A.

Any dynamic braking operation required for the motor can be realized by means
of braking DC chopper and resistor shunt connected across the rectifier.
Alternatively, an anti-parallel thyristor bridge must be provided in the rectifier section
to feed energy back into the AC line. Such phase-controlled thyristor-based rectifiers
however have higher AC line distortion and lower power factor at low load than
diode-based rectifiers.
An AC-AC converter with approximately sinusoidal input currents and bidirectional
power flow can be realized by coupling a pulse-width modulation (PWM) rectifier and a
PWM inverter to the DC-link. The DC-link quantity is then impressed by an energy
storage element that is common to both stages, which is a capacitor C for the voltage
DC-link or an inductor L for the current DC-link. The PWM rectifier is controlled in a way
that a sinusoidal AC line current is drawn, which is in phase or anti-phase (for energy
feedback) with the corresponding AC line phase voltage.
Due to the DC-link storage element, there is the advantage that both converter stages
are to a large extent decoupled for control purposes. Furthermore, a constant, AC line
independent input quantity exists for the PWM inverter stage, which results in high
utilization of the converters power capability. On the other hand, the DC-link energy
storage element has a relatively large physical volume, and when electrolytic capacitors
are used, in the case of a voltage DC-link, there is potentially a reduced system lifetime.
A.

Simplified block diagram of an electronic inverter. The input is a DC voltage or an

AC voltage that is converted to DC. The DC-to-AC Converter transforms the DC

voltage into a pulse train (AC) with the requisite frequency and duty cycle. The
resulting signal then goes to the Driver, which transforms that AC into the
appropriate level. The Output Circuit performs signal conditioning and has
functions for implementing safety features. The entire frequency and voltage
conversion process is monitored and tightly controlled by the Control Circuit,
which typically is a microcontroller.
B. The basic operation of an inverter can be described in a simplified manner (see
Figure 5). The inverter takes a DC input voltage directly or can operate from an
AC source if it includes a function that converts an AC input voltage into a DC
voltage via rectification. The DC-to-AC Converter circuit chops the DC voltage
up into pieces, generating a pulse train that constitutes an AC voltage. That AC
voltage is subsequently adjusted to the proper voltage level by a Driver function
that often includes a transformer. The Output Circuit typically contains a filter and
safety
protection
circuits.
A Control Circuit in a feedback loop closely monitors and continually adjusts the
timing of the chopping process (frequency and duty cycle), as well as other
performance and operational aspects of the inverter, including its output voltage
level, overload protection status, etc. The Control Circuit most often is based on
a digital processing IC such as a microcontroller chip (MCU).
C. Inverter technology is a critically important way to save energy when it is applied
in appliances driven by power-hungry motors. The air conditioner is the biggest
power consumer in homes in warm climates, a typical unit drawing 1.5 to 2.5 kW.
That is more than ten times the power consumed by a refrigerator, which uses
about 100 to 150 W. For this reason, the deployment of inverters in air
conditioning systems has greatly outpaced their use in other devices, particularly
in the Japanese market. Indeed, virtually all air conditioners now being sold in
Japan
are
equipped
with
inverter
control.
Manufacturers of air conditioners marketed in other countries havent adopted
inverter technology to the same extent, though. Outside Japan, only about 10%
of air conditioners are equipped with inverters, and globally the shift to inverter
control is still in its early stages. Some markets, however, are moving forward
faster
than
others.
In South Korea, the changeover began about four or five years ago, to the point
where today just under half of new household air conditioners use inverter
control. Manufacturers in China hold a large share of the worldwide air
conditioning market, and they have begun to rapidly include inverter technology
into new designs. Currently about 30% of new Chinese built air conditioners
contain inverters and incorporation of this control technology is predicted to
exceed
50%
by
2015.
The greater efficiency, quieter operation and attractive features of inverter-based
air conditioners will spur consumer demand. In turn, this will drive IC makers to
ramp up inverter production and accelerate advancements in the technology.