Darkfield lighting source for aircraft FOD detection

Abstract

To provide a lighting system for better detecting and identifying FOD (e.g., foreign objects on a runway) in an aircraft.SOLUTION: A lighting system (100) includes a surface (108), a light source (102) configured to emit light onto the surface (108), and a diffuser (103) coupled to the light source. The diffuser is configured such that the emitted light impinges on the surface in an at least partially planar pattern to produce a darkfield lighting effect with respect to the surface. A lighting device further includes a cylindrical rod (104) including a first end portion and a second end portion, wherein the first end portion is configured to be coupled to the light source and the diffuser, and the second portion is configured to be held in a hand by a user of a portable lighting device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure (the present invention) relates generally to illumination sources, and more particularly to dark field illumination sources for aircraft FOD (foreign object debris: generally speaking, objects that may cause damage to aircraft, such as birds, hail, ice, dust, volcanic ash, and foreign objects on runways).

[0002] FOD may generally include any object that may be in an inappropriate location relative to one or more components of, for example, an aircraft or other industrial system. For example, a mechanic or other similar technician may perform the task of removing FOD from fuel cells and / or other contained aircraft components to ensure optimal operation of the aircraft. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] In some cases, FODs may include various objects that are difficult to distinguish from the surrounding area. Such objects may include clear plastic, glass, debris, or other objects that may not be perceptible to an inspection technician. It would be useful to provide a technique that better detects and identifies FODs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] An illumination system or device for FOD detection is disclosed. The illumination device includes a light source configured to emit light onto a surface and a diffuser coupled to the light source, the diffuser configured to cause the emitted light to strike the surface in an at least partially planar pattern to create a dark field illumination effect for the surface. The illumination device further includes a cylindrical rod including a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion configured to be coupled to the light source and the diffuser, and the second portion configured to be hand-held by a user of the portable illumination device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0005] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary lighting system for FOD detection. [Figure 2A] FIG. 1 shows an illumination device that produces a dark field illumination effect. [Figure 2B] FIG. 1 shows an illumination device that produces a dark field illumination effect. [Figure 2C] FIG. 1 shows an illumination device that produces a dark field illumination effect. [Figure 2D] FIG. 1 illustrates an innovative lighting system incorporating a transparent optical light channel. [Figure 2E] FIG. 1 illustrates an innovative lighting system incorporating a transparent optical light channel. [Figure 2F] FIG. 1 illustrates an innovative lighting system incorporating a transparent optical light channel. [Figure 2G] FIG. 1 illustrates an innovative lighting system incorporating a transparent optical light channel. [Diagram 3] 1 is a flow diagram of a method for performing multi-spectral FOD detection. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 illustrates an example computer system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0006] The present embodiment relates to a technique for providing a handheld illumination system including one or more illumination devices that create a dark field illumination effect for improved FOD detection. In a particular embodiment, the illumination system may include a light source configured to emit light onto a surface, and a diffuser coupled to the light source and configured to cause the emitted light to strike the surface in at least a partially planar pattern, thereby creating a dark field illumination effect on the surface, and to reflect the light from objects present on the surface. In a particular embodiment, the illumination system may further include a cylindrical rod including a first end portion and a second end portion. In one embodiment, the first end portion is attached to the light source and the diffuser. In one embodiment, the second end portion is configured to be held in a hand by a user of the illumination device.

[0007] In certain embodiments, the diffuser may be configured to reduce the amount of emitted light emitted perpendicular to the surface, thereby causing the emitted light to strike the surface in at least a partially planar pattern. For example, in some embodiments, the diffuser may include one or more of a polarizing diffuser or a film-based diffuser. In certain embodiments, the dark field lighting effect on the surface may be created using one or more reflector cones coupled to the light source. In another embodiment, the dark field lighting effect on the surface may be created using one or more fiber optic cables coupled to the light source. In another embodiment, the dark field lighting effect on the surface may be created using one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) associated with the light source.

