The initial wave of foldable smartphones encountered some problems with their flexibility. Although this has prompted manufacturers to rethink the design to solve the original problem, there are still more situations that need to be resolved.
One of the problems may be the effect of temperature on the material. Warm temperatures can make plastics and other materials more flexible and malleable, while low temperatures have the opposite effect, reducing their flexibility.
For devices with flexible displays like smart phones, this can have a catastrophic impact on the screen, as it may fatigue at a higher rate. This may cause more rigid displays to be prone to cracks, which may eventually lead to cracks. This may not only affect the main material of the screen, adhesives and other intermediate elements may also be affected by cold weather.
In the US Patent and Trademark Office granted Apple a patent entitled “Electronic Device with Flexible Display” on Tuesday, Apple said it could solve this problem by simply heating the display.
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The rumored iPhone Fold or iPad using a flexible display may use new technology, by using heating elements or even the pixel combination of the display itself, heating the screen before bending the screen to prevent the display from becoming too brittle due to cold weather.
When the screen is cold, a lock can prevent the foldable iPhone from being opened. The onboard sensor can determine the temperature of the device and whether the display is safe to bend in the current state.
If the screen cannot be moved without causing potential damage, the system can practicably warn the user of the danger and introduce a physical barrier. Apple said in the patent that a latch can be used to keep the smartphone closed until the screen temperature is high enough to bend safely. The system can use an actuator to hold the lock in place and release it when it is not needed.
As for fixing the temperature of the display itself, Apple suggests several methods. The simplest is to add a heating element below the potential weakest point of the display.
However, doing so will affect the design of the device because it may force the physical design to become larger to incorporate new components. Apple also suggests that a better idea is to use the display itself. Since the screen emits light, it can also emit heat as a by-product, which will be applied to the display.
The sensor can identify areas on the screen that may require this kind of heat treatment, and then brighten the pixels and surrounding areas in that area to maximize heat generation.
Others have proposed that screensavers and other graphics systems can provide heat to fragile display areas for a long time in this way.
Apple files numerous patent applications every week. Although the existence of patent applications indicates areas of interest for Apple’s R&D work, they do not guarantee that these concepts will appear in future products or services.
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