Optical beam former and maskless sign projector

Abstract

The invention relates to an optical beam former for generating an emergent light beam from an incident light beam, the optical beam former comprising a condenser lens array for receiving the incident light beam, wherein the condenser lens array comprises a plurality of condenser lenses. The optical beam former comprises a projection lens array, arranged in parallel with the condenser lens array, for radiating the incident light beam, with the projection lens array comprising a plurality of projection lenses. The condenser lens array comprises at least one cluster of condenser lenses, of which each condenser lens of the cluster comprises an aperture adapted to a sub-region of an overall pattern projected by the optical beam former, in order to provide a portion of the incident light beam for the projection lens array, which portion is assigned to the sub-region of the overall pattern. A combination of the apertures of the condenser lenses is adapted to the overall pattern.

Description

[0001] Optical beam former and maskless character projector

[0002] Description

[0003] The present invention relates to an optical beam former for generating an outgoing light beam from an incident light beam, to a projector having such an optical beam former, and to methods for providing an optical beam former and for designing a condenser lens array. The present invention particularly relates to a maskless character projector.

[0004] Sign projectors are used for information transmission, e.g., for path markings (so-called exit signs, visitor guidance, or similar), Car2X communication in the automotive sector, for advertising purposes, or in user interfaces, such as those found in household electronics. Gobo projectors, which are frequently used for these applications, operate according to the principle of the classic slide projector, typically with LED illumination and a binary slide (gobo) or a gobo revolver for projecting multiple images.

[0005] Fundamentally, the system transmission is limited by the area of ​​the gobo's apertures. The required luminance of the projected image, together with the luminance of the light source, determines the minimum lateral dimension of the projector. These relationships are mediated by the étendue of the light source and the projection optics [1]. The overall length of the projector, in turn, is largely determined by the focal length of the projection optics (a few tens to over 100 mm). These principles place strict limits on increasing system transmission and miniaturizing conventional projectors.

[0006] An alternative approach using micro-optical projector arrays with Köhler illumination (array projector) enables a significant reduction in overall length by using short-focal-length tandem microlens arrays (MLA) with buried, binary micro-slide arrays [2]. This optical scheme essentially corresponds to a honeycomb condenser with a diaphragm or slide array buried near the input lenses. This projector architecture enables space-saving setups, and the large depth of field of the array projector channels also enables projection onto inclined and curved screen surfaces [3]. However, the transmission of the array projector, like that of a conventional slide projector, is primarily limited by the area fill factor of the binary micro-slide array.The fabrication of the MLA together with the buried slide arrays proves to be challenging: This requires the sequential replication of the slides and both MLAs with very precise centering in the micrometer range. This costly replication requires modified mask aligners [4].

[0007] Small, high-transmission character projectors can be realized using laser-illuminated computer-generated holograms (CGH). While these CGHs can be replicated inexpensively, e.g., by hot-stamping in plastic, stray light (e.g., from parasitic diffraction orders of the CGH), speckle, and the limited availability of laser diode wavelengths, especially white light, limit the attractiveness of this approach [5].

[0008] It would therefore be desirable to have the option of providing projectors for displaying characters with a wide range of applications that can be manufactured precisely and cost-effectively.

[0009] An object of the present invention is therefore to provide an optical beam former and an associated projector and method for providing an optical beam former and a method for designing a condenser lens array which enables projection of patterns with a wide range of applications, while at the same time being precisely manufacturable and cost-effective.

[0010] This problem is solved by the subject matter of the independent patent claims.

[0011] A key concept of the present invention is that by using irregularly edged microlenses in microlens arrays, whose aperture is adapted to the pattern to be displayed by the respective microlens, beam shaping can also be achieved. However, unlike with buried slides, this does not result in reduced transmission, which means that the output light power is comparably high and positioning of the corresponding microslides is not necessary. This creates a wide range of applications, since such microlenses can be irradiated with any wavelength, as well as the possibility of precise, simple, and especially cost-effective replication.

[0012] According to one embodiment, an optical beam shaper for generating an outgoing light beam from an incident light beam comprises a condenser lens array for receiving the incident light beam, the condenser lens array comprising a plurality of condenser lenses; and a projection lens array arranged parallel to the condenser lens array for emitting the outgoing light beam, the projection lens array comprising a plurality of projection lenses. The condenser lens array comprises at least one cluster of condenser lenses, each of which has an aperture adapted to a partial area of ​​an overall pattern projected by the optical beam shaper in order to provide the projection lens array with a portion of the incident light beam associated with the partial area of ​​the overall pattern; a combination of the apertures of the condenser lenses is adapted to the overall pattern.

[0013] According to one embodiment, a method for providing an optical beam former for generating an outgoing light beam from an incident light beam comprises the following steps: providing a condenser lens array for receiving the incident light beam, such that the condenser lens array comprises a plurality of condenser lenses;and arranging a projection lens array configured to emit the emerging light beam parallel to the condenser lens array, such that the projection lens array has a plurality of projection lenses, such that the condenser lens array has at least one cluster of condenser lenses, each condenser lens of the cluster having an aperture adapted to a partial area of ​​an overall pattern projected with the optical beam shaper, in order to provide the projection lens array with a portion of the incident light beam associated with the partial area of ​​the overall pattern; such that a combination of the apertures of the condenser lenses is adapted to the overall pattern.

[0014] According to one embodiment, a method for designing a condenser lens array with a plurality of condenser lenses for an optical beamformer comprises decomposing an overall region of an overall pattern to be projected into a plurality of subregions; adapting a respective aperture of a condenser lens of the condenser lens array to one of the plurality of subregions in order to project each of the plurality of subregions with at least one adapted condenser lens; and positioning the plurality of condenser lenses in the condenser lens array.

[0015] Further advantageous embodiments are the subject of dependent patent claims.

[0016] Particularly preferred embodiments of the present invention are explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1a shows a schematic side sectional view of an optical beam former according to one embodiment;

[0017] Fig. 1b is a schematic plan view of an exemplary configuration of a pattern in connection with embodiments discussed herein;

[0018] Fig. 1c is a schematic plan view of the pattern from Fig. 1b, which is divided into a number of exemplary three sub-regions for the purpose of explaining embodiments;

[0019] Fig. 1d is a schematic plan view of a cluster of condenser lenses with apertures adapted to the respective partial area of ​​Fig. 1b, according to an embodiment;

[0020] Fig. 2 shows a cluster modified compared to Fig. 1d in a schematic plan view according to an embodiment;

[0021] Fig. 3 is a schematic plan view of another pattern according to an embodiment, which is represented by the letter A;

[0022] Fig. 4a-b two different cluster variants for the arrangement of the six segments of the pattern from Fig. 3 according to embodiments;

[0023] Fig. 5a is a schematic plan view of the device from Fig. 2 with an additional representation of section lines HH and VV according to an embodiment;

[0024] Fig. 5b-c schematic side sectional views of the beam former from Fig. 5a in the section lines;

[0025] Fig. 6 shows a comparison of the behavior of lenses with large and small numerical apertures to explain embodiments described herein; Fig. 7 is a schematic flow diagram of a method according to an embodiment that can be used, for example, to provide an optical beam former in accordance with embodiments described herein;

[0026] Fig. 8 is a schematic flow diagram of a method according to an embodiment that can be used, for example, to design a condenser lens array described herein; and

[0027] Fig. 9 is a schematic block diagram of a projector according to an embodiment.

