Angle adjustment apparatus and tv mounting bracket thereof

An angle adjustment apparatus includes a first connector, a second connector, a first adjusting member, a second adjusting member, and a third adjusting member. The third end of the second connector is rotatably connected to the first end of the first connector through a pivot shaft. The first adjusting member is connected to the second end of the first connector. The second adjusting member is connected to the fourth end of the second connector. The third adjusting member is configured to adjust a distance between the second end of the first connector and the fourth end of the second connector. At least one of the first adjusting member and the second adjusting member is rotatably connected to the first connector corresponding thereto or the second connector corresponding thereto, and a rotation axis for the rotatable connection is parallel to the pivot shaft.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and/or benefit from Chinese patent application No. 202110853062.7, filed Jul. 27, 2021, entitled ANGLE ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM AND TV MOUNTING BRACKET THEREOF, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of mounting bracket technologies, and in particular, to an angle adjustment apparatus and a television (TV) mounting bracket including the same.

BACKGROUND

With the development of science and technology, since flat-panel TVs have advantages of small occupied space and light weight, the flat-panel TVs are more and more popularized. More and more families can use the flat-panel TVs for audio and video entertainment, and companies can use the flat-panel TVs to explain meetings and so on, greatly enriching and facilitating people's life.

Based on the advantages of the flat-panel TVs, the flat-panel TVs may be directly mounted to wall surfaces, so as to further reduce the occupied space of the flat-panel TVs during actual use. However, a conventional manner of mounting a flat-panel TV involves mounting a TV bracket with screws by drilling holes in a wall, and then fixing the TV to the bracket. Although the stability of the mounting of the TV may be realized in this manner, the TV is fixed to the bracket because the mounted bracket is fixed. As a result, an orientation and a tilt angle of the TV are fixed during actual use, which cannot meet usage requirements of users.

SUMMARY

According to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, an angle adjustment apparatus and a TV mounting bracket including the same are provided.

An angle adjustment apparatus is provided, including:a first connector having a first end and a second end;a second connector having a third end and a fourth end, the third end of the second connector being rotatably connected to the first end of the first connector through a pivot shaft;a first adjusting member, the first adjusting member being connected to the second end of the first connector;a second adjusting member, the second adjusting member being connected to the fourth end of the second connector; anda third adjusting member configured to adjust a distance between the second end of the first connector and the fourth end of the second connector;wherein at least one of the first adjusting member and the second adjusting member is rotatably connected to the first connector corresponding thereto or the second connector corresponding thereto, and a rotation axis for the rotatable connection is parallel to the pivot shaft.

An angle adjustment apparatus is further provided, including:a first connector having a first end and a second end and configured to be connected to a mounting surface;a second connector having a third end and a fourth end and configured to be connected to a display device, the third end of the second connector being rotatably connected to the first end of the first connector through a pivot shaft; andan adjusting component connected to the first connector and the second connector and configured to adjust a distance between the first connector and the second connector;when the adjusting component adjusts the distance between the first connector and the second connector, at least one of the second end of the first connector and the fourth end of the second connector rotates with the adjusting component about a rotation axis parallel to the pivot shaft.

A TV mounting bracket includes the angle adjustment apparatus as described above and a connecting arm. The connecting arm has one end connected to the angle adjustment apparatus and the other end connected to a mounting surface.

Details of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure are set forth in the following accompanying drawings and descriptions. Other features, objects, and advantages of the present disclosure become obvious with reference to the specification, the accompanying drawings, and the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In order to make the above objectives, features and advantages of the present disclosure more obvious and understandable, specific implementations of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, many specific details are set forth in order to fully understand the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without departing from the connotation of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited by the specific embodiment disclosed below.

