CN111986569A

CN111986569A - Multi-state image display

Info

Publication number: CN111986569A
Application number: CN202010434688.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 罗志光
Original assignee: Radius Digital Display Co
Current assignee: Radius Digital Display Co
Priority date: 2019-05-22
Filing date: 2020-05-21
Publication date: 2020-11-24
Anticipated expiration: 2040-05-21
Also published as: CN111986569B

Abstract

A multi-state image display has a wall member with an array of mounts and a plurality of cantilevered supports in a corresponding array. Each cantilevered support is mounted on the wall member and engages a corresponding one of the mounts. The multi-state image display further includes surface contour elements, each supported for movement along a corresponding cantilevered support. A lighting device is arranged on each surface topography element. The multi-state image display further includes linear actuators, each connected to a corresponding surface contour element, for reciprocating the surface contour element along a corresponding cantilevered support. Each cantilevered support includes an elongated channel member having a proximal end secured to the wall member. The channel member has a channel shape with an opening. The opening faces downward and receives a linear actuator. The illumination of the illumination device and the movement of the linear actuator are controlled by a control system for displaying the multi-state image.

Description

Multi-state image display

Technical Field

The present invention relates to multi-state image displays, i.e. displays having an image bearing display surface that can take on various forms.

Background

The multi-state image display has a matrix of computer adjustable surface contour elements that together form a physical display surface capable of assuming a variety of temporary and/or permanent topographical shapes. They may be used to represent three-dimensional information or to enhance images formed on display surfaces having rich textures and configurations.

WO2014144956a2 describes a multi-state image display for advertising comprising an upstanding matrix of substantially linearly and horizontally reciprocating surface contour elements supported in a cantilevered fashion. It will be appreciated that in such displays a high degree of accuracy and reliability is required. Large gaps between surface contour elements can reduce the visual impact of the display, but the close spacing required requires precise alignment and control of travel and deflection. Although it is a large component of the reciprocating element, significant detrimental effects can occur if one of the elements fails to move upon command. The difficulty in achieving the necessary reliability is increased by the fact that such displays are installed outdoors and are therefore constantly exposed to various factors. It is an object of the present invention to address the above-mentioned needs or, more generally, to provide an improved multi-state image display.

Disclosure of Invention

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multi-state image display including:

a wall member having an array of fasteners;

a plurality of cantilevered supports in a corresponding array, each cantilevered support mounted to the wall member and engaged with a corresponding one of the mounts;

a plurality of surface contour elements, each surface contour element supported for movement along a corresponding one of the cantilevered supports;

an illumination device disposed on each surface contour element;

a plurality of linear actuators, each linear actuator connected to a corresponding surface contour element to reciprocate the surface contour element along a corresponding one of the cantilevered supports;

wherein the illumination of the illumination device and the movement of the linear actuator are controlled by a control system; and is

Wherein each cantilevered support includes an elongated channel member secured at a proximal end thereof to the wall member, the channel member having a channel shape with an opening facing downward and the linear actuator being received in the opening.

Preferably, the wall member comprises a wall plate and the array of fasteners is integral with one side of the wall plate, each fastener having an alignment face adapted to abut a corresponding one of the cantilevered supports to thereby accurately position each cantilevered support in the plane of the wall plate.

Preferably, the array of fasteners is rectangular and the alignment face is formed on one of a linear rib and a groove located in the wall plate, wherein the one of the linear rib and the groove comprises a first rib or groove and a second rib or groove orthogonal to each other.

Preferably, each cantilevered support further comprises a locating plate having opposing inner and outer sides connected to the proximal end and the opposing inner and outer sides of the wall plate, respectively, wherein the outer side comprises a linear groove or rib complementary to the linear rib or groove located in the wall plate, wherein the linear rib or groove of the outer side comprises at least one first rib or groove and at least one second rib or groove that are substantially orthogonal to each other.

Preferably, the inner side of the locating plate further comprises lugs, each lug having a surface for abutting the channel member, wherein a fastener passes through the lug to connect the locating plate to the channel member. Preferably, the lugs comprise a pair of opposed flange abutment lugs for abutting the flange and a web abutment lug for abutting the web.

