Patent ID: 6869184

Claim:
A polarized-light converting unit comprising: a first polarizing beam splitter; and a second polarizing beam splitter, said first polarizing beams splitter and said second polarizing beam splitter being joined in a columned form or shaped in an integrated prism form; wherein said first polarizing beam splitter includes two incident planes on which two types of color light separated into color light of a specific wavelength band from white light and color light of the remaining wavelength band thereof from the white light are respectively incident, and said second polarizing beam splitter includes both a first ¼-wave plate and a first dichroic mirror, and a second ¼-wave plate and a second dichroic mirror different in wavelength characteristic from the first dichroic mirror, both of which are respectively disposed on two adjacent surfaces different from a junction surface with said first polarizing beam splitter and an outgoing surface thereof.