GB2528029A

GB2528029A - Adjustable video display panel mounting and video wall

Info

Publication number: GB2528029A
Application number: GB1408573.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Ligertwood
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2014-05-14
Filing date: 2014-05-14
Publication date: 2016-01-13
Anticipated expiration: 2034-05-14
Also published as: GB201408573D0; GB2528029B

Abstract

A video panel mounting system includes a pair of spaced-apart vertical hangers 30, to which the rear of an outward-facing video panel (12 fig. 1) can be attached. Each hanger has forward 50 and rearward 40 elements which are adjustably connected to permit height, tilt, and inward and outward alignment to be adjusted. The rearward element is hung on a horizontal support rail 32 which can allow for horizontal adjustment of the panel in a tiled video wall. The system comprises upper and lower means 82 for adjustment so that the panel can be tilted or skewed so the spacing between the forward and rearward hanger on each side of the panel can be controlled.

Description

ADJUSTABLE VIDEO DISPLAY PANEL MOUNTING AND VIDEO WALL

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to aspects of a mounting system for a video display screen, and in particular to aspects of a mounting system for a plurality of adjacent video display panels making up a video wall.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The term video wall' is used to describe an array of video screens or other display devices set up in side-by-side relationship so as to form a composite display in which the individual display devices are mounted so that they can be used as individual tile elements. These elements can then be individually provided with different input signals contributing, usually, to one much larger, coherent display, made up from different images appearing on the adjacent tiles. The composite display may be entirely flat (planar) , but the development of curved display screens points to the wider future adoption of curved video walls.

In either case, the several display surfaces making up the video wall should be aligned with one another so that they all lie on one smooth flat or curved surface.

Usually, the individual tiled displays are rectangular, as is conventional for computer monitor and television screens, and this conveniently allows simple rectangular tiling, with horizontal rows of side-by-side screens stacked one above the other so that the individual displays also form vertical columns of adjacent screens. This description presumes that the video wall is arranged to display its images on a vertical surface, usually a plane, which is the typical configuration. The present specification will describe the invention in terms which presume a vertical display plane, but the invention is not necessarily so limited, and displays at other angles may be required in some circumstances.

Likewise, adjacent rows or columns may be staggered if such an effect is required. However, at the present time, and for technical simplicity, a simple display made up of a rectangular array of vertical columns and horizontal rows of substantially identical rectangular display screens is preferred.

The individual screens of the adjacent display devices in the wall need to be as close together as possible in order to minimise the area of the dead space between the individual display areas that is formed by the adjacent rims or bezels of the screens. The individual screens also need to be as nearly aligned as can be achieved, so that the composite image displayed on the whole video wall is not distorted when seen from an oblique viewing angle.

In addition to the above considerations, access to the rear of the panels in the video wall is required for assembly, screen replacement, and maintenance purposes. A preferred solution to this need for access is to mount individual panels so that they can be pulled forward, out of the plane of the video wall. This eliminates, or at least reduces, the need to construct the wall with space at the rear for easy access by a technician. It will be appreciated that a wall of adjacent aligned video display screens needs to be very robustly constructed, as the panels are heavy, and need to be supported in dimensionally precise locations to make up the complete composite images that are to be displayed on the video wall.

This invention is concerned with mounting systems for the tiled individual display elements of a composite video wall display that will facilitate maintenance, by means of a pop-out screen support, with enhanced provision for fine adjustment of the position and orientation of each display element, so as to enable a technician to easily maintain the precise alignment of the display screen with its neighbour display elements in the array.

SUNMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a mounting system in which a video display panel, typically a rectangular video display panel, is provided with a plurality of fine position adjustment possibilities. The first is horizontally in the plane of the display, which may be referred to as left-right adjustment. This permits the whole panel to be shifted left and right relative to its neighbours. The second is vertically and substantially independently at each horizontal end of the panel. This permits the whole panel to be raised and lowered relative to its neighbours when left and right are raised or lowered to the same degree, and also permits the lateral tilt of the panel to be adjusted when left and right are raised or lowered to different degrees. The third is provided substantially independently in horizontal directions perpendicular to the display surface (that is, in-out adjustment, into and out of that surface) at upper horizontally separated locations and at lower horizontally separated locations. These third adjustment means, for the typical rectangular display, thus correspond to independent in-out adjustment for each of the four corners of the display. It will be appreciated that, if the display panel is quite rigid, as is the usual case, these four adjustments cannot be totally independent of each other, since three fixed points will always determine the position of the fourth; but the adjustments can nevertheless be made to orient the panel in any desired plane, or curved surface in the case of a curved display screen, within the limits of the fine adjustment range, and can thereby enable a technician to maintain the plane or surface of the whole video wall display after servicing or replacing any individual panel. The invention seeks to provide a simple and efficient mounting system for this purpose.

