A method of controlling a half-controlled rectifier, and a rectifier structure, which comprises an n-phased half-controlled converter bridge, a DC intermediate circuit and a capacitor of the DC intermediate circuit. The converter structure further comprises an auxiliary intermediate circuit and a non-controlled n-phased diode rectifier bridge which feeds the auxiliary intermediate circuit and is connected to the DC intermediate circuit by isolating diodes.

The present invention provides for an apparatus and corresponding method for controlling inrush current in an AC-DC power converter by providing a control circuit to limit inrush current efficiently during cold startup, warm startup, and power line disturbance conditions. The present invention controls inrush current without the need for an extra series lossy dissipative device and without causing undesirable voltage surges at the input of the DC--DC converter stage. The preferred embodiment includes use of the present invention for AC-DC converters having active power factor correction.

A power converter for converting an input power into a desired output power adapted to a power-receiving device. The power converter includes a polarity reversal protection circuit preferably constructed with a schottky diode that is used to ensure the correct connection polarity of an input power, an inrush current protection circuit for limiting an inrush current from increasing, and a relay circuit coupled in parallel across the polarity reversal protection circuit and the polarity reversal protection circuit, the relay circuit being actuated to turn off in response to a polarity control signal for bypassing the inrush current so as to inhibiting the inrush current from flowing through the polarity reversal protection circuit.

There is disclosed a power converter having limited inrush current and an inrush current limiter circuit. The inrush limiting circuit may be a self-oscillating switching-mode average current regulator tp provide a relatively constant average charging current to a bulk capacitor until the bulk capacitor is fully charged. A bypass switch may be used to route current around the inrush current limiter circuit once the bulk capacitor is fully charged.

A self-contained and encapsulated AC to Voltage supplying module containing a complete set of AC circuitry components therein and directly connecting the components to the AC voltage source, an inrush protection circuit, a DC-DC converter and power control circuits which enable the encapsulation of AC and DC components within a module being directly mountable and DC electrically connected to a printed circuit board assembly.