Patentsabstracts

ABSTRACT
Bidirectionalswitchesforusewithneutralpoint

clampedPWMinvertershaveutilizedclamping
switcheswhichareoperatedalternatelywithmain
powerswitchesintheinvertertoperiodicallyconnect
anoutputterminaloftheinvertertoaneutralvoltage.

However,adelayperiodistypicallyinterposedbe
tweenturnoffofamainpowerswitchandturnonof

theclampingswitchtominimizethepossibilityofa

potentiallydestructiveshootthroughcondition.This
delayadverselyaffectsthequalityofthepowerdevel
opedbytheinverterandleadstoanundesiredincrease
inthesizeofsnubbercircuitscoupledacrossthepower
switches.Inordertoovercometheseproblems,abi

directionalswitchaccordingtothepresentinvention

includescircuitryforprovidingahighimpedancepath
inseriescircuitsincludingthemainpowerswitchesand
theclampingswitchsothatshootthroughcurrentsare
blockedevenwhenoneofthemainpowerswitchesand

theclampingswitcharesimultaneouslyon.Thedelays
betweenturnoffofamainpowerswitchandturnonof

theclampingswitchcantherebybereducedorelimi

nated,therebyresultinginimprovedqualityoftheout
putpoweroftheinverterandareductioninthesizeof
snubbercircuitsusedtherein.
AhighpoWermotordriveconverterincludes:a?velevel

4,117,3649/1978
Baker......................................318/230
lgggdtlfpcbollput20W?conl'ergionsggeinihdlng
three
4,137,5701/1979Baker........................................363/43Pas?ngesavmgSW1:65an
C011,?6maWye

4716777759/1979BakeretaL363/42con?gurationthroughaconverterneutralpoint,
eachNPC
4721078267/198OBaker________307/254phasebridgereceivingpoWeronarespectivedirect
current
4,270,1635/1981Baker_______363/43bus;threeisolatedsplitseriesconnectedDCcapacitor
banks
4,855,8938/1989KratZ.......................................363/136eachcoupledinparallel
toarespectiveoneofthethreeNPC

4,881,15911/1989HoltZetal................................363/58phasebridges;anda
Controllerforselectingswitchpositions
47961712910/1990Shekhawat~~~~~~363/40Withactivecontrolofneutralvoltages.The
controlleris
5,060,12910/1991Maruyama''''''''''''"363/41adaptedtoselectsWitchpositionsusingfeedforWardsine

515567510/1992Maruyamaeta1363/98trianlemodulationWiththirdharmonicin'ection
Zero
5,274,54212/1993Tanakaetal.363/96g...dd..dll...

57355729710/1994KawabataetaL'sequence1n]ect1on,an/oriscontmuousmouat1on1n]ec
5,361,19611/1994Tanamachietal.......................363/41on

Multilevelvoltagearrangementhavingatransformeranda
g'TECHNOLOGY5Lpowerconverterorinvertercomprisingoneormorecommon
''DClinksconnectabletoapoWersource,saidarrangement

21A1'N'213/331051comprisingone?rstsetofHbridgesbeingconnectedtosaid
()pp0commonDClink,WhereineachofsaidHbridgescomprises
(22)Filed:Dec_20,2011WithatleasttWonodesconnectedtotheendsofWiringsat
the
primarysideofatransfer,Whereincontrolmeansarecon?g

(30)ForeignApplicationPriorityDatauredforcontrollingHbridgessoastoachieve
amultilevel

voltagesignalbetweenthe?rstnodeandthesecondnodeof
Dec.22,2010(ES)...............................ES201001600SaidHbridges~