Power converter and air conditioner using same

An air conditioner, comprising:

• a rectifier composed of a plurality of bridge-connected diodes, an AC input terminal thereof being connected to an AC power source;
• reactors each connected in series in a power line connecting between said rectifier and the AC power source, respectively;
• star connection capacitors, each of one end thereof being connected to the power line between the AC power source and each of said reactors, and each of the other end thereof being connected in common;
• a chopper circuit having two switching elements connected in series between two DC output terminals of said rectifier, a mutual common junction point of the two switching elements being connected to the common junction point of said star connection capacitors, the two switching elements being controllably turned on or off at a frequency greatly higher than a frequency of the AC power source;
• a smoothing capacitor connected between the DC output terminals of said rectifier;
• ring connection capacitors each connected between two power lines and further between the AC power source and each of said reactors;
• and
• an inverter for converting DC power rectified by said rectifier and smoothed by said smoothing capacitor into AC power to supply to a motor for driving a compressor included in a refrigerating cycle.