As any electronic device owner knows from experience, dropping a smartphone or small tablet or even that handy digital music player into a body of water, whether it'd be a pool, toilet, bay, sink or bathtub, can lead to a daunting and stressful experience of having to wait anywhere from three to 24 hours to see if said device will work again.
But even just heavy moisture, from a device being left in heavy humid conditions or rain for a short time, can make for some digital device stress especially given that telltale sign that a screen display has obviously been compromised by humidity.
Apple is hoping to ease those pain points a bit with some new technology approaches for protecting its smartphones and mobile computing devices, and very likely its impending wearable, Watch, from moisture. A patent application reveals Apple is looking to close off potential spots where moisture and water can seep in and its waterproofing approaches include silicone sealing.
"Many electronic devices are susceptible to water damage because they are not fully sealed and include various openings for charging, connecting peripherals, and inputting and outputting audio. While bulky cases have had a certain amount of success at mitigating water entry through the aforementioned openings, a protective case is of little or no value once water has entered a device housing," states the Apple patent document.
"When water enters into the device housing, some high powered components and wiring are often subject to damage even when a minimal amount of water enters the electronic device. In particular, corrosion of soldered components is quite common and can lead to device failure," states the application.
The patent document, titled "Methods for shielding electronic components from moisture," offers up approaches for sealing sensitive device areas using solder leads with silicone seals. The patent paperwork was initially filed by Apple in March, 2014 by researchers Nicholas G. Merz, Scott A. Myers, Gregory N. Stephens and Joseph C. Poole, and maps out 20 various claims for its technology approach.
The "various embodiments" for boosting moisture resistance, specifically protecting the circuit board, include applying a hydrophobic conformal coating to the board using a chemical vapor deposition approach. The process would also involve a hydrophobic seal around the electrical connector on the circuit board.
"By providing an insulating layer or barrier around these highly susceptible parts, water resistance can be substantially increased without obscuring functional openings leading into a device housing of a particular electronic device," states the application.
The patent reveal comes just days before Apple is going to give the world a better view of its impending Watch wearable, a smartwatch that many believe will set a new standard and advance wearables like no other fitness band or health wearable has to date.
Such devices, more than smartphones and portable computing devices, are much more susceptible to moisture issues given body sweat and weather-related issues as fitness wearables are obviously used during workouts and gymnasiums where moisture is rampant.
Enhancing moisture protection on fitness wearables could be a compelling consumer feature given the propensity to wear such devices while swimming, running, and working out in warm temperatures.
