Cantilevered Tray Table With Linear Slide for Aircraft Seat Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tray tables in aircraft require passengers to change the horizontal orientation of the working surface for stowage, making it inconvenient for ingress/egress, especially when supporting food and beverages, and complicating seat adjustments between upright and horizontal positions.
Innovation Solution
A cantilevered tray table design that slides horizontally, maintaining a horizontal working surface, using a linear slide mounted to a privacy wall, with a release latch and brake mechanism allowing movement between overseat and forward positions, ensuring accessibility during seat adjustments and egress/ingress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the tray table is stowed by changing horizontal orientation, then the tray table can be stored in limited space, but the working surface must be reoriented which inconveniences passengers and requires removing articles
Solution Approach 1:
The tray table transitions from vertical stowage orientation to horizontal deployment orientation by sliding along a guide rail, changing the dimension of movement from simple vertical folding to horizontal translation. This allows the working surface to remain horizontal during deployment while utilizing vertical space for stowage, resolving the contradiction between compact stowage and convenient accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The tray table employs a dynamic sliding mechanism with a guide rail and release latch that allows smooth transition between stowed and deployed positions. The brake mechanism provides controlled movement, enabling the tray table to be easily accessed during ingress/egress while maintaining compact stowage, thus improving ease of operation without sacrificing stowage efficiency.
2Area of stationary object
If the tray table is stowed during seat adjustment, then the tray table can be stored compactly, but passengers must remove food and beverages which is inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The tray table's dynamic sliding mechanism allows it to remain in a deployed horizontal position while the seat back adjusts between upright and reclined positions. The independent sliding action decouples tray table positioning from seat adjustment movements, enabling passengers to keep food and beverages on the tray table during seat position changes, thus improving adaptability without compromising stowage capability.
3Area of stationary object
If conventional hinge assemblies are used to lift and pivot the tray table, then the tray table can be stored in premium class seating, but the mechanism becomes complex requiring multiple components
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the complex hinge and pivot mechanisms from the tray table assembly and replaces them with a simple linear sliding mechanism along a guide rail. This eliminates the need for multiple hinges, arms, and pivot points, significantly reducing device complexity while maintaining the ability to store the tray table compactly in premium class seating compartments.
Solution Approach 2:
The complex mechanical hinge assembly is replaced with a simpler linear guide rail and sliding block mechanism. This substitution reduces the number of moving parts, eliminates the need for multiple pivot points, and simplifies the overall structure while achieving the same stowage function, thus resolving the contradiction between compact stowage and mechanism complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A tray table assembly for a passenger seat including a table top having a cantilevered portion configured to slide horizontally between an overseat position and a position forward of a passenger seat, and a linear slide for providing horizontal motion of the table top, the linear slide configured to mount to a wall adjacent the passenger seat and support the table top in a horizontal position. A tray table assembly for an aircraft passenger suite.