Several patent applications granted by Apple by the US Patent and Trademark Office show that the company is working on a new display technology.
It was foreseeable that Apple would further develop the technology of touch screens. The direction in which this development is heading has now been revealed. Cupertino is currently trying to integrate ultrasound-based technology into the existing touch displays. If this succeeds, the Apple Pencil would also benefit from it.
Composite Cover Material for Sensitivity Improvement of Ultrasonic Touch Screens
The first patent is about adding an ultrasonic coating to existing touch displays or even replacing it entirely. Several sensors and intermediate layers would form the system and register the ultrasonic waves.
3D Touch could be replaced
If Apple succeeds in implementing this technology, the system could detect the size, position and strength of the pressure on the display. This would allow Apple to replace the 3D Touch function.
Ultrasonic touch detection on stylus
Another patent deals with the Apple Pencil. Here, too, ultrasonic waves are the focus. However, the patent is less about the interaction of the pencil. The idea is more about how the Apple Pencil is guided. Information about this would be transmitted to the device and programs could, among other things, enable the determination of patterns. The technology would also be able to recognize whether the user is left- or right-handed.
