Phase and frequency converter device

Claim 1

IN APPARATUS OPERATIVE WITH A FIRST ALTERNATING CURRENT SOURCE HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT FREQUENCY FOR PROVIDING A SECOND ALTERNATING CURRENT HAVING A CONTROLLED FREQUENCY AND A CONTROLLED NUMBER OF PHASES, THE COMBINATION OF A RECTIFIER UNIT OPERATIVE WITH SAID FIRST SOURCE FOR PROVIDING DIRECT CURRENT, AN INVERTER INCLUDING SWITCHING ELEMENTS OPERATIVE WITH SAID DIRECT CURRENT FOR PROVIDING SAID SECOND ALTERNATING CURRENT, CONTROL SIGNAL SUPPLY MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SUPPLY CONTROL SIGNALS TO SAID SWITCHING ELEMENTS FOR CONTROLLING SAID FREQUENCY AND SAID NUMBER OF PHASES OF SAID SECOND ALTERNATING CURRENT, WITH SAID CONTROL SIGNAL SUPPLY MEANS BEING OPERATIVE WITH SAID RECTIFIER UNIT FOR SYNCHRONIZING THE OPERATION OF SAID RECTIFIER UNIT RELATIVE TO THE OPERATION OF SAID INVERTER, WITH EACH SAID RECTIFIER UNIT AND SAID INVERTER INCLUDING SWITCHING ELEMENTS OF A PREDETERMINED ONE OF THE N-P-N-P TYPE AND THE P-N-P-N TYPE, WITH THE INVERTER SWITCHING ELEMENTS BEING RESPONSIVE TO SAID CONTROL SIGNALS BOTH FOR CAUSING THE LATTER SWITCHING ELEMENTS TO BE CONDUCTIVE AND FOR PREVENTING CONDUCTION BY THE LATTER SWITCHING ELEMENTS.