Reader communication with contact lens sensors and display device

• US 9,128,305 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2013
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Honor, Frank, Otis, Brian, Nelson, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent
• Application Number:
  US14/028,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20150005606A1
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.82, 340/10.1, 340/572.1, 340/539.12, 340/539.1, 340/870.16, 351/158, 351/159.4, 345/8
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0219 of externally powered implanted units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0223 of calibration, e.g. protocols for calibrating sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/08 Sensors provided with means for identification, e.g. barcodes or memory chips
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0025 characterised by electronic signal processing, e.g. eye models
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0041 characterised by display arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/101 for examining the tear film
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0004 characterised by the type of physiological signal transmitted
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0026 characterised by the transmission medium
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1477 non-invasive
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1486 using enzyme electrodes, e.g. with immobilised oxidase
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1495 Calibrating or testing of in-vivo probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6821 Eye
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7445 Display arrangements, e.g. multiple display units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/98 using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10158 methods and means used by the interrogation device for reliably powering the wireless record carriers using an electromagnetic interrogation field
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10386 the interrogation device being of the portable or hand-handheld type, e.g. incorporated in ubiquitous hand-held devices such as PDA or mobile phone, or in the form of a portable dedicated RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation

Abstract

A reader for communicating with both an eye-mountable device and a display device is provided. The reader can transmit radio frequency power to a tag that is part of the eye-mountable device. The reader can communicates with the tag using a first protocol. Communicating with the tag can include having the reader request data from the tag and receive the requested data from the tag. The reader can process the received data. The reader can store the processed data. The reader can communicates with the display device using a second protocol, where the first and second protocols can differ. Communicating with the display device can include having the reader transmit the stored data to the display device. The display device can receive the transmitted data, process the transmitted data, and generate one or more displays including the transmitted and/or processed data.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

transmitting, by a reader, radio frequency (RF) power to a tag, wherein the tag is part of an eye-mountable device, wherein the eye-mountable device includes a sensor configured to obtain measurements related to glucose in tear film;

communicating with the tag, by the reader, using a first protocol, wherein communicating with the tag comprises requesting and receiving one or more measurements by the sensor;

storing, by the reader, data related to the one or more measurements; and

communicating with a display device, by the reader, using a second protocol, wherein the communicating with the display device comprises transmitting the stored data to the display device, wherein the display device is configured to (i) determine a blood glucose concentration based on the stored data transmitted by the reader and (ii) display the blood glucose concentration, and wherein the first protocol differs from the second protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating with the display device comprises receiving, by the reader, a request for the stored data from the display device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the reader is within a predetermined distance from the tag when transmitting RF power to the tag.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating with the tag further comprises:

sending a request for an identifier (ID) of the tag using the first protocol; and

in response to the request for the ID of the tag, receiving a message comprising the ID of the tag.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data related to the one or more measurements comprises a tear-film glucose concentration.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining, by the reader, the tear-film glucose concentration based on the one or more sensor measurements.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the display device is configured to determine the blood glucose concentration based on the tear-film glucose concentration.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the reader transmits the RF power to the tag for at least a predetermined period of time before requesting the one or more measurements.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first protocol is a Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) protocol, and wherein the second protocol is a Bluetooth protocol.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the reader is part of a head-mountable device.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by a processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

transmitting radio frequency (RF) power to a tag, wherein the tag is part of an eye-mountable device, wherein the eye-mountable device includes a sensor configured to obtain measurements related to glucose in tear film;

communicating with the tag using a first protocol, wherein communicating with the tag comprises requesting and receiving one or more measurements by the sensor;

storing data related to the one or more measurements; and

communicating with a display device using a second protocol, wherein the communicating with the display device comprises transmitting the stored data to the display device, wherein the display device is configured to (i) determine a blood glucose concentration based on the stored data transmitted by the reader and (ii) display the blood glucose concentration, and wherein the first protocol differs from the second protocol.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the computing device is within a predetermined distance from the tag when transmitting RF power to the tag.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the data related to the one or more measurements comprises a tear-film glucose concentration.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the computing device transmits the RF power to the tag for at least a predetermined period of time before requesting the one or more sensor measurements.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the first protocol is a Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) protocol, and wherein the second protocol is a Bluetooth protocol.

16. A computing device, comprising:

an antenna;

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising;

transmitting radio frequency (RF) power to a tag using the antenna, wherein the tag is part of an eye-mountable device, wherein the eye-mountable device includes a sensor configured to obtain measurements related to glucose in tear film;

communicating with the tag using a first protocol, wherein communicating with the tag comprises requesting and receiving one or more measurements by the sensor;

storing data related to the one or more measurements; and

communicating with a display device using a second protocol, wherein communicating with the display device comprises transmitting the stored data to the display device, wherein the display device is configured to (i) determine a blood glucose concentration based on the stored data transmitted by the reader and (ii) display the blood glucose concentration, and wherein the first protocol differs from the second protocol.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the computing device is within a predetermined distance from the tag when transmitting RF power to the tag.

18. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the computing device transmits the RF power to the tag for at least a predetermined period of time before requesting the one or more sensor measurements, and wherein the data related to the one or more measurements comprises a tear-film glucose concentration.

19. The computing device of claim 17, further comprising at least one transceiver configured to communicate using at least the first protocol and the second protocol, wherein the first protocol is a Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) protocol, and wherein the second protocol is a Bluetooth protocol.