Display structure capable of enduring hard forces and impulses

Abstract

The present invention introduces a display structure (200B), comprising at least one display module. The display structure comprises, in the presented order, the following layers: - a display unit (210) comprising polymer, glass, ceramic or composite materials, and integrated electrically conductive circuitry with electronics, and a coating material, and light emitting devices, LEDs, (208), - a first coating layer (209) comprising transparent viscoelastic or elastic material with adhesive on both sides, - a second coating layer (211) comprising polymer, composite, metal or ceramic materials, wherein the second coating layer comprises a number of structured and manufactured through-holes, - a third coating layer (206) comprising transparent viscoelastic or elastic material with adhesive on both sides, and - a fourth coating layer (207) comprising transparent polymer material or glass.

Description

[0001] DISPLAY STRUCTURE CAPABLE OF ENDURING HARD FORCES AND IMPULSES

[0002] Technical field

[0003] The present invention relates to display or screen structures, which are applicable to various environments requiring physical strength and endurance for external forces and impulses. An example of an applicable use location is within a wall structure of an ice hockey rink.

[0004] Background

[0005] Ice hockey stadiums are examples of sports and multi-purpose arenas which require various screens inside the stadium for efficient communication of the situations of the game (including score), giving possibly instructions for the audience and for advertising, too. Such displays and screens may be placed along various surfaces and places within the arena. One good place to provide advertisements on the screens is formed by the wall elements of the ice hockey rink, along their inner vertical surfaces so that the viewers and also the television cameras are able to capture the information efficiently but without disturbing the game and the players themselves too much.

[0006] The idea of fixing the information screens on top of the wall structure of the rink itself is not suitable as the ice hockey regulations demand that the outer surface of the wall elements of the rink must have certain characteristics, such as complete smoothness across the whole surface, a certain colour and certain bouncing properties for the incoming hockey pucks. Also there would be a danger of the screen structure to break because of various impulses, such as because of the hitting pucks and also in a situation where a player makes a light or heavy contact with the wall with his / her body.

[0007] As to the various display technologies, LED screens are already widely used in various different environments and in various different application areas. They have the advantage of less thermal losses, and also a good price / quality ratio, and furthermore, cheaper operating costs because of good efficiency. LED screens may also be controlled to provide still or video images with good quality, with a full colour palette available with good resolution for audiences locating either close or farther from the display itself.

[0008] Typically discrete light emitting diodes are formed in an array of rows and columns to create pixels for a still or video display. By controlling each light emitting device, this will form an image. Discrete devices containing multiple colour emitting light sources can be used to create a range of various colours. Controlling both intensity and the level of basic colours, a display with controlled intensity and colour range can be created.

[0009] Thus, the control circuitry within the display matrix area is typically created in two directions (X and Y) to feed each light emitting device its control power. This two-dimensional circuitry consumes a great deal of display surface area or, when created using multiple conductive layers, will add up substrate complexity and manufacturing costs.

[0010] Multi-coloured light emitting diodes (i.e. a traditional LED) with an integral control circuitry has been introduced for the market, originally intended for decorative purposes. LEDs are typically arranged in long strips, where each LED can be separately controlled by an interconnected serial data bus. This can be called as “an intelligent LED”.

[0011] European patent publication EP 3472510 (“Ledfoil 1 ”) discloses a LED screen with a flexible film structure. It illustrates a layered structure where the LEDs fixed on a layer may be placed in a hole formed in an adjacent layer, for even better visibility of all LEDs locating in various different layers of the screen structure. Certain connection and fixing structures are also disclosed. The layers may be flexible, as they can be manufactured from a polymer.

[0012] Finnish patent publication Fl 130299 (“Ledfoil 2”) discloses a screen structure comprising modules with various layers for different purposes, such as a substrate, a layer for electronics, and a coating. The use situation of this screen structure is within the ice layer of the ice hockey arena. The manufacturing is performed so that the screen structure is placed on top of a concrete base, and water is poured on top of the device completely so that water will also reach various through-holes of the screen structure. As the water is cooled, ice will be created so that the screen structure will be firmly fixed inside the ice layer. In all playing situations, the screen will always have the ice as its topmost layer, protecting the screen itself. This environment is rather tough on the structure itself, and also the refractions of the light via the ice-LED and ice-air interfaces may have an effect on the quality of the shown imagery. Changing ads can be created within the ice with the concept of Ledfoil 2.

[0013] US patent application publication US 2023 / 0090087 (“Savolainen”) discloses a border element arrangement for e.g. dasher boards of an ice hockey rink. Figures 1 and 7 show the most relevant embodiment of Savolainen well. This structure involves a recess in a wall element and certain supporting structures for a digital display which may comprise also several display panels. The display hangs from a fixed suspension means locating near its upper edge. There is a protective sheet as the outermost element facing the playing field.

[0014] There is still a need to provide information and advertising surfaces in different locations of an ice hockey arena or of other multipurpose venues, than just the screen structure on top of the arena near the ceiling, or within the ice itself. Therefore, the present invention proceeds by presenting a screen structure to a different part of an ice hockey rink, without compromising player safety or regulative matters of the ice hockey game, but with providing a more satisfying experience for the audience via various screens. Furthermore, there is a need to develop further the existing solutions in the field of wall element displays, so that regulatory matters are complied with and also safety matters for the players, together with providing an enhanced experience to viewers in the arena audience together with the possible television viewers of the game.

[0015] Summary

[0016] The inventive concept comprises of using serial data-controlled light emitting devices in various embodiments of display module structures, enabled by a pixel matrix and simplified power and data buses, and further enabled by intelligent control of light emitting devices (i.e. intelligent LEDs).

[0017] Furthermore, the inventive concept comprises various uses of the display structures in context with different installing platforms and application areas. A focus area of the present invention is formed by the display structures comprising layer(s) with electronics and light emitting devices applicable on various substrate materials, multifunctional layers and their structures, through-holes, and various protective layers, when the display is installed in harsh environmental conditions, such as within a surface layer of a dasher board in an ice hockey arena visible from the stands, or in various information signs in outdoor conditions with varying environmental conditions, for instance.

[0018] The present invention introduces a display structure, comprising at least one display module. The display structure comprises, in the presented order, the following layers: a display unit comprising polymer, glass, ceramic or composite materials, and integrated electrically conductive circuitry with electronics, and a coating material, and light emitting devices, LEDs, a first coating layer comprising transparent viscoelastic or elastic material with adhesive on both sides, a second coating layer comprising polymer, composite, metal or ceramic materials, wherein the second coating layer comprises a number of structured and manufactured through-holes, a third coating layer comprising transparent viscoelastic or elastic material with adhesive on both sides, and a fourth coating layer comprising transparent polymer material or glass.

[0019] In an embodiment of the present invention, the display structure comprises, behind the display unit, a back panel where the back panel comprises metal, ceramic, composite or polymer.

[0020] In an embodiment of the present invention, a 2-sided tape is placed between the display unit and the back panel, where the 2-sided tape comprises thermally conductive material.

