Technical article

Inside UniSee Mount

Explaining the journey towards −and the great
innovation inside! − Barco UniSee®’s revolutionary
patented mounting structure, guaranteeing theprecise installation of every Barco UniSee wall,
regardless of its size.

Introduction: the pains
with current LCD Mounts
When Barco started designing the Barco UniSee LCD video wall
platform, it soon became obvious that a new mounting structure
would also be needed. The standard availablemounts simply did notaccommodate the bezel-less and modular platform’s needs and could
not guarantee a perfectly aligned video wall keeping tolerances andscreen gaps under control during its entire lifetime.
The reason for this is quite simple: the standard VESA mounts were originally designed
simply to hang single LCD panels on a wall. These common mounts are essentiallynothing more than fixation brackets. Moreover, as demonstrated throughout theyears, these standard mountsare well suitedto supportsmaller LCD video walls, but
the moment you want to create larger video walls (for example a 6x4 configuration)
you run into trouble because ensuring a perfect alignment of all panels of the video
wall becomes harder and time-consuming. Additionally, as the bezel size reduces, therisk of panel damages when using standard mounts increases.
In simple words: no installer, how talented he or she may be, can drill holes with a
precision that exceeds 1 mm/0.04”. There’s always a tiny margin. And this is acceptablebecause the mounts have been designed to compensate these faults by allowing
further fine-tuningat the end of the installation with a simple screwdriver whenaccessing it from the side. This fine-tuning is not difficult when installing a smaller
LCD video wall, butfrom a 3x3 video wall configuration onwards, there are panels thatare completely locked in by other panels, making the job harder and harder.Locked inpanels cannot be reached from the side, making them very difficult to align. Yes, youcan slide the video wall forward (like you do when servicing the panel) and access thealignment screws, but you have no reference for how much you need to turn. It’s ablind operation that can become very time-consuming.
The larger your video wall (so the more panels are locked in), the more difficult
becomes its alignment and this complexity rises exponentially (Fig. 1). This islogical,
because changing the alignment of one panel will change its position relative to eachof its neighbors. This is the reason why there are typically larger gaps between thepanels in a larger video wall than in a smaller one.
Size

complexity

Figure1: Size vs complexity when installing an LCD video wallwith traditional mounts

Having control over these gaps andkeeping this control in larger video walls
to ensure the best possible viewing
experience, was one of the pre-requisites
when Barco UniSee was designed. Next
to these important installation issues,
there were other challenges we wanted
to tackle. First of all, when working withbezel-less LCD video walls, a main pointof concern is the panels’edges. A thinnerbezel (or equally alike, the absence of itin the case of Barco UniSee) makes thepanels more vulnerable to installation
damages. Thus, you cannot put anypressure on them: not at first installation,
not when differences in temperatureand humidity affect the structures, andnot when servicing the video wall in thefuture. On top of that, you also needto make sure that the gaps are kept
to the absolute minimum. If there is abezel, the gap between panels is only
slightly visible. But for bezel-less video
walls, the inter-screen gap suddenly
becomes more important and far more
noticeable, as it takes a bigger portion of
the total pixel-to-pixel distance. Hence,
when designing a video wall with Barco
UniSee panels, it is crucial to minimize
and control theseinter-panel gaps.
Since the release of Barco UniSee, anumber ofnew solutions with a bezel
width of less than 1 mm have been

The UniSee Mount general meta-structure
The requirements
The ambitions for the UniSee Mountwere really challenging. Barco would
not have beensatisfied with a resultthat merely solved one aspect of thechallenge.
• Guarantee a precise installation of
the video wall, regardless of its size
andindependent of the installers’ skills;• Ensure the smallest gap between all
LCD panels at time of installation,
but also keep these tolerances undercontrol over time;• Allow easy expansion of the video wallfor future needs;• Ensure ease of maintenance, for every
panel, with the lowest possible risk ofpanel damage;• Offer asolid mounting structure, thatisstill easy to maintain;• Create the basis to support Barco
UniSee’s modular platform philosophy
and offer a structure to host criticalcomponents like power supply andinput board.

introduced. However, these products
still use the traditional VESA mounting
systems. In other words, they still suffer
the same old alignment issues at time ofinstallation and mechanical alignment
drifts over time. These issues aresuccessfully tackled by Barco’s UniSee
Mount solution, which not only eases
perfect installation, but also eliminatesalignment drifts.

