System for uniformly illuminating target to reduce speckling

An illumination system for uniform illumination of a target using many independent or quasi-independent point sources of light, said apparatus comprising:

• a laser source;
• a multi-fiber bundle, and the fiber optic bundle having at least one bend along a length thereof which assists with one of bouncing and reflecting the light off a side wall of the optical fibers to assist with homogenizing the point sources of light and thereby provide uniform illumination of the target to be illuminated;
• a first lens located between the laser source and the fiber optic bundle;
• and
• a second lens located between the fiber optic bundle and the target to be illuminated.

A method of uniform illumination of a target, by an illumination system, to facilitate imaging of the target by an imaging system, the apparatus comprising:

• generating a plurality of independent or quasi-independent point sources of light via a laser source;
• forming a fiber optic bundle comprising a plurality of individual optical fibers for each receiving at least one of the plurality of point sources of light, from the laser source, and directing the plurality of point sources of light toward the target for illumination thereof;
• and
• receiving the plurality of point sources of light, via an oscillating diffuser, and oscillating the oscillating diffuser at a frequency so as to redirect each one of the plurality of point sources of light over an area of the target to be illuminated to facilitate uniform illumination and imaging thereof.