Collapsible Support Structure for a Display

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to display units and particularly to a display unit including groups of light-emitting elements mounted to a support structure such that the display may be easily and safely installed and reconfigured while retaining both strength and positional accuracy. The invention discloses improvements in the structure and manufacture of such systems.

Display units for entertainment, architectural, and advertising purposes have commonly been constructed of numbers of light-emitting elements such as LEDs or incandescent lamps mounted onto flat tiles. The light-emitting elements can be selectively turned on and off to create patterns, graphics, and video displays for both informational and aesthetic purposes. These displays may be constructed as tiles or large panels which are assembled in position for a specific entertainment show or event or as an architectural or advertising display.

When such a display is used for an event or theatrical production, it is desirable that the display be easily removable, for example in between scenes of a play or theatrical event, as the needs of the production dictate. Some systems use a tile based structure where a tile, typically around 61 centimeters×61 centimeters (i.e., 2 feet×2 feet), can be lifted by hand and positioned. Accurate positioning of the tiles may be a time consuming and complex process involving skilled personnel.

Further, a display constructed as a large panel or as a series of large solid tiles which are bolted or permanently fixed may not easily be removed in this manner. In order to achieve the alignment accuracy required the displays are large and heavy and require significant support machinery, time, and storage space to move. In some systems, a lifting truss is needed to lift individual display sections out of storage cases so the sections can be joined and stacked.

Displays of these types may be constructed at different resolutions where the spacing between the light-emitting elements can be varied. It may also be a requirement to change this spacing at different points on the display. Further prior art systems, such as the VersaPixel manufactured by Element Labs, may use suspended light-emitting elements to be used as a ceiling or roof to an area. It would be advantageous to have a support and installation structure for such a display that is simple to install and that facilitates use in differing resolutions and on different planes through a single easily adjustable structure.

Small errors in the positioning of the pixels within tiles and tiles within a display can be cumulative and may lead to large errors in overall pixel alignment accuracy. At the same time the display support system must be strong enough to support a large area of display tiles and to withstand side loads from wind and weather if used outside. The goal of simultaneous strength, rigidity, and accuracy is one that is not achieved in prior art systems and the user typically has to accept a reduced accuracy in order to achieve the required strength.

Another requirement for display systems for events, theatrical productions, advertisements or architectural designs is the need for the display to take up a minimal amount of storage space or height when stored and not in use.

The disclosed invention solves these problems and discloses improvements in the structure and manufacture of such display units so as to provide a single comprehensive display system and support structure capable of providing both strength and rigidity in both planar and nonplanar arrangements while also collapsing into a minimum volume for transport and storage.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A support structure for a lighting display can be collapsed down towards the display. In an implementation, the support structure includes a set of first structural members onto which one or more tiles are attached. A second structural member is connected across the first structural members. When the second structural member is removed, the set of first structural members can be collapsed.

In a specific implementation a light-emitting display system includes a first light-emitting tile having a plurality of light-emitting elements and a first connecting member attached to it. There is a second light-emitting tile having a plurality of light-emitting elements and a second connecting member attached to it. A structural support having a first structural member is connected to a second structural member. The first connecting member is connected to the second connecting member. The first and second light-emitting tiles are connected to the first structural member.

The first light-emitting tile may include a first attachment mechanism attached to it. The second light-emitting tile may include a second attachment mechanism attached to it, where the first and second attachment mechanisms connect the first and second light-emitting tiles to the first structural member, respectively.

In a specific implementation, the first attachment mechanism is located substantially within a center of a back surface of the first light-emitting tile. The second attachment mechanism is located substantially within a center of a back surface of the second light-emitting tile.

The first and second attachment mechanisms may removably and rotatably connect (e.g., a hinge mechanism) with the first structural member. The first connecting member may be removably connected to the second connecting member. The first structural member may be removably connected to the second structural member. The plurality of light-emitting elements may be located on one of the first light-emitting tile and the second light-emitting tile may include light-emitting diodes of different colors.

In a specific embodiment, the first connecting member is attached adjacent an edge of the first light-emitting tile. The second connecting member is attached adjacent an edge of the second light-emitting tile.

The first connecting member may include a male connecting member and the second connecting member may include a female connecting member. The first connecting member may include a clip and the second connecting member may include a receptacle.

In a specific implementation, a method of assembling a light-emitting display system includes providing a first light-emitting tile and a second light-emitting tile, connecting a first connecting member disposed on the first light-emitting tile to a second connecting member disposed on the second light-emitting tile, connecting the first light-emitting tile to a structural support, and connecting the second light-emitting tile to the structural support.