[0008] In one embodiment, the first end portion can be configured to couple to a light source via a swivel mechanism. In certain embodiments, the first end portion of the cylindrical rod can be configured to be positioned perpendicular to a surface such that the emitted light produces a bright reflected light or a long shadow on objects present on the surface. In certain embodiments, the cylindrical rod can be configured to be mechanically extended and retracted to configurably adjust the length of the cylindrical rod.

[0009] Technical advantages of certain embodiments of the present invention may include one or more of the following: Certain systems and methods described herein provide a handheld illumination device utilized for FOD detection and aircraft inspection. In certain embodiments, a light source may be mounted at a first end of a cylindrical rod configured to create a dark field illumination effect on a surface. In certain embodiments, the dark field illumination effect may be such that more light is emitted parallel to the underlying surface than is emitted perpendicular to the underlying surface. In certain embodiments, the dark field illumination effect may produce high contrast reflected light and shadows for one or more objects (e.g., FOD) present on the surface.

[0010] For example, a 360° light source may be filtered by a diffuser or lens that can be utilized to reduce the amount of light moving perpendicular to the surface, so that most of the emitted light is emitted radially in a planar pattern (e.g., across the perimeter of the surface). In certain embodiments, a swivel mechanism may also be located at the portion of the cylindrical rod to which the light source is attached. By creating a dark field lighting effect across the surface, any objects (e.g., FODs) on the surface will reflect light back to the point of view (POV) of the user of the lighting system, and also create bright reflective areas and long shadows for objects (e.g., FODs) on the surface. In this manner, the present embodiment may improve FOD detection and inspection.

[0011] Other technical advantages will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following figures, descriptions, and claims. Additionally, although certain advantages have been enumerated above, various embodiments may include all of the enumerated advantages, some of the enumerated advantages, or none of the enumerated advantages.

[0012] Example Embodiments FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary illumination system 100 for FOD detection according to presently disclosed embodiments. In certain embodiments, the illumination system 100 may include a handheld illumination system 100 utilized, for example, for FOD detection and aircraft inspection. In certain embodiments, the light source 102 may be attached to a first end of a cylindrical rod 104 (e.g., a rigid stainless steel rod, a hard tube, a flexible tube, a flexible aluminum rod, etc.) configured to create a dark field illumination effect on a surface 108. According to this embodiment, the dark field illumination effect may, for example, cause a greater amount of light to be emitted in a direction parallel to the surface 108 compared to light emitted perpendicular to the surface 108. In certain embodiments, the dark field illumination effect may create a high contrast bright reflected light 114 and long shadows 112 for one or more objects 110 (e.g., FODs) located on the surface 108.

[0013] For example, in certain embodiments, the light source 102 may include a 360° light source. In certain embodiments, the light source 102 may be filtered with a diffuser 103 or lens that may be utilized to reduce the amount of light propagating perpendicular to the surface 108, such that a large amount of the emitted light is emitted radially in a planar pattern relative to the surface 108 (e.g., across the perimeter of the surface 108). In certain embodiments, one or more swivel mechanisms 106 may also be positioned at the portion of the cylindrical rod 104 to which the light source 102 is attached. By creating a dark field lighting effect across the surface 108, any object 110 (e.g., FOD) located on the surface 108 will reflect light to the point of view (POV) 116 of the user of the lighting system 100, and further create a high contrast bright reflected light 114 and long shadow 112 for the object 110 (e.g., FOD) present on the surface 108. In this manner, the present embodiment can improve FOD detection and inspection.

[0014] 2A-2C illustrate illumination devices 200A, 200B, and 200C, respectively, for producing a dark field illumination effect in accordance with presently disclosed embodiments. In certain embodiments, the illumination device 200A may include a light source 202, a coupler 204, a light tube 206 including a filtering portion 208, and a reflector cone 210 coupled to the light tube by a transparent coupling 212. As further shown, the illumination device 200A may emit light onto a surface 214. In certain embodiments, the reflector cone 210 may cause the emitted light to reflect (e.g., reflected light 218) off one or more objects 216 (e.g., FODs), thereby indicating the presence of FODs.

