Patent ID: 7166969

Claim:
An illumination unit drive circuit for driving a plurality of illumination units, the illumination unit drive circuit comprising: a plurality of output transformers, wherein each of said output transformers is a 1 input-plural output type transformer, wherein each of said output transformers has a primary side and a secondary side, the primary side of each output transformer having one primary winding, and the secondary side of each output transformer having a plurality of secondary windings, wherein the primary sides of said plurality of output transformers are connected, wherein AC signals are inputted to the primary sides of said output transformers, wherein a high tension output is induced at the secondary side of each of said plurality of output transformers, wherein the plurality of illumination units are operated by the high tension output, wherein the plurality of illumination units comprises at least a first illumination unit and a second illumination unit, wherein each of the plurality of illumination units includes a first electrode and a second electrode, wherein the secondary side of each of said output transformers includes at least one high tension terminal, wherein the first electrode of the first illumination unit is connected to a first one of said high tension terminals, and the first electrode of the second illumination unit is connected to a second one of said high tension terminals, and wherein the first one of said high tension terminals and the second one of said high tension terminals are in a counter phase relation with one another.