[0028] Before exemplary embodiments of the present invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings, it is pointed out that identical, functionally equivalent or equivalent elements, objects and / or structures in the different figures are provided with the same reference numerals, so that the description of these elements shown in different exemplary embodiments is interchangeable or can be applied to one another.

[0029] The embodiments described below are described in conjunction with numerous details. However, embodiments may also be implemented without these detailed features. Furthermore, for clarity, embodiments are described using block diagrams instead of detailed illustrations. Furthermore, details and / or features of individual embodiments may be readily combined with one another, unless explicitly described otherwise.

[0030] Fig. 1a shows a schematic side sectional view of an optical beam former 10 according to an embodiment. The optical beam former 10 is designed to generate an outgoing light beam 12 from an incoming light beam 14. The optical beam former 10 comprises a condenser lens array 16 for receiving the incoming light beam 14. The condenser lens array 16 comprises a plurality of at least two, at least three, preferably at least four, at least ten, particularly preferably one hundred or several hundred or even more condenser lenses 181-184. Arranged parallel to the condenser lens array 16 is a projection lens array 22, which is configured to emit the outgoing light beam 12. The projection lens array 22 comprises a plurality of condenser lenses 241-244.

[0031] Substrates 26i and 262 of the arrays 16 and 22 can be formed separately from each other, but can also be formed in one piece.

[0032] According to a preferred embodiment, a condenser lens 18; can form an array channel with a projection lens 24j. In such an embodiment, the number of projection lenses 24 of the projection array 22 can be equal to the number of condenser lenses 18 of the condenser lens array 16. However, embodiments are not limited to this, so that the number of projection lenses 24 can also differ from the number of condenser lenses 18.

[0033] The condenser lens array 16 comprises at least one cluster of condenser lenses 18, each of which has an aperture adapted to a partial area of ​​an overall pattern 28 projected by the optical beam shaper 10, in order to provide the projection lens array 22 with a portion of the incident light beam 14 that is associated with the partial area of ​​the overall pattern. The combination of the apertures of the condenser lenses is adapted to the overall pattern 28.

[0034] Fig. 1b shows a schematic plan view of an exemplary embodiment of the pattern 28, which, by way of example and in no way limiting, has the shape of an exclamation mark “exclamation mark”.

[0035] Fig. 1c shows a schematic top view of the pattern 28 from Fig. 1b, which is divided into a number of exemplary three subregions 32i, 32z, and 32s. Design rules for dividing the pattern 28 into the subregions 32i-323 are discussed below. However, the shape or geometry of the subregions 32i-323 can form a basis for the apertures of the condenser lenses of the condenser lens array 16, whereby the use of three condenser lenses may already be sufficient for the projection of the pattern 28.

[0036] Fig. 1d shows a schematic top view of a cluster 34 of condenser lenses 181, 182, and 183, wherein the cluster 34 can form at least part of the condenser lens array 16. For easy assignment to the overall graphic in Fig. 1c, the cluster is shown laterally inverted and upside down. Apertures 36i, 362, and 36s of the condenser lenses 181, 182, and 183, respectively, can have a shape adapted to a respective subregion 32i, 322, and 32s, respectively. For this purpose, the apertures or edges 36i, 362, and / or 363 can, for example, be formed geometrically similar to the outer boundaries of the respective subregions 32i, 322, and 32s. The total number of apertures 36i, 362, and 363 can be adapted to the overall pattern 28. According to one embodiment, a condenser lens of the cluster is configured to have an aperture area that is influenced or determined by the apertures 36i, 362, and / or 363. The aperture area can, as shown in Fig.1d, can be filled to form a channel surface by means of an intermediate region that at least partially surrounds the aperture surface. The channel surface can, for example, be rectangular, parallelogram-shaped, hexagonal, or otherwise shaped and can, for example, be at least partially influenced by a configuration or aperture of an opposing projection lens. The plurality of channel surfaces in the cluster can be arranged to fill the entire surface, as shown, for example, in Fig. 2.

[0037] For improved representation of the overall pattern, light-scattering regions 38i, 382, ​​and / or 383 can be provided in the condenser lens array 16 and / or the cluster 34 thereof. These regions allow, when several condenser lenses are joined together in the condenser lens array 16, the intermediate regions to be filled, which are then subsequently masked out in the projected pattern. Such filling or a geometry of the light-scattering regions 38i-38s can be designed in such a way that joining the corresponding contours is easily possible. Filling between the apertures and the channel surface of the lenslets 42i-42s can be achieved via the regions 38i-38s.

[0038] In other words, a character decomposition and an area-filling arrangement in segments and clusters can be performed. For projection, the character or pattern to be displayed can first be decomposed into subgraphics, as explained in Fig. 1c. This decomposition can be carried out in such a way that the best possible area filling of the channels of the segment is possible. Figs. 1b and 1c show a decomposition of an exclamation mark into two trapezoids 32i, 322 and a circle 323, which preferably have a comparable size.

[0039] To enable the best possible area-filling arrangement of the condenser apertures, the partial graphics can be fitted into rectangular or square condenser lenslets, as shown in Fig. 1d. This means that apertures can be filled. As an alternative to a rectangular design, another geometry can be selected that allows for good tiling or area-filling arrangement. These include, for example, triangles or hexagons. The difference between the graphic part and the aperture of the lenslets can be formed as scattering regions 38i-38s.

[0040] The advantage of filling is illustrated by the configuration of Fig. 2, which shows a modified cluster 34' in a schematic plan view. The cluster 34' has, for example, three segments 44i, 442, and 44s, wherein each segment has a number of adjacent, identically formed channels or lenses with the same, in particular congruent, condenser lens edge, aperture, and is imaged onto the same area of ​​a projection surface, which can be adjusted by a corresponding direction using the projection lens array. The optional scattering regions can be formed identically with respect to the respective edge, although this is not necessarily implemented. Alternatively or additionally, the formation of the scattering regions can vary from channel to channel and / or from cluster to cluster. This means that multiple clusters can be part of one optical beamformer.

