Head positioning unit, especially for a flat object

The subject of the invention is head positioning unit, especially for a flat object fastened to generally vertical back wall. The unit is designed especially for remote directioning of flat, big surface TV screens, liquid crystal displays (LCD) and plasma screens.

There are known solutions of manual and motor positioning units of an object's head realizing the work of tilting the head towards horizontal axis and rotation towards vertical axis.

From WO 2004/063619 there is known the device for fastening flat displaying screens such as computer monitors or television screens allowing screen rotation around a virtual axis that comes through the screen's centre of gravity. The device includes a head fixed to the back surface of a screen and a support directly or indirectly fixed to the fastening surface. Support and head are slidingly connected by means of an arched element that includes a virtual rotation axis in its centre. The screen can be tilted around the rotation axis, parallel to the frontal surface of a screen in the angular scope defined by an arch. The rotation axis comes through the screen's centre of gravity and by this its weight stays in balance with one of angular positions. Thus any locking or fastening elements are not needed to keep the screen at tilted position.

From WO 2006/044969 there is known the device for fastening displaying screens that includes in the supporting board two relevantly shaped surfaces, in general curvilinear, exemplary in shape of guiding gaps or grooves, receiving and cooperating with two fastening elements fixed to the back surface of a screen. Mentioned fastening elements move slidingly with the screen through relevant curvilinear surfaces, which dimensions and shape cause that the reaction forces between the fastening elements and supporting board balance the moment made by the screen's centre of gravity and immobilize the screen at set angular position towards the supporting surface.

From JP 20002509085 there is known solution where the liquid crystal display screen is settled in housing that includes arched guide slidingly cooperated with another guide fixed rigidly in the base. The screen's guide has arched shape and internal toothing cooperating with a toothed wheel settled in the base. During the manual shifting of the screen, the toothed wheel trundles through the internal toothed bar of the screen's housing guide, which slides in the base's guide. Therefore, between two elements of shifting system the sliding connection occurs. After removing user's hand force, the coupling of the toothed wheel and the toothed bar cause sliding stoppage and lock the screen in a desired position. Centre of gravity of the whole housing of the screen is lowered, which cause stability of the whole system.

The object of the invention is providing gentle and easy, non-sliding shifting of the television or computer screen settled in the head, without necessity of additional manual or mechanical locking it at new position, with possibility of introduction simultaneous rotational movement around the vertical axis.

Accordingly to the invention, object's head shifting unit, especially for flat TV screen, also includes tilted object head that includes the fastening surface where the shifted object is fastened to, equipped with two parallel brackets situated perpendicularly towards fastening surface, a vertical column that includes a clamp equipped with rotational clamping ring that cooperates with the object's fastening surface brackets and coupling elements that couple the head with the clamping ring by means of the brackets allowing for rotation of an object settled in the head through the arched path around the virtual axis which comes through the centre of gravity of an object.

The essence of the solution accordingly to the invention is based on that, the head includes virtual rotation axis setting system, the coupling elements system has two supporting points and coupling elements consist of at least one toothed wheel and at least one pair of guide rolls.

The head's brackets, situated perpendicularly towards the fastening surface have shape of arched guides that external section includes a toothed bar on its perimeter part.

The virtual axis setting system consists of sectional guides, which parts are shiftingly settled on the axis with locking possibility in desired position of the object's centre of gravity.

Inside the clamping ring, the toothed wheels are rotationally settled, properly one for each arched guide, cooperating with guides' external toothed bars.

Straight part of the perimeter of the external section of moveable parts of the guides, determines the path for at least one external guide roll, settled rotation- ally in the clamping ring.

Part of the perimeter of the internal section of the guides and moveable parts of the guides, determines the path for oppositely situated internal guide rolls, settled rotationally in the clamping ring. The toothed wheels cooperating with the guides can include locking elements.

Development of the invention is based on that, the head includes motor drive unit, which controlled work executes desired directional settings of the head: its tilting towards the horizontal axis and rotation towards the vertical axis.

In other variant of realization the drive unit consists of one electric motor with gear that drives a screw with a nut, where two connectors are liftingly fixed by one end to the nut, and settled on the joints of the stationary part by the second end, that determines a quadrangle.

