Light source apparatus and projection display apparatus provided with same including waveplate and dichroic prism

1. A light source apparatus comprising:

a phosphor wheel provided with a plurality of ring-shaped light-emitting regions that are arranged concentrically and that emit illumination light beams of a plurality of colors due to irradiation with excitation light;

a light source unit that emits said excitation light simultaneously to said plurality of ring-shaped light-emitting regions; and

a plurality of optical elements into which are irradiated said plurality of illumination light beams that are emitted due to the irradiation of said excitation light; wherein:

said light source unit radiates excitation light of a fourth wavelength and of a first polarization;

said plurality of ring-shaped light-emitting regions include: a first ring-shaped light-emitting region including a phosphor region that emits illumination light of a second wavelength by being irradiated with said excitation light; and a second ring-shaped light-emitting region including a phosphor region that emits illumination light of a third wavelength by being irradiated with said excitation light and a diffusion-reflection region that diffuses and reflects illumination light of the fourth wavelength by being irradiated with said excitation light;

said plurality of optical elements include: a first optical element into which illumination light of said second wavelength is irradiated, and a second optical element into which illumination light of said third wavelength and illumination light of said fourth wavelength are irradiated;

a wave plate that transmits said excitation light and a plurality of illumination light beams from said phosphor wheel is provided between said light source unit and said phosphor wheel; and

a dichroic prism is provided on a light path between said light source unit and said wave plate that transmits said excitation light from said light source unit, reflects illumination light of said second wavelength that is transmitted by said wave plate toward said first optical element, and reflects illumination light of said third wavelength and illumination light of said fourth wavelength that are transmitted by said wave plate toward said second optical element.

2. The light source apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:

said light source unit includes a plurality of solid-state light sources that emit excitation light, and collimator lenses arranged to face each of said solid-state light sources; and

the light-emission point of each of said solid-state light sources is decentered from the central axis of said collimator lens.

3. The light source apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:

a color filter that selectively transmits illumination light of a specific wavelength is provided for each of said plurality of optical elements.

4. The light source apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:

said wave plate comprises a quarter-wave plate.

5. A projection display apparatus provided with the light source apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , comprising:

a synthesizing unit that radiates illumination light emitted from said plurality of optical elements on the same optical axis;

a light modulation element that modulates said illumination light from said synthesizing unit to reflect image light; and

a projection lens that enlarges and projects said image light.

6. A projection display apparatus provided with the light source apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , comprising:

a plurality of light modulation elements provided corresponding to said plurality of optical elements that modulate illumination light emitted from said plurality of optical elements to reflect image light;

an image synthesizing unit that synthesizes and emits image light irradiated from said plurality of light modulation elements; and

a projection lens that enlarges and projects said synthesized image light from said image synthesizing unit.

7. A method of emitting illumination light, comprising:

simultaneously irradiating excitation light to a plurality of ring-shaped light-emitting regions that are provided and arranged concentrically on a phosphor wheel;

irradiating any of a plurality of optical elements with a plurality of illumination light beams produced by irradiation with said excitation light;

making an intensity of said plurality of illumination light beams, that were irradiated to said plurality of optical elements, uniform and emitting said plurality of illumination light beams; wherein:

a light source unit radiates excitation light of a fourth wavelength and of a first polarization;

said plurality of ring-shaped light-emitting regions include: a first ring-shaped light-emitting region including a phosphor region that emits illumination light of a second wavelength by being irradiated with said excitation light; and a second ring-shaped light-emitting region including a phosphor region that emits illumination light of a third wavelength by being irradiated with said excitation light and a diffusion-reflection region that diffuses and reflects illumination light of the fourth wavelength by being irradiated with said excitation light;

said plurality of optical elements include: a first optical element into which illumination light of said second wavelength is irradiated, and a second optical element into which illumination light of said third wavelength and illumination light of said fourth wavelength are irradiated;

a wave plate that transmits said excitation light and a plurality of illumination light beams from said phosphor wheel is provided between said light source unit and said phosphor wheel; and

a dichroic prism is provided on a light path between said light source unit and said wave plate that transmits said excitation light from said light source unit, reflects illumination light of said second wavelength that is transmitted by said wave plate toward said first optical element, and reflects illumination light of said third wavelength and illumination light of said fourth wavelength that are transmitted by said wave plate toward said second optical element.