[0021] In an embodiment of the present invention, the first and third coating layers are made of transparent double-sided acrylic foam tape.

[0022] In an embodiment of the present invention, the second coating layer comprises circular or oval-shaped through-holes. In an embodiment of the present invention, the through-holes locate in corresponding locations with the LEDs, so that the lower edge of a through- hole locates right adjacent to a lower edge of a respective LED, resulting in the LEDs locating non-centrically in each of the through-holes.

[0023] In an embodiment of the present invention, the display structure comprises an elastic coating layer on top of the display unit, which elastic coating layer comprises black or grey material capable to absorb various shocks, where the elastic coating layer is organized in a form of parallel horizontally aligned strips, where an upper edge of a strip is placed right adjacent to lower edges of a horizontal row of LEDs, resulting in the LEDs locating non-centrically in each of the gaps between the strips, wherein the elastic coating layer replaces the first, the second and the third coating layers.

[0024] In an embodiment of the present invention, the display structure is embedded into a wall element forming dasher boards of an ice hockey rink.

[0025] In an embodiment of the present invention, anywhere in front of the second coating layer, the display structure comprises an intelligent foil applying polymer dispersed liquid crystals, PDLC, which enables the display structure to show selectively either matte white surface, or to show visual image material as controlled by a controller of the display structure.

[0026] In an embodiment of the present invention, the display structure is configured to be constructed from one or several smaller, manufacturable sized display modules by interconnecting a suitable number of display modules into rows, or into columns, or into both rows and columns.

[0027] Brief description of the drawings

[0028] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a screen structure comprising various layers where the screen structure is installable to a present wall element of an ice hockey rink, or as a piece within a new wall element, respectively,

[0029] FIG. 2A illustrates a Venetian blind -typed arrangement of a screen structure in an embodiment, where the light from the LEDs is prevented to be directed towards the surface of the ice, FIG. 2B illustrates another version of a Venetian blind -typed arrangement of a screen structure in an embodiment, and

[0030] FIG. 3 illustrates a further cross-section of the layer structure and also the building principle of the screen structure involving LEDs and respective through-holes within the structure.

[0031] Detailed description

[0032] The present invention introduces a display structure i.e. a screen structure which may be installed on a surface of an already constructed piece of a wall structure forming the ice hockey rink. As an alternative option, the invented screen structure may also be installed as a part (i.e. on a surface) of a newly installable wall structure (i.e. manufactured from the beginning) forming the ice hockey (or for respective sports, such as figure skating) rink. In these different embodiments, the thickness of the complete wall element does not in practice change, and also the vertical wall surfaces (towards the playing area) remain smooth (i.e. no sharp edges anywhere along the outer vertical side surface facing the playing field) and very resisting against outside forces, impulses and bumps, whether they originate from a hard check during the ice hockey game, or just a puck hitting the wall surface during play or training. In other embodiments, the display structure may be used in some other application area, not just restricted into ice hockey or even sports venue use situations. The present invention may be used as any information providing means, where digital content is desired to be presented. The present invention is specifically advantageous when the operational location is harsh and demands more endurability from the display structure.

[0033] FIG. 1 presents an embodiment of a suitable screen structure 100 formed from various layers.

[0034] The screen structure 100 according to the shown embodiment is illustrated as a cross-section through the wall element in the three left-hand-most sections of FIG. 1 . The right-hand-most section shows the structure directly from the ice field i.e. from the playing area, from a directly perpendicular direction, as a simplified structural illustration. The screen structure 100 comprises a display module 105 (shown in four different places in FIG. 1 , in each of the sub-parts of the figure. In an embodiment, the display module 105 may have a thickness of 5 mm. As shown in the left-hand-most sub-part of the figure, the display module 105 comprises a viscoelastic coating layer or elastic coating layer 101. The layer 101 may further comprise a liner on its front surface, which may be more precisely a transparent foil made of polymer. Furthermore, the transparent foil and the viscoelastic or elastic coating layer together may have a thickness of approximately 2 mm, in an embodiment. In a further embodiment, the viscoelastic or elastic coating layer is formed from a transparent double-sided acrylic foam tape. Such an acrylic foam tape provides physical flexibility and endurance for various external physical forces affecting the screen structure. This tape acts as a padding layer for softening the impacts targeting the surface of the screen structure 100. The first surface of the viscoelastic or elastic coating layer is placed against the transparent foil, and the second surface of the viscoelastic or elastic coating layer attaches to a mask panel (described in the next paragraph), in an embodiment.

[0035] As a next layer adjacent to layer 101 , the display module 105 comprises a rigid coating layer 102. The rigid coating layer 102 may be in a form of a mask panel, and it may have a thickness of 1 mm, in an embodiment. Furthermore, in an embodiment, the rigid coating layer 102 may be a composite structure. In an embodiment, the mask panel 102 may be manufactured from a circuit board material, such as FR4. Furthermore, the mask panel 102 comprises holes in places where there are LEDs and other larger electrical components in the display unit (see also the description of layer 104 later). In an embodiment, the front surface (as seen from the hockey field) of the mask panel 102 comprises a copper surface which acts as an EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) shield. Furthermore, there might be a coloured top layer on top of the copper surface, where the colour may be selected e.g. from white, grey or black.

[0036] As a next layer adjacent to the rigid coating layer 102, the display module 105 comprises another viscoelastic coating layer or elastic coating layer 103. In an embodiment, the viscoelastic or elastic coating layer 103 may have a thickness of 1 mm. Furthermore, the viscoelastic or elastic coating layer 103 may be formed from transparent double-sided acrylic foam tape. The viscoelastic or elastic coating layer 103 acts as a binder between the rigid coating layer 102 and a display unit 104 (described in the following paragraph), and furthermore, as a padding layer for softening the impacts targeting the surface of the screen structure 100. Furthermore, the viscoelastic or elastic coating layer 103 protects the display unit 104 and the LEDs from moisture and also from other environmental and adverse effects apart from the physical and mechanical impacts. Such environmental effects comprise e.g. dust.

[0037] As a next layer adjacent to layer 103, the display module 105 comprises a display unit 104. The display unit 104 may comprise polymer, glass, ceramic or composite materials, and integrated electrically conductive circuitry with electronics, and coating material, and light emitting devices (i.e. LEDs). In an embodiment, the display unit 104 may in practice be formed from a circuit board material, such as FR4. The circuit board material may have a thickness of 1 mm. The display unit 104 has LEDs attached on top of it, in mutually equal distances from one another (in both X- and Y-directions) in an embodiment. In yet another embodiment, it is possible to have different LED distances (looked at between adjacent ones) in the X-direction compared to the LED distances in the Y-direction. In this way, a more adjustable screen structure and resolution and characteristics of the screen based on different application requirements may be achieved. The LEDs will locate in the respective locations of the holes which are part of the mask panel 102 (described above), in the final product of the screen structure 100. Furthermore, in an embodiment, a double-sided tape may be used to attach the display unit 104 to a back panel (described in a later paragraph). However, the back panel is not mandatory in all possible embodiments of this screen structure.

