US 7091961 B2
A relatively small transportable desktop computer/workstation with a display panel assembly (2) in combination with a microprocessor or controller (44) is made display screen position adjustable, in inclination angle, azimuth angle and elevation translation movements. The workstation can have a pen or stylus touch screen input function (36) added, so that a user or operator can write, draw and sketch directly onto the screen in a natural manner. The workstation can be placed on top of a desk or table providing an ergonomic man-machine interface for information communications between individual users via a communications network. A keyboard (7, 42), voice/speaker telephone (48), mouse or trackball input unit (46), and communications modem (42) may be added to the workstation. The flat panel display, pen input device and microprocessor can be combined into an assembly, which can be removed from the main body for portable mobile computing operation.
1. A flat panel computer monitor, comprising:
a flat panel display assembly comprising an LCD display screen, and associated microprocessor and support electronics for the LCD display screen;
a base that does not house the associated microprocessor and support electronics for the LCD screen;
a support arm connected to the flat panel display by a first hinge, the flat panel display being attached to a top end of the support arm to pivot about a first horizontal axis and being held in place by a frictional force in the first hinge, the flat panel display being rotatable about a roll angle “R”, the flat panel display is rotated between a portrait orientation and a landscape orientation, the support arm being attached to the base on a bottom end of the support arm by a second hinge to pivot about a second horizontal axis and being held in place by a frictional force in the second hinge, the support arm being selectively positioned in a fixed angular orientation relative to the second horizontal axis and the LCD screen being selectively positioned at a fixed angular orientation relative to the first horizontal axis to adjust the orientation of the LCD screen in both inclination angle “I” and elevation “B” relative to the base.
2. The support stand of
The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/510,955, filed 22 Feb. 2000 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,326,955, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/937,258 filed Sep. 13, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,064,373, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/288,882 filed Aug. 10, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,668,570, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/084, 811, filed 29 Jun. 1993, now abandoned. Each of the related applications is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to desktop or portable computers with flat panel displays. In particular it relates to personal computers that will lie on a desk or table, which a human operator will use to: (1) enter keyboard data, pen or voice data/information; (2) view displayed information and/or (3) hear audio/voice information.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, portable computers with flat panel displays were embodied in a “clamshell” type design. When these prior art computers are ready for use, the display panel is unfolded to a roughly vertical orientation. The attached keyboard and computer enclosure form the bottom half of the clamshell. For portable transport, the flat panel display is folded down over the keyboard and computer enclosure. This prior art configuration has several shortcomings. First, since the unit sits on a desk or table, the screen is always at a lower elevation than the eye level of the person sitting and operating the computer. Thus the person must continually look down to the display. Over long periods of time, this will cause neck and back strain on the user. Secondly, if a pen/stylus input means is added to the display screen, the roughly vertical operating orientation is inconvenient and ergonomically incorrect when the user is handwriting or sketching. If the user tries to hold his/her arm up to write on a vertical screen, the users arm will tire. Over long periods of writing on a vertical screen, this awkward position will cause strain on one's wrist. Even if the user is willing to hold his/her hand up to write on the vertical screen, it may not be physically secure for the user's hand pressure. Thirdly, the prior art clamshell design does not provide elevation adjustment or azimuth angle adjustment means. This restricts the ergonomic usability of the prior art computer and display units.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,092 of Makita discloses a portable typewriter and display unit. However, a single pair of pivoting arms connect the display unit to the main body. When its display unit is raised to its highest elevation, the distance from the user's eyes to the display screen is large. Therefore, middle aged users who are near sighted, will have difficulty in viewing the screen. No pen/stylus input mean is disclosed, but even if one is added, the display unit would not provide a physically secure writing surface. The Makita does not provide a means of placing equal and opposite restraining force onto the display unit. U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,434 of Lake discloses a tiltable display terminal, but no display unit elevation adjustment is taught. Again no pen input means is disclosed, and if one is added, the unit would not be physically stable for normal hand/arm forces applied by the user. U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,374 of Hongoh teaches a laptop portable computer with a facsimile function. Hongoh discloses a touch panel screen, but no pen input means, and no vertical elevation adjustment of its display unit is taught. In order to provide a horizontal display orientation, the display unit must be detached from the main body and set back, in reverse orientation, to the connector sockets on the main body, which is a severe disadvantage.
