Patent ID: 8842240

Claim:
A liquid crystal display apparatus comprising: a first polarizing plate; a liquid crystal display cell adjacent to the first polarizing plate; a second polarizing plate arranged on a side of the liquid crystal display cell opposite to the first polarizing plate; a first reflective polarizing plate adjacent to the second polarizing plate on a side opposite to the liquid crystal display cell, wherein a transmissive axis of the first reflective polarizing plate is coincident with a transmissive axis of the second polarizing plate; a switching cell arranged on a side of the first reflective polarizing plate opposite to the second polarizing plate, wherein the switching cell is configured to rotate a plane of polarization of light passing through the switching cell; a second reflective polarizing plate arranged on a side of the switching cell opposite to the first reflective polarizing plate; a surface light source arranged on a side of the second reflective polarizing plate opposite to the switching cell; and a control driving unit configured to switch the switching cell between a first state and a second state, wherein the first state is a state in which a plane of polarization of polarized light emitted by the surface light source and transmitted through the second reflective polarizing plate and the switching cell is coincident with the transmissive axis of the first reflective polarizing plate and the transmissive axis of the second polarizing plate, and a plane of polarization of polarized light input to the liquid crystal display cell from a side of the first polarizing plate and transmitted through the second polarizing plate, the first reflective polarizing plate and the switching cell is coincident with a transmissive axis of the second reflective polarizing plate, and wherein the second state is a state in which the plane of polarization of the polarized light emitted by the surface light source and transmitted through the second reflective polarizing plate and the switching cell is coincident with a reflective axis of the first reflective polarizing plate and an absorption axis of the second polarizing plate, and the plane of polarization of the polarized light input to the liquid crystal display cell from the side of the first polarizing plate and transmitted through the second polarizing plate, the first reflective polarizing plate and the switching cell is coincident with a reflective axis of the second reflective polarizing plate.