Contact lens employing optical signals for power and/or communication

• US 9,158,133 B1
• Filed: 07/26/2012
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verily Life Sciences LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Pletcher, Nathan, Otis, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): MAI, HUY KIM
• Application Number:
  US13/559,350
• Time in Patent Office: 1,174 Days
• Field of Search: 351/158, 351/159.02, 351/159.03
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0017 transmitting optical signals transmission by light H04B10/00
• 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 5/6821 Eye
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/72 Signal processing specially adapted for physiological signals or for diagnostic purposes character recognition, recognising digital ink, document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/00; recognition or understanding of postal images G06V30/424
• 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: 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: H04B 10/807 Optical power feeding, i.e. transmitting power using an optical signal

Abstract

Apparatus, systems and methods employing contact lens sensors are provided. In some aspects, a contact lens includes a substrate that forms at least a portion of the body of the contact lens; an optical communication device disposed on or within the substrate; and a photodetector disposed on or within the substrate, wherein the photodetector harvests light emitted from a device and generates power from the harvested light. In some aspects, an apparatus comprises a tag having a circuit including: an optical communication device; and a photodetector that harvests light received and generates power from the harvested light. The tag can be disposed on or within a contact lens in various aspects.

Claims

1. A contact lens, comprising:

a substrate of the contact lens;

an optical communication device disposed on or within the substrate, wherein the optical communication device is configured to modulate light to communicate data to a device, and wherein the device is located external to the contact lens; and

a photodetector, disposed on or within the substrate, wherein the photodetector is configured to harvest light emitted from the device and to generate power from the harvested light, and wherein the photodetector is configured to detect a modulated optical signal from the device to receive data from the device.

2. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein the optical communication device is at least one of a reflector or a light-emitting diode.

3. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein the device is a mobile telephone having a camera with a light source.

4. The contact lens of the claim 1, further comprising one or more sensors that sense one or more features associated with the wearer of the contact lens.

5. The contact lens of claim 4, wherein the one or more features comprise at least one of:

biological features associated with the wearer of the contact lens or chemical features associated with an environment outside of the wearer of the contact lens.

6. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein the light has a wavelength that is invisible to a human eye.

7. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein the modulated optical signal from the device is encoded with data at a rate of at least 100 bits per second.

8. The contact lens of claim 1, further comprising a radio frequency (RF) antenna, wherein the contact lens provides multi-modal information output of at least one of RF power or optical power.

9. The contact lens of claim 1, further comprising a radio frequency (RF) device that communicates by backscatter.

10. The contact lens of claim 9, wherein the RF device is an RF antenna.

11. A system, comprising:

a device having a transmitter configured to emit light; and

a contact lens, comprising;

a substrate; and

a circuit, disposed on or within the substrate, the circuit comprising;

one or more sensors configured to sense a feature of a wearer of the contact lens;

a communication component configured to output information indicative of the sensed feature from the contact lens;

a processor configured to process the information indicative of the sensed feature; and

one or more light sensors, wherein the one or light sensors are configured to (i) harvest light emitted from the device, (ii) power at least one of the communication component or the processor using the harvested light, and (iii) detect a modulated optical signal from the device to receive data from the device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the device further comprises a receiver configured to receive the information indicative of the sensed feature output from the communication component.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising a reader configured to receive the information output from the communication component, wherein the reader is distinct from the device.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication component comprises at least one of a reflector or a light-emitting diode.