Table top for a vehicle interior
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tabletops in passenger vehicles, such as rail vehicles, provide limited protection against abdominal injuries during collisions and do not adequately accommodate passengers with reduced mobility.
Innovation Solution
A tabletop design featuring a stationary part and a movable tray that rotates and translates, increasing the surface area and absorbing energy through a combination of rotation and translation, with optional features like friction hinges and a shock absorber to enhance safety and accessibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rigid table top is used to protect passengers during collisions, then the protective function is improved, but the table top remains an aggressive object that can cause severe abdominal injuries
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by transforming the rigid, static table top into a dynamic structure with a movable tray that can rotate and translate. The tray is mounted on a chassis that can move relative to the stationary part, allowing the table top to adapt its configuration during impact events to reduce injury risks while maintaining protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the table top by introducing a movable tray that can alter its position and orientation. The tray includes a rotating element that can change the angle of impact surface, and a translating chassis that can adjust the distance from the stationary part, thereby modifying the protective characteristics during collisions.
2Ease of operation
If foldable parts are incorporated into the table top to improve access for people with reduced mobility, then accessibility is improved, but the risks of injury are not reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the dynamics principle to include both accessibility and safety functions. The movable tray can be easily repositioned along the rotation axis to improve accessibility for passengers with reduced mobility, while simultaneously maintaining the injury reduction capability through its ability to translate and rotate during impact events.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies multi-functionality by designing the movable tray to serve multiple purposes: it provides improved accessibility for passengers with reduced mobility through easy repositioning, while also functioning as an active safety element that can reduce injury risks during collisions through its rotation and translation capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A table top is for a vehicle compartment accommodating passengers, in particular a rail vehicle. The table top includes a stationary part connected to the vehicle and a moving tray located across from a passenger chair or seat. The tray is movable along an axis of rotation parallel to a plane of the table top. The table top includes a chassis on which the tray is mounted. The chassis is translatable relative to the stationary part along an axis parallel to the plane of the tray and perpendicular to the axis of rotation. In a deployed configuration, the tray is deployed jointly with the stationary part, with the chassis maximally separated from the stationary part. In a folded configuration, the tray is pivoted along its axis of rotation in an inclined position relative to the stationary part, with the chassis minimally separated from the stationary part.