A method and related apparatus for extending a DC voltage range of a rectifier circuit for the supply, from an AC grid, of a DC load which is connected to a DC rectifier output of the rectifier circuit, wherein an AC rectifier input of the rectifier circuit is connected via a grid connection point to the AC grid, wherein the rectifier circuit includes an AC/DC converter having an AC input and a DC output, wherein the AC/DC converter includes a converter circuit having semiconductor switches and freewheeling diodes connected in an antiparallel arrangement thereto, wherein an inductance is connected between the AC input of the AC/DC converter and the grid connection point. The method includes setting a desired DC operating voltage U.sub.DOC,soll on the DC output of the AC/DC converter or on the DC rectifier output, or both, by an actuation of semiconductor switches of the AC/DC converter, wherein, when the desired DC operating voltage U.sub.DC,soll lies below a value of an amplitude .Math..sub.4 of an alternating voltage on the AC input of the AC/DC converter, the semiconductor switches of the AC/DC converter are actuated for an exchange of reactive power Q.sub.1(t) with the AC grid, which has a voltage-lowering effect upon the amplitude .Math..sub.4 of the AC voltage at the AC input of the AC/DC converter, such that the amplitude .Math..sub.4 approaches the desired DC operating voltage U.sub.DC,soll, and wherein the exchange of the reactive power Q.sub.1(t) with the AC grid is executed during or shortly before an electrical connection or an electrical isolation of the DC load to or from the rectifier circuit.

The present invention provides a Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) in which M redundant sub-modules are additionally arranged in addition to the N sub-modules that are needed for operation, and the N+M sub-modules are controlled so as to participate in switching in turn.

The MMC according to an embodiment of the present invention includes multiple sub-modules connected in series with each other and a controller for controlling on/off switching of the sub-modules. Here, the multiple sub-modules include N sub-modules that participate in the operation of the MMC and M redundant sub-modules for replacing a failing sub-module when at least one of the N sub-modules fails, and the controller switches on the sub-module if the carrier signal assigned thereto is higher than a preset reference signal, and switches off the sub-module if the carrier signal assigned thereto is lower than the reference signal.

The present application provides a controller for a switching power supply such as a DC-DC converter which provides an output voltage and an output current. The controller is configured to provide at least one control signal to operate the switching power supply to maintain the output voltage at a first reference voltage. The controller employs a load line compensator responsive to output current for adjusting the reference voltage employed by the compensator. The load line compensator employs one or either or both of a high pass filter or saturating element to provide a filtered/saturated value which is the value employed in adjusting the reference voltage.

A communication device for connection with a power source and a host device is provided. The communication device comprises a device controller and a converter circuit. The device controller is adapted for data communication with the host device and the converter circuit is configured to provide a virtual device ground at least to the device controller, so as to compensate a ground potential difference between the host device and the communication device.

A transient boost controller for controlling a transient boost circuit of a voltage regulator includes a feedback circuit and a processing circuit. The feedback circuit obtains a first feedback signal and a second feedback signal sensed from an output capacitor of the voltage regulator, wherein the first feedback signal is derived from a voltage signal at a first plate of the output capacitor, and the second feedback signal is derived from a voltage signal at a second plate of the output capacitor. The processing circuit generates a detection result according to the first feedback signal and the second feedback signal, and outputs the detection result for controlling the transient boost circuit of the voltage regulator.

A supply node receives supply voltage and an output node provides a regulated output voltage to a load. A switching transistor is coupled between the supply and output nodes. The switching transistor is controlled by a drive signal generated by a control circuit to control switching activity. The control circuit includes circuitry to sense a feedback voltage indicative of the regulated output voltage and a comparator generating a comparison logic signal dependent on a comparison of the feedback voltage to a reference. A logic circuit generates a skip signal in response to the comparison logic signal. A counter generates a termination signal. Signal processing circuitry controls the switching activity by asserting the drive signal as a function of the skip signal and the termination signal.

A system may include a power converter comprising at least one stage having a dual anti-wound inductor having a first winding and a second winding constructed such that its windings generate opposing magnetic fields in its magnetic core and constructed such that a coupling coefficient between the first winding and the second winding is less than approximately 0.95 and a current control subsystem for controlling an electrical current through the dual anti-wound inductor, the current control subsystem configured to minimize a magnitude of a magnetizing electrical current of the dual anti-wound inductor to prevent core saturation of the dual anti-wound inductor and regulate an amount of output electrical current delivered by the power converter to the load in accordance with a reference input signal.

Embodiments of this application provide a converter control method, a converter control apparatus, and a readable storage medium. The control method includes: obtaining a real-time input voltage and a real-time output voltage of a converter; determining a corresponding real-time closed-loop control output value of the converter based on the real-time input voltage and the real-time output voltage by using a closed-loop control algorithm; determining a real-time control strategy of a switch tube of the converter from at least three control strategies based on the real-time closed-loop control output value; and controlling the switch tube based on the determined real-time control strategy. The control method is used to implement efficient and high-precision voltage stabilization control.

A subtracting unit calculates a voltage deviation of an output voltage of a DC-to-DC converter from a target voltage. A feedback control variable calculator calculates a feedback control variable in each control cycle. In a control cycle in which a crossing of the output voltage and the target voltage is detected by a feedforward control determination unit, a feedforward control variable calculator calculates a feedforward control variable so that a change in the output voltage is prevented. A switching control signal generator generates a control signal for the DC-to-DC converter for controlling the output voltage, according to a summation of the feedforward control variable and the feedback control variable.

A power supply is configured to perform an at least partial compensation of a voltage variation caused by a load change using a voltage variation compensation mechanism which is triggered in response to an expected load change. An Automated test equipment for testing a device under test comprises a power supply, which is configured to supply the device under test. The automated test equipment comprises a pattern generator configured to provide one or more stimulus signals for the device under test. The power supply is configured to perform an at least partial compensation of a voltage variation caused by a load change using a voltage variation compensation mechanism which is activated in synchronism with one or more of the stimulus signals and/or in response to one or more response data signals from the device under test. Corresponding methods and a computer program are also described.