High power MOS device with protective circuit against overcurrent or the like

A power MOS device comprising a plurality of MOS transistors each having a first electrode serving as one of source and drain thereof and connected to a first terminal, a second electrode serving as the other of said source and drain and connected to a second terminal and a gate electrode, a drive circuit producing a drive signal at an output node thereof, said drive signal having a first level that renders each of said MOS transistors conductive and a second level that renders each of said MOS transistors nonconductive, and a plurality of current detection and interrupt circuits each connected between said output node of said drive circuit and said gate electrode of an associated one of said MOS transistors, each of said current detection and interrupt circuits including a resistor inserted in series into a signal path for transferring said drive signal from said output node of said drive circuit to said gate electrode of said associated one of said MOS transistors, detection means coupled to said resistor and responsive to a voltage produced by said resistor for detecting whether or not a current due to a short circuit between said gate and first electrodes of said associated one of said MOS transistors flows through said resistor, and interrupt means coupled to said detection means for preventing said drive signal from being transferred from said output node of said drive circuit to said gate electrode of said associated one of said MOS transistors when said detection means detects that said current due to said short circuit flows through said resistor, said associated one of said MOS transistors being thereby kept into a nonconductive state irrespective of said drive signal.