Eye-mounted display system and method for providing images

• US 9,933,620 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2012
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: e-vision Smart Optics, Inc. (New Smart Optics, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: e-vision Smart Optics, Inc. (New Smart Optics, Inc.)
• Inventors: Van Heugten, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Zheng, Xuemei
• Application Number:
  US14/649,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20150301338A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,944 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/04 Contact lenses for the eyes disinfection or sterilisation of contact lenses A61L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/04 Display device controller operating with a plurality of display units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/32 semiconductive, e.g. using light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise and/or relate to, via light from a light source, rendering an image on a retina.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a contact lens configured to render one or more portions of one or more predetermined images to a wearer of the contact lens, the contact lens comprising;

a first light source embedded in and/or mounted to the contact lens, the first light source configured to emit light toward a retina of the wearer;

an electro-active prism configured to dynamically adjustably steer the light in two coordinate directions and toward one or more predetermined locations on the retina to form, on the retina, a spot that moves in a predetermined pattern to define the one or more portions of the one or more predetermined images, the electro-active prism configured to move the spot on the retina at a speed faster than a speed at which the retina can send images of a single spot to the brain of the wearer; and

a controller configured to;

dynamically control emission of the light from the first light source; and

/or

dynamically control steering of the light by the electro-active prism.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the controller is configured to wirelessly communicate with the first light source.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the controller is configured to wirelessly communicate with an electro-active lens.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the controller is configured to wirelessly communicate with the electro-active prism.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an electro-active lens configured to dynamically adjustably focus the light onto the retina.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a power source wirelessly coupled to the contact lens.

7. The device of claim 1, the contact lens further comprising:

a second light source configured to emit light having a different color than light emitted by the first light source.

8. The device of claim 1, the contact lens further comprising:

a second light source configured to emit light for generating a different image than that of the first light source.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a gaze detector configured to communicate with the controller.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an object position detector configured to communicate with the controller.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the controller is configured to switch emission of the light in response to an occurrence of a predetermined event.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the controller is configured to coordinate a switch in emission of the light with a predetermined action.

13. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an electro-active lens configured to dynamically adjustably focus the light onto the retina and configured to provide spherical focus changes to the light.

14. The device of claim 1, the contact lens further comprising:

a first electro-active prism layer configured to adjustably steer the light with respect to a first coordinate direction; and

a second electro-active prism layer configured to adjustably steer the light with respect to a second coordinate direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first coordinate direction.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the controller is adapted to dynamically control focusing of the light by an electro-active lens.

16. A method comprising:

via light adjustably emitted from a light source embedded in a contact lens being worn on an eye of a wearer of the contact lens, scanning the light, via an electro-active prism, across one or more predetermined and adjustable regions of a retina of the wearer at a speed faster than a speed at which the retina can send images of a single spot to the brain of the wearer, to generate a detectable image on the one or more predetermined and adjustable regions of the retina.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

dynamically controlling focusing of the light by an electro-active lens in an optical path of the light.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

dynamically controlling said scanning of the light.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

dynamically controlling emission of the light from the light source.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

scanning the light across a selected region of the one or more predetermined and adjustable regions of the retina.