If/when Apple introduces a foldable iPhone, it may sport features to protect its screen when it’s dropped. The tech giant has filed for a patent (number US 20230079485 A1) for a “self-retracting display device and techniques for protecting screen using drop protection.”
About the patent filing
In the patent filing, Apple notes that mobile devices with thin-screen displays may be vulnerable if the display strikes the ground after dropping. Certain foldable displays and rollable displays can be especially vulnerable due to use of ultra-thin glass displays which can be especially vulnerable. Apple says it would be advantageous to detect when a device is falling to implement protection features to prevent damage to the screen.
Summary of the patent filing
Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent filing: “In some aspects, mobile devices with foldable and rollable displays can use a sensor to detect vertical acceleration with respect to the ground to determine if the mobile device has been dropped. If the sensor detects that the mobile device has been dropped the foldable device can fold or retract at least partially to afford protection from the fragile display from striking the ground.
“Even folding the display to an angle less the 180 degrees can afford some protection because the mobile device can strike edges of the mobile device instead of the display itself. In various embodiments, a rollable device can retract the display if predetermined acceleration limits are exceeded.”
