Patent ID: 8669793

Claim:
A driving circuit, comprising: an output terminal configured to provide an output voltage; and a first portion coupled to a first voltage reference terminal and including: a first output transistor coupled between said first voltage reference terminal and said output terminal, the first output transistor having a control terminal; a first high voltage comparator coupled to said output terminal and to a first threshold voltage reference terminal, the first high voltage comparator being configured to provide an OFF signal in response to said output voltage reaching a first supply voltage value that depends on said first threshold voltage reference; a first start-up circuit configured to be controlled by a first setting signal, the first start-up circuit being configured to provide a first ON signal; and a first turning ON/OFF circuit having an input and an output, the input being coupled to said first start-up circuit by a first internal circuit node, and to said first high voltage comparator by a second internal circuit node, the output being coupled to the control terminal of said first output transistor, the first turning ON/OFF circuit being configured to receive the first ON and OFF signals and to switch off said first output transistor in response to the OFF signal, wherein said first high voltage comparator comprises a resistor and a Zener diode coupled, in parallel with one another, between a third internal circuit node and said first threshold voltage reference terminal.