Several prior art pen computer units exit. However, their display screens are fixed to their enclosure to form a flat tablet. They are designed for the mobile user market. This limits their use for desktop pen/stylus computing environments. No prior art has solved the problem of a personal computer for the office environment, capable of standard computing, pen computing, and voice telephone communications.
The invention disclosed herein solves the above problems by providing an ergonomic designed desktop system that is capable of several important computer and communications functions. It provides a display panel assembly, pen/stylus input unit, multiple support arms, and a main unit in a roughly wedge shape. The display panel assembly can be adjusted in inclination angle, azimuth angle and elevation. Thus invention overcomes the problems of the prior art. For example, the display panel of the invention can be easily adjusted by hand in elevation to a height roughly of the user's eye level. The user does not have to look down to see the screen when in normal PC-keyboard operation. If the unit is used as a pen/stylus computer, the display panel can be folded by hand to a physically secure position, at an inclination angle that is ergonomically correct for handwriting and sketching. Finally, the display screen can be physically adjusted in many orientation combinations, including azimuth angles, inclination angles and elevation translations. Thus the invention can be used in a wide range on office desktop positions and by a wide range of users and orientations.
The disclosed invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art by providing display screen adjusting means for desktop computers and terminals, such that the entire apparatus is sufficiently small to be portable or transportable. The invention disclosed herein provides an easy to use desktop workstation, to which the human user can adjust its screen for many screen positions. In addition, the workstation can fold down for transport. The workstation may also include external communication means such as voice/data modem and/or telephone means.
Accordingly an object of the invention is to provide small compact workstation for the office, having an array of useful functions and capabilities at the finger tips of the human user sitting at his/her desk. Functions may include pen/stylus input means, computer means, display device(s), mass memory devices, keyboard, mouse, speaker phone, network interface and modem.
Another object of the invention is to give the user a voice and data communications capability at the desktop, capable of standard text/graphics computing, as well as voice/video/pen communication to others individuals or computers, via modem or network (LAN/WAN) interfaces.
Still another object of invention is to provide the user with an ergonomic workstation that can be adjusted to a wide range of positions and orientations, such that there will be a reduction or elimination of body stress and fatigue by the user, over long periods of use.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a modular desktop workstation such that the user can configure the workstation to how he/she works, or to their choice at a particular time. For example, the user will have the choice of using a detached keyboard, pen/stylus input, mouse, trackball, handset telephone, or speaker telephone, depending on his/her wishes for accomplishing a particular task.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a unit that is small and light enough for the user to easily transport it to other locations. Other objects of the invention will become evident by reading the following invention descriptions and inspection of the accompanying drawings.
The invention can be described with reference to
Typical of these LCD's is the Sharp Electronics Corporation's LM64P90 and LM64K90 monochrome LCD's. They have a 640×480 display pixel format, a viewing area of 196×148 mm, a dot pitch of 0.30×0.03 mm, and cold cathode fluorescent backlight. The former has 150 ms rise plus fall response time, a transmissive viewing mode, 50 Nits brightness, and 13:1 contrast ratio. The latter has a 250 ms rise plus fall response time, a transflective viewing mode, 35 Nits brightness, and 10:1 contrast ratio. For many applications, color LCD's are required. Sharp Electronics Corp. makes several direct-view color Thin Film Transistor (TFT) LCD modules. Typical specifications for their LQ10DH11 product are a 640 (×3)×480 display pixel format, 211×158 mm viewing area, a 0.33(0.11×3)×0.33 mm dot pitch, a hot cathode fluorescent backlight.
