SUN BLOCK FOR CAMERA

• US 20170123293A1
• Filed: 10/29/2015
• Published: 05/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: YUEN, EPHRAIM C., ABDEL-RAHMAN, AKRAM M., PATEL, SHIV G.
• Granted Patent: US 9,904,146 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 11/045 Lens hoods or shields
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 9/02 Diaphragms
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means

Abstract

A product may include a lens and a shade. A field of view may be defined through the lens. An actuator may selectively position the shade within the field of view.

Claims

1. A product comprising a lens, a field of view defined through the lens, a shade, and an actuator selectively positioning the shade within the field of view.

2. The product according to claim 1 wherein the shade is opaque.

3. The product according to claim 1 wherein the shade is bi-directionally positioned by the actuator.

4. The product according to claim 1 comprising multiple actuators and wherein the shade is positioned at any point within the field of view by the multiple actuators.

5. The product according to claim 1 wherein when the shade is positioned within the field of view, a portion of the field of view remains uncovered by the shade.

6. The product according to claim 1 wherein the shade includes a triangular section with a tip.

7. The product according to claim 1 further comprising an actuator ring disposed around the shade and carrying the actuator.

8. A product comprising an image sensor, a lens capturing light from a field of view, the light focused by the lens onto the image sensor, a shade positioned in a front of the lens and selectively blocking a portion of the field of view.

9. The product according to claim 8 wherein the light includes an intense light source and the shade is positioned to block the intense light source.

10. The product according to claim 9 wherein the shade includes a triangular section with a tip and the tip is positioned in the field of view in line with the intense light source.

11. The product according to claim 9 wherein the shade is opaque.

12. The product according to claim 8 further comprising an actuator, wherein the shade is bi-directionally positioned by the actuator.

13. The product according to claim 8 comprising multiple actuators and wherein the shade is positioned at any point within the field of view by the multiple actuators.

14. The product according to claim 8 wherein when the shade is positioned within the field of view, a portion of the field of view remains uncovered by the shade.

15. A method of blocking a light source from a field of view of a camera comprising:

providing a shade;

determining the direction from which the light source is directed at the camera, and positioning the shade within the field of view and in the direction.

16. The method according to claim 15 comprising moving the shade multi-directionally to any point in the field of view in line with the direction.

17. The method according to claim 15 wherein the step of determining the direction from which the light source is directed at the camera comprises determining an angle α

defining a lateral direction to the light source and determining an angle β

defining a vertical direction to the light source.

18. The method according to claim 17 further comprising positioning the shade so that a maximum elevation angle remaining in the field of view is less than β

.

19. The method according to claim 17 further comprising providing the shade with a tip, positioning the shade so that the tip is in line with a reference line defined by α

.

20. The method according to claim 19 further comprising providing a triangular section on the shade and covering less than the entire field of view with the shade.