Fiber bundle combiner and led illumination system and method

An illumination system for illuminating an object at a machine-vision station comprising:

• an illumination fixture including:
• a substantially closed housing having a light-output terminal;
• a plurality of light-emitting diode (LED) light sources within the housing;
• and
• an internal fiber-optic assembly having a common first bundle end and plurality of second ends, each one of the second ends optically coupled to receive light from one of the plurality of LEDs, and all of the second ends in fiber-optic communication with the common first end, and the fiber-optic assembly held substantially within the housing such that light from the LEDs is output from the fixture at the first bundle end located at the light-output terminal, wherein each one of the second ends is a ball end formed by melting.

A method for illuminating an object at a machine-vision station, comprising:

• (a) providing a first plurality of optical fibers each having a first end and a second end and a separate plurality of optical fibers each having a first end and a second end, wherein all of the first ends of the first plurality of optical fibers are grouped into a compact bundle end, and all of the first ends of the second plurality of optical fibers are grouped into a compact bundle end;
• (b) emitting light from a plurality of LEDs onto the second ends individual ones of the first plurality of optical fibers;
• (c) coupling light from the compact bundle end of the first plurality of optical fibers into the compact bundle end of the separate second plurality of optical fibers;
• (d) emitting light from the second ends of the second plurality of optical fibers to the object at the machine-vision station;
• and
• (e) imaging the light from the object into a machine-vision imaging device.

A machine-vision system for obtaining information about an object at a machine-vision station, comprising:

• an imaging device;
• an image processor coupled to the imaging device;
• and
• an illumination source coupled to the image processor, the illumination source comprising:
• a plurality of light-emitting diode (LED) light sources;
• a fiber-optic assembly having a common first bundle end and plurality of second ends, each one of the second ends optically coupled to receive light from one of the plurality of LEDs, and all of the second ends in fiber-optic communication with the common first end such that light from the LEDs is output at the first end;
• a coupling unit attached to the first bundle end adapted to receive one of a plurality of interchangeably connected fiber-bundle head fixtures and to transmit light from the first bundle end output into one of the plurality of interchangeably connected fiber-bundle head fixtures;
• and
• a fiber-bundle head fixture adapted transmit light received at the coupling unit to the object at the machine vision station.