Electrochromic contact lens

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10678068-B2
Application number	US-201514974544-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2015
Priority date	Dec 18, 2015
Publication date	Jun 9, 2020
Grant date	Jun 9, 2020

Abstract

Embodiments are disclosed of an eye-mountable device (EMD) including a lens enclosure including an anterior layer and a posterior layer sealed to the anterior layer. An anterior electrode is disposed within the lens enclosure on a concave side of the anterior layer, a posterior electrode is disposed within the lens enclosure on a convex side of the posterior layer, and an electrochromic element is disposed across a central region of the lens enclosure, wherein the electrochromic element separates the anterior electrode from the posterior electrode within the central region.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An eye-mountable device (EMD) comprising:
a lens enclosure including an anterior layer and a posterior layer sealed to the anterior layer;
a substrate disposed within the lens enclosure in a peripheral region of the lens enclosure, the substrate having a central hole aligned with a central region of the lens enclosure;
an anterior electrode disposed within the lens enclosure on a concave side of the anterior layer and extending at least partially across the central hole;
a posterior electrode disposed within the lens enclosure on a convex side of the posterior layer and extending at least partially across the central hole; and
an electrochromic element disposed across the central region of the lens enclosure within the central hole, wherein the electrochromic element separates the anterior electrode from the posterior electrode within the central region;
a sealing region disposed between the electrochromic element and an interior edge of the substrate that forms the central hole, wherein the sealing region is electrically insulating and extends around the electrochromic element to electrically isolate the electrochromic element from circuitry disposed on the substrate; and
a secondary sealing region extending from a rim of the lens enclosure towards the substrate such that the sealing region and the secondary sealing region collectively seal the substrate within the peripheral region between the posterior layer and the anterior layer.

2. The EMD of claim 1 wherein the electrochromic element comprises a liquid crystal material with a guest dye.

3. The EMD of claim 2 wherein the electrochromic element further comprises one or both of an anterior alignment layer between the anterior electrode and the liquid crystal material and a posterior alignment layer between the posterior electrode and the liquid crystal material.

4. The EMD of claim 2 wherein the guest dye is a dichroic dye.

5. The EMD of claim 2 wherein the electrochromic element is operated with an alternating current (AC) voltage having an amplitude between 2 volts and 10 volts.

6. The EMD of claim 5 wherein the AC voltage waveform has a frequency equal to or greater than 50 Hz.

7. The EMD of claim 1 wherein the electrochromic element includes an electrolyte layer comprising a solid organic or inorganic material.

8. The EMD of claim 7 wherein the electrolyte layer is inorganic and comprises tantalum oxide (Ta2O5) or zirconium oxide (ZrO2).

9. The EMD of claim 1 wherein the electrochromic element includes an electrolyte layer comprising a liquid or a gel.

10. The EMD of claim 1 wherein the electrochromic element is operated with a direct current (DC).

11. The EMD of claim 10 wherein the direct current has a voltage less than or equal to 5 volts.

12. The EMD of claim 1 , further comprising a controller disposed on the substrate to operate the electrochromic element by application of a voltage across the anterior electrode and the posterior electrode.

13. The EMD of claim 12 wherein:
the anterior electrode is shaped to include an anterior main body portion that extends at least partially across the central hole of the substrate and an anterior connection tab that extends from the anterior main body portion at least partially across the substrate;
the posterior electrode is shaped to include a posterior main body portion that extends at least partially across the central hole of the substrate and a posterior connection tab that extends from the posterior main body portion at least partially across the substrate; and
the anterior connection tab and the posterior connection tab are coupled to the controller on the substrate.

14. The EMD of claim 13 wherein the anterior connection tab and the posterior connection tab are rotationally offset from each other and wherein the anterior connection tab is coupled to an anterior contact pad on an anterior side of the substrate and the posterior connection tab is coupled to a posterior contact pad on a posterior side of the substrate.

15. A method of fabricating an electrochromic contact lens, the method comprising:
forming an anterior electrode on an anterior layer of enclosure material, including depositing a first liquid conductor material onto an concave surface of the anterior layer;
forming a posterior electrode on a posterior layer of enclosure material, including depositing a second liquid conductor material onto a convex surface of the posterior layer;
disposing an electrochromic element between the anterior layer and the posterior layer;
positioning a substrate between the concave surface and the convex surface, wherein the substrate includes a central hole and integrated circuitry disposed on the substrate; and
sealing the anterior layer to the posterior layer to form a lens enclosure that encases the anterior and posterior electrodes, the electrochromic element, and the substrate, wherein the electrochromic element is disposed between the anterior electrode and the posterior electrode within the central region, and wherein the substrate is disposed between the anterior layer and the posterior layer in a peripheral region of the lens enclosure, wherein sealing the anterior layer to the posterior layer includes forming a sealing region and a secondary sealing region, wherein the sealing region is disposed between an interior edge of the substrate that forms the central hole and the electrochromic element, wherein the secondary sealing region extends from a rim of a lens enclosure such that the sealing region and the secondary sealing region collectively seal the substrate within the peripheral region between posterior layer and the anterior layer, and wherein the sealing region is electrically insulating and extends around the electrochromic element to electrically isolate the electrochromic element from the substrate and the integrated circuitry.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the electrochromic element comprises a liquid crystal material with a guest dye.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising forming one or both of an anterior alignment layer between the anterior electrode and the liquid crystal material and a posterior alignment layer between the posterior electrode and the liquid crystal material.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the guest dye is a dichroic dye.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the electrochromic element includes an electrolyte layer comprising a solid organic or inorganic material.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the electrolyte layer is inorganic and comprises tantalum oxide (Ta2O5) or zirconium oxide (ZrO2).

21. The method of claim 15 wherein the electrochromic element includes an electrolyte layer comprising a liquid or a gel.

22. The method of claim 15 , further comprising forming a controller on a substrate to operate the electrochromic element by application of a voltage across the anterior electrode and the posterior electrode.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein:
forming the anterior electrode includes forming an anterior main body portion and an anterior connection tab that extends from the anterior main body portion;
forming the posterior electrode includes forming a posterior main body portion and a posterior connection tab that extends from the posterior main body portion; and
the anterior connection tab and the posterior connection tab are coupled to the controller.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the anterior connecti

Assignees

• Verily Life Sciences Llc

Inventors

• Linhardt Jeffrey G
• Deyle Travis
• Haddock Joshua N

Classifications

• G02C7/101 Primary

  having an electro-optical light valve (electro-optical elements per se G02F) · CPC title

• G02F1/157

  Structural association of cells with optical devices, e.g. reflectors or illuminating devices · CPC title

• G02F1/13306

  Circuit arrangements or driving methods for the control of single liquid crystal cells (G02F1/132, G02F1/133382 take precedence) · CPC title

• G02F1/163

  Operation of electrochromic cells, e.g. electrodeposition cells; Circuit arrangements therefor · CPC title

• G02F1/153

  Constructional details · CPC title