Patent ID: 8441289

Claim:
A driving circuit, comprising: driven elements that form an array; and a driving element array that drives the driven elements, wherein the driven elements are 3-terminal switching elements that include first, second and third terminals and control current passage between the first and second terminals by one of voltage applied to the third terminal and electric current flowing to the third terminal, the 3-terminal switching elements form a plurality of groups each being configured by a plurality of 3-terminal switching elements that are adjacently positioned, the first terminals belonging to a same group of the 3-terminal switching elements are connected to each other, a plurality of sets of the 3-terminal switching elements are respectively formed by corresponding ones of the 3-terminal switching elements belonging to different groups, and the third terminals of the 3-terminal switching elements belonging to a same set are connected to one of a plurality of common busses respectively provided for the plurality of sets via a respective electric connection unit, the second terminals of the 3-switching elements are connected to ground, the driving element array includes a plurality of first driving parts that are respectively provided to the plurality of groups and a plurality of second driving parts that are respectively provided to the plurality of sets, each of the plurality of the first driving parts drives the respective first terminals of the 3-terminal switching elements belonging to a corresponding group at a first timing different from first timings for the other first driving parts, each of the plurality of the second driving parts drives the respective third terminals of the 3-terminal switching elements of a corresponding set via a corresponding common bus and the corresponding electric connection unit, at a second timing different from second timings for the other second driving parts, and each of the plurality of second driving parts outputs: a first potential during a period to drive the respective third terminals of the 3-terminal switching elements belonging to the corresponding set, a second potential that is different from the first potential, at a beginning of the first timings at which the first terminals of the 3-terminal switching elements belonging to the corresponding group are driven by the respective first driving parts, when the respective third terminals of the 3-terminal switching elements belonging to the corresponding sets are not driven, and a third potential that is different from the first and second potentials, after the beginning of the first timings at which the first terminals of the 3-terminal switching elements belonging to the corresponding group are driven by the respective first driving parts, when the respective third terminals of the 3-terminal switching elements belonging to the corresponding sets are not driven.