Is apple developing a foldable iphone with a self-healing screen?
On May 21st, 2024, Apple released the patent they filed for an electronic foldable device that would have a ‘self-healing’ protective screen. The screen of this foldable device can restore minor scratches or dents on its own without needing external help or repair. It can fix itself automatically by filling in the damage without the user’s help. The self-healing process of the screen can be sped up by using external triggers such as heat, light, or electric current.
In case heat is used to activate the self-healing material, the screen cover may have a heating layer made of see-through conductions, which can heat up on their own to help the self-healing screen revert to its original, unscathed state. In the patent file, Apple didn’t indicate what device this technology would be applied to. With the brand’s fans already showcasing their iteration of a foldable iPhone, Apple having a series of this sought-after smartphone that can be folded using a hinge may be a looming future. But in the patent’s description, the foldable electronic device is not limited to a smartphone, as it may also be a tablet, a laptop, a handheld device, or a computer.
images courtesy of Apple (patent file number 11991901)
Apple’s patent on foldable electronic device with flexible screen
The heating layer may be triggered when the user activates it using the foldable electronic device, such as by pressing a button or using a touch command. In this case, Apple might be using a dedicated setting or app to make it work. The users could also set the heating’s time so that the screen can repair itself, scheduled like an alarm. The self-healing screen could also be heated up even when the foldable electronic device is plugged in or charging.
In the patent, Apple’s filing team – comprising Hoon Sik Kim, Terry C. Lam, Chang-Chia Huang, Paul S. Drzaic, Yasmin F. Afsar, Young Cheol Yang, and Leiming Wang – says that the foldable electronic device has a screen that stretches across the hinge, so the plan is for this screen’s cover, the top layer, to come with a flexible section that can allow the users to bend and fold it without breaking. The device may have a clear layer called ‘transparent dielectric layer’ which can help insulate and protect the screen.
side views of the foldable electronic device with flexible and self-healing screens
A device that can repair minor scratches and dents on its own
To make the screen more bendable, the clear layer on the display has tiny cuts or slits in it. These small openings are filled with a translucent material that matches the optical properties of the surrounding material, so the display still looks clear and smooth. The flexible part of the screen is placed between two rigid parts of the cover to make the bending possible. The self-healing screen comes next. Apple thinks it’s important to reduce the scratches and dents that users or external factors might cause to the foldable electronic device. With this technology, the self-healing protective screen repairs minor scratches and dents by itself to maintain its smooth and new-looking screen.
As of the patent’s release, Apple’s team writes that the self-healing screen can either cover the entire display of the foldable electronic device or just its flexible, hinged part. An elastomer – a stretchy, rubber-like material, is also planned to be applied to the flexible part of the screen to make it more bendable. The self-healing screen sits on top of this elastomer layer, creating a dual-protective layer for the display of the next potential iPhone series. There are no official announcements yet from Apple on when they’re going to introduce or release this dubbed ‘self-healing’ screen and whether or not they’re going to produce foldable iPhones.
the potential electronic device, which may be a smartphone, laptop, or other electronics
a display cover with three dielectric layers for the flexible part of the screen
view of the transparent dielectric layer with slits
view of the display cover with index-of-refraction matching layers
