A projector includes: a light source that emits light of a first color and a second color; a first image formation element that forms a first image light of the first color; a second image formation element that forms a second image light of the second color; a projection lens that projects the first image light and the second image light to the outside; a first optical system that guides light of the first color that is emitted from the light source to the first image formation element, and guides light of the first color from the first image formation element to the projection lens; and a second optical system that guides light of the second color that is emitted from the light source to the second image formation element, and guides light of the second color from the second image formation element to the projection lens; wherein the first optical system has a convex lens between the first image formation element and the projection lens, wherein f-number of the first optical system is greater than f-number of the second optical system.

Provided are image pickup apparatuses capable of measuring a distance in a wide range speedily and accurately, and control methods for the same. In an image pickup apparatus, an image pickup device and a light source are separately disposed in the optical paths branched by a partial reflecting mirror, and the distance from a subject to the image pickup device is calculated using a signal output by the image pickup device. In another image pickup apparatus, an image pickup device includes a light receiver and a light source, and the distance is calculated by a TOF method using a signal output by the light receiver. In another image pickup apparatus, the distance is calculated by a TOF method using a signal output by an image pickup device, and light emission of a light source is controlled on the basis of light emission conditions determined according to image pickup conditions.

An electronic imager (1) for imaging a photographic medium, comprising at least one array (6) of micromirrors (2), each of which is suitable for reflecting, during a change in position, a light beam coming from at least one light source (3) towards a projecting optical element (4), the change in position of the micromirrors (2) being controlled by a signal modulated at a toggling frequency (fb) of the micromirrors comprised between 1 Hz and 100 kHz.

A communication configuration capable of acquiring communication data within an image without need of a high precision synchronization process is realized. A transmission apparatus has a projector outputting an image, and an output image generation section generating the image output from the projector. The output image generation section generates a communication data image that records communication data, and the projector outputs a viewing image and the communication data image by setting an output time period of the communication data image to be longer than an output time period of each of sub-frame images that configure the viewing image. A receiving apparatus detects an event which is a luminance change equal to or greater than a prescribed threshold, receives input event information including a pixel position and occurrence time of an event occurrence pixel, detects a communication data image contained in the projected image on the basis of an event occurrence interval, and acquires communication data from the communication data image.

Provided by the present technology is an illumination apparatus including a light source section, a phase modulation section, and a control section. The light source section has a light emitting element. The phase modulation section performs spatial light phase modulation on incident light from the light source section. The control section controls the phase modulation section in such a manner that a plurality of domains formed by dividing a phase modulation plane of the phase modulation section reproduces a light intensity distribution based on a common phase distribution determined on the basis of a Freeform method in a common region on a projection plane.

A projection device, including an illumination system, a first light valve, a light modulation module, and a projection lens, is provided. The illumination system is configured to provide an illumination light beam. The first light valve is disposed on a transmission path of the illumination light beam to convert the illumination light beam into an image light beam. The light modulation module is replaceably disposed in the projection device and includes a second light valve located on the transmission path of the illumination light beam to modulate a grayscale value of the illumination light beam and reflect the illumination light beam to the first light valve. The light modulation module is located between the illumination system and the first light valve. The projection lens is disposed on a transmission path of the image light beam to project the image light beam out of the projection device.

Projection systems and components thereof are described that are well suited to miniaturization. These systems and components may use one or more of the following features: a folded optical path, as in a reflective cavity or a beamsplitter; an illumination beam that is converging at the place where it impinges upon the spatial light modulator; a beamsplitter that uses opposed prisms of substantially different sizes; a beamsplitter whose obliquely disposed partial reflector defines a first rectangular reference space, and where at least a portion of the light source or at least a portion of the projector lens is disposed within such first rectangular reference space; a system in which a ratio of areas of the first rectangular reference space and a second rectangular reference space is within a specified range, where the second rectangular reference space is just large enough to encompass the optical components of the projector; a system in which the projector lens is small compared to the spatial light modulator.

An apparatus includes a focusing lens, a SLM optically coupled to the focusing lens and comprising micromirrors on a surface of the SLM, where the focusing lens is tilted at an incident angle relative to the surface of the SLM, an incident light beam is illuminated on the SLM at the incident angle, and the incident angle is greater by an offset angle than twice a tilt angle of the micromirrors with respect to the surface of the SLM. The apparatus also include an actuator optically coupled to the SLM, and projection optics optically coupled to the actuator.

In one example, a method comprises forming a first layer on a substrate surface, forming an opening in the first layer, forming a second layer on the first layer and in the opening, and forming a photoresist layer on the second layer, in which the photoresist layer has a first curved surface over a first part of the first layer and over the opening. The method further comprises etching the photoresist layer and a second part of the second layer over the first part of the first layer to form a second curved surface on the second part of the second layer, and forming a mirror element and a support structure in the second layer, including by etching a third part of the second layer and removing the first layer.

A system comprises a digital micromirror device (DMD), an image sensor comprising an array of sensors operable to capture an image of a scene, a readout integrated circuit (ROIC) operable to generate signals from the sensors corresponding to the captured image of the scene, and an image reconstruction module. The image sensor is operable to capture an image of a scene and comprises an array of photodetector sensors operable to capture an image of a scene at a first frame rate, and a read a readout integrated circuit (ROIC) operable to generate signals from the photodetector sensors corresponding to the captured image of the scene at a second frame rate. A digital micromirror device (DMD) comprising a plurality of micromirrors, each micromirror having at least two physical states, and control circuitry operable to separately control the state of each micromirror, the digital micromirror device operable to receive the image of a scene and reflect the image to the image sensor, whereby the image sensor captures the reflected image of the scene. A processing component is operable to control the operation of the DMD and reconstruct the image from the ROIC.