Device identification

• US 9,814,387 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2013
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verily Life Sciences LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verily Life Sciences LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Otis, Brian, Yeager, Daniel, Nelson, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): WILSON, BRIAN P
• Application Number:
  US13/930,513
• Publication Number:
  US 20150002270A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,600 Days
• Field of Search: 34087001, 340500, 340540, 3405391, 34053912, 3405721, 3405727, 3405728, 3405731, 340 101, 340 104, 600345, 600365, 600452, 600347, 600383, 606 4, 20440301, 20440311, 20440313, 205792
• 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 2562/028 Microscale sensors, e.g. electromechanical sensors [MEMS]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/085 combined with means for recording calibration data
• 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 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1477 non-invasive
• 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

An eye-mountable device includes a controller embedded in a polymeric material configured for mounting to a surface of an eye. The controller is electrically connected to an antenna included in the eye-mountable device. The controller is configured to: (i) receive an indication of an interrogation signal via the antenna, (ii) responsive to the interrogation signal, output a substantially unique identification sequence; and (iii) use the antenna to communicate the substantially unique identification sequence. The substantially unique identification sequence can then be used by external readers to associate the eye-mountable device with device-specific information without storing such information on the eye-mountable device.

Claims

1. An eye-mountable device comprising:

a transparent polymeric material having a concave surface and a convex surface, wherein the concave surface removably mounts over a corneal surface and the convex surface is compatible with eyelid motion when the concave surface is so mounted;

a substrate at least partially embedded within the transparent polymeric material;

an antenna disposed on the substrate;

at least one sensor;

a sequence generator that dynamically generates a substantially unique identification sequence, wherein the substantially unique identification sequence is based on process variations in components of the sequence generator; and

a controller electrically connected to the antenna, wherein the controller;

(i) receives an indication of an interrogation signal via the antenna, (ii) responsive to the interrogation signal, outputs the substantially unique identification sequence, (iii) uses the antenna to communicate the substantially unique identification sequence, (iv) responsive to communicating the substantially unique identification sequence, uses the antenna to receive an indication of device-specific information associated with the eye-mountable device, wherein the device-specific information is a response to said communicating of the substantially unique identification sequence and the device-specific information comprises user-specific information for operating the eye-mountable device, and (v) operates the at least one sensor in accordance with the user-specific information.

2. The eye-mountable device according to claim 1, wherein the sequence generator includes one or more state circuits that output one of multiple possible state outputs based on a difference between one or more circuit components in the one or more state circuits, and wherein the substantially unique identification sequence is based at least in part on the outputs of the one or more state circuits.

3. The eye-mountable device according to claim 1, wherein the sequence generator includes one or more comparator circuits that output a binary state value based on a comparison between an output of circuit components in the one or more comparator circuits, and wherein the substantially unique identification sequence is based at least in part on the binary state value.

4. The eye-mountable device according to claim 1,

wherein the controller uses the antenna to indicate a measurement obtained based on the operation of the at least one sensor in accordance with the user-specific information.

5. The eye-mountable device according to claim 4, wherein the at least one sensor includes:

an electrochemical analyte sensor, a temperature sensor, a light sensor, a pressure sensor, or an acceleration sensor.

6. The eye-mountable device according to claim 1,

wherein the at least one sensor includes an electrochemical sensor disposed on the substrate and including:

(i) a working electrode, and (ii) a reference electrode adjacent the working electrode, and

wherein the controller;

(i) applies a voltage between the working electrode and the reference electrode sufficient to generate an amperometric current related to a concentration of an analyte in a fluid to which the eye-mountable device is exposed, (ii) measures the amperometric current, and (iii) uses the antenna to indicate the measured amperometric current.

7. The eye-mountable device according to claim 1, further comprising:

energy-harvesting circuitry that supplies power to operate the eye-mountable device via radiation received at the antenna.

8. The eye-mountable device according to claim 1, wherein the transparent polymeric material is a substantially transparent vision correction lens and is shaped to provide a predetermined vision-correcting optical power.

