Image projection apparatus and projection optical system

An image projection apparatus comprising:

• an image processing device receiving an input video signal and image-processing the received input video signal to generate an compensated video signal;
• an illuminating device sequentially emitting a red light, a green light, and a blue light, as an illuminating light, the red light having a continuous spectrum in a red wavelength range, the green light having an emission-line spectrum in a green wavelength range, the blue light having an emission-line spectrum in a blue wavelength range;
• a light valve including a plurality of fixed pixels arranged two-dimensionally with a predetermined fixed-pixel pitch and receiving the compensated video signal, the plurality of fixed pixels modulating the illuminating light to sequentially produce a red image light from the red light, a green image light from the green light, and a blue image light from the blue light in accordance with the received compensated video signal;
• and
• a projection optical system sequentially receiving the red image light, the green image light, and the blue image light, and magnifying and projecting the red image light, the green image light, and the blue image light on the screen, a magnification chromatic aberration for each color being induced in the projection optical system;
• wherein the projection optical system is formed in such a way that at least one of a first deviation as a length on the light valve corresponding to an amount of the magnification chromatic aberration of a light having a central wavelength of the red light relative to the green light and a second deviation as a length on the light valve corresponding to an amount of the magnification chromatic aberration of the blue light relative to the green light is larger than a fixed-pixel pitch between adjacent fixed pixels of the light valve, and a third deviation as a length on the light valve corresponding to an amount of the magnification chromatic aberration of a light having a maximum wavelength of the red light relative to a light having a minimum wavelength of the red light is not larger than the fixed-pixel pitch;
• wherein the image processing device includes a compensation data memory storing compensation data determined in advance in accordance with the projection optical system, and a signal processor performing the image-processing using the stored compensation data to produce the compensated video signal, the first deviation and/or the second deviation being eliminated by supplying the compensated video signal to the light valve.