Aircraft Side-Ledge Console With Illuminated Ledge And Flip-Out Cup Holders
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft console designs lack efficient and versatile solutions for supporting personal items and providing power connectivity for passengers, particularly in seating arrangements where two seats face each other, with existing solutions often being shared and lacking in illumination and adaptability.
Innovation Solution
A console with an open-faced ledge, illuminated back wall, and flip-out cup holders with a spring-loaded cam system, featuring USB ports, audio jacks, and video monitors, designed to be located between two opposing seats, allowing for secure and adaptable storage and charging of personal items.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a shared console is provided between two opposing seats, then space utilization is improved, but individual passenger convenience and accessibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The console is divided into two distinct sides, with each side containing receptacles and features oriented toward one specific seat. This segmentation allows each passenger to have dedicated access to cup holders, charging ports, and storage compartments on their respective side, eliminating the need to reach across or compete for shared resources while maintaining efficient use of the console space between the two seats.
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional non-illuminated consoles are used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but visibility and aesthetic appeal deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The illumination system is integrated directly into the console structure, with LED strips embedded within the console housing and light guide channels formed as part of the console assembly. This merging of lighting functions with the structural console components provides enhanced visibility and aesthetic appeal while avoiding the need for separate, complex lighting assemblies.
3Device complexity
If fixed cup holders are provided, then structural simplicity is maintained, but adaptability and ease of adjustment deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The cup holders are designed with movable, adjustable mechanisms that allow passengers to reposition them along the console or adjust their orientation. This dynamic capability enables the cup holders to adapt to different passenger preferences, seat configurations, and usage scenarios while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure through the use of straightforward adjustment mechanisms.
4Device complexity
If no electronic connectors are provided, then device complexity is reduced, but passenger convenience for charging devices deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The console is equipped with multiple types of electronic connectors including USB ports and audio jacks, allowing it to serve multiple functions: charging various types of electronic devices, providing audio output, and potentially supporting data transfer. This multi-functionality enhances passenger convenience without requiring separate dedicated systems for each function, as all connectors are integrated into the console structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The console provides a versatile and functional space for passengers to store and charge personal items, enhancing usability and visibility with illumination, while the spring-loaded cam system allows for easy adjustment and removal of cup holders, improving passenger convenience and comfort.
Implementation Method 1
The other end of each bar is spring loaded so that the tangs bear against reciprocating cam surfaces existing in the central divider
Implementation Method 2
Each cam has a transition ridge which, when reached by its reciprocating tang, compels the tang into a first radial position
Implementation Method 3
The back wall panel is a light guide, and a plurality of LEDs are located along a light-receiving edge of the light back wall panel
Implementation Method 4
The light guide may be backed with a reflective surface so that the LEDs emit against the reflective surface to indirectly supply light to the light guide
Data Source
AI summary
A console for aircraft that is located between two seats which face each other. The console includes an open ledge with a cup holder arrangement. The cup holder arrangement includes two removable holder dividers which can be flipped up or down and held into position by a spring-loaded cam arrangement. The console also includes two inwardly facing surfaces which provide connectors for electronic devices resting on the ledge. A light-emitting face is provided on a back wall of the ledge so that any articles resting on the ledge can be seen in dark environments.