Contact lenses with hybrid power sources

• US 9,523,865 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2012
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Twenty Twenty Therapeutics, LLC
• Original Assignee: Verily Life Sciences LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Pletcher, Nathan, Otis, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Collins, Darryl J
• Application Number:
  US13/559,261
• Publication Number:
  US 20140192311A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,608 Days
• Field of Search: 351/159.02, 351/159.03, 351/159.73
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14507 specially adapted for measuring characteristics of body fluids other than blood devices for taking samples of body liquids A61B10/0045
• 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: 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: H01L 31/0445 including thin film solar cells, e.g. single thin film a-Si, CIS or CdTe solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

Apparatus, systems and methods of contact lenses with power sources are provided. In some aspects, a contact lens can include a substrate; and a circuit. The circuit can include: one or more sensors disposed on or within the substrate; circuitry disposed on at least a portion of the substrate; one or more photovoltaic cells disposed on at least a portion of the substrate; and a hybrid power component that supplies at least one of two or more different types of power to the circuitry, wherein at least one of the two or more different types of power is radio frequency/inductive power. In various aspects, other types of power can be solar and/or microelectromechanical system power. Additionally, in various aspects, photovoltaic cells can be arrayed in different configurations and/or over a significant portion of a viewing surface of the contact lens. In some aspects, the photovoltaic cells can be transparent.

Claims

1. A sensing device for a body, comprising:

a substrate; and

a circuit comprising;

one or more sensors disposed on or within the substrate, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to sense a level of at least one of lactate, glucose, cholesterol or urea in the body;

circuitry disposed on or within at least a portion of the substrate;

one or more photovoltaic cells disposed on or within at least a portion of the substrate; and

a hybrid power component disposed on or within the substrate, wherein the hybrid power component selects at least one of two or more different types of power based on at least an operation of the circuitry or an environment of the sensing device and supplies the selected at least one of two or more different types of power to the circuitry, wherein one of the two or more different types of power is photovoltaic power provided by the one or more photovoltaic cells.

2. The sensing device of claim 1, wherein another one of the two or more different types of power is radio frequency/inductive power.

3. The sensing device of claim 2, wherein the hybrid power component supplies the radio frequency/inductive power and the photovoltaic power intermittently.

4. The sensing device of claim 1, further comprising one or more microelectromechanical systems and wherein another one of the two or more different types of power is electric power provided by the one or more microelectromechanical systems.

5. The sensing device of claim 4, wherein the hybrid power component supplies the photovoltaic power and the electric power from the one or more microelectromechanical systems intermittently.

6. The sensing device of claim 1, further comprising a power storage component, wherein the power storage component is operably coupled to the one or more photovoltaic cells, and wherein the power storage component is configured to store power from the one or more photovoltaic cells.

7. The sensing device of claim 6, wherein the power storage component comprises a storage capacitor.

8. The sensing device of claim 6, wherein the power storage component comprises a thin film battery.

9. The sensing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more photovoltaic cells are translucent or transparent.

10. The sensing device of claim 9, wherein the one or more photovoltaic cells are disposed over at least half of a surface of the substrate.

11. The sensing device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more photovoltaic cells or the circuitry is disposed along a perimeter of the substrate.

12. The sensing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more photovoltaic cells comprise a circular array of two or more photovoltaic cells.

13. The sensing device of claim 1, wherein the hybrid power component supplies at least two of the two or more different types of power to the circuitry and alternates between supplying a first one of the at least two of the two or more different types of power and supplying a second one of the at least two of the two or more different types of power.

14. The sensing device of claim 1, wherein the sensing device is a wearable device.

15. The sensing device of claim 1, wherein the sensing device is a contact lens.

16. A contact lens, comprising:

a substrate; and

a circuit comprising;

one or more sensors disposed on or within the substrate;

circuitry disposed on or within at least a portion of the substrate; and

a hybrid power component configured to select at least one of two or more different types of power, wherein the hybrid power component is further configured to output the selected at least one of two or more different types of power to the circuitry, wherein at least one of the two or more different types of power is radio frequency/inductive power.

17. The contact lens of claim 16, further comprising a power storage component, wherein the power storage component is operably coupled to a power source of at least one of the two or more different types of power, and wherein the power storage component is configured to store power from the power source.

18. The contact lens of claim 17, wherein the power storage component comprises a storage capacitor.

19. The contact lens of claim 17, wherein the power storage component comprises a thin film battery.

20. The contact lens of claim 16, further comprising one or more photovoltaic cells disposed on or within at least a portion of the substrate, wherein another one of the two or more different types of power is photovoltaic power provided by the one or more photovoltaic cells.

21. The contact lens of claim 16, wherein the one or more sensors sense a level of at least one of lactate, glucose, cholesterol or urea in a body of a wearer of the contact lens.

22. The contact lens of claim 16, wherein the one or more sensors sense at least one of pressure, light, acceleration, temperature or strain.

23. The contact lens of claim 16, further comprising one or more microelectromechanical systems and wherein another one of the two or more different types of power is electric power provided by the one or more microelectromechanical systems.

24. The contact lens of claim 16, wherein the hybrid power component supplies a type of power based, at least, on an operation of the circuitry or an environment of the contact lens.

25. The contact lens of claim 16, wherein the hybrid power component supplies at least two of the two or more different types of power to the circuitry and alternates between supplying a first one of the at least two of the two or more different types of power and supplying a second one of the at least two of the two or more different types of power.

26. A method of operating a contact lens, comprising:

selecting at least one of two or more different types of power, wherein at least one of the two or more different types of power is radio frequency/inductive power;

supplying, from a hybrid power component, the selected at least one type of power to circuitry disposed on or within the contact lens; and

performing one or more operations, by the circuitry, in response to receiving supplied power.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the selecting comprises selecting two or more different types of power.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the two or more different types of power comprise radio frequency/inductive power and photovoltaic power.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the two or more different types of power comprise radio frequency/inductive power and electric power from a microelectromechanical system.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the two or more different types of power are supplied at based, at least, on an environment outside of the contact lens.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein supplying the selected at least one type of power comprises supplying the radio frequency/inductive power during a first type of operation performed by the circuitry and supplying a second type of power during a second type of operation performed by the circuitry.

32. A method of operating a contact lens, comprising:

determining at least one of a type of operation performed via the contact lens or an environment outside of the contact lens;

selecting at least one of two or more different types of power based, at least, on the determined type of operation or the determined environment outside of the contact lens; and

outputting the selected at least one of two or more different types of power from a hybrid power component of the contact lens.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein determining at least one of a type of operation performed via the contact lens or an environment outside of the contact lens comprises determining whether the environment outside of the contact lens is a nighttime environment.