Contact lens that restricts incoming light to the eye

• US 8,960,898 B1
• Filed: 09/24/2012
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verily Life Sciences LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Etzkorn, James, Otis, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Collins, Darryl J
• Assistant Examiner(s): O'NEILL, GARY WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US13/625,841
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: 35115902-15938, 345 7- 9
• US Class Current: 351/159.03
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/101 having an electro-optical light valve electro-optical elements per se G02F

Abstract

This disclosure generally relates to systems and/or methods to restrict light entering an opening of an eye pupil by detecting pupil dilation, detecting incoming light intensity or direction, and adjusting light restricting properties of one or more light restricting regions of the contact lens based upon the detected pupil dilation parameters and incoming light intensity or direction.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a contact lens comprising;

a substrate;

one or more light restricting materials disposed on or within one or more areas of the substrate;

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

a pupil detection component comprising an array of sensors on or within the substrate configured to determine a current state of dilation of a pupil;

a control circuit disposed on the substrate and coupled with the one or more light restricting materials and one or more light sensors, the control circuit comprising;

a light control component configured to;

determine respective amount of light detected by the respective one or more light sensors; and

adjust respective light blocking properties of the respective one or more light restricting materials based upon the respective amount of light.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more light restricting materials is a mechanical aperture having an opening;

and wherein the light control component is further configured to adjust size of the opening based upon the respective amount of light.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more light restricting materials are electrochromic materials placed on or within a plurality of areas of the substrate;

and wherein the light control component is configured to adjust the light blocking properties of electrochromic materials of a subset of the plurality of areas to restrict some portion of light based upon the respective amount of light.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more light sensors comprises a plurality of light sensors positioned in a ring near a periphery of the contact lens.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the light control component is further configured to determine direction of a light source based upon the respective amount of light.

6. The device of claim 5, whereon the light control component is further configured to adjust the respective light blocking properties of the respective one or more light restricting materials based upon the direction of the light source.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the array of sensors of the pupil detection component detect light reflected from within the eye.

8. The device of claim 7, whereon the light control component is further configured to adjust the respective light blocking properties of the respective one or more light restricting materials based upon the current state of dilation of the pupil.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the control circuit further comprises an interface component configured to receive a command from a remote device instructing the light control component to adjust the respective light blocking properties of the respective one or more light restricting materials.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a power component disposed on the substrate configured to capture energy wirelessly or mechanically and convert the captured energy to usable electric power;

wherein at least one of the control circuit component, the one or more light restricting materials, or the one or more light sensors is configured to employ the usable electric power.

11. A method, comprising:

determining, by a device including a processing circuit, respective amounts of light detected by respective one or more light sensors disposed on or within a substrate of a contact lens;

determining, by the device, a state of dilation of a pupil using an array of pupil sensors disposed on or within the substrate of the contact lens; and

adjusting, by the device, respective light blocking properties of respective one or more light restricting materials disposed on or within one or more areas of the substrate based upon the respective amounts of light.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

wherein the one or more light restricting materials is a mechanical aperture having an opening; and

adjusting, by the device, size of the opening based upon the respective amounts of light.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

wherein the one or more light restricting materials are electrochromic materials placed on or within a plurality of areas of the substrate; and

adjusting, by the device, the light blocking properties of electrochromic materials of a subset of the plurality of areas to restrict some portion of light based upon the respective amounts of light.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more light sensors comprises a plurality of light sensors positioned in a ring near a periphery of the contact lens.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining, by the device, a direction of a light source based upon the respective amounts of lights.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising adjusting, by the device, the respective light blocking properties of the respective one or more light restricting materials based upon the direction of the light source.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining, by the device, current state of dilation of a pupil by detecting light reflected from within the eye.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising adjusting, by the device, the respective light blocking properties of the respective one or more light restricting materials based upon the current state of dilation of the pupil.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution, cause a device including a processing circuit to perform operations comprising:

determining respective amounts of light detected by respective one or more light sensors disposed on or within a substrate of a contact lens;

determining a state of dilation of a pupil using an array of pupil sensors disposed on or within the substrate of the contact lens; and

adjusting respective light blocking properties of respective one or more light restricting materials disposed on or within one or more areas of the substrate based upon the respective amounts of light.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, further comprising:

wherein the one or more light restricting materials is a mechanical aperture having an opening; and

adjusting, by the contact lens, size of the opening based upon the respective amounts of light.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, further comprising:

wherein the one or more light restricting materials are electrochromic materials placed on or within a plurality of areas of the substrate; and

adjusting the light blocking properties of electrochromic materials of a subset of the plurality of areas to restrict some portion of light based upon the respective amounts of light.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the one or more light sensors comprises a plurality of light sensors positioned in a ring near a periphery of the contact lens.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, further comprising determining direction of a light source based upon the respective amounts of light.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, further comprising adjusting the respective light blocking properties of the respective one or more light restricting materials based upon the direction of the light source.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, further comprising determining current state of dilation of a pupil by detecting light reflected from within the eye.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, further comprising adjusting the respective light blocking properties of the respective one or more light restricting materials based upon the current state of dilation of the pupil.