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.

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. Furth...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[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.

Problems solved by technology

In very large screen sizes, however, even flat panel electronic displays are heavy and difficult for an individual to manage.

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.

These prior devices, however, have certain drawbacks.

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.

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.

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