U.S. patent application number 11/649338 was filed with the patent office on 2007-07-12 for motorized mount for electronic display.
Invention is credited to Jay Dittmer, Scott Gill.
Application Number | 20070158515 11/649338 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38231868 |
Filed Date | 2007-07-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070158515 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dittmer; Jay ; et
al. |
July 12, 2007 |
Motorized mount for electronic display
Abstract
A motorized mount for an electronic display includes a biaxially
shiftable mount assembly including a positioning assembly being
translatably shiftable in a plane and a rotator assembly operably
coupled to the positioning assembly, the rotator assembly being
rotatably shiftable about an axis, the axis being orthogonally
disposed relative to the plane. A method of selectively positioning
an electronic display is further included.
Inventors: |
Dittmer; Jay; (Prior Lake,
MN) ; Gill; Scott; (Savage, MN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PATTERSON, THUENTE, SKAAR & CHRISTENSEN, P.A.
4800 IDS CENTER
80 SOUTH 8TH STREET
MINNEAPOLIS
MN
55402-2100
US
|
Family ID: |
38231868 |
Appl. No.: |
11/649338 |
Filed: |
January 3, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60755811 |
Jan 3, 2006 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/283.1 ;
248/920 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16M 11/38 20130101;
F16M 11/08 20130101; F16M 13/02 20130101; F16M 11/18 20130101; F16M
2200/061 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/283.1 ;
248/920 |
International
Class: |
E04G 3/00 20060101
E04G003/00 |
Claims
1. A motorized mount for an electronic display, comprising: a wall
interface assembly fixable to a wall, a display device interface
couplable to the electronic display, and a positioning assembly
operably coupled intermediate the wall interface assembly and the
display device interface, the positioning assembly being
selectively extendable relative to the wall interface assembly for
translably positioning the electronic display by means of a
shiftable scissor arm assembly.
2. The motorized mount of claim 1, the positioning assembly
including a screw and positioning block, the positioning block
being threadedly engaged with the screw and being operably coupled
to the scissor arm assembly, rotation of the screw in either a
first direction about a longitudinal axis or in a second opposed
direction about the longitudinal axis acting to axially translate
the positioning block relative to the screw.
3. The motorized mount of claim 2 wherein axially translation of
the positioning block relative to the screw in a first direction
acts to extend the scissor arm assembly and axially translation of
the positioning block relative to the screw in a second opposed
direction acts to retract the scissor arm assembly.
4. The motorized mount of claim 2, an extending motor being
operably coupled to the screw for selectively effecting rotation of
the screw in either the first direction about the longitudinal axis
or in the second opposed direction about the longitudinal axis.
5. The motorized mount of claim 4, the extending motor being
actuatable remotely.
6. The motorized mount of claim 1, the scissor arm assembly having
a first and a second pair of parallelly disposed arms, the first
pair of arms being operably coupled to the second pair of arms at a
common pivot.
7. The motorized mount of claim 6, wherein actuation of the scissor
arm assembly acts to simultaneously angularly shift the first pair
of arms and the second pair of arms relative to each other about
the common pivot.
8. The motorized mount of claim 1, further including a rotator
assembly for selectively rotating the electronic display in a
generally horizontal plane relative to the positioning
assembly.
9. The motorized mount of claim 8, the rotator assembly including a
rotator motor operably coupled to a gear train, the gear train
being operably coupled to the display device interface for
selectively imparting opposing biases to the display device
interface for effecting bidirectional rotation of the display
device interface.
10. The motorized mount of claim 9, the rotator motor being
actuatable remotely.
11. A motorized mount for an electronic display, comprising: a
biaxially shiftable mount assembly including a positioning assembly
being translatably shiftable in a plane and a rotator assembly
operably coupled to the positioning assembly, the rotator assembly
being roatably shiftable about an axis, the axis being orthogonally
disposed relative to the plane.
12. The motorized mount of claim 11, the positioning assembly
including a shiftable scissor arm assembly, actuation of the
scissor arm assembly acting to selectively translate a display
device interface in two opposed directions in the plane.
