Single-Phase PWM Inverter Implementation and Control

This article explores the working principles and applications of single-phase PWM inverters. A PWM inverter is a power converter that transforms DC electricity into AC power. In single-phase PWM inverters, a single half-bridge topology is employed to convert DC power into high-quality sinusoidal AC waveforms. The PWM control algorithm typically involves generating synchronized carrier signals and modulation waves, where the modulation index controls output voltage amplitude while the carrier frequency determines switching frequency. Key functions include sinusoidal pulse-width modulation (SPWM) implementation using microcontroller compare registers or FPGA-based switching pattern generators. The single-phase PWM inverter features precise voltage and frequency control through adjustable modulation parameters, making it widely applicable in electric vehicles (battery DC-AC conversion), solar panel systems (grid-tie inverters), and UPS systems (uninterruptible power supplies). Implementation considerations include dead-time compensation in switching logic to prevent shoot-through faults and LC filter design for harmonic attenuation.