Patent ID: 7976165

Claim:
An image generation unit, comprising: a light input section configured to receive primary illumination light from a first or light incidence direction; an image generation element arrangement configured to produce an image by using the primary illumination light or a derivative of the primary illumination light and to generate secondary illumination light, the image generation element arrangement comprising an electronic switchable color filter and configured to transmit at least one first spectral component of incident light, to avoid transmission of a complementary spectral range of the at least one first spectral component, and to controllably switch a wavelength of the at least one first spectral component and the complementary spectral range of the at least one first spectral component; and a light output section configured to emit the secondary illumination light or a derivative of the secondary illumination light as tertiary illumination light representative of an image in a second or image emission direction, wherein the light input section and the light output section are arranged such that the first or light incidence direction and the second or image emission direction are collinear coincident with respect to each other, and the respective collinearly and coincidence properties of the first and second directions with respect to each other are realized by a single optical folding element only.