FLEXIBLE CONDUCTOR FOR USE WITHIN A CONTACT LENS

• US 20150362752A1
• Filed: 04/30/2015
• Published: 12/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Twenty Twenty Therapeutics, LLC
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Linhardt, Jeffrey G., Liu, Zenghe, Kennedy, Scott B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,841,614 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00048 composed of parts with dissimilar composition B29D11/00057 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00817 Producing electro-active lenses or lenses with energy receptors, e.g. batteries or antennas
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/04 Contact lenses for the eyes disinfection or sterilisation of contact lenses A61L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/083 Electrooptic lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133305 Flexible substrates, e.g. plastics, organic film
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13439 characterised by their electrical, optical, physical properties; materials therefor; method of making

Abstract

An eye-mountable device includes a flexible lens enclosure, anterior and posterior flexible conductive electrodes, and an accommodation actuator element. The flexible lens enclosure includes anterior and posterior layers that are sealed together. The anterior flexible conductive electrode is disposed within the flexible enclosure and across a center region of the flexible lens enclosure on a concave side of the anterior layer. The posterior flexible conductive electrode is disposed within the flexible enclosure and across the center region on a convex side of the posterior layer. The accommodation actuator element is disposed between the first and second flexible conductive electrodes. The anterior and posterior flexible conductive electrodes are transparent and electrically manipulate the accommodation actuator element.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a flexible lens enclosure including an anterior layer and a posterior layer that are sealed together;

an anterior flexible conductive electrode disposed within the flexible enclosure and across a center region of the flexible lens enclosure on a concave side of the anterior layer;

a posterior flexible conductive electrode disposed within the flexible enclosure and across the center region on a convex side of the posterior layer; and

an accommodation actuator element disposed between the first and second flexible conductive electrodes in the center region,

wherein the anterior and posterior flexible conductive electrodes are transparent and electrically manipulate the accommodation actuator element via a voltage applied across the anterior and posterior flexible conductive electrodes.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein a concave surface of the posterior layer is configured to be removeably mounted over a cornea and a convex surface of the anterior layer is configured to be compatible with eyelid motion when the concave surface of the posterior layer is so mounted

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the anterior and posterior flexible conductive electrodes conform to the anterior layer and the posterior layer, respectively.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the anterior and posterior flexible conductive electrodes comprise a colloidal suspension of conductive particles that is cured onto the concave side of the anterior layer and onto the convex side of the posterior layer, respectively.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the conductive particles comprise one of carbon nanotubes or metal nanowires.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the anterior and posterior flexible conductive electrodes comprise a conductive polymer or a conductive silicon that is cured onto the concave side of the anterior layer and onto the convex side of the posterior layer, respectively.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a ring substrate disposed around the center region,

wherein the anterior flexible conductive electrode includes an anterior connection tab extending outside the center region and overlapping an anterior contact pad on the ring substrate,

wherein the posterior flexible conductive electrode includes a posterior connection tab extending outside the center region and underlapping a posterior contact pad on the ring substrate.

8. The device of claim 7, further comprising:

first flexible conductive adhesive disposed between the anterior connection tab and the anterior contact pad to electrically connect the anterior flexible conductive electrode to the anterior contact pad; and

second flexible conductive adhesive disposed between the posterior connection tab and the posterior contact pad to electrically connect the posterior flexible conductive electrode to the posterior contact pad; and

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the anterior connection tab and the posterior connection tab are rotationally offset from each other.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the accommodation actuator element comprises a liquid crystal (“

LC”

) layer and wherein the LC layer extends across a larger area in the center region than the anterior and posterior flexible conductive electrodes.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the anterior and posterior flexible conductive electrodes each comprise multi-layer structure of transparent, conductive liquid that is iteratively applied and cured.

12. A method of fabricating a contact lens having a flexible lens enclosure, comprising:

deposting a liquid conductor material onto a concave inside surface of an anterior layer of the flexible lens enclosure;

depositing the liquid conductor material onto a convex inside surface of a posterior layer of the flexible lens enclosure;

curing the liquid conductor material on the anterior and posterior layers to form an anterior flexible conductive electrode disposed on the concave inside surface and a posterior flexible conductive electrode disposed on the convex inside surface, respectively, wherein the anterior and posterior flexible conductive electrodes are both transparent;

dispensing liquid crystal material between the anterior and posterior flexible conductive electrodes; and

sealing the anterior layer to the posterior layer to encase anterior and posterior flexible conductors and the liquid crystal material within the flexible lens enclosure of the contact lens.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the liquid conductor material comprises a colloidal suspension of conductive particles that conforms to the concave inside surface and the convex inside surface, respectively.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the conductive particles comprise one of carbon nanotubes or metal nanowires.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the liquid conductor material comprises a conductive polymer or a conductive silicon that conforms to the concave inside surface and the convex inside surface, respectively.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

iteratively depositing and curing the liquid conductor material on each of the concave inside surface and the convex inside surface to build up thicknesses of the anterior and posterior flexible conductive electrodes to achieve desired sheet resistances.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein deposing the liquid conductive material onto the convex inside surface comprises:

positioning a stencil over the convex inside surface of the anterior layer; and

spraying the liquid conductive material over the stencil onto the convex inside surface of the anterior layer.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein deposing the liquid conductive material onto the convex inside surface comprises:

applying the liquid conductive material to a stamp; and

pressing the stamp to the convex inside surface of the anterior layer to transfer the liquid conductive material to the convex inside surface of the anterior layer.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the liquid crystal material is dispensed over a larger area in a center region of the flexible lens enclosure than the anterior and posterior flexible conductive electrodes.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

plasma treating the anterior and posterior layers of the flexible lens enclosure prior to the sealing the anterior and posterior layers together to form reactive surfaces for bonding the anterior and posterior flexible conductive electrodes to the anterior and posterior layers, respectively.

21. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

providing a ring substrate upon which a battery, a controller circuit, an anterior contact pad, and a posterior contact pad are disposed;

dispensing a conductive adhesive onto the anterior and posterior contact pads;

positioning the ring substrate on the posterior layer surrounding the posterior flexible conductive electrode; and

bonding connection tabs extending from the anterior and posterior conductive electrodes to the anterior and posterior contact pads, respectively.