Outline

• Recap H-bridge

• Three-phase systems

• Three-phase inverters

• Multi-level inverters

• Multi-phase inverters
 Complete branch Chopper

- 2 quadrants
- In a side step-down,
Vdc the other side step-up
- Complete control of
voltage for Io > < 0

V0
Half Bridge Inverter

- 4 quadrants
- Output Voltage: +Vdc/2 or -Vdc/2
- Self-balancing
- LTSpice Model
Full (H) Bridge Inverter
 Chopper
Full Full Bridge
(H) Bridge Inverter

Reminder
Possible configurations:
- Avoid the short circuits on the supply
- only one T is on: the vo depends by the current
- 2 T are on: table 2x2 with the voltage +Vdc, 0, -Vdc
4 quadrant operation
 Bipolar Control
Control with vo which varies between +Vdc and -Vdc
2 possible levels of output voltage

We consider the two configurations (diagonal):

T1A and T2B on → +Vdc , ton = t1 , 1
T2A and T1B on → -Vdc , ton = t2 , 2 t1 + t2 = T

t1 1 vo* t2 1 vo*
= δ1 = + = 2 = −
T 2 2Vdc T 2 2Vdc
Bipolar Control
 Bipolar Control
Definitions:
- Amplitude modulation index:
̂𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑙
𝑉
𝑚= ̂𝑡𝑟𝑖
𝑉

- Frequency modulation index:

𝑓𝑠𝑤
𝑚𝑓 =
𝑓1

𝑣𝑜 ∗ = 𝑚𝑉𝑑𝑐 𝑠𝑖𝑛(𝜔𝑡 + 𝜑)
 Unipolar Control
Control with vo which varies between +Vdc and 0 or
between 0 and -Vdc
3 possible levels of output voltage

We consider the two pairs of configurations:

∗ T1𝐴 and T2𝐵 on → +𝑉𝑑𝑐 , t 𝑜𝑛 = t1 , 𝛿1
𝑣0 ≥ 0 { t1 + t 0 = T
T1𝐴 and T2𝐴 on → 0, t 𝑜𝑛 = t 0 , 𝛿0
∗ T1𝐵 and T2𝐴 on → −𝑉𝑑𝑐 , t 𝑜𝑛 = t 2 , 𝛿2
𝑣0 ≤ 0 { t2 + t0 = T
T1𝐵 and T2𝐵 on → 0, t 𝑜𝑛 = t 0 , 𝛿0
 Unipolar Control

Leg 1

Leg 2
 Unipolar Control
This is achieved using of 2 carriers (0,+Vdc) and (0,-Vdc).

*
t1 v
*
Vo  0 → = 1 = o
T Vdc

* t2 vo*
Vo  0 → = 2 = −
T Vdc
 Comparison
The output voltage oscillation in the bipolar case is double than in
the unipolar case. It therefore has a double ripple also in the load
current.
From the point of view of the harmonic content:

𝑉𝑑𝑖𝑠t √𝑉𝑡𝑜𝑡 2 − 𝑉1 2 𝑉𝑡𝑜𝑡 2

THD = = =√ 2 −1
𝑉1 𝑉1 𝑉1
• Bipolar case
𝑉𝑑𝑐
𝑉𝑡𝑜𝑡 = 𝑉𝑑𝑐 𝑉1 = 𝑚 ∙
√2

𝑉𝑑𝑐 2 2
THD = √ 2 2 −1=√ 2−1
𝑚 𝑉𝑑𝑐 𝑚
2
 Comparison
• Unipolar case
1 𝜋 2 1 𝜋 2 ′
𝑉𝑡𝑜𝑡 2 = ∫ 𝑣 (𝛼 ) 𝑑𝛼 = ∫ 𝑉𝑑𝑐 𝛼 𝑑𝛼
𝜋 0 𝜋 0
α

𝛼′ = 𝑚 (𝛼)
𝑉𝑑𝑐 2 𝑚 𝜋 2𝑉𝑑𝑐 2 𝑚
𝑉𝑡𝑜𝑡 2 = ∫ sin(𝛼 ) 𝑑𝛼 =
𝜋 0 𝜋
Δα

2𝑉𝑑𝑐 2 𝑚
𝜋 4
THD = √ 2 2 − 1 = √ −1
𝑚 𝑉𝑑𝑐 𝑚𝜋
2
 Comparison

The unipolar control allows practically to reduce to the half the

amplitude of the switching harmonic.
• The transmitted power is constant:
o Mechanical power constant

o Torque at the generator constant

o Vibration and noise reduced

• Only 1 neutral wire (where employed) → less wires

• Smaller size for the neutral wire

• Less power losses

Three-phase Systems
Three-phase Systems
Three-phase Systems
 Three-phase
Three-phase
inverter
Systems
(3 legs)
• Topologies:
o Voltage Source Inverters
o Current Source Inverters
• Modulating techniques
o Carrier-based
o Space Vector
o Hysteresis current control
o Selective harmonic elimination

