Illumination

The illumination system is often overlooked as a vital element of the system design.

The projection optics determine the efficiency of the illumination system and the quality of pattern definition should pattern projection be required.

Light sources are critical to the success of many applications. Wavelength specific applications may operate in the visible or the IR spectrum. Illumination power may range from microwatts per square cm to watts. Synchronisation of the light source prevents motion blur and rejects external lighting effects. All these may be key to the success of a project.

By integrating microcontrollers within the illumination system the camera and illumination system may operate in unison to form a single imaging solution.

The left-hand image above is the result of taking a photo without flash and the subject is clearly under-exposed while the brightly lit background through the window is over-exposed. The right-hand image shows what can be achieved with the appropriate illumination system resulting in both subject and background being reasonably exposed.