Apple patents method for embedding light sensors directly onto device displays
Apple on Tuesday was granted a patent for embedding light-sensing sensors directly into device displays, an important step in creating a full-screen iPhone without the trademark "chin and forehead" bezels.
As noted in Apple's U.S. Patent No. 9,466,653 for "Electronic devices with display-integrated light sensors," light-sensing apparatuses are commonly displaced from the device display. While advantageous from a production standpoint, such implementations lead to wasted space, or in some cases force sleek designs to be modified. Indeed, the iPhone's proximity and ALS are positioned above the display near the handset speaker.
Apple proposes forming sensors on display layers that already support conductive traces. Some embodiments provide for sensor positioning at the periphery of a device display beyond the edge of touch sensitive traces.
For example, an ALS unit might be disposed at the extreme edge of an OLED display, then covered by a touch-sensitive layer and finally an encapsulation layer. Alternatively, a handset could include a dedicated TFT layer onto which a variety of sensors are embedded.
In any case, the sensor or sensors are disposed within the display itself, not above it as with current iPhone models. This design tweak alone would save precious millimeters off final design specifications and could pave the way to a true full-screen display.
Apple is said to be working on an advanced iPhone design with "full-screen face," meaning the rumored OLED display stretches across the device's entirety. The company last week patented technology detailing a fingerprint sensor that works through portable device displays, though the ear speaker remains a problem.
Apple's embedded light sensor patent was first filed for in June 2015 and credits Erik G. de Jong, Anna-Katrina Shedletsky and Prashanth S. Holenarsipur as its inventors.
As noted in Apple's U.S. Patent No. 9,466,653 for "Electronic devices with display-integrated light sensors," light-sensing apparatuses are commonly displaced from the device display. While advantageous from a production standpoint, such implementations lead to wasted space, or in some cases force sleek designs to be modified. Indeed, the iPhone's proximity and ALS are positioned above the display near the handset speaker.
Apple proposes forming sensors on display layers that already support conductive traces. Some embodiments provide for sensor positioning at the periphery of a device display beyond the edge of touch sensitive traces.
For example, an ALS unit might be disposed at the extreme edge of an OLED display, then covered by a touch-sensitive layer and finally an encapsulation layer. Alternatively, a handset could include a dedicated TFT layer onto which a variety of sensors are embedded.
In any case, the sensor or sensors are disposed within the display itself, not above it as with current iPhone models. This design tweak alone would save precious millimeters off final design specifications and could pave the way to a true full-screen display.
Apple is said to be working on an advanced iPhone design with "full-screen face," meaning the rumored OLED display stretches across the device's entirety. The company last week patented technology detailing a fingerprint sensor that works through portable device displays, though the ear speaker remains a problem.
Apple's embedded light sensor patent was first filed for in June 2015 and credits Erik G. de Jong, Anna-Katrina Shedletsky and Prashanth S. Holenarsipur as its inventors.
Comments
One idea I've thought of is to move Control Center up top—to the right of Notication Center, and put down at the bottom gesture the Home screens. Either atop the app UI or the gesture pushes the current app out of the way to reveal your Home screen. Obviously there's potential for confusion here, but it is only one interaction. And yet, using a dedicated Home button is still a better design. Remains to be seen how they solve this one in a truly elegant manner.
I can also see why this bezel-free design is first only for the plus/pro model. Chop off the bezels and chins on a 4.7" design and you are chopping off a great deal of battery life.
Right now I see a forehead-free design as impossible. You cannot put an earpiece speaker in the display at this point. You need a hole to fit one in. The speaker will need to be above the display on some kind of bezel. And I can imagine a scene where they somehow mount a camera in the display, but I cannot imagine one for now where they put a 7MP FaceTime HD camera in there. My prediction is this iPhone 8 isn't completely bezel-free on all four sides.
3D Touch isn't intuitive enough to replace the Home button for a default feature. Especially along the bottom edge. That could be added now as a power move, but it would be a mistake for this to be default Home button functionality. The Home button is a last lifeline to a lot of users.
"It takes you home from where ever you are". Not if it doesn't exist.
Think of it for a moment: You have the Home button, you have the earpiece, you have the light sensor and proximity sensor as well as the front facing camera. Each one of these is incredibly hard to almost impossible to embed within the display itself.
Almost as fascinating is the UI. Without a dedicated 'Home' button, how will users exit apps? Using multi-finger gestures? Maybe using an on-screen Home button equivalent? Placing the Home button on the side of the device?
I'm very curious about how they will solve all these issues. Amazing if they can pull it off.
1) More room for internals relative to screen size (battery, etc.)
2) Easier to hold without blocking any screen (it seems when I see pictures from Apple with someone holding an iPhone it looks secure with a little meat of the fingers over the edge but not covering the screen as opposed to some side bezel free phone pictures where the fingers are well on the side to underneath so they don't block the screen but look much less secure --- I tend to hold mine like the Apple pictures and it would bother me to block any screen)
3) When holding landscape there is a nice area to place my thumbs particularly when playing games
I could see a full screen mode for an iPad that I would use for movies but even for this I'd like a small outline bezel to frame the picture. But I'd still like to toggle to bezel display mode for other use if possible.
Can someone explain what benefits of no bezels you see besides more screen real estate relative to device size?
PS: I have no doubts that everything we could come with have been thought of by Apple's engineers and tested for feasibility where possible. Do you remember how many iPhone designs came out during the Samsung trial?
Design is always about trade-offs. No bezels mean a smaller battery. Hence why the rumour is a 5.5 or 5.8" iPhone of this kind first, as its battery can be shrunken more easily than an smaller device without crushing the experience.
1) Apple will never transition to a phone face that looks like a Samsung phone.
2) Apple will keep the home button where it is. It won't be a physical home button, this has become icon for the iPhone.
After all how hard is it to embed the home button under the screen.
Personally I think Apple is positioning 3D Touch to replace the home button.
The already have a gesture for multi tasking, if they build the Touch ID into the screen, how hard would it be to create gestures for Siri or for home. Or anything else . I also think Apple will start making more buttons 3D Touch like the volume buttons. The more they can incorporate into the screen the less moving parts they have the thinner the device can be.
3) Apple is on a quest for thinner and lighter. The last thing they are gonna do is add more buttons.
Apple has a method of operating. They seem to do things in parts. First Touch ID then Apple Pay... first Taptic home button that way they work out any bugs or dislikes, then next year it will be the real reason why they transitioned away from a physical home button. Probably to accommodate a edge to edge screen