Converter circuit for switching of a multiplicity of switching voltage levels

A converter circuit for switching of a multiplicity of switching voltage levels, having n first switching groups (1.1, . . . , 1.n) provided for each phase (R, Y, B), with the n-th first switching group (1.n) being formed by a first drivable bidirectional power semiconductor switch and a second drivable bidirectional power semiconductor switch, and with the first first switching group (1.1) to the (n−1)-th switching group (1.(n−1)) each being formed by a first drivable bidirectional power semiconductor switch and a second drivable bidirectional power semiconductor switch, and by a capacitor which is connected to the first and second drivable bidirectional power semiconductor switches (2, 3) with each of the n first switching groups (1.1, . . . , 1.n) being connected in a linked form to the respectively adjacent first switching group (1.1, . . . , 1.n), and with the first and the second drivable bidirectional power semiconductor switches (2, 3) in the first first switching group (1.1) being connected to one another, wherein n≧1, and p second switching groups (5.1, . . . , 5.p) and p third switching groups (6.1, . . . , 6.p) are provided, which each have a first drivable bidirectional power semiconductor switch, a second drivable bidirectional power semiconductor switch and a capacitor, with p≧1 and each of the p second switching groups (5.1, . . . , 5.p) being connected in a linked form to the respectively adjacent second switching group (5.1, . . . , 5.p), and with each of the p third switching groups (6.1, . . . , 6.p) being connected in a linked form to the respectively adjacent third switching group (6.1, . . . , 6.p),

• in that the first second and the first third switching group (5.1, 6.1) each have a third drivable bidirectional power semiconductor switch which is connected back-to-back in series with the respective second drivable bidirectional power semiconductor switch, with the first second switching group (5.1) being connected to the first drivable bidirectional power semiconductor switch in the n-th first switching group (1.n), and with the first third switching group (6.1) being connected to the second drivable bidirectional power semiconductor switch in the n-th first switching group (1.n), and
• in that the capacitor in the p-th second switching group (5.p) is connected in series with the capacitor in the p-th third switching group (6.p).