Patent ID: 11888396
Assignee: TOKYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND
Field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H  Y | IPC H

Claim 0:
1. A chopper circuit which converts a voltage between a first direct-current voltage on a first external connection terminal and a second direct-current voltage on a second external connection terminal, the circuit comprising:
a first switch unit including the first external connection terminal;
a second switch unit connected in series with the first switch unit to conduct electricity in a direction identical to the direction in which the first switch unit conducts electricity in an ON state, and including a second external connection terminal on a side opposite to a side on which the first switch unit is connected to the second switch unit;
at least one semiconductor power converter comprising one of a single semiconductor power converter and a plurality of semiconductor power converters cascaded to each other, provided on wiring branching from wiring connecting the first switch unit to the second switch unit;
an inductor connected in series with the at least one semiconductor power converter, on the wiring branching from the wiring connecting the first switch unit to the second switch unit;
a semiconductor power converter control unit configured to control a power conversion operation of the at least one semiconductor power converter to output a current containing a direct-current component and an alternating-current component having a predetermined period; and
a switch control unit configured to control one of the first switch unit and the second switch unit to be ON and control the other switch unit to be OFF, the switch control unit being configured to perform switching from ON to OFF and switching from OFF to ON for the first switch unit and the second switch unit when a value of a current output from the at least one semiconductor power converter is controlled to be not more than a predetermined value by the semiconductor power converter control unit.