Method of and system for automatically producing digital images of moving objects, with pixels having a substantially uniform white level independent of the velocities of the moving objects

US6978936B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Metpologic Instruments, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Constantine J. Tsikos · Voorhees, US
• C. Harry Knowles · Moorestown, US
• Xiaoxun Zhu · Marlton, US
• Michael Schnee · Chester, US
• Ka Man Au · Philadelphia, US
• Allan Wirth · Bedford, US
• Timothy Good · Blackwood, US
• Andrew Jankevics · Westford, US
• Sankar Ghosh · Philadelphia, US
• Charles A. Naylor · Sewell, US
• Thomas Amundsen · Turnersville, US
• Robert Blake · Woodbury Heights, US
• William Svedas · Deptford, US
• Shawn Defoney · Runnemede, US
• Edward Skypala · Blackwood, US
• Pirooz Vatan · Lexington, US
• Russell Joseph Dobbs · Cherry Hill, US
• George Kolis · Pennsauken, US
• Mark Schmidt · Williamstown, US
• Jeffery Yorsz · Winchester, US
• Patrick Giordano · Glassboro, US
• Stephen J. Colavito · Westtown, US
• David Wilz · Sewell, US
• Barry E. Schwartz · Haddonfield, US
• Steven Y. Kim · Cambridge, US
• Dale Fisher · Willow View Lane, US
• Jon Tassell · Winchester, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 23, 2002
• Grant date: Dec 27, 2005
• Expiry date: Nov 14, 2023

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01S5/02325
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Methods of and systems for illuminating objects using planar laser illumination beams having substantially-planar spatial distribution characteristics that extend through the field of view (FOV) of image formation and detection modules employed in such systems. Each planar laser illumination beam is produced from a planar laser illumination beam array (PLIA) comprising an plurality of planar laser illumination modules (PLIMs). Each PLIM comprises a visible laser diode (VLD, a focusing lens, and a cylindrical optical element arranged therewith. The individual planar laser illumination beam components produced from each PLIM are optically combined to produce a composite substantially planar laser illumination beam having substantially uniform power density characteristics over the entire spatial extend thereof and thus the working range of the system. Preferably, each planar laser illumination beam component is focused so that the minimum beam width thereof occurs at a point or plane which is the farthest or maximum object distance at which the system is designed to acquire images, thereby compensating for decreases in the power density of the incident planar laser illumination beam …