In a broad aspect of the present invention, there is provided a panel mounting system for mounting a video panel In a video wall, comprising a substantially horizontal video panel support rail, and a laterally spaced pair of composite elongate hangers, each engaged with said support rail, each disposed substantially vertically, and each adapted to mount one lateral side of a video display panel casing; wherein each composite elongate hanger comprises a rearward element adapted to be hung on the rail, a forward element adapted to carry the casing of a forward-facing video display panel, and adjustable connector means connecting the forward element to the rearward element; wherein the rearward element of each hanger is locatable at a plurality of lateral positions along the rail, so that the left-right horizontal location of a mounted video panel may be adjusted; wherein the forward element of each hanger is adjustable for height in relation to the rearward element, so that the elevation and sideways tilt of a mounted video panel may be adjusted; and wherein the connector means of each substantially vertically disposed elongate hanger include both upper means for moving the forward element towards or away from the rearward element and lower means for moving the forward element towards or away from the rearward element, so that both the forward and backward tilt, and the forward and backward extension, of the corresponding lateral side of a mounted display panel may be adjusted.

The left-right adjustment of a panel is typically provided by means of a smoothly continuous surface to the rail which simply permits the hangers to be slid, or manually positioned with optional sliding adjustment, to the desired final position along the rail. Catch means are advantageously provided to secure the hangers on the rail when the desired location has been reached. In preferred embodiments, the rail has upper and lower edges; a hanger hangs on an upper edge, and a catch is provided on the hanger which is adapted to engage the lower edge; and the catch is manually engaged when the hanger is at the desired location. The catch may be a swivel catch that can be turned between two positions, of which one is behind the lower edge of the rail and holds the hanger against the rail, and one is clear of the rail and allows the hanger to be moved freely against and away from the rail, for attachment and removal. In a particularly preferred S aspect of the invention, the swivel catch is operated by a hanging cord. Ibis may have its two ends respectively attached to two sides of a pivoted arm on the swivel arbor of the catch.

The vertical adjustment at each horizontal end of the panel is provided by vertical adjustment between the rearward and forward elements of each of the two hangers. To this end, the two elements may be connected by the engagement of a projecting part of one with a vertically elongate receiving slot or channel of the other, or by the engagement of a receiving part of one with a vertically elongate rail or the like of the other. When in use, the hangers will be subject to the considerable weight of the video panel which they mount, and consequently the forward element of each hanger, which directly carries the panel, will be subject to a permanent downward force.

The height of the forward element relative to the rearward element can accordingly be controlled by a variable-length support adapted to brace a portion of the former above a portion of the latter.

Suitably, the variable-length support comprises a substantially vertically oriented screw threaded rod or the like, threadedly engaged with a portion of the forward element. The rod suitably has a handwheel for turning it to adjust its effective length in the forward element. In a preferred embodiment, it suitably bears against an upper surface of a horizontal flange of a coupling plate that forms part of connector means connecting the forward and rearward elements of the hanger.

The coupling plate may be captive between those two elements, and may be floating rather than fixed in relation to either of them.

Suitably, the coupling plate has a vertical web connected to a horizontal flange, and the horizontal flange passes through a slot in one of the two elements, while the vertical web passes through a slat in the other. In this arrangement, the flange or web may pass wholly through the said slot, or may be provided with a lateral tongue or tongues which extend into and move along the slot. The coupling plate may hold captive one end of a horizontally oriented screw threaded rod or the like, while the other end carries a handwheel for turning it, and the rod is threadedly engaged between those two ends with one of the two elements of the hanger, so that turning the handwheel either draws the elements closer together or moves them apart. This arrangement can be engineered so that the weight of the panel is transmitted through the forward element of the hanger, the variable-length support, the coupling plate, and the rearward element of the hanger, without significant downward load on the means for moving the forward element towards or away from the rearward element, typically the horizontally oriented screw threaded adjuster rod.