13. The motorized mount of claim 12, the scissor arm assembly
having a first and a second pair of parallelly disposed arms, the
first pair of arms being operably coupled to the second pair of
arms at a common pivot.
14. The motorized mount of claim 13, wherein actuation of the
scissor arm assembly acts to simultaneously angularly shift the
first pair of arms and the second pair of arms relative to each
other about the common pivot.
15. The motorized mount of claim 11, the positioning assembly
including a screw and positioning block, the positioning block
being threadedly engaged with the screw and being operably coupled
to the scissor arm assembly, rotation of the screw in either a
first direction about a longitudinal axis or in a second opposed
direction about the longitudinal axis acting to axially translate
the positioning block relative to the screw.
16. The motorized mount of claim 11, the rotator assembly including
a rotator motor operably coupled to a gear train, the gear train
being operably coupled to the display device interface for
selectively imparting opposing biases to the display device
interface for effecting bidirectional rotation of the display
device interface about the axis.
17. A method of selectively positioning an electronic display,
comprising: biaxially shifting a mount assembly by means of;
translatably shifting a positioning assembly in a plane; operably
coupling a rotator assembly to the positioning assembly; and
rotatably shifting the rotator assembly about an axis, the axis
being orthogonally disposed relative to the plane.
18. The method of claim 17, including actuating a shiftable scissor
arm assembly of the positioning assembly to selectively translate a
display device interface in two opposed directions in the
plane.
19. The motorized mount of claim 17, including selectively
imparting opposing biases to a display device interface for
effecting bidirectional rotation of the display device interface
about the axis.
20. The method of claim 17, including remotely controlling
translatably shifting the positioning assembly in the plane and
rotatably shifting the rotator assembly about the axis.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present application claims the benefit of U.S.
Provisional Application 60/755811, filed Jan. 3, 2006, and
incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to mounting devices for
electronic displays, and in particular, remotely selectively
positionable mounting devices for flat panel electronic display
devices.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Flat panel electronic display devices such as flat panel
televisions and display monitors are becoming increasingly popular
due to superior image quality, space utilization, and increasing
affordability as compared with conventional CRT displays. These
flat panel display technologies have proven especially well suited
to screen sizes over 36 inches, above which the size and weight of
a CRT device become prohibitive.
[0004] In very large screen sizes, however, even flat panel
electronic displays are heavy and difficult for an individual to
manage. Further, it is often desirable to position a display to be
in a better position for viewing. This typically involves moving
the display away from a wall so the screen may be tilted from
side-to-side over a wider range of motion. While this may be
accomplished in some instances by mounting the display on a wheeled
cart, this approach has drawbacks. One problem with such an
approach is that the large mass of the flat panel display may make
the combination top-heavy and prone to tipping. Another drawback is
that the cart takes up floor space, thereby negating part of the
space advantage of a flat panel display. Moreover, for full
positioning capability, the cart must be remotely positionable as
well as the display itself, making for a relatively complex
position control system.
[0005] Another approach is to mount the flat panel display from a
wall or other structural element. Prior wall mounting devices have
been developed that enable wall mounting of a flat panel display
with remote positioning capability. These prior devices, however,
have certain drawbacks. One such device is disclosed in published
PCT application WO 2005/052435 A1. In this device, threaded rods
are joined together in a rectangular configuration whereby each
threaded rod supports a movable carriage including a linear
actuator thereon. The flat panel display device is coupled with
each carriage through a rigid tube. As the linear actuators are
moved along the threaded rods as directed with the remote control,
the screen of the flat panel display is moved outwardly from the
wall and tilted from side-to-side and up-and-down. A drawback of
this device, however, is the display device causes relatively large
structural loads to be placed on the threaded rods, tubes and
linear actuators when the display is cantilevered a significant
distance from the wall. The size of these elements must be made
correspondingly large to accommodate this loading, adding to the
space demands, weight, and cost of the mounting device. Further,
the device requires a relatively large number of actuators or
motors, adding to the cost of the device and complexity of the
control systems.
