Converter circuit arrangement with protection circuit

• US 5,969,959 A
• Filed: 08/18/1998
• Issued: 10/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: Asea Brown Boveri AG (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Rees, Jochen, Odegard, Bjorn
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Peter S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vu, Bao Q.
• Application Number:
  US09/135,172
• Time in Patent Office: 427 Days
• Field of Search: 363/37, 363/39, 363/51, 363/68, 363/54, 363/57, 363/128, 363/135, 363/85, 363/96
• US Class Current: 363/51
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/1216 for AC-AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/10 arranged for operation in series, e.g. for multiplication of voltage

Abstract

A converter circuit arrangement is specified having a rectifier, an intermediate circuit and an invertor connected thereto. In order to protect the circuit against failures and overvoltage, a protection circuit which comprises, in particular, varistors is connected between the two partial rectifiers of the rectifier.

Claims

1. A converter circuit comprising

a rectifier (1, 2), in particular having a 12-pulse topology, having a first partial rectifier (1) and having a second partial rectifier (1) which are connected to an AC power supply (3) and supply a DC intermediate circuit (4), the first partial rectifier (1) being connected to a positive connection (5) of the DC intermediate circuit (4), and the second partial rectifier (2) being connected to a negative connection (6) of the DC intermediate circuit (4),

an invertor (9) which is connected to the DC intermediate circuit (4);

wherein a protection circuit (7) is connected between the two partial rectifiers (1,

     2) and a mid-potential (8) of the DC intermediate circuit (4).

2. The circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protection circuit (7) comprises first, second and third voltage limiter elements (V1, V2, V3), the first voltage limiter elements (V1) being connected on one side to the first partial rectifier (1), the second voltage limiter elements (V2) being connected on one side to the second partial rectifier (2), the third voltage limiter elements (V3) being connected on one side to the mid-potential (8), and all three voltage limiter elements being connected on the other side to a common node (10).

3. The circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first and second voltage limiter elements (V1, V2) can be switched on and off.

4. The circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 2 wherein the voltage limiter elements (V1, V2, V3) comprise varistors or other elements having a related current/voltage characteristic.

5. The circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein switches (S1, S2) are arranged in parallel with the varistors of the first and second voltage limiter elements (V1, V2).