4-Switch Extended Commutation Cell
First Claim
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1. An extended commutation cell (ECC) subcircuit comprising:
- 4 ports (a, b, c, d);
a capacitor connected between ports c and d;
two internal nodes (N1, N2);
an inductor connected between N1 and N2;
a first switch configured to open or close an electrical connection between a and N1;
a second switch configured to open or close an electrical connection between c and N1;
a third switch configured to open or close an electrical connection between b and N2;
a fourth switch configured to open or close an electrical connection between d and N2.
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Abstract
The extended commutation cell (ECC) is a four-port, four-switch cell that allows for bidirectional energy transport in two orthogonal directions throughout the cell. By cascading multiple cells, a multilevel converter can be constructed with a high number of levels. The voltage across each cell capacitor can be adjusted independently of the load, resulting in high flexibility in output levels. Improved fault tolerance is also provided.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An extended commutation cell (ECC) subcircuit comprising:
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4 ports (a, b, c, d); a capacitor connected between ports c and d; two internal nodes (N1, N2); an inductor connected between N1 and N2; a first switch configured to open or close an electrical connection between a and N1; a second switch configured to open or close an electrical connection between c and N1; a third switch configured to open or close an electrical connection between b and N2; a fourth switch configured to open or close an electrical connection between d and N2. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An ECC subcircuit comprising:
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4 ports (a, b, c, d); a capacitor connected between ports c and d; three internal nodes (N1, N2, N3); an inductor connected between N2 and N3; a first switch configured to open or close an electrical connection between a and N1; a second switch configured to open or close an electrical connection between c and N1; a third switch configured to open or close an electrical connection between b and N2; a fourth switch configured to open or close an electrical connection between d and N2; a fifth switch configured to open an electrical connection between N1 and N3; whereby improved fault tolerance is provided. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification