US20260009393A1

US20260009393A1 - An air pump with a channel switch assembly

Info

Publication number: US20260009393A1
Application number: US19/127,834
Authority: US
Inventors: Zhi Xiong Huang; Ying Biao Zhang; Zhi Wen ZHOU
Original assignee: Intex Marketing Ltd
Current assignee: Intex Marketing Ltd
Priority date: 2022-11-10
Filing date: 2023-11-10
Publication date: 2026-01-08
Also published as: WO2024100625A1; EP4616075A1; CN218894778U

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.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to Chinese Application No. CN202223002211.8, filed Nov. 10, 2022, the entire disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosure relates to an air pump, and in particular to an air pump including a channel switch assembly.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Inflatable products are widely used for various household items. Advantageously, inflatable products may be easy to store or carry after deflation. Inflatable beds, for example, due to their small size, are easy to carry and store, and they are suitable for camping and serving as backup mattresses for short-term use by guests at home.
Existing inflatable beds generally have multiple chambers that are set to different air pressures. Existing air pumps suitable for use with a multi-chamber inflatable product require multiple motors to achieve inflation and deflation, which results in increased cost.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure, in embodiments, provides a low-cost air pump with a channel switch assembly.
In one form thereof, an air pump for an inflatable product having an inflatable chamber may comprise a panel, a body, an air pump assembly, and a switch assembly. The switch assembly may comprise a reversing motor, a driving gear, a driven gear, an inflation-and-deflation switch assembly, and a channel switch assembly. The panel may comprise a control board and an air inlet-and-outlet port. The body may comprise two or more inflation-and-deflation ports and may receive a main circuit board, which may be disposed within the body. The panel may be 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 may be arranged in the body chamber. The control board may be operatively coupled to the main circuit board. The main circuit board may be operatively coupled to the air pump assembly and the switch assembly. The driving gear of the switch assembly may be operatively coupled to the reversing motor, the reversing motor may be operatively coupled to the main circuit board, the driven gear may be vertically offset from the driving gear, and the driven gear may be 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 may be operatively coupled to the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly, and the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly may be disposed between the air inlet-and-outlet port of the panel and the air pump assembly and may be 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 may be operatively coupled to the channel switch assembly, and the channel switch assembly may selectively close or open the respective two or more inflation-and-deflation ports of the body.
In another form thereof, the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly may comprise a reversing gear and an air exchange core, the air exchange core may be provided with an airway having an upper end and a lower end, the upper end of the airway may communicate with the air inlet-and-outlet port, and the lower end may selectively communicate with the air inlet or the air outlet of the air pump assembly. The reversing gear may mesh with the driving gear and may be rotatably sleeved on the air exchange core. When the boss slides in the sliding groove, the reversing gear may be operatively coupled to the air exchange core.
In another form thereof, a spring may be disposed outside the air exchange core, and the spring may be operatively coupled to a spring pin. The reversing gear may be provided with a limit hole which may selectively receive the spring pin.
In another form thereof, the channel switch assembly may comprise 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 may mesh with the driven gear, the locator plate may be coupled to the rotary disc gear, and the locator plate may be provided with a plurality of locator strips. The locator plate circuit board may be used to detect the locator strips on the locator plate. The rotary disc may be disposed under the rotary disc gear, the ejector rod spring may be sleeved outside the ejector rod, an upper end of the ejector rod may be operatively coupled to the rotary disc, and a lower end may be operatively coupled to the inflation-and-deflation port, and each inflation-and-deflation port is matched with an ejector rod.
In another form thereof, a lower end of the rotary disc may be provided with a plurality of grooves operatively coupled to the ejector rod, and, when the ejector rod falls into the groove, the inflation and deflation port corresponding to the ejector rod may open.
In another form thereof, the air pump assembly may comprise a main motor, a pump body, an impeller, and a pump cover. The pump cover may be coupled to the pump body, and the pump cover and the pump body may form a pump chamber. The impeller may be arranged in the pump chamber, the main motor may be arranged under the pump body and may be operatively coupled to the impeller in the pump chamber. The pump cover may be provided with the air inlet and the air outlet, and the air inlet and the air outlet may be in communication with the pump chamber.
In another form thereof, the boss may be disposed on the driving gear or the driven gear, and the sliding groove may be disposed on the other of the driven gear or the driving gear.
In another form thereof, the present disclosure provides an air pump for an inflatable product having an inflatable chamber. The air pump may comprise a body, which may comprise a plurality of inflation-and-deflation ports in communication with the inflatable chamber, and a panel, which may be coupled to the body and may comprise an air inlet-and-outlet port in selective communication with the plurality of inflation-and-deflation ports, and the body and the panel may define a body chamber. The air pump may further comprise a controller disposed on the panel, a circuit board disposed within the body chamber and operatively coupled to the controller, and an air pump assembly disposed within the body chamber. The air pump assembly may comprise a pump motor, which may be operatively coupled to the circuit board, a pump body, and a pump cover, which may be coupled to the pump body and may comprise an inlet and an outlet. The pump body and the pump cover may form a pump chamber, the inlet of the pump cover and the outlet of the pump cover may be in communication with the pump chamber, and an impeller may be disposed within the pump chamber and operatively coupled to the pump motor. The air pump may further comprise a switch assembly, which may comprise 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 may comprise a rotatable air exchange core, which may comprise 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 may be in communication with the inlet-and-outlet port of the panel, and the second end of the air exchange core may be in selective communication with the inlet of the pump cover or the outlet of the pump cover. The channel switch assembly may comprise a rotary disc operatively coupled to the driven gear such that rotation of the driven gear may drive the rotary disc to rotate.
In another form thereof, the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly may further comprise a reversing gear operatively coupled to the driving gear and rotatably sleeved on the air exchange core.
