FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[See section 10, Rule 13]
DRIVE DEVICE FOR RAILWAY VEHICLE;
MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION, A CORPORATION ORGANISED
AND EXISTING UNDER THE LAWS OF JAPAN, WHOSE ADDRESS IS 7-3,
MARUNOUCHI 2-CHOME, CHIYODA-KU, TOKYO 100-8310, JAPAN
THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATION PARTICULARLY DESCRIBES THE
INVENTION AND THE MANNER IN WHICH IT IS TO BE PERFORMED.
2
DESCRIPTION
TITLE OF THE INVENTION:
DRIVE DEVICE FOR RAILWAY VEHICLE
5
Field
[0001] The present disclosure relates to a drive device
for a railway vehicle that operates by receiving power
supply from either a single-phase power supply or a three-
phase power supply.10
Background
[0002] In the following Patent Literature 1, a
configuration example of a drive device for a railway
vehicle that operates by receiving power supply from either15
an alternating-current overhead contact line or a three-
phase alternating-current generator is described. The
alternating-current overhead contact line and the three-
phase alternating-current generator are a plurality of
different alternating-current power supplies, and the20
three-phase alternating-current generator is driven by an
engine.
[0003] In Patent Literature 1, a configuration is
disclosed in which the drive device for a railway vehicle
includes a power conversion circuit that includes:25
alternating-current input ends, the number of which
corresponds to the maximum number of phases among a
plurality of different alternating-current power supplies,
and that converts alternating-current power into direct-
current power; and a switching means for switching a30
connection state between the alternating-current power
supplies and the power conversion circuit. The connection
state is switched according to the alternating-current
3
power supplies.
Citation List
Patent Literature
[0004] Patent Literature 1: WO 2012/105282 A5
Summary of Invention
Problem to be solved by the Invention
[0005] However, in the drive device for a railway
vehicle described in Patent Literature 1, a rectifier10
circuit that rectifies the three-phase alternating current
output from the three-phase alternating-current generator
is required separately from a rectifier circuit that
rectifies a single-phase alternating current output from
the alternating-current overhead contact line. The15
rectifier circuit to be added needs to be additionally
provided to a unit on which the existing rectifier circuit
is mounted, or a new unit needs to be provided. In a case
where the rectifier circuit is additionally provided to the
existing unit, a problem may arise, such as an increase in20
size of the device. In a case where a new unit is
provided, problems may arise, such as an increase in
installation space or a decrease in reliability due to an
increase in the number of components.
[0006] The present disclosure has been made in view of25
the above, and an object of the present disclosure is to
obtain a drive device for a railway vehicle that is capable
of inhibiting an increase in size of the device, an
increase in installation space, or a decrease in
reliability.30
Means to Solve the Problem
[0007] In order to solve the above problems and achieve
4
the object, a drive device for a railway vehicle according
to the present disclosure is a drive device for a railway
vehicle that operates by receiving power supply from a
single-phase power supply or a three-phase power supply.
The drive device includes a converter circuit, an inverter5
circuit, a brake chopper circuit, and a power consumption
circuit. The converter circuit includes a plurality of
switching elements connected in a full bridge, and first
and second alternating-current input ends. The converter
circuit converts alternating-current power supplied from10
the single-phase power supply or the three-phase power
supply into direct-current power. The inverter circuit
includes a plurality of switching elements connected in a
three-phase bridge. The inverter circuit converts the
direct-current power supplied from the converter circuit15
into alternating-current power and supplies the
alternating-current power obtained by conversion to a drive
motor. The brake chopper circuit is connected in parallel
to the converter circuit. The brake chopper circuit
includes at least two legs in each of which a first20
switching element located on a high-potential side and a
semiconductor element located on a low-potential side are
connected in series. The two legs include a first leg in
which a connection point between the first switching
element and the semiconductor element forms a third25
alternating-current input end. The power consumption
circuit includes a resistor connected in parallel to both
ends of the semiconductor element. The power consumption
circuit consumes surplus power of regenerative power
generated when the drive motor operates as a generator by30
the resistor. A voltage output from the single-phase power
supply is applied to the first and second alternating-
current input ends via a first switch. In addition, a
5
first phase voltage among voltages output from the three-
phase power supply is applied to the third alternating-
current input end via a second switch. In addition, second
and third phase voltages among the voltages output from the
three-phase power supply are applied to the first and5
second alternating-current input ends, respectively, via
the second switch.