[0038] The display unit may comprise a coating material.

[0039] Then the right-most cross-section of FIG. 1 (right in the centre of the page) is taken into analysis. It shows the display module 105 together with a transparent front panel 106 and with a back panel 107. In an embodiment, the transparent front panel 106 may have a thickness of 0,1 ... 12 mm depending on the application area, and it is made of polymer, or more precisely, e.g. from polycarbonate. In a more precise embodiment, the thickness of the transparent front panel 106 may be 6 - 8 mm, for great installability in old wall elements so that the thickness of the whole wall element remains in practice the same, when updating an existing wall element for the ice hockey rink. However, in some ice hockey rink solutions, the commonly applied larger front panel thickness may be 8-12 mm, and it is made of a polymer such as polycarbonate. The front panel covers several adjacent display modules in some applications, such as in the ice hockey application area. The purpose of the front panel 106 is to be strong and durable enough to endure various impulses and forces coming from the bodies of the players during the game, and from the equipment used in the game, such as the sticks and pucks. The front panel 106 thus is in contact with layer 101 of the display module described earlier.

[0040] In order to clarify the above matters further, it is to be noted that in the ice hockey rink application, there may be used a larger specific front panel which might have a thickness of 8-12 mm. The larger size means that such a specific front panel usually covers several display modules. The specific front panel applied in the ice hockey rink application is a layer, which is used in commonly available ice hockey dasher boards, too. Such a front panel may be made e.g. from polycarbonate, and it is physically very resistant to various forces and impacts. The specific front panel is transparent, too, so that the screen information will be visible and undistorted when viewed from the stands and via the TV cameras.

[0041] Respectively, the display unit 104 of the display module 105 may be in contact with the back panel 107. The back panel 107 may have a thickness of 1 -4 mm, in an embodiment. One specific thickness selection option is 2 mm, in an embodiment. The material of the back panel 107 may be a composite (e.g. glass fibre), or a polymer (with a small coefficient of thermal expansion), or metal (e.g. aluminium). In a yet further embodiment, the back panel 107 may be a fibre board, which has a small coefficient of thermal expansion. The back panel 107 thus acts as an attaching platform for the display module 105, in an embodiment, such as in the ice hockey rink application.

[0042] In an embodiment, the layer structure 105, 106, 107 of the present invention replaces the commonly used 4 mm thick polycarbonate-made transparent front board (which has been used in regular ice hockey rinks), and the possible advertising board, and the respective back board (which has been commonly polyethylene with 10 mm thickness and coloured as white), too. The thicknesses have been selected so that the combined thickness of the back board, ad layer and the front board (in the already used rinks) substantially corresponds with the thickness of the combined layers 105, 106, 107 of the present invention. In this sense, the wall element thickness does not substantially change, when an old wall element of the ice hockey rink is updated with the screen structure 100 according to the present invention, for creating a novel ice hockey rink with efficient screening possibilities along the vertical wall elements of an ice hockey rink. This gives possibilities for just updating an already installed ice hockey rink with the screen structure of the present invention without having to disassemble the whole set of wall elements first. This makes the installing time of the present invention relatively quick, and the work itself much easier. It is also a cost-efficient solution.

[0043] It can be concluded that the front panel 106 and the back panel 107 are large separate plates locating on both sides of the display module. The front panel and the back panel are not part of the actual screen i.e. the display module itself.

[0044] The larger rectangular area in the central sub-part of the figure is the base material of the wall element, common in any ice hockey rink.

[0045] The right-most sub-part of FIG. 1 shows an example of the front view of the installed screen structure 100. Now the whole group of adjacent wall elements 108 surrounding the playing area may be called as dasher boards, too. Commonly, the dasher boards have been manufactured from e.g. high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and they have to fulfil certain absorbing and flexibility criteria in order to keep the players safe, and to fulfil various league requirements, such as for the NHL. The figure shows an example of a module- typed approach where the display modules 105 may be installed side-by-side so that the whole wall element 108 is created when all the required (or desired) display modules are installed in the wall elements. There might be a continuous display structure along the whole dasher board, or there may be some sections, where the display area locates, while some parts of the vertical wall surface are lacking the displaying properties (or they just have a fixed prior art ad based on non-electric traditional ads in some sections of the dasher boards). These may be selected based on required needs, the visibility (or level) of the matches played in a particular arena and maybe also based on e.g. common camera angles used in a television broadcast. Also, the height of the display modules 105 might be close to the whole available height on top of the vertical side surface of the wall element, like in the illustration (see the black element), for providing a maximized area of information and / or advertisement for the ice hockey game. Alternatively, the display element height may be selected to be somewhat smaller, to provide only e.g. the central area of the wall’s side surface for advertisement and / or information purposes electronically. This is a bit cheaper solution to create as the area of the displays are smaller than in the maximized area embodiment.

[0046] The panels may also look different, or have a different shape or scheme, when assembling the screen structure within the wall elements of the rink. In an example, there could be two horizontal rows of modules (one on top the other) proceeding along the whole vertical surfaces (or partly) of the horizontally extending ice hockey rink.

[0047] Various assembling patterns of the adjacent display modules 105 within the wall elements are hence possible in the present invention.

[0048] FIG. 2A illustrates a Venetian blind -typed arrangement of a screen structure in an embodiment 200A, where the light of the LEDs will be directed slightly upwards towards the audience and the TV cameras of the ice hockey arena in this embodiment 200A. This embodiment 200A of the screen structure has structural properties which hinder the light of the LEDs to propagate directly towards the surface of the ice.

[0049] The layer and element structure are presented and described starting from the back towards the direction where the light from the LEDs will propagate out of the screen structure.

[0050] The embodiment 200A of FIG. 2A in the left-hand side of the drawing may comprise a back panel (not shown) which may be similar as the one already described in connection with FIG. 1 earlier, but the back panel is not a mandatory part in this embodiment.

[0051] A next (adjacent) element is a double-sided tape which is used to attach the display unit to the back panel. The double-sided tape itself may be very thin, e.g. less than 0,5 mm thick, in an embodiment. The double-sided tape is not mandatory.

[0052] The next layer is the display unit 203 which in practice is formed from a circuit board material, such as FR4. It may have a thickness of 1 ,0 - 1 ,6 mm, for instance. This layer is shown as the right-most vertical layer shown in the illustration of embodiment 200A in FIG. 2A.

[0053] On top of the display unit 203 (i.e. the respective circuit board layer), a desired number (with desired density per area) of LEDs 202 are attached to. The LEDs 202 are shown as small squares, and four of them are shown in the respective illustration. The present invention preferably applies intelligent LEDs (see the description earlier) where each LED can be separately controlled by an interconnected serial data bus.

