Beam combining for highlight projection

A projection system, comprising:

• a first light source configured to emit a first illumination beam;
• a second light source configured to selectively emit a second illumination beam;
• a third light source configured to emit a third illumination beam;
• a first spatial light modulator (SLM) disposed to receive light from the first light source and the second light source, and configured to modulate the light from the first light source and the second light source based on image data to generate a first imaging beam;
• a beam steering device disposed to receive the second illumination beam, and configured to steer the second illumination beam to highlight regions of the first SLM to impart highlights in the first imaging beam;
• a second SLM disposed to receive light from the third light source, and configured to modulate the light from the third light source based on the image data to generate a second imaging beam;
• and
• a fourth light source configured to emit a fourth illumination beam,
• wherein the second SLM is disposed to receive light from the third light source and light from the fourth light source, and configured to modulate the light from the third light source and the fourth light source based on the image data to generate the second imaging beam,
• wherein the first light source includes a first set of primary lasers, and
• wherein the second light source includes a second set of primary lasers having a different spectral composition than the first set of primary lasers.

A projection system, comprising:

• a first light source configured to emit a first illumination beam;
• a second light source configured to selectively emit a second illumination beam;
• a third light source configured to emit a third illumination beam;
• a first spatial light modulator (SLM) disposed to receive light from the first light source and the second light source, and configured to modulate the light from the first light source and the second light source based on image data to generate a first imaging beam;
• a beam steering device disposed to receive the second illumination beam, and configured to steer the second illumination beam to highlight regions of the first SLM to impart highlights in the first imaging beam;
• a second SLM disposed to receive light from the third light source, and configured to modulate the light from the third light source based on the image data to generate a second imaging beam;
• and
• a fourth light source configured to emit a fourth illumination beam,
• wherein the second SLM is disposed to receive light from the third light source and light from the fourth light source, and configured to modulate the light from the third light source and the fourth light source based on the image data to generate the second imaging beam,
• wherein the first light source includes a first white light source, wherein the second light source includes a second white light source, and
• wherein the first white light source and the second white light source include different wavelength bands of red, green, and blue light.

A projection system, comprising:

• a first light source configured to emit a first illumination beam;
• a second light source configured to selectively emit a second illumination beam;
• a third light source configured to emit a third illumination beam;
• a first spatial light modulator (SLM) disposed to receive light from the first light source and the second light source, and configured to modulate the light from the first light source and the second light source based on image data to generate a first imaging beam;
• a beam steering device disposed to receive the second illumination beam, and configured to steer the second illumination beam to highlight regions of the first SLM to impart highlights in the first imaging beam;
• a second SLM disposed to receive light from the third light source, and configured to modulate the light from the third light source based on the image data to generate a second imaging beam;
• a pre-modulator disposed in a path of the first illumination beam and configured to modulate the first illumination beam to generate a modulated first illumination beam;
• and
• a beam combiner disposed to receive the modulated first illumination beam and at least a portion of the second illumination beam, the beam combiner configured to
• combine the modulated first illumination beam and the at least the portion of the second illumination beam to generate a combined illumination beam, and
• output the combined illumination beam to the first SLM.

A projection system, comprising:

• a first light source configured to emit a first illumination beam;
• a second light source configured to selectively emit a second illumination beam;
• a third light source configured to emit a third illumination beam;
• a first spatial light modulator (SLM) disposed to receive light from the first light source and the second light source, and configured to modulate the light from the first light source and the second light source based on image data to generate a first imaging beam;
• a beam steering device disposed to receive the second illumination beam, and configured to steer the second illumination beam to highlight regions of the first SLM to impart highlights in the first imaging beam;
• a second SLM disposed to receive light from the third light source, and configured to modulate the light from the third light source based on the image data to generate a second imaging beam;
• a pre-modulator disposed in a path of the first illumination beam and configured to modulate the first illumination beam to generate a modulated first illumination beam;
• a controller configured to
• generate highlight data based on the image data,
• provide the image data to the first SLM,
• output the highlight data,
• model a light field that is incident on the first SLM based on the modulated first illumination beam, and
• adjust the image data based on the light field prior to providing the 2D image data to the first SLM;
• and
• an image data input configured to receive the image data, the image data includes 3D image data or 2D image data,
• wherein, when the image data includes the 3D image data, the first light source is associated with a first-eye view present in the image data, the second light source is associated with a second-eye view present in the image data, and
• wherein the second light source has different spectral characteristics than the first light source.

A method comprising:

• emitting, with a first light source, a first illumination beam;
• selectively emitting, with a second light source, a second illumination beam;
• emitting, with a third light source, a third illumination beam;
• receiving, with a first spatial light modulator (SLM), light from the first light source and the second light source;
• modulating, with the first spatial light modulator (SLM), the light from the first light source and the second light source based on image data to generate a first imaging beam;
• receiving, with a beam steering device, the second illumination beam;
• steering, with the beam steering device, the second illumination beam to highlight regions of the first SLM to impart highlights in the first imaging beam;
• receiving, with a second SLM, light from the third light source;
• and
• modulating, with the second SLM, the light from the third light source based on the image data to generate a second imaging beam,
• wherein emitting, with the second light source, the second illumination beam further includes selectively emitting the second illumination beam by switching between a 2D mode and a 3D mode,
• wherein, in the 2D mode, the second light source emits the second illumination beam, and
• wherein, in the 3D mode, the second light source does not emit the second illumination beam.