[0041] Each segment 44i, 44s, and 44s, for example, has a number of six identical lenslets 42i, i-42i, 6-42s, i-42s, 6. It should be noted that the number of identical lenslets per segment 44i-44s is not necessarily the same, but can also be different. This also means that the number of six identical lenslets per segment 44i-44s is chosen merely as an example and, as shown, for example, in Fig. 1d, can be one or a higher value, which can be arbitrary and can be, for example, two, three, four, five, or more.

[0042] The light-scattering regions 38 enable a surface-filling arrangement of the respective lenslets in the cluster 34' and thus in the condenser lens array. According to one embodiment, an optical beam former is provided in which a fill factor of the condenser lenses 18 in the cluster 34, 34' and / or in the condenser lens array 18 is at least 70%, preferably at least 75%, and particularly preferably at least 80%. Correspondingly, an area proportion of intermediate regions, which may be embodied as light-scattering regions, can be at most 30%, at most 25%, or at most 20%. Embodiments provide that the intermediate regions of the condenser lens array and / or the cluster are distributed evenly or symmetrically within a tolerance range in one or more segments of the cluster 34', in the cluster 34, 34', and / or in a group of several clusters.The intermediate regions can disrupt optical transmission and / or reduce local brightness, especially when designed as light-scattering regions. Such influences can be kept to a minimum for the optical observer by the symmetrical or uniform distribution.

[0043] In other words, by tiling, for example, six rectangular or square condenser apertures or lenslets 42 in each rectangular segment 44I-443, a tiling arrangement of the condenser apertures in three segments can be achieved, which together can in turn form a rectangular cluster 34'. The rectangular configuration of cluster 34' advantageously enables tiling of several clusters, although the rectangular configuration is not absolutely necessary. Fig. 2 shows a tiling-capable cluster variant for arranging the parts of six exclamation marks in three segments.

[0044] This rectangular cluster, in turn, can be tiled to fill the area in order to achieve the desired overall expansion of the honeycomb condenser. There are other possibilities for forming the segments and merging them as a cluster. For example, the circular area of ​​subregion 32 from Fig. 1c could advantageously be inscribed with a higher area fill into regularly hexagonally bordered condenser lenslets. These could be arranged densely as a hexagonal array in a tiled manner. When designing the cluster 34, 34', it can then be addressed that a connection of a segment with a non-rectilinear border must be made to the rectangular segments of the array of graphic parts 32i and 323 from Fig. 1c. Segments 44i and 442 can advantageously be designed larger, i.e., with a higher number of partial graphics, which requires proportionally smaller scattering connection surfaces between the segments.

[0045] Fig. 3 shows a schematic plan view of a pattern 28', which is represented by the letter A as an example, so that Fig. 3 explains a further segment decomposition for the letter "A" by way of example. While the decomposition of the exclamation mark in Fig. 1b resulted in trapezoidal or circular parts that did not completely fill the area, this can be carried out without any problems with the exemplary letter A, so that the segments 32'I-32'4 can be designed, for example, as parallelograms, which can be arranged particularly advantageously to fill the area, in particular in a tiled arrangement. A tiled arrangement can be understood as arranging two adjacent segments and in particular a larger number of segments in one volume without intermediate regions or with at most negligible intermediate regions. The shape and size of the partial regions 32'i and 32'2 on the one hand and 32's and 32'4 on the other hand can each be identical.Here, symmetries in the pattern to be decomposed can be exploited. In addition, there are two trapezoids, 32's and 32'ß, which may be difficult or impossible to arrange in a tiled pattern.

[0046] In other words, Fig. 3 shows the decomposition of the letter "A" into parallelograms and trapezoids. Here, too, the letter "A" is merely an example of a pattern to be decomposed and projected.

[0047] Figs. 4a and 4b show two different cluster variants for the arrangement of the six segments 32'i-32'e of the pattern 28' from Fig. 3. An example is an arrangement of four condenser lenslets or condenser lenses 18j.j, where, in connection with Figs. 4a and 4b, the parameter i corresponds to the consecutive numbering of the sub-regions from Fig. 3 and the parameter j is a running index within identical sub-regions or identically shaped lenses, which are combined to form segments 44i-44ß. The clusters 44i-44ß, which are already formed from tiled apertures or joined together, can also be easily joined together, as shown, for example, in Fig. 4a, but also in Fig. 4b. If the condenser lenses 18 of different segments 44I-444 differ, light-scattering areas 38 can be provided in the intermediate areas.

[0048] For the less easily tiled condenser lenses of segments 445 and 446, intermediate regions 385,j and 386,j can be provided to fill a tiled base area. This can be particularly advantageous if the respective segments comprise condenser lenses 18 that are arranged in the same direction or in the same orientation and are merely offset from one another.

[0049] According to one embodiment, all condenser lenses can be arranged in an orientation corresponding to the pattern to be projected. As shown in Fig. 4a, a cluster in accordance with embodiments described herein can have one or more segments, each with a plurality of condenser lenses, whose respective apertures are adapted to the same sub-region of the overall pattern. Different segments can have the same or different number of channels, which enables homogenization and / or individual adjustment of sub-regions with regard to brightness.

[0050] The cluster can have a plurality of condenser lenses, and each sub-region of the overall pattern can be projected multiple times through the cluster. This is possible when using segments described herein, but can also be achieved in other ways, such as with a distributed arrangement of the condenser lenses directed at the same sub-region. In both cases, the condenser lenses of the cluster can be arranged in a tiled pattern within the condenser lens array, with tiling occurring at least in a sub-region, as shown, for example, for segments 44I-444, but also for the segments 44S and 44ß arranged thereon without gaps, which also contributes to the tiling.

[0051] The two or more segments of a cluster can be arranged adjacent to one another, as shown in Fig. 4a. Each of the segments can have a plurality of condenser lenses designed to project an identical partial region of the overall pattern. In the cluster 34, adjacent segments can be designed to project different partial regions of the overall pattern, such as the different regions of Fig. 3. Light-scattering regions 38 between condenser lenses of the condenser lens array can be arranged to ensure a uniform scattered light distribution in the projected pattern. This can be achieved, for example, by designing the light-scattering regions with appropriate distribution relative to a respective segment and / or relative to the cluster or the overall pattern in order to consider the darkening caused by the light-scattering regions as a perceptible effect and to utilize this as a degree of design freedom.According to one embodiment, a different number of condenser lenses can be arranged to adjust the brightness of the sub-regions in order to project different sub-regions of the overall pattern. Such a difference can be achieved by different numbers in the cluster and / or in segments and / or by different configurations of clusters. A cluster or a combination of clusters can control the brightness of the sub-graphics. A difference between cluster 34' of Fig. 4b and cluster 34 of Fig. 4a can be that segments are arranged in different positions and / or possibly light-scattering regions 385,1 - 385,4 and / or 386,i - 38e,3 are arranged in a different position in the cluster, which can lead to different optical influences in the projected pattern caused by the light-scattering regions 38.This provides a degree of freedom in the design and / or creation of the condenser lens array or the optical beam shaper in that the position of the light-scattering regions can be variable. For example, dimensions 46i compared to 46'1 and / or 462 compared to 46'2 can be configured differently from each other, which allows further degrees of freedom with regard to the design of the clusters to increase the packing density, especially when using a higher number of clusters in the condenser lens array.

