Patents Assigned to Tectus Corporation
  • Publication number: 20210099864
    Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods that allow for secure wireless communication between a contact lens system and an accessory device to protect sensitive data and prevent unauthorized access to confidential information. In certain embodiments, tampering attempts by potential attackers are thwarted by using a Physically Unclonable Functions (PUF) circuit that is immune to reverse engineering. In addition, sensors monitor a to-be-protected electronic device to detect tampering attempts and physical attacks to ensure the physical integrity of the communication system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2020
    Publication date: April 1, 2021
    Applicant: Tectus Corporation
    Inventors: RENALDI WINOTO, PAUL LAMBERT, ASHKAN OLYAEI, MICHAEL WIEMER
  • Publication number: 20210096398
    Abstract: A contact lens battery management system (BMS) monitors battery health in an electronic contact lens. A battery made with high-internal-resistance cells is coupled on a cell-by-cell basis to input switches of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) that monitors, detects, and isolates faulty circuit components.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2020
    Publication date: April 1, 2021
    Applicant: Tectus Corporation
    Inventors: Mohammad HEKMAT, Ashkan Olyaei, Michael W WIEMER
  • Patent number: 10948742
    Abstract: An eye-mounted display includes a scleral contact lens with one or more femtoprojectors that project images onto the user's retina. The scleral contact lens has a non-circular perimeter, for example elongated along the direction of the eye opening. The non-circular shape can result in less slippage and/or rotation of the contact lens relative to the eye. If the contact lens is elongated (compared to traditional circular lenses), then it can contain conductive coils that enclose a larger area. Thus, the lens increases coupling efficiency for power or data transfer. There can also be more space within the contact lens for payloads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Tectus Corporation
    Inventor: Kuang-mon Ashley Tuan
  • Patent number: 10948988
    Abstract: Humans may exhibit characteristic patterns of eye movements when looking at specific objects. For example, when a person looks at the face of another person, their eyes exhibit a certain pattern of movements and saccades as they look at the face. An electronic contact lens includes eye tracking sensors and an outward looking imaging system that may capture images of the user's environment. When the eye tracking sensors detect the pattern of eye movements characteristic of looking at a face, the imaging system becomes active and captures images and performs facial recognition to identify the face using the captured images. The results of the facial recognition may be displayed to the user using a projector of the electronic contact lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Tectus Corporation
    Inventors: Michael West Wiemer, Ramin Mirjalili, Joseph Czompo
  • Patent number: 10944290
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: Tectus Corporation
    Inventors: Ramin Mirjalili, Hawk Yin Pang, Richard Gioscia, Michael West Wiemer
  • Publication number: 20210026444
    Abstract: Described herein are eye-controlled user-machine interaction systems and methods that, based on input variables that comprise orientation and motion of an eye-mounted display (EMD), assist the wearer of a contact lens carrying the EMD to control and navigate a virtual scene that may be superimposed onto the real-world environment. Various embodiments of the invention provide for smooth, intuitive, and naturally flowing eye-controlled, interactive operations between the wearer and a virtual environment. In certain embodiments, this is accomplished by revealing layers of virtual objects and content based on eye-tracking and other motion information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2019
    Publication date: January 28, 2021
    Applicant: Tectus Corporation
    Inventors: Dominic Philip HAINE, Scott HERZ
  • Patent number: 10901505
    Abstract: Presented are eye-controlled user-machine interaction systems and methods that, based on input variables that comprise orientation and motion of an electronic contact lens, assist the wearer of the contact lens carrying a femtoprojector to control and navigate a virtual scene that may be superimposed onto the real-world environment. Various embodiments provide for smooth, intuitive, and naturally flowing eye-controlled, interactive operations between the wearer and a virtual environment. In certain embodiments, eye motion information is used to wake a smart electronic contact lens, activate tools in a virtual scene, or any combination thereof without the need for blinking, winking, hand gestures, and use of buttons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: Tectus Corporation
    Inventors: Dominic Philip Haine, Scott Herz, Renaldi Winoto, Abhishek Bhat, Ramin Mirjalili, Joseph Czompo
  • Patent number: 10895762
