Rear-Facing Pupil Sensor for Contact Lens Energy Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing contact lenses face challenges in integrating electronic components due to manufacturing difficulties on non-planar surfaces, energy efficiency, and the need for robust and scalable power management, as well as effective detection of physiological functions like blinks and pupil diameter for controlling lens functionality.
Innovation Solution
A powered contact lens with a rear-facing pupil dilation sensor, incorporating low-current consumption sensors and power management circuitry, along with control algorithms, to detect blinks and pupil diameter changes, allowing for wireless control and variable focus adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If electronic components are integrated into contact lenses, then vision correction and monitoring capabilities are enhanced, but manufacturing complexity and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The contact lens is divided into distinct functional zones: an optic zone for vision correction and a peripheral zone for housing electronic components. This segmentation allows independent optimization of optical performance and electronic functionality, simplifying manufacturing by treating them as separate integration targets rather than requiring uniform integration throughout the lens structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Electronic components are positioned in the peripheral zone, utilizing the radial dimension of the contact lens rather than attempting to integrate them within the central optic zone. This dimensional separation enables complex electronic assemblies to be placed at the edges without interfering with the optical path, reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining enhanced functionality.
2Adaptability or versatility
If electronic components are integrated into contact lenses, then vision correction and monitoring capabilities are enhanced, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pupil diameter sensor and other electronic components operate in periodic measurement cycles rather than continuous operation. The system activates sensors only when needed for measurements or control functions, allowing the battery to conserve energy during idle periods while still providing enhanced vision correction and monitoring capabilities when activated.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact lens system incorporates autonomous control algorithms that automatically adjust lens properties based on real-time physiological measurements without requiring external power or control inputs. This self-service capability minimizes energy consumption by eliminating the need for continuous external power supply while maintaining enhanced functionality.
3Measurement precision
If sensors are used to detect physiological functions, then control accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pupil diameter sensor is positioned in the peripheral zone and optically coupled to the optic zone, extracting the measurement function from the main optical path. This allows high-precision pupil detection without adding complex optical elements to the correction pathway, improving control accuracy while minimizing increases in overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The electronic components in the peripheral zone serve multiple functions: pupil diameter sensing, blink detection, and potential health monitoring. This multi-functionality approach improves control accuracy through precise physiological measurement while avoiding the need for separate dedicated components for each function, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient operation of electronic contact lenses with extended battery life, scalable design, and accurate physiological function detection, enhancing vision correction and monitoring capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
The sensor is configured to detect light reflected from the iris
Data Source
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AI summary
A rear-facing pupil diameter sensing system for an ophthalmic lens comprising an electronic system is described herein. The rear-facing pupil diameter sensing system is part of an electronic system incorporated into the ophthalmic lens. The electronic system includes one or more batteries or other power sources, power management circuitry, one or more sensors, clock generation circuitry, control algorithms and circuitry, and lens driver circuitry. The rear-facing pupil diameter sensing system is utilized to determine pupil position and use this information to control various aspects of the ophthalmic lens.