While major manufacturers are researching and launching foldable or curved screen phones, Apple is also working on related technologies in private. Apple’s recently exposed patent shows that the iPhone’s foldable screen itself can repair the inevitable wear and tear.
Apple’s patent, titled “Electronic Device with Flexible Screen Overlay,” not only minimizes damage, but also takes steps to repair phone screens when they are damaged.
In the patent introduction, Apple proposed to mix rigid and flexible screens into one screen, and add “self-healing” on this basis. Self-healing is undoubtedly the most interesting part of the patent, but there are only 147 mentions in the 11,000-plus-word introduction, which is more regarding self-healing details, but very little regarding how to achieve these details .
Among other things, the patent describes an electronic device that can be equipped with a hinge around which the screen bends. In order to protect the screen from being damaged when it is bent, the curved part of the screen is made of flexible material. Apple describes that while a flexible screen can cover the entire device, the best way is to divide it into three elements, two of which are regular, fixed screens, and the other a flexible screen that links them together.
During the daily use of electronic devices, scratches or dents on the screen are inevitable. To prevent these conditions from affecting the appearance of the device, Apple has covered the surface of the screen with a self-healing material.
According to reports, the flexible material is a “layer of elastomer”, which is a self-healing element. Through the stretchable nature of the elastomer, it can return to its original shape when damaged. Usually self-healing materials need to be induced by external factors, such as high temperature, electric current, etc.