Effects of the Invention
[0008] According to the present disclosure, the drive10
device for a railway vehicle can obtain an effect that an
increase in size of the device, an increase in installation
space, or a decrease in reliability can be inhibited.
Brief Description of Drawings15
[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration
of a drive device for a railway vehicle according to a
first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a
hardware configuration that implements functions of a20
control device in the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating another example
of the hardware configuration that implements the functions
of the control device in the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a25
drive device for a railway vehicle according to a second
embodiment.
Description of Embodiments
[0010] Hereinafter, a drive device for a railway vehicle30
according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be
described in detail with reference to the accompanying
drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are
6
examples, and the scope of the present disclosure is not
limited to the following embodiments. In addition, in the
following description, physical connection and electrical
connection are not distinguished from each other, and are
simply referred to as “connection”. That is, the term5
“connection” includes both a case where constituent
elements are directly connected to each other and a case
where constituent elements are indirectly connected to each
other via another constituent element.
[0011] First Embodiment.10
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a
drive device 100 for a railway vehicle according to a first
embodiment. FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration example of
a main circuit in the drive device 100 for a railway
vehicle. The drive device 100 for a railway vehicle15
according to the first embodiment is a drive device that
operates by receiving power supply from either a single-
phase power supply or a three-phase power supply. FIG. 1
illustrates an alternating-current overhead contact line 11
as a single-phase power supply and a three-phase generator20
18 as a three-phase power supply. An example of the three-
phase generator 18 is a three-phase synchronous generator.
In addition, FIG. 1 illustrates two drive motors 16 driven
by the drive device 100 for a railway vehicle. The two
drive motors 16 are installed in a truck of a railway25
vehicle (not illustrated) and provide a driving force to a
set train including the railway vehicle.
[0012] The drive device 100 for a railway vehicle
includes a converter circuit 20, a filter capacitor 30, a
brake chopper circuit 40, an inverter circuit 50, a power30
consumption circuit 60, and a control device 70. Around
the drive device 100 for a railway vehicle, a switching
device 14, a first switch 15, and a second switch 17 are
7
disposed. Electromagnetic contactors can be used as the
switching device 14, the first switch 15, and the second
switch 17. The electromagnetic contactor has low
conduction loss when it is on. Therefore, the
electromagnetic contactor is suitable as a peripheral5
circuit component for a railway vehicle in which a large
current flows.
[0013] The voltage of the alternating-current overhead
contact line 11 is applied to a primary side of a main
transformer 13 via a power collector 12. The voltage10
applied to the primary side of the main transformer 13 is
stepped down by the main transformer 13. The stepped-down
voltage is output from a secondary side of the main
transformer 13, and is applied to the converter circuit 20
via the switching device 14 and the first switch 15. In15
addition, a three-phase voltage output from the three-phase
generator 18 is applied to the converter circuit 20 via the
second switch 17. Note that the voltage on the secondary
side of the main transformer 13 and the three-phase voltage
of the three-phase generator 18 are not simultaneously20
applied to the converter circuit 20.
[0014] The converter circuit 20 includes switching
elements 21 to 24 that are connected in a full bridge.
Examples of the switching elements 21 to 24 are insulated
gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) illustrated in the25
drawing, but switching elements other than the IGBT may be
used for the switching elements 21 to 24. A diode
connected in reversely parallel is provided at both ends of
each switching element. The reversely parallel is a
connection form in which an anode of the diode is connected30
to an emitter of the IGBT and a cathode of the diode is
connected to a collector of the IGBT. In a case where the
switching elements 21 to 24 do not perform switching
8
operation, the converter circuit 20 operates as a rectifier
circuit using four diodes that are connected in a full
bridge. In addition, the number of switching elements in
the converter circuit 20 is not limited to four, and may be
four or more corresponding to a circuit configuration such5
as a three-level converter or a multi-level converter.
