Mounting system capable of adjusting viewing angle of a monitor

Abstract

A mounting system is adapted to couple to the back side of a flat panel monitor to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor. The mounting system includes a plurality of motorized arms that are communicably link to a processor. Based on an input signal from a remote control, the processor extends or retracts each of the plurality of motorized arms to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to a motorized mounting system capable of adjusting the viewing angle of a monitor based on an input signal from a remote control.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Flat panel monitors such as computer monitors, TFT, LCD, plasma, slim televisions, and the like (collectively referred to as “monitor(s)”) are becoming popular because they can be mounted against a wall to save floor space and for their aesthetically pleasing appearance. In general, monitors are mounted to a wall with a mechanical support arm or a bracket then fixed in a desired orientation to maximize the viewing angle of the monitor. To later adjust the viewing angle of the monitor, however, a viewer generally tilts the monitor manually to a new viewing angle so that the viewer may more comfortably view the monitor from a different location or to deflect a glare on the monitor away from the viewer. For instance, a monitor may be fixed to a wall in a family room to allow the family members or one viewer to view the monitor at the desired viewing angle. As the viewer moves from one area to another area, such as from the family room to the kitchen, the viewer may not be able to view the monitor. In addition, in situations where the monitor is mounted in a remote location or high above the floor, it may be inconvenient for the viewer to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor.

Another limitation with the support arm is that there is a limit as to how much weight the support arm can handle. That is, as the support arm is extended to support a monitor further away from the wall, the weight of the monitor applies bending load on the support arm. The bending load on the support arm increases as the distance between the monitor and the wall increases. Bending loads can apply extreme stress on the support arm. As such, with heavier monitors, support arms are not generally used. Rather, wall mounts are used to attach the heavier monitors to a wall with the viewing angle fixed at a predetermined orientation. The wall mounts do allow for some tilting of the monitor but do not allow the monitor to extend from the wall. Accordingly, there is a need for a mounting system that can mount a larger and heavier monitor to a wall and allow the viewing angle of the monitor to be more easily adjusted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to a mounting system capable of adjusting the viewing angle of a flat panel monitor. The mounting system includes a plurality of motorized arms adapted to couple to the back side of a monitor. A processor controls the actuation of the plurality of motorized arms to extend or retract each of the motorized arms independently relative to a mounting surface such as wall. As an example, the mounting system may include three motorized arms that are coupled to the back side of the monitor in a triangular configuration. By independently varying the distance of the three arms with respect to the mounting surface, the angle of the plane defined by the three arms may be adjusted or the viewing angle of the monitor. The processor may be controlled by the input signal from a remote control so that the viewing angle of the monitor may be adjusted remotely.

Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the invention will be, or will become, apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the following claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention can be better understood with reference to the following drawings and description. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures, like referenced numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mounting system capable of adjusting viewing angle of a monitor remotely in reference to X, Y, and Z axes.

FIG. 2 shows the mounting system of FIG. 1 tilting a monitor in a clockwise direction along the YZ plane.

FIG. 3 shows the mounting system of FIG. 1 tilting a monitor in a counter-clockwise direction along the YZ plane.

FIG. 4 shows the mounting system of FIG. 1 swiveling a monitor in a counter-clockwise direction along the XZ plane.

FIG. 5 shows the mounting system of FIG. 1 swiveling a monitor in a clockwise direction along the XZ plane.

FIG. 6 shows a ball joint capable of pivotably coupling the distal end of an arm to the back side of a monitor.

FIG. 7 shows another view of the ball joint of FIG. 6.

DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a mounting system 10 in reference to X, Y, and Z axes. The mounting system 10 includes a plurality of arms where each arm may move independently with respect to each other. In this example, the mounting system 10 may have three arms where each arm is able to extend or retract independently relative to a first mounting surface 2. The distal ends of the three arms may be pivotably coupled to the second mounting surface 4. The three distal ends of the three arms define a plane that can be adjusted relative to the first mounting surface 2 by extending or retracting the distal ends independently, as further explained below. The first arm 3 may include beams 12 and 14, the second arm 5 may include beams 16 and 18, and the third arm 7 may include beams 20 and 22. The beams 16 and 18 of the second arm 5 may pivot with relative to each other along the pivot axis 31. The second arm 5 may be positioned between the first and third arms 3 and 7, respectively.

The mounting system 10 also includes motors 24, 26, and 28 where the motors 24 and 28 may be coupled to their respective screws 30 and 34 to rotate the screws about their longitudinal axes. The motor 26 may be coupled to a hinge 32 to rotate the hinge along its longitudinal axis. In this example, the motors 24 and 28 may be located along the longitudinal axes of their respective screws 30 and 34. In addition, the motors 24 and 28 may be located between their respective screws and universal pivot joints 36 and 38. The screws 30 and 34 may be supported by one or more support walls 42. The support walls 42 may be adapted to allow the screws 30 and 34 to rotate along its longitudinal axis or along the Y-axis

The first or proximal ends 12A and 20A of the beams 12 and 20, respectively, may be pivotably coupled to sleeves 40 and 44, respectively. The sleeves 40 and 44 may be threaded to receive the screws 30 and 34, respectively, so that the sleeves may move along the longitudinal axis of their respective screws as they rotate. Depending on the rotational direction of the screw, the sleeve may move substantially along the positive Y-axis or negative Y-axis. As the sleeves 40 and 44 move or slide along their respective screws 30 and 34, the respective second or distal ends 12B and 20B extend or retract relative to the first mounting surface 2. The second ends 12B and 20B may be pivotably coupled to the second mounting surface 4 at locations 9 and 11, respectively. The second ends 12B and 20B of the beams 12 and 20, respectively, may be adapted to pivotably couple to the second mounting surface 4 so that the viewing angle of the second mounting surface 4 may be adjusted by moving the sleeves 40 and 44 along their respective screws 30 and 34. As such, movement of the sleeves along the XY-plane allows the second ends 12B and 20B to independently or simultaneously extend or retract relative to the XY-plane to adjust the viewing angle of the second mounting surface 4. The second end 16B of the beam 16 may be pivotably coupled to mounting surface 4 at a location 13. Note that locations 9, 11, and 13 may be located at the back side of the monitor forming a triangular configuration with the location 13 between the locations 9 and 11.

The mounting system 10 also includes a remote control 15 adapted to communicate with a processor 17 to adjust the viewing angle of the second mounting surface 4 such as a monitor. The remote control 15 may send wireless signals to a receiver 19 which is communicably coupled to the processor 17. The processor may be also communicably coupled to a memory 21 that stores predetermined desired viewing angles so that a viewer may push a preset button on the remote 15 to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor to the desired viewing angle previously stored in the memory. The remote control 15 includes a tilt up button 23, tilt down button 25, swivel left button 27, swivel right button 29, extend button 31, and a retract button 33. As explained in more detail below, a viewer may push any of the above buttons to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor to a desired viewing angle.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the mounting system 10 illustrating the second and third arms 5 and 7. Note that in this example, the first arm 3 is substantially similar to the description to the third arm 7 below. The beam 22 may pivot about a pivot point 50 relative to the hinge 52. The hinge 52 may rotate about a pin 54 along the longitudinal axis of the screw 34. The first end 20A of the beam 20 may be pivotably coupled to the sleeve 44 at a pivot point 56, and the second end 20B of the beam 20 may be pivotably coupled to the pivot point 58 at a bracket 60 used to attach the mounting system 10 to the back side of second mounting surface 4 such as a flat panel monitor, for example. The beam 22 may be pivotably coupled to the beam 20 at about its midpoint 60. In addition, the length of the beam 20, as defined by the distance between the two pivot points 56 and 58, may be about twice as long as the length of beam 22, as defined by the distance between the two pivot points 50 and 60. With the above geometry, as the sleeve 44 moves along the screw 34, the second end 20B extends or retracts substantially along the XZ plane with minimal movement, if any, along the Y axis.