Preferably said channel member has an upstanding central plane of symmetry with flanges connected by transverse webs on opposite sides of the central plane of symmetry, said opening extending between said flanges. Optionally, the channel member may further comprise one or more integral internal walls cooperating with the web to form one or more hollow portions at the web side of the channel member.

Preferably, the channel member has a substantially constant cross-section throughout its length.

Preferably each cantilevered support further comprises a track fixed to the channel member and a carriage supported on the track, and the surface contour element is supported by the carriage during its reciprocating movement.

Preferably, the rail is fixed inside the opening, and the driving portion of the linear actuator is disposed outside the opening.

Preferably, the lighting device comprises a rectangular lighting device panel and the surface topographical elements comprise a rectangular prismatic frame, the rectangular lighting device panel being mounted on one side of the rectangular prismatic frame.

Preferably, in the retracted state of the surface contour elements, the distal end of each cantilevered support is received in the rectangular prism frame.

The present invention provides a multi-state image display that is effective and efficient in delivering multi-state visual effects. The multi-state image display is less prone to malfunction and damage and is therefore more reliable, since the cantilever support effectively protects the linear actuator from above, thereby reducing exposure of the linear actuator to the environment (e.g., in outdoor applications, rain, snow, etc.). Costs and time associated with maintenance and service may be reduced. The down time required for maintenance and repair can also be reduced.

Drawings

Preferred forms of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 is a schematic front view of a multi-state image display according to the present invention;

fig. 2 is a front perspective view of a sub-assembly of the multi-state image display of fig. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a module of the subassembly of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the module of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a channel member of the module of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a positioning plate of the module of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of a wall panel of the module of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a high level schematic diagram of a control system for the multi-state image display of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a portion of the control system of FIG. 8 for controlling a linear actuator.

Detailed Description

Referring to figures 1 and 2, the multi-state image display 10 of the present invention has an upright structure comprising an array of surface contour elements 11, which may be in the form of rectangular prisms, each of which is independently movable between a retracted position and an extended position to allow the display surface to be arranged in a variety of forms, such as the wave structure of figure 1. The outer end of each surface contour element 11 carries an illumination panel 12, in particular an LED panel, and may provide the color pixels of the display 10, which are controlled to produce static and dynamic images in a known manner, which are enhanced by the multi-state effect, which is a static and dynamic texture and contour, which is the result of the surface contour elements 11 being extended and retracted.

Display 10 is assembled from an array of subassemblies 16, each subassembly 16 in turn comprising an array of modules 19. The sub-assemblies 16 may be a 5 x 5 array of modules 19 (only two of which are shown in fig. 2). Structural support for the display 10 may be provided by an upright structure 13 which may include an upright rectangular wall frame 15 to one side of which is secured a rectangular wall panel 14 of a sub-assembly 16. Wall plate 14 may be a unitary metal plate that mounts a 5 x 5 array of modules 19. Wall panels 14 serve as a base for each module 19 and wall panels 14 may be in edge abutment with one another when aligned across upright structure 13. The outer side of the wall plate 14 includes fasteners 17 arranged in a 5 x 5 array and will be described in more detail below with reference to figure 7, wherein each fastener 17 is used to locate one module 19, in each module 19 one surface contour element 11 is mounted for movement along a respective cantilevered support 18.

Referring to fig. 2 to 7, each surface contour element 11 is connected to a respective linear actuator 20 supported by the cantilevered support 18 for longitudinal reciprocation between a retracted position and an extended position (in fig. 2, one module 19 is shown in the retracted position and the other module is shown in the extended position). Similar to the display panel 12, the linear actuators 20 may be electrically powered and all connected to a computer control system, such as through power and data cables (not shown in fig. 3 and 4). The control system controls the movement of all linear actuators 20 and the content displayed by the display panel 12 so that they are synchronized.

