Patent ID: 7407292

Claim:
A polarization member, comprising: a reflection type polarization element that transmits a linear polarization component of an incident light in a specific direction and reflects components other than the linear polarization component in the specific direction; a return light splitting prism having a light incident surface on which the incident light is incident, a light exiting surface disposed at a specific tilting angle with respect to the light incident surface, and a light discharge surface from which a return light that is reflected on the reflection type polarization element provided to the light exiting surface enters inside by way of the light exiting surface is discharged in a direction that crosses neither an optical path of the incident light that goes incident on the light incident surface nor an optical path of a light that has passed through the reflection type polarization element; and the light discharge surface including a light transmission region surface on which, of return lights entering inside by way of the light exiting surface, lights that have been reflected a different numbers of times on one of the light incident surface and the light reflection type polarization element or on both go incident at almost a same angle of incidence in opposite tilting directions to pass through.