Rectifier circuit arrangements

Claim 1

A CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENT FOR PRODUCING RECTIFIED CURRENT DERIVED FROM A MULTIPHASE SOURCE FOR SUPPLY TO A LOAD COMPRISING A MULTIPHASE TRANSFORMER INCLUDING PRIMARY AND SECONDARY WINDINGS ON SAID TRANSFORMER, A MULTIPHASE SOURCE OF ELECTRIC POWER FOR SUPPLY TO SAID PRIMARY, A LOWER AND A HIGHER VOLTAGE TAP ON EACH SAID SECONDARY, A REACTOR, A LOAD, CONNECTIONS BETWEEN SAID REACTOR AND EACH OF SAID SECONDARY WINDINGS, AND A CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID REACTOR AND ONE SIDE OF SAID LOAD, A RECTIFIER CIRCUIT PATH FOR CONNECTION BETWEEN EACH LOWER VOLTAGE TAP ON EACH SAID SECONDARY AND THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID LOAD, A CONDUCTIVITY CONTROLLABLE SEMICONDUCTOR CIRCUIT PATH FOR CONNECTION BETWEEN EACH HIGHER VOLTAGE TAP AND THE SAME SAID SIDE OF THE LOAD, EACH SEMICONDUCTOR CIRCUIT PATH HAVING A BLOCKING CHARACTERISTIC IN THE REVERSE DIRECTION AND A BREAKOVER VOLTAGE FOR CONDUCTION IN THE FORWARD DIRECTION, CONTROL MEANS FOR EACH SEMICONDUCTOR CIRCUIT PATH FOR APPLYING A DRIVING INPUT THERETO AT VARIABLE INSTANTS IN A RESPECTIVE PHASE OF THE SOURCE FOR TRANSFER OF A CONDUCTIVELY OPERATIONAL CIRCUIT PATH FROM THE RECTIFIER PATH CONNECTED TO THE LOWER VOLTAGE TAP, SAID RECTIFIER PATH BEING CONDUCTIVELY OPERATIONAL PRIOR TO THE APPLICATION OF SAID DRIVING INPUT TO SAID SEMICONDUCTOR PATH CONNECTED TO THE HIGHER VOLTAGE TAP, SAID SEMICONDUCTOR PATH BEING RENDERED OPERATIONALLY CONDUCTIVE BY THE APPLICATION OF SAID DRIVING INPUT TO THEREBY CONTROL SMOOTHLY THE CURRENT COMMUTATION FROM THE LOWER TO THE HIGHER VOLTAGE TAP.