Instead, the load is transmitted from the forward to the rearward element through the web and flange of the coupling plate. This mitigates the potentially significant problem of excessive force being needed to manually turn the adjuster rod or its equivalent.

The horizontal separation between the locations of the two upper in-out adjustments, and between the locations of the two lower in-out adjustments, corresponds to the lateral separation between the two substantially vertically disposed composite elongate hangers.

Thus by means of the invention each corner of the mounted panel (if rectangular) is independently adjustable forwardly and backwardly, that is to say in a direction normal (perpendicular) to the plane or surface of the display, to finely adjust the plane of the display and, in particular, to enable the displays of adjacent panels to be conveniently made co-planar, or to lie on the same curve, and the vertical and horizontal positioning of the panel in the general plane of the display can also be finely adjusted. In the case of a video wall with limited access space behind the display and pop-out screens, these adjustments may be made when the panel is projected forwards out of the wall, still on its mounting, before being repositioned back in the wall.

It is conventional for flat video display panels to be provided with a mounting interface, namely a Flat Display Mounting Interface (FENI) , of a standard kind specified by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) . Typical standards specify four or six screw holes, according to the size or weight of the panel, at a range of standardised patterns and locations on the rear of the panelTs casing. The forward elements of the hangers are conveniently adapted to engage the panel casing (also known as the casework) by means of appropriately located apertures and/or slots adapted to receive screws for engagement with such VESA-specified screw holes.

In a second aspect, the support rail is mounted on an articulated linkage whereby a mounted video display panel may be moved forward out of an array of two or more adjacent display panels to permit access to the rear of the panel and fine adjustment of the display plane or other surface, and may be returned into such array after such adjustment.

In one such embodiment, the panel mounting system comprises a rearward portion adapted to be fixed to a static support, and a forward portion including said substantially horizontal video panel support rail, wherein the forward portion is connected to and supported by the rearward portion through an articulated linkage, such that the forward portion is moveable between a closed position in which it abuts the rearward portion, and an extended position in which it is supported spaced apart from the rearward portion. One suitable arrangement is described in my co-pending British patent application, entitled "Video Display Panel Ejector Mounting and Video Wall", filed contemporaneously herewith.

B

In a third aspect, the invention extends to an array of adjacent video display panels so mounted, having their respective displays aligned on a common plane or other surface.

Other suitable, advantageous of preferred features of the invention will become apparent from the tollowing more detailed description given in connection with a specific embodiment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:-Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a video wall of the kind with which the invention is suitable to employ, consisting of a 4 x 4 array of sixteen rectangular video display panels on a supporting structure; Figure 2 is a similar view to Figure 1 with the video display panels removed, to show the underlying panel support structure, including an array of sixteen identical panel mounting units clamped to a columnar framework; Figure 3 is a front perspective view (from a different viewpoint) of a detail of an individual display panel mounting system in accordance with the invention, showing just one hanger on a rail; Figure 4 is a different view, from the rear and one side, of the same detail as is shown in Figure 3, illustrating the hanger locked to the rail; Figure 5 is similar view to Figure 4, but with the hanger unlocked and moved to a different position along the rail; Figure 6 is a side elevation of the hanger alone; Figure 7 is a rear elevation of the hanger; Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the hanger with the forward element separated from the rest of the hanger, to show the internal parts; and Figure 9 is a perspective view, from the front and one side, of the rearward element of the composite hanger, with upper and lower parts of the connector means, for controlling in-out movement of the forward element, in place.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In Figure 1 of the drawings, a video wall 10 is illustrated, consisting of a set of sixteen rectangular flat video display panels 12, arranged as a grid of four abutting horizontal rows and vertical columns. Each panel has a casing 14 with a forward-facing rectangular screen 16 surrounded by a bezel 18. The forward direction so defined is used throughout this description, and any other directional references should be interpreted accordingly.

In use, the screens form sixteen adjacent tiles constituting a larger composite display covering the front of the wall, interrupted by narrow mullions where adjacent bezels meet. The display screens of the several panels themselves may be any of the various kinds used for video walls, such as, but not limited to, LCD (liquid crystal display) screens and LED (light emitting diode) screens.