[0015] The converter circuit 20 includes an alternating-
current input ends 2a and 2b. A connection point between
the switching elements 21 and 22 connected in series is the
alternating-current input end 2a, and a connection point10
between the switching elements 23 and 24 connected in
series is the alternating-current input end 2b. Note that,
in the present specification, the alternating-current input
end 2a may be referred to as a “first alternating-current
input end” and the alternating-current input end 2b may be15
referred to as a “second alternating-current input end” in
some cases.
[0016] The alternating-current input end 2a is connected
to one end of the secondary side of the main transformer 13
via the first switch 15, and the alternating-current input20
end 2b is connected to another end of the secondary side of
the main transformer 13 via the first switch 15 and the
switching device 14. The another end of the secondary side
is switched to either a tap end A or B. Here, the tap ends
A and B will be explained.25
[0017] For example, in Europe, the following two power
supplies are commonly used as standards as the types of
alternating-current power supplies.
(1) Power supply 1: AC 15 kV - 16.7 Hz
(2) Power supply 2: AC 25 kV - 50 Hz30
[0018] When the type of the alternating-current power
supply is only the power supply 1, the switching device 14
is fixed such that the input to the alternating-current
9
input end 2b is output from the tap end B. Furthermore,
when the type of the alternating-current power supply is
only the power supply 2, the switching device 14 is fixed
such that the input to the alternating-current input end 2b
is output from the tap end A. In addition, in a case where5
the power supplies 1 and 2 are both used, the switching
device 14 is switched to either the tap end A or B
according to the type of alternating-current power supply.
As a result, even in a railway vehicle traveling on a
plurality of types of alternating-current power supplies,10
the voltage input to the drive device for a railway vehicle
can be made substantially constant.
[0019] The filter capacitor 30 is connected to both
output ends of the converter circuit 20. The filter
capacitor 30 smooths and holds a direct-current voltage15
including a ripple output from the converter circuit 20.
[0020] In addition, the filter capacitor 30 is connected
to both input ends of the inverter circuit 50. The direct-
current voltage smoothed by the filter capacitor 30 is
applied to the inverter circuit 50.20
[0021] The inverter circuit 50 includes switching
elements 51 to 56 that are connected in a three-phase
bridge. Examples of the switching elements 51 to 56 are
IGBTs illustrated in the drawing, but switching elements
other than the IGBT may be used for the switching elements25
51 to 56. A diode connected in reversely parallel is
provided at both ends of each switching element.
[0022] The switching elements 51 and 52 are connected in
series to form a U-phase leg, the switching elements 53 and
54 are connected in series to form a V-phase leg, and the30
switching elements 55 and 56 are connected in series to
form a W-phase leg.
[0023] The inverter circuit 50 includes alternating-
10
current output ends 5a, 5b, and 5c. A connection point
between the switching elements 51 and 52 connected in
series, that is, a connection point between the switching
elements in the U-phase leg, is the alternating-current
output end 5a. Similarly, a connection point between the5
switching elements in the V-phase leg is the alternating-
current output end 5b, and a connection point between the
switching elements in the W-phase leg is the alternating-
current output end 5c.
[0024] The two drive motors 16 are each connected to the10
alternating-current output ends 5a, 5b, and 5c. As a
result, three-phase alternating-current voltages output
from the alternating-current output ends 5a, 5b, and 5c are
applied to the two drive motors 16.
[0025] The brake chopper circuit 40 is connected in15
parallel to each of the converter circuit 20 and the
inverter circuit 50.
[0026] The brake chopper circuit 40 includes a first leg
47 and a second leg 48. The first leg 47 includes a
switching element 41 and a diode 42 connected in series.20
The second leg 48 includes a switching element 43 and a
diode 44 connected in series.
