Driving device having dummy circuit

A driving device performing drive and control of at least a high-potential side switching device of two switching devices connected in series between a first potential and a second potential higher than said first potential, said driving device comprising:

• a control signal generator configured to generate a control signal for a conducting command to bring said high-potential side switching device into a conducting state and a non-conducting command to bring said high-potential side switching device into a non-conducting state, thereby outputting said control signal from an output terminal;
• a level shifter connected to said output terminal of said control signal generator and configured to level-shift said control signal with at least one level shift circuit to generate a level-shifted control signal;
• and
• a dummy circuit, wherein
• a node between said two switching devices has a third potential,
• said at least one level shift circuit and said dummy circuit each include:
• a current path provided between said first potential and a fourth potential set higher than said third potential;
• and
• a first switching device having a main path provided on said current path and a control terminal controlling conducting/non-conducting state of said main path,
• said control terminal of said first switching device in said at least one level shift circuit is connected to said output terminal of said control signal generator while said first switching device in said dummy circuit is always set at said non-conducting state,
• said at least one level shift circuit includes a first node outputting said level-shifted control signal while said dummy circuit includes a second node corresponding to said first node,
• said driving device further comprising:
• a mask circuit connected to said first node of said at least one level shift circuit and said second node of said dummy circuit and configured to mask a signal outputted from said first node using a signal outputted from said second node to generate a masked signal;
• and
• a discriminator configured to discriminate between said conducting command and said non-conducting command on said high-potential side switching device using said masked signal.