[0006] Another prior remotely positionable mount is disclosed in US
published patent application U.S. 2005/0179618 A1 entitled "VIEWING
ANGLE ADJUSTMENT FOR A MONITOR." In this device, a known swing arm
type cantilever mount is modified with a rotary positioning motor
at each arm connection. A drawback of this device, however, is that
a relatively complex control system is needed to monitor and
control the multiple positioning motors. Further, even with such a
complex control system, the resulting positioning movement of the
display is likely to be somewhat non-uniform and halting due to the
need to assimilate position feedback signals in the control
system.
[0007] What is still needed in the industry is a wall mount for an
electronic flat panel display device that exhibits good structural
strength characteristics in a relatively simple design that is as
well relatively lightweight and compact and that enables remotely
controlled positioning of the display with a smooth motion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention addresses the need of the industry for
a flat panel display mount that exhibits good structural strength
characteristics in a relatively lightweight and compact form, and
that enables remotely controlled positioning of the display with a
smooth motion. In embodiments of the invention, a motorized mount
includes a wall interface assembly and a display device interface
operably coupled by a scissor arm assembly. The scissor arm
assembly is compounded for strength, each arm comprising two
parallel arms. One end of one compounding arm of the scissor arm
assembly is coupled to a positioning member threadedly engaged with
a vertical screw in the wall interface driven by a motor, which the
other end is pivoted to the display interface. One end of the other
compounding arm is slidably received on a vertical shaft on the
display interface, while the other end of the same arm is pivoted
to the wall interface. When the motor is actuated, the positioning
block is moved up or down on the screw, thereby causing the display
interface to be moved closer to or away from the wall by the
scissor arm assembly in a generally horizontal plane. A second
positioning motor may be attached to the scissor arm assembly and
coupled to the display interface through a geared arrangement to
enable side-to-side rotation of the display interface about the
shaft axis. Each motor may be remotely controlled using known
remote control systems, including wired and wireless control
systems.
[0009] In an embodiment, the present invention includes a motorized
mount for an electronic display, and includes a biaxially shiftable
mount assembly including a positioning assembly being translatably
shiftable in a plane and a rotator assembly operably coupled to the
positioning assembly, the rotator assembly being roatably shiftable
about an axis, the axis being orthogonally disposed relative to the
plane. An embodiment of the present invention may further include a
method of selectively positioning an electronic display.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a remote controlled mount
according to an embodiment of the invention with a flat panel
electronic display device mounted thereon;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the
positioning assembly and scissor arm assembly of the mount depicted
in FIG. 1;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of another portion
of the positioning assembly and scissor arm assembly of the mount
depicted in FIG. 1;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the
rotator and slide assemblies of the mount depicted in FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of another portion
of the rotator and slide assemblies of the mount depicted in FIG.
1;
[0015] FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the mount and display
depicted in FIG. 1;
[0016] FIG. 7 is a rear elevation view of the mount and display
depicted in FIG. 1;
[0017] FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the mount and display depicted
in FIG. 1;
[0018] FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of the mount and display
depicted in FIG. 1;
[0019] FIG. 10 is a bottom plan view of the mount and display
depicted in FIG. 1;
[0020] FIG. 11 is perspective view of an embodiment of a remote
controlled mount according to an embodiment of the invention;
and
[0021] FIG. 12 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the mount of
FIG. 11.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0022] A motorized mount according to an embodiment of the present
invention is depicted generally at 20 in the figures. Motorized
mount 20 generally has three major components: wall interface
assembly 22, display device interface 24 and positioning assembly
26, as depicted in FIGS. 1 and 6.
[0023] The first component of motorized mount 20 is wall interface
assembly 22, shown particularly in FIGS. 2, 3, 7, 11 and 12. Wall
interface assembly 22 generally includes housing 28 having a pair
of laterally projecting flanges 30. Housing 28 may have a width
dimension W (see FIG. 2) defined between the flanges 30 and
selected so as to correspond with the spacing between adjacent
studs of standard stud spacing in frame wall construction such stud
spacing is, for example, 16 inches or 24 inches on center. Each
flange 30 may have one or more apertures 32 for receiving fasteners
34 (see FIG. 11) to attach wall interface assembly 22 to studs 36
in a wall 38. Mechanism cover 40 (see FIG. 12) may be provided to
cover all or a portion of the interior of housing 28 when installed
in the wall 38.
[0024] The second component of motorized mount 20 is display device
interface 24, shown particularly in FIGS. 4, 5, and 9. Display
device interface 24 generally includes interface plate 42 and
fastening buttons 44. Interface plate 42 has a plurality of
apertures 46 defined therein for receiving fastening buttons 44,
which are attached to flat panel display device 48. Various
arrangements of apertures and fastening buttons that may be used to
attach flat panel display device 48 to interface plate 42 are
described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/821,395 entitled
FLAT PANEL DISPLAY MOUNTING SYSTEM, commonly owned by the owners of
the present invention and hereby incorporated herein in its
entirety by reference. In other embodiments of the invention,
display device interface 24 may include a perimeter frame structure
50 (see FIG. 11) having inside dimensions slightly greater than the
outside dimensions of a certain flat panel display device 48 and
into which the flat panel display device 48 may be received. In
these embodiments, flat panel display device 48 may be attached to
frame 50 using any attaching means known in the art.
[0025] The third component of motorized mount 20 is positioning
assembly 26, shown particularly in FIGS. 2-5, 11 and 12.
Positioning assembly 26 generally includes means for shiftably
translating the display device interface 24 in a plane that is
substantially horizontal or parallel with a floor of a room in
which the motorized mount 20 is mounted. Positioning assembly 26
generally includes screw drive assembly 52, scissor arm assembly
54, slide assembly 56 and rotator assembly 58. Screw drive assembly
52 generally includes screw 60, positioning block 62, motor 64, and
thrust bearing assembly 66. Screw 60 has a spiral thread 68 formed
thereon and extending over its full length. Motor 64 is attached to
inside surface 70 of housing 28 and has an output shaft 72 attached
to one end 74 of screw 60. Opposite end 76 of screw 60 is coupled
to thrust bearing assembly 66 at thrust bearing 78. Thrust bearing
78 is rotatably received in thrust bearing housing 80, fixed to
bottom wall 82 of housing 28. Positioning block 62 has body portion
84 with a pair of cylindrical stub shafts 86 extending laterally,
coaxially from each opposed side 87 of the body portion 84. Bore 88
is transversely defined from top to bottom through positioning
block 62. Bore 88 has an internal thread (not depicted) formed
therein corresponding with thread 68 of screw 60, so that
positioning block 62 is shiftably threaded onto screw 60.
[0026] Scissor arm assembly 54 of positioning assembly 26 is
depicted in FIG. 11 and generally includes first arm pair 90 and
second arm pair 92. As such, scissor arm assembly 54 is compounded
with each arm pair 90, 92 comprising an arm of scissor arm assembly
54. This is in distinction to the conventional construction of a
scissor arm that has single bars pivotally coupled to each other.
First arm pair 90 generally includes parallelly disposed arms 94,
96, that in cooperation comprise a first arm of scissor arm
assembly 54. Each of arms 94, 96 have inwardly angled portion 98,
100, respectively at an end thereof. Fastening tabs 102, 104
project from each angled portion 98, 100, and each of the
respective fastening tabs 102, 104 has a bore 105 formed
therethrough. The respective bores 105 are in registry for
receiving pivot axle 106 on respective opposed ends of pivot axle
106. Opposite ends 108, 110, of arms 94, 96, have a bore 111 that
receives bushings 112, 114. Pivot axle 116 extends through a bore
defined in positioning block 62 and is rotatably received at
respective opposed ends thereof in bushings 112, 114.
[0027] Second arm pair 92 generally includes arms 118, 120, that in
cooperation comprise a second arm of scissor arm assembly 54. Arms
118, 120 include at a first end inwardly angled portions 122, 124,
respectively. Each angled portion 122, 124, has a fastening tab
126, 128 for receiving pivot axle 130. Opposite ends 132, 134 of
arms 118, 120 have apertures disposed in registry (not depicted)
for receiving pivot axles 136, 138. Bracket pairs 140, 142, extend
downwardly from upper wall 144 of housing 28. Pivot axles 136, 138,
extend through arms 118, 120 and each bracket pair 140, 142 to
pivotably mount arms 118, 120 to housing 28. Each pivot axle 136,
138 has a respective head portion 146 and a respective opposing end
148. Each respective opposing end 148 has an aperture for receiving
a cotter pin 150 to secure pivot axles 136, 138 in place.
