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Multi-level power converter

  • US 7,489,487 B2
  • Filed: 03/29/2006
  • Issued: 02/10/2009
  • Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2006
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A multi-level power converter, comprising:

  • a DC power source having N terminals with N-level voltage potentials, wherein N is an Integer more than two;

    a plurality of switching legs connected in parallel to the DC power source having,2(N-1) switching elements connected in series, and2(N-2) clamp diodes connected between (N-2) intermediate DC potential terminals and middle points of the switching legs respectively, in order to clamp the potential of the middle points of the switching legs;

    a control means for supplying gate pulses to the switching elements so that a N-level phase voltage may be obtained from a central point of each of the switching legs;

    a plurality of supervising means, each supervising means for supervising a respective of the switching elements to output a failure signal when a voltage between positive and negative terminals of the respective of the switching elements exceeds a predetermined threshold voltage level during a period of its ON-state, by inputting to an AND circuit the voltage and a gate pulse for switching the respective of the switching elements; and

    a logic operating means for detecting an over-current failure of main circuit elements to output a device fault signal using the failure signals from the plurality of supervising means;

    wherein an operation of the logic operating means at least includes AND condition of at least two failure signals to output the device fault signal.

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