Projection arrangement

1. A projection arrangement comprising:

a light source generating a luminous field;

a reflecting first light modulator onto which light from the luminous field may be directed, said light being modulated by the first light modulator to generate an image;

the projection arrangement further comprising projection optics, for projecting said image, wherein the projection optics comprise imaging optics including a mirror and a lens arranged between the first light modulator and the mirror, the light coming from the first light modulator and reflected by the mirror, passing twice through the lens and the light coming from the luminous field, which is directed onto the first light modulator, passing through the lens of the imaging optics only once.

2. The projection arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the imaging optics are 1:1 imaging optics.

3. The projection arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the imaging optics are symmetrical with respect to the mirror.

4. The projection arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the mirror of the imaging optics is curved.

5. The projection arrangement as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the mirror of the imaging optics is curved.

6. The projection arrangement as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the mirror has a spherical curvature.

7. The projection arrangement as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the mirror has a spherical curvature.

8. The projection arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising illumination optics between the luminous field and the lens of the imaging optics, the illumination optics being such that the luminous field is imaged onto the first light modulator via the illumination optics and the lens of the imaging optics.

9. The projection arrangement as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the imaging optics comprise an optical axis and the first light modulator is located on one side of a reference plane through which said optical axis extends, and the image imaged by the imaging optics is located on an opposing side of said reference plane.

10. The projection arrangement as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the luminous field is located on the same side of the reference plane as the image of the first light modulator.

11. The projection arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first light modulator comprises a tilting mirror matrix.

12. The projection arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the light source emits multicolor light and the projection arrangement further comprises:

a color unit arranged between the imaging optics and the light modulator,

a second light modulator arranged following the color unit, wherein light is directable from the luminous field onto the color unit via the imaging optics and the color unit separates the light into light of a first color and directs it onto the first light modulator and separates out light of a second color and directs it onto the second light modulator, wherein the light modulators modulate the light impinging on them to generate a first partial color image, and a second partial color image and the modulated light is superimposed by the color unit to form one common beam, which impinges on the imaging optics.

13. The projection arrangement as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the projection arrangement further comprises a third light modulator arranged following the color unit, said color unit separating out light of a third color from the light impinging on it and directing said light of a third color onto the third light modulator, which modulates the light impinging on it to generate a third partial color image.

14. The projection arrangement as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the first light modulator generates a red partial color image, the second light modulator generates a green partial color image and the third light modulator generates a blue partial color image.

15. The projection arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the projection optics only comprise the imaging optics.

16. The projection arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the projection optics further comprise a projection unit arranged following the imaging optics.

17. A method of projecting an image, comprising the steps of:

generating a luminous field with a light source;

directing light from the luminous field only once through a lens in imaging optics onto a reflecting light modulator;

modulating the light by the light modulator to generate an image; passing light from the light modulator through a lens in the imaging optics twice; and reflecting the light off a mirror in the imaging optics.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17 , further comprising the step of interposing illumination optics between the luminous field and the lens of the imaging optics.

19. The method as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the imaging optics have an optical axis extending through a reference plane and further comprising the step of locating the light modulator on a one side of the reference plane and the image of the light modulator on an opposing side of the reference plane.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19 , further comprising the step of locating the luminous field on the same side of the reference plane as the image of the light modulator.

21. The method as claimed in claim 17 , further comprising the steps of:

interposing a color unit between the imaging optic and the light modulator;

locating a second light modulator following the color unit;

separating out light of a first color and directing it onto the first light modulator and separating out light of a second color and directing it onto the second light modulator so that the first and second light modulators generate a first and a second partial color image; and

combining the first and second partial color images.

22. The method as claimed in claim 21 , further comprising the steps of:

locating a third light modulator following the color unit;

separating out light of a third color and directing it onto the third light modulator so that the third modulator generates a third partial color image; and

combining the third partial color image with the first and second partial color images.

23. The method as claimed in claim 21 , wherein the first partial color image is red, the second partial color image is green and the third partial color image is blue.