the present invention provides a driver circuit with load discharge detection particularly suitable for use with electro - luminescence lamps . the driver circuit determines the moment at which the load has been discharged by a defined discharge current . this information is used to start the new charging cycle of the load . the discharge time adapts itself to different load sizes or load voltages . also , a minimum amount of time is used to discharge the load , so that a maximum amount of time is available for charging the load at a predetermined frequency . as a result , a higher performance can be achieved .