Patent ID: 6351399
Filing Date: 2002-02-26
Classification: H02M

Abstract:
A power converter comprising:a main circuit including: a plurality of semiconductor element rows each having a plurality of semiconductor elements connected to one another in series, said semiconductor element rows being connected, at opposite ends thereof, to one another in parallel, and at least one of the semiconductor elements in each of the semiconductor element rows being a switching semiconductor element, a DC main power source connected between junctions of the semiconductor element rows, and a load connected to a series junction of the semiconductor elements in each of the semiconductor element rows; a respective level shift circuit associated with each of the switching semiconductor elements, and configured to receive a control signal at an input side thereof and to shift, relative to a reference potential at the input side, a level of a reference potential at an output side of the level shift circuit so as to follow variations of a reference potential of the respective switching semiconductor element; a respective drive circuit configured to receive a signal from the respective level shift circuit and configured to output a drive control signal to the respective switching semiconductor element; a DC control power source having a negative pole connected to a point of the main circuit and configured to supply electric power to the input side of each respective level shift circuit; and at least one of a first inductor and a first resistance inserted between the point of the main circuit and the negative pole of the DC control power source, wherein electric power supplied from the DC main power source is converted into an alternating current or an on/off current in response to an input of the drive control signal so as to be supplied to the load.