Abstract:
A shock mount to support the static weight of a housing while at the same time effectively attenuating shock or vibration imparted to the housing with the shock mount having a shock isolator for supporting the weight of the display and a bezel extending around the display with the bezel comprising a second shock an d vibration isolator that coacts with the first shock set of shock isolators to further attenuate shock and vibration forces to the system.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a mounting system and, more specifically, to a display mounting system that can coactively isolate a display from shock and vibration forces. 
     CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     None 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     None 
     REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
     None 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In order to protect equipment from shock and vibration forces shock isolators are employed that attenuate shock and vibration to a support structure to protect the equipment carried by the support structure. Typically, equipment such as consoles have integral visual displays which are isolated from shock and vibration as a whole console unit. The present invention provides a shock isolation system that can separately isolate the display from shock and vibration, forces, yet can be made to appear as if the display is an integral part of the console. A further feature of the invention is that the mounting system permits one to replace the display without having to remove or replace a portion of the console since the display is removably mounted on the console. 
     The present invention can provide shock and vibration attenuation through the coaction of two separate shock isolators, a first shock isolator that supports the display on the console and a second shock isolator that peripherally surrounds the display and coacts with the first shock isolator to provide enhanced shock and vibration attenuation. 
     Elastomeric isolators employed in the prior art are commonly formed into geometric 3D shapes, such as spheres, squares, right circular cylinders, cones, rectangles and the like as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,776,720. These elastomeric isolators are typically attached to a housing to protect equipment within the housing from the effects of shock and vibration. 
     Various elastomeric materials have been used, or suggested for use, to provide shock and/or vibration damping as stated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,720, which issued on Jun. 16, 1998 to Yamagisht, et al. These materials include natural rubbers and synthetic resins such as polyvinyl chlorides, polyurethane, polyamides polystyrenes, copolymerized polyvinyl chlorides, and poloyolefine synthetic rubbers as well as synthetic materials such as urethane, EPDM, styrene-butadiene rubbers, nitrites, isoprene, chloroprenes, propylene, and silicones. The particular type of elastomeric material is not critical but urethane material sold under the trademark Sorbothane® is currently employed. Suitable material is also sold by Aero E.A.R. Specialty Composites, as Isoloss VL. The registrant of the mark Sorbothane® for urethane material is the Hamiltion Kent Manufacturing Company (Registration No. 1,208,333), Kent, Ohio 44240. 
     Generally, the shape and configuration of elastomeric isolators have a significant effect on the shock and vibration attenuation characteristics of the elastomeric isolators. The prior art elastomeric isolators are generally positioned to rely on an axial compression of the elastomeric material or on tension or shear of the elastomeric material. Generally, if the elastomeric isolator is positioned in the axial compressive mode the ability of the elastomeric isolator to attenuate shock and vibration is limited by the compressive characteristics of the material. On the other hand, in the axial compressive mode the elastomeric isolators can be used to provide static support to a housing, which allows a single elastomeric isolator to be placed beneath the housing to support the static weight of the housing. It is the shear type of elastomeric isolators which are preferred for use in the present invention. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A shock mount to statically and dynamically support the weight of a housing while at the same time effectively attenuating shock or vibration forces imparted to the system with the shock mount having a first shock isolator for supporting the weight of the display and an elastomer bezel extends onto a portion of the display with the bezel functioning as a second shock and vibration isolator that coacts with the first shock isolator to further attenuate shock and vibrations force to the system 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front view of a console supported by two types of shock isolators; 
     FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along lines  2 — 2  of FIG. 1 showing the elastomer shock isolators and an elastomer bezel carried the support structure; 
     FIG. 3 is a partial cross sectional view of the bezel in a tension condition to provide shock and vibration attenuation to the display; 
     FIG. 4 shows the support structure in cross sectional view with a removable base about to be secured to the support structure; and 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a double triad elastomer shock isolator. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     FIG. 1 shows a front view of a console  10  having a display  13  supported by the shock mount of the present invention. Console  10  includes a support structure  12  and an extension  11  for holding a keyboard or the like. Mounted to support structure  12  is display  13  which has an opaque elastomer bezel  14  having a front peripheral lip  14   a  secured to a front face portion of the display  13  to provide an esthetically pleasing appearance over 360 degrees. Typically, display  13  can be any type of device that presents visual information to a user. 
     FIG. 2 shows a cross sectional view of the console  10  showing the support structure  12  supporting a removable base  20 . Removable base  20  includes a mounting edge comprising a stepped peripheral edge  20   a  to allow one to position the removable base  20  in a mating peripheral engagement with peripheral extension  12   a  on support structure  12 . 
