Novel, lightweight, and low-cost illumination system for line-scan cameras

Abstract

A novel optical system designed as an illuminator for line-scan cameras is described. This system produces a linear illumination pattern on a planar surface and uses plastic Fresnel lenses to reduce the system cost and dimensions. A custom-made optical fiber array, which acts as a 1-D diffuser, forms part of a high numerical aperture projection system providing a half-angle cone of illumination in excess of 35 deg. This wide range of incident angles allows the imaging of surfaces ranging from near-specular to Lambertian diffusers.