[0054] Next in this embodiment, an elastic coating layer i.e. a padding layer 204, is applied on top of the display unit 203. The padding layer 204 may indeed be formed as a Venetian blind, i.e. as a parallel-aligned group of horizontal bands or strips. As the illustration shows the arrangement as a cross-section, each band represents the black area shown in the figure. The bands or strips may indeed be made of an elastic coating material having notable flexibility (i.e. ability to compress when experiencing an impulse force), and they might have a black or grey colour. These bands may have a thickness of 5 mm, for instance. A possible material of manufacturing these bands is a cellular rubber, such as EPDM rubber (ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber). In each gap between two adjacent horizontal lines of LEDs, an above-discussed strip / band is attached to the circuit board of the display unit 203 by gluing or by using a double-sided adhesive or tape. Each band of flexible material is also installed so that the upper edge of the band is placed closed to the abovelocating LED, i.e. in a non-centric fashion when concerning the gap between the LEDs in the vertical direction. A first function of this layer formed by such bands, is to act as absorbing material for the various forces, impacts, and bumps affecting the surface of the wall element. A second function of this layer is to direct the outflowing light from the LEDs 202 in a way where the light is directed more in the tilted upper direction towards the stands of an ice hockey arena, and towards the possible TV cameras, too. The non-centric placement of the black or grey bands ensures that the light from the LEDs won’t be directed towards the surface of the ice, where reflections are widely considered irritative for both the players and the viewers. This happens because of the physical barrier made by the upper edges of each band in the padding layer 204. See also the light beam directions drawn in FIG. 2A. Furthermore, the black / grey edge of each band will be partly visible from the viewing direction of the audience and the cameras, where such coloured and visible edges will enhance the contrast of the shown image material on the screens. There are thus many technical effects associated with the elastic coating layer i.e. the padding layer 204.

[0055] On top of the padding layer 204 (= to its front side), a white foil 201 is attached to the padding layer 204 with an adhesive. The purpose of the white foil 201 is to make the screen to look white during the times, when the screen is not switched on. In this way, the wall elements with such screens fulfil the ice hockey regulations, which state that the wall elements should be mainly white, although some possibly colourful ads might be used on top of the white base colour. The ads are hence preferred to be logos or texts present on top of white background colour.

[0056] In an embodiment of the present invention, for creating an even whiter background colour, when the screens are not switched on, the present invention may apply an intelligent foil (“alykalvo” in Finnish). The intelligent foil may also be called as “Smart glass”, made of polymer dispersed liquid crystals (i.e. PDLC). This structure is formed by placing liquid crystals between two foils made of PET (i.e. polyethylene terephthalate). Based on the voltage provided by a current source, the liquid crystals will form a uniform, aligned group of liquid crystals, which results in a transparent viewing experience through such an intelligent foil. On the other hand, when the current is switched off, the liquid crystals will be set in a non-aligned, irregular order, which results in such a foil being milk-white, matte and therefore, non-transparent.

[0057] The use principle of the embodiment applying an intelligent foil, may be as follows. When it is desired to not show any advertisements on the screens, the intelligent foil will remain voltage-free (V = 0 V), so that the current is also zero and the intelligent foil will have the completely white, non-transparent visual appearance. On the other hand, when ads are desired to be shown in the arena via the wall elements, the intelligent foil will have the current source turned on, so that the intelligent foil changes instantly to a transparent state. When the intelligent foil is used, there is an alternative option to use a display module with a darker-coloured appearance (e.g. to be grey or black) so that the shown image material on the screens will have an enhanced contrast, which in turn makes the shown visual material easier to see from the audience member’s (or TV cameras’) perspective. In other words, the enhanced contrast results in better image quality of the material shown in the digital screens.

[0058] On top of the white foil 201 , a transparent foil 205 is placed. The transparent foil 205 may also be called as a liner. However, in various embodiments, the thickness of the transparent foil 205 may vary between 0,1 - 1 ,0 mm. Between the transparent foil 205 and the white foil 201 , there is placed adhesive for connecting these two layers together firmly. The transparent foil 205 may have a size of the display module and the transparent foil 205 may be made e.g. from polycarbonate, polyethylene or glass. The purpose of the transparent foil 205 is to ensure that the bands are kept firmly in their places, and it also ensures that the protected display module ends up being a firm package, so to say.

[0059] The transparent foil 205 represents the final layer of the actual display module in the shown embodiment.

[0060] In an embodiment of the present invention, an intelligent foil may be placed on top of layer 205.

[0061] On top of several adjacent display modules e.g. in the ice hockey application, there might be used a larger front panel (not shown), in an embodiment. In an embodiment, this front panel may be similar as the one already described in connection with FIG. 1 . In other words, the separate front panel in front of the display module(s) is a transparent, impulse-resistant hard plate made e.g. of polycarbonate, which might have a thickness of 8-12 mm.

[0062] Embodiment 200B of the screen structure is discussed next in connection to FIG. 2B. It illustrates another option of building the layer structure for obtaining the screen structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is not a Venetian blind -typed arrangement, but rather using the mask panel 211 with circular or oval-shaped through-holes in the locations of LEDs 208. A flexible padding layer (i.e. the curved layer 209) is applied between the mask panel 211 and the circuit board making the display unit 210. This gives more endurance for various shocks, and protects the LEDs 208 very efficiently, too. This layer also protects the arrangement from the effects of moist and other environmental factors (i.e. non-physical factors). In practice, the flexible padding layer 209 may be a viscoelastic or elastic coating layer, and it is placed on top of the display unit 210 so that in the locations of the LEDs 208, the padding layer 209 will curve around the protruding LEDs 208. FIG. 2B shows this principle in a bit exaggerated fashion, for clarification purposes.

[0063] Also, in this embodiment 200B, the light of the LEDs 208 will be directed slightly upwards towards the audience and the TV cameras of the ice hockey arena, and away from the surface of the ice to avoid harmful reflections on the surface of the ice.

[0064] This embodiment is also shown starting from a display unit 210 (in the back) and ending in a transparent foil 207 (in the front), thus making up the display module. The other elements, which are not shown in the figure, may be the same as described in connection with FIG. 2A. The use of the other elements, such as the larger front and back panels, depend on the application area, and such additional layers and parts are voluntary in the present invention.

[0065] The embodiment 200B of FIG. 2B in the right-hand side of the drawing may comprise a back panel (not shown) which may be similar as the one already described in connection with FIG. 1 earlier. However, this back panel is not a mandatory element in this embodiment. In the ice hockey dasher board application, the back panel may be used indeed. However, in an embodiment, the display module or separate adjacent display modules may also act as a separate, independent unit forming the screen structure without any additional panels.

[0066] A next (adjacent) voluntary element is a double-sided tape or adhesive which is used to attach the display unit 210 to the possible back panel. The doublesided tape itself may be very thin, e.g. less than 0,5 mm thick, in an embodiment. The double-sided tape is hence not mandatory. The display module itself starts from the display unit 210, which in practice may be formed from a circuit board material, such as FR4. It may have a thickness of 1 ,0 - 1 ,6 mm, for instance. This layer is thus shown as the right-most vertical layer shown in the illustration of embodiment 200B in FIG. 2B.