[0052] While the parallelogram sections 32'1-32'4 and the corresponding apertures in the center of clusters 34 and 34' can be densely packed, it may be helpful to partially mask the channels for the trapezoids 185.1-185.4 and 18ß,i-185.4 with diffusers or other light-scattering elements. The mixed arrangement of the two cluster variants in the character projector can enable a more even distribution of the stray light components to the right and left of the trapezoidal parts of the projection of the letter "A."

[0053] The two decomposition examples described in Figs. 4a and 4b show examples in which an arrangement of identical graphic components is present in a segment 44i-44ß. In special cases, a nested arrangement of different components of a decomposition in a mixed segment can be useful. One example is a space-filling arrangement of equilateral triangular apertures in a mixed segment, with one triangle on one side and one on a vertex alternating with each other. If the components of the graphic to be displayed consist of or include equilateral triangles rotated by 180° to each other, this represents a simple possibility for area-filling tiling. Other tiling options are also possible and can be combined with one another if necessary. In this way, hexagons and triangles can be joined together without any problem.

[0054] Both cluster 34 and cluster 34' are examples of embodiments in which the condenser lens array comprises a plurality of clusters arranged in a tiled pattern. This is particularly advantageously possible by designing clusters that enable a tiled pattern without requiring significant intermediate regions.

[0055] Fig. 5a shows a schematic top view of the cluster 34' from Fig. 2 with the segments 44i, 442, and 44s for the optics designed for subsequent laterally correct and upright projection, and an additional representation of section lines HH and VV, which are arranged along an exemplary two-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system along the x-direction and the y-direction perpendicular thereto. Based on the section lines, schematic side sectional views of a beam former in accordance with exemplary embodiments are described in Figs. 5b and 5c. Furthermore, Fig. 5a also shows comparisons of dimensions 48 iiX or 48 years. y , which denotes a dimension along the x or y direction of an aperture of the identically formed condenser lenses of the segments 44j. An aspect ratio of 48 iiX: 48j,j, which can describe an aspect ratio between a largest dimension and a smallest dimension of the aperture of each condenser lens, can be configured according to one embodiment to have a value of at most four, at most three, at most two, preferably less, and particularly preferably approximately one, as is obtained, for example, for the circular aperture of segment 44s. It should be noted that the reference directions for the largest and smallest dimension directions can vary arbitrarily in space and are arranged rather randomly along the x- and y-directions.

[0056] Equally advantageous, where an independent design or layout parameter is implemented, is the difference or uniformity between condenser lenses of different arrays or lenses assigned to different sub-areas, in addition to the aspect ratio of the respective condenser lens. According to one embodiment, condenser lenses of the cluster differ with respect to a largest aperture dimension, for example, the dimension 48i. y and 482, y based on 483, y or 483, x or alternatively 482, xrelative to a maximum aperture dimension by a factor of at most five from each other relative to the cluster 34'. This avoids excessive deviations from each other and thus differences in channel crosstalk due to different degrees of diffraction and aberrations of the respective condenser lenses in the overall pattern. According to other embodiments, these differences may be explicitly desired, which entails taking into account additional effects of the lenses, for example, the consideration of different lens diffractions or the like.

[0057] In other words, for an exemplary system design, the case of projection to infinity can be discussed first. Viewed from the direction of the light source, for example, the partial graphics must first be mirrored and rotated by 180°. The embodiments described herein will focus on the representation of the exclamation mark in the further description. A channel-by-channel mirroring and rotation of the cluster is shown in Fig. 5a, viewed from the direction of the light source. For correct projection, the projection lenses of a segment can image the respective partial graphic at a specific angle. For the example in Fig. 5a, this means that segments 18i and 183 are imaged upwards and downwards, respectively, with respect to the image of segment 442. This can be achieved by designing the projector lenslets as appropriately decentered lens segments.

[0058] Fig. 5b shows a schematic side sectional view of an optical beamformer 50 according to an embodiment, which has the cluster 34' of Fig. 5a. The illustration is shown along the VV section line of Fig. 5a.

[0059] The oppositely arranged projection lens array 22 comprises projection lenses 242,1-242,3 and 243,1 , which can form a respective optical channel with a respective condenser lens 182,1, 182,2, 182,3 or 183,1.

[0060] Even if a different implementation is shown for the projection lens 243,I, according to one embodiment, projection lenses of the projection lens array 22 can have an aperture that is identical to one another, which can, for example, be particularly large, particularly uniform and, in particular, formed without overlap.

[0061] The plurality of projection lenses 24 can each have an aperture whose geometry is independent of a geometry of the overall pattern, i.e., is configured differently than the apertures of the condenser lenses 18. Alternatively or additionally, a geometry of an aperture of a projection lens 24 can be different from an aperture of an opposite condenser lens 18. Independently of this, a projection lens 24 can be assigned to each condenser lens 18. The assigned projection lens can have an individual decentration with respect to the assigned condenser lens in order to image an overlay of the partial images of the overall pattern in the hyperfocal region; this is an optional configuration.

[0062] The projection lenses can be decentered individually or as a group for various reasons. For example, decentering can be used to achieve superposition, e.g., focusing at a given distance, on the one hand, and direction, e.g., separation, of different image segments, on the other. Both implementation reasons can be implemented independently of each other, for example, without considering the other reason, but can also be implemented together.

[0063] In other words, Fig. 5b shows the side view of the vertical section VV through the honeycomb condenser marked in Fig. 5a. While the projector lenslets 242,1, 242,2, and 242,3 can image the channels 18 for the central part of the graphic without deflection toward infinity, a decentered lens segment 24s,1 can provide a downwardly shifted image of the point of the exclamation mark, for example, to obtain a distance between the fuselage and the point of the exclamation mark in the overall pattern that is not present in the cluster 34'.

[0064] Another possibility is a suitable decentered arrangement of the condenser lenslets 18 relative to the projector lenslets 24. In this case, the condenser lenslets can advantageously be designed as decentered lens segments. Depending on the particular graphic to be displayed and the chosen decomposition, a hybrid of both approaches may also be possible, as described, for example, in [7], which allows for projector lenslets 24 of the same or at least similar size and thus an etendue-preserving operation of the beamformer.

