Patent ID: 8142025

Claim:
A projection type image display apparatus, comprising; a light source which emits light; an optical system which includes a first array lens and a second array lens and a superimposing lens; a light valve which receives light passed through said optical system; a projection lens which projects the light from said light valve; and a light-masking unit to adjust a light masking amount by masking light beams between said first array lens and said second array lens, wherein: said first array lens has a plurality of lens cells arranged in a first direction and a second direction, including: 1) at least one center lens cell contacting an optical axis of the light emitted from said light source, 2) at least one first adjacent lens cell adjacent to said at least one center lens cell in said first direction away from said optical axis, and 3) at least one second adjacent lens cell adjacent to said at least one center lens cell in said second direction away from said optical axis, in one light-masking condition, said light-masking unit masks light beams between said first array lens and said second array lens so that not less than 80% of the amount of light which is emitted from said light source and reaches said light valve is masked; both a light beam through said at least one center lens cell and a light beam through said at least one first adjacent lens cell are partially light-masked; a light beam through said at least one second adjacent lens cell is entirely light-masked; and a light masking amount of said light beam through said at least one first adjacent lens cell is less than one half of an amount of light beam through said at least one first adjacent lens cell.