Patent ID: 8217874

Claim:
An image projection apparatus, comprising: a first liquid crystal display element which light in a first color band enters, a second liquid crystal display element which light in a second color band enters, and a third liquid crystal display element which light in a third color band enters, the image projection apparatus combining the light in the color bands from the first, second, and third liquid crystal display elements and projecting the combined light onto a projection surface; and a controller which controls a voltage applied to electrodes in each of the first, second, and third liquid crystal display elements, wherein each of the liquid crystal display elements includes a liquid crystal layer, and first and second opposite electrodes for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal layer through alignment films, and as the voltage applied to the liquid crystal layer is increased, retardation provided for the light in each of the color bands is increased, when the voltage which is applied to the liquid crystal layer is referred to as a liquid crystal application voltage and the voltage which is applied to the first and second opposite electrodes is referred to as an electrode application voltage, the controller controls the electrode application voltage in the first liquid crystal display element such that the liquid crystal application voltage in the first liquid crystal display element in a white display state is lower than the liquid crystal application voltages in the second and third liquid crystal display elements in the white display state, and such that the liquid crystal application voltage in the first liquid crystal display element in a black display state is higher than the liquid crystal application voltages in the second and third liquid crystal display elements in the black display state.