An image projector includes a spatial light modulator (SLM) with a two dimensional array of pixel elements controllable to modulate a property of light transmitted or reflected by the pixel elements. An illumination arrangement delivers illumination to the SLM. A collimating arrangement collimates illumination from the SLM to generate a collimated image directed to an exit stop. The illumination arrangement is configured to sequentially illuminate regions of the SLM, each corresponding to a multiple pixel elements. A controller synchronously controls the pixel elements and the illumination arrangement so as to project a collimated image with pixel intensities corresponding to a digital image.

The light source unit includes a base provided with an opening, a support member fixed to the base at the opening, and a light source assembly fixed to the support member at the opening. The light source assembly includes a light source emitting laser light, a lens disposed on an optical axis of the laser light, and a holding member holding the light source and the lens. The support member has a convex receiving surface extending along the spherical surface so as to surround the optical axis when viewed from a direction parallel to the optical axis. The light source assembly is fixed to the support member by coupling the holding member to the receiving surface at a contact portion with the receiving surface. The receiving surface has a portion located on a side away from the optical axis with respect to a coupling part with the holding member.

A light outputting apparatus includes a light source that outputs a first light flux, a collimator that parallelizes the first light flux, a light separator that separates the first light flux into a first partial light flux and a second partial light flux, a first light flux width expander, and a second light flux width expander. The light separator causes the first partial light flux to exit in a first direction and the second partial light flux to exit in a second direction. When a first plane is assumed to be a plane containing the first direction and the second direction, the first light flux width expander expands a width of the first partial light flux in a direction along the first plane, and the second light flux width expander expands a width of the second partial light flux in a direction along the first plane.

The invention provides a light generating device (1000) comprising (i) a plurality of n light sources (100), and (ii) an optical component (1200) comprising an array (200) of prismatic elements (300), wherein: (a) the plurality of n light sources (100) comprise a first subset of one or more first light sources (110) configured to generate collimated first light source light (111) and a second subset of one or more second light sources (120) configured to generate collimated second light source light (121), wherein n>2; (b) the array (200) of prismatic elements (300) is configured in a light receiving relationship with the n light sources (100), wherein the array of prismatic elements (300) comprises k 1 parallel arranged first prismatic faces (201) and k2 parallel arranged second prismatic faces (202), wherein k1>2 and wherein k2>2, wherein the first prismatic faces (201) and the second prismatic faces (202) are not mutually parallel; (c) the first light sources (110) are configured to irradiate the first prismatic faces (201) and the second light sources (120) are configured to irradiate the second prismatic faces (202); and (d) the prismatic elements (300) are configured to reflect or refract the collimated first light source light (111) and the collimated second light source light (121) as coincident beams of first light source light (111) and second light source light (121).

A light source lighting device includes: a laser light source unit; a converging lens that converges a plurality of light beams emitted from the laser light source unit; a diffuser plate that diffuses a plurality of light beams converged by the converging lens; and a second collimating lens that collimates a light beam diffused by the diffuser plate. The converging lens has an aspherical surface, the second collimating lens has a spherical surface, the aspherical surface of the converging lens has an aspherical surface coefficient that is set to cancel a positive spherical aberration of the second collimating lens. A luminous flux density in a proximity of an optical axis is lower than a luminous flux density in a peripheral part away from the optical axis, the optical axis being an axis of a light beam emitted from the second collimating lens.

Provided is an array light source. The array light source includes light-emitting modules, a wavelength conversion apparatus configured to convert excitation light into excited light, a control apparatus configured to transmit a light modulation signal, and a light modulation apparatus configured to modulate the excited light based on the light modulation signal, emit the modulated light, and form a modulated image. Each light-emitting module is configured to emit the excitation light. The light-emitting modules include edge light emitting modules distributed along an edge of the array light source and center light-emitting modules surrounded by the edge light-emitting modules. A maximum luminous intensity of the edge light-emitting modules is greater than that of the center light-emitting modules.

A projection optical apparatus includes a projection system projecting light and including a resin lens, a degradation suppressor configured to suppress degradation of the resin lens, and a projection controller configured to control the degradation suppressor.

A system includes: a phosphor configured to receive first light having a first color, to produce second light having a second color responsive to the first light, and to transmit at least a first portion of the first light; a color wheel comprising a first colored segment configured to transmit light having a third color and a second colored segment configured to transmit light having a fourth color; a light tunnel optically coupled between the phosphor and the color wheel configured to transmit combined light including least a portion of the first light and the second light; wherein the first segment is configured to transmit the third color as first transmitted light and the second segment to transmit light of the fourth color as second transmitted light; and a spatial light modulator configured to modulate the first transmitted light and the second transmitted light.

An image projector with a high optical efficiency projects an image at an arbitrary distance from an observer. The image projector includes an illumination module having at least one spatially coherent light source; a phase image generator with an array of optical phase shifting elements; an electronic image controller connected electrically to the phase image generator; and a waveguide which includes at least one embedded partial reflector. The waveguide may be positioned either between the illumination module and the waveguide, or between the waveguide and the observer. The phase image generator may include phase shifts for canceling speckle, correcting optical aberrations, and/or compensating interference caused by light rays having different optical path lengths.

An illumination device according to the present disclosure includes: a first light source that outputs first illumination light subjected to phase modulation to have desired intensity distribution; a second light source that outputs second illumination light; an integrator optical system that uniformizes intensity distribution of the second illumination light; a polarization conversion element that aligns polarization directions of incident light in one polarization direction; and a reflection element disposed on an optical path between the integrator optical system and the polarization conversion element, the reflection element multiplexing the first illumination light and the second illumination light and causing each of the first illumination light and the second illumination light to enter the polarization conversion element.