In the description of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the orientation or position relationship indicated by the terms “center”, “longitudinal”, “transverse”, “length”, “width”, “thickness”, “upper”, “lower”, “front”, “back”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inner”, “outer”, “clockwise”, “counterclockwise”, “axial”, “radial”, “circumferential”, etc. are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings and are intended to facilitate the description of the present disclosure and simplify the description only, rather than indicating or implying that the apparatus or element referred to must have a particular orientation or be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore are not to be interpreted as limiting the present disclosure.

In addition, the terms “first” and “second” are used for descriptive purposes only, which cannot be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance, or implicitly specifying the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with “first” and “second” may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present disclosure, “a plurality of” means at least two, such as two or three, unless specifically stated otherwise.

In the present disclosure, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms “mount,” “join,” “connect”, “fix”, etc. should be understood in a broad sense, such as, a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; a direct connection, an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, an internal connection of two elements, or an interaction of two elements, unless otherwise expressly limited. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the foregoing terms in the present disclosure can be understood on a case-by-case basis.

In the present disclosure, unless otherwise explicitly specified and defined, the expression a first feature being “on” or “under” a second feature may be the case that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature via an intermediate medium. Furthermore, the expression the first feature being “over”, “above” and “on top of” the second feature may be the case that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or only means that the level of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. The expression the first feature being “below”, “underneath” or “under” the second feature may be the case that the first feature is directly underneath or obliquely underneath the second feature, or only means that the level of the first feature is lower than that of the second feature.

It is to be noted that, when one element is referred to as “fixed to” or “arranged on” another element, it may be directly disposed on the another element or an intermediate element may exist. When one element is considered to be “connected to” another element, it may be directly connected to the another element or an intermediate element may co-exist. The terms “vertical”, “horizontal”, “upper”, “lower”, “left”, “right” used herein and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply that they are the only means of implementation.

Referring toFIG.1,FIG.1shows a solution of a waist groove and a sliding block generally used in a conventional angle adjustment apparatus in the prior art. That is, two connectors are provided with an arc-shaped waist groove and a sliding block respectively, and the sliding block is slid along the arc-shaped waist groove. Generally, in this solution, the two connectors are required to be partially bent, and the arc-shaped waist groove and the sliding block are provided at bent portions on the two connectors, respectively. The solution of a waist groove and a sliding block has a relatively serious structural strength problem. Since the bent portions are mostly thin and the interaction force between the waist groove and the sliding block during engagement is mainly in a plane where the bent portions are, the bent portions are prone to buckling due to insufficient strength. That is, the bent portions may bend and deform in their thickness directions. In addition, the bent portions are provided with long grooves that run through their thickness directions, which may further reduce the strength of the bent portions, leading to poor stability and seriously insufficient reliability of the whole angle adjustment apparatus in the prior art.

As shown inFIG.2andFIG.3, an angle adjustment apparatus100in an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first connector110, a second connector120, and an adjusting component1300connected to the first connector110and the second connector120. The first connector110is configured to be connected to a mounting surface, such as a wall, and has a first end111and a second end112. The second connector120is configured to be connected to a wall-mounted item, such as a display device, and has a third end121and a fourth end122. The third end121of the second connector120is rotatably connected to the first end111of the first connector110through a pivot shaft160. When the adjusting component1300adjusts a distance between the first connector110and the second connector120, at least one of the second end112of the first connector110and the fourth end122of the second connector120rotates with the adjusting component1300about a rotation axis parallel to the pivot shaft160. In this embodiment, the adjusting component1300includes a first adjusting member130, a second adjusting member140, and a third adjusting member150. The first adjusting member130is connected to the second end112of the first connector110, and the second adjusting member140is connected to the fourth end122of the second connector120. At least one of the first adjusting member130and the second adjusting member140is rotatably connected to the first connector110corresponding thereto or the second connector120corresponding thereto about the rotation axis, and the rotation axis for the rotatable connection is parallel to the pivot shaft160. The third adjusting member150is configured to adjust a distance between the second end112of the first connector110and the fourth end122of the second connector120.

