Future Apple Watches and iPhones may be able to detect potential leaks as evidenced by a newly granted patent for “Leak Detection in Electronic Devices.”
Starting with the iPhone 7, all Apple smartphones are water-resistant, not waterproof, and have an IP67 or IP68 rating, meaning they can withstand submersion in water for a certain depth and duration.
Also, most Apple Watches are water-resistant, not waterproof, and their water resistance ratings vary by model. While you can wear them for activities like swimming and showering, they shouldn’t be used for diving or high-velocity water sports unless you have an Apple Watch Ultra.
About the patent
The patent involves leak detection in smart devices via pressure sensing and internal heating. Its technology also relates to tamper detection in the case of fraudulent returns of such devices.
In the patent Apple notes that pressure sensors are being increasingly integrated into wearable and portable devices such as smartwatches and smartphones. The pressure sensors in smart devices can be used to measure elevation and depth in water, as well as other applications.
Wearable devices are required to survive water immersion activities and exposure situations, for example, swimming, diving, showering, and sweat type of exposures. For water immersion resistance, for instance, these devices need to have strong and long-lasting sealing.
However, over time, abnormal usage, for example, exposure to excessive heat, could result in oxidation of the material of the seal, or impact events such as dropping the device can cause the seal to fail. While a device can be viable for many years, degraded sealing can lead to an early end-of-life for the product due to unexpected water exposure.
Apple’s patent involves method to check and detect effective sealing of the smart device before the device stops functioning.
Summary of the patent
Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent: “Aspects of the subject technology relate to a device including a pressure sensor to measure a pressure level in a port cavity. A port allows equalization of air pressure between the port cavity and an outside environment.
“A vent port within the port cavity allows equalization of air pressure between the port cavity and an internal volume of a housing of the device. A tool is used to activate a heat-generating component of the device while the port is obstructed for a predetermined time duration to enable detecting a sealing efficacy of the housing.”
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