Patent ID: 8736796

Claim:
A liquid crystal panel to receive light applied on a back side thereof from a backlight unit in use, comprising: a first polarizing plate arranged on a front side of the liquid crystal panel; a second polarizing plate arranged on the back side of the liquid crystal panel; a liquid crystal cell having a liquid crystal layer containing liquid crystal molecules to be driven in in-plane switching mode, the liquid crystal cell being arranged between the first polarizing plate and the second polarizing plate; a first retardation plate arranged between the liquid crystal layer and the first polarizing plate, the first retardation plate causing a retardation in light received through the first polarizing plate from the front side of the liquid crystal panel so that the received light becomes close to circularly polarized light rotating in a first direction from linearly polarized light; and at least one retardation plate arranged between the liquid crystal layer and the second polarizing plate, wherein the liquid crystal layer has different retardation values between a black display period and a white display period, wherein the at least one retardation plate has a retardation value and a slow axis direction so that light received through the second polarizing plate from the back side of the liquid crystal panel becomes close to circularly polarized light rotating in a second direction opposite to the first direction from linearly polarized light while passing through both of the at least one retardation plate and the liquid crystal layer during the black display period, wherein the at least one retardation plate cancels the retardation caused in light emitted from the backlight unit by the liquid crystal layer during the black display period, wherein the first retardation plate employs a quarter wavelength plate having a slow axis direction which is tilted by substantially 45 degrees with respect to an absorption axis direction of the first polarizing plate; and wherein the second retardation plate employs a quarter wavelength plate having a slow axis direction substantially perpendicular to the slow axis direction of the first retardation plate.