Since the design team started fromscratch, they had the freedom toexperiment in multidisciplinary teams.
The result was a revolutionary mounting
structure
emergingfromsheer
mechanical innovation that brought
everything together. Watch the video for
more insights.

Traditionally, you install
the mount and thepanels, and then you do
the adjustment of yourentire video wall.
With the UniSee Mount,
we changed thisparadigm by creating
a solid base which wecall the meta-structure.
Installing this grid
requires some precisionat the start, but it saves
you a whole lot of time
when you start to install
the panels. This is justa matter of hanging
the panels into theframe. Once installed,
your perfect gap isguaranteed.
Tom Dewaele,
Design Manager at Barco3

The UniSee Mount in more details
The wall mount: a solid basis for the meta-structure
The design team created two parts in the UniSee Mount (Fig. 2a): a fixed part (darkgrey) that is used to connect the structure to the wall, and a floating part (blue) thathas a bit more freedom of movement and that carries the panels. In this way, the basicpart to support the video wall, and the part that ensures the alignment of the entire
wall are separated, making both operations manageable.

Figure 2a: The UniSee Mount consists of two parts: a fixed(dark grey) and a ‘floating’ (blue) part

Figure 2b: Real photo of one UniSee Mount unit.

The wall cross: the UniSee Mount’s secret carriers
One of the most important elements to help meeting therequirements and guaranteeing a precise installation is thespecifically designed ‘wall cross’ used for mounting (Fig. 3).
This essential and patented element of the structure literally
carries the design, as it is the only connection to the wall.
There is a wall cross on every corner of eachMount, unlessfor touching panels, that only need one wall cross (as seenin Fig. 2a). Because one bolt is enough to hang the wallcross,

Figure 3: The UniSee Mount’s wall crosses combine
multiple functions in the design.

4

the number of drill holes needed is dramatically reduced
resulting in installation time savings. What’s more, the tolerance
against drilling errors of the wall cross is higher than withcurrent generation LCD mounts − sosmall drilling errors arecompensated (Fig. 4).
Fixing the individual mounting structures together with thesewall crosses creates a solid meta-structurefor the video wall.

Figure 4: The UniSee Mount’s wall crosses can compensatefor drilling errors

Compensating for the physical wall’s imperfections
Walls are rarely 100% straight (schematic representation in
Fig. 5). Although often hardly visible by the naked eye, theseimperfections have a big impact on the installation outcomesof video walls, because mismatches on the Z-axis always havea negative impact on the LCD video wall.

However, these imperfections are compensated by theinnovative wall crosses. Because the large bolts can be easily
moved along the Z-axis (Fig. 6) for up to25 mm/1”, installers
have the freedom to compensate for the wall’s imperfectionsin an easy way – if they are within reasonable limits, that is.

Figure 5: Walls are rarely perfectly straight, causing issues
when mounting an LCD video wall

Figure 6: The wall crosses have up to 25 mm/1” of space tomove along the Z-axis (the depth)

The UniSee Mount alignment principles
Using gravity for perfect alignment
Even when designing a mounting structure from scratch forlarger video walls, alignment remains a tough nut to crack. Thisis because – unless you have one large structure to hang thecomplete wall from, which would be impossible to handle –there are always some drilling errors and difficulties in accessing
the inner panels. Plus, just like everything that is not resting on asolid surface, gravity is an issue.

to tighten together. A spring-loaded systemensures that theforces on the edges of the LCD panels are limited, effectively
preventing damage to the edges.
The result of this system? An LCD video wall that automaticallyaligns perfectly, without the need to fine-tune with a screwdriver(as mentioned on page 2). Alignment is guaranteed at any time
thanks to the power of gravity!

