Abstract: An electric power converting apparatus equipped with a 3-level PWM control in which the output voltage can be continuously and smoothly controlled from zero to a maximum voltage. The electric power converting apparatus includes a multi-pulse generating unit arranged for a dipolar modulation, a unipolar modulation, and an overmodulation; a 1-pulse generating means; and a unit for controlling the transfer operation among these modulation regions.

Abstract: A power converter including a snubber circuit which is smaller and regenerates more energy than a conventional snubber circuit. A plurality of self-quenching semiconductor switching elements are connected in series across a power supply. A capacitive element is connected to the switching elements, and is charged to more than the voltage of the power supply by a snubber action due to operation of any of the switching elements. The charge stored in the capacitive element is then regenerated to the power supply. The capacitance of the capacitive element can be almost as small as a minimum required capacitance, and can be as small as one-tenth of the capacitance required in a conventional snubber circuit, thereby providing a power converter which is smaller and has a smaller snubber loss than a conventional power converter.

Abstract: An electric railway vehicle control system including a converter for converting a single-phase a.c. voltage to a d.c. voltage, a PWM inverter for inverting the d.c. output of the converter to a variable voltage, variable frequency a.c. voltage, and a three-phase induction motor supplied with the a.c. output voltage of the inverter to drive electric railway vehicles. The control system further includes a unit for controlling the output voltage of the inverter in a variable voltage, variable frequency mode for changing the output voltage substantially relative to a change in the output frequency thereof and in a constant voltage, variable frequency control mode for fixing the output voltage to a substantially constant value, and a unit for detecting a rectification ripple in a frequency band including a frequency double the frequency of the single-phase a.c. voltage included in the d.c. input voltage to the inverter.

Abstract: The power converter of the invention relates to a small-sized highly efficient power converter for generating an a.c. voltage output of multiple levels with less harmonic content. In the power converter, a d.c. voltage source is separated into plural sections by series connected voltage dividing capacitors and multiple levels of a.c. output voltage are obtained from the divided d.c. voltage by on-off control of switching devices. The power converter has plural sets of the voltage dividing capacitors disposed separately adjacent to each switching devices, and series connection point of each set of the voltage dividing capacitors are connected to division points of the corresponding switching devices of each phase. The voltage dividing capacitors are connected with each other at their series connection points. Thereby, the arrangement makes wiring length short and equal between the switching devices and the voltage dividing capacitors for each phase and reduce a loss in the snubber circuit, resulting in an a.c.

Abstract: An electric power converting apparatus equipped with a 3-level PWM control in which the output voltage can be continuously and smoothly controlled from zero to a maximum voltage. The electric power converting apparatus includes a multi-pulse generating unit arranged for a dipolar modulation, a unipolar modulation, and an overmodulation; a 1-pulse generating means; and a unit for controlling the transfer operation among these modulation regions.

Abstract: A power converter including a snubber circuit which is smaller and regenerates more energy than a conventional snubber circuit. A plurality of self-quenching semiconductor switching elements are connected in series across a power supply. A capacitive element is connected to the switching elements, and is charged to more than the voltage of the power supply by a snubber action due to operation of any of the switching elements. The charge stored in the capacitive element is then regenerated to the power supply. The capacitance of the capacitive element can be almost as small as a minimum required capacitance, and can be as small as one-tenth of the capacitance required in a conventional snubber circuit, thereby providing a power converter which is smaller and has a smaller snubber loss than a conventional power converter.

Abstract: In a multi-series inverter arrangement comprising a DC circuit including a neutral point output terminal and a multi-series inverter including three series connections of first through fourth GTOs, each connected in parallel with the DC circuit, the juncture of the first and second GTOs and the juncture of the third and fourth GTOs being connected to the neutral point output terminal via respective clamping diodes and the first and third GTOs and the second and fourth GTOs being on and off controlled each other in a conjugate relationship, individual gate driving circuits for the second and third GTOs being designed to provide a larger gate current, in particular, a larger wide width gate forward current to the corresponding GTOs than that provided by individual gate driving circuits for the first and fourth GTOs to the corresponding GTOs.

Abstract: An electrical power converter having a phase converter constituted by positive side semiconductor switching elements connected in series and negative side semiconductor switching elements connected in series which converts a DC voltage to an AC output phase voltage having at least three potential levels, resulting in three possible modulation modes: dipolar, partial dipolar and unipolar. Dipolar modulation is realized by alternating positive and negative output pulses. Unipolar modulation is realized by output pulses having only the same polarity as the corresponding fundamental modulation wave. Transition is accomplished via partial dipolar modulation which is realized by alternating positive and negative output pulses in a first period of a half cycle by outputting alternating positive and negative pulses and in a second period by outputting pulses having only the same polarity as the corresponding fundamental modulation wave.

Abstract: In an inverter control apparatus including a pulse width modulation inverter supplied with power from a d.c. power source to generate an a.c. output, a frequency control unit controlling the output frequency of the inverter, and a voltage control unit controlling the output voltage of the inverter, a frequency adjusting unit is provided to adjust the operating frequency of the inverter so that the product of voltage and time in each positive half cycle of the output voltage of the inverter becomes equal to that in the next adjacent negative half cycle of the output voltage of the inverter.

Abstract: A power conversion system is disclosed in which a direct current is taken out of an AC power supply of variable frequency and variable voltage through a PWM converter in such a manner that in a region of low source voltage, the converter input current is limited to a predetermined value to maximize the DC power taking the voltage drop of the power supply into consideration with the power factor of "1" of the power supply, and when the current reaches an allowable maximum, it is limited to that value. In a region of high source voltage, on the other hand, the quadrature component of the input voltage applied to the source voltage is controlled preferentially in a manner to control the converter input voltage below a predetermined value, thus making it possible to secure the maximum power available from the converter over the entire range of operation. If a battery is connected to the DC side, a cooperative operation is made possible while the battery is charged properly.

Abstract: From the peripheral velocity v.sub.M of a driving wheel and vehicle velocity v, the changing rate .DELTA.v.sub.s /.DELTA.t of the relative velocity v.sub.s therebetween with respect to time is obtained. The changing rate .DELTA.f/.DELTA.t of the traction force f produced in the driving wheel at that time is obtained from a detected armature current of a motor driving the driving wheel. A driving torque produced by the motor is so controlled as to be decreased when polarities of the changing rate in the relative velocity and that in the traction force are different from each other.

Abstract: An electric locomotive has two AC-DC converters which are connected in cascade, and a power factor controller is connected to one of the converters. Two automatic pulse phase shifters are provided for the two converters and controlled by a signal responding to a difference signal between a current flowing in the converters and a reference signal. One of the input signals of the automatic pulse phase shifter is regulated by a bias signal. The output from each of the automatic pulse phase shifters to each of the converters is switched when the measured speed of the locomotive exceeds a predetermined reference speed signal.

Abstract: A power converter apparatus for an a.c. electric rolling stock comprising two transformers, each including a primary winding and a plurality of secondary windings generating the same output voltages but having different internal reactances; a pair of phase-controlled bridge rectifier circuits, each being connected to one secondary winding of each transformer; and diode bridge rectifier circuits connected to the other secondary windings, wherein the windings connected to the pair of phase-controlled bridge rectifier circuits have different internal reactances, and the phase-controlled bridge rectifier circuits are simultaneously controlled, and when the maximum output voltages from the phase-controlled bridge rectifier circuits are reached, the output voltages from the diode bridge rectifier circuits (non-phase-controlled) are increased to their maximum values, then the output voltages from the phase-controlled bridge rectifier circuits are decreased to their minimum values.