Abstract: A control device and method for large power converters having a high number of power cells may contain power semiconductor switching elements, receive commands from a central control unit, and send information to the central control unit. The control device comprises multiplexer/demultiplexer device(s), which comprises an uplink port for connection to the central control unit, a plurality of downlink ports for direct connection to a communications interface of an associated power cell, and a communications control and management module. The communications control and management module may extract information from a transmit frame received from the central control unit via the uplink port, may feed this information to the corresponding downlink port for the relevant power cell , may insert response information received from particular power cells into a receive frame, and may send this via the uplink port to the central control unit.

Abstract: A control device and method for large power converters having a high number of power cells may contain power semiconductor switching elements, receive commands from a central control unit, and send information to the central control unit. The control device comprises multiplexer/demultiplexer device(s), which comprises an uplink port for connection to the central control unit, a plurality of downlink ports for direct connection to a communications interface of an associated power cell, and a communications control and management module. The communications control and management module may extract information from a transmit frame received from the central control unit via the uplink port, may feed this information to the corresponding downlink port for the relevant power cell , may insert response information received from particular power cells into a receive frame, and may send this via the uplink port to the central control unit.

Abstract: A method for operating a slave node of a digital bus system is described. The slave node comprises two sending and receiving devices. In the bus system, an input data frame is sent to a master node in input direction. The slave node receives the input data frame by the first sending and receiving device. The slave node stores service data packets contained in the input data frame in a FIFO memory. The slave node attaches at least one process data packet of its own to a last process data packet in the input data frame. The slave node attaches the service data packets to the process data packet, which is now last, in the input data frame. The slave node sends the input data frame, which was changed in this manner, to the next node in input direction by the second sending and receiving device.

Abstract: A method for operating a slave node of a digital bus system is described. The slave node comprises two sending and receiving devices. In the bus system, an input data frame is sent to a master node in input direction. The slave node receives the input data frame by the first sending and receiving device. The slave node stores service data packets contained in the input data frame in a FIFO memory. The slave node attaches at least one process data packet of its own to a last process data packet in the input data frame. The slave node attaches the service data packets to the process data packet, which is now last, in the input data frame. The slave node sends the input data frame, which was changed in this manner, to the next node in input direction by the second sending and receiving device.