Patent ID: 7599200

Claim:
An electric power converter comprising: a main circuit unit comprising: a converter unit configured to convert a first alternating current (AC) voltage into a direct current (DC) voltage; a switching unit comprising a switching element configured to convert the DC voltage into a second AC voltage, wherein the second AC voltage has an a frequency value and a voltage value, and the second AC voltage is supplied to a load; a first storage unit configured to store at least: characteristics of the main circuit unit, calibration values of a plurality of detectors, a production history, an operation history, and specifications of the main circuit unit; and the plurality of detectors; and a control unit comprising a second storage unit configured to prestore setup information, wherein the setup information includes a setting for driving the load, which includes an operating mode of the load or a setting for display, wherein the control unit is configured to control the switching element to reach a desired on or off state based on: information concerning an operation of the load preset by the second storage unit, and information provided by the plurality of detectors, wherein the main circuit unit and the control unit are detachably attached to each other such that the control unit can be replaced with another control unit which is of a different type than that of the control unit.