Machine-vision illumination system and method for delineating a lighted volume from an unlighted volume
US5745176A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 12, 1995 |
| Grant date | Apr 28, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 12, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N21/8806
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The present invention takes advantage of the efficiency of high-brightness red, infra-red, or other color LEDs arranged in a single row, the properties inherent to a focusing element such as a cylindrical lens, as well as the advantages of having a straight-edged diaphragm and a light-absorbing enclosure to produce an illumination source for machine-vision systems. The illumination source exhibits multi-directional properties on one side of an imaginary plane defined by the positions of the row of LEDs, the straight-edged diaphragm, and the focusing element, and minimize light cast on the other side of the plane. The present invention provides a compact light line generator which has no shadowing or secondary lines. The present invention also provides a method for measuring the height of a raised surface. The present invention provides a method and apparatus which provide an illumination source for illuminating an object in a machine-vision system, and includes a light source emitting light from a plurality of points, the points being on a straight line, a focusing element, the focusing element focusing light from the light source in one dimension to a focal line, wherein the focus…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.