Solar LCD Powered iPods, iPhones and Laptops?
A recently published patent application discovered by MacRumors reveals that Apple is investigating the use of solar power in versions of their mobile devices -- both handheld devices and portable computers. Integrating solar power into a mobile device holds the enormous potential of extending battery life significantly. However, successfully integrating solar panels into these small devices is not without its challenges.
The major issues described are the limited area available to solar panels, durability, and the "wasting" of space on a portable device. It is due to these problems that solar power has not found its way into mobile devices, not just from Apple, but from all manufacturers.
The most interesting technique described by Apple, however, is the integration of the solar panels behind the actual LCD screen of a portable device. The solar panel would absorb ambient light that passes through the LCD screen of the device. This could eliminate any additional footprint typically required by the solar panels. If successfully implemented, Apple's iPhone, iPod and laptops, could require no outward changes in design to add solar power.
Apple's not the only one exploring this technology as an old (2001) Motorola patent describes the same technique. While several limitations to the technique were described at that time, the issues may have been better addressed in recent years.
The major issues described are the limited area available to solar panels, durability, and the "wasting" of space on a portable device. It is due to these problems that solar power has not found its way into mobile devices, not just from Apple, but from all manufacturers.
The most interesting technique described by Apple, however, is the integration of the solar panels behind the actual LCD screen of a portable device. The solar panel would absorb ambient light that passes through the LCD screen of the device. This could eliminate any additional footprint typically required by the solar panels. If successfully implemented, Apple's iPhone, iPod and laptops, could require no outward changes in design to add solar power.
Apple's not the only one exploring this technology as an old (2001) Motorola patent describes the same technique. While several limitations to the technique were described at that time, the issues may have been better addressed in recent years.
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48 months ago
Well, if you can put the solar panels under the display (I wonder if this may be possible with OLED, although I'm no expert in the area), the increased area available for solar panels may make up for the fact that the light reaching the panels will be partly filtered by the display itself. I wonder how this will work with touchscreen technology, however.
48 months ago
I wonder how this will work with touchscreen technology, however.
It apparently works with touchscreen and OLED technology. The motorola patent apparently said that only a small portion of light went through and it was only ideal for certain (black&white) screens. But that was 2001.
http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2007/05/motorola_patents_solar_lcd.html
This [Motorola] patent also includes word on how solar cells can be added to OLED and touchscreen displays as well.
arn
48 months ago
Sounds interesting.
If they manage to combine two power options this might give you some crazy use times.
If they manage to combine two power options this might give you some crazy use times.
48 months ago
Cool! So soon we may very well have OLED razor thin displays with solar power and iSight cameras built into the displays themselves :D Sounds good to me!
My only question is how much do your iPods, iPhones, Laptops etc. actually have their screen exposed to the sun??? Don't you usually have your portables in your pocket and your laptops avoiding sun glare when outside??? How much power would this really add then? :confused:
My only question is how much do your iPods, iPhones, Laptops etc. actually have their screen exposed to the sun??? Don't you usually have your portables in your pocket and your laptops avoiding sun glare when outside??? How much power would this really add then? :confused:
48 months ago
It would certainly be cool if they could do this. Another thing that I think would be awesome is if they found a way that you could attach an ipod or iphone with the solar tech in them to a laptop, and use the ipod/phone's solar panel to charge the laptop, for that extra boost.
48 months ago
This will be awesome! Probably happen years from now, but still very cool. Efficiency=:)
48 months ago
Without wanting to put a downer on this but would this work indoors? Computers are energy intense as we know, and I wonder how much energy a solar panel would absorb indoors (where most of the machines created with this would be used), especially if they only absorb a small proportion of ambient light anyway.
48 months ago
My only question is how much do your iPods, iPhones, Laptops etc. actually have their screen exposed to the sun???
:confused: I think that the idea of this tecnology is absorb the light generated by the LCD Screen.
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