The structural support may include a first structural member and a second structural member. The method may further include connecting the first structural member to the second structural member.

In a specific implementation, the method of claim further includes a first attachment mechanism and a second attachment mechanism. The first attachment mechanism connects the first light-emitting tile to the first structural member. The second attachment mechanism connects the second light-emitting tile to the first structural member.

The first and second attachment mechanisms may removably and rotatably connect with the first structural member. The first connecting member may include a clip and the second connecting member may include a receptacle.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which like reference designations represent like features throughout the figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a pixel in a video display.

FIG. 2 shows a portion of a modular video display.

FIG. 3 shows the tolerance and alignment variables in a modular video display.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the present invention showing the separate structural and alignment members of a video display.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of the present invention showing an isometric view of a single tile of a video display.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of the present invention showing the rear view of a single tile of a video display.

FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of the present invention showing the rear view of a section of a video display and its structural support.

FIG. 8 shows a further illustration of an embodiment of the present invention showing the rear view of a section of a video display and its structural support ready to be collapsed.

FIG. 9 shows a further illustration of an embodiment of the present invention showing the rear view of a section of a video display and its structural support in the collapsed position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a pixel in a video display. Each pixel 101a, 101b, 101c, and 101d may be constructed from three LEDs: red (R), green (G), and blue (B). The distance 103 and 102 between the center of a pixel 101 and its adjacent pixels is referred to as the pixel pitch. The x-axis pixel pitch 103 may be the same as the y-axis pixel pitch 102.

In a large display with a large number of pixels it is desirable that the pixel pitch is controlled within tight tolerances. Errors in the pixel pitch across the display may be apparent to the viewer and adversely affect the image quality.

Some more details on video display products can be found in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 12/415,627, filed Mar. 31, 2009; 12/484,200, 12/484,201, 12/484,202, 12/484,203, and 12/484,205, filed Jun. 13, 2009; and U.S. provisional patent applications 61/072,597, filed Mar. 31, 2008, and 61/170,887, filed Apr. 20, 2009, which are incorporated by reference.

FIG. 2 illustrates a portion of a modular video display 110 where display modules 112, 114, 116, and 118 are mounted adjacent to each other to form a single display. Controlling pixel alignment and pitch within a single module may be accomplished through such means as accurate component placement on a printed circuit board within the module housing. The modules may be constructed from plastic, and be sufficiently small that the tolerances within the modules can be tightly controlled.

However the pitch 119 between the pixels on adjacent modules is controlled by the accurate mechanical alignment and spacing of the individual modules. If this alignment and spacing is not accurately maintained, gaps may appear in the display which appear darker when the screen is set to black. Additionally banding can appear due to perceived luminance errors. For example, if the pixel pitch between modules is greater than the pixel pitch within the module, then the effective area subtended to the viewer by the pixels at the boundary is larger than those within the module. This increased effective area causes the perceived luminance of the pixels at the boundaries of the modules to be lower than the pixels within the module, thereby causing an apparent band or stripe in the image.

In a typical prior art modular display screen a number of display modules are mounted onto a larger tile and these tiles are connected together to form the entire screen. The tiles are typically constructed from folded sheet metal, and are large compared to the modules. These tiles and their interconnection provide both the alignment of the display modules and the structural support and strength to form the mechanical infrastructure of the screen. If a screen is intended for an outdoor application then it must further be able to withstand wind loadings producing significant sideways forces.

FIG. 3 shows the tolerance and alignment variables in a modular video display. A plurality of display modules 124 are assembled onto a support structure 126 to form tile 120 and a second plurality of display modules 122 are assembled onto support structure 128 to form a second tile 122. Support structures 126 and 128 are interconnected to support and align the two tiles. The alignment of the display modules 124 on tile 120 with display modules 122 on tile 122 are affected by multiple and cumulative tolerances; tolerance 2 between tile 120 and support structure 126, tolerance 4 between support structure 126 and support structure 128 and tolerance 6 between support structure 128 and tile 122.

In a prior art system such tolerances may accumulate and produce a total pixel positional error as high as ±8.25 percent (total 16.5 percent) resulting in visible and objectionable luminance difference between the pixels at the tile boundaries and the pixels within the tile. Such a gap between tiles will be noticeable and detract from a cohesive look. Although here we are referring to tolerances in a single axis, it is also important to note that these tolerances are present and important in all 3 axes.