That’s why, after some failing prototype iterations, the Barco
designers decided to actually use gravity as a driving force intheir design instead of fighting it. Once thatdecision was taken,
everything fell perfectly into place. Quite literally, that is!
The basic idea behind the UniSee Mount is to have the bottom
row and the left panel column of the video wall fixed (Fig. 7),
while the other panels still have some space to move. Driven
by the fixation points on the bottom and the left (blue arrows),
these outer (red) rows create a force that points to the top right(see white arrows).
All other (dark grey) panels were designed to direct the force
to the bottom left. This creates a tension that allows the panels

Figure 7: The red panels are fixed, providing the power tokeep the other panels perfectly aligned5UniSee Mount’s impact on installation time
UniSee Mount is a revolutionary new structure, which still requires a high level ofprecision when creating the foundation of the entire meta-structure - as this impacts
the alignment which is being secured upfront, and not at the end like with traditional
video walls - but which simplifies the installation of sub-1mm video walls overall.
Thanks to the UniSee Mount, fine-tuning time after installation is reduced drasticallyresulting into real time and cost savings.
Barco offers a special training program for installers to become accustomed to thisinnovative way of working. These trainings can be followed online, onsite and even a
guided installation service is being offered to partners, in which an experienced Barco
specialist guides installers through the process.
The time saving feedback received from the field is quite impressive. Below tableshows the difference in effort of installing and fine-tuning a 10x4 video wall using
UniSee Mount compared to competing structures.

UniSee Mount

Competing structures

Physical LCD video wall installation

3 days

3.5 daysFine-tuning time

1 day

2.5 days

34%

Overall, the installation time is reducedby 34% compared to other LCD videowalls. And, equally important, theinstallation is done even more precisely
using the UniSee Mount!

Channel partners told us that the first
generations of e/exnb products wereincredibly fragile with many breakages
and damages seen by integrators
during installations. This issue has been
remedied to a degree, as installers havebecome more used to handling these
displays, but it is still an issue. However,this is not a problem for the Barco
UniSee product due to the innovative
mounting system that has beendeveloped by Barco.
FutureSource2019 Global Videowall Display Solutions Report6

The importance of UniSee Mount for the modular platform
Fitting the external components
Barco UniSee was conceived as a modular platform. This has
a lot of advantages when servicing and upgrading the system.
Several key elements, including the input board and power
supplies, are separated from and located independent of
the panel (UniSee View), so they can easily be accessed andreplaced when necessary.

The analogy of removing and replacing a panel for servicing
is similar to docking and undocking a laptop from a docking
station. When the LCM (Liquid Crystal Module, which is the‘front end’ display part of the panel) needs servicing, it cansimply be undocked from the UniSee Mount behind, without
having to disconnect any cables. Afterwards, it can be dockedback to resume normal operations.

The UniSee Mount fits this philosophy perfectly by providing theplace to host theseexternal components. Both the connection
board, and the power supply (optionally, the redundant powersupply as well) find their perfect place on the board (Fig. 8).
What’s more, space is foreseen for the cabling, making sureeverything is neatly in place and never hinders an operation.

Figure 8: The UniSee Mount provides the needed space forthe external components

7

Maintenance using UniSee Mount
The traditional issues when servicing the inner panels
Even the most durable and reliable video walls need maintenance from time to time.
With Barco UniSee, we have limited these maintenance needs by removing certain
parts that are susceptible to wear – for example, by making a passive cooled system
without fans – but,nevertheless, a time for service will arise.
Traditionally, maintenance is quite a difficult operation with ultra-narrow or bezel-less
LCD video walls. Removing the panels from their place not only requires quite someeffort, especially for larger video walls, but you also risk losing the panel’s alignment– requiring you to start the complicated aligning processall over again, with theaddedrisk of damaging the panels. Avoiding this was one of the key objectives when
designing the UniSee Mount.

Maintenance: it can be easyBecause the UniSee Mount consists of two separate parts (a fixedpart for wall fixation
and a floating part for panel mounting), you can move the panels separately from thestructure. We illustrate, for example, how to service the red panel in the video wall
below (Fig. 9).

