Lens clearing arrangement
AssigneeAdasky, Ltd.
InventorsEhud LEVY, Vitaly KUPERMAN
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A heatable optical element for a compound lens, the optical element being adapted to (i) provide a focusing function for the compound lens and (ii) be heated by resistive heating upon application of electricity to the heatable optical element. The compound lens including the heatable optical element may be employed in a camera, with the heatable optical element being the most distal optical element from a light sensor of the camera. A method for operating such a camera comprises detecting a present condition of the distal-most element and controlling application of electricity to control heating of the distal-most element in response to the detected present condition of the distal-most element.
Claims24
A heatable optical element for a compound lens, the optical element being adapted to (i) provide a focusing function for the compound lens and (ii) be heated by resistive heating upon application of electricity to the heatable optical element.
A camera comprising a light sensor and a compound lens that supplies light to the sensor, the compound lens further comprising a distal-most element with respect to the sensor that is a lens that is transparent to at least one wavelength of light sensable by the light sensor, the distal-most element being exposed to an environment around the camera and being heatable upon application of electricity thereto.
A method for operating a camera comprising a light sensor and a compound lens that supplies light to the sensor, the compound lens further comprising a distal-most element with respect to the sensor that is a lens that is transparent to at least one wavelength of light sensable by the light sensor, the distal-most element being exposed to an environment around the camera and being heatable upon application of electricity thereto, the method comprising:
- detecting a present condition of the distal-most element;
- and
- controlling application of electricity to control heating of the distal-most element in response to the detected present condition of the distal-most element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.