[0067] On top of the display unit 210 (i.e. the respective circuit board layer), a desired number (with desired density per area) of LEDs 208 are attached to. The LEDs 208 are shown as small squares, and four of them are shown in the respective illustration. The above-described intelligent LEDs are preferably used.

[0068] Next in this embodiment 200B, a padding layer 209 is applied on top of the display unit 203 and on top of the LEDs 208 in a flexibly formulated manner, as described also earlier. This can be seen in the figure, where the padding layer 209 is slightly curved in places where there are respective LEDs 208. The padding layer 209 is preferably a viscoelastic or elastic coating layer. In practice, the padding layer 209 may be a transparent double-sided acrylic foam tape which has been discussed extensively elsewhere in this description. Because of its viscoelasticity, this layer provides elastic properties (= rebounds back) in short-term forces, and viscous properties (= formulates into a new shape) in long-term forces. This is advantageous in various sports related contexts such as in ice hockey arenas and their wall elements (altogether forming the dasher board) forming the playing area, as these surfaces may experience various different types of ferees, impacts and impulses during the game.

[0069] The padding layer 209 formed as a viscoelastic or elastic coating layer provides a softening effect for any incoming force towards the display unit 210 and the LEDs 208 and their electric controls i.e. connections / wirings. Furthermore, as the padding layer 209 proceeds in a curved fashion around the LEDs, it results in a tightly organized package while still providing a thin solution for the complete screen product. The padding layer 209 gives good physical protection for the LEDs 208, which locate right behind it. Additionally, it provides good protection against moist and dust effects, and against other possible chemical / atmospheric phenomena present in the application environment of the screen structure. As the next adjacent layer, a mask panel 211 is installed right on top of the padding layer 209. The mask panel 211 may be also called as a rigid coating layer, which has through-holes in the locations of the LEDs 208. The through- holes may be circularly shaped or oval-shaped, in an embodiment. The mask panel 211 may be placed on top of the LEDs 208 and the viscoelastic or elastic coating layer 209 (i.e. the padding layer) so that the lower edge of the circular or oval-shaped hole is placed close to the lower edge of the respective LED 208. As the LED’s diameter is notably smaller than the (largest) diameter of the hole, this means that the LEDs 208 are not centrally located in the holes, but rather non-centrally. This further means that the propagating light emitted by the LEDs 208 can’t flow below its own horizontal level, because the lower inside edge of each hole within the mask panel 211 will act as a physical barrier for the light beam to propagate into any lower direction (= lower tilting angle), i.e. towards the surface of the ice when used in the ice hockey wall element application area. See also the light beam directions drawn in FIG. 2B showing this principle. Note also that the viscoelastic or elastic coating layer 209 is transparent in this embodiment.

[0070] The mask panel 211 is described in more detail in connection with FIG. 3 later.

[0071] The next layer is another padding layer 206. This layer may also be called as a viscoelastic or elastic coating layer, and in an embodiment, a transparent double-sided acrylic foam tape may be used. Hence, this layer may be in practice made with the same material as the padding layer 209. The padding layer 206 may now be installed as a non-curved i.e. a directly flat layer as the outer surface of the mask panel 211 defines the attachment surface for padding layer 206 (except the locations of the holes in the mask panel 211 ). The thickness of padding layer 206 may be adjusted so that the complete thickness of the FIG. 2B embodiment essentially equals the complete thickness of the FIG. 2A embodiment. In a further embodiment, the thickness of the padding layer 206 may be determined based on protection requirements of the application area (i.e. the location where the display structure is installed). In an example, the thickness of the padding layer 206 may be 2,0 mm.

[0072] Finally, a transparent foil 207 is placed as the last shown layer in this embodiment forming the display module. The transparent foil 207 may be similar to the transparent foil 205 shown in embodiment 200A in FIG. 2A. In an embodiment of the present invention, an intelligent foil may be placed on top of layer 207, for creating a matte white colour for the display surface when the screen structure is turned off; especially to be used in the ice hockey wall element application area, if desired.

[0073] On top of the finished display module, there may be a separate larger front panel (not shown) e.g. in the ice hockey wall element application, in an embodiment. In an embodiment, this front panel may be similar as the one already described in connection with FIG. 1 and with FIG. 2A. In the practical use situation, the front panel sets on top of several adjacent display modules, to provide a final impact-resisting surface for the display modules. The front panel is transparent, too.

[0074] Otherwise, for similar parts, elements and layers described in connection with the embodiment 200B, they may utilize same properties and different optional embodiments, such as thicknesses and materials, which were discussed already in the above in connection with the embodiment 200A.

[0075] The embodiment 200B of FIG. 2B directs the LED light information very practically and handily into an upper tilted direction from the LEDs 208 towards the viewers in the arena, and towards the possible TV cameras, too, as the embodiment 200A also did. Also, the LED light will not proceed towards the surface of the ice, in the ice hockey wall element application area. However, it is notable that the contrast in the screen images is different between these two shown embodiments of 200A and 200B, because embodiment 200B lacks the black or grey strips or bands between the horizontal LED rows. However, in certain situations and in differing lighting conditions, embodiment 200A may be very useful in certain conditions, and embodiment 200B provides a very useful solution in certain other conditions. It is notable that the present invention could be implemented in either indoors or outdoors. Furthermore, the use situation could generally be in the daylight or in the night-time. Therefore, various contrast options for the screen structure are desirable.

[0076] For improving contrast in application areas other than the ice hockey arenas, it is possible to use a mask panel, which is coloured as black or grey (or generally, dark). This improves the contrast of the shown visual information on the screen structure. In ice hockey applications, the mask panel is preferably white. Alternatively, the intelligent foil may be used for creating the desired matte white effect, as described also in an earlier section of the description.

[0077] FIG. 3 illustrates a yet another cross-section of the layer structure and also the building principle of the screen structure 300 involving LEDs 308 and respective through-holes 307 within the structure. The mask panel 303 and the display unit 305 are also shown as direct front-view illustrations for better clarity.

[0078] In the central cross-sectional illustration of FIG. 3, layers 301 -306 are discussed, where the last layer 306 comprises some non-mandatory options not part of the actual display module itself. Also layer 301 presents a transparent front panel, which is not a mandatory, and not part of the display module itself; however, the front panel is very useful and required in the ice hockey wall element applications as the very first impact-resisting layer facing the playing area.

[0079] The layer facing the viewer(s) is hence layer 301 representing such a transparent front panel. In this embodiment, the transparent front panel 301 may generally have a thickness between 0,1 - 12 mm. In the ice hockey application area, its thickness may be between 8-12 mm. The transparent front panel 301 may be manufactured from a polymer (a transparent one) or from glass.

