Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.

Japanese National Railways

Kunio Shibayama

Hiroshi Miki

Shinichi Kobayashi

Hiromu Takubo

Kiyoshi Iida

Yoshitaka Fujiwara

Katsushi Manabe

Fumio Nakama

A snubber network of high energy efficiency for use with power conversion semiconductors is described. Asymmetrical semiconductor elements are used to reduce and dissipate voltage spikes induced by stray inductance during turn-off of power semiconductors. A space efficient assembly using the described snubber network containing asymmetrical semiconductor elements and an external snubber capacitor is also described.

Snubber circuit for power conversion semiconductor elements and assembly

A current collector shoe suspension for sliding contact with an electric power line in an externally powered electric vehicle. Current collecting shoes are resiliently biased toward a power rail through a plurality of interconnected vibration absorbing units pivotally mounted to the vehicle. Each unit can vibrate independently of the others, and the units have different resonance points so displaced that their vibration characteristic curves overlap, whereby the shoes maintain contact with the rail over a wide range of vibration frequencies and amplitudes.

Current collector shoe suspension for externally powered electric vehicle

Growing community of inventors

Kobe, Japan

Kunio Shibayama