Hardened Aircraft Tablet Protective Layer Design
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional aircraft inflight entertainment systems face challenges with high costs due to wired connections and hardening requirements, which increase the risk of passenger exposure to hazards and limit ease of use, as they must meet stringent impact protection criteria while being designed to absorb significant energy without fragmenting.
Innovation Solution
A hardened tablet with a protective layer made of polycarbonate or chemically strengthened glass, integrated with wireless charging and communication capabilities, eliminating the need for wired connections and allowing for secure, easy mounting and use, while meeting FAA head impact criteria.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional wired connections and hardening requirements are used, then safety and reliability are improved, but cost and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by bonding a protective layer (polycarbonate or chemically strengthened glass) to the tablet screen. This composite structure provides both protection against impact and debris dispersion while maintaining a manageable device profile, resolving the contradiction between safety requirements and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The protective layer is applied beforehand to the tablet screen to prevent damage and debris generation during impact. This pre-protective measure ensures safety requirements are met without requiring complex hardening of the entire device structure
2Object-affected harmful factors
If protective layer with bonding material is applied to tablet screen, then safety by preventing debris dispersion is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bonding material creates a composite structure between the protective layer and tablet screen. This composite approach prevents debris dispersion by ensuring the protective layer remains intact during impact, while the bonding process itself is a standard manufacturing technique that doesn't excessively complicate production
Solution Approach 2:
The patent specifies particular material properties (polycarbonate or chemically strengthened glass with specific thickness ranges) to achieve the desired protective effect. By controlling material parameters rather than complex manufacturing processes, debris prevention is achieved with manageable manufacturing complexity
3Reliability
If wired connections are used for power and video signals, then reliability is improved, but cost and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical wired connections with wireless communication technologies. This substitution eliminates physical cables and associated hardware, reducing weight while maintaining connection reliability through established wireless protocols for power and data transmission
4Reliability
If display is mounted to aircraft seat structure, then safety and stability are improved, but ease of use by passengers is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the tablet to transition between mounted and handheld states. The mounting system provides stability when installed on the aircraft seat, while the wireless capabilities and protective layer enable easy removal and portable use, accommodating both stability and ease of use requirements
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure includes a hardened tablet for use within an aircraft cabin, the hardened tablet including a processor, a touch screen, a memory, a tablet and a protective layer applied to the touch screen of the tablet, the protective layer comprising a bonding material and a laminate. The protective layer of the hardened tablet is selected from the group consisting of a polycarbonate and a chemically strengthened glass. The thickness of the polycarbonate protective layer is between about 0.5 mm and about 1.6 mm. The bonding material is selected from the group consisting of an adhesive tape and an optically clear adhesive. In one embodiment, the protective layer includes a polycarbonate of a thickness of about 0.02″ to about 0.04″ and the bonding material is an optically clear adhesive.