Patent ID: 8414134

Claim:
An illumination apparatus comprising: a first light source unit and a second light source unit; and an optical axis converting element having a first reflecting surface configured to reflect a luminous flux emitted from the first light source unit and a second reflecting surface configured to reflect a luminous flux emitted from the second light source unit and being configured to reflect respective luminous fluxes emitted from the respective light source units in substantially one direction, wherein each of the luminous fluxes entering the optical axis converting element has different dimensions between a first and second direction in two directions which are orthogonal to each other in a plane orthogonal to an emission axis of the respective light source unit, and the optical axis converting element is arranged in such a manner that a cross-sectional shape of the respective luminous fluxes entering the optical axis converting element taken along the reflecting surface has a short side direction which is one of the two directions orthogonal to each other and which is in the same direction as the direction of arrangement of the first reflecting surface and the second reflecting surface.