Inverter

Claim 1

An inverter comprising: at least a pair of arm elements, each comprising a self turn-off switching device forming positive and negative parts; a pair of reactors connected in series between said positive and negative arm elements; first and second snubbers, each including a serial connection of a snubber capacitor and a snubber diode, connected in parallel to said positive and negative arm elements, respectively; a current transformer having primary and secondary windings for retrieving electrical energy stored in said snubbers; a third closed circuit including the primary winding of said current transformer and a self turn-off switching device connected in series to said primary winding, with one end of said circuit being connected to the node of said diode and capacitor in said first snubber, and with another end of said circuit being connected to the node of said diode and capacitor in said second snubber; a rectifying circuit for transferring electrical energy retrieved on the secondary winding of said current transformer back to a d.c. power source; and a gate circuit which produces gate signals for turning on or off said switching devices forming said arm elements, and a gate signal for turning on and keeping on said switching device in said closed circuit for a period long enough to transfer energy stored in said snubbers back to said d.c. power source through said current transformer and said rectifying circuit, and thereafter turning off said switching device, in correspondence to the on-off operation of said arm switching devices.