With the second end 20B moving substantially along the XZ plane, the motor 28 substantially extends or retracts the second end 20B to push or pull the monitor 4 relative to the first mounting surface 2 such that the monitor 4 does not move along the Y-axis by the arm 7. For example, if the gravitational force is along the negative Y-axis, the arm 7 does not lift the monitor. Without the need to lift the monitor, such as a 42 inch plasma TV weighing about 70 pounds, smaller size motors may be used to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor. With a smaller size motor, the motor 28 may be located between the hinge 52 and the screw 34, along with a gear box 62 and a coupler 64. The coupler 63 mounts the gear box 62 to the screw 34 so that torque from the motor 28 may be transferred to the screw 34 for rotation. As the motor 28 rotates the screw 34, the sleeve 44 may move along the longitudinal axis of the screw to extend or retract the second end 20B of the beam 20.

FIG. 2 also snows a side view of the second arm 5 where the two beams 16 and 18 are pivotably coupled to each other at the pivot axis 31, The second or distal end 16B of the beam 16 is pivotably coupled the second mounting surface 4 at a pivot point 66. The length of the two beams 16 and 18 may be substantially the same. The motor 26 may pivot the beam 18 about the hinge 32 to cause the beam 18 pivot to cause the pivot axis 31 to move along a predetermined arcing motion 68, which in turn causes the pivot point 66 to move along an arcing motion 70. This allows the monitor 4 to tilt about the pivot point 58. Accordingly, as the beam 18 is rotated in a clockwise direction, the pivot point 66 extends from the first mounting surface 2; and conversely, as the beam 18 is rotated in a counter clockwise direction, the pivot point 66 retracts toward the first mounting surface 2.

FIG. 2 shows that when a viewer activates the tilt up button 23 of the remote control 15, the processor 17 may control the motors 24, 26, and 28 so that the seconds ends 12B and 20B extend further from the first mounting surface 2 than the second end 16B, thereby tilting the monitor 4 upwards. FIG. 3 shows that when a viewer activates the tilt down button 25, the processor 17 may control the motors 24, 26, and 28 so that the second end 16B extend further from the first mounting surface 2 than the second ends 12B and 20B, thereby tilting the monitor 4 downwards. FIG. 4 shows that when a viewer activates the swivel right button 29, the processor 17 may control the motors 24, 26, and 28 so that the first arm 3 extends further along the Z-axis than the third arm 7, thereby swiveling the monitor 4 in a counter-clockwise direction along the XZ plane. Conversely, FIG. 5 shows that when a viewer activates the swivel left button 27, the processor 17 may control the motors 24, 26, and 28 so that the third arm 7 extends further along the Z-axis than the arm 3, thereby swiveling the monitor 4 in a clockwise direction along the XZ plane. With the remote control 15, the monitor may be extended or retracted from a wall by extending or retracting the second ends 12B, 16B, and 20B at a same rate.

FIG. 4 shows that the hinge 32 may be substantially prevented from pivoting along the XZ plane but allowed to pivot about the X-axis. As the second arm 5 extends and retracts, the hinge 32 maintains the second arm 5 substantially perpendicular with the first mounting surface 2. The first and third arms 3 and 7 may, however, rotate about their respective screws 30 and 34 as the mounting system 10 swivels the monitor 4 from clockwise to counter-clockwise directions. FIGS. 4 and 5 also show the first mounting surface may be adapted to attach to wooden studs 72 within a wall to mount the mounting system 10 against the wall.

