Headgear providing inductive coupling to a contact lens, with controller

• US 10,845,621 B1
• Filed: 08/05/2019
• Issued: 11/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2019
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tectus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Tectus Corporation
• Inventors: Mirjalili, Ramin, Pang, Hawk Yin, Gioscia, Richard, Wiemer, Michael West
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Thai H
• Application Number:
  US16/532,211
• Time in Patent Office: 477 Days
• Field of Search: 307104, 320108
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6814 Head
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/16 for use in conjunction with image converters or intensifiers , or for use with projectors, e.g. objectives for projection TV
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/061 on-axis systems with at least one of the mirrors having a central aperture
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/10 Electronic devices other than hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 2202/10 Optical elements and systems for visual disorders other than refractive errors, low vision
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/04 Contact lenses for the eyes disinfection or sterilisation of contact lenses A61L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2038/143 for signals
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles

Abstract

A transmitter coil inductively couples to a receiver coil contained in a contact lens. In one approach, the transmitter coil is contained in a headgear, for example a head band. When the user wears the headgear, the transmitter coil is positioned on a side of the user'"'"'s head and between the user'"'"'s ear and the user'"'"'s eye opening. In one implementation, a head band loops from one ear behind the user'"'"'s head to the other ear, and also extends slightly forward of each ear. The transmitter coil(s) may be located in the portion of the headband that extends forward of each ear. This places the transmitter coil close to the receiver coil, typically within 40-50 mm of the user'"'"'s eye opening, while still maintaining an unobtrusive aesthetic.

Claims

1. A contact lens based system comprising:

a contact lens that contains a receiver coil; and

a headgear that contains two or more transmitter coils that inductively couple to the receiver coil contained in the contact lens, each transmitter coil positioned on a side of a user'"'"'s head and forward of a back edge of the user'"'"'s ear but behind the user'"'"'s eye opening when the headgear is worn by the user;

the headgear further containing a controller that controls time-varying magnetic fields produced by the transmitter coils, wherein the controller controls the magnetic fields produced by the transmitter coils to generate a desired resultant magnetic field at the receiver coil and the controller controls the magnetic fields produced by the transmitter coils based on a rotation of the user'"'"'s eye on which the contact lens is mounted.

2. The contact lens based system of claim 1 wherein the two or more transmitter coils comprise a left set of one or more transmitter coils positioned on a left side of the user'"'"'s head and a right set of one or more transmitter coils positioned on a right side of the user'"'"'s head.

3. The contact lens based system of claim 2 wherein the transmitter coil(s) in the left set and in the right set are symmetrically positioned with respect to a sagittal plane of the user'"'"'s head.

4. The contact lens based system of claim 3 wherein each set of transmitter coils includes two transmitter coils with substantially orthogonal axes that are substantially parallel to an axial plane of the user'"'"'s head.

5. The contact lens based system of claim 2 wherein the transmitter coil(s) in the left set and in the right set are asymmetrically positioned with respect to a sagittal plane of the user'"'"'s head.

6. The contact lens based system of claim 2 wherein the left set includes a different number of transmitter coils than the right set.

7. The contact lens based system of claim 2 wherein each set of transmitter coils has a thickness of not more than 10 mm.

8. The contact lens based system of claim 1 wherein the two or more transmitter coils comprise a left set of one or more transmitter coils positioned on a left side of the user'"'"'s head and a right set of one or more transmitter coils positioned on a right side of the user'"'"'s head, and the controller controls the magnetic fields produced by the left set of transmitter coils and by the right set of transmitter coils to generate the desired resultant magnetic field at the receiver coil.

9. The contact lens based system of claim 1 wherein the two or more transmitter coils comprise a single set of transmitter coils positioned on one side of the user'"'"'s head, and the controller controls the magnetic fields produced by the transmitter coils in the single set to generate the desired resultant magnetic field at the receiver coil.

10. The contact lens based system of claim 1 wherein the controller oscillates the magnetic fields produced by the transmitter coils to generate the desired resultant magnetic field at the receiver coil and the desired resultant magnetic field oscillates in direction.

11. The contact lens based system of claim 1 wherein the controller controls the magnetic fields produced by the transmitter coils to inductively transfer power to the receiver coil.

12. The contact lens based system of claim 1 further comprising:

an eye tracker based on inductive coupling between the transmitter coils and the receiver coil.

13. The contact lens based system of claim 12 wherein the two or more transmitter coils comprise a single set of three transmitter coils positioned on one side of the user'"'"'s head, the three transmitter coils having orthogonal axes.

14. The contact lens based system of claim 12 wherein the two or more transmitter coils comprise a left set of two transmitter coils with orthogonal axes positioned on a left side of the user'"'"'s head and a right set of two transmitter coils with orthogonal axes positioned on a right side of the user'"'"'s head.

15. The contact lens based system of claim 12 wherein inductive coupling between each transmitter coil and the receiver coil is determined based on time division multiplexing, frequency division multiplexing or code division multiplexing of the magnetic fields produced by the transmitter coils.

16. The contact lens based system of claim 12 wherein the headgear further contains head tracking components that track an orientation of the user'"'"'s head.

17. A contact lens based system comprising:

a first contact lens that contains a first receiver coil;

a second contact lens that contains a second receiver coil;

a headgear that contains two or more transmitter coils that inductively couple to both receiver coils contained in the contact lenses, each transmitter coil positioned on a side of a user'"'"'s head and forward of a back edge of the user'"'"'s ear but behind the user'"'"'s eye opening when the headgear is worn by the user;

the headgear further containing a controller that controls time-varying magnetic fields produced by the transmitter coils, wherein the controller controls the magnetic fields produced by the transmitter coils based on inductive coupling to both receiver coils.

18. The contact lens based system of claim 17 wherein the two or more transmitter coils comprise a left set of one or more transmitter coils positioned on a left side of the user'"'"'s head and a right set of one or more transmitter coils positioned on a right side of the user'"'"'s head.

19. The contact lens based system of claim 18 wherein each set of transmitter coils has a thickness of not more than 10 mm.

20. The contact lens based system of claim 18 wherein the controller oscillates the magnetic fields produced by the transmitter coils to generate resultant magnetic fields at the receiver coils that oscillate in direction.