Patent ID: 8164712

Claim:
A liquid crystal display device comprising: a liquid crystal panel; and a light source unit for illuminating the liquid crystal panel from a back side of the liquid crystal panel, wherein the light source unit includes: a case having an opening surface; a fluorescent tube provided in the case and having a longitudinal axis; an electrode holder provided in the case and holding an electrode section formed in an edge portion of the fluorescent tube; and a cover member having a shield plate for shielding the electrode holder from a diffusion area in which light emitted by a light emitting section provided in the fluorescent tube is scattered, wherein the cover member includes: a fixed groove through which the fluorescent tube extends; and an overhanging portion, which is provided at an edge of the fixed groove and on the side of the liquid crystal panel with respect to the fluorescent tube, faces the fluorescent tube, and protrudes toward the inside of the case and in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the fluorescent tube, and wherein when a plane which includes the overhanging portion, is perpendicular to a surface of the liquid crystal panel, and is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the fluorescent tube, is S 1 ; a plane which includes a portion of the shield plate and is perpendicular to the surface of the liquid crystal panel is S 2 , the portion of the shield plate not including the overhanging portion; and a plane which includes the overhanging portion and is parallel to the surface of the liquid crystal panel is S 3 , a cross sectional shape of a portion of the cover member, which is taken along the plane S 1 and located on the side of the liquid crystal panel with respect to the plane S 3 , is different from a cross sectional shape of a portion of the cover member, which is taken along the plane S 2 and located on the side of the liquid crystal panel with respect to the plane S 3 , and the portion of the cover member, which has the cross sectional shape taken along the plane S 1 and located on a front side of the plane S 3 in a direction toward the liquid crystal panel, includes a protrusion which faces the liquid crystal panel and which extends closer to the liquid crystal panel than a surface portion of the overhanging portion which lies in the plane S 3 .