Contact lens that facilitates antenna communication via sensor impedance modulation

• US 8,870,370 B1
• Filed: 09/24/2012
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Twenty Twenty Therapeutics, LLC
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Otis, Brian, Pletcher, Nathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Jack
• Application Number:
  US13/625,835
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• Field of Search: 351/159.03, 351/159.39, 351/219, 351/246
• US Class Current: 351/159.03
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6821 Eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/04 Contact lenses for the eyes disinfection or sterilisation of contact lenses A61L12/00

Abstract

Systems, contact lenses and methods that facilitate antenna communication via sensor impedance modulation are provided. In one aspect, a system can include a contact lens and a radio frequency (RF) reader. The contact lens can include a substrate; an RF antenna, disposed on or within the substrate; and a sensing component, disposed on or within the substrate, and directly coupled to the RF antenna, wherein the RF antenna is configured to change impedance value as a sensed value of the sensing component changes. The RF reader is external to the contact lens, and configured to interrogate the RF antenna with an RF signal. The RF reader can receive a reflected RF signal from the RF antenna in response to the interrogation. The magnitude, phase and/or a frequency of the reflected RF signal can be based on the impedance value of the RF antenna.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a contact lens, comprising;

a substrate;

a radio frequency (RF) antenna, disposed on or within the substrate; and

a sensing component disposed on or within the substrate, wherein the sensing component has an impedance that loads the RF antenna, and wherein the impedance of the sensing component is dependent upon one or more sensed features.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an RF reader, external to the contact lens, and configured to interrogate the RF antenna with an RF signal.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the RF reader is further configured to receive a reflected RF signal from the RF antenna in response to interrogation.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein at least one of a magnitude, phase or frequency of the reflected RF signal is based, at least, on the impedance of the sensing component.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the sensing component comprises a plurality of sensors.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein interrogation of the RF antenna with the RF signal comprises interrogation with at least one of a plurality of resonance frequencies, wherein at least one of the plurality of resonance frequencies is associated with at least one of the plurality of sensors.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the RF reader is further configured to receive a reflected RF signal from the RF antenna in response to interrogation, wherein the reflected RF signal is associated with an impedance of at least one of the plurality of sensors.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensing component comprises a capacitor.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensing component comprises piezoelectric material.

10. A system, comprising:

a contact lens, comprising;

a substrate;

a capacitive pressure sensing component disposed on or within the substrate, wherein the capacitive sensing component has an impedance dependent upon a sensed pressure; and

a radio frequency (RF) antenna, loaded by the impedance of the capacitive pressure sensing component, and configured to reflect a modified version of a received RF signal at a selected frequency based, at least, on the sensed pressure.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein modification comprises modifying at least one of a magnitude, phase or frequency of the received RF signal.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

an RF reader, external to the contact lens, and configured to interrogate the RF antenna with the RF signal and detect a change in response of the RF antenna.

13. A method, comprising:

sensing, by a sensing component of a contact lens, one or more sensed features, wherein the sensing changes an impedance of the sensing component, wherein the impedance of the sensing component loads an antenna in the contact lens; and

reflecting, by the antenna, a radio frequency (RF) signal, wherein the RF signal is based, at least, on the impedance of the sensing component.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the magnitude, phase or frequency of the reflected RF signal is based, at least, on the impedance.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving an interrogation signal, wherein the reflected RF signal is in response to receiving the interrogation signal.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the sensing is performed via at least one of a temperature sensor or capacitive sensor.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the sensing is performed via a sensing component comprising piezoelectric material.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the sensing is performed via a sensing component comprising of a plurality of sensors.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving an interrogation signal, wherein the interrogation signal is associated with one of a plurality of resonance frequencies associated with one of the plurality of sensors.