Integrated backlight control system

1. A lighting arrangement comprising:

a power factor correction circuit comprising a power factor correction controller;

a lighting controller operative at an electrical potential consonant with the electric potential of the output of said power factor correction circuit, said power factor correction circuit responsive to said lighting controller;

a switching network, coupled to the output of said power factor correction circuit and to respective outputs of said lighting controller, said switching network constituted of a half bridge network;

a transformer, a primary winding of said transformer coupled to the output of said switching network; and

at least one luminaire coupled to at least one secondary winding of said transformer and arranged to be driven by said at least one secondary winding,

said lighting controller operative to:

control said switching network via said respective outputs to switchably pass current from said power factor correction circuit through said primary winding, thereby powering said at least one luminaire;

adjust the voltage output of said power factor correction circuit; and

control each of the electronically controlled switches forming said half bridge network with a deadtime of a duration such that voltage across each of the electronically controlled switches is no more than 1 volt when the respective electronically controlled switch is switched from an open state to a closed state.

2. The lighting arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein said control inputs of said switching network are directly connected to respective outputs of said lighting controller.

3. The lighting arrangement according to claim 1 , further comprising a voltage sense dividing network arranged across the output of said power factor correction circuit, said voltage sense dividing circuit in communication with said power factor correction controller.

4. The lighting arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein said half bridge network is constituted of a first electronically controlled switch and a second electronically controlled switch, and wherein said lighting controller is operative to control said first and second electronically controlled switches and adjust the voltage output of said power factor correction circuit so as to provide:

a first period wherein said first electronically controlled switch is closed and said second electronically controlled switch is open;

a dead time during which both said first and said second electronically controlled switches are open; and

a second period wherein said first electronically controlled switch is open and said second electronically controlled switch is closed,

wherein the combination of said first period and said second period constitutes at least 70% of each complete cycle.

5. The lighting arrangement according to claim 1 , further comprising a current sensor in communication with said lighting controller, said current sensor arranged to detect current flowing in said primary winding.

6. The lighting according to claim 1 , further comprising a current sensor in communication with said lighting controller, said current sensor arranged to detect current flowing through at least a portion of said switching network.

7. The lighting according to claim 1 , wherein said luminaire is one of a fluorescent lamp and a light emitting diode.

8. The lighting arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein said adjustment of the voltage output of said power factor correction circuit is within a predetermined adjustment range.

9. The lighting arrangement according to claim 8 , wherein the predetermined adjustment range is about 10%.