In some embodiments, the first adjusting member130is fixedly connected to the second end112of the first connector110by soldering, and the second adjusting member140is rotatably connected to the fourth end122of the second connector120. Since the first adjusting member130is fixed to the first connector110and the first connector110is connected to a mounting surface such as a wall, it can be considered that a position and an angle of the first adjusting member130always remain fixed. When the third adjusting member150causes the distance between the second end112of the first connector110and the fourth end122of the second connector120to increase, the second adjusting member140is away from the second end112of the first connector110and rotates clockwise as observed inFIG.2andFIG.3, so as to ensure that the third adjusting member150can be stably connected between the first adjusting member130and the second adjusting member140. During the motion of the second adjusting member140, the fourth end122of the second connector120is driven to be synchronously away from the second end112of the first connector110, so that an angle between the second connector120and the first connector110changes.

Similarly, in some other embodiments, the second adjusting member140is fixedly connected to the fourth end122of the second connector120by soldering, and the first adjusting member130is rotatably connected to the second end112of the first connector110. Obviously, the principles of these embodiments are consistent with the above solution, the first adjusting member130can stably displace and rotate relative to the second adjusting member140, driving the angle between the first connector110and the second connector120to change.

In some other embodiments, the first adjusting member130and the second adjusting member140are rotatably connected to the first connector110and the second connector120correspondingly. It is easy to understand that, in the foregoing embodiments, the first adjusting member130and the second adjusting member140both rotate and displace to some extent. The angle between the first connector110and the second connector120can be changed through cooperation between the first adjusting member130and the second adjusting member140.

In the angle adjustment apparatus100according to the present disclosure, at least one of the first adjusting member130and the second adjusting member140is rotatably connected to the first connector110or the second connector120. As a result, during the adjustment, the third adjusting member150can adapt to a change in the angle between the third adjusting member150and the first adjusting member130or the angle between the third adjusting member150and the second adjusting member140, so that it is ensured that the distance between the first adjusting member130and the second adjusting member140can always be synchronously adjusted with the third adjusting member150, so as to drive the distance between the second end112of the first connector110and the fourth end122of the second connector120to also be synchronously adjusted with the third adjusting member150, thereby realizing the adjustment on the angle between the first connector110and the second connector120. Compared with the prior art, during the angle adjustment of the angle adjustment apparatus100according to the present disclosure, the third adjusting member150is actually adjusted, and a change in the distance is more easily perceived and controlled than the change in the angle in the prior art, which enables the angle adjustment apparatus100according to the present disclosure to control the adjustment on the angle between the first connector110and the second connector120more accurately. In addition, since the distance between the first connector110and the second connector120is adjusted using the third adjusting member150, the angle adjustment apparatus100according to the present disclosure is not required to provide bent portions with poor strength on the first connector110and the second connector120like the prior art. The angle adjustment apparatus100according to the present disclosure has better structural integration, more uniform force, and better stability. By arranging at least one of the first adjusting member130and the second adjusting member140to be rotatably connected to the first connector110corresponding thereto or the second connector120corresponding thereto, and arranging the rotation axis for the rotatable connection to be parallel to the pivot shaft160, the force between the first adjusting member130and the first connector110and the force between the second adjusting member140and the second connector120are parallel, thereby ensuring the overall stability of the angle adjustment apparatus100during the adjustment on the third adjusting member150.

It can be understood that the third adjusting member150may be implemented in many forms. In some embodiments, the third adjusting member150may be a common telescopic rod on the market. Both ends of a rod portion of the telescopic rod are connected to the first adjusting member130and the second adjusting member140, respectively, and a length of the telescopic rod is adjusted through a fixing component of the telescopic rod.

In some other embodiments, referring toFIG.4andFIG.5, which show schematic views of a connection relationship between the third adjusting member150and the first adjusting member130and a connection relationship between the third adjusting member150and the second adjusting member140. Both ends of the third adjusting member150are threaded through and connected to the first adjusting member130and the second adjusting member140. An extension direction of the third adjusting member150is perpendicular to the pivot shaft160. When the distance between the first connector110and the second connector120is adjusted, the third adjusting member150rotates clockwise or counterclockwise in the extension direction thereof.

