Patent ID: 7753535

Claim:
A projection type image display apparatus, comprising: a light source; a light valve which modulates light beams from the light source; a projection lens which projects the light beams modulated by the light valve; a first array lens which splits the light emitted by the light source into a plurality of light beams, the first array lens including a first plurality of lens cells arranged in two different directions; a second array lens including a second plurality of lens cells, the second array lens being made conjugate with the light source by each of the first plurality of lens cells; a superimposing lens which superimposes a plurality of light beams exiting from the second plurality of lens cells on the light valve; and a light-masking unit arranged between the light source and the projection lens, the light-masking unit forming at least one light-masking area which masks light beams by a plurality of light masks; wherein: the first plurality of lens cells includes at least one center lens cell contacting the optical axis on the first array lens and at least one adjacent lens cell adjacent to the at least one center lens cell in the one direction of the two different directions, and a light-masking area for each lens cell of the at least one adjacent lens cell is smaller than a light-masking area for each lens cell other than the at least one adjacent lens cell in the first plurality of lens cells.