The panels 12 are supported on a rigid framework 20, shown in Figure 2, of vertical columns 22 and horizontal braces 24, connected by clamps 26. In Figure 2, there are sixteen individual panel mounts 28 supported by framework 20 in positions corresponding to the sixteen panels 12, and a further sixteen hack-to-back with the first sixteen on the far side of the framework, so that the video wall may be two-sided. Such a wall is one in which there is insufficient space behind the panels to permit access for a technician, so the pop-out solution is adopted for service access to the rear of the panels.

The individual panel mounts 28 are supported by fittings clamped into desired positions on columns 22. Each mount includes a pair of laterally spaced apart substantially vertically disposed elongate hangers 29a, which will be attached to the VESA mounting points on the backs of the video panels 12. The hangers are carried on a substantially horizontal video panel support rail 29b. The mounts 28 are replaced, in accordance with the invention, by modified mounts incorporating somewhat modified support rails 32 carrying a laterally spaced apart pair of hangers 30 of the kind shown in Figures 3 to 9, which each show only one hanger, for simplicity, although two are required on each rail in the assembled mounting system and video wall.

As shown in Figures 3 to 5, each elongate hanger 30 is hung in a substantially vertical orientation on substantially horizontal video panel support rail 32, which comprises a plate 34 occupying a vertical plane or planes and is provided with an upper edge 36 and a lower edge 33. The support rail is suitably part of a pop- out ejector carriage of the kind described in the aforesaid co-pending patent application.

Hanger 30 includes a rearward element 40 and a forward element 50.

Each of these two elements is formed as a straight arm of pressed steel, of channel section, with substantial shaping of the respective side flanges, and numerous apertures and slots through the flanges and their connecting web. In this instance, the rearward arm section is narrower than the forward arm section, so that the former can be partially received in and embraced by the flanges of the latter.

The side flanges of the rearward arm are provided with two downwardly directed fingers 42, by which the arm is hung on the upper edge 36 of rail 32. This edge presents a smoothly oontinuous support surface, permitting the arm to be slid along the rail to any desired location on the upper edge. At a height just below the lower edge 38 of the rail, the rearward arm is provided with a swivel catch 44, which by means of an integral operating lever 46 can be turned between two positions. In one, shown in Yig. 5, the catch is clear of the rail lower edge, allowing the hanger 30 to be put on the rail and taken off it; in the other, shown in Fig. 4, the catch embraces the lower edge of the rail, and secures the hanger in position. It is optional whether the catch allows or prevents subseguent movement of the secured hanger along the rail; locking means may be provided separately of the catch 44 if so desired. Operating lever 46 may be gripped by an operator and turned by hand, or may be operated remotely. It is provided with two holes 48 (Fig. 5), one or either side of the swivel axis, to allow the two ends of a cord or cords to be attached, so that pulling on the appropriate end of the cord will turn the catch.

This feature is particularly useful for a service engineer attending to a panel in a video wall with poor access.

The forward arm 50 has a flat outer face to the central web of its channel section, so that it may be fitted firmly to the back of a video panel, which is achieved by means of mounting screw holes 52 and slot 54, located specifically to allow a range of VESA pattern panels to be mounted.

The two arms 40 and 50 are coupled by two pairs of connections. A first pair of connections utilises pairs of slots formed in the side flanges of the respective arms. A number of combinations are possible, according the specific design requirements, but in the illustrated embodiment the side flanges of the forward arm 50 are provided with upper and lower pairs of horizontal slots 60, while the side flanges of the narrower rearward arm 40, which are embraced by those of the forward arm, are provided with upper and lower pairs of vertical slots 62, at intersecting locations (see Figs 6 and 8 especially) so that the slots cross one another.

Short screws through the slots at each crossing point secure the two arms together, but the screws are not tight, so permit the arms to move within the limits imposed by the lengths of the respective horizontal and vertical slots.

A second pair of connectors between the two arms making up hanger are located by the upper and lower ends of the hanger. These connectors provide for in-out adjustment of a panel carried by the hanger, by adjusting the separation between the arms at these upper and lower locations. The connectors are similar, the upper connector 70 being essentially an inverted duplicate of the lower connector 72. Their construction is best seen is Figs 6, 8 and 9.

