Patent ID: 7659946

Claim:
A liquid crystal projector including a light source, an illuminating optical system for condensing a light beam, radiated from said light source, on a desired light path, a liquid crystal device for light modulating the light beam, collected by said illuminating optical system, by liquid crystal molecules arranged in a state of vertical alignment, and a projection lens for projecting said light beam, light modulated by said liquid crystal device, to an enlarged scale, said liquid crystal projector comprising: light polarization controlling means including a first light polarizing plate and a second light polarizing plate, arranged on a light incident side and on a light radiating side of said liquid crystal device, respectively; said first light polarizing plate transmitting a first polarized light component in said light beam collected by said illuminating optical system and routing the transmitted first polarized light component to said liquid crystal device; said second light polarizing plate transmitting a second polarized light component in said light beam radiated from said liquid crystal device and routing the transmitted second polarized light component to said projection lens; and phase difference means formed by an optical anisotropic device arranged between said first light polarizing plate and said liquid crystal device or between said second light polarizing plate and said liquid crystal device; said optical anisotropic device of said phase difference means being tilted by an angle from a plane parallel to the liquid crystal device and with an optical axis of the optical anisotropic device as the center of rotation, wherein the angle is correlated with the direction of alignment of liquid crystal molecules in said liquid crystal device.