Patent ID: 8884555

Claim:
A driving device using a first potential and a second potential to drive an array of three-terminal light-emitting elements, each three-terminal light-emitting element having a first terminal, a second terminal that receives the second potential, and a third terminal for enabling current flow between the first terminal and the second terminal, the three-terminal light-emitting elements being divided into a first group and a second group, the driving device comprising: a plurality of switchable current sources associated with respective ones of the three-terminal light-emitting elements in each of the first and second groups, and receiving the first potential, for feeding current to the first terminals of the associated three-terminal light-emitting elements in each of the first and second groups; and a switching circuit for switchably connecting the third terminals of the three-terminal light-emitting elements to receive the first potential and the second potential, the switching circuit including a common first buffer and a common second buffer that are respectively associated with the first and second groups of the three-terminal light-emitting elements, wherein the first common buffer switches potentials at the third terminals of the three-terminal light-emitting elements in the first group simultaneously, and wherein the second common buffer switches potentials at the third terminals of the three-terminal light-emitting elements in the second group simultaneously.