Patent ID: 8810145

Claim:
A lighting circuit comprising: a high potential input terminal connected to one end of an external power supply; a low potential input terminal connected to one other end of the external power supply; a high potential output terminal connected to one end of an illumination load; a low potential output terminal connected to one other end of the illumination load; a first switching element having one end connected to the high potential input terminal; a first rectifying element connected between one other end of the first switching element and the low potential input terminal, a forward direction of the first rectifying element being a direction from the low potential input terminal to the first switching element; an inductor having one end connected to the one other end of the first switching element; a second switching element connected between one other end of the inductor and the low potential input terminal; a second rectifying element connected between the one other end of the inductor and the high potential output terminal, a forward direction of the second rectifying element being a direction from the inductor to the high potential output terminal; and a control circuit configured to turn off the second switching element at a time earlier by at least a first time than a time when the control circuit turns the first switching element from on to off.