If it’s essential safe cargo in a pickup mattress, tie-down straps are the go-to choice. However Toyota does not suppose that is sufficient.
In a patent software launched by the US Patent and Trademark Workplace (USPTO) on Jan. 2, and initially filed on June 8, 2022, Toyota discusses utilizing air bladders to maintain gadgets from shifting whereas the truck is in movement.
Toyota air bladder cargo stabilizer patent picture
As described within the patent software, the air bladders can be connected to the underside of a mattress cowl. Air to inflate them can be equipped by a compressor housed between the interior and outer partitions of the mattress. As soon as inflated, the bladders would take up sufficient of the remaining house within the mattress to forestall objects from shifting round or vibrating.
Whereas the primary focus is on vehicles, Toyota additionally notes that the bladder system could possibly be utilized to different autos with massive cargo areas, equivalent to SUVs.
Toyota air bladder cargo stabilizer patent picture
If it is put into manufacturing, the air-bladder system would probably be supplemental to tie-down straps. These may nonetheless be used to tie down the cargo, Toyota notes within the software. However the automaker claims that “what is required are different cargo stabilizers that may also be used for different capabilities.”
This is not the one latest automaker patent rethinking pickup beds. Ford patent purposes for a reconfigurable tonneau cowl that could possibly be used for energetic aerodynamics, in addition to an extendable cargo mattress, have surfaced over the previous few months. With a tailgate battle already underway among the many main truck manufacturers, maybe Toyota and Ford will kick off a mattress battle as nicely.
