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The reports about a foldable iPhone are not new. Quite the opposite. A number of them have now accumulated - including patents. The latest discovery describes a foldable display with a temperature sensor and pixels that can heat up the screen.
A new Apple patent reveals how a foldable iPhone could protect its display from damage. Heat is said to play a key role. We certainly won't be seeing a foldable iPhone anytime soon. If current rumors are to be believed, it could be ready by the end of 2023 or 2024. Even though many of you demonize the topic, reports about it are still exciting. Especially patents related to the folding technology. Anyway, back to the patent. A new patent shows how Apple could try to overcome one of the biggest problems with foldable displays—namely, wear and tear. The patent description states:
Apple Patent: “Bending axis can be heated”
An electronic device may have a hinge that allows the device to be bent about a bending axis. A display may extend over the bending axis. To facilitate bending about the bending axis without damage when the display is cold, a portion of the display that overlaps the bending axis may be selectively heated. The portion of the display that overlaps the bending axis may itself be heated by illuminating pixels in the portion of the display that overlaps the bending axis, or it may be heated with a heating element or other heating structure that provides heat to the portion of the display that overlaps the bending axis. The control circuit may engage a locking mechanism that prevents opening and closing of the electronic device when the temperature of the portion of the display that overlaps the bending axis is below a predetermined temperature.
Foldable iPhone: Not the first patent of its kind
Patent descriptions are often a bit difficult to read. So here's the explanation. The patent relates to any device with a foldable housing and a flexible display, such as a foldable iPhone. It uses a temperature sensor and a motion sensor that can detect when you pick up the phone. It then uses self-heating light pixels to heat the part of the display that bends. The advantage of this is that it helps prevent damage. The approach sounds exciting. Interestingly, the patent is not the first of its kind. At the end of last year, a patent was published that also deals with a self-healing display. Heat is also said to play a leading role here - more on that below. But as with any other patent, the whole thing could end up being just an idea. (Photo by artmagination / Bigstockphoto)
