A novel dead-time elimination method using single-input enhanced phase-leg configuration

A single-input enhanced phase-leg configuration is proposed that eliminates the need for introducing dead-time intervals into the control of standard inverter phase legs. As a result, the need for dead-time compensation in pulse-width-modulated (PWM) inverters that often requires additional current sensors and fast dedicated logic is also eliminated in many applications that now require it. Only a single digital signal is needed to simultaneously turn the phase-leg switches on and off in a complementary fashion without any danger of shoot-through. Very low levels of both harmonic distortion and nonlinearity are demonstrated using this new phase-leg configuration, making it attractive for many motor drive applications including low-frequency sensorless vector control, flux estimation, and open-loop voltage control. The operation of the new phase leg configuration is described in detail, and a combination of analytical and experimental results are provided to verify its performance.