# US 2017/0288592 A1 · Electric energy converter, power train comprising such a converter and related electric transport vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2017/0288592 A1 - Document ID: US20170288592A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/476,570 - Filed: 2017-03-31 - Published: 2017-10-05 - Earliest claimed: 2016-04-01 - Assignees: Alstom Transport Technologies - Applicants: Alstom Transport Technologies - Inventors: Jean-Pierre LEPAGE - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170288592A1 ## CPC - H02P 27/06: using DC to AC converters or inverters (H02P27/05 takes precedence) - B61C 3/00: Electric locomotives or railcars (characterised by power transmission B61C9/00; electrical features B60L; H02) - H02M 1/088: for the simultaneous control of series or parallel connected semiconductor devices - H02M 7/537: using semiconductor devices only, e.g. single switched pulse inverters - H02M 7/5387: in a bridge configuration - H03K 17/12: Modifications for increasing the maximum permissible switched current - H02P: CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORS OR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS - B61C: LOCOMOTIVES; MOTOR RAILCARS (vehicles in general B60; frames or bogies B61F; special railroad equipment for locomotives B61J, B61K) - H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P) - H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M) ## Abstract This electric energy converter for converting a first energy into a second energy comprises two first terminals for the first energy, at least one second terminal for the second electric energy, P switching arms, each including two switching half-arms connected in series between the two first terminals and connected to one another at a midpoint that is connected to a respective second terminal. Each half-arm including N switching half-branches connected in parallel, N≧2, each switching half-branch including a switch. This converter further comprises 2×P control modules, each control module being configured to control the switches of a respective half-arm, each control module including an output terminal for each respective switch, each output terminal being configured to deliver a control signal for said respective switch. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electric energy converter configured to convert a first electric energy into a second electric energy, comprising: two first terminals associated with the first electric energy; at least one second terminal associated with the second electric energy; P switching arms, P being an integer greater than or equal to 1, each switching arm including two switching half-arms connected in series between the two first terminals and connected to one another at a midpoint, the midpoint being connected to a respective second terminal, each switching half-arm including N switching half-branches connected in parallel, N being an integer greater than or equal to 2, each switching half-branch including a switch, wherein the electric energy converter further comprises 2×P control modules, each control module being configured to control the switches of a respective switching half-arm, each control module including an output terminal for each respective switch, each output terminal being configured to deliver a control signal for said respective switch, and wherein the electric energy converter comprises a respective control loop for each switch, each control loop being connected between a respective output terminal and the corresponding switch, and including two capacitors and two switching members to switch the corresponding switch into a state from among an open state and a closed state. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electric energy converter according to claim 1, wherein at least one control module is further configured to synchronize the switching operations of the switches of a respective switching half-arm. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The electric energy converter according to claim 2, wherein each control module that is able to synchronize the switching operations of the switches of a respective switching half-arm is configured to control the delivery of the control signals of said switches based on predefined switching delays, a predefined switching delay being associated with each of the switches of said switching half-arm. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The electric energy converter according to claim 1, wherein at least one switch is a two-way switch. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The electric energy converter according to claim 4, wherein each two-way switch includes a transistor and a diode connected in antiparallel with transistor. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The electric energy converter according to claim 5, wherein at least one transistor is made from silicon carbide. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The electric energy converter according to claim 5, wherein at least one transistor is a field-effect transistor. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The electric energy converter according to claim 1, wherein the number P of switching arms is equal to 3. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The electric energy converter according to claim 1, wherein the number N is equal to 3. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) A traction chain for an electric transport vehicle, the traction chain comprising an electric motor and an electric energy converter connected to the electric motor, wherein the electric energy converter is according to claim 1. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) An electric transport vehicle comprising such a traction chain, configured to cause the vehicle to move, wherein the traction chain is according to the preceding claim 10.