Patent ID: 9590490
Date: 2017-03-07
CPC Classifications: H01H,H02H,H02M

Claim:
1. An inrush current suppression circuit that is provided in an electric power conversion apparatus and suppresses inrush current that occurs when power is turned on, the electric power conversion apparatus including an inverter circuit and a drive power circuit that generates direct voltages of two levels as drive voltages to be applied to a gate of each of switching elements included in the inverter circuit, wherein the inrush current suppression circuit comprises: an inrush current prevention resistor disposed between a converter circuit that generates DC voltage to be supplied to the inverter circuit and a smoothing capacitor; a relay connected in parallel to the inrush current prevention resistor; and a relay control circuit that applies to the relay a higher direct voltage between the direct voltages of the two levels when the relay control circuit shifts a state of the relay from an open state to a closed state, and after the relay is set to the closed state, applies to the relay a lower direct voltage between the direct voltages of the two levels when the relay control circuit maintains the closed state.