蘋果新專利 iPhone空中自動翻身防碎屏

We all know that panic-stricken moment. You drop your mobile and watch, aghast, as it plunges towards the floor, fearing it will land screen-side down – with shattering consequences.
手機或手錶不小心從手中滑落、摔在地板上的時候，我們總會一邊擔心地目睹着這一瞬間一邊祈禱着千萬不要屏幕朝地。估計每個人都經歷過這樣驚慌失措的一刻。

But now Apple plans to spare you that agony, with an invention that will stop your iPhone hitting the ground face-first.
不過現在蘋果公司的一項新技術能幫我們免除這樣的擔心。這項技術能使手機在掉落瞬間自動翻轉以防止屏幕着地。

The technology giant was granted a patent last week on an invention that can detect when a handset is falling – and flips it to ensure the screen doesn’t hit the ground. The idea could also work with iPads and other devices.
作爲科技巨頭，蘋果公司的這項新專利在上週獲得通過。該項專利使得手機掉落時，系統通過自動識別和翻轉以避免手機屏幕着地。這項技術同樣能夠應用在iPad及其他設備上。

Apple’s design features on-board sensors that measure the speed that the phone is falling and predict when it will land and which side of the device will hit the floor.
蘋果這項新專利的特點在於一系列的機載感應器，這些感應器能夠測量手機掉落的速度並預測手機何時落地及哪一面觸地。

If sensors calculate a delicate component, such as the screen or camera, will hit the ground, a motor is instantly activated within the phone. This moves an internal weight fast enough to affect the ‘rotational velocity’ of the device and spin it around as it falls, so that it lands on a reinforced area.
如果感應器判斷出易碎的裝置如屏幕或攝像頭觸地的話，手機內的發動機器會立即被激活。從而使手機迅速調整中心、自動旋轉，以保證手機更堅固的一面觸地。

The effect is similar to how a falling cat always manages to land on its feet.
這和貓從高處落下時永遠都能四腳着地差不多。

And that’s not all. The patent even includes a system that would eject the headphone cord to avoid damage to the connector.
除此之外，該項專利還包括一個智能系統，能在手機掉落瞬間讓耳機線彈出以避免損壞手機的連接裝置。

Victor Seidel, a lecturer in science entrepreneurship at Oxford University, said: ‘This does what a lot of successful innovations do: combines ideas in a way others had not considered, such as adding gyroscopic action within a smartphone.
牛津大學科技企業課程的講授者維克托·塞德爾說：“這項專利包含了很多很成功的創新點，並以一種大家意想不到的方式整合了這些不同的想法，比如在智能手機裏安裝迴轉裝置。”

‘But integrating this idea into current slimline designs may be a challenge. Of course, no one will really know the possible benefits and limitations until Apple gets prototypes into the hands of users – hands that are indeed sometimes clumsy.’
“不過這項技術如何應用於越來越薄的智能手機中還是個挑戰。當然，除非蘋果公司製作出原型交到用戶笨拙的手中，否則沒有人能確定這項技術的優缺點。”

Industry insiders say an iPhone featuring the new technology may appear within three years.
業內人士稱，這項技術有可能在三年之內應用於iPhone中。