Each connector comprises a coupling plate 74, a screw-threaded rod 76, and a handwheel 82 on one end of the rod for turning it. The coupling plate has a channel section and is formed, typically of pressed steel, with an outer flange 78 and a higher inner flange 76 joined by a web portion which is wider than the two flanges, so that its ends protrude as two tongues 88. The rod is carried in threaded engagement with a screw-threaded bush 92 brazed or spot welded over an aperture in one end or the other of the web of rearward arm 40, so that the rod passes through the arm and can be turned by the handwheel which is mounted on the end of the rod on the channel side of the arm. The other end of the rod passes freely through an aperture in the web of the coupling plate, which is retained on the rod by a cap 84 on the end of the rod.

The two tongues 88 on the coupling plate are received in two vertical slots 90 in the flanges of the rearward arm 50, thus retaining the coupling plate in the channel of arm 50. A small clearance between the web of the coupling plate and the web of the arm permits cap 84 on the end of threaded rod 80 to turn freely as the rod is turned by the handwheel, which causes the rod to move progressively through the rearward arm. When the rod moves towards the forward arm, cap 84 bears against its web and pushes the forward arm away from the rearward arm, and when the rod moves away from the forward arm, cap 84 draws the coupling plate towards the rearward arm, and because tongues 88 are engaged with slots 90 in the side flanges of the forward arm, the forward arm is drawn towards the rearward arm.

Meanwhile, the inner flange 76 of coupling plate 74 is received in, and passes freely through, slot 86 in the web of rearward arm 40. This prevents the coupling plate from moving longitudinally relative to arm 40, while permitting the in-out relative movement between the two arms 40 and 50 that make up hanger 30.

slots 90 are longer (extend farther in a vertical direction) than the tongues 88. This permits the coupling plate to slide vertically up and down in the forward arm, within the limits of the length of the slots (taking account of the length of slots 62 as well) . This is to permit vertical adjustment between the forward and rearward arms, which is achieved as follows.

In use, there is considerable downward force exerted by a mounted video panel on the forward arm of the hanger. This would cause the forward arm to press heavily on the rearward arm at the bottom ends of the vertical slots 62 or the top ends of the vertical slots 90, whichever was reached first. This weight would then be transferred by the rearward arm to support rail 32. In order to adjust the height of the forward, panel-mounting arm 50 in relation to the rearward arm 40, a variable-length support is provided to transmit the weight from the forward arm on to one of the flanges of the coupling plate, in this case the outer and shorter flange 78. To this end, the upper end of the forward arm is closed, by bending two extension portions of the side flanges across it, and provided with a screw-threaded aperture 100 in which a threaded support rod 102 is engaged. The lower end of the support rod is braced against the outer surface of flange 78, to hold the upper end of the forward arm over the coupling plate in the rearward arm. The flange may be provided with a locating socket 106 (Fig. 8) to receive the rod end, but this is optional (Fig. 9) . Handwheel 104 on the upper end of the rod provides means for turning the rod and thereby raising or lowering the mounted panel.

The in-out adjuster rod 80 passes loosely through coupling plate 74, which is captive, but floating rather than fixed, between the side flanges of arm 50, and likewise freely movable through slot 86 in the web of arm 40. The manner in which the coupling plate is confined means that the weight of the panel cannot cause it to rotate and allow a radial load to be applied against the adjuster screw, because tongues 88 are confined in slot 90. Accordingly, resistance to manual actuation of the in-out adjusters is reduced.

Changes and modifications to the embodiments and features described, within the scope of the invention, will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

