Patent ID: 6923544

Claim:
A projector, comprising: a light beam dividing optical element that divides light from a light source into a plurality of partial light beams; a polarization conversion element that converts the plurality of partial light beams into one type of polarized light beam polarized substantially in same directions; an electro-optical device that modulates an illumination light beam emitted from the polarization conversion element; a projection lens that projects light modulated by the electro-optical device; and a polarization selection surface that selects light of a predetermined polarized component included in the illumination light beam, the polarization selection surface reflects the light toward the electro-optical device, selects light of a predetermined polarized component in the light modulated by the electro-optical device and emits the light toward the projection lens, wherein the direction of polarization beam separation by the polarization conversion element is in an X-axis direction, when a plane defined by a normal line of a polarization selection surface and a central axis of the illumination light beam is assumed to be a plane of incidence, a direction parallel to the plane of incidence and perpendicularly intersecting the central axis is defined as the X-axis direction, and a direction perpendicularly intersecting the plane of incidence is defined as the Y-axis direction, the light beam dividing optical element being configured so as to narrow spacings of a plurality of light source images in the Y-axis direction.