[0015] In certain embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2B, the illumination device 200B may include a light tube 220 and a fiber optic cable bundle 222. In certain embodiments, the fiber optic cable bundle 222 may act as an optical light channel suitable for directing light from the light source downward and outward via a cylindrically arranged output as shown. In some embodiments, the height of the fiber cylinder may be 1 / 4 the diameter of the fiber optic cable bundle 222, and as the light is directed further outward, the height of the fiber cylinder may be further reduced to as little as the height of a single fiber. The height of the emitted light when using a 45° conical mirror, e.g., a reflecting cone, may be, for example, 1 / 2 the diameter of the light column.

[0016] 2C, a multi-spectral sensor device 224 may operate by illuminating and emitting light 232 impinging on a surface 214 located beneath the multi-spectral sensor device 224. For example, in certain embodiments, one or more LEDs 228 of the multi-spectral sensor device 224 may illuminate the surface 214 to reveal the presence of one or more objects 216 (e.g., FODs) located on the surface 214. In certain embodiments, one or more multi-spectral sensors 226 of the multi-spectral sensor device 224 may detect the presence of one or more objects 216 (e.g., FODs) located on the surface 214 based on reflected light 230 reflected from the one or more objects 216 (e.g., FODs) located on the surface 214.

[0017] In one embodiment, the one or more objects 216 (e.g., FODs) may be a material that reflects ultraviolet (UV), infrared (IR), near infrared (NIR), or other light that can be reflected by the one or more objects 216 (e.g., FODs) and detected by the multispectral sensor 226. In certain embodiments, the one or more multispectral sensors 226 can then detect variations (e.g., phase shifts, changes in polarization, etc.) in the emitted light 232 based on the reflected light 230 reflected from the one or more objects 216 (e.g., FODs) in accordance with presently disclosed embodiments, which are indicative of a FOD.

[0018] 2D-2G show example embodiments of illumination systems incorporating transparent optical light channels 200D, 200E, 200F, 200G. In certain embodiments, the transparent optical light channels 200D, 200E, 200F, 200G may be cleverly designed to direct light from a proximally located light-emitting source 242 to their handles 240, bypass the 360° camera 248, and ultimately guide the light toward a location below the 360° camera 248. In certain embodiments, the transparent optical light channels 200D, 200E, 200F, 200G employ total internal reflection techniques to facilitate transmitting light from the light-emitting source 242 downward along its axis toward the bottom cap portion 254. In certain embodiments, the transparent nature of the transparent optical light channels 200D, 200E, 200F, 200G allows ambient light present in the surrounding environment to penetrate radially inward into the core structure of the 360° camera 248, thus enabling better image capture capabilities.

[0019] In certain embodiments, various techniques can be employed by the transparent optical light channels 200D, 200E, 200F, 200G to enable the creation and distribution of illuminating disks. For example, these techniques include the use of high and low refractive index materials 246, 250, reflective surfaces 256, optical films, and / or curvature engineering within its structure as shown in FIG. 2G. Such a configuration can allow light to radiate radially outward from the central assembly body, resulting in the desired narrow angle that is beneficial for dark field lighting effects. This structure facilitates the close positioning of the light assemblies and surfaces, thereby reducing the overall dimensions associated with the lighting fixture. Thus, by providing a special design of the transparent optical light channels 200D, 200E, 200F, 200G, obstructions that may otherwise obstruct the broad visual coverage provided by the 360° camera 248 are effectively mitigated.

[0020] 3 is a flow diagram of a method 300 for performing multispectral FOD detection in accordance with the presently disclosed embodiments. Method 300 may be implemented utilizing one or more processors, including hardware (e.g., a general purpose processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on a chip (SOC), a microcontroller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or any other processing device that may be suitable for processing intended and / or desired conditions), software (e.g., instructions running / executing on one or more processors), firmware (e.g., microcode), or any combination thereof.

