Patent ID: 6978936

Claim:
A method of automatically producing digital images of a moving object, with pixels having a substantially uniform white level independent of the velocity of the moving object, said method comprising the steps of: (a) determining the velocity of an object moving relative to a planar laser illumination and imaging (PLIIM) based imaging system having a linear image detection array with a field of view (FOV) projectable onto the moving object, a planar laser illumination array (PLIA) with a plurality of laser diodes arranged in a linear array, for producing a planar laser illumination beam (PLIB) coplanar with the FOV of said linear image detection array, and a micro-controller for controlling the operation of the PLIIM-based imaging system; (b) using the detected velocity determined in step (a) to computed the optical power which each said laser diode must produce in order that each digital image of the object, formed by illuminating said object with said computed optical power, will have pixels with a substantially uniform white level independent of the velocity of said object moving relative to said PLIIM-based imaging system; (c) transmitting the computed optical power value(s) to said micro-controller; and (d) said micro-controller using said computed optical power value to drive each said laser diode so that said laser diode produces a planar laser illumination beam (PLIB) having the computed optical power level within said FOV, whereby the PLIB illuminates said object as said object moves through said FOV, and said PLIIM-based imaging system automatically produces a digital image of the moving object, with pixels having a substantially uniform white level, independent of the velocity of the moving object.