover in communication with the inflation-and-deflation port of the body, the switch assembly comprising a user actuatable controller rotatably disposed on the panel and a transmission rod operatively coupled to the user actuatable controller for rotation therewith, the transmission rod comprising a first locking surface and a second locking surface,   wherein the pressure valve assembly selectively engages with the first locking surface of the transmission rod or the second locking surface of the transmission rod depending on the rotational position of the switch assembly to maintain the switch assembly in a first position or a second position.   
     
     
         12 . The air pump of  claim 11 , wherein the pressure valve assembly further comprises pressure spring sleeved on the pressure rod. 
     
     
         13 . The air pump of  claim 12 , wherein the pressure valve assembly further comprises a second user actuatable controller rotatably disposed on the panel, the second user actuatable controller operatively coupled to the pressure spring, and wherein rotation of the second user actuatable controller manipulates the pressure spring. 
     
     
         14 . The air pump of  claim 13 , wherein the pressure valve assembly further comprises a pressure regulating gear rotatably disposed in the valve body and between the second user actuatable controller and the pressure spring, the pressure regulating gear operatively coupling the second user actuatable controller to the pressure spring. 
     
     
         15 . The air pump of  claim 11 , wherein the pressure valve assembly further comprises a rocker and a swing rod, the rocker rotatably disposed on the pressure regulating valve body and operatively coupled to the swing rod, and the swing rod rotatably disposed on the pressure regulating valve body. 
     
     
         16 . The air pump of  claim 15 , wherein the swing rod engages the first locking surface of the transmission rod when the switch assembly is in the first position, and wherein the swing rod engages the second locking surface of the transmission rod when the switch assembly is in the second position. 
     
     
         17 . The air pump of  claim 16 , wherein movement of the pressure rod in the first direction or the second direction causes the pressure rod to contact the rocker, and the rocker contacts the swing rod to disengage the swing rod from the first locking surface of the transmission rod or the second locking surface of the transmission rod. 
     
     
         18 . The air pump of  claim 11 , wherein the switch assembly further comprises a torsion spring operatively coupled to the transmission rod, the torsion spring accumulating a restoring force when the switch assembly is in the first position or the second position and configured to bias the switch assembly to a third position when the pressure valve assembly disengages the first locking surface of the transmission rod or the second locking surface of the transmission rod. 
     
     
         19 . The air pump of  claim 11 , wherein the transmission rod comprises a first end and a second end, the transmission rod is operatively coupled to the user actuatable controller at the first end, and the switch assembly further comprises a transmission gear operatively coupled to the transmission rod at the second end for rotation therewith. 
     
     
         20 . The air pump of  claim 19 , wherein the switch assembly further comprises a slider positioned between the pump cover and the inflation-and-deflation port of the body, the slider comprising a rack operatively coupled to the transmission gear such that rotation of the transmission gear causes the slider to translate relative to the inflation-and-deflation port. 
     
     
         21 . The air pump of  claim 20 , wherein the inlet of the pump cover communicates with the inflation-and-deflation port through the slider. 
     
     
         22 . The air pump of  claim 19 , wherein the slider includes a first conduit, a second conduit, and a baffle between the first conduit and the second conduit. 
     
     
         23 . The air pump of  claim 22 , wherein, when the switch assembly is in the first position, the first conduit of the slider is in communication with the inlet-and-outlet port of the panel and the air inlet of the pump cover, and the second conduit of the slider is in communication with the air outlet of the pump cover and the inflation-and-deflation port of the body. 
     
     
         24 . The air pump of  claim 22 , wherein, when the switch assembly is in the second position, the first conduit of the slider is in communication with the air inlet of the pump cover and the inflation-and-deflation port of the body, and the air outlet of the pump cover is in communication with the inlet-and-outlet port of the panel. 
     
     
         25 . The air pump of  claim 22 , wherein the switch assembly is rotatable to a third position wherein the baffle of the slider seals the inflation-and-deflation port of the body. 
     
