Rainfall or being underwater usually causes your iPhone's display to go haywire. But a new Apple patent might solve that.
Apple is exploring methods that will improve the usability of iPhones when exposed to moisture-heavy scenarios, like being underwater or out in rainfall. The key objective is to somehow enhance the display’s touch sensitivity in such a scenario — or at least create a system that can offer enough touch sensitivity to discern between a valid finger-based gesture and accidental ghost touch from liquid exposure.
There are multiple technical pathways in which the proposed system could come to life. For example, the ambient light sensor will kick things into motion when it detects that the amount of ambient light exposure has reduced due to moisture over the sensor, or in the case of underwater activity. Here, the ambient light sensor serves as an environmental sensor, as per the patent.
The camera array can also be used to perform depth analysis of its surroundings by studying optical characteristics. This includes the refractive index of the surrounding medium, as well as the light absorption pattern to analyze if the device is submerged in liquid. The patent application throws around the idea of using a system of capacitors to discern between “false touch” and “true touch.”
Upgraded hardware, sensible software Aside from improving the touch sensitivity, the patent also talks about tweaking certain UI elements to make it easier for users to use a device underwater. For example, icons of the most commonly used apps could be enlarged for easier access. Additionally, the user experience of apps like the camera application can be simplified to make things more convenient for users.
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