[0027] Examples of the switching elements 41 and 43 are
IGBTs illustrated in the drawing, but switching elements
other than the IGBT may be used for the switching elements25
41 and 43. A diode connected in reversely parallel is
provided at both ends of each switching element.
[0028] In the first leg 47, the switching element 41 is
located on a high-potential side, and the diode 42 is
located on a low-potential side. That is, the diode 42 is30
connected to the switching element 41 such that an anode is
located on the low-potential side compared to a cathode.
In addition, in the second leg 48, the switching element 43
11
is located on the high-potential side, and the diode 44 is
located on the low-potential side. That is, the diode 44
is connected to the switching element 43 such that an anode
is located on the low-potential side compared to a cathode.
[0029] The first leg 47 includes an alternating-current5
input end 4a. A connection point between an emitter of the
switching element 41 and the cathode of the diode 42 is the
alternating-current input end 4a. Note that, in the
present specification, the alternating-current input end 4a
may be referred to as a “third alternating-current input10
end” in some cases. In addition, in the present
specification, the switching element 41 in the first leg 47
including the alternating-current input end 4a may be
referred to as a “first switching element” in some cases.
Note that the second leg 48 does not include an15
alternating-current input end.
[0030] In addition, in the first leg 47, the diode 42 is
an example of a semiconductor element. A switching element
may be used instead of the diode 42. Note that the example
of using a switching element will be described in a second20
embodiment described later.
[0031] The power consumption circuit 60 includes
resistors 61 and 62. The resistors 61 and 62 are connected
to the brake chopper circuit 40 such that the resistors 61
and 62 are connected in parallel to both ends of the diodes25
42 and 44, respectively, in the brake chopper circuit 40.
The power consumption circuit 60 consumes surplus power of
regenerative power generated when the drive motor 16
operates as a generator by the resistors 61 and 62. Note
that a switch 63 is provided between the diode 42 and the30
resistor 61. The operation of the switch 63 will be
described later.
[0032] It is sufficient that the number of legs in the
12
brake chopper circuit 40 and the number of resistors in the
power consumption circuit 60 are identical or more. FIG. 1
illustrates a case in which the number of resistors is two,
but may be three or more. In this case, it is sufficient
to increase the number of second legs 48 including no5
alternating-current input end in the brake chopper circuit
40.
[0033] The respective switching elements included in the
converter circuit 20, the brake chopper circuit 40, and the
inverter circuit 50 described above are controlled by the10
control device 70. Detection values of a contact line
voltage Vs, a converter input current Is, a capacitor
voltage Vd, an inverter input current IL, motor currents Iv
and Iw, and consumption currents Ir1 and Ir2 flowing
through the respective resistors of the power consumption15
circuit 60 detected by the respective sensors are input to
the control device 70.
[0034] The control device 70 generates drive signals G11
to G14 for turning on or off the respective switching
elements 21 to 24 in the converter circuit 20 on the basis20
of the detection values of the contact line voltage Vs, the
converter input current Is, and the capacitor voltage Vd.
In addition, the control device 70 generates drive signals
G21 to G26 for turning on or off the respective switching
elements 51 to 56 in the inverter circuit 50 on the basis25
of the detection values of the inverter input current IL
and the motor currents Iv and Iw. In addition, the control
device 70 generates drive signals G31 and G32 for turning
on or off the respective switching elements 41 and 43 in
the brake chopper circuit 40 on the basis of the detection30
values of the capacitor voltage Vd and the consumption
currents Ir1 and Ir2. Note that the use examples of the
detection values described here are examples, and any
13
detection values may be used as long as it is necessary for
control. In addition, the exemplified detection values may
not be used for simple control.
[0035] Next, an operation of the drive device 100 for a
railway vehicle according to the first embodiment will be5
described.
[0036] First, in a case where a set train travels in an
electrified section, the contact of the first switch 15 is
closed and the contact of the second switch 17 is opened.
The electrified section is a section in which power can be10
supplied from the alternating-current overhead contact line
11 to the set train. In this case, a single-phase
alternating-current voltage is applied to the alternating-
current input ends 2a and 2b of the converter circuit 20.
