Sony patents contact lens that powers electronics using body energy
Sony has been granted a patent for a contact lens design that includes two separate antenna elements to harvest electrical energy from the human body. One part of the antenna touches the eye or eyelid, while the other stays separated by a gap, allowing the lens to power small electronic components without a battery.
In the filing’s own words
A contact lens according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a lens substrate to be worn on an eyeball, an antenna unit that is provided on the lens substrate and receives alternating-current energy through a human body, and a load that receives electric power supplied from the antenna unit. The antenna unit includes a first antenna element including a first conductor and a second antenna element including a second conductor. The first conductor is provided on the lens substrate at a position that is in contact with the eyeball or an eyelid when an eye is open. The second conductor is provided on the lens substrate at a position that is separated from the first conductor by a predetermined gap and not in contact with the eyeball or the eyelid when the eye is open.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A contact lens, comprising: a lens substrate configured to be worn on an eyeball; an antenna unit, on the lens substrate, configured to receive alternating-current electric field energy through a human body; and a load configured to receive electric power supplied from the antenna unit, wherein the antenna unit includes: a first antenna element including a first conductor at a position that overlaps an eyelid in planar view when an eye is open; and a second antenna element including a second conductor at a position separated from the first conductor by a specific gap and positioned so as not to overlap the eyelid in the planar view when the eye is open, wherein the first conductor and the second conductor do not overlap each other in the planar view.
Facts
- Company
- Sony (SONY GROUP CORPORATION)
- Official title
- Contact lens with two antenna elements
- Patent number
- US12748323B2
- Application number
- 18574343
- Filed
- Mar 16, 2022
- Granted
- Sep 29, 2026
- Inventors
- 6
- Claims
- 17
Classified under
G02C 11/10 Physics & computingG02C 7/04 Physics & computingMore from Sony in Wearables
- Sony patents glasses that track eye movement using hidden light Oct 20, 2026
- Sony patents game controller that shifts weight to create directional feel Sep 8, 2026
- Sony patents wearable device with self-adjusting fit using heat Sep 8, 2026
- Sony patents camera system that warns gamers to fix their posture Oct 13, 2026
- Sony patents ring that tracks finger movements for virtual displays Sep 17, 2026
Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.