Patent ID: 7019988

Claim:
A power converter operating separately or as one of a plurality which supplies power to a load utilizing power from a dc source, only one of the plurality of power converters supplying current to the load at any one time, the power converter consisting of: a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, one end of the primary winding terminating in a power terminal and the other end in a reference terminal; a primary switch having a switched terminal, a reference terminal, and a control terminal, the primary switch being off and the switched terminal being disconnected from the reference terminal when a switch-off voltage is applied to the control terminal, the primary switch being on and the switched terminal being connected to the reference terminal when a switch-on voltage is applied to the control terminal, the switched terminal being connected to the reference terminal of the primary winding, power being applied to the power converter by connections to the power terminal of the primary winding of the transformer and the reference terminal of the primary switch, the secondary winding of the transformer being the source of output power from the power converter; a capacitor connected in parallel with either the primary winding or the primary switch; a current blocker connected in series with the secondary winding of the transformer, the current blocker preventing the flow of current through the secondary winding when the primary switch is off; a means for interfacing the power converter with a load, the means comprising a first electrical conductor connected to the secondary winding of the transformer and a second electrical conductor connected to the current blocker; a controller having a plurality of terminals comprising a voltage output terminal and a reference terminal, the voltage output terminal being connected to the control terminal of the primary switch and the reference terminal being connected to the reference terminal of the primary switch, the controller alternately supplying the switch-off voltage and the switch-on voltage at the voltage output terminal.