The converter circuit 20 operates as a single-phase15
converter that converts the single-phase alternating-
current voltage into a direct-current voltage.
[0037] The converter circuit 20 converts alternating-
current power supplied from the main transformer 13 into
direct-current power. The inverter circuit 50 converts the20
direct-current power supplied from the converter circuit 20
into alternating-current power, and supplies the
alternating-current power obtained by conversion to the
drive motors 16.
[0038] In a case where the set train travels in a non-25
electrified section or a case where power supply from the
alternating-current overhead contact line 11 has trouble,
the contact of the first switch 15 is opened, and the
contact of the second switch 17 is closed. The non-
electrified section is a section in which there is no power30
supply facility, such as the alternating-current overhead
contact line 11, from the ground, and the train obtains
power from a power source included in the train itself. In
14
this case, a first phase voltage among the voltages output
from the three-phase generator 18 is applied to the
alternating-current input end 4a in the first leg 47 of the
brake chopper circuit 40. The first phase is any arbitrary
phase among the UVW phases in the three-phase alternating5
currents. In addition, second and third phase voltages
among the voltages output from the three-phase generator 18
are applied to the alternating-current input ends 2a and
2b, respectively, of the converter circuit 20. The second
phase is an arbitrary phase, other than the first phase,10
among the UVW phases, and the third phase is a remaining
phase, other than the first and second phases, among the
UVW phases. The converter circuit 20 and the first leg 47
of the brake chopper circuit 40 operate as a three-phase
converter that converts the three-phase alternating-current15
voltages into a direct-current voltage. Note that, in this
operation, each of the switching elements of the converter
circuit 20 and the first leg 47 does not perform the
switching operation, excluding exceptional cases.
Therefore, the converter circuit 20 and the brake chopper20
circuit 40 operate as a three-phase rectifier circuit.
[0039] The converter circuit 20 and the first leg 47
convert the three-phase alternating-current power supplied
from the three-phase generator 18 into direct-current
power. The inverter circuit 50 converts the direct-current25
power supplied from the converter circuit 20 into
alternating-current power, and supplies the alternating-
current power obtained by conversion to the drive motors
16.
[0040] In a case where the drive device 100 for a30
railway vehicle operates by receiving power supply from the
alternating-current overhead contact line 11, the first leg
47 and the second leg 48 operate as the brake chopper
15
circuit 40, that is the original functions thereof. At
this time, the contact of the switch 63 is closed.
Therefore, in the power consumption circuit 60, surplus
power is consumed by the two resistors 61 and 62. In a
case where the drive device 100 for a railway vehicle5
operates by receiving power supply from the three-phase
generator 18, only the second leg 48 operates as the
original brake chopper circuit 40 that is the original
function thereof, and the first leg 47 operates as a part
of the circuit element of the three-phase converter. At10
this time, the contact of the switch 63 is opened.
Therefore, in the power consumption circuit 60, surplus
power is consumed only by the resistor 62. In a case where
the consumption of the surplus power cannot be covered by
the resistor 62 alone, it is sufficient to increase the15
number of resistors 62 and correspondingly, increase the
number of legs of the second leg 48.
[0041] As has been described above, the drive device for
a railway vehicle of the first embodiment is configured
such that the voltage output from the single-phase power20
supply is applied to the first and second alternating-
current input ends in the converter circuit via the first
switch. In addition, the drive device for a railway
vehicle of the first embodiment is configured such that the
first phase voltage among the voltages output from the25
three-phase power supply is applied to the third
alternating-current input end in the brake chopper circuit
via the second switch, and the second and third phase
voltages among the voltages output from the three-phase
power supply are applied to the first and second30
alternating-current input ends, respectively, via the
second switch. With such a configuration, there is no need
to separately provide a rectifier circuit that rectifies
16
the three-phase alternating current. This eliminates the
need for additional provision of a new unit, so that an
effect can be obtained that an increase in size of the
device, an increase in installation space, or a decrease in
reliability can be inhibited.5
[0042] Note that, in FIG. 1, each of the converter
circuit 20, the filter capacitor 30, the brake chopper
circuit 40, the inverter circuit 50, and the power
consumption circuit 60 is illustrated as an independent
constituent element, but some of the constituent elements10
may be combined and housed in a single housing. For
example, the power consumption circuit 60 may be housed in
an identical housing together with the brake chopper
circuit 40 to be formed as a power consumption unit. In
addition, the brake chopper circuit 40 may be housed in an15
identical housing together with the inverter circuit 50 to
be formed as an inverter unit. In addition, the brake
chopper circuit 40 may be housed in an identical housing
together with the converter circuit 20 to be formed as a
converter unit. With such configurations, an effect can be20
obtained that the electric wiring connecting the
constituent elements can be reduced while effectively using
the space under the floor of the railway vehicle.
