Aircraft Tray Table Assembly with Spring Biasing Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tray table latch assemblies in aircraft seats can protrude and cause accidental release, leading to potential injury or damage, and add weight to the aircraft, while also being redundant and costly.
Innovation Solution
A tray table assembly with a biasing mechanism, such as a spring, that moves the table body into a cavity when stowed, eliminating the need for distinct latching mechanisms by allowing deployment and stowage through simple pulling and pushing motions, reducing the risk of accidental release and weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a lever or slider latch assembly is used to retain the tray table in a stowed position, then the tray table can be securely held, but the lever or slider protrudes and may be accidentally bumped by passengers, triggering inadvertent release and sudden movement of the tray assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the protruding lever or slider latch mechanism entirely from the tray table assembly. Instead, a spring mechanism provides continuous biasing force to hold the tray table against the backrest, eliminating the need for a separate latch component that could be accidentally actuated by passenger contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring mechanism automatically maintains the tray table in the stowed position through continuous elastic biasing force. The system is self-regulating and does not require external latching components that need to be manually engaged or disengaged, thereby eliminating accidental release risks associated with protruding levers or sliders.
2Reliability
If a lever or slider latch assembly is used to retain the tray table, then the tray table can be held in position, but the protruding features add weight to the aircraft and increase the risk of injury in a crash scenario
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the additional weight of levers or sliders by removing these components entirely. The spring mechanism uses elastic deformation of a single continuous piece of material to provide retention, significantly reducing the overall weight compared to traditional latch assemblies with multiple moving parts.
3Reliability
If a lever or slider latch assembly is used to retain the tray table, then the tray table can be held in position, but the protruding features add complexity and cost to the aircraft seat assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the complex latch mechanism with multiple components (levers, sliders, pivots, and associated mounting structures) and replaces it with a simple spring mechanism formed from a single continuous piece of material. This dramatically reduces the number of parts, simplifies assembly, and lowers manufacturing costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring mechanism combines the functions of retention, positioning, and force application into a single integrated component. The spring itself serves as both the retaining element and the positioning mechanism, eliminating the need for separate latch components and their associated mounting structures.
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
This design enhances safety by eliminating the risk of accidental table release, reduces weight, and provides cost savings by eliminating redundant latch mechanisms.
Implementation Method 1
a biasing mechanism, such as a spring, that moves the table body into a cavity when stowed
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
Described are tray table assemblies having a table body (114) and a biasing mechanism (144). The table body can be movable between a stowed configuration and a deployed configuration. The table body in the stowed configuration can be positioned so that at least a portion of the table body can be situated within a cavity (142) defined along a downwardly projecting lip (140). The table body in the deployed configuration can extend transverse to the orientation of the table in the stowed configuration. The biasing mechanism can bias the table body into the cavity in the stowed configuration.