• Multilevel and Multiphase topologies

Three-phase inverter (3 legs)
 Three-phase inverter
We assign the line-to-line voltages (v12, v23, v31) applied by the
inverter, this system admits infinite solutions in the ek, three
equations are linearly dependent (zero-sum).

v12 = e1 − e2 If the load is a three-phase load, the zero sequence

current is zero. If it is balanced also the zero sequence

v23 = e2 − e3 voltage is zero:
v = e − e i1 + i2 + i3 = 0  v12 − v31
 31 3 1 e1 = 3
e1 + e2 + e3 = 0 
 v23 − v12
e2 =
 3
Taking into account the 2 equations,  v31 − v23
leads to: e3 =
 3
 Three-phase inverter
ek = vkn + vn0

e1 + e2 + e3 = 0 =
= v1n + v2n + v3n + 3 vn0
vn0 = − 1/3 (v1n+ v2n+ v3n )
*
0  vkn  Vdc vkn = ek + c(t)

* * * *
ek = ek + c(t) − 1/3 (e1 + e2 + e3 ) − c(t)
*
ek = ek =0
6-steps operation
6-steps operation
Three-phase inverter
Three-phase inverter
va
Three-phase inverter
Carrier based modulation CB-PWM

va vb vc
 Three-phase inverter

←m=1

Why to center: vcm = -1/2[max(va, vb, vc) + min(va, vb, vc)]

- to maximize the modulating signals,
- to obtain less THD in the output variables - current
 Three-phase inverter
- What we obtained as new modulating signals (but our
modulation limits increased 0 ≤ m ≤ 2/√3 = mmax)

← m = 2/√3
 Three-phase inverter
- One alternative to obtain maximization of the
modulation is to clamp to positive bus (discontinuous
modulation)

←m=1

vcm = 1/2 - max(va, vb, vc)

 Three-phase inverter
- What we obtained as new modulating signals (but our
modulation limits increased 0 ≤ m ≤ 2/√3 = mmax)

← m = 2/√3
 Three-phase inverter
- Another alternative to obtain maximization of the
modulation is to clamp to negative bus (discontinuous
modulation)

←m=1

vcm = -1/2 - min(va, vb, vc)

 Three-phase inverter
- What we obtained as new modulating signals (but our
modulation limits increased 0 ≤ m ≤ 2/√3 = mmax)

← m = 2/√3
 Three-phase inverter
Pole and load voltages:

0 ≤ v0k ≤ Vdc ek = v0k + vn0 =

= v0k − 1/3 (v01+ v02+ v03 )
 Three-phase inverter
Example of the simulation: Vdc=100V, fsw=2 kHz, ideal switches,
passive RL load, triangular carrier, details of the load voltage
 Three-phase inverter
Details of the load voltage
fh=(j fsw ± k fm)

j odd → k even

2* fsw j even → k odd

fm

fsw+2 fm fsw+ fm
 Three-phase inverter
Details of the pole voltage

2fsw
fsw

DC component =
fsw+2 fm fsw+ fm
Vdc/2
 Three-phase inverter
Output variables with no injection – phase voltage and current
 Three-phase inverter
Output variables with injection – phase voltage and current
Three-phase inverter
no injection centered
 Three-phase inverter
THD of the phase voltage calculation → THD reduction possible
with output current but not with output voltage

4
THD = −1
3m
 Three-phase inverter

upper switch

lower switch

i<0
i>0

td
Tsw
Three-phase inverter
 Three-phase inverter
ek = ek
*
+ uk
where e*k = v*kn − (v*1n+ v*2n+ v*3n )/3 is the reference load
voltage, and

uk = Vd − sign (ik ) + [ sign (i1 ) + sign (i2 ) + sign (i3 ) / 3

 Three-phase inverter

uk = Vd − sign (ik ) + [ sign (i1 ) + sign (i2 ) + sign (i3 ) / 3

 Hysteresis current controller
The current is kept in band → io around the referent current i*o.
The value of the current is determined directly from the
converter, which provides the output voltage with the mode “all or
nothing”, which is called also “bang-bang”.
Typically, the voltage goes to max value when current needs to
increase, or the minimum voltage when current needs to
decrease.
*
io < io − io/2 → vo = Vdc ( or vo = 0 )
*
io > io + io/2 → vo = 0 ( or vo = −Vdc )
Hysteresis current controller
Hysteresis current controller
 Hysteresis current controller
The presence of the hysteresis band limits the switching
frequency, that would otherwise be high.
The switching frequency is the inverse function of the band
width and of the time constant L/R of the load.
Advantages:
- Simplicity of the analogical implementation
- Insensitive to the load variations
Disadvantages:
- Commutations are not uniform in the period
- Variable switching frequency