A zero-crossing switching method of an active neutral point clamped three-level inverter, wherein the active neutral point clamped three-level inverter comprises a bridge leg comprising two half-bridge legs, each of the two half-bridge legs comprises switch devices comprising an outer transistor (T1, T4), an inner transistor (T2, T3) and a clamping transistor (T5, T6), a voltage applied on the bridge leg is a direct-current bus voltage (U DC), each outer transistor (T1, T4) is connected to a respective first or second terminals of the direct-current bus, each inner transistor (T2, T3) is connected to an output terminal of the active neutral point clamped three-level inverter, and each clamping transistor (T5, T6) is connected to a midpoint connection between respective outer and inner transistors and to a midpoint between the first and the second terminals of the direct-current bus, and wherein the zero-crossing switching method comprises: acquiring an output voltage instruction of the bridge leg of the active neutral point clamped inverter; determining whether zero-crossing switching occurs in the output voltage instruction; and controlling switch states of all of the switch devices in the bridge leg to change according to a preset logic, in a case that the zero-crossing switching occurs in the output voltage instruction; wherein the preset logic comprises switching among a sequence of switch state combinations, a switch state combination of all of the switch devices in the bridge leg of the active neutral point clamped inverter before the zero-crossing switching occurs in the output voltage instruction of the bridge leg is defined as the first switch state combination of the sequence, and a switch state combination of all of the switch devices in the bridge leg after the zero-crossing switching occurs in the output voltage instruction of the bridge leg is defined as the last switch state combination of the sequence, in transition from the first switch state combination to the last switch state combination, the second switch state combination to the penultimate switch state combination are all safe switch state combinations selected in advance, and in each of the safe switch state combinations, a maximum voltage borne by the switch devices in the bridge leg is clamped to a safe limit value, the safe limit value is one-half of the direct-current bus voltage (U DC), and the zero-crossing switching method is characterized in that the safe switch state combinations are one of the following combinations: a switch state combination in which at least one clamping transistor (T5, T6) in the bridge leg is switched on, or a switch state combination in which only two inner transistors (T2, T3) in the bridge leg are switched on. acquiring an output voltage instruction of the bridge leg of the active neutral point clamped inverter; determining whether zero-crossing switching occurs in the output voltage instruction; and controlling switch states of all of the switch devices in the bridge leg to change according to a preset logic, in a case that the zero-crossing switching occurs in the output voltage instruction; wherein the preset logic comprises switching among a sequence of switch state combinations, a switch state combination of all of the switch devices in the bridge leg of the active neutral point clamped inverter before the zero-crossing switching occurs in the output voltage instruction of the bridge leg is defined as the first switch state combination of the sequence, and a switch state combination of all of the switch devices in the bridge leg after the zero-crossing switching occurs in the output voltage instruction of the bridge leg is defined as the last switch state combination of the sequence, in transition from the first switch state combination to the last switch state combination, the second switch state combination to the penultimate switch state combination are all safe switch state combinations selected in advance, and in each of the safe switch state combinations, a maximum voltage borne by the switch devices in the bridge leg is clamped to a safe limit value, the safe limit value is one-half of the direct-current bus voltage (U DC), and the zero-crossing switching method is characterized in that the safe switch state combinations are one of the following combinations: a switch state combination in which at least one clamping transistor (T5, T6) in the bridge leg is switched on, or a switch state combination in which only two inner transistors (T2, T3) in the bridge leg are switched on.