[0021] The method 300 may begin at block 302, where one or more processors may cause the multi-spectral sensor device 224 to emit light 232 to illuminate and illuminate a surface beneath the multi-spectral sensor device 224. For example, in certain embodiments, one or more sensors may cause one or more LEDs 228 of the multi-spectral sensor device 224 to illuminate the surroundings to reveal the presence of one or more objects 216 (e.g., FODs) present on the surface 224. The method 300 may continue at block 304, where one or more processors may cause the multi-spectral sensor device 224 to detect one or more objects present on the surface. For example, in certain embodiments, one or more processors may cause one or more multi-spectral sensors 226 of the multi-spectral sensor device 224 to detect the presence of one or more objects 216 (e.g., FODs) present on the surface 214 based on reflected light 230 reflected from one or more objects 216 (e.g., FODs) present on the surface 214. In one embodiment, the one or more objects 216 (e.g., FODs) may be a material that reflects ultraviolet (UV), infrared (IR), near infrared (NIR), or other light that can be reflected by the one or more objects 216 (e.g., FODs) and detected by the multi-spectral sensor 226.

[0022] The method 300 may continue at block 306, where the one or more processors cause the multi-spectral sensor device 224 to identify one or more anomalies based on the reflected light. For example, in certain embodiments, the one or more processors may identify variations (e.g., phase shifts, changes in polarization, etc.) in the emitted light 232 based on the reflected light 230 reflected from one or more objects 216 (e.g., FODs). The method 300 may then end at block 308, where the one or more processors cause the multi-spectral sensor device 224 to emit light 232 to illuminate and hit only the one or more objects 216 (e.g., FODs) in response to the identified one or more anomalies. For example, in one embodiment, the one or more LEDs 228 may illuminate using visible wavelengths only in the direction of the detected FOD to, for example, provide an alert to a user or operator.

[0023] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary computer system 400 that may be useful in implementing one or more of the techniques presently disclosed herein. In certain embodiments, one or more computer systems 400 perform one or more steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein. In certain embodiments, one or more computer systems 400 perform functions described or illustrated herein. In certain embodiments, software running on one or more computer systems 400 performs one or more steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein or performs functions described or illustrated herein. Certain embodiments include one or more portions of one or more computer systems 400. References herein to a computer system may include a computing device, where appropriate, and vice versa. Furthermore, references to a computer system may include one or more computer systems, where appropriate.

[0024] The present invention contemplates any suitable number of computer systems 400. The present invention contemplates computer system 400 taking any suitable physical form. By way of example, and not of limitation, computer system 400 may be an embedded computer system, a system on a chip (SOC), a single board computer system (SBC) (e.g., a computer on module (COM) or system on module (SOM)), a desktop computer system, a laptop or notebook computer system, an interactive kiosk, a mainframe, a network of computer systems, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a server, a tablet computer system, an augmented / virtual reality device, or a combination of two or more of these. Computer system 400 may include one or more computer systems 400, may be unitary or distributed, may span multiple locations, may span multiple machines, may span multiple data centers, or may reside in a cloud, which may include one or more cloud components in one or more networks. Where appropriate, one or more computer systems 400 may perform one or more steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein without substantial space or time constraints.

[0025] By way of example, and not limitation of the present invention, one or more computer systems 400 may execute one or more steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein in real time or in batch mode. One or more computer systems 400 may execute one or more steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein at different times or locations, as appropriate. In a particular embodiment, computer system 400 includes a processor 402, memory 404, storage device 406, input / output (I / O) interface 408, communication interface 410, and bus 412. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates a particular computer system including a particular number of particular components in a particular arrangement, this disclosure contemplates any suitable computer system including any suitable number of any suitable components in any suitable arrangement.

[0026] In particular embodiments, the processor 402 includes hardware for executing instructions, such as instructions that make up a computer program. By way of example and not of limitation to the present invention, to execute instructions, the processor 402 may retrieve (or fetch) the instructions from an internal register, an internal cache, memory 404, or storage device 406, may compound and execute the instructions, and may then write one or more results to an internal register, an internal cache, memory 404, or storage device 406. In particular embodiments, the processor 402 may include one or more internal caches for data, instructions, or addresses. This disclosure contemplates the processor 402 including any suitable number of any suitable internal caches, as appropriate. By way of example and not of limitation to the present invention, the processor 402 may include one or more instruction caches, one or more data caches, and one or more translation lookaside buffers (TLBs). Instructions in an instruction cache may be copies of instructions in memory 404 or storage device 406, and the instruction cache may speed up retrieval of these instructions by the processor 1032.