In another form thereof, rotation of the reversing gear may cause the air exchange core to rotate.
In another form thereof, the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly may further comprise a spring pin disposed on the air exchange core, and the reversing gear may comprise a limiting hole configured to receive the spring pin. When the receiving hole receives the spring pin, rotation of the reversing gear may cause the air exchange core to rotate, and, when the receiving hole is spaced apart from the spring pin, the reversing gear may rotate relative to the air exchange core.
In another form thereof, the rotary disc may comprise a first side and a second side, the second side may face the plurality of inflation-and-deflation ports of the body, and the second side of the rotary disc may be formed with a plurality of grooves.
In another form thereof, the channel switch assembly may further comprise a plurality of valves corresponding to the plurality of inflation-and-deflation ports of the body, and each of the plurality of valves may be positioned between the rotary disc and a corresponding one of the plurality of inflation-and-deflation ports.
In another form thereof, each of the plurality of valves may comprise a valve stem and a spring sleeved on the valve stem. A corresponding groove of the plurality of grooves of the rotary disc may selectively receive the valve stem of a corresponding valve.
In another form thereof, when the corresponding groove of the rotary disc receives the valve stem of the corresponding valve, the valve may open the inflation-and-deflation port of the body.
In another form thereof, when the corresponding groove of the rotary disc is spaced apart from the valve stem of the corresponding valve, the valve may close the inflation-and-deflation port of the body.
In another form thereof, the channel switch assembly may further comprise a rotary disc gear disposed between the driven gear and the rotary disc, and the rotary disc gear may operatively couple the rotary disc to the driven gear.
In another form thereof, the channel switch assembly may further comprise a locator plate operatively coupled to the driven gear and a sensor, the locator plate may comprise a plurality of locators disposed on the locator plate, and the sensor may be configured to detect a locator of the plurality of locators as the locator plate rotates.
In another form thereof, the driving gear may comprise 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 may have 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.
In another form thereof, the pump cover may be positioned between the panel and the pump motor.
In another form thereof, the air exchange core may be 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.
In another form thereof, the present disclosure provides an air pump for an inflatable product having an inflatable chamber. The air pump may comprise a body, which may comprise a plurality of inflation-and-deflation ports in communication with the inflatable chamber, and a panel, which may be coupled to the body and may comprise an air inlet-and-outlet port in selective communication with the plurality of inflation-and-deflation ports. The body and the panel may define a body chamber. The air pump may further comprise a controller disposed on the panel and a circuit board disposed within the body chamber and operatively coupled to the controller. The air pump may further comprise an air pump assembly disposed within the body chamber. The air pump assembly may comprise 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, and an air inlet and an air outlet. The air pump may further comprise a switch assembly, which may comprise 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, which may be configured to selectively open and close each of the plurality of inflation-and-deflation ports. The inflation-and-deflation switch assembly may comprise 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 may comprise a rotary disc operatively coupled to the driven gear such that rotation of the driven gear may drive the rotary disc to rotate.
In another form thereof, the pump body and the pump cover may cooperate to define a pump chamber, and the impeller may be disposed within the pump chamber.
In another form thereof, the pump cover may comprise the air inlet and the air outlet of the pump assembly.
In another form thereof, the air exchange core may be rotatably disposed within the body chamber.
In another form thereof, the air exchange core may comprise a first end, a second end, and an air passageway spanning the first end and the second end.
In another form thereof, the first end of the air exchange core may be in communication with the inlet-and-outlet port of the panel, and the second end of the air exchange core may be in selective communication with the air inlet of the pump assembly or the air outlet of the pump assembly.
In another form thereof, the present disclosure provides an air pump for an inflatable product. The air pump may comprise a body, which may include plurality of ports adapted to be in fluid communication with the inflatable product, a panel, which may be coupled to the body and may include an inlet-and-outlet port, a plurality of valves, each valve of the plurality of valves may be positioned to open and close a respective port of the plurality of ports of the body, a channel switch assembly, which may be operatively coupled to the plurality of valves to selectively open and close the plurality of ports, an air pump assembly, which may comprise 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, which may comprise 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 may have an inflation position and a deflation position relative to the air pump assembly, and a single motor, which may be 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.
In another form thereof, the air pump may further comprise a first gear driven by the single motor, a second gear driven by the first gear, the second gear may be 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 may be operatively coupled to the channel switch assembly to open a respective one of the plurality of ports.
In another form thereof, the second gear may be intermeshed with the first gear and the third gear may be driven by the first gear through a boss.
In another form thereof, the second gear may be driven by the first gear through a first rotation while the third gear remains stationary, and the second gear may be driven by the first gear through a second rotation while the third gear may also be driven by the first gear.
In another form thereof, during the first rotation of the second gear the air exchange core may rotate and during the second rotation of the second gear the air exchange core may remain stationary.
In another form thereof, the single motor drives the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly prior to driving the channel switch assembly.
Among other features and advantages, the present disclosure utilizes the mutual cooperation of the reversing motor, the driving gear, and the driven gear to successively drive the inflation and deflation switch assembly and the channel switch assembly so that one reversing motor can complete the inflation and deflation switching and channel switching, greatly reducing the pump cost.
Additional features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an exemplary air pump according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the air pump of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an exemplary switch assembly according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is an elevation view of the switch assembly of FIG. 3 and a pump assembly according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the switch assembly of FIG. 3 ;

