A camera assembly 1 comprises a sensor 11 for sampling image data in a sampling step, a lens 4 for focussing light onto the sensor, and window 6 supported in front of the lens. The window comprises a variable transparency material, e.g. an electrochromic material, which changes the amount of light transmitted through it in response to an input signal. The window’s transmittance may be increased during the sampling step, e.g. it changes from opaque to transparent, and the window may have separately controllable regions, which may be in the form of line regions (Fig. 4a, 61, 62). The sensor may be operable in a rolling shutter mode (Figs. 3a-4b) with image line sampling steps acting in synchronisation with the associated window line regions becoming transparent. Alternatively, there may only be a single sensor sampling step during which the whole window is made transparent. The assembly, which may be an automotive camera, may comprise a controller 10 to coordinate the sensor and window, and may comprise electric field conductors to apply an electric field to the window. The assembly may have a housing 2 containing the lens and sensor, with the window on the outer surface disguising it when opaque.
Camera assembly
05.04.2023
Patent
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
IPC: | G03B APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OR FOR PROJECTING OR VIEWING THEM , Geräte oder Anordnungen zum Aufnehmen, Projizieren oder Betrachten von Fotografien / B60R Fahrzeuge, Fahrzeugausstattung oder Fahrzeugteile, soweit nicht anderweitig vorgesehen , VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR / H04N PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION , Bildübertragung, z.B. Fernsehen |