If it is advisable to 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 utility launched by america Patent and Trademark Workplace (USPTO) on Jan. 2, and initially filed on June 8, 2022, Toyota discusses utilizing air bladders to maintain objects from shifting whereas the truck is in movement.

As described within the patent utility, the air bladders could be connected to the underside of a mattress cowl. Air to inflate them could be provided by a compressor housed between the internal and outer partitions of the mattress. As soon as inflated, the bladders would take up sufficient of the remaining area within the mattress to stop objects from shifting round or vibrating.

Whereas the principle focus is on vans, Toyota additionally notes that the bladder system may very well be utilized to different automobiles with massive cargo areas, corresponding to SUVs.

If it is put into manufacturing, the air-bladder system would seemingly be supplemental to tie-down straps. These might nonetheless be used to tie down the cargo, Toyota notes within the utility. 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 functions for a reconfigurable tonneau cowl that may very well be used for energetic aerodynamics, in addition to an extendable cargo mattress, have surfaced over the previous few months. With a tailgate conflict already underway among the many main truck manufacturers, maybe Toyota and Ford will kick off a mattress conflict as effectively.