[0027] The data in the data cache may be a copy of data in memory 404 or storage 406 for an instruction executing at the processor 402 to act on, may be the result of a previous instruction executed at the processor 1032 to be accessible by a next instruction executing at the processor 402 or to be written to memory 404 or storage 406, or may be other suitable data. The data cache may speed up read or write operations by the processor 402. The TLB may speed up virtual address translation for the processor 1032. In particular embodiments, the processor 402 may include one or more internal registers for data, instructions, or addresses. The present invention contemplates a processor 402 including any suitable number of any suitable internal registers, as appropriate. The processor 402 may include an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), may be a multi-core processor, or may include one or more processors 402, as appropriate. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates a particular processor, this disclosure contemplates any suitable processor.

[0028] In a particular embodiment, memory 404 includes a main memory that stores instructions for processor 402 to execute or data for operating processor 402. By way of example, and not limitation of the present invention, computer system 400 may load instructions into memory 404 from storage device 406 or another source (e.g., another computer system 400). Processor 402 may then load the instructions from memory 404 into an internal register or cache. To execute instructions, processor 402 may retrieve instructions from the internal register or cache and decode the instructions. During or after execution of instructions, processor 402 may write one or more results (which may be intermediate or final results) to an internal register or cache. Processor 402 may then write one or more of the results to memory 404. In particular embodiments, processor 402 executes only instructions that are in one or more internal registers or internal caches or memory 404 (as opposed to storage device 406 or elsewhere) and operates only on data that is in one or more internal registers or internal caches or memory 404 (as opposed to storage device 406 or elsewhere).

[0029] One or more memory buses (each of which may include an address bus and a data bus) may couple the processor 402 to the memory 404. The bus 412 may include one or more memory buses, as described below. In particular embodiments, one or more memory management units (MMUs) reside between the processor 402 and the memory 404 and facilitate accesses to the memory 404 requested by the processor 402. In particular embodiments, the memory 404 includes random access memory (RAM). The RAM may be volatile memory, as appropriate. The RAM may be dynamic RAM (DRAM) or static RAM (SRAM), as appropriate. Further, the RAM may be single-ported RAM or multi-ported RAM, as appropriate. This disclosure contemplates any suitable RAM. The memory 404 may include one or more memories 404, as appropriate. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates particular memories, this disclosure contemplates any suitable memory.

[0030] In certain embodiments, storage 406 includes mass storage for data or instructions. By way of example, and not of limitation, storage 406 may include a hard disk drive (HDD), a floppy disk drive, a flash memory, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a magnetic tape, or a universal serial bus (USB) drive, or a combination of two or more of these. Storage 406 may include removable or non-removable (or fixed) media, as appropriate. Storage 406 may be internal or external to computer system 400, as appropriate. In certain embodiments, storage 406 is a non-volatile solid-state memory. In certain embodiments, storage 406 includes a read-only memory (ROM), which may be a mask program ROM, a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), an electrically eraseable and rewritable ROM (EAROM), or a flash memory, as appropriate, or a combination of two or more of these. The present disclosure contemplates mass storage 406 taking any suitable physical form. Storage 406 may optionally include one or more storage control units that facilitate communication between processor 402 and storage 406. Storage 406 may optionally include one or more storage devices 406. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates a particular storage device, this disclosure contemplates any suitable storage device.

[0031] In certain embodiments, I / O interface 408 includes hardware, software, or both that provide one or more interfaces for communication between computer system 400 and one or more I / O devices. Computer system 406 may include one or more of these I / O devices, as appropriate. One or more of these I / O devices may enable communication between a person and computer system 400. By way of example, and not of limitation, the I / O devices may include a keyboard, keypad, microphone, monitor, mouse, printer, scanner, speaker, still camera, stylus, tablet, touch screen, trackball, video camera, another suitable I / O port, or a combination of two or more of these. The I / O devices may include one or more sensors. This disclosure contemplates any suitable I / O devices and any suitable I / O devices for these I / O devices in interface 408. I / O interface 408 may include one or more devices or software drives that enable processor 402 to drive one or more of these I / O devices, as appropriate. I / O interface 408 may, where appropriate, include one or more I / O interfaces 408. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates a particular I / O interface, this disclosure contemplates any suitable I / O interface.

