Patent ID: 6980044

Claim:
A power element protection circuit comprising: a voltage detector that detects, with respect to a power element having a first electrode, a second electrode, and a control electrode, a voltage between the first and second electrodes of the power element and that then outputs a current proportional to the detected voltage; a current detector that detects a current flowing through the power element and that then outputs a current proportional to the detected current; a first logarithmic converter that logarithmically converts and then outputs the current outputted from the current detector; a second logarithmic converter that logarithmically converts and then outputs the current outputted from the voltage detector; an antilogarithmic converter that antilogarithmically converts a level derived from a sum of the outputs of the first and second logarithmic converters; and a driving limiter that limits driving of the power element based on an output of the antilogarithmic converter.