Design and evaluation of illumination system for pocket projector using single element freeform optics with fly eye integrator

For a projection system, uniform illumination at image modulator area with highest possible collection efficiency is a necessary requirement. There are systems which are able to achieve this goal by using multiple optical elements for light collection and separate module for homogenization thus posing challenging situations during minimization of system form factor, optical mounting, alignment and production cost . In this study, design concept of single element freeform optics integrated with fly eye lens is proposed for pocket projectors. Design of various derivative configurations are discussed with special considerations of manufacturability. Ray trace analysis is performed to evaluate different systems for ideal point source as well as for extended sources. Further, the scaling effect of the collection optics on system performance for extended sources will also be presented.