IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,529,466
Granted Patent B2
US 12,529,466 · App. 18/807,467 · Granted Jan 20, 2026

Illumination system and illumination method

Inventors: Chih-Yuan Lin (Hsinchu County, TW); Chin-Yu Liu (Hsinchu County, TW); Yu-Wei Liu (Hsinchu County, TW); Hung-Chun Lo (Hsinchu County, TW); Chao-Yu Huang (Hsinchu County, TW); Chun-Pin Hsu (Hsinchu County, TW); Cheng-Tao Tsai (Hsinchu County, TW)
Assignee: CHENG MEI INSTRUMENT TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
F21V13/02F21V9/08G02B27/1006F21Y2113/13F21Y2115/10
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,529,466
App. No.
18/807,467
Granted
Jan 20, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present application discloses an illumination system and an illumination method. The illumination system includes a first light source, a second light source, a light source controller and an optical path adjustment module. The first light source is configured to emit a first light at least corresponding to a first waveband, and the second light source is configured to emit a second light at least corresponding to a second waveband, wherein the first waveband is different form the second waveband. The light source controller is coupled to the first light source and the second light source, and is configured to control the first light source and the second light source individually. The optical path adjustment module is configured to guide at least one of the first light and the second light to an output optical path.

Claims (68)

1 . An illumination system, comprising:

a first light source, configured to emit a first light at least corresponding to a first waveband;

a second light source, configured to emit a second light at least corresponding to a second waveband, wherein the first waveband is different from the second waveband;

a light source controller, coupled to the first light source and the second light source, configured to individually control the first light source and the second light source; and

a first optical path adjustment module, configured to guide at least one of the first light and the second light to an output optical path;

a light irradiation member configured to receive a light output by the output optical path to output a first output light irradiating upon an object under inspection;

a first dark-field light source, configured to emit a first dark-field light;

a second dark-field light source, configured to emit a second dark-field light; and

a second optical path adjustment module, configured to adjust positions of the first dark-field light source and the second dark-field light source, so as to selectively use the first dark-field light or the second dark-field light as a second output light, which together with the first output light irradiate the object under inspection;

wherein the first dark-field light and the second dark-field light correspond to different wavebands or different angles.

2 . The illumination system of claim 1 , wherein the first optical path adjustment module comprises a first beam splitter configured to allow the first light to pass through and reflect the second light so as to allow the first light and the second light to enter the first optical path.

3 . The illumination system of claim 2 , further comprising a third light source configured to emit a third light at least corresponding to a third waveband, wherein the third waveband is different from the first waveband and the second waveband, and the first optical path adjustment module further comprises a second beam splitter configured to guide the third light as well as the first light and the second light that enter the first optical path to the output optical path.

4 . The illumination system of claim 3 , wherein the third light source comprises a white light source and an adjustable filter, and the adjustable filter comprises a plurality of color filters and is configured to filter a white light emitted by the white light source so as to adjust a color of the third light.

5 . The illumination system of claim 3 , wherein the third light source comprises:

a red light emitting diode (LED) or a red laser source, configured to emit a red light;

a green LED or a green laser source, configured to emit a green light;

a blue LED or a blue laser source, configured to emit a blue light; and

an X beam splitter, configured to combine the red light, the green light and the blue light into the third light.

6 . The illumination system of claim 3 , wherein the first waveband corresponds to a non-visible light waveband, the second waveband corresponds to a non-visible light waveband, and the third waveband corresponds to a visible light waveband.

7 . The illumination system of claim 3 , further comprising:

a fourth light source, configured to emit a fourth light corresponding to a fourth waveband, wherein the fourth waveband is different from the first waveband, the second waveband and the third waveband; and

a fifth light source, configured to emit a fifth light corresponding to a fifth waveband, wherein the fifth waveband is different from the first waveband, the second waveband, the third waveband and the fourth waveband;

wherein the first optical path adjustment module further comprises:

a third beam splitter, configured to allow the fourth light to pass through and reflect the fifth light so as to allow the fourth light and the fifth light enter a second optical path;

wherein the second beam splitter is an X beam splitter and is further configured to guide the fourth light and the fifth light on the second optical path to the output optical path.

8 . The illumination system of claim 1 , wherein the first output light is a bright-field light.

9 . The illumination system of claim 1 , wherein the first dark-field light source comprises light sources distributed in a plurality of layers, and the light source controller is further configured to control the light sources in the first dark-field light source in a manner of individual layers to emit dark-field lights with multiple wavebands, multiple angles and multiple intensities.