CLAIMS1 A composite elongate video panel hanger for use in a panel mounting system for mounting a video panel in a video wall in which a laterally spaced pair of said composite elongate hangers, each disposed substantially vertically, are each engaged with a substantially horizontal video panel support rail said support rail; wherein each composite elongate hanger is adapted to mount one lateral side of a video display panel casing, and comprises a rearward element adapted to be hung on the rail, a forward element adapted to carry the casing of a forward-facing video display panel, and adjustable connector means connecting the forward element to the rearward element; wherein the forward element of each hanger is adjustable for height in relation to the rearward U, element, so that the elevation and sideways tilt of a mounted video panel may be adjusted; and wherein the connector means of each substantially vertically disposed elongate hanger include LU both upper means for moving the forward element towards or away from the rearward element and lower means for moving the forward element towards or away from the rearward element, so that both r the forward and backward tilt, and the forward and backward extension, of the corresponding lateral side of a mounted display panel may be adjusted; and wherein the foregoing terms relating to spatial relationships have meanings as set out in the accompanyingdescription.
2 A hanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein the two elements are connected by the engagement of a projecting part of one with a vertically elongate receiving slot or channel of the other.
3 A hanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein the two elements are connected by the engagement of a receiving part of one with a vertically elongate rail or the like of the other.
4 A hanger as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the height of the forward element relative to the rearward element is controllable by a variable-length support adapted to brace a portion of the former above a portion of the latter.
A hanger as claimed in claim 4 wherein the variable-length support comprises a substantially vertically oriented screw threaded rod or the like, threadediy engaged with a portion ot the forward element.
6 A hanger as claimed in claim 5 wherein the variable-length support bears against an upper surface of a horizontal flange of a coupling plate that forms part of connector means connecting the forward and rearward elements of the hanger.
7 A hanger as claimed in claim 6 wherein the coupling plate is captive between the forward and rearward elements, floating in relation to either of them.
Ce A hanger as claimed in claim 6 or claim 7 wherein the coupling plate has a vertical web connected to a horizontal flange, and the horizontal flange passes through a slot in one of the two elements, while the vertical web passes through a slot in the other.
9 A hanger as claimed in claim 8 wherein the flange or web either passes wholly through the said slot, or is provided with a lateral tongue or tongues which extend into and move along the slot.
A hanger as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 9 wherein the coupling plate holds captive one end of a horizontally oriented screw threaded rod whose the other end carries a handwheel for turning it, and the rod is threadedly engaged between those two ends with one of the two elements of the hanger, so that turning the handwheel either draws the elements closer together cr moves them apart.
11 A panel mounting system for mounting a video panel in a video wall, comprising a substantially horizontal video panel support rail, and a laterally spaced pair of composite elongate hangers, each engaged with said support rail, each disposed substantially vertically, and each adapted to mount one lateral side of a video display panel casing; wherein each composite elongate hanger comprises a rearward element adapted to be hung on the rail, a forward element adapted to carry the casing of a forward-facing video display panel, and adjustable connector means connecting the forward element to the rearward element; wherein the rearward element of each hanger is locatable at a plurality of lateral positions along the rail, so that the left-right horizontal location of a mounted video panel may be adjusted; wherein the forward element of each hanger is adjustable for height in relation to the rearward element, so that the elevation and sideways tilt of a mounted video panel may be adjusted; and wherein the connector means of each substantially vertically LU disposed elongate hanger include both upper means for moving the forward element towards or away from the rearward element and lower means for moving the forward element towards or away from the rearward element, so that both the forward and backward tilt, and the forward and backward extension, of the corresponding lateral side of a mounted display panel may be adjusted.
12 A panel mounting system as claimed in claim 11 wherein the laterally spaced pair of composite elongate hangers are as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10.
13 A panel mounting system as claimed in claim 11 or 12 wherein the rail comprises a smoothly continuous surface whereon the hangers may be moved to a desired final position along the rail.
14 A panel mounting system as claimed in claim 13 comprising catch means to secure the hangers on the rail at a desired location.
A panel mounting system as claimed in claim 14 wherein the rail has upper and lower edges; a hanger hangs on an upper edge, and a catch is provided on the hanger which is adapted to engage the lower edge; and the catch is manually engaged when the hanger is at the desired location.
16 A panel mounting system as claimed in claim 15 wherein the catch is a swivel catch that can be turned between two positions, of which one is behind the lower edge of the rail and holds the hanger against the rail, and one is clear of the rail and allows the hanger to be moved freely against and away from the rail, for attachment and removal 17 A panel mounting system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the swivel catch is operated by a hanging cord.18 A panel mounting system as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 17 wherein the support rail is mounted on an articulated linkage whereby a mounted video display panel may be moved forward out of an array of two or more adjacent display panels to permit access to the rear of the panel and fine adjustment of the display plane or other surface, and may be returned into such array after such adjustment.19 A panel mounting system as claimed in claim 18 comprising a rearward portion adapted to be fixed to a static support, and a forward portion including said substantially horizontal video panel support rail, wherein the forward portion is connected to and supported by the rearward portion through an articulated linkage, such that the forward portion is moveable between a closed position in which it abuts the rearward portion, and an extended position in which it is supported spaced apart from the rearward portion.An array of adjacent video display panels mounted on a panel mounting system as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 19, having their respective displays aligned on a common plane or other surface. IC) IC) r