Patent ID: 7199503

Claim:
A piezo-element driving device comprising: a power input connectable to a power supply, a first output connectable to a first piezo-element and arranged to provide a first driving voltage, a second output connectable to a second piezo-element and arranged to provide a second driving voltage, said second driving voltage having a maximum voltage, said driving voltages having a mutual phase difference, at least one inductive element, a first switching module configured to couple said at least one inductive element between said outputs to transfer charge between said two outputs, and at least one voltage step-up module configured to provide a charging voltage to at least one of said first piezo-element and said second piezo-element, which charging voltage is substantially higher than the voltage of said power input, said at least one voltage step-up module being implemented using said at least one inductive element, and a second switching module configured to discharge said second piezo-element from said maximum voltage such that said at least one inductive element is disconnected from between said first output and said second output during said discharging.