FIG. 6 is a partial exploded view of the switch assembly of FIG. 3 ;

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the switch assembly of FIG. 3 ;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a rotary disc according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the air pump of FIG. 1 in a closed or sealed state;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the channel switch assembly transitioning from a closed or sealed state to a deflating state;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the air pump of FIG. 1 depicted in a deflating state;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of the channel switch assembly transitioning from a closed or sealed state to an inflating state;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the air pump of FIG. 1 depicted in an inflating state; and

FIGS. 14A and 14B illustrate various positions of the rotary disc of the channel selection assembly selecting different inflatable chambers to inflate or deflate.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Although the drawings represent embodiments of various features and components according to the present disclosure, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated in order to better illustrate and explain the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principals of the disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, which are described below. The embodiments disclosed below are not intended to be exhaustive or limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed in the following detailed description. Rather, the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may utilize their teachings. It will be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. The disclosure includes any alterations and further modifications in the illustrative devices and described methods and further applications of the principles of the disclosure which would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the disclosure relates.
In the description of the present disclosure, it should be noted that the terms “up”, “down”, “inside”, “outside”, “top/bottom”, etc. indicate the orientation or position relationship based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the attached drawings, only for the convenience of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or component referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, it cannot be understood as a limitation on the present disclosure. In addition, the terms “first” and “second” are only used to describe and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.
In the description of the present disclosure, it should be noted that unless otherwise specified and limited, the terms “installation”, “set with”, “set/connected”, “connected”, etc. should be understood broadly. For example, “connected” can be a wall mounted connection, a detachable connection, or an integrated connection, can be a mechanical connection, can be an electrical connection, can be directly connected, or can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, can be the internal connection between two components, and for ordinary technical personnel in this field, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood in a specific situation.
The terms “couples”, “coupled”, “coupler”, and variations thereof are used to include both arrangements wherein two or more components are in direct physical contact and arrangements wherein the two or more components are not in direct contact with each other (e.g., the components are “coupled” via at least a third component, but yet still cooperates or interact with each other).
As shown in FIGS. 1-8, 14A, and 14B, the present disclosure provides an air pump for an inflatable product having a plurality of inflatable chambers 16. In use, the air pump may be received substantially within the inflatable chamber of the inflatable product. For example, a body 10 of the air pump may be coupled to a side wall of the inflatable product, such that a panel 20 of the air pump is one of flush with the side wall of the inflatable product, recessed within the inflatable product relative to the side wall, or positioned proud of the side wall of the inflatable product. The air pump may comprise a panel 20, a body 10, an air pump assembly 30, and a switch assembly 40. A control board 22 and an air inlet-and-outlet port 21 are disposed on the panel 20, and two or more air inflation-and-deflation ports 11 are disposed on the body 10. A main circuit board 12 is disposed within the body 10. The panel 20 is coupled to the body 10 and cooperates with the body 10 to form a body chamber. In embodiments, panel 20 is coupled to body 10 through interlocking features, fasteners, adhesive, and other suitable connections. The air pump assembly 30 and the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly are arranged in the body chamber. The control board 22 is operatively coupled to the main circuit board 12, and the main circuit board 12 is operatively coupled to the air pump assembly 30 and the switch assembly 40.
The switch assembly 40 may comprise a reversing motor 41, a driving gear 42, a driven gear 43, an inflation-and-deflation switch assembly, and a channel switch assembly. The driving gear 42 is operatively coupled to the reversing motor 41, the reversing motor 41 is operatively coupled to the main circuit board 12, and the driven gear 43 may be disposed above the driving gear 42. When the reversing motor 41 drives the driving gear 42 to rotate, boss 421 (see FIG. 3 ) slides within channel or sliding groove 431, and when boss 421 slides to an end of the sliding groove 431, the driving gear 42 drives the driven gear 43 to rotate. Channel or sliding groove 431 may have a first end delimited by a first wall and a second end delimited by a second wall, and when the boss 421 abuts the first wall or the second wall, rotation of the driving gear 42 drives the driven 43 gear to rotate.
The driving gear 42 may engage with the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly, and the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly is arranged between the air inlet-and-outlet port 21 of the panel 20 and the air pump assembly 30 to switch the air inlet-and-outlet port 21 to communicate with the air inlet 341 or the air outlet 342 of the air pump assembly 30. The driven gear 43 is operatively coupled with the channel switch assembly, which selectively closes or opens the two or more air inflation-and-deflation ports 11 of body 10. In addition to selectively closing or opening the two or more air inflation-and-deflation ports 11, the channel switch assembly may also simultaneously open or close more than one of the two or more air inflation-and-deflation ports 11 of body 10. For example, the channel switch assembly may simultaneously open or close all of the two or more inflation-and-deflation ports 11. Thus, the channel switch assembly may be configured to both selectively open or close each of the inflation-and-deflation ports 11 of body 10 and simultaneously open or close each of the inflation-and-deflation ports 11 of body 10.
The boss 421 is arranged on the driving gear 42 or the driven gear 43, and the channel or sliding groove 431 is arranged on the other of the driven gear 43 or the driving gear 42. In the illustrated embodiment, boss 421 is provided on the driving gear 42 and the sliding groove 431 is provided on the driven gear 43. The control board 22 may be a keyboard or a touch board. In the illustrated embodiment, the control board 22 is a keyboard, which is provided with an inflation button, an air release button, and a select channel button. The select channel button allows an operator to select which of the two or more air inflation-and-deflation ports 11 of the body 10 to open. The select channel button also allows the operator to simultaneously open or close more than one of the two or more inflating and deflation ports 11 of body 10.
