Patent ID: 7911463

Claim:
An integrated circuit (IC) for inverter operations and power factor correction operations, comprising: a controller configured to generate a plurality of control signals to control operations of inverter circuitry to generate an AC signal from a DC signal, said control signals generated by said controller also control operations of power factor correction (PFC) circuitry, via said inverter circuitry, to enable said PFC circuitry to provide power factor correction of an input source coupled to said PFC circuitry and said inverter circuitry, said inverter circuitry comprising a first node directly coupled to a first terminal of a first switch and a first terminal of a second switch, said PFC circuitry comprising a first energy storage element controllably coupled to a second energy storage element via said first switch and said second switch, wherein a second terminal of said first switch is coupled to ground, a second terminal of said second switch is coupled to a first terminal of said second energy storage element and a second terminal of said second energy storage element is coupled to ground, and wherein said first node is configured to be coupled to a first terminal of a primary said of a transformer and said second energy storage element is configured to be coupled to a second terminal of said primary side of said transformer through an inductor, said controller configured to generate a first control signal to turn said first switch ON allowing energy from said input source to be stored in said first energy storage element and energy stored in said second energy storage element to be delivered to said primary side of said transformer on a path from said second energy storage element through said inductor first, then through said primary side of said transformer then through said first switch and then to ground, said controller configured to generate a second control signal to turn said second switch ON, allowing energy from said second energy storage element to be delivered to said primary side of said transformer, said first control signal and said second control signal configured to turn said first switch OFF before said second switch turns ON allowing energy stored in said first energy storage element to be delivered to said second energy storage element.