Patent ID: 8610487

Claim:
An electronic device comprising: a control switching element arranged in an inverter to drive an electric motor, wherein the control switching element has a control terminal and is configured to be turned ON and OFF selectively by controlling a voltage applied to the control terminal; an ON-drive switching element configured to be turned ON and OFF selectively, wherein the ON-drive switching element is electrically connected to the control terminal and configured to charge the control terminal with electrical charge by being turned ON; an OFF-drive switching element configured to be turned ON and OFF selectively, wherein the OFF-drive switching element is electrically connected to the control terminal and configured to discharge the electrical charge from the control terminal by being turned ON; and an OFF-holding switching element configured to be turned ON and OFF selectively, wherein the OFF-holding switching element is electrically connected to the control terminal and configured to forcibly discharge electric charge from the control terminal of the control switching element b being turned ON the OFF-holding switching element being turning ON for allowing hold of an OFF state of the control switching element, and a control circuit that is configured to receive a drive signal and is configured to control: i) controls the voltage at the control terminal of the control switching element by controlling ON and OFF states of both the ON-drive switching element and the OFF-drive switching element based on the drive signal, ii) forcibly turn OFF the OFF-holding switching element at a time when a predetermined period of time has elapsed from a timing at which the drive signal switches from an ON instruction thereof to an OFF instruction thereof, the ON instruction instructing the control switching element to turn ON, the OFF instruction instructing the control switching element to turn OFF.