The air pump utilizes the mutual cooperation of reversing motor 41, driving gear 42, and driven gear 43 to drive the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly and the channel switch assembly successively. When the reversing motor 41 starts, and the driving gear 42 is first used to drive the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly to select to inflate or deflate. Then, the driving gear 42 drives the driven gear 43 to rotate, and the driven gear 43 drives the channel switch assembly to select the channel and select to open or close the respective two or more inflation-and-deflation ports 11. After the channel selection is complete, the main motor 31 starts to inflate or deflate.
The inflation-and-deflation switch assembly comprises a reversing gear 441 and an air exchange core 442. Air exchange core 442 may be provided with an air passage, an upper end of which is communicated with the air inlet-and-outlet port 21 (see FIG. 9 ), and a lower end of which is selectively in communication with the air inlet 341 or the air outlet 342 of the air pump assembly 30. The reversing gear 441 engages with the driving gear 42 and is rotatably mounted on the air exchange core 442. The reversing gear 441 is operatively coupled to the air exchange core 442 when boss 421 slides within the sliding groove 431. When the driving gear 42 does not drive the driven gear 43 to rotate, the reversing gear 441 is operatively coupled to the air exchange core 442, and rotation of the reversing gear 441 will drive the air exchange core 442 to rotate for inflating or deflating. When the boss 421 is rotated to an end of the sliding groove 431, the driving gear 42 drives the driven gear 43 to rotate, and the reversing gear 441 is disconnected from the air exchange core 442. The movable connection between the reversing gear 441 and the air exchange core 442 is realized by means of a spring pin 4421 (see FIG. 6 ). In particular, the air exchange core 442 is provided with a spring 4422, the spring 4422 abuts spring pin 4421, and the reversing gear 441 is provided with a limit hole 4411 which selectively receives the spring pin 4421. In embodiments, when air exchange core 442 reaches a respective one of its two set positions (inflation position or deflation position) air exchange core 442 cannot further rotate and spring pin 4421 compresses spring 4422 while it travels down a cam surface (not shown) on an underside of reversing gear 441 thereby decoupling reversing gear 441 from air exchange core 442. Spring pin 4421 may include a rounded or curved top capable of sliding or moving against a side surface of limit hole 4411 to disengage spring pin 4421 from limit hole 4411. Referring to FIGS. 5-7 , pump cover 34 may include a limiting block 343 and air exchange core may include a first shoulder 4423 (FIG. 12 ) and a second shoulder 4424 (FIG. 5 ). Rotation of reversing gear 441 may cause air exchange core 442 to rotate until first shoulder 4423 or second shoulder 4424 abuts limiting block 342. When first shoulder 4423 abuts limiting block 343, air exchange core 442 may be in one of its two set positions, and when second shoulder 4424 abuts limiting block 343, air exchange core 442 may be in another of its two set positions. Reversing gear 441 may continue to rotate further while air exchange connection remains stationary. When driving gear 42 rotates in an opposite direction (such as for deflating instead of inflating) reversing gear 441 rotates relative to air exchange core 442 until spring pin 4421 is aligned with limit hole 4411. Then spring pin 4421 again is received in limit hole 4411 coupling reversing gear 441 and air exchange core 442 such that further rotation of the reversing gear 441 in the opposite direction also causes a rotation of air exchange core in the opposite direction until the air exchange core 442 again reaches a set position (inflation position or deflation position) whereat the spring pin is again moved downward decoupling the air exchange core 422 from the reversing gear 441. In embodiments, limit hole 4411 is a through hole. In embodiments, limit hole 4411 is a blind-depth hole from the underside of reversing gear 441.
The channel switch assembly may comprise a rotary disc gear 451, a locator plate, such as induction plate 455, a locator sensor or locator circuit board 456 operatively coupled to the main circuit board 12, a rotary disc 452, an ejector rod 453, and an ejector rod spring 454 (see FIG. 7 ). Ejector rod 453 and ejector rod spring 454 function as a valve for the corresponding port 11. The rotary disc gear 451 is operatively coupled to the driven gear 43. The locator plate 455 is coupled to the rotary disc gear 451, and the locator plate 455 is provided with a plurality of locator strips, which may be induction strips. In embodiments, the locator plate 455 is coupled to the rotary disc gear 451 through interlocking features, a fastener, adhesive, and other suitable connections. In embodiments, locator plate and rotary disc gear 451 are integrally formed. The locator sensor or circuit board 456 is used to detect the locator strips on the locator plate 455. As shown in FIG. 7 , rotary disc 452 is disposed under the rotary disc gear 451. The ejector rod spring 454 is sleeved outside the ejector rod 453. An upper end, illustratively a convex top, of the ejector rod 453 is operatively coupled to the rotary disc gear 451, and a lower end is selectively sealed to a respective one of the inflation-and-deflation ports 11. In embodiments, the lower end of ejector rod 453 and body 10 cooperate to form a fluid tight seal. In embodiments, the lower end of ejector rod 453 carries a compliant seal which cooperates with body 10 to form a fluid tight seal. In embodiments, body 10 supports a compliant seal which cooperates with the lower end of ejector rod 453 to form a fluid tight seal. Each inflation-and-deflation port 11 is matched with an ejector rod 453.
Referring to FIG. 8 , an exemplary embodiment of a lower end face of the rotary disc 452 is provided with a plurality of grooves 4521, which cooperate with the ejector rod 453. When the upper end of the ejector rod 453 is received in the grooves 4521, the ejector rod moves upward due to the bias of spring 454 and the corresponding inflation-and-deflation port 11 of body 10 is opened. When the upper end of the ejector rod is not received within one of grooves 4521, the ejector rod moves downward against the bias of spring 454 and the corresponding inflation-and-deflation port of body 10 is closed. Grooves 4521 are arranged on rotary disc 453 such that each ejector rod 453 may be selectively actuated or more than one of the ejector rods 453 may be simultaneously actuated as rotary disc 452 rotates. Other exemplary arrangements of grooves 4521 may be provided on the lower end face of rotary disc 452 based on desired states of the various ejector rods 453.
To facilitate the setting of the switch assembly in the body 10, the switch assembly is further provided with a fixing plate or first support 457 (see FIG. 7 ) and a support plate or second support 458 fixed in the body 10. The fixing plate 457 and the support plate 458 are coupled to one another, and the reversing motor 41, the driving gear 42, the driven gear 43, the rotary disc gear 451 and the rotary disc 452 are arranged on the fixing plate 457. The rotary disc 452 and portions of ejector rods 453 are arranged between the fixing plate 457 and the support plate 458.
