Apple has been granted a patent for a new display technology that uses a self-healing layer to repair damage to the display — without any user interaction. The patent, titled ‘Electronic Devices with Flexible Display Cover Layers’, describes the company’s concept for a foldable display that can mitigate the effect of dents and scratches on the display. It is currently unclear whether Apple plans to introduce a flexible display layer on future products, such as a foldable phone.
Apple wins a patent for a foldable screen with a self-healing layer
According to details shared in US patent 11991901 (via Patently Apple ) granted to Apple on Tuesday, the company described an electronic device that is equipped with a hinge that allows it to bend — that sounds similar to today’s existing foldable smartphones. Like other foldable phones, the patent suggests that such a device would also need a screen covering layer with a flexible part, along with more rigid parts.
While the technology described by Apple so far may be familiar to tech enthusiasts who have used a foldable phone, the patent also describes the use of a “layer with self-healing properties” that covers part or all of the foldable display. Apple mentions that the display could be used to reduce damage from scratches or dents that are inevitable when using a foldable device.
Apple’s self-healing display layer: How it works
Apple says the flexible part of the alleged display could be equipped with a layer of elastomer that could improve the component’s ability to bend. The company’s patent contains diagrams showing the use of a self-healing layer that sits on top of a flexible elastomeric component.
Apple’s self-healing layer (64) is on top of the foldable in this image
Photo credit: USPTO/ Apple
While the patent document shows that the self-healing process involves a coating material that fills a scratch or dent without external intervention, Apple also describes methods to manually trigger self-healing on the display — “external heat, light, electrical current, or other type of external stimulus.”
The design of the self-healing screen is shown in several images in the patent document. The layer is numbered 64, and is shown to cover the entire screen or just the bendable part of the screen.
To provide a “boost” to the screen’s healing process, the company describes using transparent conductors to create a heating layer. This layer could be activated when the device is charging or can be turned on manually by the user, according to Apple’s patent document.
Although Apple has been granted a patent for this technology, there’s no telling when — or if — the company might introduce such a display in future devices. A recently leaked product roadmap from the company suggests that Apple is working on a fourth-generation iPhone SE, a foldable phone and AR glasses.
