Patent ID: 8425043

Claim:
A projector comprising: a first optical device having a plurality of first light modulation elements adapted to modulate a plurality of colored light, and a first color combining optical device adapted to combine the colored light modulated by the respective first light modulation elements; a second optical device having a plurality of second light modulation elements adapted to modulate a plurality of colored light, and a second color combining optical device adapted to combine the colored light modulated by the respective second light modulation elements; a combining optical device adapted to combine emission light emitted respectively from the first optical device and the second optical device to thereby emit a combined light in a projection direction; a first polarization conversion device disposed between the first optical device and the combining optical device, and adapted to align a polarization direction of the emission light from the first optical device into a first polarization direction; a second polarization conversion device disposed between the second optical device and the combining optical device, and adapted to align a polarization direction of the emission light from the second optical device into a second polarization direction; at least three first light modulation elements and at least three second light modulation elements, wherein each of the first and second light modulation elements include an entrance side polarization plate and an exit side polarization plate; and a plurality of half wave retardation plates, the half wave retardation plates being disposed anteriorly to at least two of the entrance side polarization plates of each of the first and second light modulation elements, the first polarization conversion device being disposed between the first color combining optical device of the first optical device and the combining optical device, and the second polarization conversion device being disposed between the second color combining optical device of the second optical device and the combining optical device.