Patent ID: 8299766

Claim:
A switching output circuit comprising: a high-side transistor configured as a P-channel MOSFET (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) provided between a first constant voltage terminal, to which a first constant voltage is applied, and a switching terminal; a low-side transistor configured as an N-channel MOSFET provided between a second constant voltage terminal, to which a second constant voltage which is lower than the first constant voltage is applied, and the switching terminal; and a pre-driver circuit configured to receive a control signal which is set to a first level in a period in which the high-side transistor is to be set to the ON state and the low-side transistor is to be set to the OFF state, and which is set to a second level in a period in which the high-side transistor is to be set to the OFF state and the low-side transistor is to be set to the ON state, and to supply a first driving signal and a second driving signal to the gates of the high-side transistor and the low-side transistor, respectively, according to the control signal, wherein gate electrodes of each of the high-side transistor and the low-side transistor are configured to allow signals to be input and output via a driving contact and a detection contact provided at different positions, and wherein the pre-driver circuit comprises a high-side driver configured to apply a low-level signal to the driving contact on the high-side transistor side so as to switch the high-side transistor to the ON state when the control signal is at the first level and a signal output from the detection contact on the low-side transistor side is at the low level, and to apply a high-level signal to the driving contact on the high-side transistor side so as to switch the high-side transistor to the OFF state when the control signal is at the second level; and a low-side driver configured to apply a high-level signal to the driving contact on the low-side transistor side so as to switch the low-side transistor to the ON state when the control signal is at the second level and a signal output from the detection contact on the high-side transistor side is at the high level, and to apply a low-level signal to the driving contact on the low-side transistor side so as to switch the low-side transistor to the OFF state when the control signal is at the first level.