Patent ID: 8292488

Claim:
A backlight unit comprising: a light guide plate having four side surfaces, of which a predetermined side surface functions as a light incident surface; a mounting board having at least a first mounting region extending along the light incident surface of the light guide plate; and a plurality of point light sources mounted on the first mounting region of the mounting board and arranged at a predetermined interval from each other in a direction in which the first mounting region of the mounting board extends, wherein the first mounting region of the mounting board is, at an end portion thereof on one side, provided with a power supply region to which electric power driving the plurality of point light sources is supplied, and the first mounting region of the mounting board is, at an end portion thereof on another side opposite to the one side, provided with a second mounting region a central lengthwise extent of which extends along an outermost side surface of the light guide plate perpendicular to the light incident surface of the light guide plate and that extends from a side of the light incident surface toward a side of, of the four side surfaces of the light guide plate, a side surface opposite from the light incident surface, the second mounting region protruding from the first mounting region in a direction toward the side surface of the light guide plate opposite from the light incident surface, and on the second mounting region of the mounting board, a capacitor or zener diode is mounted for coping with static electricity.