# US 10,320,348 B2 · Driver circuit and operational amplifier circuit used therein

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- Number: US 10,320,348 B2
- Document ID: US10320348B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/854,046
- Filed: 2017-12-26
- Published: 2018-10-11
- Granted: 2019-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2017-04-10
- Assignees: Novatek Microelectronics Corp.
- Applicants: Novatek Microelectronics Corp.
- Inventors: De-Shiou Tseng; Wei-Ta Chiu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10320348B2

## CPC

- H03F 3/45654: {Controlling the active amplifying circuit of the differential amplifier}
- G05F 1/561: {Voltage to current converters (amplifiers H03F)}
- H03F 1/0222: {by using a signal derived from the input signal}
- H03F 1/025: {by using a signal derived from the input signal}
- H03F 3/3022: {CMOS common source output SEPP amplifiers (H03F3/3008 takes precedence)}
- H03F 3/45179: {using MOSFET transistors as the active amplifying circuit (H03F3/45278 takes precedence)}
- H03F 3/45475: {using IC blocks as the active amplifying circuit}
- H03F 3/45708: {Controlling the common source circuit of the differential amplifier}
- H03F 3/45713: {Controlling the active amplifying circuit of the differential amplifier}
- H03K 17/223: {in field-effect transistor switches}
- H03F 2200/511: Many discrete supply voltages or currents or voltage levels can be chosen by a control signal in an IC-block amplifier circuit
- H03F 2200/516: Some amplifier stages of an amplifier use supply voltages of different value
- H03K 2217/0081: Power supply means, e.g. to the switch driver
- H03F: AMPLIFIERS
- G05F: SYSTEMS FOR REGULATING ELECTRIC OR MAGNETIC VARIABLES
- H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M)

## Abstract

A driver circuit including a first op-amp, a second op-amp, and a power switching circuit is provided. The first op-amp includes a first input stage circuit for generating a first amplified signal and a first output stage circuit. The second op-amp includes a second input stage circuit for generating a second amplified signal and a second output stage circuit. The power switching circuit includes a first output terminal for outputting one of the first amplified signal and the second amplified signal and a second output terminal for outputting the other of the first amplified signal and the second amplified signal. The power switching circuit is configured to switch a first power supply for both the first input stage circuit and the second input stage circuit between a first supply voltage and a second supply voltage in response to the control signal.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A driver circuit, comprising:
a first operational amplifier circuit, comprising:
a first input stage circuit, for receiving a first input signal and amplifying the first input signal to generate a first amplified signal; and
a first output stage circuit, for generating a first output signal;
a second operational amplifier circuit, comprising:
a second input stage circuit, for receiving a second input signal and amplifying the second input signal to generate a second amplified signal; and
a second output stage circuit, for generating a second output signal; and
a power switching circuit, coupled to the first input stage circuit and the second input stage circuit, the power switching circuit comprising:
a first output terminal, for outputting one of the first amplified signal and the second amplified signal in response to a control signal; and
a second output terminal, for outputting the other of the first amplified signal and the second amplified signal in response to the control signal;
wherein the first output stage circuit is coupled to the first output terminal of the power switching circuit, the second output stage circuit is coupled to the second output terminal of the power switching circuit, and the power switching circuit is configured to switch a first power supply for both the first input stage circuit and the second input stage circuit between a first supply voltage and a second supply voltage in response to the control signal.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The driver circuit according to claim 1, wherein the first input signal has an input range dynamically varied between a first input range and a second input range, and the control signal indicates whether the first input signal is in the first input range or the second input range.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The driver circuit according to claim 1, wherein the first input stage circuit comprises a first differential pair circuit, coupled to a third supply voltage through a first current source, the second input stage circuit comprises a third differential pair circuit, coupled to the third supply voltage through a third current source, and the second supply voltage is between the first supply voltage and the third supply voltage.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The driver circuit according to claim 3, wherein the first differential pair circuit is an NMOS differential pair circuit, the third differential pair circuit is another NMOS differential pair circuit, and the first supply voltage is greater than the second supply voltage, the second supply voltage is greater than the third supply voltage.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The driver circuit according to claim 3, wherein the first differential pair circuit is a PMOS differential pair circuit, the third differential pair is another PMOS differential pair circuit, and the third supply voltage is greater than the second supply voltage, the second supply voltage is greater than the first supply voltage.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The driver circuit according to claim 3, wherein the first output stage circuit is power supplied by the first supply voltage and the second supply voltage, and the second output stage circuit is power supplied by the second supply voltage and the third supply voltage.