[0032] In particular embodiments, communication interface 410 includes hardware, software, or both that provide one or more interfaces for communication (e.g., packet-based communication) between computer system 400 and one or more other computer systems 400 or one or more networks. By way of example, and not of limitation to the present invention, communication interface 410 may include a network interface controller (NIC) or network adapter that communicates with an Ethernet or other wire-based network or a wireless NIC (WNIC), or a wireless adapter that communicates with a wireless network, such as a Wi-Fi network. This disclosure contemplates any suitable network and any suitable communication interface 410 therefor.

[0033] By way of example, and not by way of limitation, computer system 400 may include one or more portions of an ad-hoc network, a personal area network (PAN), a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), or the Internet, or a combination of two or more of these. One or more portions of one or more of these networks may be wired or wireless. By way of example, and not by way of limitation, computer system 400 may communicate with a wireless PAN (WPAN) (e.g., Bluetooth WPAN), a Wi-Fi network, a Wi-MAX network, a cellular network, (e.g., a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network, or other suitable wireless network, or a combination of two or more of these. Computer system 400 may include any suitable communication interface 410 for any of these networks, as appropriate. Communication interface 410 may include one or more communication interfaces 410, as appropriate. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates a particular communication interface, this disclosure contemplates any suitable communication interface.

[0034] In particular embodiments, bus 412 includes hardware, software, or both that couple together the components of computer system 400. By way of example, and not limitation of the present invention, bus 412 may include an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) or other graphics bus, an Enhanced Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, a Front Side Bus (FSB), a HyperTransport (HT) interconnect, an Industry Standard (ISA) bus, an InfiniBand (INFINIBAND) interconnect, a low-pin-count (LPC) bus, a memory bus, a MicroChannel Architecture (MCA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, a PCI Express (PCIe) bus, a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) bus, a Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) Local Bus (VLB), or another suitable bus, or a combination of two or more of these. Bus 412 may include one or more buses 412, as appropriate. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates a particular bus, this disclosure contemplates any suitable bus or interconnect.

[0035] As used herein, one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media may include, as appropriate, one or more semiconductor-based or other integrated circuits (ICs) (e.g., field programmable gate arrays (EPGAs) or application specific ICs (ASICs)), hard disk drives (HDDs), hybrid hard drives (HHDs), optical disks, optical disk drives (ODDs), magneto-optical disks, magneto-optical drives, floppy diskettes, floppy disk drives (FDDs), magnetic tapes, solid state drives (SSDs), RAM drives, SECURE DIGITAL cards or drives, any other suitable computer-readable non-transitory storage media, or any suitable combination of two or more of these. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium may be volatile, non-volatile, or a combination of volatile and non-volatile, as appropriate.

[0036] In this specification, "or" is inclusive and not exclusive, unless expressly indicated otherwise or the context indicates otherwise. Thus, in this specification, "A or B" means "A, B, or both" unless expressly indicated otherwise or the context indicates otherwise. Furthermore, "and" is a word that indicates both jointly and severally, unless expressly indicated otherwise or the context indicates otherwise. Thus, in this specification, "A and (and) B" means "A and (and) B, jointly or severally," unless expressly indicated otherwise or the context indicates otherwise.

