Every year, the Cupertino-based tech giant Apple applies for numerous patents with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Just last week, we covered a patent that indicates that the future foldable iPhone might fold outward instead of inwards.
Now, the company has secured another patent that lets flat displays generate a 3D image. This might be useful in the future generation of iPhones, which will let users see 3D images using without the need for Apple Glass.
One thing to note here is a large number of these weird patents that are filed by Apple usually don’t make it to consumer devices. This newly granted patent is known as “Split Screen driving of electronic device displays.” Even though the company knows what is doing, the application of the new patent seems so peculiar in what it does that it leaves us wondering how it will be used in real-life scenarios.
However, Apple says that the patent will let their devices display a 3D image on a device with a flat display. This is intended to completely eliminate the need for Apple Glass and let users watch an AR or VR video on their devices.
Having said that, the practical application of the patent is really complex and might take years before coming out.
It can be difficult to provide this type of content on a multi-function device such as a smartphone or a tablet without generating visible artifacts such as motion blur, luminance offsets, or other effects which can be unpleasant or even dizzying to a viewer.
Currently, the technology that allows us to view images in 3D such as the Apple Glass works by placing two screens in front of the eyes. Although they are separate, they work in conjunction with each other to display images in sync. This lets the users see the images in 3D even though they are separate if viewed individually.
The fact is that there is no way for an iPhone or an iPad to determine where or how the user is looking at even though Apple had previous applied for a gazing detection patent.
The latest patent by the Cupertino based focuses on how the screen manages to showcase a 3D image instead of diving into other things.
It is credited to eight inventors which include the known Jun Li, who is known for helping the manufacture of touch screen. The use of the patent in real world devices seems unlikely for now, but it might be of some use in the coming years.
