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: The two secondary windings of a transformer the primary winding of which is connected to an AC power supply are each provided with a controlled rectifying circuit. The DC sides of the rectifying circuits are connected in series to supply power to DC motors. One of the secondary windings is detachably connected with a capacitor bank. The capacity of the capacitor bank is selected so that the power factor of the converter can be improved to a satisfactory value when the two rectifying circuits are both controlled to produce output voltages. The capacitor bank becomes connected in response to the fact that the current in the primary winding of a transformer has arrived at a predetermined value.

Abstract: This invention is applied to a power converter with a converting apparatus comprising one or more units including only controlled rectifiers or combination of controlled rectifiers and non-controlled rectifiers, said converting apparatus being connected with an AC power source, whereby high harmonic currents generated in the AC circuit during commutating periods are reduced.In the present invention, at the commutating period of the converting apparatus, the reactance in the AC circuit of the converter is changed to increase in accordance with change of the AC current of the converting apparatus, so that the change of the AC current during the commutating period is made more slowly thereby reducing high harmonic currents.