Space Vector Pulsewidth Modulation Strategy for Multilevel Cascaded H-Bridge Inverter With DC-Link Voltage Balancing Ability

Space vector pulsewidth modulation (SVPWM) algorithms for cascaded H-bridge multilevel (CHB ML) inverter usually provide the possibility of using several combinations of active voltage vectors to generate the same output voltage vector. For preselected H-bridges, some of them may generate output voltages opposite to the assumed direction. This results in the change of the dc-link voltages of these H-bridges in the opposite direction to the assumed direction in the ordering algorithm. Consequently, these algorithms are characterized by undue constraints and narrow possibilities of dc-link voltage balancing. In the proposed control algorithm, CHB ML inverter is treated as groups of successively activated three-level inverters; depending on the length of the reference voltage vector. These three-level inverters consist of three H-bridges selected from each phase. The proposed extended selection method enables firm-grip control of the dc-link voltages. For a given direction of phase currents, the possibility of using H-bridges with lowest and highest dc-link voltages is simultaneously analyzed. Additionally, each of the three-level inverters is controlled by one of three proposed alternative modulation methods for which both the attainable output voltage vectors and unbalanced dc-link voltages are predicted. Simulation and experimental results confirm the correctness of the algorithm execution.