Patent attributes
A power-supply device suppresses high harmonic waves, controls the flow of AC power, and minimizes adverse effects on a load that might otherwise be caused by a large surge of current into the load during the startup or stopping of the power-supply device. The power supply device includes a voltage supply unit 2 disposed in series between input and output terminals. This voltage supply unit functions to gradually lower the output-voltage level from a state of canceling the voltage across input terminals of the power supply device at the time of starting up the power-supply device, so that a gradual rise in the output voltage from the power-supply device is achieved. When the power-supply device is stopped, a gradual lowering of the output voltage from the power-supply device is obtained by gradually increasing the output voltage of the voltage supply unit so as to cancel the input voltage.