If you must safe cargo in a pickup mattress, tie-down straps are the go-to possibility. However Toyota would 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 could be hooked up to the underside of a mattress cowl. Air to inflate them could be equipped by a compressor housed between the inside and outer partitions of the mattress. As soon as inflated, the bladders would take up sufficient of the remaining area within the mattress to forestall objects from transferring round or vibrating.
Whereas the primary focus is on vehicles, Toyota additionally notes that the bladder system might be utilized to different autos with massive cargo areas, corresponding to SUVs.
![Toyota air bladder cargo stabilizer patent image Toyota air bladder cargo stabilizer patent image](https://images.hgmsites.net/lrg/toyota-air-bladder-cargo-stabilizer-patent-image_100911165_l.webp)
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 might 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 will also be used for different features.”
This is not the one latest automaker patent rethinking pickup beds. Ford patent purposes for a reconfigurable tonneau cowl that might be used for lively aerodynamics, in addition to an extendable cargo mattress, have surfaced over the previous few months. With a tailgate struggle already underway among the many main truck manufacturers, maybe Toyota and Ford will kick off a mattress struggle as effectively.