The prior art uses the support structure 126, 128 to provide both:

1. Alignment—ensuring that the tiles align to form a cohesive display; and

2. Structural Strength or Support—ensuring that the screen can support itself safely as well as endure additional forces from wind loading in outdoor situations.

Alignment accuracy is desirable for display quality but the large structural parts needed to simultaneously achieve the strength goals may hinder that accuracy. Achieving the tight tolerances needed with large structural components can be difficult and expensive, and almost always involves large amounts of time consuming and expensive machining.

This invention improves on the prior art and discloses means for assembling a modular display which, in a specific implementation, isolates the alignment and structural requirements from each other and provides enhanced alignment accuracy.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the present invention showing the separate structural and alignment members of a video display 150. Multiple display modules 124 are assembled into a plurality of tiles 120. In a specific implementation, tiles 120 connect to adjacent tiles through attachment mechanisms such as latches, clips, clamps, mounts, rotary-lock mounts (e.g., NCC rotary-lock mount), or any other types of fastener which provide accurate and improved alignment without having any requirement (or minimal requirements) to provide support or strength to the system. Some specific examples of latches include spring latches, slam latches, cam locks, Norfolk latches, Suffolk latches, cross bars, cabin hooks, bolt lock latches, compression latches, draw latches, over center draw latches, pull draw latches, rotary action latches, concealed draw latches, fixed grip cam latches, adjustable grip cam latches, vise action compression latches, lift and turn compression latches, lever latches, and self-adjusting latches.

Removing the strength requirement from these components allows cheaper (i.e., less costly), smaller, more accurately manufactured parts to be used and ensure highly accurate alignment. For example, less material (e.g., plastic and metal), less expensive materials, or both may be used in making the attachment mechanisms because the attachment mechanisms do not have to provide structural support. In other words, in a specific implementation, the attachment mechanisms are not load-bearing or do not require design computations for bearing specific loads such as wind loads, the dead load (e.g., weight) of the tile or adjacent tiles, seismic loads, live loads, and so forth. In this specific implementation, the attachment mechanisms do not carry the weight of the tile and do not resist or transfer significant forces. In another implementation, the attachment mechanisms are designed to support the weight of the tile, but do not need to support other forces (e.g., wind).

In these specific implementations, less material needs to be used and a lighter-weighing tile can be produced as compared to tiles with attachment mechanisms that are designed to bear significant structural loads. A lighter-weighing tile offers several benefits. For example, the tile is easier to transport, assemble, disassemble, configure, reconfigure, and replace.

In other implementations, the attachment mechanisms provide at least some structural support. For example, the attachment mechanisms may provide at least some support for bearing wind loads, the dead load of the tile, or both wind loads and dead loads. In this specific implementation, the attachment mechanisms carry a portion of the load (e.g., wind load, dead load, or both). The remaining portion of the load may be carried by secondary structural support 152. Typically, the portion of the load carried by the attachment mechanisms will be less than the portion of the load carried by the secondary structural support. For example, the attachment mechanisms may carry about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, or 45 percent of the total load. In various other implementations, the portion of the load carried by the attachment mechanisms is the same as the load carried by the secondary structural support. The portion of the load carried by the attachment mechanisms is greater than the load carried by the secondary structural support.

A single attachment mechanism for a tile may be able to support at least the weight of the tile divided by the number of attachment mechanisms attached to the tile. In a specific implementation, a tile has two attachment mechanisms per side for a total of eight attachment mechanisms and weighs about 5 kilograms. In this specific implementation, a single attachment mechanism can support at least 0.62 kilograms (e.g., 5 kilograms/8 attachment mechanisms=0.62 kilograms).

The tiles may be manufactured using injection molding or other techniques which have inherently high levels of accuracy compared to the sheet metal and machining techniques used in the prior art. Thus the video display will be accurately aligned and cohesive in its appearance.

In a specific implementation, structural support and strength is provided though a secondary structural support 152 which is connected to the display tiles through attachment mechanisms 154 such that the alignment of the display tiles remains uncompromised. The secondary structural support provides the strength required to support itself and the display tile and to resist other applied forces such as wind loading.

To ensure that any inaccurate alignment of structural support 152 does not compromise or affect the alignment of the display tiles 120 the interconnecting members 154 are constructed so as to take up or nullify any tolerance difference between the accurately aligned display tiles 120 and the structural support 152. Alignment accuracies up to an order (or orders) of magnitude better than the prior art system can be provided by the separation of the functions of alignment and support.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of the present invention showing an isometric view of a single tile (or panel) 160 of a video display. A plurality of pixels 161 are mounted to a display tile 160. Display tile 160 is accurately constructed to very tight tolerances and may use injection molding or other inherently accurate manufacturing technique. The strength requirement for tile 160 is minimal because in a specific implementation it only needs to support itself, the attached pixels, and associated circuitry. In this specific implementation, there is no requirement to provide support for adjacent tiles, although some support may be provided for smaller screen configurations or those that do not require wind loading support.

