Scissor-Lift Foldable Table Locking for Vibration-Stable Stowage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing foldable table systems in vehicles and aircraft face challenges in ensuring secure stowing, space-saving design, and maintaining seat comfort, particularly in high vibrational environments, with existing locking mechanisms being inadequate.
Innovation Solution
A foldable table system with a built-in lifting assembly using a scissor-type mechanism, comprising upper and lower bars with slidably connected legs, allowing the table to transition between stowed and open states, and featuring a releasable locking mechanism for stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a simple latch or friction-based locking mechanism is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability of securing the table in high vibrational environments deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic locking mechanism that adapts to different table positions. The locking system includes movable locking members that engage with corresponding features on the table at both the raised and lowered positions, providing automatic positive locking that maintains reliability across vibrational conditions while managing complexity through position-specific engagement.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism is segmented into multiple independent locking points - one for the raised position and another for the lowered position. This segmentation allows each locking feature to be optimized for its specific position, ensuring reliable securing at both extremes while distributing the complexity across modular components rather than a single complex mechanism.
2Volume of moving object
If the table is made fully foldable and removable, then the space saving design is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to complex folding and locking mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The table utilizes a dynamic hinge system that enables smooth transition between folded and unfolded states. The hinges incorporate built-in friction or detent mechanisms that provide natural stopping points at key positions, allowing the table to be easily manipulated into the desired configuration without requiring complex manual locking operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The table design incorporates self-locking features through the hinge mechanism itself, where the geometry of the hinge and connecting elements creates automatic engagement at the unfolded position. This eliminates the need for separate locking devices, allowing the table to secure itself through its own structural design, thereby improving ease of operation while maintaining space efficiency.
3Ease of operation
If the table is mounted in the seat back with cushioning, then the seat comfort is improved when stowed, but the reliability of locking in high vibrational environments deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The seat back structure is segmented to accommodate the table mechanism, with dedicated mounting points and recesses that allow the table to be integrated into the seat back while maintaining cushioning in the surrounding areas. This segmentation enables the locking mechanism to be positioned in rigid structural elements while preserving comfort in the cushioned regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism incorporates dynamic engagement features that maintain secure locking under vibrational conditions while allowing the cushioning material to remain compliant and comfortable. The locking elements engage with precision-machined features in the rigid seat back structure, isolating the mechanical locking function from the compliant cushioning material, thereby achieving both reliability and comfort simultaneously.
Data Source
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AI summary
A foldable table system for incorporation in a seat pan, the system comprising: a table (5) having a first end (51a) and a second end (51b), a table top surface (51) extending from the first end to the second end, and a table bottom surface (52) extending from the first end to the second end, and a lifting assembly (6) to which the table is attached, the lifting assembly expandable from a lowered position to a raised position as the table is raised from a stowed state to an open state, wherein the lifting assembly comprises: an upper bar (72) and a lower bar (71) extending essentially parallel to each other, the upper bar being attached to the table (5), and a pair of legs (73, 74) each having a first end (73a, 74a) connected to the upper bar (72) and a second end (73b, 74b) connected to the lower bar (71), the legs arranged to cross each other at a point (X) between the upper bar and the lower bar, and wherein one of the legs (73) has its first end fixedly connected to the upper bar (72) and its second end slidably connected to the lower bar, and the other of the legs has its first end fixedly connected to the lower bar and its second end slidably connected to the lower bar, such that as the upper bar is raised relative to the lower bar, the ends of the legs which are slidably connected slide along the respective bar towards the end of the opposite leg that is fixedly connected to that bar in a scissor motion.