Expandable Aircraft Tray Table for Compact Seat-Back Stowage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tray tables in transportation seating products occupy excessive stowage space, limiting passenger comfort and ease of ingress and egress, and do not allow for flexible configurations that could accommodate additional amenities or personal items.
Innovation Solution
A laterally-expanding tray table design that includes a stationary and a deployable table segment, allowing the tray table to increase or decrease in size, providing multiple configurations and additional space for passenger convenience features when stowed, such as personal electronic devices and connectivity ports.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a conventional tray table is used, then the table provides sufficient surface area for passenger use, but the tray table occupies excessive stowage space when not in use
Solution Approach 1:
The tray table is divided into multiple segments that can be folded relative to each other, allowing the table to be collapsed into a compact configuration for stowage while maintaining full surface area when deployed for use
Solution Approach 2:
The tray table incorporates movable components that allow it to dynamically change between extended and retracted configurations, providing adaptability in size to accommodate different passenger needs and stowage requirements
2Ease of operation
If a standard width tray table is used, then the table provides adequate surface area, but the table reduces passenger leg space and ease of ingress and egress
Solution Approach 1:
The tray table width is made dynamically adjustable, allowing it to be extended to provide adequate surface area when needed and retracted to maximize passenger leg space and ease of movement during ingress and egress
3Area of stationary object
If the tray table is extended to full width, then the table provides maximum surface area for use, but the table occupies all space along the seat back
Solution Approach 1:
The tray table is segmented into multiple sections that can be independently positioned, allowing the table to be configured in various widths and providing space along the seat back for additional amenities and passenger items
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the tray table can be extended or retracted independently, allowing specific areas to be optimized for different functions such as placing personal items or providing access to amenities
Data Source
AI summary
In a preferred embodiment, an aircraft passenger seat includes a seat back and a laterally-expanding tray table including a telescoping table segment and a main table segment having an interior pocket for receiving the telescoping table segment in a retracted position, where the telescoping table segment is adjacent to the main table segment in a fully extended position to form a contiguous table surface. The seat back may include a mounting region for stowing the laterally-expanding tray table, including a latching mechanism for latching the main table segment in a stowed position. The mounting region may extend across half the width of the seat back. The seat back may include storage region(s) horizontally adjacent to the mounting region, each storage region configured to stow a passenger convenience feature.