Derivation of Dual-Switch Step-Down DC/DC Converters With Fault-Tolerant Capability

This letter presents a graph-theoretic approach to deriving a family of dual-switch step-down dc/dc converters with fault-tolerant capability. The constraint sets in the derivation process ensure that minimum additional component is used to achieve fault-tolerant operation. The operation of converters derived is flexible. Under normal operating conditions, one of the two switches can serve as a main switch to control the power flow (i.e., single-switch converter operation) and the other switch is in stand-by mode. When a fault occurs on the main switch, the other switch will be activated to provide an alternate current path to continue converter operation and maintain output regulation. The fault-tolerant converters are derived by integrating a buck converter with a buck-boost converter. They share all the components except for the power switches. Due to different duty cycles required between the two operating conditions, a feedback controller is necessary to adjust the duty cycle for tight output regulation. The derivation procedure and experimental results on fault occurrence are reported. The converter derivation approach is able to identify reported topologies and can be extended to synthesize other topologies with fault-tolerant capability.