Patent ID: 8253888

Claim:
A liquid crystal display device, comprising: a liquid crystal display panel; a light guide plate disposed on a rear surface side of the liquid crystal display panel; and a plurality of light sources disposed at an end portion of the light guide plate, wherein: the plurality of light sources are disposed such that a direction of travel of light which is a main component in view of intensity distribution of light emitted from the plurality of light sources is substantially in parallel with respect to at least one of four sides of the liquid crystal display panel, the light guide plate includes: a reflective polarizing plate for transmitting a P-polarized component and reflecting an S-polarized component of the light emitted from the plurality of light sources, the reflective polarizing plate being between the end portion which the light emitted from the plurality of light sources enters and a light extraction portion at which light propagating in the light guide plate is extracted to a side of the liquid crystal display panel; a reflector for reflecting the S-polarized component of light reflected by the reflective polarizing plate; and a polarization converting member for converting the S-polarized component of light to a P-polarized component; the reflective polarizing plate and the reflector are tilted at an angle such that reflecting surfaces thereof are not perpendicular with respect to the direction of travel of the main component of light and are disposed such that the P-polarized component obtained by converting the S-polarized component of the main component of light with the polarization converting member is directed substantially in parallel with the direction of travel of the main component of light, and the polarization converting member is disposed at a location which is on a pathway of light reflected by the reflective polarizing plate but is not on a pathway of the main component of light which is before passing through the reflective polarizing plate.