Patent ID: 6392809
Filing Date: 2002-05-21
Classification: G02B,G03B,H04N

Abstract:
An optical unit comprising:a light source unit for emitting light; an image display element having a light valve in which said light emitted from said light source unit is formed in to an optical image in accordance with a video signal supplied thereto; a light optical system for irradiating said light from said light source unit to said image display unit; a projector for projecting light emitted from said image display element; a reflector having one of a rectangular light emitting aperture, a circular light emitting aperture and a polygonal light emitting aperture; a plurality of condenser lenses provided in the same size of said light emitting aperture; a first array lens for forming a plurality of secondary order light source image by condensing said light from said light source unit; a second array lens provided in the vicinity of said plurality of said secondary order light source image and focusing each of a lens image of said first array lens to said image display element; a plurality of polarizing and composing parts comprising a polarized beam splitter for isolating one of light emitted from said light source unit, said first array lens or said second array lens to a S-polarized light beam and P-polarized light beam, a &lgr;/2 phase differential plate for rotating the polarizing direction of one of said S-polarized light beam or said P-polarized light beam emitted from said polarized beam splitter, and a reflection unit for reflecting one of said S-polarized light beam or said P-polarized light beam; wherein said light source unit has an electrode wire which is provided at one side of a lamp electrode in said reflector; wherein said plurality of said polarizing and composing parts are arranged such that the optical axis of said polarized beam splitter is matched with the pitch of the lens optical axis of each lens cell of said first array lens and/or said second array lens in one of the vertical arrangement direction or the lateral arrangement direction, and said plurality of polarizing and composing parts have a thickness equal to or less than a thickness in the lens optical axis of said first array lens and/or said second array lens, and said plurality of said polarizing and composing parts are arranged between said light source unit and said image display element.