Actuatable Tray Assembly for Aircraft Passenger Compartment
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Solution Overview
Problem
In commercial aircraft, maximizing the number of passenger compartments within a cabin while minimizing the space required by each compartment poses a challenge, particularly in meeting safety and load-bearing requirements, especially when modifying components like aircraft trays and ottomans.
Innovation Solution
An actuatable tray assembly is introduced, featuring a tray that can stow underneath a monument near the aircraft seat, utilizing an actuation assembly with a bracket, tracks, and sliders to translate laterally and extend towards the passenger, allowing for compact storage and deployment while meeting aviation standards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the tray is designed to stow underneath the monument to minimize space, then the area occupied by the tray is reduced, but the device complexity increases due to the need for multi-directional actuation mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The tray actuation mechanism utilizes two distinct directional movements: lateral translation along rails and forward extension along tracks. This multi-dimensional approach allows the tray to access compact stowage underneath the monument while maintaining full functionality when extended, effectively resolving the space versus complexity contradiction through spatial optimization
Solution Approach 2:
The actuation system is divided into separate functional components: a lateral translation mechanism using rails and sliders, and a forward extension mechanism using tracks and carriage. This segmentation allows each subsystem to be optimized independently for its specific motion requirement, reducing overall system complexity while achieving the desired compact stowage
2Ease of operation
If the tray is extended further toward the passenger to improve accessibility, then the ease of operation increases, but the space required in the passenger compartment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tray reaches the passenger through a two-stage extension: first laterally along rails to position itself at the monument, then forward along tracks to extend toward the passenger. This multi-dimensional extension path allows the tray to achieve excellent accessibility while maintaining a compact retracted profile underneath the monument, effectively balancing accessibility with space efficiency
3Area of stationary object
If the tray assembly uses a multi-stage actuation mechanism to achieve compact stowage, then the space efficiency improves, but the reliability requirements increase due to more moving parts
Solution Approach 1:
The actuation system is divided into independent lateral translation and forward extension subsystems, each with its own rails, tracks, sliders, and carriage components. This segmentation isolates potential failure points within individual subsystems, allowing the other subsystem to continue functioning and enabling easier maintenance and replacement of specific components
Solution Approach 2:
The carriage serves as an intermediary component that couples the lateral translation mechanism (rails and sliders) with the forward extension mechanism (tracks). This intermediary design allows the two motion stages to be decoupled and independently controlled, improving overall system reliability by preventing cascading failures between stages
Data Source
AI summary
An actuatable tray assembly for an aircraft passenger compartment may include a tray and an actuation assembly. The tray may be configured to stow underneath a monument positioned proximate to an aircraft seat in the aircraft passenger compartment. The actuation assembly may include a bracket coupled to the monument. The bracket may include at least one track member. The actuation assembly may include at least one rail configured to actuate along the at least one track member. The actuation assembly may include a carriage coupled to the tray and configured to actuate the tray in a first direction along the at least one rail from a stowed position to a first extended position. The carriage and the at least one rail may be configured to actuate the tray in a second direction along the at least one track member from the first extended position to a second extended position.