Patent ID: 6429975
Filing Date: 2002-08-06
Classification: G02B,H04N

Abstract:
An illumination optical system comprising:a lens array for dividing light from a light source into a plurality of beams of light; a polarized light conversion optical system having a separator and converter, wherein the separator has a prism array comprising a plurality of right angle prisms arranged consecutively, a surface of the prism array being an inclined surface for reflecting the plurality of beams of light and separating the plurality of reflected beams of light into first and second linearly polarized light beams having mutually intersecting polarization directions, and the converter converts the polarization direction of one of the first and second linearly polarized light beams to the other polarization direction; and wherein a lens cell width of the lens array is greater than a prism array pitch of the prism array when viewed from an incidence side of the plurality of beams of light.