This is a project meant to be convert 12Vdc (like you might get from a car battery) into 3-phase 230VACrms (like what might drive a 3-phase induction motor). This project is meant to be a stepping stone to make a 3-phase VFD with a higher voltage rating that can drive induction motors in the fractional-HP to the several HP range. The initial "draft" version of the board will be for 12Vdc to 3-phase 40Vpp using half H-bridges, which is more like what might drive brushless DC motors.
Not everything operates off of DC power. Even more than that, not everything operates off of single-phase AC power. Some devices, like a 3-phase induction motor, operate off of 3-phase power. One solution to obtain such power is to use a 3-phase generator (like a synchronous machine driven by an engine in a so-called gen-set). In the absence of such a generating machine, however, what other options do we have? That's what inverters are for. Batteries are very portable, and certain types can carry store a lot of energy and can also supply a lot of power. Three-phase inverters can act as the interface between 3-phase devices and such sources of power. That is what this project is about and is the solution it attempts to provide.
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I personally love electric machines and the power electronics that drives them. Their study is a wonderful combination of mechanics, power systems, electronics, control systems, electric drives (obviously), and embedded systems (since you need controllers to drive them). I was even a lab instructor as an undergrad for a year for ECE331 Energy Conversion - the electric machines course at North Dakota State University.
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