Passenger Seat Table Assembly With Intermediate Egress Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional aircraft seat tables require full stowage to allow passenger ingress/egress, which disrupts items on the table and lacks intermediate deployment positions for clearance, especially in luxury suites where space is limited.
Innovation Solution
A deployable table assembly that rotates relative to a support arm, allowing for intermediate positions between stowed and deployed states, enabling passengers to exit without fully stowing the table, with a non-linear cam pathway system guiding the support arm and rotation rod for customizable positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the table is fully stowed to permit passenger ingress/egress, then clearance for passenger exit is improved, but items on the table must be removed and stowed elsewhere which is difficult and problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The table is designed to rotate dynamically between a stowed position (parallel to seat back), an intermediate position (angled for passenger clearance), and a deployed position (perpendicular to seat back). This dynamic positioning allows the table to provide clearance for passenger egress while remaining in place, eliminating the need to remove and restow items.
Solution Approach 2:
The table rotates to an intermediate position that provides sufficient clearance for passenger exit without requiring full stowage. This partial rotation (between 0-45 degrees from parallel) achieves the necessary clearance while maintaining the table in a usable position, avoiding the need to fully stow and restow items.
2Length of moving object
If the table rotates to an intermediate position, then clearance for passenger egress is improved, but the table mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rotation mechanism is merged with the existing support arm structure. The support arm serves dual functions: supporting the table in deployed/stowed positions and enabling rotation to intermediate positions. This integration adds minimal complexity while achieving the desired clearance functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The table incorporates a dynamic rotation capability through the support arm mechanism, allowing smooth transition between stowed, intermediate, and deployed positions. This dynamic design provides passenger clearance while maintaining structural simplicity through a single rotational degree of freedom.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the table is designed for infinite adjustability, then ergonomic positioning for various passenger sizes is improved, but the control mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The table support system provides continuous (infinite) adjustability through a cam-based mechanism that allows smooth positioning at any angle between stowed and deployed. This dynamic control enables ergonomic adaptation to different passenger sizes while maintaining relatively simple mechanical control through cam profiles.
Solution Approach 2:
The cam pathways are designed with non-linear, non-intersecting profiles that translate single-degree-of-freedom motion into complex multi-parameter positioning. This allows infinite adjustability of table position and angle while keeping the control mechanism simple, as the cam geometry encodes the desired motion paths.
Data Source
AI summary
A passenger seat table assembly including a table movable between a fully stowed position and a fully deployed position through at least one intermediate position in which the table rotates relative to a support arm, wherein the table rotates in a first direction relative to the support arm as the table moves from the fully stowed position toward the at least one intermediate position, and rotates in a second direction opposite the first direction as the table moves from the at least one intermediate position toward the fully deployed position.