In this embodiment, the third adjusting member150can include a threaded connector151, a positioning structure152, and a threaded structure153. In the first adjusting member130and the second adjusting member140, one is provided with the positioning structure152, and the other is provided with the threaded structure153. The threaded connector151is connected to the positioning structure152at one end and is connected to the threaded structure153at the other end thereof. With the arrangement of the third adjusting member150having the above structure, the connection is more stable, and it is also more advantageous to fine adjustment of a telescopic length.

In some embodiments, as shown inFIG.3, the threaded connector151is perpendicular to the pivot shaft160. The pivot shaft160is parallel to the rotation axes of the first adjusting member130and the second adjusting member140, and the forces of the threaded connector151for both the first adjusting member130and the second adjusting member140are perpendicular to said rotation axis, this means that the force between the first adjusting member130and the second adjusting member140, the force between the first adjusting member130and the first connector110, and the force between the second adjusting member140and the second connector120are all in the same line. In addition, no torsion and other conditions unfavorable to the stability occur between the components of the angle adjustment apparatus100according to the present disclosure, thereby further improving structural integration of the angle adjustment apparatus100and its better stability in use.

As shown inFIG.4andFIG.5, in this embodiment, the threaded connector151includes a bolt1511and a nut1512. The nut1512is arranged on a screw of the bolt1511. The positioning structure152is a via hole arranged on the first adjusting member130. The screw of the bolt1511passes through the via hole. A head of the bolt1511and the nut1512are arranged on two sides of the via hole, respectively, to fix the first adjusting member130to the bolt1511. In this embodiment, the threaded structure153is a through screw hole arranged on the second adjusting member140, and the threaded connector151can be in threaded connection with the screw hole.

In the foregoing embodiment, during the adjustment of the angle adjustment apparatus100, the head of the bolt1511is turned so that the screw portion of the bolt1511is rotated in the screw hole. Since the first adjusting member130is fixed to a head portion of the bolt1511by the head and the nut1512, rotation of the bolt1511causes the distance between the first adjusting member130and the second adjusting member140to change, thereby realizing the adjustment on the angle between the first connector110and the second connector120. In addition, rotatable connections of the bolt1511with the first adjusting member130and the second adjusting member140form a match, so that the screw of the bolt1511can always be aligned with the screw hole, thereby preventing the problem of interlocking caused by dislocation between the threaded connector151and the screw hole and fully ensuring the stability of the use of the angle adjustment apparatus100according to the present disclosure.

In some embodiments, a tolerance is provided between the first adjusting member130and the third adjusting member150. In the embodiment shown inFIG.5, a tolerance is provided between the positioning structure152and the threaded connector151. Specifically, the tolerance is formed by providing the via hole on the first adjusting member130with a hole diameter slightly larger than a diameter of the screw of the bolt1511. In this way, even if the screw of the bolt1511deviates slightly from the screw hole, the screw can be re-aligned with the screw hole by fine adjustment of the position of the bolt1511in the via hole, which prevents interlocking caused by dislocation between the screw of the bolt1511and the screw hole, thereby increasing fault tolerance of the angle adjustment apparatus100according to the present disclosure, and making it more stable in operation.

It can be understood that the specific implementation form of the threaded connector151, the positioning structure152, and the threaded structure153is obviously not limited to the above manner. As shown inFIG.8, in some embodiments, the positioning structure152is a via hole, the threaded structure153is an internal threaded sleeve, and the threaded connector151is provided with a limiting head1513at one end and a threaded segment1514at the other end. A hexagonal assembly portion154, for example, is arranged between the limiting head1513and the threaded segment1514. The threaded segment1514is configured to be in threaded connection with the internal threaded sleeve. The limiting head1513is configured to be connected to the fixing member. When using the angle adjustment apparatus100, a user is only required to use a hexagonal wrench to turn the assembly portion154to realize the movement of the threaded connector151in the internal threaded sleeve, which is much easier to operate than the above solutions.

