CONTACT LENSES WITH HYBRID POWER SOURCES

• US 20140192311A1
• Filed: 07/26/2012
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Twenty Twenty Therapeutics, LLC
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Pletcher, Nathan, Otis, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 9,523,865 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 351/158
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14507 specially adapted for measuring characteristics of body fluids other than blood devices for taking samples of body liquids A61B10/0045
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6821 Eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/10 Electronic devices other than hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/04 Contact lenses for the eyes disinfection or sterilisation of contact lenses A61L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0445 including thin film solar cells, e.g. single thin film a-Si, CIS or CdTe solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

Apparatus, systems and methods of contact lenses with power sources are provided. In some aspects, a contact lens can include a substrate; and a circuit. The circuit can include: one or more sensors disposed on or within the substrate; circuitry disposed on at least a portion of the substrate; one or more photovoltaic cells disposed on at least a portion of the substrate; and a hybrid power component that supplies at least one of two or more different types of power to the circuitry, wherein at least one of the two or more different types of power is radio frequency/inductive power. In various aspects, other types of power can be solar and/or microelectromechanical system power. Additionally, in various aspects, photovoltaic cells can be arrayed in different configurations and/or over a significant portion of a viewing surface of the contact lens. In some aspects, the photovoltaic cells can be transparent.

Claims

1. A contact lens, comprising:

a substrate; and

a circuit comprising;

one or more sensors disposed on or within the substrate;

circuitry disposed on or within at least a portion of the substrate;

one or more photovoltaic cells disposed on or within at least a portion of the substrate; and

a hybrid power component that supplies at least one of two or more different types of power to the circuitry, wherein the at least one of the two or more different types of power is radio frequency/inductive power.

2. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein another one of the two or more different types of power is solar power provided by the one or more photovoltaic cells.

3. The contact lens of claim 2, wherein the hybrid power component supplies radio frequency/inductive power and the solar power intermittently.

4. The contact lens of claim 1, further comprising one or more microelectromechanical systems and wherein another one of the two or more different types of power is electric power provided by the one or more microelectromechanical systems.

5. The contact lens of claim 4, wherein the hybrid power component supplies radio frequency/inductive power and the electric power from the one or more microelectromechanical systems intermittently.

6. The contact lens of claim 1, further comprising a power storage component, operably coupled to the one or more photovoltaic cells, that stores power from the one or more photovoltaic cells.

7. The contact lens of claim 6, wherein the power storage component comprises a storage capacitor.

8. The contact lens of claim 7, wherein the power storage component comprises a thin film battery.

9. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein the one or more photovoltaic cells are translucent or transparent.

10. The contact lens of claim 9, wherein the one or more photovoltaic cells are disposed over at least half of a surface of the substrate.

11. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more photovoltaic cells or the circuitry is disposed along a perimeter of the substrate.

12. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein the one or more photovoltaic cells comprise a circular array of two or more photovoltaic cells.

13. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein the one or more photovoltaic cells comprise at least one single crystal silicon photovoltaic cell.

14. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein the one or more photovoltaic cells comprise at least one of organic dyes, thin films, organic polymers or nanocrystals.

15. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein the hybrid power component supplies a type of power based, at least, on an operation of the circuitry or an environment of the contact lens.

16. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein the hybrid power component supplies at least two of the two or more different types of power to the circuitry and alternates between supplying a first one of the at least two of the two or more different types of power and supplying a second one of the at least two of the two or more different types of power.

17. A contact lens, comprising:

a substrate; and

a circuit comprising;

one or more sensors disposed on or within the substrate;

circuitry disposed on or within at least a portion of the substrate; and

one or more solar cells disposed on or within at least a portion of the substrate, that supply power to the circuitry, wherein the one or more solar cells are transparent.

18. The contact lens of claim 17, further comprising a power storage component, operably coupled to the one or more solar cells, that stores power from the one or more solar cells.

19. The contact lens of claim 18, wherein the power storage component comprises a storage capacitor.

20. The contact lens of claim 18, wherein the power storage component comprises a thin film battery.

21. The contact lens of claim 17, wherein the one or more solar cells comprise one or more photovoltaic cells.

22. The contact lens of claim 17, wherein the one or more solar cells are disposed over half of a surface of the substrate.

23. The contact lens of claim 17, wherein the circuitry and the one or more solar cells are disposed along a perimeter of the substrate.

24. A contact lens, comprising:

a transparent substrate; and

a circuit comprising;

one or more sensors disposed on or within the transparent substrate;

circuitry disposed on or within at least a portion of the transparent substrate; and

one or more photovoltaic cells disposed on or within at least a portion of the transparent substrate, that supply power to the circuitry.

25. The contact lens of claim 24, wherein the one or more sensors sense a level of at least one of lactate, glucose, cholesterol or urea in a body of a wearer of the contact lens.

26. The contact lens of claim 24, wherein the one or more sensors sense at least one of pressure, light, acceleration, temperature or strain.

27. A method of operating a contact lens, comprising:

supplying, from a hybrid power component on or within the contact lens, at least one of two or more different types of power to circuitry disposed on or within the contact lens, wherein at least one of the two or more different types of power is radio frequency/inductive power; and

performing one or more operations, by the circuitry, in response to receiving supplied power.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the supplying comprising supplying two or more different types of power to the circuitry.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the two or more different types of power comprise radio frequency/inductive power and solar power.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the two or more different types of power comprise radio frequency/inductive power and electric power from a microelectromechanical system.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the two or more different types of power are supplied at least one of intermittently or based, at least, on an environment outside of the contact lens.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the supplying two or more different types of power comprises supplying the radio frequency/inductive power during a first type of operation performed by the circuitry and supplying a second type of power during a second type of operation performed by the circuitry.

33. A method of operating a contact lens, comprising:

determining at least one of a type of operation performed via the contact lens or an environment outside of the contact lens;

selecting a type of power based, at least, on the type of operation or the environment outside of the contact lens; and

outputting the type of power.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the determining the at least one of the type of operation performed via the contact lens or the environment outside of the contact lens comprises determining that the environment outside of the contact lens is a nighttime environment.