Height-Adjustable Tray Table Rail Assembly Hidden When Stowed
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tray tables in aircraft lack the ability to be hidden from view when stowed, and they require secondary mechanisms for height and distance adjustments, making them less aesthetically pleasing and less flexible for integration with various seat configurations.
Innovation Solution
A deployable tray table assembly that can be hidden from view when stowed, featuring a handle for sliding along a rail, a stabilizer, and adjustable height and distance settings without a secondary slide mechanism, allowing for independent operation and integration with different seat types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If tray tables are deployed from against the backside of a forward backrest, then they are suitable for economy and premium economy class seats, but they cannot be hidden from view when stowed, resulting in poor aesthetics
Solution Approach 1:
The tray table is designed to deploy horizontally from the side of the seat rather than from the backrest, changing the deployment dimension. This side-deployment approach allows the tray table to be positioned in the lateral space next to the passenger, enabling it to be hidden from direct view when stowed while remaining accessible during use.
2Adaptability or versatility
If tray tables include secondary mechanisms for height and distance adjustments, then adjustment capability is provided, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tray table incorporates a single degree of freedom mechanism that allows dynamic adjustment of the tray table's position along the deployment path. This mechanism combines height and distance adjustments into one continuous motion, eliminating the need for separate secondary mechanisms for each adjustment while maintaining full adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustment mechanism is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously - it controls both the height and distance of the tray table in a single integrated system. This multi-functional approach reduces overall device complexity by consolidating what would otherwise require separate adjustment mechanisms.
Data Source
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AI summary
A tray table assembly and aircraft passenger seat arrangement including the same, the tray table assembly 102 including a rail 114, along which a carriage 118 slides, disposed within an alcove, from which a tray table 108 can be deployed via a link 120 connecting the tray table 108 to the carriage 118. The link 120 provides the connection between the tray table 108 and carriage 118 both for positioning the tray table 108 horizontally along the rail 114 and for adjusting the tray table 108 vertically, perpendicular to the rail path. Thus, the tray table assembly 102 may be hidden in the alcove in a stowed position, partially deployed with the tray table 108 vertically offset from the carriage 118, fully deployed with the tray table 108 outside of the alcove, and any position in between.