[0065] It should be noted that the decentration between the condenser lens aperture (the object to be imaged) and the projection lens vertex can be decisive for direction and focus. Three basic implementations for direction and focus can be considered:

[0066] 1. An arrangement of projection lenses that is only decentered relative to the condenser lenses; 2. The variant from 1. and additionally the design of the condenser lens as a decentered lens segment within the condenser lens aperture, which images the source into the decentered projection lens.

[0067] 3. A projection lens aperture centered on the condenser lens aperture and a design of the projection lens as a decentered lens segment within the centered PL aperture.

[0068] Variant 3 potentially offers the greatest advantages in the form of etendue preservation and good stray light suppression. While Variant 2 maintains the etendue, it complicates condenser lens manufacturing and potentially increases stray light / channel crosstalk, although these limitations may be acceptable compared to the advantages of the invention. Variant 1, on the other hand, reduces the beamformer's acceptance angle while maintaining unchanged stray light suppression.

[0069] Projection to a finite distance is possible, for example, by installing focusing optics in a projector that has an optical beam former described herein and a light source for providing the incident light. Projection can be performed both hyperfocally and using decentering, or alternatively to the projection distance using focused projection lenses and using decentering. In other words, a projector can have focusing optics and / or individual projection lens decentering to focus the overall pattern or the correct superposition of channel images into an imaging plane. By means of the focusing imaging, imaging in the focal plane is possible.Alternatively, focusing is possible with sufficiently small projector lenslets 24 operating in the exemplary but not necessary hyperfocal range by individually decentering the projector lenslets relative to the respective condenser lenslets in accordance with the approach of the array projector [2].

[0070] An embodiment can be designed such that, while the non-scattering regions of the condenser lens 18 image the light source only onto the respectively assigned projector lens 24, the scattering regions distribute the incident light onto many, preferably distant projector lens 24 and thus reduce the brightness of the projection by the assigned projection lens 24 to such an extent that a sufficient contrast is achieved between the projected part (see Fig. 1d, 18i, 182, 183) of the exclamation mark and the difference quantity to be masked out (see Fig. 1d, 38i, 382 and 383) and the condenser aperture (see Fig. 1d, 36i, 362 and 363). Fig. 5c shows a plan view of the horizontal section HH of Fig. 5a. The regions 18I to be imaged.6, 1813, 182.6, and 182.3 of the condenser lenses can project the light source into the associated projection lenslets in the illumination beam path, which can also be referred to as Köhler illumination, thus enabling a high-intensity image of these areas of the condenser lens through the associated projection lenslet. The light-scattering areas 38 distribute the incident light across many, preferably more distant, adjacent channels. This, together with the greater aberrations in this case when projected through distant projector lenslets, can reduce the brightness of the projection of these areas, in particular to the extent that the respective part of the character is displayed with sufficient contrast.

[0071] As already shown in the schematic representations of Figs. 5b and 5c, a fill factor of the projection lenses in the projection lens array 22 can be particularly high and, for example, amount to at least 90%, at least 92%, or at least 95%. Different optical properties can be utilized to adjust a direction. According to one exemplary embodiment, a condenser lens aperture can be arranged offset with respect to a vertex of a projection lens assigned to the condenser lens in order to adjust the direction, i.e., the directional setting of the projection, of a projection effected by the projection lens. For example, an aperture of the projection lens 24 can be arranged opposite the aperture of the condenser lens, and the projection lens 24 can comprise a decentered lens element, as shown, for example, for the lens element 24s, Fig. 1, in order to at least partially effect the direction.Alternatively or additionally, the condenser lens 18 may comprise a decentered lens segment. This allows the illumination of the projection lens to be influenced, while the direction may remain unaffected.

[0072] In other words, Fig. 5c shows a horizontal section through the cluster of Fig. 5a. For clarity, the scattering regions 38 are labeled only for the respective lower channel, lower position of the value x.

[0073] The light-scattering regions 38, shown hatched in Fig. 5a, can be implemented as simple surface scatterers with a microscopically, statistically rough surface. Alternatively, implementation as a deterministic diffuser is possible, as described, for example, in [8]. In this case, it is advantageous if the scattering surface profiles in the channels of a segment do not repeat to avoid hotspots in the projection. Another implementation is a design as a concave lenslet, which distributes the light from this region over the largest possible angular range and thus over many projector lenses. This concave lenslet can be designed, for example, as a Fresnel lenslet.Similar to or identical to a deterministic diffuser, a concave lenslet can or should be designed slightly differently in each channel of a segment to prevent hot spots when imaging the scattering areas. This means, for example, designing the lenslet as a channel-by-channel decentered lenslet and, in the case of a Fresnel element design, additionally positioning the trailing edges of the Fresnel zone at different positions within the channels of a segment.

[0074] Taking this into account, embodiments provide for light-scattering regions 38 to be configured as a diffuser, as a concave lenslet, and / or as a statistical surface scatterer. Different light-scattering regions in a cluster can be configured such that the optical properties of the light-scattering regions for scattering light differ from one another. Such properties can be, for example, scattering angles, a positioning of artifacts, or the like. According to one embodiment, light-scattering regions can be configured as segmented light-scattering regions. An example of such segmented light-scattering regions are the aforementioned Fresnel lens structures, in which Fresnel back flanks of a respective Fresnel lens structure are advantageously arranged offset with respect to another Fresnel lens structure in order to adjust the different optical properties.

[0075] Furthermore, other aspects can be considered in the system design and the segmentation of the graphics and taken into account in the design of the lenses. For example, the decomposition of the graphics may require the smallest possible number of similarly sized segments, as shown, for example, in Fig. 1b and / or Fig. 3. This can avoid comparatively small numerical apertures (NA) in the illumination beam path. Reference is made to Fig. 6 for details. An excessively small NA of the condenser lens 36i can result in a comparatively large Airy diffraction disk 52i in the projected light distribution, which can extend into the neighboring projector lenslets and thus cause channel crosstalk.Comparatively large condenser lenses 362 can produce a larger illumination NA and thus, inversely proportionally, comparatively smaller Airy disks 522, which can reduce or prevent channel crosstalk, which is beneficial for the overall projection. On the other hand, large condenser lenses have a large NA (or low f / #) and therefore tend to produce larger aberrations, which can blur the image of the light source in the projection lens and thus also lead to channel crosstalk. A favorable, preferred, but not restrictive, compromise between the two limitations is an NA in the range of approximately 0.1 to 0.2.

