Patent Document ID: 9009956
Application ID: 13522419
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A single phase inverter topology method comprising: selecting a number of desired inverter output levels m, where m≧5, is an integer and an odd number; determining a number of equal DC sources n, where n = m - 1 2 ; coupling the number of equal DC sources in series to create a source series, wherein the source series has a first DC source that defines a positive node P and a last DC source that defines a negative node N; defining one or more source series nodes between each DC source in the source series wherein a first source series node, of the one or more source series nodes, is positioned after the first DC source that defines the positive node P and a last source series node, of the one or more source series nodes, is positioned before the last DC source that defines the negative node N; determining a total number of unidirectional controlled switches ucs; assembling a number of inverter cells equal to a quotient of ucs 6 , each one of the number of inverter cells comprising six unidirectional controlled switches; for each one of the number of inverter cells, arranging four of the six unidirectional controlled switches as two bidirectional controlled switches, leaving two remaining unidirectional control switches in each one of the number of inverter cells; for each one of the number of inverter cells, coupling first terminals of the two bidirectional controlled switches together forming a cell series node and coupling second terminals of each of the two bidirectional controlled switches to emitter terminals of separate ones of the two remaining unidirectional controlled switch switches, forming two cell nodes; coupling the cell series node of a first one of the number of inverter cells to the first source series node and coupling collector terminals of the cell's two remaining unidirectional controlled switches to the positive node P; only if there are one or more remaining inverter cells, for each remaining inverter cell, coupling the cell series node to a source series node incrementally more distant from the positive node in the source series than a source series node last coupled to a cell series node, and coupling each unidirectional controlled switch's collector terminal to a respective cell node of an inverter cell last coupled to the cell series; and coupling the emitter terminal for each one of the total number of unidirectional controlled switches that is not assembled in any inverter cell to the negative node N and coupling the collector terminal for each one of the total number of unidirectional controlled switches that is not assembled in any inverter cell to a respective cell node of the inverter cell last coupled to the cell series.