US 4,061,957 AGranted

Electric energy conversion apparatus

OwnerReinout Jan Vaderinventor

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Abstract

An electric energy conversion apparatus comprising a.d.c. - a.c. conversion unit with a first solid state controllable power switch arrangement and a second solid state controllable auxiliary switch arrangement. Said first and second switch arrangements have their respective outputs connected to the respective ends of a primary winding of a transformer for providing at its secondary winding an a.c. voltage derived by the recurrent on-off switching action of said first power switch arrangement from an input d.c. The switching action performed by said first power switch arrangement is controlled by a control circuit arrangement in such a manner that said first switch arrangement is always switched into its non-conductive state prior to saturation of the core material of said transformer, and is switched into its conductive state directly following the switching action causing said second switch arrangement to become non-conductive. With said d.c.-a.c. convesion unit various alternative embodiments of an electric-energy converter can be assembled. For instance two of said units can be operated in a parallel configuration with a common control circuit arrangement. By inclusion of a rectifying circuit arrangement or a cyclo-converter in the circuitry of said secondary transformer writting d.c.-a.c.-d.c. or d.c.-a.c.sub.1 -a.c.sub.2 converters can be made at option.

Claims41

Dependent claims

An electrical energy conversion apparatus comprising:

at least one converter comprising:
a transformer having a saturable core on which are wound a plurality of input windings including a tapped main input winding, and an output winding;
a high-power first transistor configuration connected to one end of said tapped main input winding of said transformer, said first transistor configuration having a control electrode;
and
a low-power second transistor configuration connected to the other end of said main input winding and having a control electrode;
a rectifying circuit connected to said output winding, said rectifying circuit being in the current-conducting state only when said first transistor configuration is in the conducting state;
and
a circuit connected to said control electrodes of said first and second transistor configurations for controlling the switching actions thereof;
whereby when a voltage is supplied to said energy conversion apparatus, said first and second transistors are alternately switched into the conducting state and said transformer core is magnetized in alternating directions, said control circuit being operative to switch said first transistor configuration out of the conducting state before said transformer core is driven into saturation during each cycle, said first transistor configuration being switched into the conducting state when said second transistor configuration is switched into the non-conducting state, said second transistor configuration being switched into its non-conducting state when said transformer core reaches saturation while said second transistor configuration is in the conducting state.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.