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TeslaGranted patentCars & transportInterest 6/10

Tesla patents cone-textured glare shield to improve car camera vision

Tesla has been granted a patent for a glare shield that uses a surface covered in tiny, tilted cones to scatter light away from vehicle cameras. This design helps reduce glare from the sun or other bright sources, allowing the camera to see more clearly for autonomous driving features. The shield can also adjust its angle automatically to better block specific light sources.

Why it mattersClearer camera vision is essential for self-driving cars to safely navigate roads, especially in bright conditions.

In the filing’s own words

The present disclosure pertains to a glare shield designed to enhance the performance of vehicle camera systems, particularly those used in autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles. The glare shield features a textured surface composed of an array of micro-cones, or cone-shaped formations, which serve to scatter incident light in various directions, thereby reducing glare and improving camera vision. The micro-cones are optimized in size, angle, and orientation to minimize Total Hemispherical Reflectance (THR) and reflection penalty, enhancing the camera's ability to accurately interpret visual data. Additionally, the glare shield may include an electromechanical system for dynamic orientation adjustment in response to the position of external light sources, such as the sun. The manufacturing process of the glare shield utilizes a sintered tool steel insert, facilitating venting during molding and ensuring the precision of the cone-shaped texture.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A glare shield for a vehicle camera system, the glare shield comprising: a body having a textured surface, the textured surface including a zone of inclined cone-shaped formations, wherein the inclined cone-shaped formations are configured to scatter incident light in multiple directions to reduce glare on a camera of the vehicle camera system, wherein a base diameter of each cone-shaped formation in the zone is between 0.5 mm and 2 mm, and wherein a longitudinal half axis of the inclined cone-shaped formations is non-perpendicular relative to a base plane of the textured surface, and wherein a cone orientation angle of the inclined cone-shaped formations in an installed glare shield relative to a horizontal plane is in a range of 55 to 105 degrees.

Facts

Company
Tesla (Tesla, Inc.)
Official title
Cone-textured glare shield for enhanced camera vision
Patent number
US12761528B2
Application number
18646053
Filed
Apr 25, 2024
Granted
Oct 13, 2026
Inventors
4
Claims
26

Classified under

G03B 11/045 Physics & computingB60J 3/04 Operations & transportG02B 1/11 Physics & computing
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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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.