Patent ID: 8169567

Claim:
A viewing angle controlling liquid crystal panel provided on a front surface or a back surface of a display panel and controlling a viewing angle of an image displayed on the display panel, the viewing angle controlling liquid crystal panel comprising: a liquid crystal layer; and an electrode for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal layer, wherein: linearly polarized light enters the liquid crystal layer and the liquid crystal layer is provided, on a light exit side of the liquid crystal layer, with a polarizing plate transmitting only a component of light having exited from the liquid crystal layer, the component being parallel to the polarization axis of the linearly polarized light having entered the liquid crystal; the liquid crystal layer includes liquid crystal molecules that are tilted, due to voltage application to the liquid crystal layer, in a direction parallel to or perpendicular to the polarization axis of the linearly polarized light having entered the liquid crystal layer; the electrode is divided into two or more areas so as to be able to apply two or more different voltages to the liquid crystal layer; and the two or more areas into which the electrode is divided partially overlap with each other via an insulating layer so that no gap is provided between the two or more areas of the electrode in a plane view.