[0076] The dimensions of the channel entrance apertures can be designed so that they are as similar as possible in order to avoid large fluctuations in the sweep heights of the condenser lenses from segment to segment. Such height jumps can generate stray light, which can extend into neighboring condenser lenses and thus also cause channel crosstalk. Furthermore, this allows the projector lenses to be designed with identical or at least similar pitch, i.e. spacing or repeat distance. This enables an etendue-preserving operation of the projector [6, 7]. The area of ​​the diffuser regions 38 within and between the segments as well as between neighboring clusters can be minimized to achieve a high usable transmission. The type of decomposition of the characters to be displayed determines or at least influences this.

[0077] The approaches proposed herein are based on a modified, irregular honeycomb condenser architecture with irregularly edged microlens arrays similar to [6] with additional scattering structures. The approach described here avoids the buried slide structures previously required in the array projector of [2].

[0078] A collimated light source, e.g., a collimated LED, illuminates the irregular honeycomb condenser, whose surface is composed of several identical clusters that fill as much of the surface as possible. Each cluster, in turn, consists of several segments, which are also arranged next to each other to fill as much of the surface as possible. If a full-surface tiling of the clusters or their segments is not possible, the remaining spaces are designed as light-scattering areas, thus suppressing their projection.

[0079] The entrance apertures of the identical condenser lenses of each segment each correspond to a portion of the projected character. Their boundary geometry, such as a rectangle, square, parallelogram, or hexagon, can enable area-filling tiling. If complete correspondence between the portion of the character and the area-filling boundary geometry is not achieved, the remaining portion of the condenser lens can be designed as a scattering area, thus suppressing its projection. To achieve the highest possible system transmission and a high-contrast projection, the areas of the scattering areas, as well as the aforementioned gaps between segments and clusters, can be designed as proportionally as possible.

[0080] The output apertures of the projector lens of each segment are advantageously adapted as closely as possible to the far-field distribution of the light radiated into the honeycomb condenser. In the case of a collimated LED light source or other collimated light sources, this can correspond, for example, to a square aperture. The projection lens can also be arranged to fill the entire area in order to fully utilize the advantages of the invention. This can enable an approximately etendue-preserving projection [6]. However, the area-filling design of the condenser lens on the input side and the minimization of scattering areas can have a comparatively higher priority. A notable function of the projection lens can be the imaging of the individual parts of the character, i.e.The condenser lenslets of a segment are positioned at a specific angle to achieve the correct alignment of the individual parts within the projection (direction). For this purpose, the projector lenslets are designed, for example, as decentered lens segments.

[0081] Fig. 7 shows a schematic flow diagram of a method 700 according to an embodiment, which may be used, for example, to provide an optical beamformer in accordance with embodiments described herein.

[0082] A step 710 comprises providing a condenser lens array for receiving the incident light beam, such that the condenser lens array comprises a plurality of condenser lenses. A step 720 comprises arranging a projector lens array configured to emit the emerging light beam parallel to the condenser lens array, such that the projection lens array has a plurality of projection lenses. One or more boundary conditions 730 are implemented such that the condenser lens array has at least one cluster of condenser lenses, each condenser lens of the cluster having an aperture adapted to a partial area of ​​an overall pattern projected with the optical beam shaper in order to provide a portion of the incident light beam for the projection lens array that is associated with the portion of the overall pattern.This is done in such a way that a combination of the apertures of the condenser lenses is adapted to the overall pattern. Fig. 8 shows a schematic flowchart of a method 800 according to an embodiment, which can be used, for example, to design a condenser lens array described herein. A step 810 comprises decomposing an overall region of an overall pattern to be projected into a plurality of subregions.

[0083] A step 820 includes adapting a respective aperture of a condenser lens of the condenser lens array to one of the plurality of sub-regions in order to project each of the plurality of sub-regions with at least one adapted condenser lens.

[0084] A step 830 includes positioning the plurality of condenser lenses in the condenser lens array.

[0085] The method 800 may be implemented by designing the condenser lenses such that an aspect ratio between a largest dimension and a smallest dimension of the aperture of each condenser lens has a value of at most four.

[0086] The method 800 can alternatively or additionally be carried out in such a way that the condenser lenses are designed such that condenser lenses of a cluster differ from one another by a factor of at most five with respect to a largest aperture dimension.

[0087] The method 800 can alternatively or additionally be carried out such that the positioning 830 comprises tiling the condenser lenses in at least one cluster with at least one segment and a light-scattering region is provided in intermediate regions of adjacent apertures in the tiling.

[0088] The adaptation 820 can optionally be carried out such that a cluster of condenser lenses of the condenser lens array has a plurality of adjacent segments and light-scattering intermediate regions between apertures of the condenser lenses of one segment are arranged with respect to at least one other segment with low repetition with respect to the spatial arrangement, which means that, for example, a uniform distribution is at least sought.

[0089] The method 800 preferably comprises the step of producing the condenser lens array, wherein the production can also take place at a different position or location and can, for example, comprise transmitting the results of the method 800 to a manufacturing device.

[0090] Fig. 9 shows a schematic block diagram of a projector 90 according to an embodiment. This comprises a light source 54 for providing the incident light beam 14 and an optical beam former according to an embodiment, such as the beam former 10, wherein other beam formers described herein, and in particular condenser lens arrays, can easily be provided. The light source 54 can, for example, be a collimated light source, which can be achieved using additional or already integral collimating optics. According to a preferred embodiment, the plurality of projection lenses of the beam former 10 can have an aperture whose shape is adapted to a far-field distribution of the light source 54. Optionally, the projector 90 can have focusing optics 56 for focusing the overall pattern into an imaging plane 58.

[0091] In other words, embodiments described herein can be implemented as a maskless character projector, which can eliminate the use of absorbing slide or aperture structures. This enables high system transmission and simplifies manufacturing or enables new manufacturing technologies, such as plastic injection molding or hot stamping. By using a modified honeycomb condenser architecture, a dependency between the incident angle and the radiated far-field distribution can be reduced or eliminated, as long as the incident angle is smaller than or equal to the acceptance angle of the honeycomb condenser. Easy adaptability to projection onto inclined and / or curved projection surfaces can be achieved, similar to the array projector architecture according to [3].

[0092] The embodiments described herein can be used particularly in the field of automotive interior and exterior lighting, such as projecting signs onto the road for Car2X communication and interior lighting for clearly defined illuminated areas. Alternatively or additionally, symbols can be projected for safety and advertising applications, although any other applications are possible.

[0093] Implementation aspects of embodiments described herein also relate to: 1. Maskless character projector consisting of at least or comprising a cluster of honeycomb condensers, which consist of at least two different segments, each of

[0094] • a condenser array with identically edged, area-filling parquetted condenser lenslets, some of which are designed with scattering areas,

[0095] • and a projector array with decentered lenslets, each segment projecting a part of the character to be projected to a specific location on the projection screen or at a specific angle to infinity, so that the character on the screen or at infinity is reassembled from the projected parts.