The display panel assembly 2 is free to rotate through large inclination angles (at least 90 degrees), represented by rotation A, about the hinge axis of hinge 14. Support arms 12 and 8 in turn connect the display panel to the workstation a main unit 6. The main unit may include an enclosure or housing for control electronics including a digital computer, microprocessor or other control. The display panel assembly 2 may be electrically connected to electronics located in the main unit 6, via an electrical cable routed inside the support structure 4 and support arms 12 and 8, or via a cable routed externally to the main unit. The size of main unit 6 should be small, so as to not present a large “foot print” on the desk or table. The unit should be easily carried by one person. The invention may powered by light weight batteries or it may be an AC powered workstation.
The support arm 8 is attached to support arm 12 by a hinge 16, such that the latter arm can be rotated though rotation C about the axis of the hinge 16, as shown in
Several methods can be implemented to give the user to capability to adjust the screen in azimuth angle. One technique is to rotationally attach the display panel assembly 2 to a support structure 4 via a cylindrical hinge pin 5, so that the display can rotate through azimuth angles. The hinge pin 5 can be made hollow so that electrical conductors can be routed through it to the support structure 4. Another method would be to place the main unit on stationary base structure via a lazy-susan structure. Rubber feet may be placed under the main unit, as shown in the figure. The weight of the display panel assembly 2 should be as low as possible, and the mass of the main unit and its electronics should be large enough so that if the display assembly is adjusted in the extreme forward position, the unit will remain physically and gravitationally stable. A computer keyboard unit 7 is shown connected to the main unit 6 via an electrical cable 9. The computer keyboard unit 7 may be attached or detached. If it is a detached keyboard, the electrical signals may be transmitted to the computer via wires or electromagnetic radiation means.
Another embodiment is shown in
As shown in
As shown in the figure the flat panel display is electrically connected to the workstation microcomputer/controller 44. The microcomputer may be any one of several commercially available products, such as the Intel™ 86286, 86386 or 86486 processors, Motorola Corporation's 68030 or 68040 processors, as well as several others. If the workstation is to be battery powered, then low voltage (3V) low-power microprocessors should be used. The microcomputer/controller 44 may be embodied by several means.
One available microcomputer system that may be used, is the Moby Brick product manufactured by Ergo Computing of Peabody Mass. The Moby Brick product consists of a 386/486 CPU, with 4 to 32 MB RAM, hard disk s from 170 MB to 1 GB, built in video controller, a 3.5 inch 1.44 MB floppy drive, two serial ports, one parallel port and one ISA 16 bit half length card slot. All the above is built into a 7.9×11.3×3.3 inch module that weighs 8.7 lbs. The CPU required by the invention may be a 20 MHz 386SX, 33/40 MHz 386DX, or the 33 MHz 486DX. Either internal or external modems may be embodied in to the system. An optional expansion chassis may be added to the system with four slots for ISA cards.
The microcomputer/controller 44 of
The keyboard function 42 may be electrically connected to the microcomputer/controller 44. A standard mouse/trackball unit 46 may be connected to the microcomputer via an I-O card or serial port in the standard manner. Both the pen and mouse/trackball interfaces may be desirable in certain applications. An external communication means 47 is connected to the microprocessor. The communications means could be embodied by a communications I-O card, internal/external modem or other communication means. However embodied, the workstation shall have the capability to communicate data (text, graphics, video, and voice) interactively on either Wide Area Networks (WAN) 50 or Local Area Networks (LAN) 52. The WAN in its simplest form may consist for two workstations connected to each other via internal/external modems over standard or hi-speed telephone lines.
Either an external or internal (built-in) telephone/speaker phone 48 may be connected to the microprocessor/controller. It may integrated into the workstation or embodied as a stand alone device, depending on the user's requirements. The telephone/speaker phone may also be connected to ordinary telephones lines 54 or wireless/cellular networks 56. The primary purpose of the external communication means of the workstation is to provide two way interactive text, graphics (including pen/stylus), video and voice/audio communication to: (1) other users operating similar workstations (at the same time or unattended), and/or (2) one or more computers on a network of computers or terminals. Other standard computing and communication components may be added to the invention that are obvious to those skilled in the art.
