Multicarrier PWM strategies for multilevel inverters

Analytical solutions of pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) strategies for multilevel inverters are used to identify that alternative phase opposition disposition PWM for diode-clamped inverters produces the same harmonic performance as phase-shifted carrier PWM for cascaded inverters, and hybrid PWM for hybrid inverters, when the carrier frequencies are set to achieve the same number of inverter switch transitions over each fundamental cycle. Using this understanding, a PWM method is then developed for cascaded and hybrid inverters to achieve the same harmonic gains as phase disposition PWM achieves for diode-clamped inverters. Theoretical and experimental results are presented in the paper.