[0096] 2. Formation of the scattering areas on the condenser arrays by statistically scattering, matte surfaces.

[0097] 3. Formation of the scattering regions on the condenser arrays by deterministically scattering, structured surfaces, whereby the scattering surface profiles differ within the condensers of a segment.

[0098] 4. Formation of the scattering areas by concave curved surfaces that differ within a segment within the condensers of a segment.

[0099] 5. Formation of the concave curved surfaces from point 4 as Fresnel structures with different positions of the Fresnel back flanks within the condensers of a segment.

[0100] 6. Suppression of the imaging of areas not covered by condenser lenslets between two adjacent segments or two adjacent clusters due to scattering structures similar to points 2-5 in these areas.

[0101] 7. Formation of the scattering areas according to points 2-6 as wide-angle scatterers.

[0102] 8. Formation of the base surface of the scattering areas from points 2-7 as free-form surfaces, so that height profile jumps at the transitions to neighboring condensor lenslets are avoided.

[0103] 9. Projection of the sign with comogenic brightness by identical frequency of the individual parts of the decomposition in the cluster

[0104] 10. Projection of different parts of the character in different brightness due to different frequencies of the character parts within the cluster.

[0105] 11. Formation of the character projector as an irregular tandem microlens array. Although some aspects have been described in connection with a device, it is understood that these aspects also represent a description of the corresponding method, so that a block or component of a device can also be understood as a corresponding method step or as a feature of a method step. Analogously, aspects described in connection with or as a method step also represent a description of a corresponding block, detail, or feature of a corresponding device.

[0106] Depending on specific implementation requirements, embodiments of the invention may be implemented in hardware or software. The implementation may be performed using a digital storage medium, such as a floppy disk, a DVD, a Blu-ray Disc, a CD, a ROM, a PROM, an EPROM, an EEPROM, or a FLASH memory, a hard disk, or other magnetic or optical storage device storing electronically readable control signals that can interact or cooperate with a programmable computer system to perform the respective method. Therefore, the digital storage medium may be computer-readable.Some embodiments according to the invention thus comprise a data carrier having electronically readable control signals capable of interacting with a programmable computer system such that one of the methods described herein is carried out.

[0107] In general, embodiments of the present invention can be implemented as a computer program product with a program code, wherein the program code is effective to perform one of the methods when the computer program product is run on a computer. The program code can also be stored, for example, on a machine-readable medium.

[0108] Other embodiments include the computer program for performing one of the methods described herein, wherein the computer program is stored on a machine-readable carrier.

[0109] In other words, one embodiment of the method according to the invention is thus a computer program comprising program code for performing one of the methods described herein when the computer program runs on a computer. Another embodiment of the method according to the invention is thus a data carrier (or a digital storage medium or a computer-readable medium) on which the computer program for performing one of the methods described herein is recorded.

[0110] A further embodiment of the method according to the invention is thus a data stream or a sequence of signals that represents the computer program for carrying out one of the methods described herein. The data stream or the sequence of signals can be configured, for example, to be transferred via a data communication connection, for example, via the Internet.

[0111] A further embodiment comprises a processing device, for example a computer or a programmable logic device, which is configured or adapted to carry out one of the methods described herein.

[0112] A further embodiment comprises a computer on which the computer program for performing one of the methods described herein is installed.

[0113] In some embodiments, a programmable logic device (e.g., a field-programmable gate array, an FPGA) may be used to perform some or all of the functionalities of the methods described herein. In some embodiments, a field-programmable gate array may cooperate with a microprocessor to perform any of the methods described herein. In general, in some embodiments, the methods are performed by any hardware device. This may be general-purpose hardware such as a computer processor (CPU) or method-specific hardware such as an ASIC.

[0114] The above-described embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention. It is understood that modifications and variations of the arrangements and details described herein will be apparent to others skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that the invention be limited only by the scope of the following claims and not by the specific details presented in the description and explanation of the embodiments herein.

[0115] [1] Geißler, Enrico "Meeting the challenges of developing LED-based projection displays." Photonics in Multimedia. Vol. 6196. SPIE, 2006. [2] Sieler, Marcel et al. “Ultraslim fixed pattern projectors with inherent homogenization of illumination”, Appl. Opt. 51 (2012) 64-71.

[0116] [3] Fischer, Stephanie et al. "Array projector design for projection on arbitrarily curved surfaces." Optical Systems Design 2015: Optical Design and Engineering VI. Vol. 9626. SPIE, 2015. [4] Dannberg, Peter et al. "Wafer-level hybrid integration of complex micro-optical modules." Micromachines 5.2 (2014): 325-340.

[0117] [5] Buckley, Edward “Computer-Generated Phase-Only Holograms for Real-Time Image Display”, Nov. 2011, DOI: 10.5772 / 18709.

[0118] [6] Li, Chen et al. “Optischer Strahlformer”, DE 102017217345 B4. [7] Schreiber, Peter et al. “ Light Shaping with Micro-optical Irregular Fly's Eye Condensers“, IODC 2021, Vol. 12078, SPIE 2021 , 1207813.

[0119] [8] Eckstein, Hans-Christian et al. “Electromagnetic radiation-scattering element and method of manufacturing same”, US 10254449 B2.

