Low Profile Illumination for Direct Part Mark Readers

An integrated optical transmitter for use in a direct part mark reader, the transmitter comprising:

• a dark field illumination transmitter that changes the direction of light passing through the dark field illumination transmitter to project dark field illumination at an object, the dark field illumination transmitter including a window adapted to provide a transmission path for reflected illumination in an optical path along an optical axis of a sensor module;
• and
• a plurality of bright field illumination transmitters adjacent to and separate from the dark field illumination transmitter, the bright field illumination transmitters adapted to project bright field illumination at the object, the bright field illumination transmitters being without a window and being offset from the optical axis.