Patent ID: 9647553
Date: 2017-05-09
CPC Classifications: H01L,H02M,H03K

Claim:
1. A power-packet-switching power converter, comprising: a plurality of phase legs which each include at least two fully bidirectional switches which can connect a respective external line to either side of a link inductor which is paralleled by a capacitor, each said bidirectional switch comprising: control circuitry which, repeatedly, turns on two selected ones of said bidirectional switches to drive energy from two respective input lines into said inductor, and then turns off all of said switches to disconnect said inductor, and then turns on a different two selected ones of said bidirectional switches to drive energy from said inductor onto two output lines; and a drive circuit which, when the control circuitry selects one of the bidirectional switches for turn-on, first shorts the emitter/collector region which is instantaneously acting as a collector to the associated base contact region, without driving the other base contact region, and then drives a base contact region of that switch, to forward bias the associated emitter/collector-base junction and permit majority carriers to flow to the other emitter/collector region on the opposing surface.