Patent ID: 7142997

Claim:
A system for power factor correction, comprising: (A) a first sensor receiving an AC power line and producing a sensor output; (B) a controller receiving said sensor output and producing a current component waveform representing the phase angle of a current component and a voltage component waveform representing the phase angle of a voltage component; (C) a computer receiving said current component waveform and said voltage component waveform, said computer comparing said current component waveform and said voltage component waveform and producing a first control signal corresponding to a selection of one or more sets of capacitors to be switched so as to receive said AC power line and to output an AC output power signal to a load wherein the phase angle of the voltage is generally aligned with the phase angle of the current; (D) a first switch receiving said control signal from said computer and producing a first set of one or more selection signals corresponding to said selection of said one or more sets of capacitors to be switched so as to receive said AC power line and to output said AC output power signal; and (E) a first bank of said one or more sets of capacitors, receiving said AC power line and said first set of one or more selection signals and producing said AC output power signal wherein the phase angle of the voltage is generally aligned with the phase angle of the current.