Power converter

A driving device comprising:

• a motor for driving and generating power;
• a battery for supplying power to the motor and storing electricity;
• a power conversion circuit for converting power of the battery and for supplying the power to the motor when driving the motor, and for converting the power generated by the motor and storing electricity in the battery when the motor generates the power;
• and
• a drive circuit for driving the power conversion circuit,
• wherein the power conversion circuit includes a plurality of paired switching elements, wherein one of each paired switching elements is arranged on an upper arm and the other is arranged on a lower arm, and each pair corresponds to each phase of the motor and the drive circuit,
• wherein the power conversion circuit turns on all said switching elements on one arm and turns off all said switching elements on another arm, thereby short-circuits output terminals of said motor when a voltage applied to the power conversion circuit is increased, and
• wherein the voltage applied to the power conversion circuit is supplied to the drive circuit as a power source for driving the switching elements.