In another embodiment, the microprocessor and support electronics 44 can be located at the display panel assembly 2, instead of the main unit 6. For example, they may be located on one or more printed circuit boards surrounding and behind the display screen. Such an implementation with battery power is well known to those skilled in the art. Prior art flat display devices have been combined with a microcomputer, battery pack, and associated electronics and placed inside the relatively thin display panel enclosures. This has been accomplished in several pocket computers, Personal Digital Assistants (PDA), and hand held tablet computers. For example, battery embodiments have been placed inside the IBM ThinkPad™ 710T, Apple Computer Corporation's Newton™, Grid System's Convertible™ 2260, and Dauphin Technology's DTR-1 computers, to name a few. In order to accomplished the above, developers typically implement the required electrical circuits via semi-conductor large scale integration (LSI) techniques. This usually results in a microcomputer, main memory, I/O, display drive and other support circuitry integrated into the circuit boards. The microprocessors that could be embodied must be low-voltage and low-current draw versions, such as Intel™ 386/486SL models.
A rechargeable battery pack and power management circuitry should be included in the assembly. The battery pack may be removable via a slot on the side of the display panel assembly 2. The main battery pack typically consists of NiCd or newer Nickel Hydride type batteries. A backup battery may also be embodied. The mass memory components, of these hand held display panel assemblies, may consist of a small magnetic 2.5 or 3.5 inch disk hard drives or semiconductor Flash Memory modules. Mass memory of at least 80 MBytes are typically required. If removable, the battery pack and flash memory modules should conform to the PCMCIA Standards. These standards are important for interchangability among different manufactures. Because of the high level of LSI accomplished today, relatively thin, 1–2 inch thick, display panel assemblies can be realized containing a flat panel display, drive circuitry, microcomputer card, support circuitry and battery pack, within a light weight enclosure. The display panel and computer assembly can then be removed from the support structure 4 and hinge pin 5, as shown in
The display panel assembly 2 is physically connected to the base unit 6A via a pivot support structure 4 and an actuator assist means 60. This connection is shown in an exploded view in the figure. The pivot support structure 4 may be embodied in many ways, such as a ball and socket joint arrangement. Thus, the display panel assembly 2 with its display screen 3, is position adjustable in a multiplicity of orientations. A Cartesian coordinate system diagram, defining the axes for translations and rotations, is shown in the figure. The panel can be rotated in Inclination angle I, Azimuth angle D, and Roll angle R. Further position adjustment means are added, to provide elevation adjustment along axis y, as shown in double arrow B.
The display panel assembly 2 may be electrically connected to the electronics in the base unit by running a cable through the hinge pin 5 and through the actuator assist means 60 attached to the hinge pin. Sufficient slack in the cable must be provided for the full height of the adjustment range. A slack take-up means should be provided, so that when the panel is in its lower elevation positions, the cable does not bind. The vertical force of actuator assist means should be roughly equal to the weight of the display panel assembly 2. The actuator assist means 60 could be embodied by several alternative devices, including an air spring, a mechanical spring, pneumatic, hydraulic, or electromechanical actuator means. One or more actuators could be included. A means for locking and unlocking the actuator position should be provided within the assist means 60. Such actuators and locking mechanisms are well known to those in the art.
Even though flat panel display assemblies typically weigh only a few ounces, there are several reasons why an actuator assist means may be desirable. If an actuator is not implemented, and the user desires to raise the panel vertically by hand, the user would have to grab one edge of the panel and pull up. If the base unit is not secured to the table or it is not sufficiently heavy, the entire unit may lift off the table. The user would have to place one hand on the base unit and the other on the display panel and pull. Both of the above user actions are undesirable. Using two hands for a simple position adjustment, takes more time to accomplish, and the user may lose his/her's concentration during a computing task. Making the base unit heavy enough so that its weight is larger than the force applied by one's hand is also undesirable. Therefore, a telescoping actuator means 60 should be embodied with a force roughly equivalent to the weight of the display assembly 2, so that the user can easily adjust the position of the display panel by hand. The actuator means may include a locking and unlocking means for temporarily holding the display assembly in the desired position.
An alternate embodiment is shown is
The embodiments of
The scope of the invention disclosed here should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given above.
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