     
         26 . The air pump of  claim 25 , wherein the transmission rod comprises a groove and, when the switch assembly is in the third position, the pressure valve assembly engages the groove of the transmission rod. 
     
     
         27 . The air pump of  claim 11 , wherein the air pump assembly further comprises a selectively actuatable switch configured to activate and deactivate the pump motor, and the transmission rod comprises an arcuate surface configured to selectively actuate the switch when the switch assembly is in the first position or the second position. 
     
     
         28 . The air pump of  claim 11 , wherein the transmission rod comprises a first end and a second end, the transmission rod is operatively coupled to the user actuatable controller at the first end, and the switch assembly further comprises a rotatable disc operatively coupled to the second end of the transmission rod for rotation therewith. 
     
     
         29 . The air pump of  claim 28 , wherein the switch assembly further comprises a second rotatable disc operatively coupled to the first rotatable disc and comprising a first conduit and a second conduit therethrough for selectively communicating with the inlet of the pump cover and the outlet of the pump cover. 
     
     
         30 . The air pump of  claim 28 , wherein the switch assembly further comprises a valve configured to open and close the inflation-and-deflation port of the body, the valve comprising a valve stem and a spring sleeved on the valve stem. 
     
     
         31 . The air pump of  claim 30 , wherein the first rotary disc comprises a first side and a second side, the second side facing the inflation-and-deflation port of the body, and a groove disposed on the second side. 
     
     
         32 . The air pump of  claim 31 , wherein the valve is selectively received within the groove such that rotation of the first rotary disc causes linear movement of the valve relative to the inflation-and-deflation port of the body to open or close the inflation-and-deflation port. 
     
     
         33 . An air pump for an inflatable product having an inflatable chamber, the air pump comprising:
 a body comprising an inflation-and-deflation port in communication with the inflatable chamber and a pressure-sensing port 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 inflation-and-deflation port, the panel and the body defining a body chamber;   an air pump assembly arranged within the body chamber and comprising a pump motor, an impeller operatively coupled to the pump motor, a pump body, a pump cover coupled to the pump body, the air pump assembly having an inlet and an outlet;   a pressure valve assembly comprising a pressure valve plate having a first side in fluid communication with the pressure-sensing port and a second side in fluid communication with the environment and an actuator movable by the pressure valve plate from a first position to a second position;   a switch assembly operatively coupled to the air pump assembly and the pressure valve assembly, the switch assembly having a first position wherein the air pump assembly provides fluid to the inflation-and-deflation port of the body and a second position wherein the air pump assembly receives fluid from the inflation-and-deflation port of the body, the switch assembly comprising a user actuatable controller disposed on the panel, a first stop, and a second stop,   wherein the actuator of the pressure valve assembly selectively engages with the first stop when the actuator is in the second position and the switch assembly is in the first position to maintain the switch assembly in the first position and selectively engages with the second stop when the actuator is in the second position and the switch assembly is in the second position to maintain the switch assembly in the second position, the actuator being spaced apart from the first stop and the second stop when the actuator is in the first position.   
     
     
         34 . The air pump of  claim 33 , wherein the second side of the pressure valve plate is in fluid communication with the environment through the body chamber. 
     
     
         35 . The air pump of  claim 33 , wherein the actuator comprises a swing arm having a first end and a second end, the swing arm pivotally coupled to the valve body. 
     
     
         36 . The air pump of  claim 35 , wherein the second end of the swing arm selectively engages with the first stop when the actuator is in the second position and the switch assembly is in the first position to maintain the switch assembly in the first position and selectively engages with the second stop when the actuator is in the second position and the switch assembly is in the second position to maintain the switch assembly in the second position. 
     
     
         37 . The air pump of  claim 35 , wherein the second end of the swing arm is spaced apart from the first stop and the second stop when the actuator is in the first position. 
     
     
         38 . The air pump of  claim 33 , wherein the pressure valve assembly further comprises a pressure rod operatively coupled to the second side of the pressure valve plate and a pressure spring sleeved on the pressure rod. 
     
     
         39 . The air pump of  claim 33 , wherein the user actuatable controller is rotatably disposed on the panel.