Sensor system for determining the control signals activating ciliary muscles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9144376-B2
Application number	US-201414151781-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 9, 2014
Priority date	Jan 10, 2013
Publication date	Sep 29, 2015
Grant date	Sep 29, 2015

Abstract

In a sensor system for determining the control signal supplied to the ciliary muscles of an eye for adjusting the focal length of the lens of an eye, a contact element of an electrically non-conductive material and provided with sensors is disposed on the cornea of the eye so that the sensors are arranged in contact with an annular area of the cornea next to the ciliary eye muscles so as to be able to sense the focal adjustment signals supplied to the ciliary muscles and the sensed adjustment signals are supplied to a signal processing unit which provides a control signal to a lens system with adjustable focal length for adjusting the focal length thereof depending on the focal adjustment signals of the ciliary eye muscles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sensor system for determining control signals of a ciliary muscle of an eye having a cornea, a lens a pupil, an iris, ciliary muscles, comprising Müller muscles, and Brück muscles and zenular fibers, the sensor system comprising:
a) a contact element consisting of an electrically non-conductive material for disposition on the cornea in contact with the area of the eye around the iris thereof,
b) a sensor system with at least one sensor applied to the contact element in an annular array around the iris, and
c) a signal processing arrangement disposed on, or in, the contact element,
d) each sensor comprising at least three electrodes oriented in the same direction and arranged in a row,
e) the orientations comprising at least one orientation extending in a radial direction with respect to the iris and
f) each sensor having an intermediate electrode which forms a reference potential and two electrodes which are disposed in the orientation direction directly adjacent to, and at opposite sides of, the intermediate electrode and which determines an eye body potential with respect to the reference potential.

2. The sensor system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor is arranged on an annular surface area of the contact element around the iris.

3. The sensor system according to claim 2 , wherein at least two sensors are provided which have orientations in tangential as well as radial directions with respect to the iris.

4. The sensor system according to claim 3 , wherein each sensor has either only a tangential or a radial orientation with respect to the iris and the sensors are arranged on the annular surface area with alternate orientations.

5. The sensor system according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprise at least four measuring electrodes arranged around a center electrode in tangential and also in radial orientations with respect to the iris.

6. The sensor system according to claim 2 , wherein a sensor comprises as electrodes three electrode rings or ring sections arranged on the annular surface area concentrically with respect to the iris.

7. The sensor system according to claim 1 , wherein at least four sensors with tangential orientation are provided.

8. The sensor system according to claim 1 , wherein the contact element is a contact lens.

9. The sensor system according to claim 1 , wherein the signal processing arrangement comprises a signal conditioning unit and a signal recognition unit with a generator for generating a control signal.

10. The sensor system according to claim 9 , wherein the system includes a lens system or lens with an adjustable focal length and the signal processing arrangement includes transmission means for transmitting the control signal to the lens system or lens for adjusting the focal length thereof depending on the control signal.

Assignees

• Karlsruher Inst Technologie
• Karlsruher Intitut Fuer Technologie Kit

Inventors

• Guth Helmut
• Gengenbach Ulrich
• Bretthauer Georg
• Fliedner Jan
• Beck Christoph
• Krug Markus
• Martin Thomas
• Nagel Joerg
• Koker Liane
• Sieber Ingo

Classifications

• G02C7/083

  Electrooptic lenses · CPC title

• A61B3/10 Primary

  Objective types, i.e. instruments for examining the eyes independent of the patients' perceptions or reactions · CPC title

• A61F2250/0002

  for data transfer · CPC title

• A61B3/09

  for testing accommodation · CPC title

• A61B5/1107

  Measuring contraction of parts of the body, e.g. organ or muscle · CPC title