Modular Display System with Front-Access Servicing for Curved Facades
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large visual display systems face challenges in installation and maintenance due to structural limitations of buildings, including air rights issues, uneven mounting surfaces, and difficulty in accessing the display for service, especially when mounted on rigid or curved surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A modular display system comprising display modules with alignment features that can be securely attached to a support frame, allowing for uniform spacing and easy installation and servicing from either side of the viewing plane, accommodating various architectural curvatures and providing a stable, uniform visual effect.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a large display system is mounted on the outside of a building, then the visual display size is increased, but the system thickness may encroach on adjacent air rights
Solution Approach 1:
The display system is divided into multiple independently mounted display modules that can be positioned at different depths from the building surface. This segmentation allows the overall display area to be large while individual modules maintain manageable thickness profiles, preventing encroachment on adjacent air rights.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a single-plane mounting approach to a multi-depth dimensional arrangement. Display modules are mounted at varying distances from the building facade, creating a three-dimensional display structure that achieves large visual area without uniform thickness increase that would encroach on air rights.
2Reliability
If a display system is mounted on the outside of a building with brick, stone, or concrete construction, then the display is protected from environmental damage, but the mounting surface provides poor tensile strength for secure attachment
Solution Approach 1:
A mounting frame structure serves as an intermediary between the display modules and the building facade. This frame system distributes mechanical loads across multiple attachment points and converts tensile forces into compressive forces that the masonry structure can better withstand, enabling secure attachment without compromising the protective function.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting system employs composite construction combining metal framing elements with masonry anchoring components. This composite approach leverages the compressive strength of the building materials while providing the tensile attachment capability needed for secure display module installation.
3Ease of operation
If a display system is mounted in a cantilevered configuration on a building, then the display is positioned for optimal viewing, but the tension component of structural load is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The cantilevered display system is segmented into multiple modules mounted at different positions along the building facade. This segmentation allows the viewing plane to be optimally positioned while distributing structural loads across multiple mounting locations, reducing the tension component at any single attachment point.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting frame structure incorporates counterbalancing elements and distributed support points that offset the cantilevered moment forces. By strategically positioning modules and mounting points, the system reduces net tension loads on the building structure while maintaining optimal viewing positions.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a display system is mounted on an uneven building surface, then the display adapts to the existing architecture, but the viewing plane shows discontinuities and unevenness
Solution Approach 1:
The display system uses segmented modules with individual mounting frames that can independently adjust to local surface variations. Each module adapts to its specific location on the uneven building surface while maintaining proper display orientation, ensuring uniform viewing plane quality across the entire installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting system incorporates adjustable and flexible mounting mechanisms that allow each display module to dynamically adapt to the local building surface geometry. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the system to accommodate architectural irregularities while maintaining a uniform, discontinuity-free viewing plane.
5Area of stationary object
If a large display system is installed on a building, then the visual impact is increased, but installation and maintenance access becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The large display system is divided into multiple smaller, modular units that can be independently installed and serviced. This segmentation allows maintenance personnel to access and work on individual modules without needing to access the entire large display structure, significantly improving ease of repair while maintaining the overall visual impact.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a three-dimensional modular architecture that creates accessible service zones between and around modules. This dimensional arrangement provides maintenance personnel with access pathways and working space that would be unavailable in a monolithic flat structure, facilitating easier installation and repair of individual components.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are embodiments of display modules, assemblies of display modules, and systems of display modules. Display modules have a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in a predetermined pattern and providing a highly uniform visual effect. Alignment and complementary alignment features enable the alignment of adjacent display modules and the creation of large displays from a plurality of aligned display modules. Features to grip and retain a support frame are provided. Modules and systems have features that permit installation and removal from the front side of the display. A system of modular support frames works cooperatively with the display modules, adapting to different mounting environments, and thereby providing large modular displays with desirable properties.