Planar light illumination and imaging device with modulated coherent illumination that reduces speckle noise induced by coherent illumination

1. An imaging device capable of detecting an image of a target object with reduced speckle-pattern noise, said imaging device comprising:

at least one image detection array and image formation optics that provide a field of view corresponding to said at least one image detection array;

at least one illumination module that produces planar light illumination that substantially overlaps the field of view corresponding to said image detection array, said at least one illumination module including at least one source of coherent illumination; and

illumination control circuitry that modulates a power level of illumination produced by said source of coherent illumination during each photo-integration time period of said image detection array so that said target object is illuminated with a spatially coherent-reduced laser illumination and numerous substantially different time-varying speckle-noise patterns are produced at said image detection array over the photo-integration time period thereof;

whereby said numerous substantially different time-varying speckle-noise patterns are detected at said image detection array over said photo-integration time period, and said detected speckle-noise patterns are temporally averaged at said image detection array during said photo-integration time period thereof,

thereby reducing the power of speckle noise patterns at said at least one image detection array.

2. The imaging device of claim 1 , wherein said illumination control circuitry controls number and/or duration of time periods corresponding to different power levels of illumination produced by said source of coherent illumination during each photo-integration time period of said image detection array.

3. The imaging device of claim 2 , wherein said illumination control circuitry controls number and/or duration of said time periods such that substantially constant energy is produced by said source of coherent illumination over said time periods.

4. The imaging device of claim 2 , wherein said illumination control circuitry controls number and/or duration of said time periods such that total energy produced by said source of coherent illumination during each said photo-integration time period does not exceed a maximum value.

5. The imaging device of claim 1 , wherein said at least one source comprises at least one visible laser diode.

6. The imaging device of claim 1 , wherein said at least one source comprises a plurality of visible laser diodes.

7. The imaging device of claim 1 , wherein said at least one illumination module comprises a laser illumination source, at least one focusing lens element, and at least one cylindrical lens element integrated into a modular housing.

8. The imaging device of claim 1 , comprising a plurality of illumination modules each comprising a laser illumination source, at least one focusing lens element, and at least one cylindrical lens element integrated into a modular housing.

9. The imaging device of claim 1 , wherein said image detection array comprises a linear image detection array.

10. The imaging device of claim 1 , wherein said image detection array comprises an area array.

11. The imaging device of claim 1 , wherein said illumination control circuitry includes feedback circuitry operably coupled between a monitor photodiode and a dynamic current source, said dynamic current source providing current to said source of coherent illumination, and said feedback circuitry controlling said power level of illumination produced by said source of coherent illumination to provide a plurality of power levels during each photo-integration time period of said image detection array in response to timing signals and an output of said monitor photodiode provided thereto.

12. A method for illuminating at least one imaging array and reducing speckle noise in images captured by said at least one image detection array, the method comprising the steps of:

providing said at least one image detection array and image formation optics that provide a field of view corresponding to said at least one image detection array;

providing at least one illumination module that produces planar light illumination that substantially overlaps the field of view corresponding to said image detection array, said at least one illumination module including at least one source of coherent illumination; and

modulating a power level of illumination produced by said source of coherent illumination during each photo-integration time period of said image detection array,

so that said target object is illuminated with spatially coherent-reduced laser illumination and numerous substantially different time-varying speckle-noise patterns are produced at said image detection array over the photo-integration time period thereof,

whereby said numerous substantially different time-varying speckle-noise patterns are detected at said image detection array over said photo-integration time period, and said detected speckle-noise patterns are temporally averaged at said image detection array during said photo-integration time period thereof,

thereby reducing the power of speckle noise patterns at said at least one image detection array.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising the step of controlling number and/or duration of time periods corresponding to different power levels of illumination produced by said source of coherent illumination during each photo-integration time period of said image detection array.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the controlling step controls number and/or duration of said time periods such that substantially constant energy is produced by said source of coherent illumination over said time periods.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the controlling step controls number and/or duration of said time periods such that total energy produced by said source of coherent illumination during each said photo-integration time period does not exceed a maximum value.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein said at least one source comprises at least one visible laser diode.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein said at least one source comprises a plurality of visible laser diodes.

18. The method of claim 12 , wherein said at least one illumination module comprises a laser illumination source, at least one focusing lens element, and at least one cylindrical lens element integrated into a modular housing.

19. The method of claim 12 , wherein said at least one illumination module comprises a plurality of illumination modules each comprising a laser illumination source, at least one focusing lens element, and at least one cylindrical lens element integrated into a modular housing.

20. The method of claim 12 , wherein said image detection array comprises a linear imaging array.

21. The method of claim 12 , wherein said image detection array comprises an area image detection array.

22. The method of claim 12 , further comprising the step of:

providing a monitor photodiode and a dynamic current source, said dynamic current source providing current to said source of coherent illumination;

controlling said dynamic current source to vary power level of illumination produced by said source of coherent illumination to provide a plurality of power levels during each photo-integration time period of said image detection array in response to timing signals and an output of said monitor photodiode.