Dual ac-drive system with a reduced switch count

A dual current-regulated pulsewidth-modulated voltage-source inverter based on multiple two-phase PWM inverters, also called a B4 topology, requiring a dual ac-drive system with reduced switch count is proposed. The drive uti lizes a total of only eight switches to produce two sets of three-phase or two-phase sinusoidal output currents that can be employed to feed three-pha se or two-phase induction motors. A suitable control strategy of this new s cheme is shown to minimize the single-phase current flow through the de-lin k capacitors, which is a common problem in reduced-switch-count topologies. In order to verify the performance of the motor drive system, an applicati on on traction of an electric vehicle is carried out. Results show that the ac current through the de link can be minimized, and when utilizing two-ph ase motors on the proposed dual drive, the reduced voltage gain problem, al so common in B4 topologies feeding three-phase motors, can be solved. Index Terms-AC