Patent ID: 7525659

Claim:
An inspection system for inspecting objects comprising: an imager operative to image said imager employing at least two 2-dimensional detectors the surfaces of which define a focal plane, each of said at least two 2-dimensional detectors being focused on an at least partially different area of said objects and providing a 2-dimensional digital output; a transporter for providing relative motion between said imager and said objects along said travel path; a pulsed laser illuminator for illuminating said objects as they travel along said travel path; an optical subsystem including at least one beam splitter and at least one fully reflective optical element, which is separate from said beam splitter, said at least one beam splitter and said at least one reflective optical element being operative together to split an image of said focal plane between ones of said at least two 2-dimensional detectors; and wherein said at least two 2-dimensional detectors comprise at least four detector ensembles, each including at least one 2-dimensional detector, and said image of said focal plane is split between said at least four detector ensembles such that each of said at least four detector ensembles receives at least approximately 33% of light reflected, scattered and diffracted from said objects onto said focal plane and said focal plane comprises a continuous surface on adjacent ones of said detectors included in said at least four detector ensembles.