[0028] Each arm pair 90, 92, has an aperture (not depicted)
intermediate the head portion 146 and the opposed end 148 for
receiving central pivot axle 152. Central pivot axle 152 extends
through both arm pairs 90, 92, and enables arms 90, 92, to
angularly pivot together in a compound scissors configuration, such
pivoting acting to extend or retract the head portion 146 and the
opposed end 148 relative to each other along an axis transverse to
wall 38 and lying in a generally horizontal plane. Such extension
and retraction acts to effectively lengthen and shorten the overall
length of the scissor arm assembly 54, thereby positioning the
display device interface 24 transversely relative to the wall 38 in
the plane noted above.
[0029] Slide assembly 56 of positioning assembly 26 generally
includes shaft 154 and slide 160. Shaft 154 is fixed to interface
plate 42 at bosses 156, 158. Slide 160 is slidably received on
shaft 154. Pivot axle 130 extends through fastening tabs 126, 128,
and slide 160 to pivotally attach arms 118, 120, to slide 160.
[0030] Rotator assembly 58 of positioning assembly 26 (see FIGS.
8-11) generally includes means for shiftably rotating the display
device interface 24 about an axis disposed orthogonally to the
plane of actuation of the positioning assembly 26, noted above.
Rotator assembly 58 generally includes housing portion 162, motor
164, drive gear 166, and positioning gear 168. Housing portion 162
and positioning gear 168 are rotatably mounted on shaft 154.
Bearing portion 170 of positioning gear 168 bears against interface
plate 42. Pivot axle 106 extends through fastening tabs 102, 104,
and housing portion 162, to pivotally attach arms 94, 96, to
housing portion 162. Motor 164 is fixed to housing portion 162 and
has its output shaft coupled with drive gear 166, which is in turn,
meshed with positioning gear 168.
[0031] Motor 64 and motor 164 may be electric motors with output
shafts connected through reduction gear assemblies to provide a low
speed bi-directional rotary output. Each motor is operable through
a separate control so that each motor may be operated independent
of the other.
[0032] In operation, power is applied to motor 64, causing it to
rotate screw 60 in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise
direction. As screw 60 rotates, positioning block 62 moves
vertically along the length of screw 60, the direction of movement
depending on the direction of rotation of screw 60. The vertical
movement of positioning block 62 causes scissor arm assembly 54 to
move display device interface 24 either closer to, or further away
from, wall interface assembly 22, thereby retracting or extending
flat panel display device 48 from the wall in the plane noted
above.
[0033] Power may also be separately applied to motor 164, thereby
causing it to rotate positioning gear 168 through drive gear 166 in
either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction through a known
angle about an axis (the longitudinal axis of shaft 54) that is
orthogonally disposed relative the plane of extension/retraction of
scissor arm assembly 54. Such rotation imposes opposing biases on
the interface plate 42. Bearing portion 170 selectively bears
against interface plate 42 on one side or the other of the axis of
rotation in the direction of gear rotation, thereby causing
interface plate 42 to rotate on shaft 154 in a selected direction.
Such rotation selectively positions the flat panel display 48
attached to interface plate 42 for better viewing as desired.
[0034] In an embodiment of the invention, motor 64 and 164 may be
controlled remotely through a receiver associated motorized mount
20 and a remote transmitter. The receiver and transmitter may be
communicatively connected via hardwire or various wireless modes
including modulated infrared signals where line-of-sight control is
desired, or through modulated radio-frequency signals for greater
range. In embodiments of the invention, remote control of mount 20
may be incorporated in the same transmitter with remote control of
one or more of the flat panel television, satellite receivers,
digital media players, sound systems, or other electronic devices
associated with the flat panel television as is known in the
art.
[0035] Although a specific arrangement is disclosed above, it will
be evident to those of skill in the art that other embodiments are
encompassed within the scope of the invention. For example, in an
embodiment, the positioning assembly may be located in the display
interface, with the slide assembly located in the wall
interface.
* * * * *