    Abstract: An augmented reality system includes an electronic contact lens and a plurality of conductive coils to be worn, for instance, around a neck, around an arm, or on a chest of a user. The conductive coils can inductively couple to the electronic contact lens by producing magnetic fields that the electronic contact lens can convert into power. A direction of the resulting magnetic at the electronic contact lens can rotate over time, enabling the electronic contact lens to periodically form a strong inductive coupling with the plurality of conductive coils despite the orientation of the electronic contact lens. The electronic contact lens can also output a feedback signal representative of the power produced at the electronic contact lens or an orientation signal representative of the orientation of the eye, and the magnetic fields produced by the conductive coils can be altered based on the feedback signal or orientation signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: Tectus Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas Llewellyn Owens, Hawk Yin Pang
  • Patent number: 10897705
    Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods that allow for secure wireless communication between a contact lens system and an accessory device to protect sensitive data and prevent unauthorized access to confidential information. In certain embodiments, tampering attempts by potential attackers are thwarted by using a Physically Unclonable Functions (PUF) circuit that is immune to reverse engineering. In addition, sensors monitor a to-be-protected electronic device to detect tampering attempts and physical attacks to ensure the physical integrity of the communication system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: Tectus Corporation
    Inventors: Renaldi Winoto, Paul Lambert, Ashkan Olyaei, Michael Wiemer
  • Patent number: 10871660
    Abstract: A contact lens comprises a variable focal length lens embedded within the contact lens and a plurality of oxygen channels extending from an oxygen-permeable outer layer of the contact lens to an oxygen-permeable inner layer of the contact lens. The variable focal length lens is embedded within a non-oxygen-permeable core layer of the contact lens. The contact lens comprises a controller configured to change the operating mode of the contact lens by adjusting the focal distance of the variable focal length lens, for instance in response to an input from a user or in response to determining that the user is looking at a nearby object. For instance, the controller can configure the contact lens to operate in a reading mode or in a normal focus mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: Tectus Corporation
    Inventor: Brian Elliot Lemoff
  • Patent number: 10845621
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: Tectus Corporation
    Inventors: Ramin Mirjalili, Hawk Yin Pang, Richard Gioscia, Michael West Wiemer
  • Patent number: 10838232
    Abstract: An augmented reality system may include an electronic contact lens and a power source. In order to enable the wireless transfer of power and data between the contact lens and the power source, one or both of the contact lens and the power source may contain solenoids. When current is driven through an embedded solenoid of the power source, the solenoid can produce a time-varying magnetic field. Likewise, when an embedded solenoid of the contact lens is in the presence of a time-varying magnetic field, a current is induced within the solenoid that may be used to power electronic components within the contact lens. Multiple solenoids may be embedded within the power source or the contact lens at positions and orientations that enable the contact lens to wirelessly receive power from a magnetic field produced by the power source at a variety of orientations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Tectus Corporation
    Inventors: Ramin Mirjalili, Thomas Llewellyn Owens
  • Patent number: 10838239
    Abstract: An augmented reality system includes an electronic contact lens and a plurality of conductive coils to be worn, for instance, around a neck, around an arm, or on a chest of a user. The conductive coils can inductively couple to the electronic contact lens by producing magnetic fields that the electronic contact lens can convert into power. A direction of the resulting magnetic at the electronic contact lens can rotate over time, enabling the electronic contact lens to periodically form a strong inductive coupling with the plurality of conductive coils despite the orientation of the electronic contact lens. The electronic contact lens can also output a feedback signal representative of the power produced at the electronic contact lens or an orientation signal representative of the orientation of the eye, and the magnetic fields produced by the conductive coils can be altered based on the feedback signal or orientation signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Tectus Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas Llewellyn Owens, Hawk Yin Pang
  • Patent number: 10831269
    Abstract: A system controls a brightness of an augmented reality (AR) eye-mounted device. The system includes an eye-mounted display, a photodetector system, and a controller. The eye-mounted display includes a contact lens and a femtoprojector. The femtoprojector is contained in the contact lens and is configured to project an AR image to a user's retina. The AR image is overlaid on an external scene viewed by the user through the contact lens. The photodetector system detects a brightness level of the external scene. Based on the brightness level of the external scene, the controller adjusts a brightness level of the AR image projected to the user's retina. In some embodiments, the eye-mounted display receives image data defining the AR image and the controller adjusts a bit depth of the image data based on the brightness level of the AR image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Tectus Corporation