Returning to FIG. 1 , the air pump assembly 30 comprises a main motor 31, a pump body 32, an impeller 33, and a pump cover 34. The pump cover 34 is coupled to the pump body 32 and together with the pump body 32 forms a pump chamber. The impeller 33 is arranged in the pump chamber, and the main motor 31 is arranged under the pump body 32 and is operatively coupled to the impeller 33 in the pump chamber. The pump cover 34 is provided with the air inlet 341 and the air outlet 342, and the air inlet 341 and the air outlet 342 are in communication with the pump chamber.
The exemplary operation of the air pump is discussed below.
As shown in FIG. 9 and FIGS. 3-5 , in the initial state, the locator plate 455 is in a starting or off position. The upper end of each ejector rod 453 is in the non-groove position of the rotary disc 452 (see FIG. 4 ) resulting in each ejector rod 453 being moved downward in the compressed state and closing each of the respective inflation-and-deflation ports 11. The air exchange core 442 is in the deflating state, and the spring pin 4421 enters the limit hole 4411 of the reversing gear 441 resulting in the reversing gear 441 is operatively coupled to the air exchange core 442. At this time, the driving gear 42 is engaged with the reversing gear 441, the driven gear 43 is engaged with the rotary disc gear 451, and the boss 421 is located at the end of the sliding groove 431.
As shown in FIGS. 10-11 , a deflation operation is explained. An operator selects the channel for deflation through the control board 22 and presses the deflating button on the control board 22. The main motor 31 and the reversing motor 41 start, and the driving gear 42 rotates counterclockwise under the action of driving motor 41. Boss 421 of the driving gear 42 drives the driven gear 43 to rotate counterclockwise. The spring pin 4421 disengages from the reversing gear 441, the air exchange core 442 stays in the deflating position. The driven gear 43 rotates counterclockwise, the rotary disc gear 451 and the locator plate 455 rotate clockwise simultaneously. During the rotation of the locator plate 455, the locator circuit board 456 senses the corresponding locator strip, and the reversing motor 41 stops rotating. When the reversing motor 41 stops rotating and the rotary disc gear 451 has rotated to the corresponding position, an upper end of the ejector 453 rod corresponding to the selected channel is received in groove 4521, and the corresponding inflation-and-deflation port 11 opens and the corresponding portion of the inflatable product is deflated. As shown in FIG. 11 , air from the corresponding portion of the inflatable product the body cavity formed by body 10 and panel 20 through port 11, enters air inlet 341 of air pump assembly 30, exits air outlet 342 of air pump assembly 30 and passes through air exchange core 422 and out of air inlet-and-outlet port 21 of panel 20. Press any button again on the control board 22, the reversing motor 41 activates, the driving gear 42 continues to drive the driven gear 43 to rotate counterclockwise until the locator circuit board 456 senses the locator strip in the initial position. The channel is closed, the reversing motor 41 and the main motor 31 deactivate, and the spring pin 4421 is received in the limit hole 4411 of the reversing gear 441.
Referring to FIG. 14A, when rotary disc gear 451 is rotated about an axis 459 to a first position a first one of ejector rod 453 (leftmost in the FIGS.) is received in the corresponding groove 4521 of rotary disc gear 451 thereby opening the corresponding port 11 (leftmost in the FIGS.) in the body 10. Referring to FIG. 14B, when rotary disc gear 451 is rotated further about axis 459 to a second position a second one of ejector rod 453 (middle one in the FIGS.) is received in the corresponding groove 4521 of rotary disc gear 451 thereby opening the corresponding port 11 (middle one in the FIGS.) in the body 10. Although not illustrated, rotary disc gear 451 may be rotated to a third position opening the corresponding third one of the plurality of ports 11 in the body 10. Rotary disc 451 may be rotated to a fourth position wherein two of the ports 11 in body 10 are opened or each of the ports 11 in body 10 are opened.
As shown in FIGS. 12-13 , an inflation operation is explained. An operator selects the channel through the control board 22 for inflation and presses the inflation button. The main motor 31 activates, and the driving gear 42 rotates clockwise under the action of driving motor 41. Initially, the driven gear 43 does not rotate, and the reversing gear 441 rotates counterclockwise. Under the action of spring pin 4421, the air exchange core 442 is driven to rotate counterclockwise to the inflation position. After the air exchange core 442 is turned to the inflation position, boss 421 of the driving gear 42 reaches the edge of the sliding groove 431 of the driven gear 43 and starts to drive the driven gear 43 to rotate clockwise. The reversing gear 441 continues to rotate counterclockwise to make the spring pin 4421 release from limit hole 4411 such that the air exchange core 442 no longer rotates.
The driven gear 43 rotates clockwise and drives the rotary disc gear 451 and the locator plate 455 to rotate counterclockwise simultaneously. During the rotation of the locator plate 455, the locator circuit board 456 senses the corresponding locator strip, and the reversing motor 41 deactivates. When the reversing motor 41 deactivates and the rotary disc gear 451 has rotated to the corresponding position, an upper end of the ejector rod 453 corresponding to the selected channel is received by groove 4521, and the corresponding inflation-and-deflation port 11 opens and the corresponding portion of the inflatable product is inflated. As shown in FIG. 13 , air from the air inlet-and-outlet port 21 of panel 20 passes through air exchange core 422 and into air inlet 341 of air pump assembly 30. The air exits air outlet 342 of air pump assembly 30 and passes out through the open port 11 into the corresponding portion of the inflatable product. Press any key again on the control board 22, the reversing motor 41 activates, the driving gear 42 continues to drive the driven gear 43 to rotate clockwise until the locator circuit board 456 senses the locator strip in the initial position, the channel is closed, the reversing motor 41 and the main motor 31 deactivate, and the spring pin 4421 falls into the limit hole 4411 of the reversing gear 441 again. In embodiments, the locator circuit board includes two optical sensors and the locating tab corresponding to the initial position interrupts a light signal for each of the optical sensors and the locating tab corresponding to inflation or deflation only interrupts the light for one of the two sensors. In this manner, the system may distinguish between the initial position and the inflation or deflation positions. Other sensors, such as hall effect sensors, may be used in place of optical sensors.
The air pump utilizes the mutual cooperation of the reversing motor 41, the driving gear 42, and the driven gear 43 to drive the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly and the channel switch assembly successively so that the reversing motor 41 can complete inflation and deflation switching and channel switching, which greatly reduces the pump cost.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

