SPARSE MATRIX MULTILEVEL ACTIVELY CLAMPED POWER CONVERTER

摘要

Power converters are presented with one or more sparse multilevel actively clamped (SMAC) power converter stages, where the individual stages include an integer number N capacitors or DC voltage sources coupled between stage DC inputs to provide L=N+1 converter stage DC voltage nodes, with a switching circuit having no more than L*(L−1) switching devices and no flying or floating DC storage capacitors, where N is greater than 2.

主权项

1. A power converter stage, comprising:
first and second converter stage DC inputs; an integer number N capacitors or DC voltage sources coupled in series with one another between the first and second converter stage DC inputs to provide an integer number L=N+1 converter stage DC voltage nodes, N being greater than 2; a converter stage output; and a switching circuit with no more than L*(L−1) switching devices and no floating DC storage capacitors, the switching circuit comprising an integer number M switching stage circuits coupled between the converter stage DC voltage nodes and the converter stage output, M being greater than 1, a first switching stage circuit being coupled with the converter stage DC voltage nodes, and a final switching state circuit being coupled with the converter stage output, the individual switching stage circuits comprising at least one switch cell circuit, the individual switch cell circuits comprising:
a single pole double throw circuit including no more than four switching devices, no floating DC storage capacitors, a first switch cell circuit input, a second switch cell circuit input, and a single switch cell circuit output selectively coupleable by the no more than four switching devices to one of the first switch cell circuit input and the second switch cell circuit input, ora single pole triple throw circuit including no more than six switching devices, no floating DC storage capacitors, a first switch cell circuit input, a second switch cell circuit input, a third switch cell circuit input, and a single switch cell circuit output selectively coupleable by the no more than six switching devices to one of the first switch cell circuit input, the second switch cell circuit input, and the third switch cell circuit input; the switching devices of the switching circuit operable according to switching control signals to selectively electrically couple the converter stage output with a single one of the L converter stage DC voltage nodes to provide one of L distinct voltage levels at the converter stage output.