Patent ID: 8147070

Claim:
A projector, comprising: a light source which emits light containing a first color light and a second color light; an illumination system which equalizes light emitted from the light source; a color separation and light guide system which separates light emitted from the light source into the first color light and the second color light; a light modulation unit which has a first light modulation device and a second light modulation device illuminated by the first color light and the second color light, respectively, separated by the color separation and light guide system; and a light combining system which combines the first color light and the second color light passing through the first light modulation device and the second light modulation device and received through a plurality of light receiving portions to emit the combined light from a light emission portion, a length of a first optical path for directing the first color light traveling from the illumination system through the first light modulation device to the light emission portion of the light combining system being shorter than a length of a second optical path for directing the second color light traveling from the illumination system through the second light modulation device to the light emission portion of the light combining system, the color separation and light guide system having at least one reflection surface, a difference between the number of reflections of the first color light on the first optical path and the number of reflections of the second color light on the second optical path being an even number, an inverted image of the illumination system being formed at the position of the first light modulation device without image formation at an intermediate position between the illumination system and the first light modulation device when the first optical path is replaced with a linear optical path having no reflections, and an inverted image of the illumination system being formed at the position of the second light modulation device without image formation at an intermediate position between the illumination system and the second light modulation device when the second optical path is replaced with a linear optical path having no reflections.