An air pump for an inflatable product having an inflatable chamber may comprise a panel, a body, an air pump assembly, and a switch assembly. The switch assembly may comprise a reversing motor, a driving gear, a driven gear, an inflation-and-deflation switch assembly, and a channel switch assembly. The panel may comprise a control board and an air inlet-and-outlet port. The body may comprise two or more inflation-and-deflation ports and may receive a main circuit board, which may be disposed within the body. The panel may be 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 may be arranged in the body chamber. The control board may be operatively coupled to the main circuit board. The main circuit board may be operatively coupled to the air pump assembly and the switch assembly. The driving gear of the switch assembly may be operatively coupled to the reversing motor, the reversing motor may be operatively coupled to the main circuit board, the driven gear may be vertically offset from the driving gear, and the driven gear may be 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 may be operatively coupled to the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly, and the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly may be disposed between the air inlet-and-outlet port of the panel and the air pump assembly and may be 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 may be operatively coupled to the channel switch assembly, and the channel switch assembly may selectively close or open the respective two or more inflation-and-deflation ports of the body.

Example 2

The air pump according to Example 1, wherein the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly may comprise a reversing gear and an air exchange core, the air exchange core may be provided with an airway having an upper end and a lower end, the upper end of the airway may communicate with the air inlet-and-outlet port, and the lower end may selectively communicate with the air inlet or the air outlet of the air pump assembly. The reversing gear may mesh with the driving gear and may be rotatably sleeved on the air exchange core. When the boss slides in the sliding groove, the reversing gear may be operatively coupled to the air exchange core.

