Method, device and system for accessing an eye-mountable device with a user interface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9880401-B2
Application number	US-201514702528-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 1, 2015
Priority date	Jun 13, 2014
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

Techniques and mechanisms for providing access to an accommodation-capable eye-mountable device via a user interface of an auxiliary device. In an embodiment, the user interface provides prompts for a user of the eye-mountable device to perform various viewing actions, where the eye-mountable device receives from the auxiliary device communications indicating respective times of the viewing actions. Based on the communications, the eye-mountable device generates configuration information indicating a correspondence of respective states of the eye-mountable device to respective characteristics of the viewing actions. In another embodiment, operational modes of the eye-mountable device are defined based on the configuration information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by one or more processing units, cause the one or more processing units to perform a method comprising:
with a user interface of an auxiliary device, prompting a user to perform a first viewing action in a first gaze direction with an eye-mountable device disposed in or on an eye of the user, wherein the eye-mountable device includes a sensor;
causing, by the auxiliary device, an actuator of the eye-mountable device to successively provide different accommodating levels corresponding to a first set of accommodation levels during the first viewing action;
receiving, from the eye-mountable device, first sensor information generated with the sensor concurrently with the first viewing action;
receiving, by the auxiliary device, an indication of a first accommodation level of the first set of accommodation levels;
with the user interface, prompting the user to perform a second viewing action in a second gaze direction with the eye-mountable device;
receiving, from the eye-mountable device, second sensor information generated with the sensor concurrently with the second viewing action; and
determining first and second configuration information of the eye-mountable device, wherein the first configuration information includes a correspondence between the first sensor information, the first accommodation level, and the first gaze direction, and wherein the second configuration information at least includes a correspondence of the second sensor information to the second gaze direction, and wherein the eye-wearable device is configured to operate in a first or second mode based on the first or second configuration information, respectively.

2. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the first viewing action or the second viewing action comprises viewing in a downward gaze direction.

3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the first viewing action or the second viewing action comprises a blinking action.

4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , the method further comprising:
exchanging with the eye-mountable device communications identifying one or more viewing actions, wherein based on the communications and third sensor information corresponding to the one or more viewing actions, the eye-mountable device identifies the one or more viewing actions as an explicit command to operate the eye-mountable device.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 4 , wherein the explicit command specifies that the eye-mountable device is to transition to an operational mode that provides a default level of accommodation.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 4 , wherein the explicit command disables a function to change a level of accommodation.

7. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 4 , wherein the explicit command specifies that the eye-mountable device is to incrementally increase or incrementally decrease a level of accommodation.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , the method further comprising:
downloading from the eye-mountable device log information describing instances of operational modes of the eye-mountable device.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , the method further comprising:
based on the log information, evaluating, by the auxiliary device, whether a test condition is satisfied by a characteristic of the instances of the operational modes; and
in response to the evaluating identifying that the test condition is satisfied, accessing, by the auxiliary device, configuration information including definitions of operational modes of the eye-mountable device, the accessing including automatically updating a parameter of one of the definitions.

10. A method comprising:
with a user interface of an auxiliary device, prompting a user to perform a first viewing action in a first gaze direction with an eye-mountable device disposed in or on an eye of the user, wherein the eye-mountable device includes a sensor;
causing, by the auxiliary device, an actuator of the eye-mountable device to successively provide different accommodating levels corresponding a first set of different accommodation levels during the first viewing action;
receiving, from the eye-mountable device, first sensor information generated with the sensor concurrently with the first viewing action;
receiving, by the auxiliary device, an indication of a first accommodation level of the first set of different accommodation levels;
with the user interface, prompting the user to perform a second viewing action in a second gaze direction with the eye-mountable device;
receiving, from the eye-mountable device, second sensor information generated with the sensor concurrently with the second viewing action; and
determining first and second configuration information of the eye-mountable device, wherein the first configuration information includes a correspondence between the first sensor information, the first accommodation level, and the first gaze direction, and wherein the second configuration information at least includes a correspondence of the second sensor information to the second gaze direction, and wherein the eye-wearable device is configured to operate in a first or second mode based on the first or second configuration information, respectively.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first viewing action or the second viewing action comprises a blinking action.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
exchanging with the eye-mountable device communications identifying one or more viewing actions, wherein based on the communications and third sensor information corresponding to the one or more viewing actions, the eye-mountable device identifies the one or more viewing actions as an explicit command to operate the eye-mountable device.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
downloading from the eye-mountable device log information describing instances of operational modes of the eye-mountable device.

14. The method of claim 13 , the method further comprising:
based on the log information, evaluating, by the auxiliary device, whether a test condition is satisfied by a characteristic of the instances of the operational modes; and
in response to the evaluating identifying that the test condition is satisfied, accessing, by the auxiliary device, configuration information including definitions of operational modes of the eye-mountable device, the accessing including automatically updating a parameter of one of the definitions.

15. An eye-mountable device, comprising:
an enclosure;
an accommodation actuator disposed within the enclosure; and
communication logic including integrated circuitry configured to receive from an auxiliary device:
first signals indicating a first viewing action in a first gaze direction by a user of the eye-mountable device, the first signals based on a first input received by the auxiliary device via a user interface of the auxiliary device, wherein the first signals cause the accommodation actuator to successively provide different accommodation levels corresponding to a first set of different accommodation levels during the first viewing action, and wherein the first signals further include an indication of a first accommodation level of the first set of different accommodation levels; and
second signals indicating a second viewing action in a second gaze direction by the user, the second signals based on a second input received by the auxiliary device via the us

Assignees

• Verily Life Sciences Llc

Inventors

• Pletcher Nathan
• Wiser Robert F
• Yeager Daniel J
• Lee Shung-Neng

Classifications

• G06F3/04812

  Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects · CPC title

• G02C11/10

  Electronic devices other than hearing aids · CPC title

• G02C7/083 Primary

  Electrooptic lenses · CPC title

• G02C7/04 Primary

  Contact lenses for the eyes (disinfection or sterilisation of contact lenses A61L12/00) · CPC title

• G06F3/013

  Eye tracking input arrangements (G06F3/015 takes precedence) · CPC title