# US 12,120,442 B2 · Driver circuit and imaging device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,120,442 B2 - Document ID: US12120442B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/760,170 - Filed: 2020-12-28 - Published: 2023-02-16 - Granted: 2024-10-15 - Earliest claimed: 2020-02-12 - Assignees: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation - Applicants: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation - Inventors: Masahiro Ichihashi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12120442B2 ## CPC - H04N 25/709: Circuitry for control of the power supply - H02M 3/1582: {Buck-boost converters (H02M3/1584 takes precedence)} - H03K 19/00: Logic circuits, i.e. having at least two inputs acting on one output (circuits for computer systems using fuzzy logic G06N7/02); Inverting circuits - H03K 19/0175: Coupling arrangements; Interface arrangements (interface arrangements for digital computers G06F3/00, G06F13/00) - H04N 25/618: for random or high-frequency noise - H04N 25/779: Circuitry for scanning or addressing the pixel array - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P) - 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 To reduce power consumption of a driver circuit used in a vertical drive circuit of an image processing device. In the driver circuit, a drive signal output circuit outputs a drive signal in accordance with a predetermined trigger signal. Furthermore, at a time of rising of the drive signal, a step-up switch sequentially selects a plurality of voltages in ascending order, and supplies the selected voltage to the drive signal output circuit. Moreover, at a time of falling of the drive signal, a step-down switch sequentially selects a plurality of voltages in descending order, and supplies the selected voltage to the drive signal output circuit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A driver circuit, comprising: a drive signal output circuit configured to output a drive signal based on with a trigger signal; a step-up switch configured to sequentially select a first plurality of voltages in ascending order and supply a selected voltage of the first plurality of voltages to the drive signal output circuit, at a time of rising of the drive signal; a step-down switch configured to sequentially select a second plurality of voltages in descending order and supply a selected voltage of the second plurality of voltages to the drive signal output circuit, at a time of falling of the drive signal; and a current control bias circuit configured to control a current flowing through transistors included in the step-up switch and the step-down switch. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The driver circuit according to claim 1, further comprising: a control circuit configured to generate a selection signal in the step-up switch and the step-down switch, based on the trigger signal. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The driver circuit according to claim 1, wherein at the time of rising of the drive signal, the step-up switch is configured to select a first voltage of the first plurality of voltages until the first voltage is reached, and select a second voltage of the first plurality of voltages until the second voltage is reached, to sequentially supply the first voltage and the second voltage to the drive signal output circuit, wherein the second voltage is higher than the first voltage, and at the time of falling of the drive signal, the step-down switch is configured to select a third voltage of the first plurality of voltages until the third voltage is reached, and select a fourth voltage of the first plurality of voltages until the fourth voltage is reached, to sequentially supply the third voltage and the fourth voltage to the drive signal output circuit, wherein the fourth voltage is lower than the third voltage. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The driver circuit according to claim 3, further comprising: a step-up circuit configured to generate the second voltage and supply to the step-up switch; and a step-down circuit configured to generate the fourth voltage and supply to the step-down switch, wherein the first voltage is a power supply voltage, and the third voltage is a ground potential. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The driver circuit according to claim 4, further comprising: a capacitor configured to connect between the power supply voltage and the ground potential. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The driver circuit according to claim 1, further comprising: a voltage control bias circuit configured to control to supply a voltage within a withstand voltage of a transistor, to the transistors included in the drive signal output circuit. ### Claim 7 An imaging device, comprising: a pixel region which includes a plurality of imaging elements; and a plurality of driver circuits including, individually corresponding to the plurality of imaging elements, a drive signal output circuit configured to output a drive signal to each of the plurality of imaging elements based on with a trigger signal, a step-up switch configured to sequentially select a first plurality of voltages in ascending order to supply to the drive signal output circuit at a time of rising of the drive signal, a step-down switch configured to sequentially select a second plurality of voltages in descending order to supply to the drive signal output circuit at a time of falling of the drive signal, and a current control bias circuit configured to control a current flowing through transistors included in the step-up switch and the step-down switch. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The imaging device according to claim 7, wherein, for each predetermined number of the plurality of driver circuits, the current control bias circuit is configured to supply a voltage within a withstand voltage of a transistor, to the transistors included in the drive signal output circuit. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The imaging device according to claim 8, wherein each current control bias circuit is connected in a daisy chain.