Example 3

The air pump according to Example 2, wherein a spring may be disposed outside the air exchange core, and the spring may be operatively coupled to a spring pin. The reversing gear may be provided with a limit hole which may selectively receive the spring pin.

Example 4

The air pump according to Example 1, wherein the channel switch assembly may comprise 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 may mesh with the driven gear, the locator plate may be coupled to the rotary disc gear, and the locator plate may be provided with a plurality of locator strips. The locator plate circuit board may be used to detect the locator strips on the locator plate. The rotary disc may be disposed under the rotary disc gear, the ejector rod spring may be sleeved outside the ejector rod, an upper end of the ejector rod may be operatively coupled to the rotary disc, and a lower end may be operatively coupled to the inflation-and-deflation port, and each inflation-and-deflation port is matched with an ejector rod.

Example 5

The air pump according to Example 4, wherein a lower end of the rotary disc may be provided with a plurality of grooves operatively coupled to the ejector rod, and, when the ejector rod falls into the groove, the inflation and deflation port corresponding to the ejector rod may open.

Example 6

The air pump according to Example 1, wherein the air pump assembly may comprise a main motor, a pump body, an impeller, and a pump cover. The pump cover may be coupled to the pump body, and the pump cover and the pump body may form a pump chamber. The impeller may be arranged in the pump chamber, the main motor may be arranged under the pump body and may be operatively coupled to the impeller in the pump chamber. The pump cover may be provided with the air inlet and the air outlet, and the air inlet and the air outlet may be in communication with the pump chamber.

Example 7

The air pump according to Example 1, wherein the boss may be disposed on the driving gear or the driven gear, and the sliding groove may be disposed on the other of the driven gear or the driving gear.

Example 8

An air pump for an inflatable product having an inflatable chamber may comprise a body, which may comprise a plurality of inflation-and-deflation ports in communication with the inflatable chamber, and a panel, which may be coupled to the body and may comprise an air inlet-and-outlet port in selective communication with the plurality of inflation-and-deflation ports, and the body and the panel may define a body chamber. The air pump may further comprise a controller disposed on the panel, a circuit board disposed within the body chamber and operatively coupled to the controller, and an air pump assembly disposed within the body chamber. The air pump assembly may comprise a pump motor, which may be operatively coupled to the circuit board, a pump body, and a pump cover, which may be coupled to the pump body and may comprise an inlet and an outlet. The pump body and the pump cover may form a pump chamber, the inlet of the pump cover and the outlet of the pump cover may be in communication with the pump chamber, and an impeller may be disposed within the pump chamber and operatively coupled to the pump motor. The air pump may further comprise a switch assembly, which may comprise 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 may comprise a rotatable air exchange core, which may comprise 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 may be in communication with the inlet-and-outlet port of the panel, and the second end of the air exchange core may be in selective communication with the inlet of the pump cover or the outlet of the pump cover. The channel switch assembly may comprise a rotary disc operatively coupled to the driven gear such that rotation of the driven gear may drive the rotary disc to rotate.

Example 9

The air pump according to Example 8, wherein the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly may further comprise a reversing gear operatively coupled to the driving gear and rotatably sleeved on the air exchange core.

Example 10

The air pump according to Example 9, wherein rotation of the reversing gear may cause the air exchange core to rotate.

Example 11

The air pump according to Example 9, wherein the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly may further comprise a spring pin disposed on the air exchange core, and the reversing gear may comprise a limiting hole configured to receive the spring pin. When the receiving hole receives the spring pin, rotation of the reversing gear may cause the air exchange core to rotate, and, when the receiving hole is spaced apart from the spring pin, the reversing gear may rotate relative to the air exchange core.

Example 12

The air pump according to Example 8, wherein the rotary disc may comprise a first side and a second side, the second side may face the plurality of inflation-and-deflation ports of the body, and the second side of the rotary disc may be formed with a plurality of grooves.

Example 13

The air pump according to Example 12, wherein the channel switch assembly may further comprise a plurality of valves corresponding to the plurality of inflation-and-deflation ports of the body, and each of the plurality of valves may be positioned between the rotary disc and a corresponding one of the plurality of inflation-and-deflation ports.

Example 14

The air pump according to Example 13, wherein each of the plurality of valves may comprise a valve stem and a spring sleeved on the valve stem. A corresponding groove of the plurality of grooves of the rotary disc may selectively receive the valve stem of a corresponding valve.

Example 15

The air pump according to Example 14, wherein when the corresponding groove of the rotary disc receives the valve stem of the corresponding valve, the valve may open the inflation-and-deflation port of the body.

