An Asymmetrical Step-Up Multilevel Inverter Based on Switched-Capacitor Network

Abstract

This paper presents a transformerless step-up multilevel inverter based on a switched-capacitor structure. One of the main contributions of the proposed topology is replacing the separated DC voltage source with capacitors which are charged at predetermined time intervals. Therefore, a high-level staircase voltage waveform can be achieved by discharging some of these capacitors on the load. The other contribution of the proposed structure is to eliminate the magnetic elements which traditionally boost the input DC voltage. In addition, asymmetrical or unequal amounts of capacitor voltages create more voltage levels, which enable voltage level increments without increasing the number of semiconductor devices. This paper introduces a self-balanced boost Switched-Capacitors Multilevel Inverter (SCMLI) which is able to create a nearly sinusoidal voltage waveform with a maximum voltage of up to 45 times that of the input voltage DC source. Higher level output voltage levels are also achievable by extending the circuit topology. After determination of the switching angles and selecting the proper switching states for each level, an offline NLC method is used for modulation, which eases the control implementation. Analysis, simulation and experiments are carried out for a 91-level inverter (45 levels for positive and negative voltages and one for zero voltage) are presented.