Examples are disclosed that relate to a compact optical systems comprising SLMs. One example provides a projection system comprising an illumination stage including a light emitting diode (LED) array. The LED array comprises a plurality of red LEDs, a plurality of green LEDs, and a plurality of blue LEDs. The illumination stage further comprises an illumination stage optical system configured to control an angular extent of light emitted by the LED array and homogenize the light emitted by the LED array. The projection system further comprises an image forming stage configured to form an image from light output by the illumination stage, the image forming stage comprising a spatial light modulator (SLM) configured to spatially modulate the light output by the illumination stage to form an image, and one or more projection optics configured to project the image formed by the spatial light modulator.

The laser projection apparatus includes a laser source, an optical engine and a projection lens. The laser source includes a base plate, a plurality of light-emitting components and a reflecting portion. The plurality of light-emitting components include a first light-emitting component and a second light-emitting component. The polarization direction of the laser beam emitted by one of the first light-emitting component and the second light-emitting component is parallel to the base plate, and the polarization direction of the laser beam emitted by another of the first light-emitting component and the second light-emitting component is perpendicular to the base plate. The reflecting prism is configured to change a polarization polarity of one of the laser beam with the polarization direction perpendicular to the base plate or the laser beam with the polarization direction parallel to the base plate.

An apparatus may include (1) a planar liquid-crystal structure including a plurality of liquid crystals, and (2) a plurality of electrodes coupled to the planar liquid-crystal structure such that (a) when a first plurality of voltages are applied to at least some of the plurality of electrodes, the plurality of liquid crystals are oriented such that the planar liquid-crystal structure operates as a diffraction grating having a first pitch, and (2) when a second plurality of voltages are applied to at least some of the plurality of electrodes, the plurality of liquid crystals are oriented such that the planar liquid-crystal structure operates as a diffraction grating having a second pitch different from the first pitch.

Light projection systems and methods may comprise combining light from two or more projectors. Each projector may be controlled so that the combined light output of the projectors matches a target for the projected light. In some embodiments optimization is performed to generate image data and control signals for each of the projectors. Embodiments may be applied in image projecting applications, lighting applications, and 3D stereoscopic imaging.

A light source apparatus includes a first light source configured to emit first color light, a second light source configured to emit second color light having a different wavelength from that of the first color light, a wavelength conversion element configured to convert the first color light into third color light having a wavelength different from that of the first color light and to emit the third color light, and to emit the second color light as it is, and an optical system including a light guide surface configured to guide the first color light from the first light source and the second color light from the second light source to the wavelength conversion element, and the optical system being configured to emit combined light of the second color light and the third color light from the wavelength conversion element.

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.

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.

A laser projection apparatus includes a laser source assembly, an optical engine and a projection lens. The laser source assembly includes a laser device and a combining lens group. The laser device includes a first laser-exit region emitting laser beams of first color, a second laser-exit region emitting laser beams of second color, and a third laser-exit region emitting laser beams of third color. The combining lens group includes a plurality of combining lenses and a beam spot adjustment structure. The beam spot adjustment structure is disposed in beam paths of the laser beams of first color and the laser beams of second color before being combined with the laser beams of third color, and the beam spot adjustment structure is configured to increase a divergence angle of at least one of the laser beams of first color or the laser beams of second color.

A projection system includes a light source unit, a spatial light modulation unit, and a projection optical system. Light source unit includes an optical fiber, a first light source part, and a second light source part. Optical fiber includes a light incident portion, a light emerging portion and a wavelength-converting portion. Wavelength-converting portion is disposed between light incident portion and light emerging portion. Wavelength-converting portion includes wavelength-converting elements. Wavelength-converting elements are able to be excited by excitation light to produce spontaneous emission of light having a longer wavelength than excitation light, and also excited by amplified spontaneous emission of light. First light source part makes excitation light incident on light incident portion. Second light source part makes seed light incident on light incident portion. Seed light causes wavelength-converting elements excited by excitation light or amplified spontaneous emission of light to produce stimulated emission of light.

A light source device includes a light source module, a plurality of heat receiving plates coupled to the light source module, and a cooling plate coupled to the plurality of heat receiving plates, cooling liquid flowing on the inside of the cooling plate. The cooling plate includes an upstream-side flowing section, a downstream-side flowing section, and a plurality of heat transfer sections provided in at least one of the upstream-side flowing section and the downstream-side flowing section and aligned in a second direction. The plurality of heat transfer sections include a plurality of fins extending in the second direction and a plurality of channels provided among the plurality of fins. The plurality of heat receiving plates are disposed along the second direction. The plurality of heat transfer sections are separated from one another in positions among the plurality of heat receiving plates in the second direction.