Example 16

The air pump according to Example 14, wherein when the corresponding groove of the rotary disc is spaced apart from the valve stem of the corresponding valve, the valve may close the inflation-and-deflation port of the body.

Example 17

The air pump according to Example 8, wherein the channel switch assembly may further comprise a rotary disc gear disposed between the driven gear and the rotary disc, and the rotary disc gear may operatively couple the rotary disc to the driven gear.

Example 18

The air pump according to Example 8, wherein the channel switch assembly may further comprise a locator plate operatively coupled to the driven gear and a sensor, the locator plate may comprise a plurality of locators disposed on the locator plate, and the sensor may be configured to detect a locator of the plurality of locators as the locator plate rotates.

Example 19

The air pump according to Example 8, wherein the driving gear may comprise 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 may have 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.

Example 20

The air pump according to Example 8, wherein the pump cover may be positioned between the panel and the pump motor.

Example 21

The air pump according to Example 8, wherein the air exchange core may be 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.

Example 22

An air pump for an inflatable product having an inflatable chamber may comprise a body, which may comprise a plurality of inflation-and-deflation ports in communication with the inflatable chamber, and a panel, which may be coupled to the body and may comprise an air inlet-and-outlet port in selective communication with the plurality of inflation-and-deflation ports. The body and the panel may define a body chamber. The air pump may further comprise a controller disposed on the panel and a circuit board disposed within the body chamber and operatively coupled to the controller. The air pump may further comprise an air pump assembly disposed within the body chamber. The air pump assembly may comprise 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, and an air inlet and an air outlet. The air pump may further comprise a switch assembly, which may comprise 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, which may be configured to selectively open and close each of the plurality of inflation-and-deflation ports. The inflation-and-deflation switch assembly may comprise 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 may comprise a rotary disc operatively coupled to the driven gear such that rotation of the driven gear may drive the rotary disc to rotate.

Example 23

The air pump according to Example 22, wherein the pump body and the pump cover may cooperate to define a pump chamber, and the impeller may be disposed within the pump chamber.

Example 24

The air pump according to Example 22, wherein the pump cover may comprise the air inlet and the air outlet of the pump assembly.

Example 25

The air pump according to Example 22, wherein the air exchange core may be rotatably disposed within the body chamber.

Example 26

The air pump according to Example 22, wherein the air exchange core may comprise a first end, a second end, and an air passageway spanning the first end and the second end.

Example 27

The air pump according to Example 26, wherein the first end of the air exchange core may be in communication with the inlet-and-outlet port of the panel, and the second end of the air exchange core may be in selective communication with the air inlet of the pump assembly or the air outlet of the pump assembly.

Example 28

An air pump for an inflatable product may comprise a body, which may include a plurality of ports adapted to be in fluid communication with the inflatable product, a panel, which may be coupled to the body and may include an inlet-and-outlet port, a plurality of valves, each valve of the plurality of valves may be positioned to open and close a respective port of the plurality of ports of the body, a channel switch assembly, which may be operatively coupled to the plurality of valves to selectively open and close the plurality of ports, an air pump assembly, which may comprise 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, which may comprise 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 may have an inflation position and a deflation position relative to the air pump assembly, and a single motor, which may be 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.

Example 29

The air pump according to Example 28, wherein the air pump may further comprise a first gear driven by the single motor, a second gear driven by the first gear, the second gear may be 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 may be operatively coupled to the channel switch assembly to open a respective one of the plurality of ports.

Example 30

The air pump according to any one of Examples 28 and 29, wherein the second gear may be intermeshed with the first gear and the third gear may be driven by the first gear through a boss.

Example 31

The air pump according to any one of Examples 28-30, wherein the second gear may be driven by the first gear through a first rotation while the third gear remains stationary, and the second gear may be driven by the first gear through a second rotation while the third gear may also be driven by the first gear.

Example 32

The air pump according to Example 31: wherein, during the first rotation of the second gear the air exchange core may rotate and during the second rotation of the second gear the air exchange core may remain stationary.

Example 33

The air pump according to any one of Examples 28-32, wherein the single motor drives the inflation-and-deflation switch assembly prior to driving the channel switch assembly.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

Body 10; Inflation-and-deflation port 11; Main circuit board 12;
Panel 20; Air inlet-and-outlet port 21; Control panel 22;
Air pump assembly 30; Main motor 31; Pump body 32; Impeller 33; Pump cover 34; Air inlet 341; Air outlet 342; Limiting block 343
Switch assembly 40; Reversing motor 41; Driving gear 42; Boss 421; Driven gear 43; Sliding groove 431;
Reversing gear 441; Limit hole 4411; Air exchange core 442; Spring pin 4421; Spring 4422; First shoulder 4423; Second shoulder 4424;
Rotary disc gear 451; rotary disc 452; Groove 4521; ejector rod 453; Ejector rod spring 454; Locator plate 455; Locator circuit board 456; Fixing plate 457; Support plate 458; Axis 459.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variation can be made in the present disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure cover the modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

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 controller disposed on the panel;

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

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

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.