The toothed wheels cooperating with the guides include controllable brakes of the tilting lock. In the clamping ring, cooperating with the column, the controllable brake of the rotation lock is situated.

In another variant of realization, the drive unit is determined by one electric motor with gear that drives toothed planetary gear of tilting, in the vertical system,

in the body supported on the vertical rotation axis, bearinged in the base element.

The tilting gear is equipped with controllable tilting brake and controllable rotation brake.

Toothed wheel of the tilting drive is driven from the gear basket by means of two conical wheels.

Rotation drive from the tilting gear is transferred to rotation axis by means of rotation gear.

It is advisable for every variant of realization, that the frictional elements of the toothed wheels and clamping ring brakes are spiral springs with self closing coils, made of rectangular cross-section wire, and tightening on the cylindrical surfaces by circumferential close of the straightened ends.

There is also possible a realization variant in which the drive unit includes two motors - tilting motor and rotation motor.

In all variants of realization, the head has opened construction, made of two guides and two arms of the clamping ring.

In the motor drive variant of realization, the head has opened construction made of two guides and two arms of the clamping ring between which there are fixed as following from the top: motor, tilting gear and rotation gear, whereas the shaft of rotation gear is leaded out from the body and fixed to the base element below.

The head may be mounted in vertical or horizontal position.

Application of the guides with external toothing cooperating with the toothed wheels in the manual drive variant of realization of the solution accordingly to the invention, prevents protruding of slidingly shift by using flat section of arch, as a path for head's movement. Controlled non-sliding connection ensures stability of the system after head dislocation into desired position. Application of

the sectional guides enable determination of the virtual rotation axis, profitably agreeing with the centre of gravity of the object fastened in the head.

However, if the motor drive is used there is possible usage of modular construction of unit for setting together all variants of drive. Utilization of one motor for realization of tilting and rotation of the head is additional advantage of this solution.

The invention is explained by embodiments' description, with manual and motor drive of object's positioning unit, that the object consists of flat liquid crystal display (LCD) or plasma television screen.

The positioning unit is presented at drawing, where following figures represent: fig. 1 - kinematical scheme of the positioning unit with manual drive, fig. 2 - vertical cross - section of the manual drive unit, fig. 3 - manual drive unit at side view, fig. 4 - manual drive unit at perspective view, fig. 5 - kinematical scheme of the positioning unit with motor drive with connectors, fig. 6 - kinematical scheme of the rotational movement of the motor drive unit with connectors, fig. 7 - unit at the vertical cross - section accordingly to the fig. 5 and 6, fig. 8 - unit at the side view, accordingly to the fig. 5 and 6, fig. 9 - motor drive of the unit accordingly to the fig. 5 and 6 at the perspective view, fig. 10 - unit at the perspective view accordingly to the fig. 5 and 6, fig. 11 - kinematical scheme of the positioning unit with motor drive with planetary gear, fig. 12 - unit at the vertical cross section accordingly to the fig. 11 , fig. 13 - unit at the side view accordingly to the fig. 11 , fig. 14 - unit at the perspective view accordingly to the fig. 11 , fig. 15 - kinematical scheme of the positioning unit with motor drive with two independent motors.

The head includes the fastening surface 1 , where the shifted object O is fastened to. The fastening surface 1 has two parallel brackets in shape of arched guides 2, situated perpendicularly to the fastening surface 1. Part of the external section of the guides 2 has circumferential toothed bar 3. The head includes the vertical column with the clamp 4 equipped with the clamping ring 5 cooperating with arched guides 2.

The head includes the virtual axis setting system. The virtual axis setting system consists of two sectional guides, which parts 2' are shiftingly settled on the axis with locking possibility at set object's centre of gravity exemplary by means of the screw situated inside the holes of the moveable guides' arms 2'. In the clamping ring there are rotationally fixed two toothed wheels 6 cooperating with toothed bars 3 of the guides 2.

Straight part of the perimeter of the external section of sectional guides 2' determines the path for external guide rolls 7, settled rotationally in the clamping ring 5.

Part of the perimeter of the internal section of the guides 2 and sectional guides 2' determines the path for oppositely situated internal guide rolls 8, settled rotationally in the clamping ring 5.