[0043] In addition, FIG. 1 illustrates a case in which
both the circuit configurations of the converter circuit 2025
and the inverter circuit 50 are two level configurations,
but the present invention is not limited thereto. At least
one of the converter circuit 20 and the inverter circuit 50
may have a circuit configuration of three levels, and the
above-described effect can also be obtained.30
[0044] Next, a hardware configuration for implementing
the functions of the control device 70 in the first
embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and
17
3. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of
the hardware configuration that implements the functions of
the control device 70 in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a
block diagram illustrating another example of the hardware
configuration that implements the functions of the control5
device 70 in the first embodiment.
[0045] In a case where some or all of the functions of
the control device 70 in the first embodiment are
implemented, a configuration including a processor 300, a
memory 302, and an interface 304 as illustrated in FIG. 210
is used. The processor 300 performs a calculation. The
memory 302 stores a program read by the processor 300.
Signals are input and output through the interface 304.
[0046] The processor 300 may be a calculation means such
as a calculation device, a microprocessor, a microcomputer,15
a central processing unit (CPU), or a digital signal
processor (DSP). In addition, examples of the memory 302
include a nonvolatile or volatile semiconductor memory such
as a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM),
a flash memory, an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), or an20
electrically EPROM (EEPROM (registered trademark)), a
magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact
disk, a mini disk, and a digital versatile disc (DVD).
[0047] The memory 302 stores the program for executing
functions of the control device 70 in the first embodiment.25
The processor 300 can perform the above processing by
transmitting and receiving necessary information via the
interface 304, executing the program stored in the memory
302, and referring to a table stored in the memory 302. A
result of calculation by the processor 300 can be stored in30
the memory 302.
[0048] In addition, in a case where some of the
functions of the control device 70 in the first embodiment
18
are implemented, a processing circuit 303 illustrated in
FIG. 3 can also be used. The processing circuit 303
corresponds to a single circuit, a composite circuit, an
application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-
programmable gate array (FPGA), or a combination thereof.5
Information input to the processing circuit 303 and
information output from the processing circuit 303 can be
obtained via the interface 304.
[0049] Note that some of the processes to be performed
in the control device 70 may be performed by the processing10
circuit 303, and processes not performed by the processing
circuit 303 may be performed by the processor 300 and the
memory 302.
[0050] Second Embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a15
drive device 100A for a railway vehicle according to the
second embodiment. As compared with the drive device 100
for a railway vehicle illustrated in FIG. 1, in FIG. 4, the
brake chopper circuit 40 is replaced with a brake chopper
circuit 40A. In the brake chopper circuit 40A, the diode20
42 is replaced with a switching element 45. Other
configurations are identical or equivalent to those in the
drive device 100 for a railway vehicle, and the constituent
elements identical or equivalent to those in the drive
device 100 are denoted by like reference numerals and25
detailed description thereof will be omitted. Note that,
in the present specification, the switching element 45 may
be referred to as a “second switching element” in some
cases.
[0051] According to the brake chopper circuit 40A, the30
first leg 47 has the same configuration as the two legs in
the converter circuit 20 by applying the second switching
element including a reversely parallel connection diode.