[0080] Proceeding into the display module itself, the next layer is a viscoelastic or elastic coating layer 302, which may be a transparent double-sided acrylic foam tape. The viscoelastic or elastic coating layer 302 may be provided with a thickness of 0,25 - 3 mm. The other properties of this layer are discussed extensively elsewhere in this description. On top of the viscoelastic or elastic coating layer 302, there might be a thin liner, so that the outer surface of the display module is not sticky (because of the adhesives applied between the layers) to the assembling personnel of the screen structure. The liner corresponds to the transparent foil discussed in the earlier embodiments.

[0081] The next layer of the display module is a mask panel 303, which may be in a form of a rigid coating layer. The thickness of the mask panel 303 may be approximately 1 mm in this embodiment. The mask panel 303 may be manufactured from a composite (such as glass fibre), or metal or a polymer. The mask panel 303 is also shown in the left-hand side of the illustration as a direct front-view image. This view reveals that the mask panel 303 comprises circular or oval (only circular ones shown) through-holes 307, for instance locating uniformly with the same distances between adjacent though-holes in both the X- and Y-directions. In an embodiment, the mask panel 303 may be attached centrally in view of the through-holes setting “around” the respective LED 308 locations in the final screen product. In another embodiment, the mask panel 303 may be set in a non-central manner directing the outflowing light from the LEDs 308 to proceed only horizontally and slightly upwards (in a tilted direction) towards the stands and the cameras, and hence, away from the ice, or away from any other lower direction. In an embodiment, the noncentralization of the hole with respect to the LEDs may be set so that there is a physical barrier for the light to propagate to any specified direction. Such a prohibited direction may be any one of the following: to the upper direction, or to the lower direction, or to the left-hand side direction, or to the right-hand side direction. This might be useful in various possible places where this screen structure could be installed. This comprises also places locating higher than the viewers’ eyes in various multi-purpose arenas, for instance.

[0082] The embodiment, where the light is physically prohibited to propagate to any downwards direction from the LEDs, corresponds to the structures of embodiments 200A-B, where also the light from the LEDs does not propagate downwards toward the ice surface. This reduces harmful reflections from the ice surface. In an embodiment, the through-holes are shaped as circular holes along the surface of the mask panel 303, but also oval-shaped holes could well be applied instead of circular holes.

[0083] The next layer of the display module is a viscoelastic or elastic coating layer 304 behind the mask panel 303. The viscoelastic or elastic coating layer 304 may also be called as a padding layer. The padding layer may have a thickness of 0,25 - 1 mm in this embodiment. As described earlier in many sections, this viscoelastic or elastic coating layer 304 may be manufactured from a transparent double-sided acrylic foam tape. Its properties are discussed extensively elsewhere in this description. The next layer of the display module is a display unit 305. The display unit 305 may be a circuit board such as FR4, having a thickness of approximately 1 mm in this embodiment, where LEDs 308 are installed on top of it. The LEDs 308 may be installed in equal distances in both X- and Y-directions, with a desired resolution, i.e. density. Of course, the density of the through-holes 307 must be in line (i.e. equal) with the density of the LEDs 308, so that their locations correspond with one another, respectively. The LED 308 diameter is preferably clearly smaller than the circular or oval through-hole diameter (concerning the largest diameter of the oval through-holes). The display unit 305 with LEDs 308 is shown as a front-side view in the right side of the illustration.

[0084] Finally, the dashed line in the right-most layer in the cross-section shows voluntary options beneath the display unit 305. In some embodiments, the voluntary layer 306 may be formed of a double-sided tape and a back panel. The back panel may have a thickness of 1 - 2 mm, and it may be manufactured from a composite structure, or from polymer only, or from metal only.

[0085] An alternative option for the voluntary layer 306 may comprise a thermally conductive double-sided tape, and a back panel. In this embodiment, the back panel may have a thickness of 1 - 2 mm, and it may be manufactured from metal. In this way, the thermal energy dissipated from the LEDs 308 and possibly from other electric components within the arrangement, will flow freely via the thermally conductive double-sided tape into a thermally conductive metal-made back panel. In this way, excessive heat generated within the arrangement will flow effectively away from the screen structure 300. Hence, the harmful effects caused by thermal energy are diminished effectively in e.g. the viscoelastic (or elastic) materials or other parts of the arrangement (such as in the LEDs), enabling a properly working screen structure even in situations where the device is turned on and kept on for long periods of time. This is an added advantage in this regard.

[0086] A simple embodiment of the present invention is described next for situations and application areas where the protection requirements are not harsh, i.e. some of the protective layers, such as e.g. the padding layers, may be thinner or completely disregarded. In such an example, the display unit (with 1 mm thickness) is attached with a thin 2-sided tape (with less than 0,5 mm thickness) in front of it. The mask panel with a thickness of appr. 1 mm locates in the front side of the 2-sided tape. Another thin 2-sided tape is attached on the top surface of the mask panel, and then a transparent polymer foil (i.e. a liner) or a glass layer of less than 0,5 mm thickness is attached as the front layer of the display module. Behind the display module, there is no need to attach any further layer or substrate or back panel, in such an embodiment. Also, the larger front panel may be lacking in this embodiment. This solution would have an added advantage of simplicity, and having a very thin final thickness in the final product, even being a bit less than 3 mm. This solution is suitable for e.g. information boards which are located in places where there is not any substantial danger for larger physical impacts or damages from the environment or general public. One example would be advertisement or information screens hanging from the above from a fixed structure e.g. within a building or within a multi-purpose arena. Many outdoor application areas are also possible for many fixed information board solutions, for instance.

[0087] Generally, concerning 2-sided tapes as connection means between different layers in different embodiments, an adhesive layer in general is an option which makes the same “connection” possible between adjacent layers within a screen structure. Various embodiments may comprise either only 2-sided tapes, or only adhesives or comprise both these adhering means between different pairs of layers within the screen structure.

[0088] Generally, in all shown embodiments 100, 200A-B and 300 of the screen structure, the arrangement comprises a controller, a power source, and required connections from the controller and the power source to the display module(s) comprising the LEDs in order to control the visual representations shown in the screen structure. In practice, there can be a control room comprising a personal computer (PC) or another type of a controlling unit provided with a user interface (III) in the ice hockey or multi-purpose venue, so that a manager of the special effects of the ice hockey game may control also the ads and / or other visual information shown in the screens along the dasher boards. Alternatively, it is also possible that the pattern of the ads and / or other information shown on the screens is automated, in order to e.g. conform them with the playing times and breaks between periods, and also breaks within the game itself. In an example, there can be a change of an advertisement content only, when there is an ongoing break (i.e. play stoppage situation). Also, it is possible that during the introductions of the teams, there are relevant team and player information rolling along the dasher board screens. These can be initiated by the manager handling the special effects of the game (comprising music selections, too), or as automated or as determined in a pre-programmed fashion within the controller and related memory.

