Reflection type liquid crystal projector

In a reflection type liquid crystal projector arranged to split a beam of uniformly polarized white illuminating light, which is projected from a light source, into first, second and third wavelength components of three primary colors, to reflect said three wavelength components respectively by means of liquid crystal display panels to produce image light of the first, second and third wavelength components, and to integrate the image light of said wavelength components together for projecting a full-color image,

• an optical system comprising:
• a dichroic mirror adapted to separate a first wavelength component of said white illuminating light from second and third wavelength components;
• a first polarizing beam splitter having a polarizing surface adapted to transmit or reflect said first wavelength component of said illuminating light toward a first liquid crystal display panel thereby to reflect image light of said first wavelength component;
• a half-wave plate adapted to rotate plane of polarization of one of said second and third wavelength components through 90 degrees on passage therethrough, without rotating plane of polarization of the other wavelength component;
• a second polarizing beam splitter having a polarizing surface adapted to reflect or transmit said second wavelength component of the illuminating light from said half-wave plate toward a second liquid crystal display panel thereby to reflect image light of said second wavelength component, while transmitting or reflecting the third wavelength component of the illuminating light toward a third liquid crystal display panel thereby to reflect image light of said third wavelength component of the illuminating light;
• and
• a dichroic prism for integrating together image light of the first to third wavelength components coming in from said first and second polarizing beam splitters;
• said polarizing surfaces of said first and second polarizing beam splitters being adapted to reflect s-polarization light and transmit p-polarization light;
• and
• said dichroic prism being adapted to transmit image light of said second wavelength component in the state of p-polarization light and to reflect image light of said first and third wavelength components each in the state of s-polarization light.