Patent ID: 8314567

Claim:
A circuit for an illumination apparatus in a display device including: two or more illumination means coupled in series; a common power supply for the series-connection of illumination means developing a voltage between a first and a second supply potential; a first switch associated with each respective illumination means for selectively enabling and disabling the respective illumination means, wherein each of the respective first switches has a reference potential corresponding to the potential at one of the main current conduction electrodes of its associated illumination means, each switch having a control terminal; a source of a plurality of first control signals, one first control signal for each first switch, having a reference potential corresponding to one of the supply potentials of the common power supply; wherein the circuit further includes: a source of a second control signal, the second control signal being modulated in response to each of the plurality of first control signals, thereby generating a corresponding plurality of modulated second control signals, one for each first switch; a coupling element associated with each respective first switch for coupling the corresponding modulated second control signal to the control terminal of the first switch, wherein the control signals at the control terminals of the first switches is referred to the respective reference potential of the first switches.