[0089] Referring to all previous sections describing the transparent double-sided acrylic foam tape, the following is discussed as pieces of additional information and characteristics regarding the acrylic foam tape. The present invention may apply a transparent version of the acrylic foam tape, in an embodiment. The properties of the acrylic foam tape are based on a very stable acrylic copolymer (such as ACM or ANM) which has a low glass transition temperature. The transparent double-sided acrylic foam tape indeed comprises such an acrylic copolymer. This acrylic foam tape is viscoelastic material (i.e. material with high viscoelasticity) in its nature, which means that with strains or forces affecting in a short-term basis, this tape has elastic i.e. recovering properties. With strains or forces affecting in a longer-term basis, this tape however will remold i.e. it takes a new shape. Compared to foamed double-sided tapes made of polyethylene and polyurethane, the acrylic foam tape is a better choice for hard and rough surfaces due to its viscoelasticity. The foamed polyethylene / polyurethane tapes have a drawback that they always maintain their shape and they do not align i.e. formulate themselves with uneven surfaces. The present invention applying a transparent double-sided acrylic foam tape has an advantage that such an acrylic foam tape formulates completely (and perfectly) with any surface shape, no matter if it has uneven sections or other curved shapes.

[0090] Generally speaking, the present invention is not restricted merely to be used in ice hockey arenas and their wall elements which form the ice hockey playing area i.e. ice hockey rink. The invented screen structure can be applied also in various other purposes and in various other locations, where it is possible that the screen could be targeted with some impact forces or bumps or mechanic strain (whether done “in purpose” or “accidentally”). These other possible locations comprise any other sports venue, or around or in the side of any court or playing field (like in a side wall, or along an advertising board locating on the floor, in another wall element, or hanging from a ceiling, or as a freestanding or supported element standing on the floor or fixed to any structural element of a building) applied in any sports or in the floor of any playing field, in any other locations in sports / concert / entertainment venues comprising hallways, passages, corridors, floors and staircases, for instance. Additional application areas for the invented screen product are possible in traffic signs or other related information screens, advertisement boards along the roadside, in private vehicles and taxis, in public transport vehicles such as buses, trams, trains etc., in public transport centers and stations and bus / tram stops, in gas stations and related services, in traffic parks, in parking areas and parking halls, widely in various applications among industry, such as in factories and related control rooms, in shops and shopping centers, in public premises like libraries and lobby areas of various agencies (municipal / governmental) or courthouses, in elevators and in lobbies of private companies, and so on. This is possible, because the invented screen arrangement is easily transferable, and it can be easily and cost-effectively assembled in its location of installment.

[0091] In outdoor applications, there is a further possibility in the properties made possible by the front panel 106 (in the ice hockey application, or in any other application area locating outdoors). Namely, one additional effect of the front panel 106 may be to provide ultraviolet (UV) radiation protection to the other layers and parts of the display module, in case the transparent front panel 106 is able to absorb UV radiation at least to some extent. This is particularly useful in outdoors sports venues, but applicable also to any outdoor venue, in e.g. market areas, traffic information signs, traffic stop information boards, or on the walls of a building presenting e.g. advertisements. This UV protection characteristic has the additional effect of decreasing possible wearing and tearing due to UV radiation effects (e.g. to black / grey bands in the display structure or embodiment 200A described earlier), and thus, increasing the service life of the display structure where the visual image quality still remains at a good level with good contrast.

[0092] A further possibility in the properties made possible by the front panel 106 is to provide anti-reflection characteristics with it. It is a separate characteristic compared to the UV radiation protection discussed in the previous paragraph. Thus, in various embodiments, it is possible to select either of these characteristics or both these characteristics in the final display structure product. As the name suggests, the anti-reflection characteristic makes the surface of the display structure a non-reflecting surface, i.e. it diminishes the harmful reflections visible on the displays. This makes the perceived digital image quality also a better one.

[0093] It is emphasized that FIG:s 1 , 2B and 3 are all about the same inventive concept where the display module remains the same regarding its main parts and regarding its operating principle. Of course, many embodiments are presented under the same inventive concept. FIG. 2A is a bit specialized Venetian blind -typed structure, but this is also a variation of the same inventive concept.

[0094] Commonly speaking, regarding the used terminology across the claims and the description, the layer above the display unit 104, 203, 210, 305 may be called as a first coating layer 103, 209, 304. The first coating layer corresponds to the viscoelastic or elastic coating layer locating between the mask panel and the display unit.

[0095] The layer above the first coating layer 103, 209, 304, namely a second coating layer 102, 211 , 303, corresponds to the mask panel discussed in the above.

[0096] The layer above the second coating layer 102, 211 , 303, namely a third coating layer 101 , 206, 302, corresponds to a viscoelastic or elastic coating layer locating between the mask panel and the transparent front panel or transparent foil. Note that the larger front panel applied in ice hockey dasher boards is a different element (voluntary in view of the invention).

[0097] The layer above the third coating layer 101 , 206, 302, namely a fourth coating layer 101 , 205, 207, 301 , corresponds to the transparent front panel or transparent foil, as mentioned in the previous paragraph. Element 101 comprises both the transparent foil and the viscoelastic or elastic coating layer in the context of FIG. 1 .

[0098] The display module 105 therefore comprises elements 101 -104, namely the display unit and first, second, third and fourth coating layers, when regarding the embodiment 100 of FIG. 1. Respectively, the display module comprises elements 301 -305, namely the display unit and first, second, third and fourth coating layers, when regarding the embodiment 300 of FIG. 3. In FIG. 2A, the display module comprises layers 203, 204 and 205. The elastic coating layer 204 replaces the three innermost layers of the other structures, namely the mask panel and both viscoelastic or elastic coating layers.

[0099] In FIG. 2B, the display module comprises layers 210, 209, 211 , 206 and 207.

[0100] The technical effects and advantages of the present invention are as follows.

[0101] When taking the present invention into use in the ice hockey rink applications, there is a need for smaller changes and work effort than in the presently known solutions in the prior art. Namely, in prior art, the whole wall element structure of the dasher board, applied in ice hockey, needs to be replaced and installed. In the present invention, there is a requirement to replace only the outermost plastic-based plates (having a thickness of approximately 13-15 mm) of the existing wall elements to the display structure according to the present invention and with a transparent front panel (such as plexiglass) as the outermost element. In an embodiment, the display structure may have a thickness of approximately 7 mm, so therefore, a preferred thickness for the transparent front panel is around 8 mm. There is thus no requirement to thicken the existing wall element structure applied in ice hockey applications because of the added display structures. Hence, the system according to the present invention is much easier and cheaper to implement than in known solutions.

[0102] One advantage is that because there are several layers comprising adhesive or glue (part of the respective tapes), the layer structure won’t move or deform or intrinsically change physically even partly in the situation when a puck or player hits the wall element. Of course, the viscoelastic layers will slightly rebound or settle into a slightly new form, but the main characteristic is that the layers won’t notably move in relation to one another in case of an impulse because of the padding layers and the 2-sided adhesive layers (i.e. tapes). This makes the present invention very suitable for wall elements applied in ice hockey rinks.