9. A method comprising:

transmitting an interrogation signal for receipt by an antenna of an eye-mountable device, wherein the antenna is disposed on a substrate at least partially embedded within a transparent polymeric material of the eye-mountable device, and wherein the eye-mountable device includes a sensor;

receiving, from the eye-mountable device, a response signal indicative of a substantially unique identification sequence, wherein the substantially unique identification sequence is based on process variations in components of a sequence generator of the eye-mountable device;

associating the eye-mountable device with device-specific information, wherein the device-specific information is a response to the substantially unique identification sequence received from the eye-mountable device and the device-specific information comprises user-specific information for operating the eye-mountable device; and

causing the eye-mountable device to operate the sensor in accordance with the user-specific information.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the associating includes querying a database to determine configuration information for the eye-mountable device.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the determined configuration information of the database includes calibration information specific to the of the eye-mountable device.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the calibration information is based on at least a previously obtained calibration result of the eye-mountable device.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the sensor is an electrochemical analyte sensor, the method further comprising:

determining an analyte concentration corresponding to a sensor measurement from the electrochemical analyte sensor based on the calibration information.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the associating includes querying a database to identify a particular user of the eye-mountable device.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising determining historical usage data for the identified particular user of the eye-mountable device.

16. The method according to claim 9, wherein the sensor is an electrochemical analyte sensor, the method further comprising:

wirelessly communicating with the eye-mountable device to obtain a measurement from the electrochemical analyte sensor included in the eye-mountable device; and

storing data indicative of the measurement in a database such that the stored data is associated with the substantially unique identification sequence.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors in a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations, the operations comprising:

transmitting an interrogation signal for receipt by an antenna of an eye-mountable device, wherein the antenna is disposed on a substrate at least partially embedded within a transparent polymeric material of the eye-mountable device, and wherein the eye-mountable device includes a sensor;

receiving, from the eye-mountable device, a response signal indicative of a substantially unique identification sequence, wherein the substantially unique identification sequence is based on process variations in components of a sequence generator of the eye-mountable device;

associating the eye-mountable device with device-specific information, wherein the device-specific information is a response to the substantially unique identification sequence received from the eye-mountable device and the device-specific information comprises user-specific information for operating the eye-mountable device; and

causing the eye-mountable device to operate the sensor in accordance with the user-specific information.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 17, wherein the associating includes querying a database to determine configuration information for the eye-mountable device.

19. A body-mountable device comprising:

a bio-compatible polymeric material;

a substrate at least partially embedded within the bio-compatible polymeric material;

an antenna disposed on the substrate;

a sensor;

a sequence generator that dynamically generates a substantially unique identification sequence, wherein the substantially unique identification sequence is based on process variations in components of the sequence generator; and

a controller electrically connected to the antenna, wherein the controller;

(i) receives an indication of an interrogation signal via the antenna, (ii) responsive to the interrogation signal, outputs the substantially unique identification sequence, (iii) uses the antenna to communicate the substantially unique identification sequence, (iv) responsive to communicating the substantially unique identification sequence, uses the antenna to receive an indication of device-specific information associated with the body-mountable device, wherein the device-specific information is a response to said communicating of the substantially unique identification sequence and the device-specific information comprises user-specific information for operating the body-mountable device, and

(v) operates the sensor in accordance with the user-specific information.

20. The body-mountable device according to claim 19,

wherein the sensor is an electrochemical sensor disposed on the substrate and including:

(i) a working electrode, and (ii) a reference electrode adjacent the working electrode, and

wherein the controller;

(i) applies a voltage between the working electrode and the reference electrode sufficient to generate an amperometric current related to a concentration of an analyte in a fluid to which the body-mountable device is exposed, (ii) measures the amperometric current, and (iii) uses the antenna to indicate the measured amperometric current.

21. The body-mountable device according to claim 19, wherein the bio-compatible polymeric material mounts to a tooth surface such that the body-mountable device is a tooth-mountable device.

22. The body-mountable device according to claim 19, wherein the bio-compatible polymeric material mounts to a skin surface such that the body-mountable device is a skin-mountable device.