System for frontal illumination

DETAILED DESCRIPTION These and other objects are attained by the invention which provides, in one aspect, a frontal illumination system (or "reflector") which comprises a light source and a finite plurality of reflecting surfaces arranged to illuminate an object, e.
g.
, electronic components.
The reflecting surfaces can be characterized as the inner surfaces of a set of conical frustums arranged to approximate the illumination coming from the inner surface of a hemisphere.
The light source is located within or adjacent to at least one of the reflecting surfaces.
It emits light that is reflected off an opposing portion of at least one, and preferably all, of the surfaces.
The light source can comprise, for example, a series of light-emitting portals or apertures in one of the conical surfaces.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the reflector has a hole in the center, i.
e.
, in the region corresponding to that portion of the hemisphere furthest from the object.
Light reflecting off the object passes through that hole for routing, e.
g.
, via a beam-splitter to a camera.
A further light source, e.
g.
, positioned behind the beam-splitter, fills in this hole and, thereby, more completely illuminates the object.
These and other aspects of the invention are evident in the drawings and in the description which follows.