What is an Inverter?

Components of an Inverter

An inverter is a device that is used to convert Direct current to Alternating Current. However the output is not a sine wave. It can be square wave, quasi square wave or PWM. But in most scenarios the value of DC power is low. But we require high Alternating Currents. This can be achieved in two ways:

First we need to step up the DC power. Then we can make use of inverter to convert DC to AC.
Secondly, we convert low powered DC to low powered AC. Then we increase the power of Alternating current by stepping it up.

Types of Current in general :

Direct Current: In this type of current, electrons flow in constant direction. In other words we can say that it is unidirectional in nature.
Alternating Current : In this type of current, electrons change the direction periodically. It can be compared to sinusoidal wave. The main advantage of using AC current over DC current is that it helps to supply current to long distances without involving much cables.

Block Diagram of Inverter

Inverters can also be used to change voltage levels.

Waveforms of Inverter

Introduction to Inverters

Current is defined as the flow of electrons. It is denoted by I and the SI unit of current is Ampere. There are mainly two types of currents: Alternating Current (AC) and Direct Current (DC). In general AC is used to travel over long distances and users require DC.

So, there are many devices that are used to convert incoming Alternating current to Direct Current. Examples include SMPS, Power Adapters, Chargers etc. But we also need devices that convert Direct Current to Alternating Current.