Alignment between adjacent tiles 160 is provided through male connecting members, such as clips 162, and female connecting members, such as receptacles 164. Clips 162 and receptacles 164 provide highly accurate alignment of adjacent tiles with no requirement (or minimal requirements) to transmit support or strength between those tiles. This allows the use of accurate construction to very tight tolerances which may use injection molding or any other inherently accurate manufacturing technique.

In this specific implementation, tile 160 has two connecting members on each of its four sides. A side has connecting members of a first type (e.g., male connecting members) and an opposite side has connecting members of a second type (e.g., female connecting members), different from the first type. A side has connecting members of a first type and an adjacent side has connectors of a first type or connectors of a second type. For example, a top side includes a first set of two male connecting members. A bottom side includes a second set of two female connecting members. A right-hand side includes a third set of two female connecting members. A left-hand side includes a fourth set of two male connecting members.

In another implementation, a side has connecting members of a first type and an opposite side has connecting members of the first type. It should also be appreciated that a side can have any number of connectors including no connectors, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 connectors, or more than 7 connectors. A number of connectors on one side may be equal to or different from a number of connectors on another side (e.g., opposite side or adjacent side).

Furthermore, the connectors on a side may or may not be equally spaced. The connectors may be equally distributed along a length of the side. The connectors may be equally spaced from a midpoint of the side.

In this specific implementation, the tile has four sides and has the shape of a square. In this specific implementation, a length of a side of the square is about 400 millimeters. However, the length can range from about 50 millimeters to about 5000 millimeters including, for example, 100, 200, 300, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 2000, 4000, or more than 5000 millimeters. In some implementations, the length is less than 50 millimeters.

It should also be appreciated that the tile can have any number of sides and can be in any shape. Some examples of other shapes include rectangles, triangles, circles, and ovals.

FIG. 6 shows a further illustration of an embodiment of the present invention showing the rear view of a single tile of a video display. Clips 162 on the top of a tile may connect to receptacles 164 on the bottom of the adjacent tile. When clip 162 is closed angle adjustment plate 167 will be pulled into contact with clamp plate 168 on the adjacent tile in the vertical plane. Clip 162 is designed such that it can accommodate a wide range of angles in angle adjustment plate 167 and still maintain accurate and secure connection between the tiles. Similarly clips 162 on the right of a tile may connect to receptacles 164 on the left side of the adjacent tile and angle adjustment plates 167 will be pulled into contact with clamp plate 168 in the horizontal plane. Strength and support for tile 160 is provided through center attachment point 166 which connects to the interconnecting member back to the structural support. Through such means a modular display of any size and shape may be quickly and accurately constructed.

FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of the present invention showing the rear view of a section of a video display and its structural support. Four tiles 160 are joined together through their clips 162 and receptacles 164 to form a single aligned display unit. Each tile 160 connects via central clamp 184 and attachment mechanism 183 to first structural members 182. For example, the central clamp 184 may connect with center attachment point 166 (FIG. 6). First structural members 182 are further connected to second structural members 181. The structural members 181 and 182 form a rigid frame that provides the strength and support for tiles 160 allowing the clips 162 and receptacles 164 to provide accurate alignment.

Although only four tiles 160, two first structural members 182 and one second structural member 181 are shown in FIG. 7, the invention is not so limited and any number and arrangement of tiles and structural members may be connected within the scope of the invention. For example, there can be one first structural member 182, one or more tiles, and no second structural member 181; one first structural member 182, one or more tiles, and one second structural member 181; or any other combination. In a specific implementation, a number of tiles of the video display is greater than a number of first structural members, a number of second structural members, or both. A number of tiles of the video display may be less than or equal to a number of first structural members, a number of second structural members, or both.

In a further embodiment the attachment mechanisms 183 may connect to the second structural members 181 instead of or in addition to the first structural members 182.

The connections between each first structural member 182 and multiple attachment mechanisms 183 can allow for rotation in a vertical plane of the first structural member 182 about that connection. When the display is in operational use this rotation is prevented by the connection of first structural members 182 to one or more second structural member 181 and the structural members form a rigid assembly.