### Claim 7 (depends on 3)

The driver circuit according to claim 3, wherein the power switching circuit is further configured to switch a second power supply for both the first input stage circuit and the second input stage circuit between the second supply voltage and the third supply voltage.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The driver circuit according to claim 7, wherein the first input stage circuit further comprises a second differential pair circuit, coupled to the first supply voltage through a second current source, the second input stage circuit further comprises a fourth differential pair circuit, coupled to the first supply voltage through a fourth current source, the first supply voltage is greater than the second supply voltage, and the second supply voltage is greater than the third supply voltage.

### Claim 9

An operational amplifier circuit in a driver circuit for driving a panel, comprising:
an input stage circuit, for receiving a gamma voltage as an input signal and amplifying the input signal to generate an amplified signal, wherein the input signal has an input range dynamically varied between a first input range and a second input range;
an output stage circuit, coupled to the input stage circuit for receiving the amplified signal to generate an output signal; and
a first power switching circuit, coupled to the input stage circuit for switching a first power supply for the input stage circuit between a first supply voltage and a second supply voltage according to whether the input signal is in the first input range or the second input range.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The operational amplifier circuit according to claim 9, wherein the input stage circuit comprises a first differential pair circuit coupled to the first power switching circuit through a first current source and coupled to a third supply voltage through a second current source.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The operational amplifier circuit according to claim 10, wherein the second supply voltage is between the first supply voltage and the third supply voltage.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The operational amplifier circuit according to claim 10, wherein the first differential pair circuit is an NMOS differential pair circuit, and the first supply voltage is greater than the second supply voltage, the second supply voltage is greater than the third supply voltage.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The operational amplifier circuit according to claim 10, wherein the first differential pair circuit is a PMOS differential pair circuit, and the third supply voltage is greater than the second supply voltage, the second supply voltage is greater than the first supply voltage.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The operational amplifier circuit according to claim 10, wherein the output stage circuit is power supplied by the first supply voltage and the second supply voltage.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The operational amplifier circuit according to claim 14, wherein the output stage circuit comprises a bias circuit, wherein the bias circuit is coupled to the first supply voltage through a pull-up device, and coupled to the second supply voltage through a pull-down device.

### Claim 16 (depends on 10)

The operational amplifier circuit according to claim 10, wherein the output stage circuit is power supplied by the second supply voltage and the third supply voltage.

### Claim 17 (depends on 10)

The operational amplifier circuit according to claim 10, further comprising a second power switching circuit, coupled to the input stage circuit for switching a second power supply for the input stage circuit between the second supply voltage and the third supply voltage.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The operational amplifier circuit according to claim 17, wherein the input stage circuit further comprises a second differential pair circuit, coupled to the second power switching circuit through a third current source and coupled to the first supply voltage through a fourth current source.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The operational amplifier circuit according to claim 18, wherein the first supply voltage is greater than the second supply voltage, and the second supply voltage is greater than the third supply voltage.

### Claim 20 (depends on 9)

The operational amplifier circuit according to claim 9, wherein the first power switching circuit comprises a multiplexer, configured to generate the first power supply for the input stage circuit by multiplexing the first supply voltage and the second supply voltage according to whether the input signal is in the first input range or the second input range.

### Claim 21 (depends on 9)

The operational amplifier circuit according to claim 9, wherein the operational amplifier circuit further comprises a switching device, coupled between the input stage circuit and the output stage circuit, wherein the switching device is configured to multiplex the amplified signal and another amplified signal generated by another input stage circuit according to whether the input signal is in the first input range or the second input range.