Arced Deployment Rail Tray Table for Premium Aircraft Seat Suites
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tray table deployment systems for aircraft are not suitable for premium class seats, which require more complex and customizable deployment configurations due to larger seating and living spaces, and cannot accommodate individual passenger suites effectively.
Innovation Solution
A tray table assembly with a stowage module and an arced deployment rail or linkage assembly that allows the tray table to transition between stowed and deployed positions while rotating 90 degrees, using arced motion and a guide system with horizontally-oriented wheels to constrain and guide the deployment rail, enabling customizable deployment paths and minimizing vertical profile.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a complex hinge system with multi-axis movement is used for tray table deployment, then the tray table can achieve multi-directional movement and deployment flexibility, but the device complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The deployment mechanism is divided into separate functional components: the arced deployment rail provides the primary arced motion path, while the guide mechanism (wheels and tracks) handles constraint and direction control. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining multi-axis deployment capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The arced deployment rail acts as an intermediary element between the stowage module and the tray table. It translates simple linear or rotational input motion into the desired arced deployment path, eliminating the need for complex multi-axis hinges while achieving the same functional outcome.
2Length of moving object
If the tray table deploys from distant structures within the suite, then the deployment distance increases allowing for larger seating spaces, but the deployment mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The deployment mechanism uses an arced motion path instead of linear movement. This curved trajectory allows the tray table to cover longer deployment distances while maintaining a compact mechanism, as the arced path efficiently utilizes the available spatial volume without requiring proportionally longer mechanical linkages.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from simple linear deployment to three-dimensional arced motion. By utilizing vertical and lateral dimensions in combination with horizontal movement, the mechanism achieves extended deployment range without increasing the complexity of the primary drive mechanism.
3Ease of operation
If the tray table follows an arced deployment path with rotation, then the tray table achieves ergonomic positioning, but the deployment mechanism becomes more complex compared to linear deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The arced deployment rail provides the curved motion path that enables ergonomic tray table positioning. The circular or arc-shaped guide geometry naturally produces the desired rotation and orientation changes during deployment, achieving ergonomic benefits through geometric design rather than complex actuation mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A tray table assembly including a stowage module, a tray table configured to transition between a stowed position within the stowage module and a deployed position outside of the stowage module, and an assembly coupled to the tray table and the stowage module movable relative to the stowage module to provide arced deployment motion of the tray table as the tray table transitions between the stowed and deployed positions of the tray table.