Patent 8081271 was granted and assigned to Panasonic on December, 2011 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A backlight apparatus is provided that enables a balance of brightness to be maintained over the entire area of a display screen and long life to be achieved. The surface of substrate 130 is opposite the rear surface of liquid crystal panel 110. LEDs 140 are placed on the surface of substrate 130. LED drive circuits 150 supply LEDs 140 with a current that causes LEDs 140 to emit light that illuminates liquid crystal panel 110. LED drive circuits 150 supply a lower current to LEDs 140 placed in an area having a higher ambient temperature within the surface area of substrate 130.