Patent ID: 7384203

Claim:
A power conversion apparatus comprising: an inverter or a converter having a plurality of individual semiconductor devices corresponding to a plurality of phases; a microcomputer control section that calculates and outputs a plurality of individual control signals to drive said individual semiconductor devices, respectively; a drive circuit that drives said individual semiconductor devices in accordance with said individual control signals; and a plurality of optical fibers that are connected between said microcomputer control section and said drive circuit so as to correspond to said individual semiconductor devices thereby to form communication mediums; wherein said drive circuit includes a test signal recognition section that outputs inherent feedback signals corresponding to said individual semiconductor devices in response to test signals from said microcomputer control section; said microcomputer control section includes an optical fiber mis-connection detection section that detects a mis-connection state of said optical fibers based on said inherent feedback signals; said control signals and said test signals corresponding to said semiconductor devices, respectively, are sent from said microcomputer control section to said drive circuit through said individual optical fibers, and inherent feedback signals corresponding to the individual semiconductor devices, respectively, are sent from said drive circuit to said microcomputer control section; at the time of connection of said plurality of optical fibers, said optical fiber mis-connection detection section sends said individual test signals to said drive circuit through said individual optical fibers; said drive circuit sends, through said individual optical fibers, said inherent feedback signals corresponding to the individual test signals to said optical fiber mis-connection detection section; and said optical fiber mis-connection detection section compares said individual inherent feedback signals with individual normal feedback signals stored beforehand, and detects a mis-connected state of said plurality of optical fibers when at least one of said inherent feedback signals does not coincide with said normal feedback signal.