Lighting device

A lighting device comprising:

• a light source for emitting illumination lights along an optic axis toward field of view including far field region at upper part and near field region at lower part with respect to vertical direction;
• a liquid crystal element disposed at a position along the optic axis, having electrode pattern in far field corresponding region corresponding to the far field region and having no electrode pattern in near field corresponding region corresponding to the near field region;
• a pair of polarizers including an input side polarizer disposed on light source side of the liquid crystal element, and an output side polarizer disposed on field of view side of the liquid crystal element, and constituting crossed Nicol polarizers;
• driver circuit for forming voltages to be applied to the electrode pattern;
• and
• phase shift forming element disposed between the pair of polarizers in correspondence to the near field corresponding region of the liquid crystal element;
• wherein the far field corresponding region of the liquid crystal element constitutes normally black optic system together with the pair of polarizers, and the near field corresponding region of the liquid crystal element constitutes normally-on optic system together with the phase shift forming element and the pair of polarizers.