Patent ID: 6764008
Filing Date: 2004-07-20
Classification: B82Y,G02B,G06K,H01S

Abstract:
A planar laser illumination and imaging (PLIIM) based system comprising:a system housing having first, second and third light transmission apertures linearly aligned with and optically isolated from each other, and said third light transmission aperture being disposed between said first and second light transmission apertures; an area-type image formation and detection module disposed in system housing, and having image formation optics with a field of view projectable through said third light transmission aperture and within a 3-D scanning region in which an object is present during object illumination and imaging operations; a pair of planar laser illumination arrays (PLIAs) disposed in said system housing, each said planar laser array (PLIA) including a plurality of laser diodes arranged together in a linear manner and said planar laser illumination arrays being arranged in relation to said area-type image formation and detection module, and for producing a pair of planar laser illumination beams (PLIBs); and a pair of planar laser beam folding/sweeping mirrors for folding and sweeping said pair of planar laser illumination beams so that the optical paths of said planar laser illumination beams are oriented in an imaging direction that is coplanar with a section of said field of view of said area-type image formation and detection module as said planar laser illumination beams are swept through the 3-D scanning region during object illumination and imaging operations so that the object can be simultaneously illuminated by said planar laser illumination beams and imaged within said field of view of said area-type image formation and detection module, whereby a series of linear images of said object are sequentially detected by said area-type image formation and detection module over the photo-integration time period thereof so as to construct a two-dimensional image of said object.