Patent ID: 8508259

Claim:
Method for driving a non-linear load element, wherein an output voltage (U a ) at the non-linear load element, and a load current (I a ) currently flowing through the non-linear load element is measured, and an instantaneous switching speed is controlled in dependence on the load current (I a ), wherein a) a lower voltage threshold U au is determined when the load current I a flowing through the non-linear load element exceeds a predefined current value and b) an upper voltage threshold U ao is determined when the load current I a flowing through the non-linear load element reaches a maximum current value, and wherein the instantaneous switching speed is controlled when the output voltage is between the lower voltage threshold U au and the upper voltage threshold U ao such that the switching speed is set: a) at a first speed when an instantaneous power loss is greater than a threshold, and b) at a second speed that is lower than the first speed when the instantaneous power loss is less than or equal to the threshold.