When it is desired to dismantle the display for transport or storage the second structural members may be removed as illustrated in FIG. 8. In this configuration the first structural members 182 are free to rotate about the connection 186 to attachment mechanisms 183 in the direction as indicated by an arrow. After the first structural members 182 have been rotated they appear as illustrated in FIG. 9 where they are lying essentially parallel to the plane of the display tiles 160. In this configuration the assembly is significantly reduced in thickness and is more easily moved and stored.

Referring now to FIG. 7, in a specific implementation a first end of attachment mechanism 183 can be rotatably connected to first structural member 182. A second end of the attachment mechanism can be connected to the tile. When the first structural member is disconnected from the second structural member, the first structural member can rotate with respect to its vertical axis as shown in FIG. 9. The first end of the attachment mechanism and the first structural member can have any structural or mechanical arrangement so that the first structural member can be collapsed, rotated, or folded down towards the rear side of the tile as shown in FIG. 9.

Any type of connection mechanism may be used to connect the first structural member with the second structural member. Some examples of connection mechanisms include screws, nails, brackets (e.g., L-brackets), bolts, nuts, dowels, cotter pins, rivets, snap-fits, interference fits (e.g., stud is received by receptacle) glue, welds, threaded mechanisms, coupling devices, and so forth.

In a specific implementation, the first structural member includes a first tube having a circular cross section (or at least a portion of a circular cross section). The first end of the attachment mechanism includes a sleeve, or other hollow member, having a passageway. The sleeve and thus the attachment mechanism can slip onto an end of the first tube. That is, the first tube passes through the passageway of the sleeve.

In this specific implementation, the passageway of the sleeve has a circular cross section (or at least a portion of a circular cross section) so that the first tube can rotate within or with respect to the sleeve so that the first structural member can be collapsed. The cross section of the passageway is concentric with the cross section of the first tube. Furthermore, in this specific implementation, an area of the cross section of the passageway is greater than an area of the cross section of the first tube so that the first tube can pass through the passageway of the sleeve. Thus, the attachment mechanism and thus the tile can be positioned anywhere along the first structural member (i.e., anywhere along the vertical axis of the first tube).

The description above describes merely one implementation of the structural arrangement between the first end of the attachment mechanism and the first structural member such that the first structural member can be collapsed (i.e., collapsed towards the rear side of the tile). In other implementations, other similar and equivalent elements may be used or substituted.

For example, in another implementation, the first tube has a passageway or channel which extends longitudinally through at least a portion of the length of the first tube and through an end of the first tube. The first tube includes a slot along an outer side of the first tube and which is connected to the passageway. The slot also extends longitudinally through at least a portion of the length of the first tube and through the end of the first tube. The first end of the attachment mechanism includes a rod (e.g., peg, pin, dowel, or key) which can slide within (i.e., inside) the passageway of the first tube. The attachment mechanism is placed onto the first tube by aligning the open end of the tube with the rod and sliding the rod and thus attachment mechanism along the passageway.

In this specific implementation, the passageway of the first tube and rod of the attachment mechanism have circular cross sections or at least portions of a circular cross section so that the first tube can rotate about the rod.

In this specific implementation, the first structural member includes a second tube, parallel to the first tube. A web or portions of a web spans between the first and second tubes to connect the two tubes together. The sleeve includes a slot so that the sleeve and thus the attachment mechanism can slide along the first tube, i.e., along the vertical axis of the first tube, and past the web joining the first and second tubes together. The attachment mechanism and thus the tile can be positioned anywhere along the first tube (or first structural member).

A display may thus be broken down into subassemblies each including multiple display tiles and connected first structural members. It may be advantageous to transport and store a display in these sub assemblies rather than breaking it down into completely separate tiles. Such subassemblies may be quicker to reassemble than individual tiles while still remaining small enough for easy handling. The invention illustrates a 2×2 array of tiles in the subassembly but the invention is not so limited and the layout and size of the subassemblies and choice of the number of tiles in each subassembly may be determined by the user for optimal handling in a particular situation.

While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art, having benefit of this invention, will appreciate that other embodiments may be devised which do not depart from the scope of the invention as disclosed herein. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be limited only by the attached claims.

This description of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form described, and many modifications and variations are possible in light of the teaching above. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications. This description will enable others skilled in the art to best utilize and practice the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to a particular use. The scope of the invention is defined by the following claims.

Number	Date	Country
61061338	Jun 2008	US
61061347	Jun 2008	US
61061353	Jun 2008	US
61061358	Jun 2008	US
61061365	Jun 2008	US
61061369	Jun 2008	US

Collapsible Support Structure for a Display

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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Provisional Applications (6)