Mountable Tray Table Assembly for Space-Efficient Aircraft Seating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tray tables in passenger seats, such as those on aircraft, buses, and trains, occupy valuable space and require additional cleaning surfaces, wasting space and increasing weight, while traditional food trays are inefficiently stored and served, further limiting cabin space.
Innovation Solution
A mountable tray assembly with a base attachable to a seat back, featuring adjustable projections and a rotating cylinder mount, allowing the tray table to be securely positioned and oriented at various angles, maximizing space utilization and minimizing additional surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional tray tables are installed on passenger seats, then passengers can eat and work during transport, but the tray tables occupy valuable space and require additional cleaning surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The tray table is nested within the seat back structure, allowing it to be stored inside the seat when not in use and deployed outward when needed. This nesting approach eliminates the need for separate storage space while maintaining passenger convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
The tray table is designed with dynamic deployment capability, transitioning from a retracted state during taxi/takeoff/landing to an extended state during cruise. This dynamic behavior allows the tray to be available when needed while minimizing space occupation during critical flight phases.
2Quantity of substance
If food trays are stored on food trolleys with standard sizes, then the trolleys can maximize the number of trays, but the trays limit cabin space and are inefficiently stored
Solution Approach 1:
The food service system is segmented into individual tray units that can be independently stored in multiple locations throughout the cabin, including within seat structures. This segmentation allows for more flexible and space-efficient storage compared to large centralized food trolleys.
Solution Approach 2:
Food trays are stored utilizing vertical space and three-dimensional cavity spaces within the aircraft cabin structure, rather than only horizontal floor space. This dimensional approach maximizes storage capacity without increasing the cabin's footprint.
3Area of stationary object
If tray tables are made fixed and integrated into seats, then space is maximized and cleaning surfaces are reduced, but the tray cannot be adjusted to various positions
Solution Approach 1:
The tray table incorporates adjustable mechanisms that allow it to be positioned at multiple angles and heights, adapting to different passenger needs and seat configurations. This dynamic adjustability is achieved while maintaining a compact form factor when retracted.
Solution Approach 2:
The tray table design serves multiple functions: it can be deployed at various angles for different activities (eating, working, viewing), it integrates with the seat structure for space efficiency, and it can be easily stowed when not in use. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction between adaptability and space utilization.
Data Source
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Figure 3A~3B
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AI summary
Described is a mountable tray table assembly having a base attachable to a seat back of a passenger seat via an attachment mechanism. The base may include an opening for receiving a tray table and a projection for retaining the tray table within the base. The attachment mechanism may maintain the base at a set angle relative to a floor of a vehicle when the seat back is in an upright position and a reclined position.