Contact Lens Wiring

• US 20180316224A1
• Filed: 04/25/2018
• Published: 11/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tectus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Spy Eye, LLC
• Inventors: Maynard, Ronald S.
• Granted Patent: US 10,613,349 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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: G02C 7/044 Annular configuration, e.g. pupil tuned
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/083 Electrooptic lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/086 Auxiliary lenses located directly on a main spectacle lens or in the immediate vicinity of main spectacles
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/2823 Wires H01F27/2866 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling

Abstract

A contact lens has a first circumferential groove containing a wire coil and an electronics cavity containing one or more electronic devices. The circumferential groove and electronics cavity are formed in a peripheral region of the contact lens. The coil is configured to wirelessly receive electrical power and/or data, and to provide the received power and/or data to the electronic devices in the electronics cavity and to a femtoprojector or other electronic devices in the contact lens.

Claims

1. A contact lens, comprising:

a contact lens substrate, the contact lens substrate comprising a circumferential groove and an electronics cavity within an outer surface of the contact lens substrate;

a wire coil wound circumferentially around the contact lens substrate within the circumferential groove;

one or more electronic devices included within the electronics cavity; and

an electrical conduit connecting the wire coil with the one or more electronic devices.

2. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein the circumferential groove is formed substantially orthogonal to a central axis of the contact lens substrate.

3. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein the electronics cavity is substantially orthogonal to a surface of the contact lens substrate.

4. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein the electronics cavity is substantially parallel to the circumferential groove, and wherein the electronics cavity is closer to a center of the contact lens substrate than the circumferential groove.

5. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein the electronics cavity does not extend around the entire circumference of the contact lens substrate.

6. The contact lens of claim 1, further comprising a cap covering a surface of the contact lens substrate and encapsulating the wire coil and one or more electronic devices within the circumferential groove and electronics cavity.

7. The contact lens of claim 6, wherein the cap comprises a gas-permeable material.

8. The contact lens of claim 6, wherein the cap is coupled to the contact lens substrate using an optically-transparent adhesive.

9. The contact lens of claim 6, wherein the cap is separated from the surface of the contact lens substrate by one or more spacers.

10. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein the wire coil comprises a ribbon cable having a plurality of insulated parallel wires.

11. The contact lens of claim 10, wherein the wire coil is wound as a disk coil comprising windings stacked in a direction substantially orthogonal to a central axis of the contact lens substrate.

12. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein the wire coil comprises a braided cable having a plurality of insulated wires.

13. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein the wire coil is configured to inductively couple to an external power source via a magnetic field generated by the external source.

14. The contact lens of claim 13, wherein the one or more electronic devices includes a power circuit configured to convert current within the wire coil from the magnetic field into power for one or more of the other electronic devices.

15. The contact lens of claim 14, wherein the power circuit comprises at least a rectifier circuit.

16. The contact lens of claim 1, further comprising a femtoprojector embedded within the contact lens substrate.

17. The contact lens of claim 16, wherein the femtoprojector is coupled to the one or more electronic devices via a second electrical conduit.

18. The contact lens of claim 17, wherein the one or more electronic devices are configured to provide power and data received via the wire coil to the femtoprojector.

19. The contact lens of claim 1, further comprising a bus cavity within an outer surface of the contact lens substrate connecting the electronics cavity with an inner surface of the circumferential groove, wherein the electrical conduit is located within the bus cavity.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

a contact lens comprising a circumferential groove within an outer surface of the contact lens;

a wire coil located within the circumferential groove;

one or more electronic devices coupled to or embedded within the contact lens; and

an electrical conduit connecting the wire coil with the one or more electronic devices.