Although the foldable smartphone market is growing day by day, no step has come from Apple yet. The company, which has been working on the foldable iPhone for many years, has applied for a remarkable patent. Accordingly, the iPhone, which understands that it has been dropped, will have a mechanism that protects its screens.
Foldable iPhone will be automatically protected with fall detection
We know that Apple is working on a new iPhone Fold. A recent patent filing reports that the company is looking for ways to protect its device from falling. Titled “Screen Protection Techniques Using Self-Shutting Display and Drop Detection,” the app describes a mechanism that will minimize screen damage in the event of a drop.
According to the patent statement, the device will have an accelerometer-like sensor that will detect when the iPhone has dropped. This sensor will turn off the phone by giving an “electronically adjustable lock” signal, thus minimizing the effect of a drop on the screen.
The patent application says that the iPhone screen may remain partially open, or the mechanism may not close completely if it is too close to the ground. However, folding the screen will provide protection, as the impact of the drop will be felt on the case instead of directly on the screen.
The patent document also details the fall protection sensor. In order for the internal mechanism to turn off automatically, it must be detected that the fall rate is above a predetermined threshold. Still, it’s unclear whether the mechanism will be fast enough to shut down completely.