Dynamic Island with Face ID under the screen in the Apple patent. An Apple patent granted today appears to describe a new approach to under-screen Face ID, which could also allow the company to embed additional sensors into an iPhone’s display.
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The patent seems to describe the evolution of the Dynamic Island, which it would prohibit even more flexible. With the iPhone 14 Pro models, Apple switched from a Face ID built into the front notch, to two cutouts within the display itself. In fact, although there are two cutouts, Apple has chosen to mask them in a single, dynamic, pill-shaped cutout that stretches and shrinks depending on the functions in use.
The long-term goal of the company, however, is to get an under-screen Face ID, which does not take up screen space. In this regard, Apple already holds a number of patents for Face ID and Touch ID under the screen, but the possibility of completely hiding them still remains a long way off, certainly not ready for the iPhone 15, as initially speculated.
However, a new patent granted today describes what appears to be an evolution of the Dynamic Island approach. First, the patent describes a variety of sensors that could be incorporated into the display, including those for detecting gestures without actually touching the screen.
Under-display sensors that may be hidden include those for Touch ID, sensors for measuring non-contact three-dimensional gestures, pressure sensors, sensors for detecting location, orientation and/or movement (for example, accelerometers, magnetic sensors such as compass sensors , gyroscopes and/or inertial measurement units that contain some or all of these sensors
Under-display components may also include optical sensors such as auto-mixing sensors and light range and detection sensors (lidar) that collect time-of-flight measurements, humidity sensors, humidity sensors, tracking sensors, and/or other sensors
Secondly, the position of the dynamic island could vary, using a series of tiny transparent windows whose apparent size and position can be effectively moved around the display, selectively turning different pixels on and off.
Transparent windows can be moved a random amount in a random direction relative to a grid definition point and/or can be rotated randomly. A transparency gradient can be formed between transparent windows and the surrounding opaque part of the display. Transparent windows can be defined by non-linear edges
Apple explains that a typical display used by its devices has 13 layers and that light transmission through these areas is reduced by up to 80%, and therefore it may be necessary to reduce the number of layers in areas containing the under-screen sensors.
The approach appears to describe a method of distributing these areas so as to make them invisible to the naked eye; without interfering with performance, thus without decreasing touch sensitivity. Additionally, Apple will need to find a way that allows nearby pixels to be selectively turned off to increase light transmission.
