New Apple patent: iPhone with a hydrophobic surface charge increase

According to the US Patent and Trademark Office patent documents released, Apple entitled "By opening the liquid discharge" of a new method of discharging liquid through every speaker made a description.

Apple patent document describes, this method is mainly acoustically conductive element inside the device (speakers or a microphone inside) surface charge distribution to achieve the effect by changing the hydrophobic treatment is. Currently, Apple through a dense network structure to prevent intrusion of the liquid, but in the case of exceeding a certain pressure, there is still the risk of failure. In addition, depending on the temperature and humidity, these internal components presence of moisture condensation phenomenon, this is not a good thing for those sensitive electronic device is.

Apple explained that the presence of these acoustic modules located inside the sensor will detect moisture, and realize the rest is dependent on the existing acoustic sensors. If the acoustic module detects liquid intrusion, arranged in the cavity wall will be energized conductor. And based on the surface charge of different polarity, hydrophobicity individual areas will change. For example, a positive charge may degrade the performance of a hydrophobic region, and negative charge would have the opposite effect, the liquid discharge opening.

By strategically change the charge conductor surface arrangement, the system is able to collect the liquid and move under the circumstances, this method can be conveyed to a water discharge orifice. Protective net can also adopt a similar strategy to speed up the whole process.

Finally, Apple said, the speaker drive unit can also play its part in this process by entering the performance of acoustic energy pulses, the liquid expelled.

Yet unclear whether Apple intends to apply this new thinking on their own products, but the company's product already has a certain degree of water resistance.