     The sheet elastomer bezel  14 , which extends around the peripheral region of display  13 , has a first peripheral end or display attaching lip  14   a  secured to display  13  and a second peripheral end or base attachment lip  14   b  secured to removable base  20  through a set of fasteners  23 . Supporting display  13  is a first and second elastomer mount  21  and  22 . The shock isolators  21  and  22  each have a first end support surface and a second end support surface with the first end support surface and the second end support surface laterally offset other so that a force on the first end support is cantileverly supported to place the elastomer in a shear condition rather than a compression condition and a force on the second end support is cantileverly supported to place the elastomer in a shear condition rather than a compression condition. Elastomer mounts  21 ,  22  are preferably of the type shown in my copending patent application Ser. No. 09/779,423 filed Feb. 28, 2001, titled DOUBLE TRIAD ELASTOMER MOUNT which is hereby incorporated by reference. The application discloses an elastomer shock isolator that is positioned in the shear or tension mode as opposed to an axial compression mode. Such elastomeric isolators provide enhanced shock and vibration attenuating characteristics in response to dynamic forces due to shock and vibration. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the double triad one-piece shock isolator  30  disclosed in the Ser. No. 09/779,423 for providing shock and vibration attenuation while providing axially offset support to an object. Isolator  30  is a one-piece two-tetrahedron elastomer shock isolator  30  that simultaneously isolates shocks and supports a static load. Shock isolator  30  has a set of integral elastomer side walls forming a first tetrahedron elastomer shell  31  with a tetrahedron shaped cavity  31   c  therein and a second tetrahedron elastomer shell  32  having a set of integral elastomer side walls forming a second tetrahedron elastomer shell with a tetrahedron shaped cavity  32   c  therein. 
     A central axis  33  is shown extending through an apex end  32   a  of elastomer shell  32  and an apex end  31   a  of elastomer shell  31 . FIG. 2 shows apex end  31   a  and apex end  32   a  are smoothly joined to each other at junction surface  39  to form the one-piece two-tetrahedron elastomer shock isolator. 
     FIG. 1 shows the top tetrahedron elastomer shell  32  has a triangular shaped base end that forms a first support surface  32   b . Similarly, the bottom tetrahedron elastomer shell  31  has a triangular shaped base end that forms a second support surface  31   b . The conjunction of the apex ends of the two-tetrahedron elastomer shells provides an integral force transfer region between the triangular shaped base ends  31   b  and  32   b  of the two-tetrahedron elastomer shells  31  and  32 . 
     In order to provide shear resistance the base ends  31   b  and  32   b  are laterally offset with respect to the conjoined area  35  (FIG. 3) which occurs at the conjunction of the apex ends of tetrahedron elastomer shells  31  and  32 . That is, a line parallel to axis  33  that extends through base end or first support surface  32   b  does not extend through the conjoined area  35  between the apex of the two-tetrahedron elastomers  31  and  32 . Similarly, a line parallel to axis  33  that extends through the second base end or support surface  31   b  does not extend through the conjoined area between the two apex ends  31   a  and  32   a  of the two-tetrahedron elastomers  31  and  32 . Consequently, forces applied to base ends produce shear within the elastomer. These type of elastomer shock isolator which functions in the shear mode is more fully shown and described in my copending application Ser. No. 09/779,423 is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
     FIG. 2 shows the elastomer bezel  14  in a slack condition wherein a curvature of the elastomer bezel is visible. That is, bezel  14  is sufficiently long so as to be positioned in a curved condition which is referred to as mounting the bezel  14  in a slack condition. This condition normally occurs around the entire periphery of the display  13  when the elastomer bezel  14  is in the relaxed condition, i.e. a condition where the static forces are supported by the elastomer shock isolators  21  and  22 . 
     FIG. 3 shows a portion of the removable base and elastomer bezel  14  illustrating the condition when shock and vibration forces have displaced display  13 . In this condition, due to downward displacement of display  13  relative to removable base  20 , the elastomer bezel  14  is now in a taut or tension condition. When the elastomer bezel is in a tension condition as illustrated in FIG. 3 further elongation of elastomer bezel is resisted resulting in the bezel  14  coacting with the elastomer shock mount  21  to further inhibit shock and vibration forces. That is, the elastomer bezel is sufficient flexible so as to offer little resistance to flexing when in the slack mode but has sufficient internal integrity to offer substantial resistance to elongation of bezel  14  when the bezel is in the taut condition as shown in FIG.  3 . At the same time the bezel  14  provides an aesthetically pleasing appearance around the peripheral region of display  13 . 
     FIG. 4 shows a partial cross section of the support structure  12  and a side view of the shock isolated unit  30  with removable base  20  and bezel  14 . The peripheral lip edge  20   a  of removable base forms mating engagement with the peripheral lip  12   a  in support structure  12   a  so a user can insert and mount the shock isolated unit  30  into the support structure  12 . This greatly facilitates replacing a display that may malfunction including any shock isolators since the shock isolated unit  30  carries the shock isolator  21  and elastomer bezel  14  as a unitary component. An operator need only secure the removable base  20  to the support structure with fasteners (not shown) and attach the display power cable  28  to the console. 
     While the display  13  is shown in a vertical mount the display  13  can be mounted in horizontal or any other orientation with the present invention. 
     The present invention also includes a method of shock isolating a display from a support housing by supporting a display  13  with an elastomer shock isolator  21  positioned on an interior region of a display  13 . One can then secure first peripheral lip  14   a  of elastomer bezel to the display  13 . One can secure a second peripheral lip  14   b  of the elastomer bezel  14  to the base  20  to thereby provide coactive shock and vibration protection to the display unit. 
     In order to produce coactive shock isolation one mounts the bezel  14  in a slack condition as shown in FIG. 2 so that the elastomer shock isolators  21  and  22  provide primary shock and vibration attenuation and the bezel  14  provides secondary shock and vibration attenuation as the bezel is brought into a taut condition. 
     In addition, the invention can include the step of mounting of the elastomer bezel  14  and elastomer isolators  21 ,  22  to a removable base  20  to permit the unitary removable and replacement of the display  13  as a shock isolated unit as well as the step of securing the base  20  to a support structure  12 .