Wheelchair-Mounted Adjustable Desk for Width and Tilt Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wheelchairs often have dimensions that hinder comfortable access to typical dining tables or office desks, making it difficult for users to engage in tasks like paperwork or meals due to the height and width constraints.
Innovation Solution
A portable and adjustable table/desk designed for wheelchair attachment, allowing angular, height, and width adjustments, with clamping mechanisms for secure attachment to armrests or structural components, featuring a tiltable tray supported by a base plate and adjustable components for optimal positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a fixed-height table or desk is used, then the structure is simple and stable, but wheelchair users cannot comfortably access it due to height and width constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The table surface is made adjustable in height and angle through a mechanism connecting the table surface to the wheelchair. The table can be positioned at multiple height levels and tilted at different angles to accommodate the wheelchair user's body dimensions and provide comfortable access, transforming a static fixed-height table into a dynamic adaptable surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The table is divided into separate components: a table surface, an adjustable support mechanism, and a wheelchair mounting system. This segmentation allows the table to be detached from the wheelchair when not in use, providing storage convenience while enabling height and angle adjustments when attached.
2Ease of operation
If a portable detachable table extension is added to a wheelchair, then accessibility is improved, but the device complexity and storage space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The table components are designed to nest together when detached from the wheelchair. The table surface can be folded or collapsed into a compact form that fits within or alongside the wheelchair structure, minimizing storage volume while maintaining full functionality when deployed.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the table is made adjustable for different wheelchair sizes, then versatility is improved, but the adjustment mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment mechanism allows continuous variation of key parameters including table height, tilt angle, and horizontal position. By enabling these parameters to be changed across multiple positions, the table can adapt to different wheelchair sizes and user preferences without requiring an overly complex mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a portable, adjustable table/desk configured to be removably attached to a wheelchair. The table/desk is utilized by an occupant of the wheelchair for engaging in paperwork, reading, or other activity. A variably tiltable tray is supported by parallel left and right side-panels and a rectangular, two-unit base plate 3. The undersurface of the tray 11 supports a linear, tube, each end embedded within countersunk hubs on the side-panels. The base plate 3 may be laterally widened or narrowed to correspond to accommodate the widths of various wheelchairs. Left and right chair mounts may be attached to the respective side-panels to facilitate direct attachment to suitable structural parts of wheelchairs not equipped with armrests. Alternatively, the left and right side-panels of the tray/desk may be attached to pliable left and right canopy clamps which flexibly grip the left and right armrests, respectively, of a wheel chair so equipped.