Console-Mounted Foldable Tray Table With Sliding Rotating Shaft
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing table arrangements in vehicles, such as luxury cars and limousines, are either costly to install or cause discomfort to front passengers due to the force exerted on seatbacks when trays or tables are deployed or stowed.
Innovation Solution
A selectively storable table assembly with a support shaft that is slidable and rotatable, allowing the table to transition from a vertical storage position to a horizontal use position, mounted within a central vehicle console, which can be easily accessed and stowed without compromising the comfort of front passengers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a table or tray is mounted in the rear console of a vehicle, then rear passengers can use it for placing items, but the installation cost increases and requires engineering modifications
Solution Approach 1:
The table assembly is nested within the existing console structure, with the table capable of being stored vertically within the console housing and deployed horizontally when needed. This nesting approach allows the table to utilize existing console space without requiring separate installation space or major structural modifications to the vehicle.
Solution Approach 2:
The table assembly incorporates dynamic movement capabilities through sliding and rotating mechanisms that allow the table to transition between stored and deployed positions. This dynamic design enables the table to adapt between compact storage and functional use states, providing versatility without permanent structural changes to the console.
2Ease of operation
If flip down trays are mounted to front vehicle seatbacks, then rear passengers can use them, but front passengers experience discomfort due to force on the seatback
Solution Approach 1:
The table assembly is extracted from the seatback mounting concept and relocated to an independent console-mounted system. This extraction eliminates the direct mechanical connection between the table and the seatback, thereby removing the source of discomfort for front passengers while maintaining accessibility for rear passengers through the console interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The console serves as an intermediary structure between the table assembly and the vehicle interior. By mounting the table to the console rather than directly to the seatback, the system uses the console as a mediating support structure that isolates the mechanical forces from the seatback, preventing discomfort to front passengers while enabling rear passenger access.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure is directed to a table that may be selectively stored in a portion of a vehicle console. An outer housing member having a storage cavity therein attaches to a side of the vehicle console. A support shaft supporting a table is mounted for sliding and rotational movement with respect to the vehicle console. The support shaft is slidable in a first direction from a storage position wherein the table is positioned in a vertical orientation in the cavity of the outer housing member. The support shaft is also rotatable 270 degrees from the storage position to move the table into a horizontal use position after removal from the storage position.