Patent ID: 8446213

Claim:
A charge pump circuit, to be supplied with electric charge from an input power supply, for generating a positive output power-supply voltage of a positive output power supply and a negative output power-supply voltage of a negative output power supply, the charge pump circuit comprising: a first capacitor; a second capacitor connectable in series with the first capacitor; a third capacitor for holding the electric charge corresponding to the negative output power-supply voltage; and a switching circuit for electrically connecting or separating the first capacitor, the second capacitor, and the third capacitor, wherein the switching circuit repeats: a first state in which the charge supplied from the input power supply is accumulated in the first capacitor and the second capacitor connected in series with the first capacitor; a second state in which the charge accumulated in the first capacitor in the first state is transferred to the third capacitor and the positive output power-supply voltage is held by the charge accumulated in the second capacitor; a third state in which the charge supplied from the input power supply is accumulated in the first capacitor and the second capacitor connected in series with the first capacitor; and a fourth state in which the charge accumulated in the second capacitor in the third state is transferred to the third capacitor and the positive output power-supply voltage is held by the charge accumulated in the first capacitor.