10 . The illumination system of claim 1 , further comprising:

a third dark-field light source, configured to emit a third dark-field light;

a fourth dark-field light source, configured to emit a fourth dark-field light; and

a third optical path adjustment module, configured to adjust positions of the third dark-field light source and the fourth dark-field light source, so as to selectively use the third dark-field light or the fourth dark-field light as a third output light, which together with the first output light and the second output light irradiate the object under inspection;

wherein the third dark-field light and the fourth dark-field light correspond to different wavebands or angles, and an incident angle of the second output light irradiating the object under inspection is different from an incident angle of the third output light irradiating the object under inspection.

11 . The illumination system of claim 10 , wherein the light source controller is configured to:

in a first mode, simultaneously enable at least one of the first light source, the second light source, the third light source, the fourth light source and the fifth light source, and enable at least one dark-field light source of the first dark-field light source, the second dark-field light source, the third dark-field light source and the fourth dark-field light source; and

in a second mode, simultaneously enable at least one of the first light source, the second light source, the third light source, the fourth light source and the fifth light source, and enable at least one dark-field light source of the first dark-field light source, the second dark-field light source, the third dark-field light source and the fourth dark-field light source;

wherein a light source combination enabled by the light source controller in the first mode is different from a light source combination enabled by the light source controller in the second mode.

12 . The-An illumination system, comprising:

a first dark-field light source, configured to emit a first dark-field light at least corresponding to a first waveband;

a second dark-field light source, configured to emit a second dark-field light at least corresponding to a second waveband, wherein the first waveband is different from the second waveband;

a light source controller, coupled to the first dark-field light source and the second dark-field light source, configured to individually control the first dark-field light source and the second dark-field light source;

a first optical path adjustment module, configured to guide at least one of the first dark-field light and the second dark-field light to an output optical path, wherein the first optical path adjustment module comprises a moving member configured to adjust positions of the first dark-field light source and the second dark-field light source, so as to select the first dark-field light or the second dark-field light as a first output light to irradiate an object under inspection;

a third dark-field light source, configured to emit a third dark-field light;

a fourth dark-field light source, configured to emit a fourth dark-field light; and

a third optical path adjustment module, configured to adjust positions of the third dark-field light source and the fourth dark-field light source, so as to selectively use the third dark-field light or the fourth dark-field light as a second output light, which together with the first output light irradiate the object under inspection;

wherein an incident angle of the first output light irradiating the object under inspection is different from an incident angle of the second output light irradiating the object under inspection.

13 . An illumination method, comprising:

providing a first light source to emit a first light corresponding to a first waveband;

providing a second light source to emit a second light corresponding to a second waveband, wherein the first waveband is different from the second waveband;

guiding the first light and the second light to an output optical path by a first optical path adjustment module;

irradiating an object under inspection by a first output light output from the output optical path;

providing a first dark-field light source to emit a first dark-field light;

providing a second dark-field light source to emit a second dark-field light; and

adjusting positions of the first dark-field light source and the second dark-field light source, so as to selectively use the first dark-field light or the second dark-field light as a second output light; and

irradiating an object under inspection by the second output light together with the first output light;

wherein the first dark-field light and the second dark-field light correspond to different wavebands.

14 . The illumination method of claim 13 , further comprising:

providing a third light source to emit a third light at least corresponding to a third waveband, wherein the third waveband is different from the first waveband and the second waveband;

guiding the third light, the first light and the second light to the output optical path by the first optical path adjustment module.

15 . The illumination method of claim 14 , further comprising:

providing a fourth light source to emit a fourth light at least corresponding to a fourth waveband, wherein the fourth waveband is different from the first waveband, the second waveband and the third waveband; and

providing a fifth light source to emit a fifth light at least corresponding to a fifth waveband, wherein the fifth waveband is different from the first waveband, the second waveband, the third waveband and the fourth waveband; and

guiding the fourth light and the fifth light to the output optical path by the first optical path adjustment module.

16 . The illumination method of claim 13 , further comprising:

providing a third dark-field light source to emit a third dark-field light;

providing a fourth dark-field light source to emit a fourth dark-field light;

adjusting positions of the third dark-field light source and the fourth dark-field light source, so as to selectively use the third dark-field light or the fourth dark-field light as a third output light;

irradiating the object under inspection by the third output light together with the first output light and the second output light;

wherein the third dark-field light and the fourth dark-field light correspond to different wavebands, and an incident angle of the second output light irradiating the object under inspection is different from an incident angle of the third output light irradiating the object under inspection.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 16, 2024
From: LIN, CHIH-YUAN; LIU, CHIN-YU; LIU, YU-WEI; LO, HUNG-CHUN; HUANG, CHAO-YU; HSU, CHUN-PIN; TSAI, CHENG-TAO
To: CHENG MEI INSTRUMENT TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 068315/0627 →
Priority Claims (1)
TW 113103402 · Jan 29, 2024 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20250243992A1 · Jul 31, 2025
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