FIG. 6 shows a rotatable joint 74 that may be used to pivot the second ends 12B, 16B, and 20B at locations 9, 13, and 11, respectively, along the second mounting surface 4. The rotatable joint 74 includes a socket 76 adapted to house a round head 78. The round head 78 may also have a threaded portion 80 that attaches to the second end of the beams. FIG. 7 shows that the socket 76 may have a circular cavity 82 that allows the round head 78 to rotate therein. The socket 76 may have threaded openings 84 adapted to receive bolts to attach the rotatable joint 74 to the second mounting surface 4. The socket 76 may also have a cut out area 86 to allow the threaded portion to move around the cut out area 86.

While various embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of this invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A mounting system capable of adjusting a viewing angle of a monitor relative to a mounting surface, the mounting system including: a first arm having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end of the first arm mechanically coupled to a first motor such that actuation of the first motor causes the distal end of the first arm to extend or retract from the mounting surface, the distal end of the first arm adapted to pivotably couple to the monitor; a second arm having a proximal end and a distal end, and a pivot point at a midpoint of the second arm, the proximal end of the second arm coupled to a second motor such that actuation of the second motor causes the distal end to extend or retract from the mounting surface in an arc movement; a third arm having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end of the third arm mechanically coupled to a third motor such that actuation of the third motor causes the distal end of the third arm to extend or retract from the mounting surface; and a processor capable of controlling the first, second, and third motors based on an input signal from a viewer to extend or retract the first, second, and third arms, respectively, to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor.

2. The mounting system according to claim 1, including a remote control to provide the input signal to the processor.

3. The mounting system according to claim 1, where the distal ends of the first arm, the second arm, and the third arm are adapted to couple to a backs side of the monitor in a triangular relationship relative to each other.

4. The mounting system according to claim 3, where the distal end of the second arm is between the distal ends of the first and third arms.

5. The mounting system according to claim 1, where the first arm includes a first beam and a second beam, a distal end of the second beam pivotably coupled to a midpoint of the first beam, a proximal end of the second beam capable of rotating about a longitudinal axis, a proximal end of the first beam adapted to move along the longitudinal axis such that moving the proximal end of the first beam causes the distal end of the first beam to extend or retract relative to the longitudinal axis, where the proximal end of the first beam represents the proximal end of the first arm and the distal end of the first beam represents the distal end of the first arm.

6. The mounting system according to claim 5, where the length of the first beam is twice the length of the second beam so that the distal end of the first beam extends or retracts in a substantially perpendicular manner relative to the longitudinal axis.

7. The mounting system according to claim 5, where the first motor is located between the proximal end of the first beam and the proximal end of the second beam and substantially along the longitudinal axis.

8. The mounting system according to claim 5, where the proximal end of the first beam is pivotably coupled to a sleeve adapted to receive a screw that is mechanically coupled to the first motor, where actuation of the first motor causes the screw to rotate to move the sleeve along the screw, and the screw is along the longitudinal axis.

9. The mounting system according to claim 1, including a rotatable joint at each of the distal ends of the first, second, and third arms, respectively, to pivot each of the distal ends relative to the monitor.

10. A mounting system capable of adjusting a viewing angle of a monitor, the mounting system comprising: a plurality of motorized arms adapted to couple to a monitor; means for extending or retracting the plurality of motorized arms, where at least one of the plurality of motorized arms extend or retract in an arcing manner; and a processor adapted to control the plurality of motorized arms to extend or retract the plurality of motorized arms independently relative to each other to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor based on an input signal from a viewer.

11. The mounting system according to claim 10, including a remote control to provide the input signal to the processor.

12. A method of adjusting a viewing angle of a monitor, the method comprising: receiving an input signal from a viewer to move a monitor to a desired viewing angle; and extending or retracting each of a plurality of motorized arms independently relative to a mounting surface to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor based on the input signal, where at least one of the plurality of arms extend or retract in an arcing manner relative to the mounting surface.

13. The method according to claim 12, including: extending the monitor from the mounting surface from the retracted position before swiveling the monitor.

14. The method according to claim 12, including: extending the monitor substantially along a horizontal plane.