After fastening of the object O in the head the virtual rotation axis should be set, agreeing with the object's centre of gravity. That follows through releasing the lock of the moveable parts of the guides 2' and by leaving the head in abounded position. Under the influence of the object's weight, the system will set in the desire position, after which the moveable parts of guides 2' should be locked.

In the motor drive version, presented at fig. 1 to fig. 4, shifting of head along with the object O follows after pushing it by user's hand which cause shifting of the toothed bar 3 through the toothed wheel 6 with simultaneous tilting of the

object O. Due to applying the toothed bar 3 and the toothed wheel 6, system stabilizes after detaching applied force.

The toothed wheel 6 can be additionally locked after reaching desired position of the head.

In motor drive realization variant, presented at the fig. 5 to fig. 10, between the guides 2 there is settled drive system consisting of the electric motor 9 with the gear that drives the screw 10 with the nut 11. Two connectors 12 are liftingly fixed by one end to the nut 11 , and settled on the joints 13 of the stationary part by the second end. The connectors 12 determine in parallel a quadrangle which cause taking away one degree of freedom from the nut 11 , which cannot turn around.

The toothed wheel 6 cooperating with the toothed bar 3 of the head's guide 2 includes controllable brake H1 of the tilting lock. In the clamping ring 5 cooperating with the column, the controllable brake H2 of the rotation lock is situated.

Head's tilting follows after locking of the brake H2. Drive from the motor 9 is transferred trough the gear to the screw 10 and the nut 11. The nut 11 , immobilized by the connectors 12 cause movement of the guides 2 through the toothed wheel 6 which cause tilting of the head with the screen O.

Rotation of the heads occurs after unlocking the brake H2 and locking the brake H1 that means after the guides 2 are immobilized. The quadrangle of the connectors 12 with immobilized nut 11 under the influence of rotational movement of the motor 9, forces the rotational movement in the crankshaft assembly.

In another variant of realization with the motor drive, presented at the fig. 11 to fig. 12 the drive unit consists of one electric motor 9 that drives two connected toothed gears - tilting gear 15 and rotation gear 19.

The electric motor 9 with the gear 14 drives planetary tilting gear 15 in the vertical system, in the body supported on the vertical rotation axis 16 that is bear- inged in the base element 17.

The tilting gear 15 is equipped with the controllable tilting brake H3 and the controllable rotation brake H4.

Toothed wheel 6 of the tilting drive is driven from the tilting gear 15 basket by means of two conical wheels 18.

Rotation drive from the tilting gear 15 is transferred to the rotation axis 16 by means of the rotation gear 19.

Tilting of the head follows after the rotation brake H4 is locked. The drive from the motor 9 is transferred from the basket of the planetary tilting gear 15 through the conical wheels 18 to the toothed wheel 6. The dislocation of the guides 2 through the toothed wheel 6 follows that cause head tilting along with the screen O.

Rotation of the head follows after the rotation brake H4 is unlocked and the tilting brake H3 is locked. The drive from the motor 9 is transferred through the tilting gear 15 to the rotation gear 19 and than to the axis 16, which cause rotation of the head.

In the brakes H1 , H2, H3, H4 of the toothed wheels 6 and planetary gear 15, 19 the frictional elements are spiral springs with self closing coils, made of rectangular cross-section wire, and tightening on the cylindrical surfaces by circumferential close of the straightened ends.

The shifting unit has opened construction, made of two guides 2 and two arms of the clamping ring 5. In the motor drive variant of realization, between mentioned elements there are fixed as following from the top: motor 9, tilting gear 15 and rotation gear 19, whereas the shaft of rotation gear is leaded out from the body and fixed to the base element 17 below.

In further realization variant of the invention, the head can include two independent motors - the rotation motor 91 and the tilting motor 92.

The head is mounted in vertical or horizontal position.

List of elements

1 - fastening surface

2 - guides

2' - moveable parts of guides

3 - toothed bars

4 - clamp

5 - camping ring

6 - toothed wheels

7 - external guide rolls

8 - internal guide rolls

9 - electric motor

10 - screw

11 - nut

12 - connectors 13 - joints

14 - motor gear 15 - tilting gear

16 - axis

17 - base element 18 - conical wheels 19 - rotation gear

91 - motor

92 - motor