Arced Rail Aircraft Tray Table Deployment Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft tray tables face challenges in deployment without a fixture in front of the passenger seat, particularly in reclining or lie-flat seats, and require fold lines or hinges for stowage, which are undesirable, and there is a need for maximizing surface area while minimizing stowage space.
Innovation Solution
A deployable tray table system using an arced rail with double-stacked V-grooved wheels that moves in an arcuate path between stowed and deployed positions without requiring attachment to a seatback or armrest, allowing for a large surface area without fold lines or hinges, and incorporating a linear rail for additional movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If tray tables are installed perpendicular in the armrest, then they can be stowed and deployed, but they require fold lines, hinges and breaks which are undesirable
Solution Approach 1:
The tray table is divided into a stationary support structure and a movable surface portion. The support structure remains fixed while the surface moves along with the armrest, eliminating the need for fold lines or hinges in the surface itself. This segmentation allows the surface to remain intact while still enabling stowage and deployment operations.
2Ease of operation
If the armrest surface is raised to remove the folded tray table, then the tray table can be deployed, but lifting the module is problematic especially where the module also functions as a side table or work surface
Solution Approach 1:
The tray table deployment mechanism is merged with the armrest movement mechanism. The tray table surface is coupled to the armrest such that when the armrest moves to raise the tray table for deployment, the same movement simultaneously deploys the tray table. This eliminates the need for a separate lift mechanism while maintaining the ability to deploy the tray table.
Solution Approach 2:
The armrest mechanism serves multiple functions: it provides the structural support for the tray table, enables tray table deployment through its movement, and maintains the tray table in the deployed position. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for dedicated lift mechanisms while preserving all necessary tray table operations.
3Area of moving object
If tray table surface area is maximized, then passenger utility is improved, but stowage space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tray table utilizes the vertical dimension and the movement dimension of the armrest to achieve a large surface area. By coupling the tray table surface to the moving armrest structure, the system creates space for a large tray surface during deployment without requiring proportionally large stowage space, as the tray table utilizes the three-dimensional space created by armrest movement.
Data Source
AI summary
A tray table configured to transition between a stowed position within a stowage module to a deployed position outside of the stowage module by way of an arced rail having rail heads, and a plurality of tray table wheels and stowage module wheels arranged to mesh with the rail heads. The tray table follows an arcuate path between the stowed and deployed positions and remains horizontal in all positions of the tray table.