    Inventors: Brian Elliot Lemoff, Michael West Wiemer, Paul Scott Martin, Hansong Zhang, Drew Daniel Perkins
  • Patent number: 10802298
    Abstract: An eye mounted display presents defocused images to patients to affect their eyeball development and control focusing disorders such as myopia or hyperopia. For example, images may be projected with peripheral myopic defocus in order to control myopia. Images may be projected with peripheral hyperopic defocus in order to control hyperopia.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: Tectus Corporation
    Inventors: Kuang-mon Ashley Tuan, Michael Frank Deering
  • Patent number: 10790700
    Abstract: An augmented reality system including a necklace and a contact lens display can be used to project information from the contact lens display onto the retina of the wearer's eye. In one example, the necklace generates a time-varying magnetic field (TVMF) that provides energy and information to the contact lens display via inductive coupling. The necklace can be configured to decrease the amount of energy absorbed by the body of the wearer and increase power transfer to the contact lens display. The necklace includes a conductive loop and one or more bucking loops that are positioned to increase transmitted energy while reducing the amount of energy absorbed by the human body. The amount of current travelling in one direction through the loops of the necklace is greater than the amount of current travelling in the opposite direction through the loops of the necklace. The necklace can include any number of signal generators and winding patterns for the loops.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: Tectus Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas Llewellyn Owens, Hawk Yin Pang
  • Patent number: 10775884
    Abstract: An eye-mounted display can be calibrated relative to a user's gaze. A calibration system causes the eye-mounted display to project a calibration image onto the user's retina. The system detects eye movement as the user looks towards the calibration image. Once the detected eye movement indicates that the user's gaze is centered gaze on the calibration image, the system determines a calibration parameter representative of the user's gaze or the detected eye movement. The calibration parameter can be, for example, a pixel offset relative to an initial image source location or an image source pixel corresponding to the user's centered gaze. Subsequent images are then projected by the eye-mounted display onto the user's retina based on the calibration parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: Tectus Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory David Miller, Brian Elliot Lemoff
  • Patent number: 10775643
    Abstract: An electronic contact lens can address the effects of presbyopia, aiding a user in adjusting focus when viewing objects at different distances from the user. The electronic contact lens includes a liquid crystal matrix. When the electronic contact lens is configured to operate in a reading mode, an aperture is formed within the liquid crystal matrix by configuring elements of the liquid crystal matrix immediately surrounding the aperture to block light from passing through the surrounding elements. The resulting aperture increases the focus of light passing through the aperture as a result of the pinhole effect. The aperture can be centered within the user's visual axis, and the location within the liquid crystal matrix corresponding to the user's visual axis can be determined during a calibration of the electronic contact lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: Tectus Corporation
    Inventor: Kuang-mon Ashley Tuan
  • Patent number: 10768515
    Abstract: A small projector uses an ultra-dense array of gallium nitride (GaN) LEDs. However, epitaxial growth of GaN typically produces a GaN region that is Sum or thicker. To achieve high pixel density, the LEDs have small area, so the resulting LED structures are tall and skinny. This is undesirable because it makes further processing more difficult and has higher optical losses. As a result, it is beneficial to reduce the thickness of the GaN region. In one approach, a wafer with the GaN region on substrate is bonded to a backplane wafer containing LED driver circuits. The substrate is then separated from the GaN region, exposing a buffer layer of the GaN region. The GaN region is thinned and then patterned into individual LEDs. Typically, the buffer layer is removed entirely.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Tectus Corporation
    Inventors: Kwong-Hin Henry Choy, Paul Scott Martin
  • Patent number: 10718957
    Abstract: An eye-mounted device includes a contact lens, a femtocamera, and a femtoprojector. The femtocamera and femtoprojector are both contained in the contact lens. The femtocamera detects imagery of a user's surrounding environment, and the femtoprojector projects corresponding imagery to the user's retina. A line of sight of the femtocamera and a line of projection of the femtoprojector can be parallel to, or even collinear with, each other. Imagery signal paths from the femtocamera to the femtoprojector are also contained in the contact lens. In some embodiments, the imagery signal paths are register-less and asynchronous. The eye-mounted device can include other components, such as image processing circuitry. Also, the eye-mounted device can communicate with another device worn by the user, e.g., in a necklace or a headpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: Tectus Corporation
    Inventors: Michael West Wiemer, Kuang-mon Ashley Tuan