Facilitation of contact lenses with capacitive sensors

• US 8,857,981 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2012
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): MAI, HUY KIM
• Application Number:
  US13/559,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20140192312A1
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 351/158, 351/159.01, 351/159.02
• US Class Current: 351/158
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/10 Objective types, i.e. instruments for examining the eyes independent of the patients' perceptions or reactions
• 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 7/049 Contact lenses having special fitting or structural features achieved by special materials or material structures

Abstract

Apparatus, systems and methods employing contact lens with capacitive sensors are provided. In some aspects, a contact lens includes: a substrate; a capacitive sensor, disposed on or within the substrate, that senses a capacitance on the contact lens; and a circuit disposed on or within the substrate. In some aspects, the circuit can include a capacitance analysis component that determines a condition of an eyelid associated with the eye over which the contact lens is disposed and/or a parameter associated with the eye over which the contact lens is disposed. In some aspects, the condition can be a blink of an eyelid. In some aspects, the parameter can be at least one of a pressure of an object in proximity to the contact lens, a thickness or type of a layer of material disposed on or within the contact lens or a composition of material on the contact lens.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a contact lens, comprising;

a substrate;

a capacitive sensor, disposed on or within the substrate, that senses capacitance on the contact lens; and

a circuit disposed on or within the substrate that determines information indicative of the capacitance from the capacitive sensor and comprising a capacitance analysis component that determines an amount of pressure applied by an object in proximity to the contact lens based on the sensed capacitance.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the capacitive sensor is a capacitive proximity sensor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the capacitive sensor is a capacitive pressure sensor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuit comprises a communication component that:

transmits the information to a reader.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuit further comprises a capacitance analysis component that determines a condition of an eyelid associated with an eye over which the contact lens is disposed.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the condition comprises a blink of the eyelid.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the condition comprises an orientation of the contact lens.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a reader that receives information transmitted from the contact lens.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the circuit further comprises a communication component that at least one of:

transmits the information to the reader or receives information from a source external to the contact lens.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuit further comprises a processing component that performs an action on the contact lens based, at least, on the information indicative of the capacitance.

11. A method, comprising:

using a sensor on a contact lens to detect capacitance;

determining change in the capacitance;

determining or inferring a change in condition of an eye based on the change in the capacitance; and

determining, based on the detected capacitance, an amount of pressure applied by an object in proximity to the contact lens.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the capacitance is detected in response to proximity of an object to the contact lens.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the capacitance is detected in response to at least one of a presence of a material sensed on the contact lens, or pressure on the contact lens.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining, based on the detected capacitance, at least one of a thickness of a layer of material disposed on or within the contact lens, type of material on the contact lens or composition of material on the contact lens.