The cantilevered support 18 includes a positioning plate 21 with an inner side 22 of the positioning plate 21 secured near a proximal end 23 of an elongated channel member 24. The channel member 24 has a substantially constant cross-section throughout its length, such as by extrusion. The two

flanges

25, 26 of the channel member 24 are connected by a transverse web 27, and an opening 28 of the channel member 24 extends between the

flanges

25, 26 and downwardly. The channel member 24 has an upright central plane of symmetry with the

flanges

25, 26 being located on opposite sides of the central plane of symmetry. The linear actuator 20 is housed in the opening 28 to be protected from the ingress of rain and water, while still being accessible from below for inspection and maintenance. The channel member 24 may also include an integral inner wall 29, the inner wall 29 cooperating with the web 27 to form two longitudinal

hollow portions

30, 31 on the web side of the channel member 24 and including a face 32 parallel to the web 27.

The opposite outer side 23 of the locating plate 21 may have a planar transverse face 35 from which

ribs

36, 37, 38 project, sized and arranged to engage with recesses in the respective fixing 17 of the wall plate 14. The

ribs

36 and 37 may be parallel and intersect with the rib 38 orthogonal thereto, forming two

cross-shaped projections

39, 40. The

ribs

36, 37, 38 may be similarly shaped, each having opposed faces 41, 42, 43 that taper away from each other from the transverse face 35 to a coplanar face 43.

The inner side 22 of the positioning plate 21 also includes lugs 44-47 each having a surface for abutting the channel member 24, wherein fasteners (not shown) connect the positioning plate 21 to the channel member 24 through the lugs 44-47. The lugs 44-47 may include a pair of opposed flange abutment lugs 44, 45 for abutting the

flanges

25, 26 and web abutment lugs 46, 47 for abutting the web 27.

The linear actuator 20 may be of the well-known helical type and includes an elongated track 49 axially aligned with and parallel to an elongated lead screw 50. The carriage 57 for carrying the surface-texturing member 11 is driven by a lead screw 50 which is mounted for sliding movement along the track 49 by linear bearings (not shown). An internally threaded screw (not shown) on the bracket 57 engages the lead screw 50. The linear actuator 20 may include mounting

brackets

51, 52 secured adjacent each end of the track 49, which are disposed against the face 32 and are thus secured by fasteners (not shown) in the openings 28, as the rotary drive 72 extends through the cavity 30. The linear actuator 20 may be powered by a rotary drive 72 that provides torque to the lead screw 50 and is mounted at one longitudinal end of the linear actuator 20. The recess 48 may be disposed in the positioning plate 21 generally in alignment with the opening 28, allowing the rotary drive 72 to extend therethrough.

An elongated tray 53 may be externally secured to one of the

flanges

25, 26 of the channel member 24 to carry one end of a drag chain 54 that supports a power cable (not shown) for the display 22 during extension and retraction movements. A bracket 55 connects the other end of the drag chain 54 to the surface contour element 11.

The surface contour element 11 may include a T-shaped connector 56 secured at one end to a bracket 57 and extending transversely to connect between

side plate assemblies

58, 59 forming opposite sides of the frame of the surface contour element 11. The upper side of the surface-texturing member 11 is closed by a top plate 60 opposite a bottom plate 61, while a panel mounting plate 62 located in front of the surface-texturing member 11 provides support for the lighting panel 12.

The wall plate 14 may include a 5 x 5 rectangular array of fixing elements 17 disposed on one side of the wall plate 14, each fixing element including a planar outer surface 63 formed by a

recess

64, 65, 66, the

recesses

64, 65, 66 being complementary to the

ribs

52, 53, 54 in the locating plate 21.

Grooves

64 and 65 may be parallel and intersect with groove 66 orthogonal thereto, forming two

cross-shaped grooves

67, 68. The

grooves

64, 65, 66 may have a similar shape, each groove having opposing faces 69, 70 that taper toward each other from the planar outer surface 63 toward a coplanar face 71. The

parallel grooves

64 and 65 of the fastener 17 in each column of the array may be coaxial and extend from the top to the bottom of the wall plate 14, while the grooves 66 of the fastener 17 in each row of the array may be coaxial and extend between opposite sides of the wall plate 14, enabling them to be accurately and economically formed, such as by CNC milling. The mutual abutment between the orthogonal tapered alignment faces 69, 70 accurately positions each locating plate 21, and therefore each connected cantilevered support 18, in the plane of wall plate 14.

