Patent ID: 8827457

Claim:
A projector comprising: a plurality of reflection-type light modulation devices which modulate a plurality of color light fluxes according to image information; a plurality of reflection-type polarizing plates provided in correspondence with the plurality of reflection-type light modulation devices and separating the plurality of color light fluxes that are illuminated to the plurality of reflection-type light modulation devices and modulated by the plurality of reflection-type light modulation devices according to polarization; a color combining device having a plurality of light incident surfaces on which the plurality of color light fluxes that have been modulated by the plurality of reflection-type light modulation devices and passed through the plurality of reflection-type polarizing plates are incident, the color combining device combining each of the incident color light fluxes of the plurality of color light fluxes; a projection lens that projects the combined plurality of color light fluxes from the color combining device; and a light-transmissive member that transmits a color light flux incident thereon, wherein the light-transmissive member is disposed only in an optical path between a first reflection-type polarizing plate, which is one of the plurality of reflection-type polarizing plates, and the color combining device, and among the plurality of color light fluxes, an optical path between a reflection mirror and the corresponding reflection-type light modulation device, with which the first reflection-type polarizing plate is illuminated, is positioned so that part of the optical path faces close to a rear side of a second reflection-type light modulation device, which is not the first reflection-type light modulation device corresponding to the first reflection-type polarizing plate among the plurality of reflection-type light modulation device, an optical path length of one of the plurality of light fluxes is longer than an optical path length of other of the plurality of color light fluxes, the light-transmissive member is disposed along an optical path between one of the reflection-type polarizing plate and the color combining device, but not along optical paths between others of the reflection-type polarizing plates and the color combing device, the optical path length between the one of the reflection-type polarizing plate and the color combining device is longer than the optical path length between the others of the reflection-type polarizing plates and the color combining device, and the plurality of reflection-type polarizing plates reflect the color light fluxes modulated by the corresponding plurality of reflection-type light modulation devices toward the color combining device after the plurality of reflection-type polarizing plates transmit the color light fluxes toward the plurality of reflection-type light modulation devices.