Patent ID: 6891342

Claim:
In an inductive load drive apparatus for performing PWM (pulse width modulation) switching of current from a DC power source to separately drive two inductive loads, a control circuit including two switching elements which are respectively connected in series between said two inductive loads and said DC power source, each of said switching elements controllable for being selectively set in an on state and an off state for enabling and interrupting a flow of a drive current through the corresponding one of said inductive loads, filter means connected in a flow path of a regenerative current which is generated when either or both of said switching elements is set in said off state, and a PWM control signal generating section for generating two PWM control signals for controlling respective ones of said switching elements, with a duty ratio of said PWM control signals determined based on an externally supplied drive command signal; wherein said control circuit comprises phase control means for controlling the operation of said PWM control signal generating section such that each timing of termination of a first-direction edge of at least one of said two PWM control signals, whereby a corresponding switching element is changed to said off state, coincides with a timing of commencement of a second-direction edge of the other one of said PWM control signals, whereby a corresponding switching element is changed to said on state.