[0103] Furthermore, there is an option to install the screens first only to a smaller area along the dasher boards, if there are cost-related requirements (such as there usually are for e.g. smaller sports clubs, or for ice hockey arenas in smaller municipalities). However, there remains an option to scale the available area of the screens larger in a later instance, if the club is satisfied with the initially purchased solution. Thus, the present invention provides great scalability regarding the available sizes of the digital advertisement area provided with the screen structures according to the invention.

[0104] Furthermore, the known solutions have been very heavy, and this has been one reason why e.g. North American multi-purpose venues have not been willing to use such solutions. In multi-purpose arenas, there is a need to disassemble and again assemble the wall elements of the ice hockey playing field in several times in a single week, and even once a day. The present invention makes it much easier to assemble and disassemble the wall elements, because the weight of the wall elements does not in practice change (compared to commonly used wall elements) when the screen structure is part of these wall elements. Therefore, there is great installability with the present invention even in multi-purpose arenas, giving possibilities also for rapid arena changes (e.g. from concert venue to ice hockey venue, and vice versa).

[0105] An easily notable advantage of the present invention is that it provides a greatly adjustable and potentially very large digital media surface, which along with the media cube hanging from the ceiling and with possible digital ads within the ice, all together maximize the effects of providing information and advertisements to the viewers during an ice hockey match and also create impressive visual experiences to the audience. The same also applies in any other sports uses in various venues.

[0106] In other than sports use situations, the present invention also provides a robust solution for public locations, where improved durability is preferred.

[0107] One advantage of the present invention is that it has been tested extensively with various hitting objects, with a puck cannon and with sandbags, effectively corresponding to pucks during the game and players hitting the walls inadvertently or because of a hard check or a tackle. The end result of these tests was that the wall elements fulfilled the ice hockey regulations, while still the screens were not broken or malfunctioning in any kind of an impact. The structure was also proven to be safe to the players, regarding the electric connections within the screen structure for the LEDs and for their control signals. Furthermore, the physical flexibility requirements were also satisfied with the modified wall elements according to the present invention.

[0108] An added advantage of using the intelligent foil is that the digital media surface may be easily transformed from an active screen into having a white matte surface. This makes adaptability to advertisement use as a function of time (like during different phases of the game itself), and it also satisfies the common requirements of the ice hockey game, that the base colour of the dasher boards should remain white, although some ads are allowed in various locations of the sports venue.

[0109] An added advantage of using the non-central placement regarding the LEDs and the through-holes (or horizontal strips / bands) in the mask panel is that the light from the LEDs can be directed slightly upwards towards the audience and television cameras, and there are much less irritating reflections along the ice surface. Therefore, the viewing experience of the game itself improves significantly, while still providing a lot of digital media space within the venue.

[0110] An advantage of the screen structure is that it can be used also in other contexts than in merely ice hockey venues. Any space, where there might be unexpected forces towards the display structure, may apply the solution according to the present invention. The present invention provides a very durable solution, which would not break easily. The presented screen structure is also very thin and light, and also very easily movable one and also easily storable, which altogether make it a cost-effective solution, and these properties also make the installing work easier and requiring less effort. In less demanding environments, the present invention may be simplified by removing the viscoelastic or elastic coating layers from the screen structure and having only adhesives or 2-sided tapes between the remaining layers.

[0111] An advantage of the present invention is that it may be built to a new wall element of an ice hockey rink from scratch, but it is also possible to update a currently used old wall element with the display structure according to the invention without having to disassemble the old wall elements completely. The update work may be performed on-site in the ice hockey venue quite easily and quickly. This saves time, effort and costs. Generally, the weight of the updated wall element of an ice hockey rink remains relatively light, enabling easy assembling / disassembling work, if required in a multi-purpose arena. The scope of the present invention is determined by the appended claims.

Claims

Claims1 . A display structure (100, 200A-B, 300), comprising at least one display module (105), characterized in that the display structure comprises, in the presented order, the following layers forming together a firm package: a display unit (104, 203, 210, 305) comprising polymer, glass, ceramic or composite materials, and integrated electrically conductive circuitry with electronics, and a coating material, and intelligent light emitting devices, LEDs, (202, 208, 308), where each LED can be separately controlled by an interconnected serial data bus, a first coating layer (103, 209, 304) comprising transparent viscoelastic or elastic material with adhesive on both sides, a second coating layer (102, 211 , 303) comprising polymer, composite, metal or ceramic materials, wherein the second coating layer comprises a number of structured and manufactured through-holes (307), a third coating layer (101 , 206, 302) comprising transparent viscoelastic or elastic material with adhesive on both sides, and a fourth coating layer (101 , 205, 207, 301 ) comprising transparent polymer material or glass, wherein the first and third coating layers (103, 209, 304; 101 , 206, 302) act as padding layers softening impacts targeting a surface of the display structure (100, 200A-B, 300).

2. The display structure according to claim 1 , characterized in that the display structure comprises, behind the display unit, a back panel (107, 306) where the back panel comprises metal, ceramic, composite or polymer.

3. The display structure according to claim 2, characterized in that a 2- sided tape is placed between the display unit (104, 203, 210, 305) and the back panel (107, 306), where the 2-sided tape comprises thermally conductive material.

4. The display structure according to claim 1 , characterized in that the first and third coating layers (103, 209, 304, 101 , 206, 302) are made of transparent double-sided acrylic foam tape.

5. The display structure according to claim 1 , characterized in that the second coating layer (102, 211 , 303) comprises circular or oval-shaped through-holes (307).

6. The display structure according to claim 5, characterized in that the through-holes (307) locate in corresponding locations with the LEDs (202, 208, 308), so that the lower edge of a through-hole locates right adjacent to a lower edge of a respective LED, resulting in the LEDs (202, 208, 308) locating non- centrically in each of the through-holes (307).

7. The display structure according to claim 1 , characterized in that the display structure (200A) comprises an elastic coating layer (204) on top of the display unit (203), which elastic coating layer (204) comprises black or grey material capable to absorb various shocks, where the elastic coating layer (204) is organized in a form of parallel horizontally aligned strips, where an upper edge of a strip is placed right adjacent to lower edges of a horizontal row of LEDs (202), resulting in the LEDs (202) locating non-centrically in each of the gaps between the strips, wherein the elastic coating layer (204) replaces the first, the second and the third coating layers.

8. The display structure according to any one of claims 1 -7, characterized in that the display structure is embedded into a wall element forming dasher boards of an ice hockey rink.

9. The display structure according to claim 1 , characterized in that anywhere in front of the second coating layer (102, 211 , 303), the display structure (100, 200A-B, 300) comprises an intelligent foil applying polymer dispersed liquid crystals, PDLC, which enables the display structure to show selectively either matte white surface, or to show visual image material as controlled by a controller of the display structure.

10. The display structure according to claim 1 , characterized in that the display structure is configured to be constructed from one or several smaller, manufacturable sized display modules (105) by interconnecting a suitable number of display modules (105) into rows, or into columns, or into both rows and columns.

Images