Novel commutation technique of AC-AC converters

The AC–AC converter called the matrix converter is very simple in structure and has powerful controllability. However, to date there have been few practical applications, especially in power electronics fields. One of the major reasons is the commutation problem. The paper proposes a novel commutation technique which is very simple to implement. This commutation scheme allows the dead time to avoid current spikes of nonideal switches and at the same time establishes a current path of the inductive load to avoid voltage spikes. Experimental results obtained on a 5 kW prototype are discussed.