Diffuse surface illumination apparatus and methods
US6661521B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 11, 1998 |
| Grant date | Dec 9, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 11, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06K7/10732
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An illumination apparatus is provided for a hand-held imager preferably to provide diffuse illumination for encoded symbology carried directly upon an article (component, etc) or upon a substrate carried by an article. The illumination apparatus is disposed proximate the front of the hand-held imager and is configured to permit light reflected from the target to pass through the illumination apparatus and onto a CCD image receiver. An array of unlensed LED's is disposed to cast approximately or substantially lambertian illumination in a direction away from the target to be imaged and into the hand-held housing to impinge upon surfaces of an illuminator to receive the illumination and, in turn, project efficient and diffuse dark field illumination through the array of unlensed LED's and towards and onto a location where a target to be imaged would be disposed. The illumination apparatus further includes a bright field illumination source including a plurality of forward facing (towards the target) lensed LED's.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.