Patent ID: 8708499

Claim:
An illuminating device comprising: a light source; a light guiding unit where light from the light source is supplied to one end surface, and light incident from the one end surface is propagated inside to exit from the other end surface; an illuminating optical system that forms an optical image formed on the other end surface of the light guiding unit on a display element; a reflective polarizing plate that is located between the illuminating optical system and the display element, and transmits a first polarized light while reflecting a second polarized light whose polarized state is different from the first polarized light toward the illuminating optical system; a phase plate that is located between the light guiding unit and the reflective polarizing plate; and a reflecting element that is disposed on a side opposite the one end surface of the light guiding unit and that reflects, among lights reflected by the reflective polarizing plate, light incident via the phase plate, the illuminating optical system, and the light guiding unit toward the one end surface of the light guiding unit, wherein a center axis that passes through a center of gravity of both end surfaces of the light guiding unit matches an optical axis of the illuminating optical system, and a light emitting center of the light source is shifted from the center axis of the light guiding unit; wherein the light from the light source enters one of two regions of the one end surface of the light guiding unit, the two regions being divided by a straight line that passes through a center of gravity of the one end surface; the light source being a first light source having a peak wavelength in a first color wavelength band, the illuminating device further comprising: a second light source having a peak wavelength in a second color wavelength band different from the first color; and a third light source having a peak wavelength in a third color wavelength band different from the first and second colors, wherein one end surface of the light guiding unit includes first and second regions divided by the straight line, and the second region includes third and fourth regions divided by another straight line that intersects the straight line and that passes through the center of gravity of the one end surface, wherein a colored light from the first light source enters the first region, a colored light from the second light source enters the third region, and a colored light from the third light source enters the fourth region, and wherein the reflecting element includes: a first reflecting film that is formed in the first region to transmit the first colored light while reflecting the second and third colored lights; a second reflecting film that is formed in the third region to transmit the second colored light while reflecting the first and third colored lights; and a third reflecting film that is formed in the fourth region to transmit the third colored light while reflecting the first and second colored lights.