US 12,407,272 B2
Cell assembly and converter comprising a plurality of arms, each having such a cell assembly
Robert John Leedham, Cambridge (GB)
Assigned to MASCHINENFABRIK REINHAUSEN GMBH, Regensburg (DE)
Appl. No. 18/002,067
Filed by Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen GmbH, Regensburg (DE)
PCT Filed May 27, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/064167
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 19, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/002492, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 6, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 20182875 (EP), filed on Jun. 29, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0231495 A1, Jul. 20, 2023
Int. Cl. H02M 7/483 (2007.01); H02M 1/32 (2007.01); H02M 7/5387 (2007.01)
CPC H02M 7/4835 (2021.05) [H02M 1/325 (2021.05); H02M 7/53871 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A modular multilevel converter (MMC) comprising a plurality of arms, wherein each arm comprises a respective cell assembly, the cell assembly comprising a plurality of cells,
wherein each cell of the plurality of cells comprises: a first terminal, a second terminal, switching elements, and a capacitor, wherein the switching elements are adapted to controllably: connect the capacitor to the first terminal and to the second terminal and bypass the capacitor,
wherein the cells of the plurality of cells are connected in series in such a way that, for each pair of neighbouring cells, the first terminal of a first cell of the pair of neighbouring cells is connected to the second terminal of a second cell of the pair of neighbouring cells,
wherein each cell further comprises a bypass unit, wherein the bypass unit of each cell is connected to the first terminal and to the second terminal of the cell and adapted to controllably bypass at least one switching element of the switching elements of the cell in a short circuit configuration and to not bypass the at least one switching element in an open circuit configuration,
wherein each cell further comprises a cell controller, wherein the cell controller of each cell is adapted to provide control signals to the switching elements of the cell, such that the switching elements controllably connect the capacitor to the first terminal and to the second terminal or the switching elements bypass the capacitor,
wherein the cell controller of each cell is adapted to provide a control signal to the bypass unit of at least one of its neighbouring cells, such that the respective bypass unit controllably changes its configuration from the short circuit configuration to the open circuit configuration or from the open circuit configuration to the short circuit configuration,
wherein the bypass unit of each cell comprises at least one thyristor,
wherein each cell further comprises a power supply, wherein the power supply of each cell is adapted to provide electrical power to the bypass unit of at least one of its neighbouring cells,
wherein the cell controller of each cell is connected to a gate of the thyristor of at least one of its neighbouring cells via an n-channel metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), and
wherein the cell controller is adapted to provide control signals to the thyristor via the gate for switching between the open and closed configuration.