A method of equalizing the illumination produced by a planar
laser illumination array within a planar
laser illumination and (electronic) imaging
system, comprising the steps of: providing an
image formation and detection module having imaging
optics with a
field of view (FOV) focused upon an image detecting array; providing a planar
laser illumination array having a plurality of planar
laser illumination modules, each planar
laser illumination module producing a planar laser beam component during
image formation and detection operations, which are combined to produce a composite planar
laser illumination beam extending through a
working range of said FOV, wherein said
working range includes both near and far fields, if the near field illumination is brighter then the far field illumination: displacing a first portion of the planar illumination modules in a first direction perpendicular to said FOV and a second portion of the planar illumination modules in a second direction opposite to said first direction, angling each planar laser illumination beam component to overlap at said far field, whereby the
power density incident on the near field is reduced; and if the far field illumination is brighter then the near field illumination: displacing a first portion of the planar illumination modules in a first direction perpendicular to the FOV and a second portion of the planar illumination modules in a second direction opposite to said first direction, angling each planar laser illumination beam component to overlap at the near field, whereby the
power density incident on the far field is reduced.