Patent ID: 8610364

Claim:
An apparatus, wherein a dimmer voltage to a power converter system comprises three states that occur from: D. an approximately zero volt crossing of the dimmer voltage of a dimmer until a phase cut, leading edge of the dimmer voltage; E. an end of state A until energy transferred to a load is sufficient to meet at least one energy transfer parameter; and F. an end of state B until a beginning of state A, the apparatus comprising: a controller configured to: for state A, enable a low impedance path for a dimmer current of the dimmer, wherein the impedance of the low impedance path is sufficiently low to maintain a stable phase angle of the dimmer; for state B, enable control of switch mode power conversion of the dimmer voltage; and control the switch mode power conversion to maintain the dimmer current above a current threshold; and for state C, enter an inactive state, wherein during the inactive state the low impedance path and the control of mode power conversion is disabled.