19
Therefore, the total six switching elements included in the
converter circuit 20 and the first leg 47 can be used as a
three-phase converter by performing switching operations.
As a result, as the three-phase generator 18, a three-phase
induction generator, an output voltage of which cannot be5
adjusted by itself, can be used in addition to the three-
phase synchronous generator. The three-phase induction
generator has an advantage that a structure is simpler than
that of the three-phase synchronous generator, and an
exciting device is unnecessary. Therefore, as compared10
with a case of using the three-phase synchronous generator,
an effect can be obtained that the manufacturing cost and
the maintenance cost can be reduced.
[0052] The above configurations described in the
embodiments are examples, and can be combined with other15
known techniques, and the above configurations can be
partly omitted or changed without departing from the gist.
Reference Signs List
[0053] 2a, 2b, 4a alternating-current input end; 5a,20
5b, 5c alternating-current output end; 11 alternating-
current overhead contact line; 12 power collector; 13
main transformer; 14 switching device; 15 first switch;
16 drive motor; 17 second switch; 18 three-phase
generator; 20 converter circuit; 21 to 24, 41, 43, 45, 5125
to 56 switching element; 30 filter capacitor; 40, 40A
brake chopper circuit; 42, 44 diode; 47 first leg; 48
second leg; 50 inverter circuit; 60 power consumption
circuit; 61, 62 resistor; 63 switch; 70 control device;
100, 100A drive device for railway vehicle; 30030
processor; 302 memory; 303 processing circuit; 304
interface; A, B tap end.
20
We Claim :
[Claim 1] A drive device for a railway vehicle that
operates by receiving power supply from a single-phase
power supply or a three-phase power supply, the drive
device comprising:5
a converter circuit including a plurality of switching
elements connected in a full bridge, and first and second
alternating-current input ends, the converter circuit to
convert alternating-current power supplied from the single-
phase power supply or the three-phase power supply into10
direct-current power;
an inverter circuit including a plurality of switching
elements connected in a three-phase bridge, the inverter
circuit to convert the direct-current power supplied from
the converter circuit into alternating-current power and to15
supply the alternating-current power obtained by conversion
to a drive motor;
a brake chopper circuit including at least two legs in
each of which a first switching element located on a high-
potential side and a semiconductor element located on a20
low-potential side are connected in series, the two legs
including a first leg in which a connection point between
the first switching element and the semiconductor element
forms a third alternating-current input end, the brake
chopper circuit being connected in parallel to the25
converter circuit; and
a power consumption circuit including a resistor
connected in parallel to both ends of the semiconductor
element, the power consumption circuit to consume surplus
power of regenerative power generated when the drive motor30
operates as a generator by the resistor, wherein
a voltage output from the single-phase power supply is
applied to the first and second alternating-current input
21
ends via a first switch, a first phase voltage among
voltages output from the three-phase power supply is
applied to the third alternating-current input end via a
second switch, and second and third phase voltages among
the voltages output from the three-phase power supply are5
applied to the first and second alternating-current input
ends, respectively, via the second switch.
[Claim 2] The drive device for a railway vehicle according
to claim 1, wherein10
the converter circuit operates as a single-phase
converter when receiving power supply from the single-phase
power supply.
[Claim 3] The drive device for a railway vehicle according15
to claim 1, wherein
the converter circuit and the first leg operate as a
three-phase converter when receiving power supply from the
three-phase power supply.
20
[Claim 4] The drive device for a railway vehicle according
to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
the semiconductor element is a diode, and
the diode is connected to the first switching element
such that an anode of the diode is located on the low-25
potential side compared to a cathode of the diode.
[Claim 5] The drive device for a railway vehicle according
to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
the semiconductor element is a second switching30
element including a reversely parallel connection diode.
[Claim 6] The drive device for a railway vehicle according
22
to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein
the brake chopper circuit is housed in an identical
housing together with the inverter circuit to form an
inverter unit.
5
[Claim 7] The drive device for a railway vehicle according
to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein
the brake chopper circuit is housed in an identical
housing together with the converter circuit to form a
converter unit.10