Figure 9: Imagine your objective is to service the red panel

Using a simple wrench, you can easily
move a complete column a few inches/
centimeters towards the upper right.
Start with the rightmost column, andwork your way one column at thetime until your reach the column thatcontains the panel that needs service. In
our example, this will look like this (Fig. 10):Figure 10: The UniSee video wall with columns shifted tothe upper rightThen, the true magic happens. First, fix
theservice lever (this is the left red bar in
Fig. 8), and then release the column that
contains the panel you want to service
by using the same wrench. This will keep
all panels to the right and the top of
the panel-to-service in their place. The
panels underneath the red one will gently
slide into their original position, while thepanel-to-service will follow halfway. This
will look like Fig. 11. The red panel is now
isolated and can be easily accessed andremoved. Because the panels are simply
connected to the UniSee Mount with
only two brackets, the panel can be easily
removed to maintain the power supplies
or connection unit – or to replace thepanel entirely. All these operations canoccur without the risk of damaging thepanels.

Figure11: The red panel is now isolated and ready to beserviced

When maintenance is complete, drive
up the service column again and release
all columns using the wrench.This will
make all of the panels slide back into
their original position. Because thebackbone has not moved, there is norisk of losing alignment.

Think this description is quite abstract
and you want to see what happens
yourself? Then check out this video,
where the end-to-end maintenanceconcept is shown.

9A curved installation with all the UniSee Mount benefits
Issues when curving an LCD video wall

Preserving UniSee Mount’s benefits for curved
video walls

Curved video walls create a spectacular sense of immersion.
Especially for larger installations, straight setups are not easy towatch in full – resulting in suboptimal ergonomics. When using
traditional VESA mounts, it is extremely challenging to create
a curved LCD video wall because by curving the wall, the riskof bad alignment in all directions, especially along the Z-axis(the depth) is very high. Also the gaps between the panels will
become significantly larger. This is already true for the 3.5 mm
and 1.8 mm bezel generations, so even more challenging forthe bezel-less Barco UniSee.

In order to offer the same UniSee Mount benefits for curved
video walls, Barco and strategic alliance partner Vogel’s jointly
developed an innovative curved mounting structure. This newstructure allows a concave curved setup from 0-10 degrees, insteps of 1 degree.

And things get even worse when trying to service a traditional
curved LCD video wall. Replacing a single, locked-in panel isoften impossible, forcing you to remove all the screens. This
causes a very long service time – which can take up to severaldays.

10The rationale of the curved structure is the same as for thestraight setup: using a fixed and a floating part, the panels canbe installed with ensured precision along all axes whilst keeping
the gaps under control. Gravity makes sure they fall perfectly
into place, guaranteeing the smallest possible seam in any
case. Also servicing has the same benefits as with the straight
setup: every column to the right of the panel to be serviced isshifted upward and to the right.
However, the mechanics of the curved mount are slightly
different. New wall crosses and special corner pieces weredeveloped to accommodate the curved nature of the structure.
These are available in the UniSee Curved accessory kit. Thesolidback structure created by Vogel’s ensures a comfortable andsafe mounting, for both the installers, service staff and users.
Note that there are separate kits for landscape and for portrait
set-ups.

Conclusion
The UniSee Mount was conceived to answer all theneedsof bezel-less LCD video walls. Using the power of gravity
and a lot of design innovation, the structure succeeds inoffering the right platform for now and into the future.
Key takeaways• We have simplified the complexity of creating a perfectly aligned video wall.
• With the UniSee Mount, we are able to keep tolerances and screen gaps undercontrol.
• UniSee Mount is helping to ensure a sub-1mm precise installation over a
multiple-m² wall which is impossible to achieve with normal VESA structures.
• A high level of precision is needed when creating the foundation of the entire
meta-structure as the alignment is being secured upfront and not at the end likewith traditional video walls.
• Fine-tuning time after installation is reduced drastically resulting into real time andcost savings.
• Also a curved mounting option is available, to ensure all the benefits of the UniSee
Mount for curved installations.

Looking for more information about the UniSee Mount?
Then, watch the video, or contact us!

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All brand names and product names are trademarks, registered trademarks or tradenames of their respective holders.

www.barco.com/unisee