Abstract: The present disclosure provides a power converter, comprising: a positive terminal, a neutral terminal, a negative terminal, a first intermediate node, a second intermediate node, and an AC terminal. Vertical and horizontal switches are configured to switch a DC voltage between the positive and negative terminal to an AC voltage at the AC terminal. The AC voltage comprises three main voltage levels. A transition between any two of the main voltage levels follow a trapezoidal shape with at least one voltage sub-level.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a quasi-multi-level power converter and a method of operating the same. The power converter is capable of reconciling scalable operation voltage, multiple output voltage levels, controllable voltage rising or decreasing slew rate, and a balance between the high voltage levels and the volume/weight of passive circuit components.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for operating a resonant power converter. The resonant power converter has a primary stage and a secondary stage, at least one of which is actively operated and includes a half-bridge or full-bridge inverter having a pull-up switching device, coupled in parallel with a pull-up antiparallel diode and a pull-down switching device, coupled in parallel with a pull-down antiparallel diode, comprising the steps of alternately turning-off and turning on the pull-up and pull-down switching devices according to a periodic switching scheme, wherein after turning-off one of the switching devices the complementary switching device is respectively turned on after a delay time; and initiating an error handling, if after turning-off of one of the switching devices a non-conductance state of the antiparallel diode of the complementary switching device has been determined.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a DC/DC converter (1) for transferring an active power between two DC subsystems (5, 6) comprising: —a first converter stage (3) and a second converter stage (4) both configured to be selectively operated as an active inverter or as a passive rectifier; —an AC coupling circuit (2) for coupling the first and the second converter stage (3, 4) by means of an AC power transfer; and —a control unit (10) configured to switch the operation mode of the first and second converter stages (3, 4) depending on a measurement of an amount of power transfer through the AC coupling circuit (2).

Abstract: The invention relates to a gate unit (22) for controlling a gate commutated thyristor (21), comprising: —a voltage selector (26) for selectively applying a high supply potential (Vpos), a middle supply potential (Vmid), and a low supply potential (Vneg); —a nonlinear inductor (27) serially coupled between the output of the voltage selector (26); —a gate control unit (23) configured to control the voltage selector (26) to control switching of the gate commutated thyristor (21) in its turn-on state comprising a turn-on pulse generation, a positive-gate-voltage backporch operation, a negative-gate-voltage backporch operation and a retrigger pulse generation; wherein the nonlinear inductor (27) has a nonlinearity to have a high inductance during any of the backporch operations and to have a low inductance during the turn-on pulse generation and retrigger pulse generation.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for operating a resonant power converter. The resonant power converter has a primary stage and a secondary stage, at least one of which is actively operated and includes a half-bridge or full-bridge inverter having a pull-up switching device, coupled in parallel with a pull-up antiparallel diode and a pull-down switching device, coupled in parallel with a pull-down antiparallel diode, comprising the steps of alternately turning-off and turning on the pull-up and pull-down switching devices according to a periodic switching scheme, wherein after turning-off one of the switching devices the complementary switching device is respectively turned on after a delay time; and initiating an error handling, if after turning-off of one of the switching devices a non-conductance state of the antiparallel diode of the complementary switching device has been determined.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a power converter, comprising: a positive terminal, a neutral terminal, a negative terminal, a first intermediate node, a second intermediate node, and an AC terminal. Vertical and horizontal switches are configured to switch a DC voltage between the positive and negative terminal to an AC voltage at the AC terminal. The AC voltage comprises three main voltage levels. A transition between any two of the main voltage levels follow a trapezoidal shape with at least one voltage sub-level.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a quasi-multi-level power converter and a method of operating the same. The power converter is capable of reconciling scalable operation voltage, multiple output voltage levels, controllable voltage rising or decreasing slew rate, and a balance between the high voltage levels and the volume/weight of passive circuit components.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a DC/DC converter (1) for transferring an active power between two DC subsystems (5, 6) comprising: —a first converter stage (3) and a second converter stage (4) both configured to be selectively operated as an active inverter or as a passive rectifier; —an AC coupling circuit (2) for coupling the first and the second converter stage (3, 4) by means of an AC power transfer; and —a control unit (10) configured to switch the operation mode of the first and second converter stages (3, 4) depending on a measurement of an amount of power transfer through the AC coupling circuit (2).

Abstract: A converter system for interconnecting renewable energy sources with a DC distribution bus comprises a converter unit which comprises an isolated DC-to-DC converter connectable to the renewable energy source, and a non-isolated DC-to-DC converter connectable to the DC distribution bus, which is cascade connected with the isolated DC-to-DC converter.

Abstract: A converter system for interconnecting renewable energy sources with a DC distribution bus comprises a converter unit which comprises an isolated DC-to-DC converter connectable to the renewable energy source, and a non-isolated DC-to-DC converter connectable to the DC distribution bus, which is cascade connected with the isolated DC-to-DC converter.

Abstract: A modular converter is disclosed which includes plural converter cells connected in series on a first side, and connected on a second side, wherein each converter cell includes an AC-to-DC converter connected to the first side and a DC-to-DC converter connected to the second side. Exemplary embodiments estimate power transferred by the modular converter; compare the transferred power with a threshold value; when the transferred power exceeds the threshold value, operate in a normal load operation mode; when the transferred power is below the threshold value, operate in a low load operation mode with reduced switching losses.

Abstract: A distributed controller module for controlling a power electronics building block of a power electronics converter includes a plurality of gate drivers for controlling power electronics switches of the power electronics building block, a first fiber optics communication interface for communication with a central controller module, a second fiber optics communication interface for communication with a second distributed controller module for controlling a second power electronics building block of the power electronics converter, and a processor unit for controlling the gate drivers and transmitting and receiving data via the first fiber optics communication interface and the second fiber optics communication interface.

Abstract: A converter includes an active stage for converting an AC input voltage at an AC input into an intermediate DC voltage, and a DC/DC converter for transforming the intermediate DC voltage into an output DC voltage at a DC output. The DC/DC converter has a resonant transformer formed by a resonant circuit and a transformer. The converter also includes control unit configured to actively operate the active stage only based on an output DC voltage of the DC/DC converter, an input voltage, and an input current of the converter, and to operate the DC/DC converter in an open loop mode. A method for operating such a converter is also provided.

Abstract: A converter includes an active stage for converting an AC input voltage at an AC input into an intermediate DC voltage, and a DC/DC converter for transforming the intermediate DC voltage into an output DC voltage at a DC output. The DC/DC converter has a resonant transformer formed by a resonant circuit and a transformer. The converter also includes control unit configured to actively operate the active stage only based on an output DC voltage of the DC/DC converter, an input voltage, and an input current of the converter, and to operate the DC/DC converter in an open loop mode. A method for operating such a converter is also provided.