Patent ID: 8377053

Claim:
A circuit for controlling the discharging of stored energy in an electrosurgical generator comprising: a pulse modulator which controls an output of a power supply; at least one comparator configured to provide an error signal to the pulse modulator based on a comparison between an output generated by the power supply and a feedback signal generated in response to the application of energy to tissue; and a discharge circuit configured to control the discharge of the output of the power supply to an inductive load disposed in parallel therewith based on the comparison between the output generated by the power supply and the feedback signal, wherein the discharge circuit includes a first switching component configured to discharge the output of the power supply to the inductive load and a second switching component configured to control switching of the first switching component based on the discharge of the output to the inductive load, wherein the discharge circuit further includes a resistive element connected in series between the first switching component and ground, and wherein a switching of the second switching component is controlled by a voltage across the resistive element generated by the discharge of the output of the power supply.