A new hardware solution for a fault tolerant matrix converter

The matrix converter (MC) presents a promising topology that needs to overcome certain barriers in order to gain a foothold in the industry. In some applications, where continuous operation must be insured under system failure, improved reliability of the converter is particularly of importance. In this sense, this article focuses on the study of a fault tolerant MC. The fault tolerance of a converter is characterized by its total or partial response in the case of a breakage of any of its components. Taking into consideration that virtually there is no work on fault tolerant MCs, this paper describes the most important studies in this area. On the other hand, this paper proposes a novel MC topology, which allows the flexible reconfiguration of this converter, once one or several of its semiconductors are damaged. In this way, the MC can continue operating at 100% of its performance without having to double its resources.