Fig. 8 and 9 schematically illustrate a network automation system of the multi-state image display 10 of fig. 1 and 2. The system includes a host server 73, the host server 73 using separate video and motion control files to control the images displayed by the display panel 12 and the movement for the linear actuator 20. The main server 73 communicates with a plurality of industrial controllers 75 via the router 74, the industrial controllers 75 may be CANopen devices, each industrial controller 75 is connected for controlling a set of linear actuators 76, 77, and the LED display controller 78 controls all the display panels 12. It will be appreciated that such an automated system can easily scale to different items depending on the size of the multi-state image display 10.

The control of the displayed image and the movement of the linear actuator is based on separate video and motion files that are pre-processed and pre-synchronized. When the operation starts, the video and motion files are played or applied independently and simultaneously to affect the displayed image and the position of the display panel. The video and motion files have the same run time and can be cycled through to create a continuously operating polymorphic image display. In this case, the computer system 73 may periodically synchronize the start times of the two files (once every 5 cycles) to avoid accumulating any small lag or lead in timing coordination between the displayed image and the motion of the display panel.

Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A multi-state image display comprising:

a wall member having an array of fasteners;

an illumination device disposed on each surface contour element;

wherein the illumination of the illumination device and the movement of the linear actuator are controlled by a control system, and

2. A multi-state image display according to claim 1, wherein said wall member comprises a wall panel, said array of securing members being integral with one side of said wall panel, each securing member having an alignment face adapted to abut a corresponding one of said cantilevered supports to thereby precisely position each cantilevered support in the plane of said wall panel.

3. The multi-state image display of claim 1 or 2, wherein said array of fasteners is rectangular and said alignment face is formed on one of a linear rib and a groove located in said wall panel, wherein said one of said linear rib and groove comprises a first rib or groove and a second rib or groove that are orthogonal to each other.

4. A multi-state image display according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each cantilevered support further comprises a positioning plate having opposing inner and outer sides connected to the proximal end and the wall plate, respectively, wherein the outer side comprises linear ribs or grooves complementary to the linear ribs or grooves in the wall plate, wherein the linear ribs or grooves of the outer side comprise at least one first rib or groove and at least one second rib or groove that are substantially orthogonal to each other.

5. The multi-state image display of claim 4, wherein said inner side of said positioning plate further comprises lugs, each lug having a surface for abutting said channel member, wherein a fastener passes through said lugs to connect said positioning plate to said channel member.

6. The multi-state image display of claim 4, wherein said ledge comprises a pair of opposed flange abutment ledges for abutting said flange and a web abutment ledge for abutting said web.

7. A multi-state image display according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the channel member has an upstanding central plane of symmetry with flanges connected by transverse webs on opposite sides of the central plane of symmetry, the opening extending between the flanges.

8. The multi-state image display of claim 7, wherein said channel member further comprises one or more integral interior walls that cooperate with said web to form one or more hollowed portions at said web side of said channel member.

9. The multi-state image display of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein said channel member has a substantially constant cross-section throughout its length.

10. A multi-state image display according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein each cantilevered support further comprises a rail fixed to the channel member and a bracket supported on the rail, and the surface contour element is supported by the bracket during its reciprocating motion.

11. The multi-state image display of claim 10, wherein said rail is fixed inside said opening and a driving portion of said linear actuator is disposed outside said opening.

12. A multi-state image display according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the lighting device comprises a rectangular lighting device panel and the surface topography element comprises a rectangular prism frame, the rectangular lighting device panel being mounted on one side of the rectangular prism frame.

13. A multi-state image display according to claim 12, wherein in the retracted state of the surface contour element, a distal end of each cantilevered support is received in the rectangular prism frame.

14. The multi-state image display of any one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising said control system.