It is to be noted that, in the angle adjustment apparatus100according to the present disclosure, the specific implementations of the first connector110, the second connector120, and connections of the two and the pivot shaft160are not specifically limited.

In some embodiments, as shown inFIG.6, the pivot shaft160can include a pivot bolt162and a pivot threaded sleeve161. The pivot threaded sleeve161and the pivot bolt162each include a limiting end and a threaded connection segment connected to the limiting end, and the pivot threaded sleeve161and the pivot bolt162are connected to each other through the threaded connection segments. The first connector110and the second connector120are sleeved on the threaded connection segments, and are arranged between the limiting ends of the pivot threaded sleeve161and the pivot bolt162.

As shown inFIG.6andFIG.7, the first connector110and the second connector120are respectively provided with a first pivot connection portion113and a second pivot connection portion123, and the pivot shaft160runs through the first pivot connection portion113and the second pivot connection portion123to realize a pivot connection between the first connector110and the second connector120.

In some embodiments, as shown inFIG.7, the first connector110further includes a first connection body114extending in a vertical direction, and the first connection body114are respectively provided with a first top plate115and a first bottom plate116extending toward a same side at both ends of the first connection body114. The “extending toward a same side” may mean, for example, extending along a left side of the first connection body114inFIG.7. A third connector117is arranged between the first top plate115and the first bottom plate116. The third connector117is configured to be connected to a wall. The first adjusting member130is arranged below the first bottom plate116.

In the foregoing embodiment, the angle adjustment apparatus100not only provides a mounting space for the third connector117, but also enables the third adjusting member150connected to the first adjusting member130to have a longer telescopic range by arranging the first adjusting member130to be appropriately away from the first connection body114, so as to adjust the angle between the first connector110and the second connector120more accurately. By arranging the first adjusting member130below the first bottom plate116, the first adjusting member130can have a larger rotation range in the case that the first adjusting member130is rotatably connected to the first bottom plate116, enabling the first adjusting member130, the second adjusting member140, and the third adjusting member150to have better matching conditions. Moreover, since there is a lot of space below the first bottom plate116, the angle adjustment apparatus100in this embodiment has a more ample operating space to adjust the third adjusting member150compared with the arrangement of the first adjusting member130on one side of the first connection body114, which can optimize use experience of the angle adjustment apparatus100according to the present disclosure.

In some embodiments, as shown inFIG.6, the second connector120includes a second connection body124and a second bottom plate125, the second bottom plate125and the second connection body124extend in different directions, and the second adjusting member140is arranged below the second bottom plate125. Similar to the structure of the first connector110, the second adjusting member140is arranged below the second bottom plate125, which may also have a similar technical effect as described in the aforementioned embodiment.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a television (TV) mounting bracket10is disclosed, which, as shown inFIG.9, includes the angle adjustment apparatus100according to any one of the above embodiments and a connecting arm200. The connecting arm200has one end connected to the angle adjustment apparatus100and the other end connected to a mounting surface such as a wall or ceiling. By use of the TV mounting bracket10according to the present disclosure, when a wall-mounted item is rotated horizontally and moved back and forth or up and down, due to the good structural stability of the angle adjustment apparatus100, the set angle can remain basically unchanged, so as to provide users with good use experience.

The technical features in the above embodiments may be randomly combined. For concise description, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, all the combinations of the technical features are to be considered as falling within the scope described in this specification provided that they do not conflict with each other.

The above embodiments only describe several implementations of the present disclosure, and their description is specific and detailed, but cannot therefore be understood as a limitation on the patent scope of the disclosure. It should be noted that those of ordinary skill in the art may further make variations and improvements without departing from the conception of the present disclosure, and these all fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the patent protection scope of the present disclosure should be subject to the appended claims.