Patent ID: 8724051

Claim:
A backlight device comprising: a light source configured to light a liquid crystal panel from a back surface of the liquid crystal panel, wherein the light source includes: a white light emitting diode, and a colored light emitting diode portion including a red light emitting diode having power smaller than power of the white light emitting diode, a blue light emitting diode having power smaller than power of the white light emitting diode, and a green light emitting diode having power smaller than power of the white light emitting diode; and a light emitting diode driving unit configured to turn on the white light emitting diode and the colored light emitting diode portion while shifting lighting timings of the white light emitting diode and of the colored light emitting diode portion, the light emitting diode driving unit including a pulse-width modulation circuit, a white light emitting diode driving circuit configured to turn on the white light emitting diode based on a pulse which is output from the pulse-width modulation circuit, and a colored light emitting diode driving circuit configured to turn on any single one of the red, blue, and green light emitting diode of the colored light emitting diode portion during each one of turning-on periods of turning on the white light emitting diode based on the pulse which is output from the pulse-width modulation circuit, said any single one of the red, blue, and green light emitting diodes being not turned on while another one of the red, blue, and green light emitting diodes is turned on, and the colored light emitting diode driving circuit including a sequential driving unit that switches connections with the red light emitting diode, the blue light emitting diode, and the green light emitting diode to sequentially light respective red, blue, and green light at least partly along with a white light emitted by the white light emitting diode, wherein the white light emitting diode undertakes 97% or more of a maximum luminance obtained by the light source to enable an adjustment of a color temperature in a range of ±1000 K using the colored light emitting diode portion without substantially varying a luminance obtained by the light source.