Claims

Patent claims Optical beam former for generating an outgoing light beam (12) from an incident light beam (14), the optical beam former comprising: a condenser lens array (16) for receiving the incident light beam (14), the condenser lens array (16) comprising a plurality of condenser lenses (18); and a projection lens array (22) arranged parallel to the condenser lens array (16) for emitting the outgoing light beam (12), the projection lens array (22) having a plurality of projection lenses (24), the condenser lens array (16) having at least one cluster (34; 34') of condenser lenses (18), each condenser lens (18) of the cluster (34;34') has an aperture (36) adapted to a partial region (32) of an overall pattern (28) projected by the optical beam former, in order to provide a portion of the incident light beam (14) for the projection lens array (22) that is associated with the partial region (32) of the overall pattern (28); wherein a combination of the apertures (36) of the condenser lenses (18) is adapted to the overall pattern (28). Optical beam former according to claim 1, wherein an intermediate region between apertures (36) of adjacent condenser lenses (18) of the cluster (34; 34') is designed as a light-scattering region (38). Optical beam former according to claim 2, wherein the light-scattering region (38) is designed as a diffuser, as a concave lenslet, and / or as a statistical surface scatterer. An optical beam former according to claim 3, wherein the light-scattering region (38) is a first light-scattering region in a segment of the cluster (34; 34'); and the cluster (34;34') in the segment has a second light-scattering region between two adjacent condenser lenses (18) of the cluster (34; 34'), wherein optical properties of the first light-scattering region and the second light-scattering region for scattering light are different from one another.; The optical beam former according to claim 4, wherein the first light-scattering region and the second light-scattering region are formed as segmented light-scattering regions. The optical beam former according to claim 5, wherein the first light-scattering region comprises a first Fresnel lens structure and the second light-scattering region comprises a second Fresnel lens structure; and Fresnel back flanks of the second Fresnel lens structure are arranged offset relative to the first Fresnel lens structure in order to adjust the different optical property. The optical beam former according to one of claims 2 to 6, wherein a plurality of intermediate regions of the condenser lens array (16) are arranged distributed uniformly or symmetrically within a tolerance range in at least one of a segment of the cluster (34; 34'), in the cluster (34; 34'), or in a group of several clusters (34; 34').Optical beam former according to one of claims 2 to 7, wherein a fill factor of the condenser lenses (18) in the cluster (34; 34') and / or in the condenser lens array (16) is at least 70% and an area proportion of intermediate regions between adjacent apertures (36) is at most 30%. Optical beam former according to one of claims 2 to 8, wherein a condenser lens (18) of the cluster (34; 34') has an aperture area and the aperture area is filled to form a channel area by means of an intermediate region at least partially surrounding the aperture area; and a plurality of channel areas in the cluster (34; 34') are arranged to fill the area. Optical beam former according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a fill factor of the projection lenses (24) in the projection lens array (22) is at least 90%.An optical beam former according to any preceding claim, wherein a condenser lens aperture (36) is arranged offset with respect to a vertex of a projection lens (24) associated with the condenser lens (18) in order to adjust a direction of a projection effected by the projection lens (24).

12. The optical beam former of claim 11, wherein an aperture of the projection lens (24) is disposed opposite the aperture (36) of the condenser lens (18), and the projection lens comprises a decentered lens element configured to at least partially provide the directionality.

13. An optical beam former according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the condenser lens (18) comprises a decentered lens segment.

14. Optical beam former according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cluster (34; 34') has a segment with a plurality of condenser lenses (18) whose respective aperture (36) is adapted to the same partial area (32) of the overall pattern (28).

15. An optical beam former according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cluster (34; 34') comprises a plurality of condenser lenses (18), and each sub-region (32) of the overall pattern (28) is projected multiple times through the cluster (34; 34'); wherein the condenser lenses (18) of the cluster (34; 34') are arranged in a tiled manner in the condenser lens array (16).

16. Optical beam former according to claim 15, in order to adjust a brightness of the partial regions (32), different partial regions (32) of the overall pattern (28) are projected by a mutually different number of condenser lenses (18) in the condenser lens array (16).

17. Optical beam former according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cluster (34; 34') has a plurality of segments arranged adjacent to one another, and each segment has a plurality of condenser lenses (18) designed to project an identical partial region (32) of the overall pattern (28); and in the cluster (34; 34'), adjacent segments are designed to project mutually different partial regions (32) of the overall pattern (28), wherein light-scattering regions (38) are arranged between condenser lenses (18) of the condenser lens array (16) for a uniform scattered light distribution in the projected pattern.

18. Optical beam former according to one of the preceding claims, wherein an aspect ratio between a largest dimension and a smallest dimension of the aperture (36) of each condenser lens (18) has a value of at most 4.

19. Optical beam former according to one of the preceding claims, in which condenser lenses (18) of the cluster (34; 34') differ from one another by a factor of at most 5 with respect to a largest extent of the aperture (36).

20. Optical beam former according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the condenser lens array (16) comprises a plurality of clusters (34; 34') arranged in a tiled manner.

21. An optical beam former according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plurality of projection lenses (24) have an aperture which is identical to one another.

22. Optical beam former according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the plurality of projection lenses (24) each have an aperture whose geometry is independent of a geometry of the overall pattern (28) and / or is different from a geometry of an aperture (36) of an opposing condenser lens (18).

23. Optical beam former according to one of the preceding claims, wherein each condenser lens (18) of the condenser lens array (16) is assigned a projection lens (24), and the assigned projection lens (24) has an individual decentration with respect to the assigned condenser lens (18) in order to image the overall pattern (28) in the hyperfocal region by superimposing the partial images.

24. A projector comprising: an optical beam former according to any one of the preceding claims; and a light source for providing the incident light beam (14).

25. A projector according to claim 24, wherein the light source comprises a collimated light source.

26. A projector according to claim 24 or 25, wherein the plurality of projection lenses (24) have an aperture whose shape is adapted to a far-field distribution of the light source.

27. A projector according to claim 25 or 26, which has a focusing optic or an individual projection lens decentering for focusing the overall pattern (28) or correctly superposing channel images into an image plane (58).

28. A method (700) for providing an optical beam former for generating an outgoing light beam from an incident light beam, the method comprising the following steps: Providing (710) a condenser lens array for receiving the incident light beam, such that the condenser lens array comprises a plurality of condenser lenses; and Arranging (720) a projection lens array configured to emit the emerging light beam parallel to the condenser lens array, such that the projection lens array has a plurality of projection lenses, such that the condenser lens array has at least one cluster of condenser lenses, each condenser lens of the cluster having an aperture adapted to a partial area of ​​an overall pattern projected with the optical beam shaper, in order to provide the projection lens array with a portion of the incident light beam associated with the partial area of ​​the overall pattern; such that a combination of the apertures of the condenser lenses is adapted to the overall pattern.

29. A method (800) for designing a condenser lens array having a plurality of condenser lenses for an optical beam former, comprising the following steps: Dividing (810) an overall area of ​​an overall pattern to be projected into a plurality of sub-areas; Adapting (820) a respective aperture of a condenser lens of the condenser lens array to one of the plurality of sub-regions; in order to project each of the plurality of sub-regions with at least one adapted condenser lens; Positioning (830) the plurality of condenser lenses in the condenser lens array.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the condenser lenses are designed such that an aspect ratio between a largest dimension and a smallest dimension of the aperture of each condenser lens has a value of at most 4.

31. Method according to claim 29 or 30, wherein the condenser lenses are designed such that condenser lenses of the cluster differ from one another by a factor of at most 5 with respect to a largest aperture dimension.

32. Method according to one of claims 29 to 31, wherein the positioning comprises tiling the condenser lenses in at least one cluster with at least one segment and a light-scattering region is provided in intermediate regions of adjacent apertures in the tiling.

33. Method according to one of claims 29 to 32, wherein the adjustment of the apertures is carried out such that a cluster of condenser lenses of the condenser lens array has a plurality of adjacent segments and light-scattering intermediate regions between apertures of the condenser lenses of one segment are arranged with low repetition relative to at least one other segment with respect to the spatial arrangement.

34. A method according to any one of claims 30 to 33, further comprising: Manufacturing the condenser lens array.

Images