[0037] The scope of the present invention includes all changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications to the exemplary embodiments described or illustrated herein, as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described or illustrated herein. Furthermore, although the present invention is described and illustrated herein in each embodiment as including certain components, elements, features, functions, acts, or steps, any of these embodiments may include any combination or permutation of any of the components, elements, features, functions, acts, or steps described or illustrated elsewhere herein, as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore, in the appended claims, a statement that an apparatus or system, or a component of an apparatus or system is adapted to, arranged to, capable of, configured to, implemented to, operable to, or operative to perform a particular function includes the apparatus, system, or component, regardless of whether the particular function is implemented, operated, or exerted, so long as the apparatus, system, or component is so adapted, arranged, capable, configured, implemented, operable, or operative. Additionally, although the present disclosure describes or illustrates particular embodiments as providing certain advantages, the particular embodiment may provide none of these advantages, or may provide some or all of these advantages. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 100 Lighting System 102,202 light source 103,252 Diffuser 106 Swivel mechanism 110,216 objects 112 Long Shadow 114,230 Reflected light 116 User POV 200A,200B,200C lighting equipment 204 Coupler 206 Light Tube 208 Filtering part 210 Reflective Cone 220 Light Tube 222 Fiber optic cable bundle 224 Multispectral Sensor Device 232 Emitted light

Claims

1. 1. An illumination device for FOD detection, comprising: a light source configured to emit light onto a surface; a diffuser coupled to the light source and configured to cause the emitted light to impinge on the surface in at least a partially planar pattern, thereby creating a dark field illumination effect on the surface; a cylindrical rod including a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion being attached to the light source and the diffuser, and the second end portion being configured to be hand-held by a user of the lighting device.

2. 2. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the diffuser is configured to cause the emitted light to strike the surface in the at least partially planar pattern by reducing an amount of the emitted light emitted perpendicular to the surface.

3. The illumination device of claim 2 , wherein the diffuser comprises one or more of a polarizing diffuser or a film-based diffuser.

4. The illumination system of claim 1 , wherein the dark field illumination effect on the surface is created utilizing one or more reflector cones coupled to the light source.

5. The illumination system of claim 1 , wherein the dark field illumination effect on the surface is created utilizing one or more fiber optic cables coupled to the light source.

6. The illumination system of claim 1 , wherein the dark field illumination effect on the surface is created utilizing one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) associated with the light source.

7. The lighting device of claim 1 , wherein the first end portion is configured to couple to the light source via a swivel mechanism.

8. 2. The lighting device of claim 1, wherein the first end portion of the cylindrical rod is configured to be positioned perpendicular to the surface such that the emitted light produces a bright reflected light or a long shadow on objects present on the surface.

9. 10. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the cylindrical rod is configured to be mechanically extended and mechanically retracted to configurably adjust a length of the cylindrical rod.

10. 1. A system comprising: Surface and a light source configured to emit light onto the surface; a diffuser coupled to the light source and configured to cause the emitted light to impinge on the surface in at least a partially planar pattern, thereby creating a dark field illumination effect on the surface and to reflect light off objects present on the surface; a cylindrical rod including a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion being attached to the light source and the diffuser, and the second end portion being configured to be hand-held by a user of the lighting device.

11. 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the diffuser is configured to cause the emitted light to strike the surface in the at least partially planar pattern by reducing an amount of the emitted light emitted perpendicular to the surface.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the diffuser comprises one or more of a polarizing diffuser or a film-based diffuser.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the dark field lighting effect on the surface is created utilizing one or more reflector cones coupled to the light source.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the dark field illumination effect on the surface is created utilizing one or more fiber optic cables coupled to the light source.

15. The system of claim 10 , further comprising one or more transparent optical light channels configured to route light from the light source to a 360° camera assembly to maximize the dark field illumination effect.

16. The system of claim 10 , wherein the dark field lighting effect on the surface is created utilizing one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) associated with the light source.

17. The system of claim 10 , wherein the first end portion is configured to couple to the light source via a swivel mechanism.

18. 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first end portion of the cylindrical rod is configured to be positioned perpendicular to the surface such that the emitted light produces a bright reflected light or a long shadow on objects present on the surface.

19. The system of claim 10 , wherein the cylindrical rod is configured to be mechanically extended and mechanically retracted to settably adjust a length of the cylindrical rod.

20. 1. A lighting tool, comprising: a light source configured to emit light onto a surface; a diffuser coupled to the light source and configured to cause the emitted light to impinge on the surface in at least a partially planar pattern, thereby creating a dark field illumination effect on the surface and to reflect light off objects present on the surface; a cylindrical rod including a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion being attached to the light source and the diffuser, and the second end portion being configured to be hand-held by a user of the lighting device.

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