Patent ID: 8144277

Claim:
A liquid crystal display device comprising: a liquid crystal element configured such that a portion between a first electrode layer and a second electrode layer is filled with liquid crystal; a liquid crystal driving unit configured to control voltages to be applied to the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer so that the liquid crystal element operates in a first mode in which time-averaged strengths of electric fields to be applied to the liquid crystal at a plurality of portions in an image forming surface of the liquid crystal element are substantially equal to one another, and thereafter, in a second mode in which time-averaged strengths of electric fields to be applied to the liquid crystal at a plurality of portions in the image forming surface of the liquid crystal element are different from one another; an irradiating unit configured to irradiate light to the liquid crystal element; and a controller configured to determine strengths of the electric fields to be applied to the liquid crystal layer in the first mode or the second mode in accordance with a light quantity output from the irradiating unit.