Patent ID: 6552783
Filing Date: 2003-04-22
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
A system for inspecting an object, the system comprising:(a) an imaging system having a field of view coincident with the object; and (b) a lighting system disposed about said imaging system, said lighting system including: (1) a first light source for providing in the field of view a first diffuse light having a first spectral distribution, the first diffuse light provided along an optical path coincident with an optical axis of said imaging system; and (2) one or more second light sources disposed about the object, each of said one or more second light sources substantially uniformly distributed rotationally about the optical axis and each of said second light sources for providing a second diffuse light which is substantially uniform in the field of view, each of said one or more second light sources disposed to provide the second diffuse light along optical paths which are at a predetermined angle with respect to the optical axis of said imaging system and having a second spectral distribution which is different from the first spectral distribution, and wherein the light provided by the first light source is more diffuse than the light provided by the one or more second light sources.