Patent ID: 11943520
Assignee: nan
Field: Audio-visual technology (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H  B  G | IPC B  G  H

Claim 9:
10. A method for operating a lens of a camera of a vehicle comprising:
exposing the lens to sunlight in order to capture visual information for transmission to an on-board monitor of the vehicle;
selectively rotating a curved shield disposed in a circular track circumscribing the lens and coupled to a body of the vehicle to selectively shield the camera lens from a portion of the sunlight coming from a specific direction causing a glare on a surface of the lens, and to selectively shield the lens from rain and accumulating snow without blocking a field of view of the lens, wherein the portion of the sunlight causing the glare is reflected off of snow or water below the camera lens, and wherein a curvature of the shield substantially aligns with a curvature of the lens;
protecting the camera lens with a cover having a rounded edge configured to nest with a side of a lens housing when the cover is closed and configured to pivot about a horizontal axis, wherein the cover is configured to selectively and quickly open and close to allow for image capture without leaving the lens unnecessarily exposed, and wherein the cover is configured to provide a scooping action to brush accumulated debris away from blocking the camera lens when the cover retracts.