LED-BASED PLANAR LIGHT ILLUMINATION AND IMAGING (PLIIM) SYSTEMS

A planar light illumination and imaging system for illuminating an object and forming an image thereof. The planar light illumination and imaging system which comprises an image formation and detection module having a field of view (FOV) focused at an image detecting array. A planar light illumination array (PLIA) constructed from an plurality of planar light illumination modules (PLIMs) is arranged in rectilinear manner. Each planar light illumination module comprises a visible light emitting diode (LED), a focusing lens, and a cylindrical optical element arranged therewith to produce a planar light illumination beam component; and wherein the individual planar light illumination beam components produced from the plurality of planar light illumination modules are optically combined to produce a composite substantially planar light illumination beam having substantially-planar spatial distribution characteristics that extend through the field of view (FOV) of the image formation and detection module, so that light reflected off an object illuminated by the planar light illumination beam is focused along the field of view and onto the image detecting array to form an image of the illuminated object.