Apple Patent Adds Multitouch, Flexible Displays to Solar Panel Invention
Apple was granted a patent in February 2013 for solar panels integrated in portable devices, but it was mostly aimed at multimedia devices such as the iPod. Today, a new report says that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted Apple an extended version of this patent, widening its scope to include devices with multitouch and flexible displays.
Apple’s U.S. Patent No. 8,730,179 is titled “Integrated touch sensor and solar assembly,” and specifically outlines a system that allows a solar cell to be deeply embedded within devices like the iPhone which have large touch panels. Notably, the patent also includes a way for them to be included below flexible displays as well, a potential component in the rumored iWatch.
The patent describes a singular stack of components, squeezing one or more solar panel and touch panel layers fit snugly in the ever-more-tightly packed iPhone interior. The design uses a “transparent double-sided ITO (DITO) substrate” on top of a solar panel cell, which, like most solar panels, converts light energy to be stored in a battery–in this case, it would be the battery of a mobile device such as the iPhone.
The updated patent describes a very similar set up, but in flexible form with a single layer of ITO flexible plastic paired with adhesives and a flexible polymer solar cell with its electrodes located on the rear. On the left side, as you can see below, there are flex cables which transmit input and power from the touch panel and solar cells, respectively.
The updated version of the patent also describes an interesting new invention which would place the underlaid solar cells to face the opposite direction, into the device. While this would seem to make no sense at first, the patent goes on to describe various methods that would allow light to hit these panels via light channels, specifically by way of parabolic reflector or fiber optics.
As you can see in the diagram above, the patent describes a parabolic reflector which collects light from around the touch screen and bounces it on to the back-facing solar array. Light channels around the touch screen would potentially allow this light to enter around the sides, but the patent also details a method of using fiber optics to bend light into the device housing and then towards the solar panels.
As goes with any patent that Apple files, there’s no way of knowing whether the technology detailed will ever be included in a production model device or product. Energy demands are as high as they’ve ever been, though, and battery technology is having a hard time keeping up with demand for lager screens and thinner devices.
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Subject: Apple Patent Adds Multitouch, Flexible Displays to Solar Panel Invention 
Fri May 23, 2014 1:53 pm
